#and as we left the restaurant some women stopped us and said you look like you’re going to the show will you take some bracelets

[ladybeug]

Went to Taylor swift tonight, and 3 people gave me bracelets - even though I didn’t have any to trade!!

Sharing this bc I am touched by the kindness of the Taylor swift community and I hope the 2 teens and woman in mcmenamins know they made my day so much better!!!

[waughymommy]

MOMMY KNOWS BEST

Chapter 5

            They pulled into a McDonalds and Rebecca opened Brian’s door. He had successfully finished his second juice of the morning. She smiled as she unbuckled him. She unclipped his pacifier and stuffed it into her purse. “I will give you a break since we are out in public,” Rebecca whispered. “But remember, if you have to go potty, you tell mommy.” She grabbed his hand and led him inside. At the counter, Brian started to make his order, but Rebecca stopped him before he could get two words out. She shot him a look that let him know mommy was in charge. “Good morning. He will have a sausage biscuit and an apple juice. I’ll have a bacon, egg and cheese with a large black coffee. Thank you,” Rebecca said confidently, knowing that the cashier was giving the couple strange looks.

            Rebecca grabbed their tray and they made their way to a table. Brian started to complain, “Why can’t I have a coffee?”

            Without missing a beat, Rebecca answered, “Coffee isn’t for babies.” Disappointed, Brian went to grab his breakfast, but she slapped his hand, “Let mommy do that.” She opened the rapper and began cutting the sandwich into bite size pieces. She opened his juice, but reminded him to be super careful since she left his sippy cup in the car. “Now eat up sweetheart.”

            Brian kept his head down, certain that every person in the restaurant was staring at him, but the truth was every went about their own business. The two ate in relative quiet. He finished his juice. “My baby must have liked his food, you finished it so fast. Mommy is almost done.” Brian cringed and his eyes scanned the restaurant, praying that no one could hear her. “Alright sweetie. Before we leave, do you need to go potty?”

            Brian was mortified, “NO. Can we just go please?”

            “Relax cutie,” Rebecca was thoroughly enjoying his discomfort.

They walked to the car and once again she buckled him in. She pulled his pacifier back out, “Be good for me and suck on your binky. We will be at the store in just a few minutes.”

            They arrived at a department store, “Mommy wants to buy some clothes. If baby is on his best behavior, maybe you will get a treat.” As they walked inside, Brian realized that he still had is pacifier in his mouth and quickly shoved it into his pocket. Rebecca pretended to not notice, but it just reinforced that Brian was never going to let himself be little on his own. The two walked inside and found the women’s clothing section. Brian had always been a patient husband and bought whatever her heart desired. He had endured countless shopping trips, but this was different. With every step he took, he could feel the material of his pullup. He felt paranoid that everyone in the store knew his secret. He just stood behind his mommy as she perused the racks. She made sure to take her precious time.

            She picked item after item to try on. Brian squirmed knowing that this was going to take awhile. Every minute felt like an eternity. He just stood outside the stall as she tried on different outfits. He was unsettled and bored all at the same time. He just wanted to get out of there. But then he noticed an ache in his bladder. No way in hell was he going to ask her to take him to the bathroom. He would just wait till they got home where he would hopefully be able to slip away and use the bathroom on his own. With every passing moment, his need for the bathroom grew more and more intense. Rebecca opened up the stall to model a new outfit, “What do you think sweetheart?” She immediately recognized the look on his face. “Brian, baby, do you need to go pee-pee. Mommy can take you. All you need to do is tell me.”

            “No, Im fine,” Brian responded hoping that she believed him.

            “Ok baby. I’ve got a few more things to try on,” as she walked back into the stall. Brian took a deep breath, desperately trying to will away his need to pee. He crossed his legs hoping to relieve some pressure.

            “Are you almost done,” Brian asked in a whiney tone.

            “Not quite sweetheart, be patient for mommy just a little bit longer,” Rebecca said from behind the stall door.

            Brian tried to take his mind off of his predicament. He tried looking through the racks, but his mind kept racing back to the fact that his wife of nearly ten years was turning him into a baby. He had always fantasized about it, but it was always just that: a dream. This was real life and it terrified him. How could he give up control? He needed to be the provider so that his wife didn’t have to be. She had always been so sweet and supportive of him. The least he could do was work hard so she didn’t have to. He could still remember the day he saw her. He was absolutely smitten. He saw her in a coffee shop on his way to work. Her wavy brown hair flowed over her shoulders. Although she sported a hoodie and jeans, he could tell she was curvaceous. Something about her drew him in like a moth to a flame. Brian was never one to openly flirt with women. He was always a bit shy and reserved. But with her, he had to try. He plucked up his courage and walked up to her table, “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you. My name is Brian and I couldn’t help but notice you. I don’t normally do this, but would you grab coffee with sometime.”

            Rebecca looked up at the dapper man standing before her. She flashed him a smile. She could sense the shyness of him which conveyed a genuineness about him. He was tall and fairly fit. Why not, he seems harmless.

            “I would love to. How about tomorrow at noon?”, she asked. He was thrilled, over the moon happy. That moment of bliss Brian daydreamed about was soon shattered by a sound that jerked him back. It sounded as if someone was peeing. He was confused, until the warmth spread across his crotch. The daydream had broken his concentration and he was flooding his pullup.

            “Ok, I am all done baby boy…Brian are you ok?” Rebecca asked as she exited the stall. She saw the look of total panic on his face and a growing wet patch on his pants. His pullup couldn’t handle it and pee dribbled down his legs. Brian burst into tears. In that moment all he wanted was mommy. Rebecca flung into mommy mode. She set aside her clothing and went to comfort her baby boy. “Why didn’t you tell mommy you needed to pee-pee? I guess you aren’t ready for pull ups? Where is your paci baby?” she asked.

            Brian could only point to his pocket. She reached into his pocket and then nestled it between his lips. “Come on baby, lets get you home.” Rebecca grabbed his hand and led him out into the parking lot. Every patron in the store just witnessed a grown man with a pacifier and wet pants, be led like an overgrown toddler out of the store. But Brian was too upset to notice. They reached the car. “Brian before you get in, we need to take those pants off,” Rebecca said.

            Brian fearfully scanned the parking lot to see if other people were watching, “But but people might see me.”

            “Brian I can’t put you in the car with soaking wet pants,” she said forcefully. She unbuttoned his pants and starting pulling his pants down to his ankles. “I need you to step out baby. Mommy packed another pullup, but she didn’t bring any pants.” She ripped open the sides of the pullup, leaving his bare bottom exposed. He closed his eyes and just prayed no one could see him. He felt the cold touch of baby wipes around his crotch. “Ok baby step into this pullup. There, nice and dry. Hop in the car for me sweetheart.” She leaned in and buckled him up. She then kissed the top of his head, “Everything is ok sweetheart. You were so brave while mommy changed you. I promise, mommy will never get upset at you for having accidents. Lets get you home.”

[asteiioss]

The One With The Proposal

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!OC

Warnings: smut, fingering, oral sex (m receiving), slight BDSM (use of cuffs), delayed orgasm, P in V sex, unprotected sex (people pls be safe), creampie, no use of Y/N

Word Count: 4.1k

A/N: Well... Okay. There's a few things you need to know about this piece of work you're about to read. This is actually a part of my series that I'm writing on Wattpad. I will put the link below in case you want to read the whole thing. It's not finished, I'm still writing it. This chapter, however, can be a standalone and can be viewed as a one-shot, so I decided to post it here, too. I wish you an enjoyable reading. Oh, and this is not read through, so if you find some mistakes, pretend that you didn't.

Wattpad acc link: here

Spencer Reid. A man known for several things. His knowledge. A brilliant man, whom the FBI owes many thanks. Uncountable cases that he helped solve that would probably stay unsolved without him. His blabbering. He had a whole paragraph ready to shout out on anything you say. The sky? Fun fact... The book you're looking at? Fun fact, the author actually... A specific person who's dead or alive or never surfaced for something they did? Fun fact about them...

You will never see him wear anything outside of professional clothes. Comfortable professional clothes. Sweaters, cardigans. He sometimes reminds me of older women who wrap themselves in their cardigans. You will never hear him swear. Not in public, anyway. The most he said once was goddamn it. The entire team was left in shock. Penelope was even scared of him that day.

He will stutter in conversations and situations that make him even slightly uncomfortable. He has a germ thing. He never shakes hands or hugs with random people. He makes contact with his friends, me, and some close people like his mother, Diane.

Now put all that into an image and try to picture that man. A shy, uncomfortable, boyish man. Stuck reading books when he has free time. No, no. He cancels plans to stay indoors and read books. Even re-read them.

That same man proposed to me half an hour ago. It was small, intimate, and sentimental. We walked by the restaurant where we confessed we loved each other. He let my hand go and I took a few steps ahead. When I turned back, he was down on one knee and held a small box in his hands.

I said yes.

I said yes more than once.

He was the sweetest man. He was mine. I loved to be loved by him. Delicate, heartwarming, caring and sweet. The man I just described above.

That same man was driving us home at the moment, his dick hard, bulging in his pants, one hand or the wheel, the other deep in my cunt while curving his knuckles at a new angle as he fucked me.

Every person has two sides.

And boy, oh boy, did I love his other side.

Everything anyone knew about Spencer, they would say he would be a sweet, whiney, submissive man during intimacy. I beg to differ.

His fingers twirling inside me, I huff as I refuse to moan just yet. I hated the way he could make me fold so, so easily. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. My mouth is open and I can't hold in pleads from him. His fingers are long. I love his fingers. But his cock is bigger.

He pulls into our parking space and he removes his hand from under my dress. He walks out and comes around to open my door. I begin to come out when he stops me, picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder. I yelp, feeling almost powerless. He slams the door and locks the car and continues to carry me up almost three flights of stairs. The apartment door flies open before we go in. He closes it with his leg and heads directly to our bedroom.

I can't help but blush. I felt like a tiny girl. How disgusting that the tiny girl imagined all the things he would do to her in a few moments. He slides me down and steps back to look at me. His eyes scan me, from the smallest hair on the top of my head all the way down to my toes. There's a devilish desire in his eyes, his mouth parted ever so slightly. His eyes come back to mine and he, almost growling, says, "I kneeled for you, now go ahead and kneel for me."

Tingles run down my entire body. I don't hesitate to obligate his request. Not a request. He demanded. And I wasn't going to defy this. I wasn't going to defy him. Not breaking eye contact, I slide down on my knees, perfectly aligned with his belt. I look ahead, seeing him painfully hard in his pants. I slide my hands up his legs and start undoing his pants. Every clank makes me tingle between my legs.

There was a specific time when a powerful, strong and independent woman only wants, no, only needs to be told what to do. I raised myself from nothing. No one helped me. I could only thank myself for everything I have accomplished in my life. I would listen to no man. No man had the power over me. No man could take nothing from me. Except him. He had all of me wrapped around his little finger.

And I didn't mind.

Being submissive to someone means so much more then people think. It means trust. It means love. Truth be told, not every submissive person tends to be like that in everyday life. Don't get me wrong, I know what comes to mind when you think of someone like that. Porn taught us so wrongly. And this? This was so much more intimate then just porn. This was desire, lust, and pure neediness.

After undoing his belt, I pulled down his pants, tugging his underwear to, removing them to. I would skip everything just to feel him. Being released from his clothes was hitting him sweetly as he took a sharp breath when my eyes fell to his dick.

I look up, almost lustful, maybe waiting for him to tell me to touch him, maybe even to beg me, a whole 180 to what I just described myself as. His eyes were dark and watching me from a high. He simply smirked, almost reading my mind and what was going through it.

"Go on," he half whispered, voice deep just like the darkness around us, "be the slut the outside world has no idea you are."

And that was all it took. My hand takes his base before I stick out my tongue and slide it up his entire length. There was a lot of length. He inhales, pushing a groan down his throat at the first touch I plant on him.

This was going to be a long night.

The kiss I leave at his tip as I start stroking him with my hand sends his head falling back. The motion pushes his curls off of his forehead. I loved when his hair fell on his face. It made him look messy. It made him look more flustered. And the image of him like that made me throb between my legs.

After enough slow-play, I stick out my tongue and take him in my mouth, slowly, reaching as far as I could before I feel him touch my throat. He feels he reached far and he groans. The funny thing is I had taken only half of him. He looks down again, his hairs flying back to his face. His fingers twist around in my hair and tug slightly, almost like he was checking the grip he had on my head.

But I soon found out it wasn't the grip why I thought he wanted it. He held my head in place as he started to rock back and forth. He was using me. Using my mouth to be precise. And he started fucking it. At first it was slow, almost shallow thrusts, reaching where he first did. But as time passed, he became more fierce. He started going deeper, hitting the back of my throat with more force making me gag. My eyes started to water as I had no control over anything. His hand held my head in place as he now almost pounded into my mouth.

As he continued, I could feel him twitch on the top of my mouth. And so did I. I felt my panties dampen with every second that passed. I was horny because my boyfriend, my fiancé, was fucking my throat like it was just something for him to use.

Muffled moans and occasional groans escaped his mouth. He was about to finish. I could easily tell by the increased speed of his thrusts and their force. Finally, he pushed himself almost the whole way, deep into my throat and let himself release there. I gagged pretty hard, trying to keep him down and not throw out his cum.

He pulled himself out and let go of his grip on my hair. His hand slid from behind to my chin and he lifted my face up. He was taking deep and long breaths, his chest falling and rising every time. His eyes scanned me, a fucked mouth, watery eyes and bright red cheeks. Must have been quite a sight.

"Swallow, baby." he said and left his mouth slightly opened, watching as the small bulb went down my throat and he smiled in satisfaction. "Good girl. Your turn."

He bent down and picked me up to carry me to the bed. Back facing the mattress, he climbed on top and roughly kissed me. I loved when he did that. After what I just did, he didn't hesitate to kiss me. He didn't get disgusted to do so. His fingers hooked around the hem of my dress and he pulled it off in one quick motion. I was left in my bra and panties that were already soaking wet. Every time he saw me like that, dressed but not dressed, I'd get shy.

I never liked my body. And yet he worshipped it.

"God, you're so gorgeous." he hovered over me, his eyes trailing over every inch of my body. I shivered from his words that sounded like a prayer. It was half whispers. Like he was afraid that if someone heard what he had, it would be stolen from him.

His lips come down and start kissing my neck, my weak spot. Just the warmth of his kiss makes me moan, eager for more as I buck my hips up towards him. I feel that I caress his cock against my thigh, and as soon as he feels it, he pushes my hips down with his hands.

"Needy, are we?" he chuckles against my skin as he now slowly moves lower and leaves a trail of kisses at my collarbone.

"I hate when you do this." I whine, my fingers roaming through his hair.

"You hate when I kiss you?" he says between kisses, one on my shoulder, one at the base of my neck, one directly in between my breasts.

"No, I-" my words get interrupted when I moan. I feel him smile when he hears me. "I hate when you make me wait. You tease. Every time." I take a deep breath in between every sentence to take in his kisses. As much as I did hate the delay of the actual sex, I loved feeling him everywhere. I didn't know what I wanted more.

He continues kissing, his lips reaching my stomach and he stops. I look down to see him slightly smirking as he is settled just between my legs. I feel shivers. He lets go of my hips and slowly pulls down my panties, sliding his fingers down along my legs in the process. He is continuing to tease me with every touch he leaves on my body.

When I finally think that he is going to stick his tongue at my cunt, I am yet again met with disappointment. He comes over me and trails his hands, slowly, around my back as he keeps looking me in the eyes to catch every whiney face I make as I plead him to fuck me already using no words. But he knows. Oh, he knows that's what I'm asking of him.

He unhooks my bra and I am completely naked. His shirt comes off as he makes us even. Again, I hope that he will now go down. It doesn't have to be his mouth, I'll be happy if he would just stick his fucking fingers into my pussy and rummage through it. But, no. He bends down and kisses my breasts, moving from one to the other. Kissing it, sucking on the nipples, squeezing them with his hands.

If he was kissing and/or sucking the right he would be squeezing the left. There was no space left for me to catch a breath. Then, he bit down on one, just enough to make me squeal. He chuckled with my tit in his mouth. I had enough. I gripped his hair and pulled him up to my face.

"What do you fucking want from me?" I say with a whiney voice. I sounded desperate. I hated it. I loved it, too.

His face had a drunk smile across it. He was enjoying this. My torture was satisfaction for him. Fucking great. "I want you to beg." he said through a whisper. His head was tilted back as I was pulling his hair.

I hated to beg him. Especially to do what I wanted. I knew he knows what I want, but he loves when he makes me break and I have nothing left but to fucking beg him to do the most unholy things to me.

I roll my eyes. "No." I simply say.

He smirks and bucks his hips so his dick slides over my dripping cunt. My entire body arches and he smiles again. "Beg, my love. Use that mouth for something else then a place for me to dump my cum."

That mother fucker. "You assh-" he bucks his hips again and breaks me mid-sentence. I growl at him.

"I don't think that's how begging works. C'mon. Beg me to fuck you. I know you want to."

It was weird hearing him swear. Not just swear, but use vulgar words in general. I used them everyday. It was like saying 'hi' to someone. But Spencer? Noup.

I gave up. I close my eyes and just make peace with my fate. "Please, Spencer."

He bends down and kisses my lips. "You have to be specific, my love. What do you want from me?"

I'm boiling at this point. Do I have a choice? If I want to be fucked, not really. "I want you to fuck me, please me, make me cum. I'm fucking tired of being teased." I practically cry out the last part.

He smirks and I let go of my grip on his hair. He doesn't move, he is still looking me directly in the eyes as he slides one hand down and caresses my inner thigh. He goes over my cunt with his entire hand and I loudly gasp. He watches, enjoys the reactions he gets as he touches me. He brings his hand up and licks his two fingers and then slides them down again.

Baby, you don't need no more moisture, I'm wet enough.

His hand finally connects to my core and he starts making circles around my clit. My body erupts. I no longer have control over my reactions. My eyebrows furrow, my mouth is wide open and it's letting out moans, whines, sounds I didn't even know I could make. And he simply watches. From time to time he would bend down and kiss my neck, maybe even bite down on it, making me buck my entire body up.

"God, you're so fucking wet." he says and starts rubbing up and down my entrance. "You're so pretty. My pretty girl."

I'm melting. Melting into his sinister hands that are touching me in the most horrid ways. And I wouldn't stop him even in a million fucking years.

He slides the fingers in, gently, slowly, caringly. I let out a loud moan, slapping my mouth after I do. Just as I did, his other hand takes my wrist and pulls it off. Holding it, he collects my other hand and pins both of them above my head. "Why would you do that?" he asks. But I don't answer, it's a rhetorical question. "You sound so beautiful when you moan for me. You sound so pretty."

His knuckles are now buried deep inside my pussy and he starts to pump them in and out. When he slides them back in, his thumb hits my clit and he curls his fingers inside just enough to hit that little spot. Every movement he made was followed by that wet sound. I just knew his fingers were drowning in my arousal, and I just knew he was so eager to put his cock inside there too.

He kisses my jaw, my neck, my cheeks. He is enjoying this. Pleasuring someone you truly love is pleasure to you as well. His other hand in on my thigh, pulling it away so he has better access and can slide in deeper then he usually could. In between my own sounds, I can hear him groan whenever I jerk my hips upward and slightly stoke him against my leg.

I want more. Now, I'm just desperate because I don't want to finish now. I want to cum over his cock while he is buried all the way inside. I want him to see that little blub in my stomach appear and disappear as he fucks me.

Like on cue, as if he heard me, he pulls his hand away and climbs the bed again. Pushing my legs fully apart, he aligns himself at my entrance. He pushes, but purposefully jerks himself up so he slides against my clit. I see him place himself on my abdomen as if he is looking how far he goes when he's inside.

"Look at how deep I can bury myself in you, love." he admires and glides his fingers over my skin. He pulls back and leans over to the drawer next to our bed. For a moment he rummages through it. "Shit."

I look over, trying to figure out what was going on. "What is it?"

He pauses and looks at me. "We don't have any condoms."

Well shit.

But I put on my big girl face. "And?"

He looks slightly surprised by my reaction. "No protection?"

I shrug. "What's the worst that can happen?" I smirk, moving myself lower on the bed and connecting myself with him. He really was hard.

He says nothing and just enters. He pushes in with quite a bit of force. I let out a quiet scream at his motion. I still needed time to adjust to his length. But he didn't care. He was already in full force, starting to pick up the pace of his thrusts. His hands go down and wrap around my hips and he uses them to pull me on himself as he continues to pound me.

The room is filled with my whines and moans, the sounds of our hips connecting and slamming against each other, and his groans. I love when he groans. I know he feels good. I make him feel good.

"You're so tight. It's so warm inside." he says through rough groans.

His fingers are diving inside the skin of my hips. I feel pain as he squeezes them. I push the feeling away, I even don't have to. The feeling of his dick hitting my deepest point is strong enough to push it away almost instantly.

The repetitive slamming into me lures my finish to approach. It's forming in my gut and I feel it slowly coming as he continues fucking me mercilessly, rough and fast thrusts.

"I'm gonna cum- Oh, God, Spence." I saw, although I'm not sure how I managed to.

Just as I said that, I felt my climax get at its highest point, and I was about to finish-

He pulls out.

What the fuck?!

"Wha- what are you doing?" I stutter, the high still in the air but it's fading away.

He looks down and has a wicked smile on his face. His cheeks are deep red and his hair is damp from his sweat. "I'm not done with you. Turn around."

I'm mad. Furious. I want to defy him so badly, I want to say 'no', maybe even flip him off. But I want to finish. I was just about to. So I do as I'm told. I prompt myself up and turn around and stand on all fours on the bed. Might I add that this is my favorite position.

I expect him to align himself again and continue to thrust like he did, but he gets off the bed and walks over to the corner of the room. The corner where he keeps his bag for work. I hear a clank before he walks back behind me. He places his hand on my upper back and slightly pushes, indicating for me to lower myself even more. My face and chest lay on the mattress. My ass is now the only thing in the air.

This position gives him more access. I am ready for it to hurt before I can adjust myself to his length again at this angle. Yet again, I don't get what I'm expecting. He takes my wrist and places it behind my back, then the other and connects it with my other one. I hear that clank again. He takes one of my wrists again and puts the metal around it.

It's his fucking cuffs.

He puts his cuffs on and thugs on the chain between them to pull my arms back. He pulls so much that I have to lift myself slightly off the bed. I tremble. Out of excitement. Our of slight fear. Out of horniness, simply.

I feel him bend down and kiss my back. He knows I love that. It feels very intimate to me. He kisses down my spine and then slaps my ass. I yelp, not just by the sudden contact, but also because he slapped it pretty hardly. Not enough to leave a bruise, but it will definitely go red in a few seconds.

"You ready?"

There are certain points in our sex life when he asks, or even simply warns to hold on tight to anything. Since I was obviously restrained, he's asking. That is enough to know this was going to be really good.

"Yeah." I whisper, my face buried back into our bed.

"You know I love you, right?" he whispers again and pushes his tip into my cunt.

My breath trembles since I was still sensitive from the high I missed a few minutes ago. "I know."

"Good. Because for the next few minutes it might not look like I do."

He didn't give me time to respond. He slammed himself inside, making me scream out. This was enough for the neighbors to hear. He started thrusting. I still wasn't adjusted to this position, and his cock was hitting from a new angle that allowed much better access. I felt pain. But, God, was it good. My eyes started watering from the pain as I couldn't take it. I prayed that my pussy would stretch just slightly so I could take him a bit easier.

After a short while, I did. The slight pain was still there. It couldn't really go away from the force he was driving himself in. And then it happened. He slapped my ass again. It was a strong slap. His hand was big enough to cover my entire cheek. I yelp at the sudden pain.

As he continues to thrust, I feel him occasionally twitch. That can mean only one thing. He is about to cum again. Just when I realize that, he speeds up. He pulls on the cuffs and makes me get up from the bed. He's pulling hard enough to hold me in the air.

He hits again, going back to squeeze after. I feel the slight burn of his slaps. Another one connects to my skin and with it I feel that high again. I don't want it to escape again, so I bend slightly so he feels me letting him slide even deeper.

Spencer quickly realizes what I'm trying to tell him, but there's not much left before I feel him hammer himself once, then again, just as I feel my climax release. I scream out, and I feel him empty himself inside.

It takes him a few seconds to calm down before he lets me fall down on the bed again. I'm a fucking mess. He takes off the cuffs and places my hands on my sides before he bends down and removes my hair from the back of my neck and kisses in that spot.

"My perfect girl." he cooed. "You're so fucking special."

I breathe deeply. "Well..." I begin as he lays down next to me. "That was fun." I feel his cum drip down out of my cunt.

He chortles. "That's one way to put it."

I was about to marry this man. I loved every inch of him. Every version there was of him. There was nothing that could take that away from me.

[kooktrash]

romantic dreams | jeon jungkook

drabble: motorbikes, bars and head [standalone]

summary: you’re not going to lie and say you’re fully over what happened but you’re tired of fighting it. you’re too worried for his well-being to leave him yet and you find yourself constantly enabling him with your soft words and telling him what he wants to hear. or in this case showing him you’re all his and you’ll never change that. [2.9k words. smut at the end. jk gets a bj. he gives oc a ride on his motorcycle]

His touch was tender, his fingers lightly grazing your ankles as he held you in place. The motorcycle tilted to one side as it rested at the red light and you had to hold onto him a little tighter.

Your boyfriend gave you a reassuring pat on your thigh as he drove off with the green light and you sucked in a breath. It was wet, rain bounced off of your helmet and covered your vision, the wind was cold and you did nothing but hold onto Jungkook.

“How are you feeling?” Jungkook asked once you two were finally off the bike, “Sorry, baby, it didn’t say anything about rain tonight.”

You didn’t give him much of a response as your teeth clattered and headed toward the restaurant bar the two of you stopped at. It wasn’t even where you were supposed to go but the rain was heavy and Jungkook knew you didn’t feel comfortable so the two of you were just going to wait it out.

The restaurant was surprisingly loud with a nightlife atmosphere inside. It was dimly lit and young couples and friends lounged around snacking and drinking. It was hard to even find a table without being squished against the next table. He left you to go find something to order you two and you sat alone at the squared table trying to wipe away any puddles of rain that haven’t soaked into the fabric of your jacket yet.

It’s been exactly one since Jungkook’s meltdown and you haven’t told anyone about it. The next day he acted totally normal and in a good mood and though you tried to bring it up you thought about what it would be like if he acted that way again. He seemed to be okay now… and he even got rid of the cameras but…

Was it enough? No, but he scared you still sometimes.

You looked at him as he stood in line at the bar. He was in his usual leather black jacket and black tea. His hair was a bit shorter than last time but it was still long enough to look wavy. There were two girls standing behind him probably in their mid twenties and by the looks of it, they were already a little tipsy. They looked at Jungkook’s back before huddling closed and giggling. At one point Jungkook turned to you and gave you a cute smile before casually looking down at them.

“Excuse me, are you using the chair?”

Just like that, your attention was pulled away to the person in front of you. He was tall, light brown hair and gentle eyes. His hand rested on the top of the third chair at your table and he pointed to the table behind you, “We ran out and I was gonna ask if I can take this one.”

You gave him a soft smile, “Go ahead.”

He smiled back widely, “Thanks, sorry if we’re too loud, they’re drunk.”

“Don’t worry, I get it,” you said looking down to your phone to end the interaction but he just nodded.

“It started raining out of nowhere right?” Your smile slowly fell, he’s not leaving yet.

“Who’s next?”

Jungkook was frozen in his spot even as the line behind him grew longer. He was too focused on your soft smile as you talked with some guy. He’s been in line for a couple minutes now trying to think of what to order for you while you’re off talking to some other guy. How was he supposed to feel about this?

“Sir—“ Jungkook looked down at the two women behind him. They had rosy cheeks and glossy lips and looked at him like he was something special. Without sparing them a second glance he finally went to the counter and got his wallet out. His movements were smooth and mechanical, even his tone of voice sounded strained yet gently and he ordered your food normally.

You smiled at the guy warily as you glanced at Jungkook just in time to catch the way he handed the cashier the money and took his receipt with him, turning to your table. You cleared your throat awkwardly, trying to find a way to get this guy to leave, “But yes, if you need the chair go ahead and take it, I wouldn’t mind.”

“What wouldn’t you mind?” Jungkook stood behind the guy now as he had a hold on the chair. He turned around surprised, “I was wondering if you were using the chair?”

“So why are you still here? Take it already and fucking leave,” Jungkook grumbled as he sat down across from you watching the guy closely as he looked back to you, “Alright thanks.”

You gave him an apologetic smile watching him leave while Jungkook watched you.

“Is he cute?”

“Is who?”

“That guy,” Jungkook said as you took a sip from your drink, “You look pretty sad to see him go. Your conversation must’ve been really good.”

You released a small sigh, deciding to change the subject, “Did they say how long the wait is?”

“I didn’t ask,” Jungkook said. He watched you play with the wrapper of your straw, “Why are you so pretty?”

You raised a brow at him unable to fight the urge to blush, he still had a strong effect on you after all. Your eyes met and his seemed to soften once more, making you reach across the small table and take his hand in yours. You decided to tease him a little, “Why are you?”

Once the rain had stopped and you finished your meals, you were back outside in the dark night letting Jungkook help you with your helmet. The shield was still up and he was strapped it together under your chin but he stopped for a moment to look at you. You didn’t move or even smile as he said, “I love you.”

“You too,” you smiled softly as he leaned forward to plant a quick kiss on your lips.

“Do you?”

The bell above the door to the restaurant chimed as the group of guys who sat one table over from you came out laughing and drunk. The one who asked for a chair caught your attention but only because he was watching you two. Jungkook followed your line of sight and turned, unimpressed and with a clenched jaw. You didn’t mean to stare at the guy, he wasn’t your type and you obviously weren’t thinking about him but Jungkook didn’t know that.

He acts fine after his meltdown but you can tell by the way he stares at you that he’s waiting for you to try and leave him again so he could react. If it was up to him you would never be out of his sight. He doesn’t have a temper with you but you’ve definitely noticed a temper with other people lately. You’re not sure if he purposely didn’t show you it before but he really has no patience for anyone else and sure that does reassure you a bit to know he doesn’t give another woman the time of day… but it also means he has a short temper when it’s comes to guys who approach you. They don’t even have to be hitting on you for Jungkook to intervene like you’ve done something to piss him off. All you did was look at the other guy and Jungkook turned ready to start something with him. You tugged are his helmet to get him to look back at you but you could see the way his tongue poked against his cheek and his eyes tried to shift to the side to watch the guy as he and his friends took a smoke break outside.

You’re not sure if it was because they seemed drunk or because the guy was ticked off by the way Jungkook told him to leave but you heard the guy from earlier yell, “Your boyfriend’s got a nice ride but I bet mine’s more impressive!”

His group of friends laughed but your attention was on Jungkook whose gaze had hardened. You shook your head, “Let’s g—“

“I could give you a ride, babe—or better yet you can give me a good ri—“

“What’d you say?” Jungkook was never focused on you as he turned to the guy. The rain had stopped but it still smelled of wet earth and there were puddles of water that reflected the light sign of the restaurant as people still dined inside. The guy was with about five friends and they were all laughing at their friend’s obviously inappropriate catcalls just to rile Jungkook up and it was working.

You had to think fast to get his attention back on you, “Baby, let it go, let’s just go.”

“What? Did I say something wrong?” The guy scoffed with a smirk, “You think you’re hot shit acting hard in front of your girl?”

Jungkook chuckled, as he pulled away from your grasp on his jacket and began taking his helmet off, “Why don’t you leave your friends and come say it to my face cause I can’t hear you.”

You took a deep breath, “Jungkook, come on he’s drunk, he’s trying to rile you up.” There were also six of them and one of him, you don’t doubt Jungkook can’t stick up for himself — he’s a boxer for christ's sake — but he’s out unnerved and these guys just want to start trouble.

The guy’s smile disappeared, “You don’t want a problem with me.“

“Wanna bet?” Jungkook had an amused smile on his face, “You wanna try and hit on my girl to disrespect us both? Yeah, I do want a problem with you so like I said, stop hiding behind your friends and come say it to my face.”

Your boyfriend began walking their way, not intimidated at all by the amount of them and that’s what worried you. Jungkook doesn’t care how many he’s against.

“Jungk—“

“Hey! No loitering outside the restaurant, take your problems somewhere else!” A worker came out just as Jungkook got closer to the group. You took this as your chance to pull Jungkook away, and although reluctant he followed you.

You got back on the bike and just before Jungkook took off, he swerved the bike into a puddle and splashed the guys with water, driving off as they shouted at him.

When you got back to your buildings, you had to follow him into his. He seemed annoyed and you rather not have him mad at you or anyone for that matter. He always acted strange when he was mad.

“Are you upset with me?” You asked as Jungkook threw off his jacket and helmet almost aggressively. He wouldn’t even look at you.

“No.”

“Oh,” you took your jacket off as you watched him go to the fridge for a drink before walking over to his living room straight to his record player. He flipped over his Deftone’s ‘White Pony’ vinyl and let the first song to pop up play before going to sit on the couch to be on his phone. “You sure?”

“Yes, baby, I’m sure,” Jungkook said with a firm jaw, “But I tell you all the time to stop entertaining these loser guys.”

“I’m not.”

“Well it sure fucking feels that way when you’re giving them all these sweet little smiles,” Jungkook said with a scoff, “You make them think that they can take you away from me, like I’d let that fucking happen.”

You released a sigh as you moved in front of him, down on your knees so he wouldn’t be able to look away. He made room for you between his legs as he met your soft eyes with his, “Nobody is taking me away from you.”

“How do I know that?” Jungkook asked with a tilt of his head. You bit your lip nervously.

“Because I love you.”

He wasn’t looking at you, his attention was off in space and you can only imagine all the crazy things he might be thinking. You put your hands on his thighs, the black denim rough under your fingers. You rested your head on his leg, “Want me to show you?”

His brow raised in curiosity as he looked back at you. Jungkook was strange, he was delusional and possessive and sometimes really scary. You did care a lot about him though and you needed to remind him that you stayed with him—even if it was because he scared you.

He didn’t look away from your eyes as your hands slid up to his jeans, you undid the button, pulling down the zipper and taking note of his bulge even soft. He was resting back on the couch with his legs spread around you and you leaned up to kiss him.

Jungkook’s tongue explored your mouth as he moved up just enough for you to tug his jeans down and groaned into your mouth when you palmed his member, making it harden quickly. Jungkook’s hand wrapped itself around your throat as you pulled away and he looked down at your parted lips, bucking his hips into your hand and suddenly your tongue stuck out a little more. He tilted his head curiously at the way you opened your mouth to him willingly and he smiled, tongue sliding across his lip ring at the sudden thought that ran through his head. He sat up a little more as you sank back down on your knees and before you knew it…

He released a line of drool into your waiting mouth watching it land on your flat tongue and you finally yanked his black briefs down. Jungkook slumped back as your hand took a hold of his member.

Jungkook’s jaw dropped as he watched your combined drool drip onto his tip, immediately reacting to the strange sensation and you didn’t seem to have patience today. You took him in both hands and pointed his cock toward your mouth, tongue running flat against the vein on the underside of his member.

He released a shaky breath, a hand on your hair for support, feelings his balls tighten when you teased his head by running your stiff tongue over his stool as it leaked precum.

His hips began to move seeking more than just the teasing, fingernails digging into your hair trying not to mess it up but hinting at the fact that he wanted more.

Once you had enough of his member covered in spit, you took it into your mouth. He moaned feeling your throat relax around him while your tongue flattened against his side and tried to lick around him. You began to stroke whatever didn’t fit into your mouth as you bobbed your head along his thick length, using his moans to guide you to do what he would like. Everytime your head came up you would take a deep breath through your nose and suck harder around his tip. Jungkook began to move his hips more, meeting your mouth with each thrust to get his cock deeper until you were gagging. He wasn’t even listening to the music in the background, only to the way your throat gurgled with the way he fucked your mouth. When it became too much you lifted your mouth off him, panting out of breath as you licked up any excess drool or precum from around your mouth. His dick was stiff in your hand and you couldn’t help but hold it against your cheek, giving it a small smack, “I love you.”

His dick twitched in your hole as his head lolled back and with him not paying attention, you surprised him by angling it up and moving your tongue to lick between his testicles and up his length. Jungkook released a loud groan as his eyes squeezed shut when you lightly nipped at the loose skin around his balls before sucking one into your mouth just the way he liked, hand pumping up and down his cock, feeling the way it throbbed stiffly shooting out a little precum. He was out of breath, moaning, "Aish, baby, just like that.”

You did it a couple more times before going back up to take him in your mouth and he placed a hand behind your head when you tried to come, “A little more, I’m almost there.”

Your other hand was on his thigh for support as it got harder to breathe and your throat tightened around him. You had taken him all the way to his base, your nose brushing against his smooth and clean pelvis and all he needed was one final thrust into your mouth before he was cumming.

Jungkook was loud, head thrown back, eyes rolled, lips parted breathlessly moaning your name and when he moved his hand back you nearly coughed as you came up for air. He barely gave you time to cool down before he was lifting you onto his lap with ease and forcing your jaw open with a kiss. You kissed back with need, unable to deny the fact that he turned you on so fucking much.

“I love you,” he moaned against your lips.

“I love you too.”

::.

alright alright I don’t wanna do a full part two but I’ll do drabbles bc for some reason I love his crazy ass

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[leah-lover]

Meeting again. Alexia putellas × reader.

This is a look into the beginning of Alexia and reader's relationship before the big event.

This is part 1 of a series.

My life has been a bliss. As a Spaniard my dream was to join barcelona. I started out at the youth academy and moved up the rank until I found myself as a part of the senior team. 

My journey was full of ups from winning championships with my dream team to winning individual awards. However, I had a few downs, most notably my ACL tear. When I tore my ACL I thought my career had ended. My road to recovery was nothing short of hard but I got through it and came back stronger. I couldn't have gotten through it without my support system at barcelona. I had a whole network of loving friends who helped me, some I grew up with at the academy and others I met on the team. 

My most notable friend was alexia putellas, she and i met in my early days at barca. We bonded over our chosen path, and our will to do anything to be the best. In our early days of friendship I was always in awe of Alexia's eyes. I would find myself gazing into them for a long time.

One day while we were in the tactics room she whispered in my ear with the biggest smirk on her face “ you are staring people are gonna notice.”  my cheeks immediately turned red but i didn't say anything i just refocused my thoughts on the coach.

After everybody left the room, alexia and i stayed behind and closed the door. 

“Do you want to tell me something?” she said with a smile on her face. 

“ Always cocky. It's not funny anymore.” I responded, which led her to stop.

“ and i don't know if i should tell you anything.” I added.

“ Then don't;” she said. She then pushed me against the wall and started kissing me. The motion was swift but surprising. Without hesitation I leaned into the kiss. We didn't separate until our held breaths gave out.

“ Well, that answers that I guess.” I said, holding her hand.

Our relationship was almost perfect for 6 years after that. Of course we had little spats but nothing major. The world didn't know about us but our barca family did. We did everything together. We roomed together, sat in the locker room next to one another. We even captained our team together. She was a midfielder and I was a forward, our chemistry was pertinent on and off the pitch.

While our relationship was thriving, so was women’s football. More eyes were on us every year. The compassion got harder and we got better. We won several league titles,cups and even the champion’s league. The little spats started after Alexia won her ballon d’or. Alexia was a perfectionist, football was her life and it was mine too. We would get cuddled up in bed and watch hours of footage together and we both loved it. But the pressure was too much for her and she started to act out. She would stand me up for dates, not answer my calls, and leave me to go to bed alone. She made me feel like I was an inconvenience to her. I felt like I lost all priority in her life. 

One day I got home from training and left her behind like I had been doing for months. We were supposed to go  have lunch with my parents but she said she had to do extra training so we switched it to dinner. After about an hour of waiting after I got to the restaurant, my parents decided to go home without eating because Alexia didn't show up. She left me stranded  and ashamed. So I decided to end our relationship. I deserved better than to be number 2 in her life. Not after all we had gone through together. 

I got home, packed my bags and waited for her by the door. When she arrived I immediately got up.

“ You not coming to tonight's dinner is the last straw. I tried to be patient but I can't anymore. I love you, I always will. But I am leaving you and barcelona. I am not renewing my contract.3 i said, i then went to her and kissed her. Surprised, she whispered “ I am sorry, please don't leave.” 

I kissed her again and left. 

That was 3 years ago.

[ticktokrobotsnot]

Vapor

This is Part 2

You can read Part 1 here.

Pairing: Carmen Berzatto x fem!reader 

Summary: An accountant helps Carmen organize his not-so-shit-restaurant and gets invited over for family dinner. 

Word Count: 10k

__

The sky was blood orange and the reflection on the store window was mesmerizing. Y/n was supposed to be in the office getting ready for the full day ahead of her but she couldn’t resist slacking off for a bit, it was nice to finally enjoy the restaurant with no one inside. Y/n needed to be here early when a potential vendor came by to give some quotes. Carmen’s initial reaction was to stand his ground and act like some faux bodyguard because he couldn't fathom why some “sick fuck” would want to be alone with a woman in a restaurant at the ass crack of dawn without them having bad intentions—said it wasn't safe at all. Y/n had to inform him that the, “sick fuck” was a woman. And as soon as Carmen heard that, and realized they were going to be talking numbers for a while, he ran off to the farmer's market, wanting no part in that snooze fest. 

Y/n grabbed her laptop and started reviewing the binders she organized. Just as y/n was about to check her phone for any messages, she heard a knock at the door. A pretty blond woman looks at y/n with a bit of confusion. This woman wasn’t expecting to see y/n and y/n wasn't expecting to see this woman. Y/n walked to the door and opened a crack. 

“Who are you?” Y/n questioned. 

“I could ask you the same thing.” The women laughed but y/n wasn’t finding this funny.

“Natalie…” Y/n shook her head like a bouncer sending a teeager away without his fake ID.

“Natalie Berzatto.” She clarified and y/n recalled the name as a co-signer for The Beef, now The Bear. Y/n opened the door a bit more to let her in. 

Y/n gave her name but she didn’t know what else to say but Natalie was already filling the space. 

“Hi! It’s so nice to finally meet you, Carmen won't stop talking about you. You really saved our asses. Especially with the file organizing stuff, I found the old payroll stuff in like a minute, you're a real savant with stuff like that. Carmy is a real sticker for cooking but he is a real shit-”. It didn’t take a genius to figure out Natalie was nervous.

Y/n knew that Natalie was a part of Carmen’s family but she didn’t know how they were connected. One plausible scenario was that she was Micheal’s widowed girlfriend or wife, which would explain why anyone would co-sign the disaster that Micheal had created and promptly left. Y/n wondered why Carmen would be getting so chummy with his widowed sister-in-law, but then again men have done worse. 

Y/n bit the bullet, “How do you know Carmen?”

“I'm his sister… Sugar?” Y/n was starting to feel like a real idiot for not being able to piece these easy deductions together, she was losing her edge because it was to fucking early in the morning.

“Yes, Richie told me that “Sugar” was going to stop by this week. What can I do for you?” Y/n didn’t mention that she thought Sugar was going to be a stripper because of the name. 

“Actually I came to pick some old tax stuff… Micheal’s tax returns.” Y/n guided her to the office. Even if she didn’t look back she knew that Natalie was spying on her binders and laptop laid out on the counter, trying to find out a bit about y/n. 

“So, Carmy tells me that you two used to work together back in New York.”

“Yeah it was only for a few years.”

“Were you close?” Natalie probed. 

“We were…strangers at best.” Y/n chose to leave out the messy parts of her and Carmen’s origins. 

Natalie shook her head in disbelief. "That can't be true, he actually came to my place one day, pretty late. You know why?" Y/n, not knowing the answer, simply shrugged her shoulders. 

"He said he needed to make an important phone call, someone from his old job. He said that he wanted to ask for a bit of help." Natalie continued, her voice tinged with wishfulness "I thought maybe he was finally going to therapy or something." Y/n felt a strange sensation, like she was staring directly into the sun, hope gave Natalie a beautiful glow. 

Natalie's smile softened as she added, "And you know what? He made that phone call right on our porch." Her words carried a touch of warmth. "Well, at least he's reaching out for help. It's a good thing, right?"

“I recommended therapy to him too but I think we would need to put a gun to his head for him to actually go." Natalie let out a humored exhale. 

There was a lull of silence after she handed the tax returns. Y/n could sense that Natalie wanted to talk some more so y/n directed her to the bar stools out front. She checked her phone and saw that her vendor had a family emergency and needed to reschedule. After shooting a quick ok, she directed herself to face Natalie. 

"You can ask me anything. I've got plenty of time to kill." Y/n offered, feeling generous considering the recent kiss shared with Natalie's brother just a week ago.

“I was here a few times but I never had a chance to meet you?”

“I was probably apartment hunting.” Natalie looked like she was debating asking her next question.   

“What did you think of Carmen when you guys were back in New York?”

“He was like every other chef.”

“Nothing else? No pulling force?”

“No pulling force.”

“You moved state lines for him and you're saying there was no pulling force?”

“He asked me for help and I gave him some.” 

“You chose to stay. There had to be a pull.”

“The restaurant spoke to my soul, I had to stay.” Y/n was bluffing. 

“Bullshit, there was a pull.” Natalie said with a self fulfilled smirk like she had won a point in their imaginary game.

Natalie continued, “You know, he won a Michelin star. A man who cooks…is not too bad.”

“I don’t eat gourmet food. It’s pretentious.” Y/n didn’t want to make too much out of the kiss and make Carmen panic.

“I'm sure he can make something you will like.” 

“I have yet to eat something of his that would warrant him having a Michelin star.”

“You don’t like his cooking?”

“I don’t like anyone’s cooking.” Natalie couldn’t come up with something else. Point to y/n. A smile spread across y/n’s face and Natalie was relieved to realize that y/n wasn’t being serious. 

“What do you like doing?” Natalie probed. 

“I spend most of my time working here but I also read.” 

“Why did you leave New York?” Natalie blurted out.

“I don’t like working with other people, my boss was all over me. I thought Chicago would be a nice change of pace.” 

Y/n saw Natalie unlock her phone to respond to a text from someone named Pete, who had a pink heart near his name. Y/n knew that memorizing people’s passwords was an invasion of their privacy but it was fun to be a bit nosy. 

Y/n was also tired of getting the third-degree, she was hoping for a few fun questions asking if she ever murdered anyone or if she ever was contacted to be a part of a bank heist. She would be lying if she wasn’t a bit afraid that whatever she said would be relayed to Carmen so she didn’t want to say anything too damning. 

“You read romance?” Y/n saw the book peeking out of Natalie’s bag, it was one that she had read before. 

“Yeah, they’re my guilty pleasure.”

“Mine too. I liked that one.” Y/n pointed at the book peaking out.

“I hate it, it's filled with miscommunication. I’m only finishing it to justify the 12 dollars I spent.” Natalie said with a fake pout. 

“I love miscommunication because I suck at talking to people too. Much better than the one I just finished.”

“What killed your book?”

“Third-act break up.” Natalie nodded her head, it seems like they agreed. 

Y/n couldn't help but feel relieved; while the nature of Y/n's relationship with Carmen remained uncertain, it was evident that Natalie would become a more integral part of the restaurant. Carmen's recent discovery of three hundred thousand dollars hidden in tomato cans had sparked ambitious plans for renovating the place. Even if she ended up being nothing serious with Carmen, she needed to secure a stable support who wouldn’t completely hate her if shit hit the fan. 

They continued to talk about a few books that they had read, a few so trashy that they had to hide their faces in embarrassment from each other when reading the summary out loud. 

The door chimed and both women looked over to Carmen who was holding a few bags of produce and baked goods. Y/n went over and plucked the receipts for the top of one of the bags, she didn’t bother helping Carmen because he wouldn’t have let her help anyways. Carmen was gracious enough to put all the receipts together so she wasn’t digging to find them, she kept a record of them to write them off as a business deduction. 

“Nat, you’re here early?” Carmen spared a glance before opening a box of croissants to share and then disappearing to the kitchen to put everything away. 

“Yeah I had to pick something up, y/n was so kind to help me so early in the morning. Isn’t she just the best?” 

“Yeah…How did it go with the vendor?” Carmen mindlessly mumbled while busying himself with a notebook of recipe ideas. 

“Rescheduled.” Y/n didn’t look up, engrossed in cataloging some expensive mushrooms for record keeping. $268.43 for some mushrooms was honestly so ridiculous y/n needed to squint to see if she was seeing this right. 

“I need to return the favor.” Natalie started.

“It was just a few folders, you really don’t-”

“Why don’t you join us for dinner on friday?” Y/n felt like she was performing front and center.

“I couldn’t-.” 

“Please, Pete never wants to talk to me about…” Natalie was raising her eyebrows in the most unsubtle way possible so she didn’t expose y/n's softer side and her penchant for reading romance novels. Y/n couldn’t help but hide her face in embarrassment, “Yeah…fine. Just tell me what time.”

Observing the exchange, Carmen couldn't help but wonder if this was how dogs felt when humans engaged in their own incomprehensible conversations.

Y/n was starting to feel like she was edging closer and closer to Carmen’s limit. Kissing in the back alley of a restaurant and on the car ride to and from work was very different from being invited to his sister’s house for dinner. It carried a weight of intimacy, commitment, and solidity that made Y/n slightly uneasy, wondering if this was too much for Carmen. She waited for the other shoe to drop, Carmen would subtly show his discontent by telling Natalie that she shouldn’t force y/n to go to that dinner, which was just an excuse to create some distance. Y/n was surprised when Carmen asked what type of desert he should bring instead. 

Y/n kept her cool and excused herself to go to the office so she could get back to work. 

Carmen and Natalie moved to the kitchen where Carmen would experiment for a bit. Natalie sat on a stool next to Carmen who started washing produce. 

“She is very smart.” Natalie whispered. She took a glance at the closed office door.

“Yeah. Great with the books.” Carmen peeled and diced some garlic. 

“Nice too.”

“She is very nice.” Carmen started cutting some nepitella. The additional “very” caused some alarm bells to ring in Natalie’s head. She hid her smirk. 

“Everything about her is nice,” Natalie made sure to pay close attention to Carmen’s face, “Nice personality, nice face-” Carmen took a worried glance at the office door and then looked up at Natalie with wide eyes.

“Why, why, what are you-?” He was flustered. 

“I’m just sharing my observations. You don’t think she has a nice face-?”

“This is a business, we try to keep professional.” Carmen hid his fumble with fake professionality, unfortunately Natalie saw right through it. 

“Try?” Natalie teased. Carmen looked away to pretend to look for some dried porcini. He felt like an idiot. He understood why people used to see him as an easy target when he was younger, he basically showed everyone his buttons, and asked them to get pushed. Carmen continued to chop in silence. 

“I'm sorry, I just got a bit excited. I won't push.” Natalie gave her brother the benefit of the doubt, she always thought he would never get into a serious relationship but he liked y/n and y/n seemed like the serious girlfriend type. Natalie couldn’t help but nudge Carmen in the right direction. 

Carmen chopped in silence for a few minutes, debating if he should tell Natalie about the kiss. In his mind, he didn’t know if it was too soon for him to introduce his girlfriend to his family. Calling y/n his girlfriend felt unreal, past him wouldn’t believe it even if he saw it.  

He handed his notebook to Natalie so she could read measurements to him, he wanted her here for just a bit longer till he gained the courage to tell her about y/n. 

Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms was the first test item of the morning, and he had to soak the dried porcini for 30 minutes, he was bummed that the market didn't have the fresh kind but he knew he would get the real shit when y/n got a hold of that vendor. He looked up at Natalie and tilted his head to indicate that they should leave. Carmen avoided the alley because he knew that y/n would look there first and he didn’t want her to overhear anything. They walked over to a nearby supermarket and started roaming the aisles. It was nearly empty because it was six in the morning. 

“I did something…and I need you to not…just listen and don’t make it a big deal.”

“I got it, Carmy.” 

“A while ago, I…” Carmen looked at all the different types of instant noodles they had on display. “So, we were in deep shit with these pre-orders and I was a mess and y/n and I were talking after…” Carmen moved over to the boxed pasta, he didn't intend to buy anything but he did read the nutritional facts.

“I umm, asked her to…” Jesus, Carmen wondered, why he didn’t make more friends so he didn’t have to talk to his older sister about something like this. Richie didn’t seem capable of giving any advice that wasn’t, “Just Do It”.

 “We ki…” Natalie kept her face hard but the second that Carmen turned around to look at a box of elbow pasta, she couldn't help herself but let out a small, barely audible squeal of delight. Her eyes widened, and a grin threatened to break through her determined facade. Natalie quickly covered her mouth with her hand, trying to contain her elation, making sure not to let Carmen catch a glimpse. She stifled her excitement with every fiber of her being, preserving the illusion of calmness for when Carmen turned back around, none the wiser.

“It’s been a while, and we k…” Carmen didn’t know how he was supposed to maturely ask for advice when he couldn’t even say a kiss in front of his sister while cringing. Carmen couldn’t do this, it was too open, too vulnerable. 

Nat cut him some slack and started asking questions instead, “Was it a one time thing?” Carmen subtly shook his head no. Her lips parted as she squeezed a jar of Pego to contain herself. 

“Do you regret it?” Carmen didn’t respond but that didn’t mean no, that ment that she was getting closer to the root of the problem.

“Do you think she’s going to regret it?” Carmen’s shoulder’s raised slightly, bingo. 

“Why don’t I gauge how she is feeling at dinner.” Nat knew he was about to run away from her for exposing too much and she had to give him an incentive to not follow his instincts. 

She continued, “We talked earlier, she said she hates your cooking.” Carmen’s head snapped up, Nat knew that y/n was just joking but it was still a bit funny to mess with Carmen. 

The look of shock transported her back to when she was eight sitting next to Carmy and watching Micheal convince him to finish a glass of milk or else he would lose all of his teeth to a calcium deficiency. This wasn’t the time to reminisce but it made her heart warm knowing that even after going through so much, there was still a part of young Carmy that persevered. She was feeling the burning in the back of her eyes, her hormones were making her sentimental. 

“Yeah she said that your food fucking blows.” Carmen caught on and let out a small laugh.

They both roamed in the aisle moving on to juices. Sugar free, diet, pineapple, orange. Carmen’s eyebrows raised when he saw the price of orange juice before putting it down and deciding to just make his own. 

Carmen started, “She isn’t the type of person who changes her mind easily,” but if she can make that shift to see him in a good light, maybe she'll stick around and eventually see the real Carmen—a pathetic, insecure loser. All he did was make a promise to her but he knew it meant nothing without actions, and he was unsure if he could control his anger or keep his obsessiveness in check when something especially difficult happened. If another shit storm made its rounds in the kitchen, would he really be able to be the bigger person? Carmen doubted it. 

Carmen just ripped off the bandaid, “I don’t know how to…I want her to not hate me. I know I'm going to..” Carmen waited till a child next to them moved to the other end of teh aisle towards his dad, “..fuck it up, but I dont want that to happen.” 

“What makes you think she is going to hate you?”

“When we were talking…she told me that I should have done better. And that I…needed to be “stable”, but I don’t know how to be that for myself, let alone someone else.”

“She isn’t asking you to do it for her, she wants you to do it for yourself.” Natalie offered. 

“Its like having to solve a word search to answer a stupid fucking puzzle. I don’t…” Carmen sighed in defeat. Nat knew that he was strong and it was impossible for her to fix this for him but that still made her palms itch seeing him struggle like this. She racked her brain, desperately seeking any glimmer of a solution that could offer him even a shred of relief. 

They both walked out the market towards the restaurant. “It's really hard…and it's not that I don’t want to, it just feels impossible.” Carmen muttered, he was close to giving up. 

A burning sensation welled up in the back of Natalie's throat, and she instinctively placed her hand on Carmen's shoulder as a gesture of support and to her surprise Carmen looked at her, saw her glassy eyes and hugged her. The shock knocked a few tears from her eyes.. 

Carmy was not a selfish person but Nat noticed that he was becoming a bit more aware that he takes up much more space then he originally thought he did. He now knew that his presence was big enough to be able to tear people down but was also big enough to offer meaningful support. He had come to understand his own significance, and this realization struck Natalie like a tidal wave, causing her to burst into uncontrollable sobs. 

“Does crying mean I'm fucked, Sugar?” Carmen asked, his voice tinged with humor and uncertainty, as he gently rubbed Natalie's back for comfort. Nat shook her head no.

“You'll be okay. You always are.” Nat wiped her face before continuing to walk back to the restaurant. 

Carmen snuck a few glances to see what was making his sister a sobbing mess, she wasn’t the type to break down like that, “Are you good?” Natalie nodded her head.

“Everything good at home?” It felt strange to say the word home, even after visiting multiple countries and living in many different apartments, Carmen couldn’t really call any place home. Home was supposed to be a sanctuary of warmth, Carmen's closest experience to that feeling was back in his family house—a place where the warmth was scalding and suffocating. Where it was a constant waiting game, anticipating the intense heat to escalate and cause everything, and everyone, to boil over. 

Carmen was acutely aware that he would never have a home quite like Sugar's. He couldn't help but wonder if he had what it took to be like Pete for someone else—always helpful, kind, and perhaps a little too accommodating. He questioned whether he had the capacity to fulfill that role and maintain his own sense of self. Granted, what about his “self” was worth preserving?

Natalie nodded her head but Carmen wasn’t convinced. “It's just a lot, you know. Seeing the place getting renovated. I used to hate that place, but..” She sighed, “...I picked up Micheal’s tax returns, I didn’t even need them for anything…I just wanted to see them to know what he was going through towards the…'' end. She didn’t need to finish for Carmen to know what she was talking about. They were in front of the restaurant and Carmen gave her a side hug and against his better judgment he tried his hand in verbal reassurance so he could be there for her, fully. 

“I think he tried his best to make everything look fine, and it’s nice to know that he was at least able to pretend till the...end.” Sugar looked up at him and didn’t comment on his successful attempt to be her support, not wanting to scare him. 

They wordlessly walked in the restaurant and Carmen finished up his dish. He made enough for one plate because he was expecting to have to remake it a few times. He grabbed a small plate and served a separate plate for y/n before knocking on her door. She looked up at him, not hearing him and gave him a “hmm” which echoed in his chest. She sat with them in the kitchen, taking her laptop with her. They all took the first bite together. Carmen watched both women’s reactions to gauge their uncensored reactions. Natalie’s eyebrows raised and she gave him a nod of approval. 

Y/n took a bite and looked up from her plate so see Carmen staring at her. “Why are you staring?”

“Do you not like it?” 

“It’s good.” Y/n put her fork down and propped up her head on her hand. 

“But, you didn’t-”

“I’m not really a foodie, so food is never like…” Y/n made an explosion sound and flicked her hands open, “Good, is the best you going to get out of me.” Natalie wondered how a chef and an anti-gourmet foodie were going to work. 

“Is all food just ”good”?” Y/n looked up and tried to think of food that was better than good.

“I like mom's cooking.” 

“What is her food like?”

“Intense…subtly in food doesn’t mean anything to me because I don’t taste the difference.” Carmen was waiting for more for y/n.

“I ate a lot of spicy, sour and bitter food growing up. My mom didn’t think that kids should eat different things than everyone else, so I guess pasta and mushrooms will always be just “good”.” Y/n felt like she was just shitting all over his profession but he asked for her opinion so he couldn’t get offended now. 

Carmen nodded his head before walking away. Y/n pierced her lips and looked over to Natalie wondering if she hurt Carmen’s feelings. Natalie looked just as bewildered. Just as y/n was about to find Carmen, he came out with a few more ingredients.

“What are you making?” 

“Something you will like.” 

“I liked what you made-” 

“Good is not enough.” 

“Come on, Carmen, it's something that everyone will like, it’s going to kill opening day.”

“But you have to like it.” Y/n sighed before indicating that he should continue. 

“You won’t be able to serve the food I like to eat, it would be considered a biological weapon.” Y/n was warning him but Carmen thought she was teasing him. He would learn to listen to her warning in the future. He put the porcini mushrooms to the side before getting started on some penne all’arrabbiata. 

Y/n laughed at him knowing that he wouldn’t have the courage to spice up a dish to her standard before grabbing her laptop so she could get some work done and also talk to Natalie about contractors. 

While Carmen chopped and stirred, y/n subtly glanced up at his flexing back and strong arms. She thought she was hiding it well but when she went to check if Natalie noticed she saw that Natalie was already watching her. Natalie snickered as y/n hid her face behind her laptop to hide her embarrassment. Carmen turned around to see what was so funny but was just met with the view of both of them with their faces hiding behind their hands. 

Y/n felt someone pass behind her and knew it was Sydney without having to look up. “Hey guys, what are we making?” She took a bite out of the pasta, which was slightly cooled but she still nodded her head. 

“It’s fire, chef. It would be great if it was hot, I want to remake it to see what it was supposed to taste like.”

Y/n couldn’t say that she completely forgave Sydney but y/n did respect that she went to Richie to give some type of apology after a while. Y/n could accept that the two of them wouldn’t be best friends, they just needed to be able to work together. 

Y/n went to Carmen’s locker before pulling out a few Tums for everyone, it looks like today was going to be pasta day because of her and she didn’t want to send everyone home with a stomach ache.

Carmen continued with his pasta, and served it in front of y/n. All the women took a bite,

“It’s got a kick to it.” Natalie said while reaching for a food container filled with water while wiping sweat from her brow. Sydney gave Carmen a, “This is fire, chef.” Y/n couldn't help but cringe inwardly at the comment because she knew she couldn't quite match their shared vernacular and the ease with which they expressed themselves with food. What private passion did y/n and Carmen share?

Carmen stared y/n down as she took a bite.

“It’s good.” Carmen waited for her to elaborate. “It’s too subtle.” 

Carmen smirked, “Yeah, next time I'll just make you a ball of fire for you to enjoy.” Y/n gave him a shit eating grin, it was just too fun not to mess with him, and when she saw him smile back she felt a bit of imaginary nostalgia, this was what she longed for back in New York. 

The restaurant was still closed for renovations and after a while a few other crew members came by to do some demo. Y/n was stuck on hold with the inspector's office when she was approached by Natalie, “I’ve got a doctor’s appointment so I've got to go, I’ll see you on Friday at eight.” 

The rest of the week flew by because they were on a very strict time crunch to open in a few months. Y/n wasn’t very worried but she could feel the nerves from everyone else and she knew it would be in bad taste to tell them to toughen up, so she let them be grown ups and deal with their own anxieties. 

On Friday, y/n left early to get ready for dinner, she opened an old moving box and pulled out a dress that she wore to an old work function. It was very tasteful because it was freezing outside. Y/n grabbed her gifts before running into Carmen’s car. Y/n took one look at Carmen and had to do a double take to make sure that she went into the right person’s car. Carmen’s hair was lighty slicked back, probably with pomade, and he was wearing a deep blue sweater with a white collar. 

“I didn’t know you had clothes other than aprons and Dickies.”

“You look..” Carmen marveled at the way her eyes sparkled with an inner radiance, drawing him in like a moth to a flame. He knew he wasn’t able to get the full picture yet because they were in a dark car but he could only imagine what she would do to him when they went to the well lit house. “..great.” Carmen wanted to punch himself for being so unoriginal but he couldn’t focus on anything. 

“Thank you, you look good too. Blue is definitely your color..” Carmen’s fingers loosened around the steering wheel, compliments had always made him uneasy; he spent the majority of his life trying to make himself as small as possible and now he was pushed into the spotlight and he wondered if he even liked it?

“Carmen, can you look at me for a second?” And when he swiveled his head towards y/n, she squished his face lighty before giving his puckered lips a soft kiss. Just as she was about to lean back into her seat, Carmen, unable to resist, slipped his hand beneath her hair, grasping the back of her neck and drawing her in for a deeper, more passionate second kiss. 

Yeah, he liked it.

“We are going to be late.” Y/n whispered before giving him one last peck. Carmen, still in a daze, fiddled with the radio so he could get his head straight. The ride to his sister’s house was quiet barring the soft jazz. Y/n was very nervous, they never had that conversation that said that they were official and for all she knew she was just a friend that Carmen kissed from time to time. She resisted the urge to ask right now because she was scared to find out that they were nothing more. She would savor the few minutes before she was inevitably introduced as a friend, or worse a co-worker. 

They pulled into Natalie’s driveway and got out of the car, y/n grabbed the bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine and they rang the doorbell. 

"Why are you holding the tray like that?" Y/n asked, noticing how Carmen clung to it like a shield. Before she could receive a response, Natalie opened the door with a warm greeting, inviting them inside. Y/n handed over the gifts, but Carmen still clung onto his belongings. Just then, Peter descended the stairs, seemingly about to approach Carmen for a hug before his gaze landed on Carmen's protective tray. He hesitated and stepped back, realizing it was acting as a barrier. Y/n stifled a laugh, biting her cheek to prevent herself from laughing at Carmen’s immaturity.

Carmen greeted, “Pete.” Y/n could feel the dislike and she felt bad for Pete because he seemed nice.

“Carmen, it’s good to see you, man.”

“This is my girlfriend, y/n.” A sense of numbness overwhelmed her. It was like when people get run over by a semi and say that they don’t feel anything. Y/n extended her hand to shake Pete's, and she followed him into the living room. 

Carmen went into the kitchen to help Natalie and y/n made pleasant conversation with Pete, he seemed a bit soft but she could understand why Natalie might want someone like him. Y/n pretended to be interested when he showed her his Cubs memorabilia, she initially thought the Cubs were a fictional sports team made by the New Girl writers. 

Y/n and Pete walked over to the kitchen and asked if they needed any help. Pete looked like he wanted to actually be helpful but y/n had her fingers crossed hoping she didn’t have to do any cooking. It was weird to see Carmen let someone else take the lead while he watched. Even with Sydney, he still watched over everything like a hawk, not because he didn’t trust her, it's just because he wouldn’t let her fail. 

Y/n watched as everyone spoke and she wondered where she fit in. Natalie and Carmen were obviously close and Pete was doing his best to get close to Carmen, trying to bridge the obvious gap between them. Y/n had to stop herself from telling Carmen to either be nicer or for Pete to drop it.

Other than being Carmen’s new “girlfriend” and sharing small talk, what else was there for her to talk about? Y/n didn’t know them well but she could tell there was a lot of subtext between the three of them that added weight to their interactions that she wasn’t privy to yet. She was a flame trying to suck in any bubble of oxygen so she could ignite, she needed more information before she could actually join them.

 It felt like she was reading Dune for the first time, being dropped in the middle of an already moving plot and she was scrambling to play catch up. Carmen had a lot of triggers and she wondered if Natalie was the same. Even if they acted completely differently, y/n could tell that they were sidestepping something, like they were avoiding talking about a gaping bullet wound, and if siblings were acting like that it means that it's a problem with the parents. Despite the fact that they were in the kitchen, the three of them weren’t talking about the food. Y/n made a mental checklist of a few rules; 1. Don’t bring up parents 2. Don't mention food because it's a trigger 3. Pay attention to Natalie because she was not as good at hiding her feelings as Carmen. 

Dinner was served and they all took a seat, y/n took slow sips of wine and saw that Natalie’s wine was slightly darker than hers. Y/n was sitting across Natalie so she recognized the smell too, apple. She was drinking sparkling apple cider. Y/n hid her smirk by talking another sip, she would be a spy or something because she was killing it in the recon department. 

Dinner was starting to feel stiff, y/n took a deep breath and turned to Natalie, “Your cooking is to die for.” Natalie tucked in her lips but couldn’t help but hide her smile, y/n never told Carmen anything like that, barring the first day she got to Chicago, it was a petty way of getting back at him for blindsiding her by calling her his girlfriend. 

“Thanks, It's a family recipe.” Y/n wanted to stab herself with the fork, she just broke rule one and two. Just as y/n was about to make some asinine comment to change topics, Carmen did it for her.

“Can you pass me the bread, Sugar?” Y/n found her opening.

“Sugar, that’s a nice nickname, what’s the story?” 

Natalie paused and y/n had a feeling she fucked up, “We were having this Chrismas family thing and I added a cup of sugar into the gravy instead of salt. The name just stuck.” Y/n definitely fucked up, she was breaking rules left and right. Y/n scrabbled to put herself in the same level as Natalie.

“I’ve been there. My parents were having a few co-worker over for lunch and they brought a box of these expensive mangos and I was told to make some smoothies because it was boiling that day. I filled up the sugar container with salt without noticing and made them smoothies with a ton of salt.” Y/n saw that all eyes were on her and she didn’t allow herself to be nervous because she was trying to get a deeper point across.

Y/n continued, “I have never heard that many people gag all at once.” Their faces broke into a smile.

“What did your mom say?” Bingo, looks like the taboo parent could be narrowed down to their mother. 

“She didn’t say anything bad, she and her co-workers just laughed. I mean I was a kid and we all make mistakes. I ended up making lemonade instead.”

Natalie’s eyes lit up,“It’s a shame that all those mangos went to waste.” Natalie joked. 

“Waste?” Y/n had a fake offense, “I drank the rest to prove that it wasn’t that bad.”

“Was it that bad?” Pete asked.

“My blood pressure was through the roof. It was the first time I ever got a headache.” 

The rest of dinner was a bit more relaxed, y/n was expecting Carmen to talk a bit more because these were his people but it looked like she would have to do the talking for the both of them. They finished up dinner and y/n got up to help them clean up. It was y/n and Carmen alone in the kitchen while Natalie went upstairs to check on something, aka she needed some rest and Pete went to check up on her. 

As Carmen washed the dishes, Y/n stood by, towel in hand, drying them. The domestic scene felt comfortable, yet she couldn't determine if she truly enjoyed this newfound domesticity. She wondered if in Carmen’s eyes she was merely playing the role of the perfect partner – someone who could effortlessly navigate his family dynamics, fix his business, and be his own manic pixie dream girl. 

A selfish thought crossed Y/n's mind. What was she truly gaining from this relationship? She had been too afraid to make a move with Carmen after the kiss, fearing that one misstep could lead her to being shut out completely. She hesitated to voice her preferences about his food, to ask about the nature of their relationship, or to discuss their future plans if this relationship fell through. Y/n wasn't one to dwell in discomfort, except for her previous job, and she felt frustrated that she had to jump through so many hoops just to ensure that Carmen wouldn't leave.

They finished the dishes and y/n could tell that Carmen wanted to check on Natalie but he didn’t want to leave y/n alone. Y/n being a supportive girlfriend, practically pushed him up the steps before walking out the front door and leaning on the porch. Y/n grabbed her jacket and walked out. She underestimated the frigid Chicago air which felt like a sharp slap to her face, serving as a wake-up call. It reminded her that the warm and fuzzy feeling she had been battling within herself was merely fleeting, and that the reality of the world could be much harsher and more painful. 

Y/n couldn’t help but wonder why Carmen was even bothering with her, they had nothing in common but the restaurant. Work was everything for him and Sydney, their shared connection always pulled them together despite both of their volatile personalities. What pulled y/n and Carmen together? They both worked in the restaurant but Carmen didn’t have a passion for running said restaurant, it was a mere obligation that y/n took from him. If she stopped working there, what else did they have in common? 

Y/n came to the daunting realization that Carmen picked Sydney because he saw potential in her, a chance to let both him and her grow. However, he didn’t pick y/n because he saw something deeper in her, it was an act of embarrassed desperation. 

Was she just a means to help Carmen get his shit together? The restaurant meant a lot to Micheal and after he died Carmen stopped seeing the restaurant as something that was out of his reach but as something to connect him to his brother, a small thread connecting the estranged brothers. Y/n was there to hold up the connection in the vaguest of ways, she kept the restaurant afloat so Carmen could come to terms with Micheals’s legacy, good and bad.

She was lost in thought when she heard the door close, she turned her head to see Carmen was already lighting a cigarette. It was difficult for her to be objective when Carmen locked eyes with her with such intensity. Y/n ripped her eyes from him and faced forward looking at the neighbor's yard, they had nice shrubs. 

“I thought you left.” Carmen started as he leaned on the railing with y/n. He looked forward to see what was so interesting that y/n couldn’t look him in the face, it was just some trees.

“I needed some air.”

“You could catch a cold.” 

“I don’t get sick, sick is a mindset.” Y/n was obviously joking. 

She lowered her head so that she could feel the cold metal on her forehead, maybe a different type of pain would make this conversation easier. Her forehead landed on something warm, the back of Carmen’s hand. She turned her head to its side but remained connected to Carmen’s hand. The warmth radiating on her cheek was making her stomach do backflips. Even if she knew she shouldn’t be indulging like this she couldn’t help it. He felt too good and y/n was getting more and more greedy. 

“Hey, Carmen?” Carmen was still staring at y/n. “What do we have in common?” He looked taken aback.

“We like each other…” He was starting to feel the slow slitter of nausea because he knew the other shoe was about to drop.

“If we don’t have much in common, what do we talk about?” 

“We can talk about whatever we like. It’s nice to…be with someone who isn't wrapped up in the same things as me.” Carmen expressed a genuine warmth in his voice. Carmen wanted to say that she made him feel like the roof wasn’t going to collapse on him and that the small things weren’t going to destroy him but it felt selfish to describe how much he cared for her based on how she made him feel and not on facts about her. 

“I don’t care about fancy food.” Y/n blurted out.

Carmen chuckled, “You know about the vendors, where the supplies are sourced, how much they cost, and a bunch of other stuff. You do care, just in a different way than I do.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“It gives me perspective. It’s very realistic and grounded.” Y/n knew he was calling her realistic and grounded. 

“I like hearing you talk about my food.” Carmen offered.

“Even if it’s just “good”?”

“Especially if it's just "good". That means you're telling me the truth.” Carmen recalled a ninth grade world history lesson about the Rosetta Stone, an artifact written in three different languages and made it possible to translate some ancient language. Though he hadn't fully paid attention during the lesson, Carmen now saw the parallel. If Y/n had the courage to express her opinions on his food, it meant she was being honest with him about everything else. 

Y/n cracked a smile before covering her mouth and started laughing. It was a jarring sound, Carmen couldn’t pinpoint what the laugh was meant to convey but he knew it wasn’t good. 

“What?” Carmen asked, Y/n rubbed her face with her cold hands. 

“You said that you were scared of me a while back but now…” Y/n's laughter softened into a smaller chuckle, conveying a mix of amusement and irony.

“I’m scared of you.” The weight was lifted off her shoulders and slammed down on Carmen's. Y/n wondered if this is how the rest of their relationship was going to be; one person transferring their hurt to the other till the weight became too much to bear. 

"It's... I want to bring so many things up to you but..." Y/n wondered if this counted as an accusation. "..you’re so flighty. I don't know what to say that won't make you..." Y/n struggled to find a word that didn't feel so definitive, but the only word that felt honest was, "...leave."

The porch fell into an uneasy silence, both of them grappling with the weight of Y/n's vulnerability.

"I...I didn't realize..." Carmen stammered, his voice betraying his inner turmoil. "I would never just... leave." They both stared in silence, they knew that wasn’t true. Y/n lifted her head leaving the warmth behind, she knew this wouldn’t work if he made false promises. And against everything telling her to just accept his promise as law and ignore any doubts, she couldn’t fool herself like that. 

“That’s such bullshit.” Y/n lighty giggled. It felt as though a shark had promised to stop swimming—it was ingrained in their nature. In that lighthearted moment, a mischievous thought crossed Y/n's mind: What would happen if Carmen actually stopped running away? Would he cease to exist, like a fish in space? 

Her playful musings, though immature, offered a brief respite from the weight of their conversation. It was a temporary escape, a way to diffuse the tension. Y/n noticed that she brought all this shit up to comfort herself but she was giggling to make him feel safe. Even when she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn't help but try to make him feel better. 

As the laughter subsided, Y/n met Carmen's eyes, she forced herself to ignore the emotions he was conveying and instead tried to match his eyes with things she had seen in the past. If this ended poorly, she would miss his eyes the most and she wanted to know what else could match in intensity in case she never got to see him like this ever again, nothing came to mind.

Carmen felt like he was backed into a corner, he couldn’t promise her anything without her, justifiably, doubting him. 

"I don't want to leave you," Carmen offered, his voice carrying a mixture of sincerity and vulnerability. It was the most honest response he could offer at that moment. He couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't feel the urge to run, to escape when things got tough, but he had a genuine desire to stay. 

Y/n's eyes met Carmen's, her expression softened. She knew it wasn't a perfect answer, but it was a step forward. It was enough to know that he acknowledged his own complexities and still chose to be present with her.

They stood in the quiet watching neighbors turn off their living room lights and go upstairs. She wanted to test out whether, “They could talk about whatever they wanted too.” 

“What do you think they’re doing?” Y/n asked, Carmen parted his lips and turned his face to look at y/n so see if she was serious, she was.

“I think they go to bed and she has this super long night time routine and he is already asleep by the time she gets to bed. You?” Y/n knew that if they ever slept over at each other’s place, that’s exactly what would happen between them. 

“She probably got home from a shit day and she starts reading an easy romance book…Do you read any books?”

“They are mostly cooking stuff.” He took a drag from his cigarette.

“You read cookbooks for entertainment?”

“Sometimes, it's a part of the craft.” Carmen realized how fucking pretentious he sounded and was a bit ashamed but seeing y/n refrain from teasing him by bitting her lips made him not want to crawl into a hole and die of shame, her smile was addicting. “…but there is a lot of history and science too. '' Carmen knew he sucked at conversation but he would do anything to keep talking. 

“What was your last book?” 

Y/n and Carmen kept talking till they lost track of time and eventually when they had reached a comfortable lull, y/n could confidently say that they were in fact capable of holding a conversation about mundane shit. 

Against every fiber of her being telling her to end their conversation like this, she couldn’t help but ask, “What happens…if this ends?” Y/n didn’t know if she was supposed to use “if” or “when”; one was cautious, the other was a prophecy. 

Carmen didn’t look back at her, instead giving her, “You’ll still have a job…I’m not a dick…all the time.” Y/n lips curved upwards. 

“Will you be able to work with someone you’ve been in a relationship with?” 

“Yes.” Carmen wondered if the answer could ever be anything other than yes. 

Y/n knew that if this ended badly she would be allowed to stick around so that Carmen would have an excuse to throw himself at his work. She would be the catalyst to merge him from an individual to a vague reflection of Micheal’s legacy. 

Whether or not Carmen knew it, Micheal was a huge influence in his life and just like Micheal began to isolate himself towards the end, Carmen would do the same if they drifted apart. It was his inherent weakness and a relationship gone sour that would make it difficult for him to break the cycle that Micheal had started. 

“I won’t stay if it hurts you, Carmen.”

“I would want you to stay, y/n.”

“There is no trophy that comes with going through unnecessary shit.”

“I know, I would still need you.” Carmen hesitated but eventually placed his hand top on y/n's. 

“Because I can do the books?” Y/n rolled her eyes jokingly. 

“No…you do more than that. You are…” Carmen read books with a shit ton of adjectives, they had to be descriptive to describe food through text. Despite that, he was at a loss for words to describe her.

"You are..." he began again, this time his voice was a little gentler than before. He took a deep breath, hoping that he could find those words that would express everything he felt.

"You are very important to me,". His voice was soft like he was realizing this for the first time. 

The second time was meant for y/n, "You are very important to me."  I love you, y/n. 

Y/n locked eyes with Carmen for a moment. 

"You are important to me too." I love you, Carmen.

Neither of them had the courage to say that to each other, wondering if they were the only one’s feeling like this. 

They both had jackets on but y/n’s hands were freezing and she could feel Carmen’s hand was also ice cold. She knew that they had both reached their limits but y/n couldn’t help but relish in the cold for a bit longer. 

For y/n, the biting cold was always a catalyst for clarity, stripping away the unnecessary and forcing y/n to distill her focus onto the few things that mattered. Amidst the frost, she found solace in the simplicity. It was within this chilling environment that she discovered a clear chance to confront her inner turmoil head-on and confront the world. 

Carmen had always been drawn to the intense heat. It was as if the scorching temperatures matched the fire that burned within him, igniting his passion and driving him forward but leaving him with nothing to look back on. Extreme heat was his poison of choice, his way of confronting the world. 

Carmen’s heat was turning her mind into a messy slurry of slush. Y/n had to force herself to focus despite the fact that Carmen’s hand was providing her with a sliver of intoxicating  warmth.

“You didn’t ask me to be your girlfriend.” Carmen’s head shot up aback by y/n's words. He was excited to introduce her to his family, and he hadn't thought to ask her permission first. He tried to explain himself, his words coming out in a rush.

"I didn't mean to assume anything. I just thought that since we've been seeing each other for a while now, it was... " He took a moment to catch his breath, trying to gather his thoughts.

“I think you should try asking first.” Carmen stared at y/n not knowing if this was a trap to get rejected twice. He opted for silence.

“Carmen, ask me if I want to be your girlfriend?” Carmen didn't want to say the wrong thing, not when it was so important, for someone so important. Carmen trusted y/n so he stubbed his cigarette on the ashtray before taking a deep breath and asking, “Will you be my girlfriend, y/n.” 

Y/n wrapped her freezing hands around his neck accidentally grazing her finger on his neck making him shiver. She leaned in against his lip and even though they had kissed before this, Carmen felt like he couldn’t think. Y/n lips barely touching Carmen’s before whispering a soft, “Yes, Carmy.” 

Carmen closed the small gap between their lips. And y/n felt a gentle heat seep through the folds of her head making it difficult to focus on her freezing fingers, or her numb toes, or her goosebump riddled legs, or her shivering arms. Y/n felt Carmen pull her closer and even though they were as close as physically possible, it wasn’t enough. Carmen’s lips left y/n’s before trailing down the column of her neck, y/n could feel the blossoming of heat radiate from his lips. Y/n’s hands sank down to Carmen’s waist and slowly drifted up his shirt. The cold sent shivers down his spine as y/n’s hands moved at a glacial pace. 

Just as Carmen reached the collar of her jacket he looked up at her and y/n had to resist every irrational and reckless part of her that told her to continue. The realization that they were on Carmen’s sister’s porch made y/n look around to ground herself. She landed on a black box right near the door before looking back to Carmen with her mouth agape and her eyes wide open. 

“What?” Carmen questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

“We are on your sister's porch.” Y/n said with a thousand yard stare and a distant mutter.

“I’m not a fucking animal, obviously we aren’t going to do this here.” Y/n softly grasped Carmen’s face before turning towards the black box, a doorbell camera. 

“Jesus…fuck.” They both looked at each other before y/n scrambled inside with Carmen right behind her. Either they were caught and they had to face Natalie despite the embarrassment or they got to the footage before Natalie saw it.  

Y/n let Carmen lead her to Natalie’s room, who thankfully was still laying on her side, Pete had gone to the restroom. 

Y/n leaned up to Carmen before whispering, “Distract her.” Carmen sat near Natalie and asked her if she wanted some ginger-ale or if he should stop by a pharmacy. 

Natalie's phone was on the nightstand and y/n swiped it when Natalie wasn’t looking before unlocking her phone with the password she acquired from being noisy. She then deleted the footage of the last hour from her Ring app. Y/n wanted to scroll back a few months to watch Carmen call her for the first time but she didn’t have enough time. 

Y/n set the phone exactly how she found it and gave Carmen a subtle thumbs up. 

“I’m fine, I think I need to sleep this off.” Natalie sat up while glancing at y/n and y/n had to resist freezing like a criminal caught in the spotlight. 

“I’m really sorry-” Natalie started.

“Please don’t be. I had a great time. Is there anything we can do for you before we leave?” Y/n felt bad for taking advantage of Natalie’s pregnancy induced sickness but this was a matter of prestige, she wouldn’t be able to set foot in this house if Natalie ever saw the footage.  

Natalie shook her head no and they said their goodbye’s before Camren and y/n practically tripped over themselves running out of that house. They sprinted to the car and slammed the doors shut before bursting out laughing. Y/n felt like she was a teenager again, sneaking her boyfriend out the fire escape before her mom walked in. Carmen pushed his forehead into the steering wheel to laugh and the sound that echoed felt like it was melting itself into y/n’s brain, forever branded into her memory. 

“How many times have you been here, Carmen? You never noticed the fucking camera, you dick?” Y/n struggled to shake off the heat that pulsed up her body, Camren hadn’t even started the car yet and she was burning up. 

“I…I never looked, what kind of freak looks?”Carmen said in between laughs. Y/n gave him a fake look of disapproval.

“Turn the car on, Berzatto, you’re getting on my fucking nerves.”

Carmen turned on his car before pulling out of Natalie’s driveway, he was still snickering and in the streetlight y/n could see his neck turn bright red. 

“Stop by a CVS or something.” Y/n said while fiddling with the radio.

“You think you caught something from Nat.” Y/n resisted telling him that pregnancy wasn’t contagious, men are so fucking stupid. 

“You have condoms on you?” Carmen slammed on the break, lucky they were at a red light.

“N...no.” Scarlet crawled up his neck and up his face. Y/n didn’t know someone’s ears could ever get that red before. Carmen stayed still trying to collect his fractured thoughts. 

“It's green, Carmen.”

He stepped on the gas and y/n was glad that the roads were practically empty because he was driving like he had all the insurance in the world. He pulled over to a Walgreens and ran out of the car. Y/n shook her head at his shit parking, he was in between two spots. Carmen came back in a minute with a plastic bag, y/n could decipher from the shapes that he had also bought some gatorades too. 

Carmen pulled out of the parking lot.

Y/n didn’t recognize the streets on their ride back, “Your place?” 

“Mine is closer.” Carmen replied, his voice tinged with a mix of anticipation.

Y/n could help but giggle, she always loved it when he was desperate. She knew it was wrong, but she always felt such a rush of excitement when her control over him was at its pinnacle and they both knew it.

When they reached a stop sign, y/n glanced over at Camren and saw that he was already looking back at her. 

They couldn’t seem to care that they were wading in uncharted waters and they couldn’t convince themselves that this was going to end badly enough for them to not at least try. If they looked at each other like that, there was no way they were going to let each other go. 

__

End Notes:

Fire + Ice = Vapor; It took me an embarrassing amount of time to think of that.

There is a lot of tension and maturity that needs to be written in smut for it to be good and I just can’t do that. I tried for this one and I had to close my laptop and take a lap because the second hand embarrassment was too much. So those drafts have been deleted and I’m glad I never have to see them again. 

I didn't think people would like Turbulence, I was going to delete it after a few hours and just keep it to myself but i'm glad that people liked it so ig it's here to stay. I tried to keep this one more contained then Turbulence bc writing about multiple days is such a pain.

I really don’t know what else I might write about for these two, or in general, so if you have any suggestions feel free to send them to me. If your suggestion inspires me, you better believe that I'm going to get out of bed at 2 in the morning and start writing. Or we can bury these two in a shallow grave and forget they exist, which is also fine by me because I think fic aged me.

[sheerfreesia007]

Scent of Attraction

Pairing: Hyunjin x Reader

Word count: 5,159

Content warnings: Fluff, suggestive

Summary: You and Hyunjin can’t stand each other due to knowing each other back in college. What happens when the two of you are forced to collaborate on a product together to elevate both of your business?

You sighed loudly as you leaned back in your chair while raising your hand to gaze at the dainty wrist watch you wore, it was thirty minutes past the time you were supposed to meet with him at this restaurant that his assistant had reserved. Rolling your eyes you watched as your waiter looked over at you with wide worried eyes as he fidgeted over by the sidebar. Today’s lunch meeting was supposed to mark the beginning of a collaboration between Hwang Incorporation and your company Ivy Jardin. The investors of both companies had been hopeful that this collaboration would elevate both companies and dominate the perfume market. But if the empty seat across from you was any indication you knew it was only going to be an uphill battle the whole time.

Feeling your irritation finally consume you, your eyes darted over to your waiter and you nodded slightly at him causing him to immediately spring into action as he made his way over to you. But just as he reached your side there was the man you had been waiting for over a half hour, Hwang Hyunjin the owner of Hwang Incorporation. You turned to him with a pout of distaste on your face that he grinned widely at.

”Sorry darling, I got hung up at the office.” He drawled out as his tongue licked across his teeth as he pulled his designer sunglasses down his nose before winking at you while his lips pulled into a wide wicked grin..

”Another whiskey sour, please?” You asked your waiter not sparing the other man an ounce more of your attention. Your waiter nodded his head before looking over to the tall lanky man across from you who pulled out his chair and slipped into it gracefully.

”I’ll have a bottle of your finest red.” The man said with a nod to the waiter who quickly left the table to put in your drink orders. “Drinking while on the job?” He asked as he eyed you curiously his smirk was maddening as you took in a breath to curb your desire to reach across the table and strangle him.

”Only way I’m going to get through this meeting with you.” You said uninterested and he grinned widely at you as his eyes sparkled with challenge. You sighed tiredly and held up a hand to stop him from saying anything as you continued on. “Let’s just get this over with please. I’d like to get back to actual work.” You pleaded with him hoping he’d give you some grace, but all that hope was dashed when you saw the answering smirk on his face.

”Oh darling, I can definitely put you to work.” He teased and you gritted your teeth as your body flushed with aggravation. Sighing softly you knew that he wasn’t going to make this easy at all for you.

”So what was your idea on the collaboration? I was thinking of doing a women’s and men’s line of perfume that complimented each other and using your designs for the bottles. We could even use any of your original artwork for the labels.” You said ignoring his teasing words as he eyed you across the table with a smirk on his face.

”I can’t work on an empty stomach.” He said flippantly and your eyebrows furrowed angrily as you stopped the growl that was climbing up your throat.

”If you had been here a half hour ago we would have already had our meal.” You snipped angrily and his smirk widened on his face.

”What’s the matter darling? Mad that I was late for our little date?” He asked arrogantly, causing you to sigh softly before shaking your head. 

“Hwang, please.” You pleaded with him and instantly regretted your choice of words as he grinned wickedly at you and his eyes began to sparkle with utter delight.

”Already begging darling? I haven’t even done anything to you, yet.” He said in a low sultry tone that had your hackles rising in anger and indignation. You silently wonder how much trouble you’d be in if you just up and left without actually having a meeting with him. You knew the investors would be upset but they could easily have their happiness bought with favors and other trinkets, but you knew that this collaboration would ultimately set your company as the top perfume company in the market and you’d love to take that title.

The waiter came back with your drinks and then stood there expectantly with his notepad ready, you looked at Hyunjin pointedly and he lazily flipped through the menu causing you to sigh loudly. 

“Can I please have the chicken Marsala, with a house salad as a side?” You asked pleasantly and the waiter nodded his head as he wrote down your order.

“Chicken cacciatore, the chef knows how I like it.” Hyunjin said arrogantly and you took a sip of your drink trying not to roll your eyes, you feared they’d roll out of your head at this point. “The chef is a personal friend.” He told you trying to sound importantly and you nodded your head choosing to stay silent while your eyes looked around the restaurant.

When you had first arrived you had been too on edge for this upcoming meeting that you hadn’t taken the time to survey your surroundings. But now as the bane of your existence sat in front of you it gave you time to look around yourself and take it all in. The restaurant was a five star Michelin and had raving reviews in every major newspaper, you had figured that Hyunjin’s connections gave him instant access and tried not to be impressed by that.

”Is that Yang Jeongin?” You asked softly sounding starstruck before you tried to reign in your admiration for the business owner. Hyunjin frowned as he turned his head to look over at the younger man and his lunch companion before smirking softly as he recognized the two of them.

”Yeah and he’s having lunch with his girlfriend. They recently stepped out as official this past month.” Hyunjin said knowingly before his eyes swung back to you.

”Oh, good for them. That must be nice.” You said pleasantly as you nodded your head.

”Disappointed?” Hyunjin asked curiously and you shook your head at his question.

”No, I admire Yang’s determination to prove himself within his family. That’s all.” You said softly and Hyunjin nodded his head in agreement.

”He’s not that good looking anyway. There’s definitely others out there that are better looking.” He said arrogantly before he gazed around the room and you bite your tongue to stop the burst of laughter that threatened to escape.

”Who, like Bahang Chan?” You asked teasingly and Hyunjin whipped his head over to you with an outraged look on his face.

”That old man?!” He asked incredulously and you burst out in laughter at him, you missed the softened look he gave you after hearing your delighted laughter.

”He’s only a few years older than us. Not to mention I heard older men would have more experience than younger men.” You teased and watched as Hyunjin scoffed softly before taking a sip of his wine.

”Please he’s too old to keep up with you. You need someone your age.” He stated knowingly as his eyes dragged up and down your body hungrily. “I could totally help you with that.” He offered and you scoffed loudly at him.

”Thanks, but no thanks Hwang.” You said with a shake of your head. “But if you have Han Jisung’s number I’d take it.” You said with a smirk on your face unable to stop teasing him. He looked at you with a look of disgust as his lip curled slightly and you laughed at his look before shaking your head at him.

”He wouldn’t be able to handle you either, plus he’s in love with assistant.” Hyunjin said with a wave of his hand. You tilted your head to the side amazed at how much personal information he seemed to know about the other business owners in town.

”How do you know all these things?” You asked curiously and he smirked at you behind his wine glass.

”I’ve got all the tea darling.” He said cryptically and you smiled softly while shaking your head at him.

”Do you do any work at your company? Or do you just gather intel on all of your business rivals?” You asked sarcastically and he grinned widely at you before winking.

”You’re the only one that I can’t gather any information on.” He said teasingly while tilting his head to the side giving you an analytical look that made the hairs on the back of your arm stand up in caution.

”Well I feel special.” You mumble and he scoffs softly before leaning forward towards you.

”Tell me your secrets darling. I’m dying to know anything about you besides that you’re beautiful and a force of nature when it comes to business.” He says sultrily and you scoff softly before shaking your head at him.

”Never.” You whisper to him and he grins widely at you causing you to feel a shiver of dread run down your spine. You didn’t trust Hyunjin as far as you could throw him, he was known as a playboy in the business world liked to work hard but partied even harder. He would often have a new woman on his arm every week and never dated the same woman twice. And not to mention he had been a pain in your ass since before you had started your own perfume company.

You and Hyunjin had been college classmates when you were younger, his family was very affluent and you were a new upstart trying to make her way in the perfume business without any influence or help from your family. He had looked down on you back in college always giving you backhanded compliments for any of your accomplishments and would always have stinging comments about how you wouldn’t make it in the business world. He had continuously told you that you were too soft for the cut throat life of a business owner. But your drive and need to prove him and everyone else that looked down on you wrong was what made you succeed and reach new heights. And now as you sat in your position of owner of one of the most popular perfume companies you felt as if you could breathe a sigh of relief, you had done it. 

That’s why this project was so important to you, not only would it elevate your company to an even higher standard but it would show that you could be professional with one of your naysayers.

The rest of your lunch with Hyunjin was spent fielding his teasing remarks as well as any personal questions that he would throw at you in hopes of tripping you up to answer honestly. You didn’t understand his need to know about your personal life since he had always been so against you back in college. The two of you had managed to come to an agreement that you would both work on a women’s and men’s line of perfume but Hyunjin had nixed the idea of using his original artwork as a label since he wanted to create the bottle designs to speak for themselves. He wanted the bottles to be immediately recognizable as both of your products and not rely on a label at all. You had agreed with him only because you knew that he had already been bit by the creative bug as he began sketching on the linen napkin much to your embarrassment, which he had easily waved away since he had a connection with the chef and would pay him back for taking his napkin.

After that Hyunjin had easily paid for your lunch and the two of you left the restaurant with the promise to reach out to each other for another meeting once you both had made some development on the design of the bottle and the scent of the perfume. You had even ran into Yang Jeongin and his companion striking up a friendly conversation with them as you saw Hyunjin staring at you with narrowed eyes out of the corner of your eyes.

*-*-*-*

“So if you look at the sketches you’ll see I want to switch it up for each line. I’d like to do harsher lines for the bottles of the women’s perfume and more softer rounded edges for the men’s bottles.” Hyunjin’s voice came across your ear piece as you sat on the park bench with a notepad opened on your lap as you took in the sunset in your local park by your apartment. You gazed down at your tablet that had the file he had sent to you opened and your fingers quickly pinched and opened on the file to get a closer look at his sketches.

”These are really good Hwang.” You said absentmindedly as you made a note in your notepad about the bottle designs. “I like the switch up especially because it’s such the norm to do prettier bottles for women. But I’m really liking it and think it’ll be a big hit with our consumers.” You admitted to him.

”Thanks darling.” He drawled out and you huffed softly at him as he ruined the perfectly nice moment you had both created. His deep pleased chuckle rang through your ear and you frowned softly as you shivered at hearing the sultry tone of his voice. “You’re always so easy to rile up.” He admitted and you scowled darkly at your notepad.

”Is that all I am to you?” You asked frustrated. “A source of entertainment?” You asked sourly and there was a beat of silence on his end of the phone call giving you all the answer you needed causing you sigh defeatedly. “Never mind, I’ll be able to use these sketches to narrow down my combinations that I’ve already started working on.” You said going back to the business side of your conversation and steering clear of anything personal.

It had been two weeks since your lunch meeting with Hyunjin and the two of you had been busy at work on the project. By all the sketches he shared with you today you could easily see the journey of the concept that he had finally chosen for each bottle and while you liked some of the earlier options you were very happy with his final decision. And while he had been busy with the bottle designs you had been busy as well creating scent combinations that you knew paired well and smelled amazing.

But now as you realized what his vision was you grew excited at the combinations that you could use for each line. The whole concept of it being a different take than normal made you eager to change the scent profiles for each line to match the bottles. Your mind began to swim with ideas and you quickly began to jot them down in your notepad.

”Did I lose you darling?” Came Hyunjin’s soft voice and you realized that you had gotten swept away with your creative ideas and forgotten to say anything else in the conversation. 

“Sorry, with your concept idea it changes what I had planned but it opens up so many other combinations that we can do.” You said almost sounding breathless with excitement.

”You’re such a nerd.” He said fondly suddenly and you frowned at his words. “I like it.” You frowned even further at that admission and you shook your head at his words choosing not to dig further on them.

“Anyway let me get working on the new combinations and then I’ll have them made before scheduling a meeting with your assistant. How does that sound?” You asked distractedly as you continued to write down more combinations of scent profiles to try.

”Sounds wonderful darling. Can’t wait to see you again.” He coos over the phone and you scoff softly just as group of kids run past you shouting at each other as they play. “Where are you? Are you not in your office?” He asked curiously and you watch as the kids race to the playground nearby.

”Needed some inspiration for a new women’s perfume line I’m working on with a popular girl group. So I came to a park nearby my apartment that has a really pretty flowerbed arrangement.” You said distractedly as your eyes follow the kids. “But I don’t think I’m going to go the flower route.” You say distractedly again once more. Hyunjin’s chuckle fills your ears once more and you shiver at the sound as it pierces your brain and skates down your spine. 

“You always did find inspiration in the oddest thing when we were in college.” Hyunjin muses softly and you raise an eyebrow at his words.

”I’m surprised you even remember me back in college.” You say honestly and it’s Hyunjin’s turn to scoff softly.

”It was kind of hard to ignore you little miss honor roll.” He teases you and you roll your eyes. “You were always making us look bad.” He grumbles out on a sigh and you laugh delightedly at his pain.

”Because I had something to prove to you, idiot.” You snipped at him haughtily.

”What did you have to prove to me?” He asked bewildered and you scoffed at him anger was starting bubble up inside of you at how obtuse he was..

”Hwang, you were the driving force for me to succeed in college.” You admitted angrily as your anger started to get the better of you. “Every time you told i wouldn’t make it in the business world or that I was too soft for that life it made me more determined to prove you wrong.” You admitted to him passionately. “I needed to show you how wrong you were.” 

There was silence on the other line and you sighed softly knowing that you admitted too much of yourself to him and that he’d probably hold it over you forever. Looking down at your notepad you saw what you had written down and nodded your head in satisfaction of your ideas.

”Listen, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you again when I’ve got the samples made and ready for you.” You said tiredly still not hearing any response from Hyunjin after you admitted that he was the reason for your determination in college.

”Wait, dar-“ he began to speak up but you quickly hung up the phone not bothering to say anything else. 

*-*-*-*

The next time you see Hyunjin it’s at the launch party for the perfume line of the popular girl group that you helped create. You’re dressed in a pretty flowy dress that matches the image of the girl group and your hair is pulled back from your face as natural makeup covers your pretty face.

You’re standing to the side of the display table that holds the two perfumes that you had created while talking to the group’s leader. You spot Hyunjin out of the corner of your eyes and turn your head to acknowledge him with a soft smile and head nod which he responds with a wide smile on his face before nodding back at you. Your eyes quickly dart up and down him and see that he’s dressed casually yet still handsome in his pressed navy blue pants and gray button up shirt that he’s rolled the sleeves up to his elbows. You belatedly notice that he’s also by himself and without a date to the party which confuses you for a moment but you’re quickly pulled back into your conversation with the group leader.

As you move around and socialize with the other guests you can’t help but feel pride rush through your body after everyone mentions how good the perfumes smell and how surprised they are by the contrasting scent notes of the two perfumes that you helped create.

You had decided to create two perfumes after the girl group had come to you with two different views of what smelled good to them. Ultimately creating a “good girl” scent of sweet sugary smells and a “bad girl” scent of spicy musk smells to compliment both sides of the group. You were insanely proud of the line and were excited to see how well it did with the fans.

”You look so happy.” Came a soft voice near your right ear, which caused you to turn and see Hyunjin leaning close to you. You turned fully to face him and smiled widely up at him as you nodded your head.

”I am happy. I helped create a perfume line that compliments both sides of the group and it turned out really well.” You explained excitedly and Hyunjin smiled fondly down at you.

”Nerd.” He teased you softly and you laughed delightedly at him causing him to grin widely down at you as his eyes turn into crescents on his face. The two of you don’t notice the photographer snapping pictures of the two of you together. That is until he calls out to Hyunjin to catch his attention.

”Mr. Hwang! A picture with your new collaboration partner?” The photographer calls out and Hyunjin eagerly ushers for you to take the spotlight causing you to blush softly at his antics before gesturing for him to stand at your side. The two of you stand close with your arms wrapped around each other’s waist before smiling warmly at the photographer who snaps multiple pictures of the two of you.

”I’m very happy for your success darling.” He says softly into your ear and you’re surprised but pleased by his words as you look up at him beaming happily.

*-*-*-*

At the next meeting with Hyunjin you have made four samples of perfume for the women’s and men’s line that the two of you are working on. You’re nervous and giddy with excitement to show Hyunjin what you had created. It was like sharing something extremely private with him and you weren’t sure what his reaction would be which worried you.

But as you paced your office where the two of you had agreed would be the best place to meet you tried to get a hold on your emotions running rampant inside of you. Your eyes darted to the ornate clock on your desk and sighed softly, he was ten minutes late. You had hoped that he would take this meeting seriously, your phone call check ins lately had been pleasant and you had found that you worked well with him when it came down to business and lately he hadn’t been as obnoxious or overly annoying to you. But maybe you were wrong about him if he was just going to continue to show up late.

”I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Came his worried rushed voice as he walked quickly into your office looking disheveled and distressed as his eyes focused on you. “There was a big accident on my way here and every route I tried to take was blocked by other traffic.” He explained hurriedly and you frowned softly noticing how distressed he was about being late. Maybe, you had been right that he was changing around you?

”It’s okay. Relax, you’re only ten minutes late. Much better than your last record.” You teased him softly trying to make light of the situation to ease his distress. He looked at you and your eyes darted over his handsome face, his hair was disheveled and hung in his eyes as his dark colored eyes stared at you concerned.

”Do I want to know how late I was the last time?” He asked suddenly and you burst out into amused laughter. His answering smile was breathtaking and you felt a blush creep up your neck much to your confusion. 

You had always known that Hyunjin was gorgeous, there was no denying that but you had always thought that you were above being affected by his good looks. After his attitude and how he acted with you in college you had thought that you couldn’t find this man attractive, but had you been wrong?

”Thirty minutes.” You say with a cheeky grin and Hyunjin hangs his head causing you to chuckle at him before patting his chest over his white button up shirt. You don’t think too much about how toned and muscular his chest feels under your fingers as you pat your hand against it. “It’s alright though I won’t hold it against you.” You teased him and he chuckled softly as he gazed down at you fondly.

”You’re too kind.” He hummed softly at you while still staring at you with a soft smile on his face.

”C’mon I want you to smell the perfumes and help make the final decision.” You tell him as you begin to walk over to your desk where you have the four samples waiting for him. “So the first two are for the women’s line, the first is a plum blossom, wisteria and violet mixture that has base notes of amber, musk and sandalwood.” You explain to him and he nods his head as he picks up the small sample bottle and uncorks the top before taking in a large whiff of the scent.

”Mmmm I like that one. Is there a hint of chocolate in there?” He asks suddenly as he looks over to you.

”You noticed? It’s only a small amount as opposed to the other scents so I wasn’t sure if it would be detected at all.” You said worriedly as you fidgeted with your hands. Hyunjin watches you for a second as he takes in another large whiff of the perfume and smiles softly at you.

”I really like this one, it’s got floral notes but it’s more musky.” He says nodding his head.

”Alright, the next one has sandalwood again but it’s a sweeter woodsy scent with red berries and cashmere.” You explain and Hyunjin nods his head at your explanation before uncorking the second bottle and taking in it’s scent.

”Oh I like this one too.” Hyunjin says softly as he takes in another whiff. “But I think the first one fits the bottle better.” He says and you nod your head at his words.

”I thought so too but I wanted to give options.” You explained and he smiled softly at you. You grab your pen from your desk and make a note on your notepad on what you both had decided for the women’s line. “Alright, the next ones are for the men’s line. The first one is a spice mixture of Star Anise, Yuzu and Bergamot with hints of incense, patchouli and violets.” You explain as Hyunjin moves down the line, he takes that bottle and takes in the scent nodding his head at the smells filling his nose.

”That’s nice, I like that it’s got the spice mixture in there. That’s different from others out there.” He says softly and you nod your head at his critique.

”The next one is rosemary, jasmine, orris root, and patchouli mixture.” You explain and Hyunjin nods as he picks up that bottle and lets the scent surround him.

”Oooooh.” He says as he takes in a breath. “This one.” He said confidently and you beamed up at him before making another note on your notepad.

”Good! I’m glad you liked them. Now that that’s all settled we can move forward with production. The planners will start the preparations for the launch gala.” You said as you looked down at your desk calendar while Hyunjin looked over at you with a soft furrow to his eyebrows. “We’re probably looking at a month from now if all goes well with production.” You say nodding your head from side to side.

”So we’re done working together?” Hyunjin asks softly and you turn your head to look at him and notice the softly furrowed brows on his face.

”I mean in essence, yes. But we still have to host the launch gala.” You said nodding your head.

”I’m going to miss working with you, darling.” He said softly and you looked up at him surprised as you blinked quickly before a beaming smile graced your lips.

”I’m going to miss working with you too.” You confess to him and he grins softly at you before stepping closer to you as you stare up at him. His hands come up to cup your cheeks as his eyes dart back and forth between yours. You nod your head at him and he slants his mouth against yours causing you to whimper softly which makes your whole body flush with embarrassment. But Hyunjin doesn’t give you time to think about it as he deepens the kiss while groaning loudly. The two of you grip at each other’s clothes while being swept up in the desire for each other as you kiss. Hyunjin pulls away first and rests his forehead against yours while trying to catch his breath.

”I was an asshole in college. I was an asshole out of college too.” He pants out and while you’re bewildered of him to bring this up now when all you want to do is kiss him again. “And I’m sorry for that. Over these last few months I’ve seen you in a different light and I’ve fallen for you darling.” He confessed softly and you stared up at him wide eyed.

”That’s why you’ve changed.” You said softly and he nodded his head at your wonder.

”Let me take you out and show how much I’ve actually changed since starting this project.” He pleads with you and you smile softly before tilting your head up to him and catch his lips with yours.

”Show me.” You whisper against his lips and groans low in his throat before kissing you deeply once more.

*-*-*-*

The evening of the perfume launch gala you arrive to walk the red carpet but just as you’re about to step out of the limo that you had ridden in a shadow falls across the open doorway. You look up as a hand falls open in your eye line and you can’t help but beam up at the man standing besides the door. You gently place your hand in his and he helps you from the limo and tugs you into his chest as his arms wrap around you.

”How late was I this time?” He asks cheekily and you laugh loudly as your hands come to rest against his lean torso.

”Only five minutes this time. You’re getting better and better each time Hwang.” You tease him and grins down at you lovingly before planting his lips against yours in a hungry kiss as the photographers for the event all eagerly snap your picture.

SKZ Taglist: @intartaruginha

[bunniekittiee]

Cheater, Cheater, Raiden’s Eager

Pairings: Kung Lao x Fem. Reader, Raiden x Fem. Reader

A/N: Bi-Han won the poll, but I just could not stop myself from writing Kung Lao's fic. Shout out to @engie-main for giving me ideas on how I could approach this! You were a huge help! If some parts are poorly written or don’t make much sense, I apologize. I was in multiple different states of mind while writing this so it affected my writing too. I also suck at writing endings lol. But Happy New Year everyone! First fic of the year!!

Content Warning: A little angsty, cheating, physical cheating, NSFW, making out, oral (69)

Summary: Kung Lao has secretly been cheating behind his girlfriend’s back. After being exposed by Fujin, Y/N ends things for good. Raiden begins to fall for her, but his conflicts with Lao make them more estranged.

No one would have ever thought it would come to this. They seemed like they were endgame, enough to get married, have children, grow old together. At least, that is what Y/N thought. She never thought he would have done what he did. And she did not want to find out this way. It devastated her.

It was a group outing. Liu Kang wanted his champions to get together for a special dinner at Madame Bo's. Fujin, Raiden's sister, helped Y/N get ready for the date, as well as herself. They were the closest of friends, just like Raiden and Kung Lao. She introduced Kung Lao to Y/N originally, and the two hit it off from there.

She was happy to know that her best friend had found someone who loved and adored her, even if it was ill-mannered Kung Lao. He did have good attributes, she guessed. But Kung Lao was never her first pick for her best friend.

Raiden was used to having Y/N over often because of their friendship. He thought she was very pretty, maybe a little too good for Lao, but nonetheless he was happy for his best friend as well.

"Raiden!" Fujin yelled out of her room as she helped Y/N curl her hair. "Ten more minutes!"

Raiden sighed. He had been waiting for them to finish for over thirty minutes now. "We are going to be late."

Fujin peeked her head out of the room and glared at her brother. "Excuse me?"

Raiden looked away. "Nothing, sister."

"That's what I thought." she replied with her eyes narrowed, returning back to helping her best friend. Y/N giggled as Fujin smiled wide. She was quite the character.

They had finished up and left the room, making Raiden let out a small sigh. "I see that you are both finally ready."

Y/N smiled at Raiden while Fujin rolled her eyes. "Stop with the sassiness, I can't deal with it today."

Raiden raised a brow while he opened the front door for the two women. "Sassiness? I'm not anything."

"There you go again!" Fujin exclaimed as Y/N laughed. They interlocked arms together and talked on their way to Madame Bo's. Lao was going to meet them there with Johnny and Kenshi. She was excited to see her boyfriend. It had been some time since they had went out on a date, especially a group date.

After a few minutes of walking, they had arrived at Madame Bo's. It was quite busy, but as they scanned the room, they saw that the men were sitting at one of the bigger tables in the middle of the restaurant. Perfect.

Raiden led them to the table, and they sat in their respective spots, Y/N next to Kung Lao and Fujin sitting between Raiden and Y/N. Johnny tried to flirt with Fujin for a minute before she shut him down quickly. Raiden almost felt bad for the actor, but Kenshi thought it was hilarious.

Liu Kang arrived last, but he was very happy. When was he not? "I am happy to see that everyone made it tonight."

"A night out at Madame Bo's? We couldn’t turn that down." Lao said with a smirk. "Raiden's paying."

Raiden raised a brow. "I never said that."

"Raiden told me the same thing too." Fujin said with a wink while Raiden looked offended.

Liu chuckled. "I guess we will have to find out at the end of the night. Now let us begin dinner!"

A waitress came by and took everyone's drink orders. But not before she locked eyes with Kung Lao and almost looked nervous. Fujin noticed this, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. She did not want to say anything, maybe it was just a reaction the girl had to a table almost completely full of men. But why specifically Kung Lao?

Y/N was too caught up in Lao tickling her side to notice this, but Fujin brushed it off. She told herself to be on the lookout. For her best friend. Johnny had dared Raiden to electrocute the water tank full of fish near them which horrified him, but Liu thought it was funny. There was never a dull moment with his champions.

The drinks came to the table, the same waitress handing them out. When handing Lao's drink, she settled her hand on his shoulder before quickly pulling it away. This caught Y/N's attention.

"Do you know her?" She asked him, confusion written on her face.

"Yeah, she's my cousin." Lao said with his mouth full of an appetizer. "I thought I told you that?"

"No, you didn't." she replied back. She was never the jealous type of person, but she didn't like him keeping secrets from her. They were a team, what was the point of secrets? She told him everything. Ignoring the little splinters that went into her heart, Y/N continued munching on her food. Fujin had a bad feeling in her stomach. But she did not want to say anything. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks. She hoped it was.

Taking the last order, the waitress went back to the kitchen to get the chefs started on the orders. It would take a little bit of time, and Fujin felt nauseated. She excused herself to the bathroom where the same waitress caught her arm as soon as she was away from the table.

"Excuse me, how can I help you?" Fujin asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

The waitress chewed on her lip. "I must confess something as I do not know how to approach it."

Fujin's stomach did a somersault. "What is it?"

"Kung Lao and I have had relations with each other for the past six months." She said as Fujin's eyes widened. "He never told me he had a relationship. He never told me anything about her, and I feel so guilty knowing that she doesn’t know."

Fujin was beyond angry. Not at the woman, at Lao. He had betrayed her best friend. "I... I am at a little loss for words.”

The waitress nodded her head. “I understand. I think she needs to know. She is worth so much more than a cheating man.”

Fujin huffed. “She is. If I had known he would’ve did this to her, I would have never let him around her.”

"I am really sorry. If I had known he had a girlfriend, I would have never entertained him. He approached me first." She said sadly. "I feel horrible."

"He will get his karma, believe me." Fujin said. "I have to return to the table, but keep your eyes open."

The waitress and her both exchanged a head nod as Fujin went back to the table. They were laughing loudly and enjoying their time, not knowing that their nice outing was going to end badly. She would make sure Kung Lao regret ever committing adultery. She sat down again, and Raiden gave her a weird look.

She could not look at Kung Lao without her body filling with rage, but she kept quiet. Y/N was close to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Fujin felt awful knowing that her best friend's world was about to come crashing down.

Their food arrived at their table, and the same waitress helped her coworkers put their food on the wooden table. She locked eyes with Lao before quickly averting her gaze. As soon as they left, Fujin cleared her throat. "I am amazed, Lao. I guess the waitress’ seem to know you around here."

"He said that's his cousin." Y/N replied with a small shrug.

Raiden was puzzled. "Cousin? You never told me you had a cousin that worked at the restaurant?"

"I swear I did." Kung Lao said with a small hint of annoyance. "Do you ever pay attention?"

"I thought your cousins have moved away from Fengjian?" Raiden said as he looked at Lao with confusion. The entire table went silent as they watched the situation unfold. "Lao, I don’t believe that is your cousin.”

Lao started to stress a bit, but he tried to keep it cool. "I think your memory is off, Raiden. And what do you know about my family?"

"I know enough to know that she isn't your cousin.” Raiden replied back with a frown. Johnny and Kenshi exchanged 'oh shit' looks before turning their attention back to the rest of the table.

Y/N looked at Lao. "Do you care to explain to me who she really is?"

"Babe, like I said, she's my cousin. Raiden's memory is off. And let's not do this in front of everyone." He forced an awkward smile at her.

Fujin was done. She immediately got up, eyes burning with anger and smoke practically coming out of her ears. "And to think I let her around you, you filthy dog.” Fujin’s face held malice. “You deceive all of us, especially your own lover!”

The restaurant was still bustling, but other tables were now watching the drama unfold at the middle table.

Bi-Han sighed angrily at one of the side tables, Kuai Liang and Tomas both looking up from their food to watch what was going to happen next. "I wanted a quiet night. Instead, we have to listen to Liu Kang's champions argue."

"But brother, it is about to get good." Kuai Liang replied as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Kung Lao is about to get exposed."

Bi-Han snapped his neck to the table. "I would do anything to watch that imbecile crumble."

"Fujin, can you keep it quiet?" Kung Lao hissed at her. "Stop being dramatic, I did nothing."

Raiden let out an exasperated sigh. That was the worst thing he could tell Fujin.

Fujin clenched her jaw. "The waitress herself told me that you and her have been sleeping with each other for six months. While Y/N has been oblivious to it!”

Liu Kang covered his mouth with his hand while Johnny's mouth was agape. Kenshi’s eyebrows had risen in shock. Kung Lao mentally cursed. "She's lying to you! We have never crossed paths with each other."

Y/N turned to Kung Lao slowly. "Then explain the shoulder touching and the eye contact Lao. You were practically undressing her with your eyes!"

Raiden shook his head at his friend. "All those times you told me to tell Y/N you were out buying her gifts; you were seeing your "cousin"?" he said in disbelief. "I covered for you thinking you were doing something nice for her!"

All eyes were now on Kung Lao who was metaphorically backed into a corner. The group stared at him, waiting for an answer. "It is all a misunderstanding, I promise you!"

Y/N shook her head. "I don't believe you, Lao."

"You're going to trust Fujin's and some harlot's word over mine? I thought you trusted me." Lao said angrily at Y/N.

Fujina gasped as the waitress walked up to Kung Lao and slapped him in the face. "How dare you! You came to me first and flirted with me! It is you that is the harlot." She walked off as Lao held his stinging cheek with his hand.

Bi-Han held in the laugh that was stuck in his chest. Watching Lao being exposed after each and every lie he told was hilarious. However, Kuai Liang and Tomas felt horrible for Y/N who sat there looking defeated. Heartbroken.

But that was an understatement for what she felt. Her whole world was ripped away from her. And Kung Lao continued to bury himself in a deeper hole with every lie he told. Everyone at the table knew that he was making it worse for himself.

"Enough!" Liu Kang exclaimed, his white eyes narrowing. "Kung Lao, you are not helping your situation with every lie you tell. Be truthful, especially to your significant other."

Kung Lao sighed, looking at Y/N. "Let’s talk outside of here. Not when everyone is staring at us.”

Figuring he was right, they both got up from their seats and went outside, all eyes on them as they exited the establishment. Madame Bo was observing from afar of the events unfolding between Kung Lao and his lover.

“Tell me the truth, Lao! It is what I deserve.” Y/N told him as soon as they were outside. The night sky’s stars were twinkling at them, but there was nothing to twinkle about.

Kung Lao chewed on his lip. “I love you very much and-”

“No you do not.” She interrupted him. “Do not give me the sob story. Tell me the truth now.” She crossed her arms and looked up at him.

“I did it because I was tired of waiting for you.” Lao said as he fidgeted with his hat. “You are very adamant about keeping your innocence until marriage, and that’s nice. But when you’re with someone like me, it’s not ideal.”

Suffocation. Her entire body felt like it was being suffocated. Lao always said he didn't mind waiting for her. But she guessed that was another lie of his. She wondered how many other lies he had told her.

“I am so sorry, Y/N. I want to be with you. And only you.”

She scoffed. “I can hardly believe that. If you wanted me, you would have never made this mistake. We are over, Kung Lao.” She said as she turned away to go back inside the restaurant to grab Fujin. She just wanted to go home. She did not want to be out anymore.

As soon as Y/N entered the restaurant, Fujin hopped to her feet and bid farewell to the men who only watched as both women left. It was Fujin’s duty to be there for her.

Kung Lao entered the restaurant as well, sitting down at the table again looking at his plate miserably. Madame Bo came by the table and smacked Kung Lao in the head with a wad of newspaper. "You have made a grave mistake, Kung Lao. I thought you were better than that. I guess I thought wrong." He did not like the disappointment that radiated off of his friends, especially Madame Bo. She was like a mother figure to him.

Finishing dinner would have been like pulling teeth. The air was filled with tension and awkwardness as Johnny eyed Lao with resentment. He as well liked Y/N. He thought she was a sweetheart. And Lao absolutely destroyed her trust. Liu Kang told his champions that he would pay for dinner, giving Raiden a look as he glanced at him. The Thunder God caught this look and grabbed Kung Lao to lead him out of the restaurant. Johnny and Kenshi thanked Liu Kang and trailed after the two men.

“Tell us the truth, Lao. We are away from everyone else. We want the truth.” Raiden reiterated to his friend. He gave him a hardened look that Lao avoided.

Lao frowned. "I just couldn’t wait any longer for her. She was… always adamant on keeping her innocence until marriage. I love her, I really do, but I couldn't keep waiting. I was having difficulty."

"Woah, brother." Johnny said as he made a face. "You don't ever insult a girl and her virginity. And you don’t ever lead her on like that.”

Kenshi shook his head. “That isn’t an excuse. You should have known from the beginning that she was taking things slow. And if it wasn’t for you, you should have not gotten together with her.”

Raiden was bewildered. Every time he saw them together, they were happy. Lao looked happy, in love with her. Yet he was unfaithful most of their relationship. This was not like the Lao he knew and was close to. Raiden felt like he was looking at a stranger. "Lao, I can't believe you. I thought you were better than this. I expected you to be better."

Kung Lao's eyes began to water, and Raiden started to feel guilty. "Lao?" The hat-man started to cry, but he quickly wiped his tears away. "I know I messed up. I know I did, but I don't know what I can do to make it right."

Raiden sighed quietly. "There isn't much you can do, Lao. You can't make it right, sadly. I'm sorry." Despite what Raiden was feeling, he had to be there for his friend. Just like Fujin had to be there for Y/N.

The other men comforted Lao, putting their own feelings to the side about the situation. They knew he made the biggest mistake of his life, but they had to stay neutral.

Fujin held Y/N's hair back as she threw up the contents of her stomach into the toilet. What was supposed to be a nice outing turned into her worst nightmare. She felt horrible for her friend. She was inconsolable.

After Fujin helped her wash her mouth out and get ready for bed, she laid in Fujin’s bed. Tonight, she would stay with her, she did not want to be alone. Not when her heart felt like it was going to stop beating. She cried into Fujin’s shoulder, and she rubbed Y/N's back gently. She was beyond angry at Kung Lao, but she knew she had to be there for her friend. She needed her.

Raiden arrived home a bit later than usual, and he noticed Fujin sitting at the table with a cup of tea, mind wandering. "Is Y/N okay? How is she feeling?"

Startled, Fujin slightly jumped. "I apologize, I was deep in thought." She sighed. "She's not taking it the best. She was throwing up and had a panic attack. It is a miracle that she is even asleep right now."

Raiden frowned. "I am sorry to hear that. I cannot believe Kung Lao and his actions. It feels like an intense nightmare." He sat down near Fujin. "His reasoning is unforgivable."

"His existence is unforgivable. Y/N gave him everything, she was always too good for him." Fujin looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn't.

Raiden quirked an eyebrow. "You look like you have more to say."

Fujin sipped her tea. "I always thought that you and Y/N would have ended up together."

Raiden's brown eyes widened. "You have?"

She nodded. "I had hoped that you both would have. I would have rather seen her with you than Kung Lao. I always had a feeling he would cause heartache, but we cannot help who we love."

"Wow, I never would have thought that you would have wanted us together." Raiden was bewildered. "I have always thought she was pretty."

Fujin chuckled. "Well, give her some time before you go and try to romance her. She is going to be heartbroken for a long while. But she will come around again."

It was a long while before Y/N was ready to go back into the dating world. Kung Lao’s actions had completely warped her sense of trustworthiness with others, and she felt very insecure. Like she wasn’t enough. She wouldn’t be enough for the next man who came into her life. She was afraid of the same thing happening once more to her.

She spent a lot of time with Fujin and Raiden. Her best friend made sure she was distracted from her intense thoughts, as well as check on her mental health. Whether it was girl outings, sit-downs, tea times, or sitting at home, Fujin made sure Y/N’s heartbreak would not worsen.

As disappointed as Raiden was in Kung Lao, he was still his best friend. He had to interact with him on a day-to-day basis at the academy, and he couldn’t let personal problems interfere with his work. Even if Kung Lao allowed it to affect his.

His moods were dampened, he started to sleep less, he never ate frequently, and when training, he never seemed focused. He was beginning to lose his touch in his work. And Liu Kang had begun to notice.

“Raiden, come, I must discuss something important with you.” Liu Kang said as he approached Raiden who was in the middle of meditating. Raiden got up from the ground, walking with Liu Kang to somewhere away from the others.

“I have seen Kung Lao’s performance declining since that night at Madame Bo’s.” Liu said as his white eyes were staring into Raiden’s soul. “If he cannot focus, I will have to send him home until he improves.”

Raiden sighed. “I understand, Lord Liu Kang. He has not handled his breakup well.”

Liu Kang nodded. “I understand. Tough situations like that require lots of time to process and move on. I would hate to send him home and have him depart from us for the time being. But his actions may cause liabilities on missions. And we cannot afford that.”

Raiden understood where Liu Kang was coming from. He had a lot to lose, especially if he were to lose his champions. They were a part of protecting Earthrealm, they could not lose their lives because Kung Lao could not put his own self-brought issues to the side.

"I completely understand, Lord Liu Kang." Raiden said, bowing to the Fire God. "I will talk to Kung Lao and get through to him as much as I can."

Liu put a hand on Raiden's shoulder. "Thank you, Raiden. And one more thing,” Raiden looked at him as he said this. “When you plan on romancing Y/N, be sure to not take her to Madame Bo’s. It will remind her of the unforgivable.”

Raiden’s cheeks tinged pink as he stuttered. “Yes, Lord Liu Kang.” He walked back outside as Liu chuckled.

Liu sighed happily to himself with a small smile on his face. Raiden deserved to be happy, as they always were in every timeline. It was only different because Kung Lao had changed the course of events. But Raiden would never know that.

Raiden walked back to where his friends were. Kung Lao was sitting on one of the benches while Johnny and Kenshi sandwiched him. They looked concerned for him. Raiden quickened his pace. "Lao, are you okay?"

Lao sniffled as he harshly wiped his tears off his face. "No, I am not. I miss her. I don't know why I hurt her."

Raiden gave Johnny and Kenshi a look that signaled them to give them their space. Raiden would fill them in later. As they walked away, Raiden sat down next to him. "We all make mistakes that change our lives. But we cannot be stuck on them. It is unhealthy."

"Does she ever talk about me? Does she ever think about me?" Lao turned to Raiden, tears streaking down his face, his eyes red. "Does she still love me, Raiden?"

Raiden stared back at his friend. He did not want to tell Lao the truth. He often overheard her and Fujin's conversations in their home, and she did not harbor any feelings for him. She was recovering from it. Raiden stayed quiet, but Lao was not having it.

"Tell me now, Raiden. You are my best friend. Even if it hurts, I need to know. For my own sake." Lao was desperate.

He frowned. "From what I hear, she does not. I am very sorry, Lao. I wish it was different." Raiden felt horribly for his friend. Although he created it for himself, he still could not help but feel bad.

Eyes watering once again, Kung Lao blinked to prevent them from spilling. He sighed quietly, nodding his head. Their relationship was never going to be repaired. Kung Lao never had another chance. He stayed silent as he was afraid if he were to speak, he would never be able to stop crying. He avoided Raiden's gaze and stared off into the distance.

"You need to put your focus and energy into your training and work. It will help distract you." Raiden was trying to be as encouraging as possible. "I know it takes time, but you will feel better."

Lao did not reply back to Raiden which made him feel like he was being ignored. But he did not let him annoy him. He knew Lao needed more time. So, he sat there quietly until it was time to resume their training. Another day, Raiden would attempt to talk to his friend.

Walking back to his home, Raiden felt relieved as he approached the front door. He was exhausted and ready to relax. He had a long, draining day at the academy, and all he wanted was rest. Entering inside, he spotted Y/N in the kitchen. Fujin was not with her.

"Where's Fujin?" Raiden asked her when he went to the kitchen. She smiled. "Well, hello to you too, Raiden."

Raiden's cheeks flushed. "I apologize for not greeting you."

She giggled. "Don't apologize, I'm only kidding. Fujin's bathing, so I am passing the time. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please," Raiden replied with a small sigh. "I've had a very excruciatingly long day."

She poured Raiden a cup of tea as they sat down at the table together. She was the closest to Fujin, but she and Raiden could still hold conversations fairly well. Even if the main topic of discussion was not in her life anymore. "Tell me about your day. I am all ears."

Raiden told her about his day as she listened intently to him. He felt his stresses begin to lift off as he breathed in the steam from his cup and talked. She nodded her head at him here and there and kept eye contact. Raiden noticed how bright her eyes were. How beautiful they were.

"And I am emotionally drained from comforting Kung Lao. He is my best friend, and I will always be there for him. But he is jeopardizing his place at the academy." Raiden continued. His eyes widened slightly as he realized his mistake. "I am so sorry. I do not mean to bring him up, especially to you."

She waved her hand with a small chuckle. "Kung Lao is a man from the past. I am in a new chapter of life. I can handle him being brought up in conversations."

Raiden nodded and decided it was best to not tell her what Lao had said. He was not her concern anymore, and Raiden never wanted to make her feel guilty for her choices. He knew that Lao deserved it.

"More tea?" she asked him as she began to get up. Raiden nodded and thanked her. Her smile seemed to enlarge. Raiden returned the smile. As she walked away, he was in his thoughts again. He thought about what Liu Kang said. He felt like a bad friend if he were to ask her out. Kung Lao was his best friend ever since their childhood. And here he was, thinking about asking his ex-girlfriend out.

But Lao made a huge mistake. One that could never be fixed. So Raiden was okay, right?

That’s what he thought but he wasn’t so sure anymore. He wondered if he should talk to Kung Lao first, but Raiden knew he would be even more devastated. Maybe it was not the right time-

“Raiden? Are you okay?” She asked him, eyebrows furrowed as she gently held his hands. Raiden noticed and immediately turned red, almost jumping in his seat.

“Yes yes, I am okay. Thank you. I was deep in thought.” He said as he tried to contain himself. They were still holding hands.

She giggled. “Fujin does the same thing. You are both definitely related.”

“Of course we’re related.” Fujin interrupted, making both of them jump and Y/N unlock her hands from Raiden’s. Fujin’s eyes twinkled as she made eye contact with her friend before turning to Raiden. “I hope your day was well, brother.”

“Could be better but I am thankful for another day.” Raiden replied as he tried to contain his blush.

“So darn humble it’s almost irritating.” Fujin said as she brushed her hair.

Raiden finished his tea and began to get up. “I have a few things to do. I will see you both later.” He nodded his head at Y/N and shuffled away. Once Fujin knew he was out of earshot, she snuffled at her friend. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your hand-holding.”

Her friend groaned and lightly pushed Fujin as she made her away over to her. “You are horrible.”

“What’s next, you two creating a family out here? Goodness.” She joked as her friend turned tomato red and hid her face. “Rather it be Raiden than anyone else.”

“Yes yes, I know. Don’t go into any more detail.” She said as she sat down on a seat.

Fujin only smiled. She would much rather it be Raiden any day over Kung Lao or Raiden’s other friends. She knew her brother was good. The absolute best. She trusted him with her best friend.

Another day of training. Raiden was happy to live another day, but he felt like he was stagnant. Just a little bit. He did not feel as enthusiastic in his training, but he knew he needed to be. He had to set a good example for the others, as well as prove his potential to Liu Kang. And he needed to talk to Kung Lao.

Kung Lao was hitting the punching bag when Raiden entered one of the rooms. He was focused despite blood seeping through the bandages on his hands. Raiden figured he was taking his anger out.

“Lao, I need to talk to you.” Raiden said as he approached him.

Lao’s eyes averted to Raiden, and he stopped for a moment. “Can it wait? I’m a little busy here.”

Ignoring his attitude, Raiden continued. “No. It can’t wait.”

Lao sighed. “If you’re going to give me another speech about how I need to get over my relationship and focus, then keep it to yourself. I’ve heard it enough.”

Raiden was never one to ever get angry. He seemed to have had that part of him somewhat turned off. Or maybe it was dormant. But as of now, he was irritated. “No, I wasn’t going to do that. Can you please talk to me?”

“Just because Liu Kang gave you an amulet does not mean I have to listen to you.” Kung Lao replied.

“I want to take Y/N out for dinner.” Raiden said as he stared at his friend. “I am telling you so you are not blindsided.”

Kung Lao stopped for a second and scoffed. “What a friend you are, taking my ex-girlfriend who I am not over, out to dinner. What else do you want to take from me, Raiden?”

“We are going as friends. Nothing more than that.” Raiden retorted back.

“As friends? We both know you want to date her. How long has that been going on for? Did you want to date her while I was with her?” Kung Lao started to get into Raiden’s face. “Tell me, Raiden. What is it?”

“So what, Kung Lao? You made the mistake of cheating. You knew what you were doing.” Raiden argued, his eyes narrowing and his body language beginning to shift. “Do not try to turn this around on me and make it my fault. I was never interested when you were with her. She was your girlfriend until you decided that you could not wait for her.”

“So what? So what?” Lao’s voice was rising. “You came to tell me about taking her out. You know I am not over her. You know I am still struggling getting over her. And yet, here you are, already trying to take my place. What more do you want from me, Raiden?”

“None of that is my fault. I am sorry that you are not over her. I am sorry that you are struggling. But you made the mistake of cheating. Not me, Fujin, or Y/N. You made that mistake.” Raiden stared into his eyes. “If you never cheated, this would have never happened. And you know that.”

Kung Lao stayed quiet and began to wail on the punching bag. Raiden stepped out of the room and began to walk to another training area in the academy. He was frustrated. But this wouldn’t stop him from asking her out. He liked her, and why would he let Kung Lao get in the way? He was the one who made the mistake. Not Raiden.

Palms sweaty, Raiden fumbled with the front door of his home. He knew Fujin and Y/N would be here. He wanted to ask her. He was too irritated with Kung Lao to reason if it was a good idea or not.

He entered his home with a small sigh, and his eyes caught the women sitting and enjoying a cup of tea together. She recognized his footsteps and turned around with a sweet smile. “Hey Raiden!”

Raiden smiled back. At least someone was happy to see him. “Hey Y/N! How’s your day been?”

She got up from her chair to prepare a cup of tea for Raiden. He never asked her to, but she knew him well. That warmed his heart. “It’s been okay. I am ready for a relaxing break.”

Fujin nodded. “Has Kung Lao been giving you issues?”

Raiden gave her a ‘be quiet’ look that Y/N did not notice as she was busy. “No, he has not.”

Fujin frowned. “I don’t believe that. If he even thinks about being an imbecile to you, I will choke him out.”

Raiden knew she would definitely do it, and Lao would not win against her. Fujin was incredibly strong. And Raiden realized this when she put him in a chokehold and made him eat dirt because he ate the last few pieces of her chocolate. Raiden learned two very valuable lessons that day. Never touch a woman’s food, especially when she is on her period. And that you have to floss very well to get the dirt out of every crevice of your teeth.

“I know, sister. You don’t need to save me. I can handle my own.” Raiden replied. “As much as I appreciate it.”

“Liu Kang may not appreciate you and Kung Lao getting into physical fights with animosity. But he cannot say much when it is me. I’m not a part of the academy.”

“She’s essentially saying that Kung Lao can mess around and find out what happens when he angers Fujin.” Y/N said as she put tea in front of Raiden. Raiden thanked her and chuckled. Fujin nodded with a mischievous smile. “He will not stand a chance.”

“He shouldn’t be an issue.” Raiden sighed as he did not want to think about his work. “He is prideful, but it can crumble easily. That’s how he’s always been.”

Y/N giggled. “It is funny to hear you talk about your closest friend.”

“Well, it is the truth.” Raiden said with a small smile. Her giggles made him warm. “At the end of the day, he is still my friend.”

Fujin, being quite the observer she is, noticed how radiant both Raiden and her best friend were. Eyes flicking between the both of them, Fujin made up her mind. “Oh my goodness! I forgot to help Madame Bo with food shopping!” Fujin scrambled for her satchel and began to run out the door. “I’ll see you both later!”

Raiden was puzzled, but he had a feeling Fujin did it so he could ask her out. She always worked in mysterious ways.

“I wonder what that’s all about.” Y/N said, just as confused as Raiden.

“I have no clue. But I wanted to ask you something.” Raiden said as he took the leap of faith. Raiden was never that confident, but right now he was feeling it. He wanted to ask her now so he could either wallow in his own pity or celebrate his victory.

She looked at him with her bright eyes that made Raiden feel tingly. She waited for his question.

“I know it may be too soon, but I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date. Somewhere of your liking.” Raiden’s palms were sweaty.

She was taken aback. A date with Raiden? He and Kung Lao were friends, and here Raiden was asking her out. But Lao was not a factor in her life anymore. She would not make decisions based on his feelings or thoughts. He betrayed her and made her feel unworthy. That was something she could not forgive.

And she would be a liar if she said she wasn’t interested in Raiden. While dating Lao, she never found Raiden attractive, but he was always sweet. But after, Raiden unlocked something in her. His eyes held much love and kindness. His hands were so gentle and warm. He was inviting. His lips looked so soft, and she always had the urge to kiss him. He was so sweet. So loving. Always positive.

Despite being a virgin, her sex drive had always been a bit low. But with Raiden, she felt it increase. There were many sleepless nights that she had to take care of herself because the thoughts of Raiden made her desiring. With Lao, she wanted their relationship to go slow. But with Raiden she wanted to give him her all.

Raiden saw her space out, and he began to feel extremely nervous. Maybe he said the wrong thing? Maybe she isn’t interested? Was it too soon? He was overthinking it. “Well?” He asked her. He was ready to be rejected.

“I would love to go, Raiden.” She replied softly, snapping out of her trance. “I must confess something.”

He nodded his head at her. Was it what he hoped for?

She let out a small sigh. “I have fallen for you. I am enamored by you. I don’t want to go on a date as friends, I want to go as lovers.” Now it was her turn to be nervous.

The Thunder God was about to combust on the spot. His chest fluttered, his thoughts were everywhere at once, and butterflies had invaded his stomach. She felt the same way too. “I would like to go as lovers too.” He replied with a small tinge of pink on his cheeks.

She smiled at him again. “Then it’s a date. I would like to go out to the carnival. If that’s okay with you.”

Raiden smiled back. “I would love to. When do you want to go?”

Bashfully grinning, she giggled. “Tonight, if that’s not too soon.”

“Absolutely! We will go tonight.” Raiden gently grabbed her hands and held them. They were soft. He wanted to kiss her hands, but he refrained from doing so. She held his hands as well, and she stared into his brown eyes. They seemed more beautiful than usual. Their excitement consumed them as eventually she left to get ready in her home. Raiden felt himself become giddy as the time grew nearer. Fujin had come back eventually, and Raiden filled her in. She clapped her hands and smiled, congratulating her brother while also threatening him. Just as Fujin menaced Lao, she would do the same to Raiden. Even if they were related.

Looking himself over in the mirror one last time, Raiden let out a nervous breath. Fujin stood nearby. “Don’t be nervous. You’ve known her for almost your entire life.”

“I know,” he replied as he fidgeted with his hands. “But I can’t help my nervousness. I must leave soon so I can buy her flowers.”

Fujin grinned. “How sweet. Have fun, brother. And be safe. If anything gets crazy, I will be there.” Her face turned serious. “Especially if it’s Kung Lao giving you issues.”

“Liu Kang gave me an amulet forged by the Elder Gods. And yet, you are worried that Lao will challenge me.” Raiden said with his head tilting slightly.

“I know you can handle yourself, Raiden. But as family, it is my job to protect you as well.” Fujin glanced at one of the clocks. “You must be on your way! Have fun! Tell Y/N I said hi!” Fujin practically shoved Raiden out of the house.

Raiden shook his head with a small chuckle and made his way to one of the shops to buy her flowers. He knew her favorites already from Lao dragging him along, as well as Fujin’s suggestions. Raiden went the extra mile to find some lace and ribbon to tie a bow around the flowers. He was so extra in every way possible, but he did it out of the kindness of his heart. He wanted to leave a long-lasting impression.

Approaching the door to her home, he knocked. He felt the butterflies creep back into his stomach, but it all went away when she opened the door. She looked gorgeous. Her hair was done to perfection, her makeup accentuated her features, and her outfit complimented her well. Raiden could not help his awe. “You look stunning.”

She smiled with a small blush dusting her cheeks. “Thank you, Raiden. You look handsome yourself.”

He handed the flowers to her, and she gasped. “These are so beautiful! And the bow-” Her fingers gently curled around the fabric. “Oh Raiden! You are so thoughtful. Let me put these in a vase before we leave! You can come in as well.” She moved quickly back inside of her home, and Raiden stepped inside. It was cozy, but it felt… lonely. He knew she lived here alone. That was why she had often stayed at his and Fujin’s home. He felt guilty that she had to come home to an empty home.

But before it could get to him more, she reappeared back in front of him. “Shall we go?”

He pulled out of his thoughts and smiled. “Yes, we shall.” They left her home and began to make their way to the carnival. He was excited but still felt the nerves pool in his lower stomach.

She talked excitedly on their walk, stars shining in her eyes. He could listen to her talk for hours. Raiden wondered how Lao could ever betray such a beautiful, sweet woman like Y/N. Lao had to have been on some sort of psychedelic herb to even think about betraying her.

But if Lao didn’t make that mistake, Raiden wouldn’t be here with her. It worked out in his favor.

As they approached, they could see and hear the crowds of people enjoying the carnival. They stood at the many tents to win prizes for their loved ones. Raiden felt like a little kid again.

Suddenly, he felt his hand being grabbed by Y/N. “That one! Let’s go to that one.” It did not register right away that she was holding his hand until he was being dragged along to the tent. He felt a small smile on his lips. She was so cute. After paying a small fee, her and Raiden both began to play the game. Raiden, being great at almost everything, beat her at it. She giggled at him as he picked a fairly large stuffed animal out. But it wasn’t for him.

He held a large dragon stuffed animal in his arms and gave it to Y/N. She squealed with excitement as she took it from him, giving him a hug as she did so. “Awww! Raiden, you are so sweet!”

He hugged her back and chuckled. “Anything for you. Now let’s get to the other games!”

They had lost a few games but also won a few as well. Whatever prizes he won, they went to her. And whatever prizes she won, they went to Raiden. Eventually, they had to buy a basket to carry their prizes because of how many they had. There were moments where Raiden felt that he wanted to kiss her, but he never made the move to do so. He didn’t want to scare her off.

Sharing one of the fried foods off to the side, they ate and talked. They were in their own little world. That was, until someone had decided to show up.

“Going as friends? You are a liar, Raiden.” Kung Lao said as he frowned. His eyes flickered to his ex-girlfriend who narrowed her eyes at him.

“It’s none of your concern, Lao. Leave us be.” Raiden replied back. He did not want to be cold towards his friend, but he didn’t want him to ruin his date.

“How odd is it that after we break up, you go and flirt your way into my friend group.” Lao turned his attention to Y/N.

Wiping at her mouth, she rolled her eyes. “I did not flirt my way into your friend group. I am on a date with Raiden. I haven’t went out with anyone else. What is the big deal?”

“Big deal? Big deal?” Kung Lao exclaimed in frustration. “We break up, and you are over here on a date with MY best friend! Do you realize how weird and hurtful that is? Knowing that my best friend also has a piece of you too.”

“Lao st-”

“You are not my boyfriend anymore!” She snapped, eyes burning with anger. “I broke up with you because you cheated on me! You cheated on me our entire relationship, Kung Lao. And you are hurt that I’m on a date with Raiden?” She scoffed at him as he looked at her with shock.

“Don’t you see how much I love you? How much miss you?” Lao argued back. “I have been miserable, and I know you know that. I want you back. I don’t want our story to end now.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “How much do you really miss me? If you loved me from the start, you would have never cheated. I was hurt knowing that you could not wait for me. I was hurt knowing that you picked another woman over me. After I have supported you and loved you.”

“Don’t you realize that I can be better?” He grabbed her by the shoulders, and Raiden wanted to step in, but he knew that she would handle it herself. There was nothing he could do. “We can start on a fresh clean slate. We can make it work, Y/N. I can’t bear to continue my life without you.”

“You are not a factor in my life anymore, Kung Lao. And it will stay that way.” She said with a small sigh as she removed his hands off of her. “We can never restart. I will never forgive you for what you have done to me. Let me enjoy my date with Raiden, and you get back to doing whatever you were before you decided to rudely interrupt our time.”

She grabbed Raiden’s hand and pulled him away from Lao who stood there with tears glistening in his eyes and his fists shaking with anger and sadness. She was holding his hand. Raiden had taken his place. It should have been him, not Raiden. He watched them disappear into the crowd. His heart hurt so badly. There was nothing he could change. Absolutely nothing.

They pulled themselves away from the carnival and into a more quiet spot. Her eyebrows were scrunched in frustration. “I cannot believe him. Interrupting our peaceful date like that. I am so sorry, Raiden.”

Raiden rested his hand on her lower back. “Don’t apologize. You did what had to be done. I have enjoyed my time with you very much.”

He saw her lips curl into a grin. “I enjoyed my time too. And look at all the stuff we won!”

She lingered on her words for a second, and Raiden tilted his head at her to continue. “I was just thinking that… we go back to your house. And drink some tea. Unwind, you know?”

Interlocking their hands, Raiden nodded. “Of course. That sounds amazing right now.”

It was a little quiet on the walk to Raiden and Fujin’s home. The wind began to stir, making her shiver. Raiden wrapped an arm around her to keep her warm and close to him. Even though he was nervous and wondering if he was making the right moves. He did not want to scare her off or make her feel like it was moving too fast. But she leaned in towards his touch and let him pull her close to his body.

Arriving to his home, he opened the door and ushered her inside. Fujin was snacking on something that Raiden had no clue what it was. “Hey! You are both back early.” She tilted her head at them slightly.

Y/N sighed as she set the stuffed animals down that they had won. “It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed my time. And then Kung Lao decided to interfere.”

Fujin’s face hardened. She set her wrapper down carefully. “And what did he have to say?”

“He gave a whole speech about how I was on a date with his best friend and how much he loves and misses me. You know, the usual speech a cheater will say after their significant other leaves.” She sat down at a chair with one of the stuffed animals hugged close to her. Raiden sat on the other side of her.

“Of course he did. He’s dramatic. He’s lucky it’s just Raiden you’re on a date with. Imagine if you went with Liu Kang.” Fujin laughed.

“What’s wrong with me?” Raiden asked jokingly. “I think I’m equivalent to Liu Kang.”

“Have you seen Liu’s body?” Fujin said sarcastically. “He was literally carved by the Elder Gods.”

“Well, I would rather it be Raiden.” Y/N interjected while squeezing his hand. “He was carved by a Fire God.”

Fujin groaned. “By the Gods, not the sappiness. You guys have made me feel so ooey gooey that I’m going to Madame Bo’s. Goodbye!” As she was making her exit, she gave Y/N one last look and winked. She blushed a bit before her and Raiden settled together in each other’s presence.

The tension was strong as they were watching TV. Raiden’s hand was settled around her shoulders while she cuddled close to him. Her mind began to wander as her thoughts about Raiden started to turn sexual. She wanted to run her hands all along his body. She wanted to feel him against her. She wanted his lips on her.

Feeling her excitement, she rubbed her legs together to create some friction. She did not want to ruin their date with her horny thoughts.

“Are you cold? I can get you a blanket.” Raiden asked her as he noticed her moving around. He didn’t ask her if she needed a blanket. He felt rude.

“No, I’m okay. Thank you, Raiden.” She said as her cheeks tinged pink. At least he was a little innocent about it.

They returned their attention back to the movie, but her thoughts were still running astray. Thoughts about Raiden using his fingers on her. His mouth on her. The excitement was too much for her. She needed him now, but she knew that he was not in the mood. She didn’t want to pressure him into doing something he didn’t want to do.

Raiden knew something was going on. She was spacing out a lot, and he wondered what she was thinking about. It was just them at the house. Fujin was gone and would be gone for a while.

“You are quiet. Is there something bothering you?” He asked her. He hoped he didn’t do anything wrong.

She jumped slightly. “Oh, of course not! I am just in my thoughts, I’m sorry.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you thinking about?”

She started to feel embarrassed. She didn’t want to tell Raiden her thoughts. Especially when they were perverted about him. “It’s nothing really.”

“You can tell me anything.” He said to her as he gentle squeezed her hand. They were close in proximity, his face inching forward to hers. Her eyes flickered down to his lips and back to his eyes, and she realized what she had done at the very last second. He definitely caught her.

Raiden gently grabbed her face with one hand and guided her towards him, connecting his lips with her and giving her a gentle kiss. It started off with small kisses, kisses that were so sweet it almost gave her a sugar rush. His other hand settled on the back of her neck to pull her closer to him. It almost felt like electricity. She kissed him back, desperately wanting to feel his love, but she didn’t want to rush it. As much as she wanted her release.

He was just winging it. He had hardly any experience, and he had gotten advice mainly from Johnny who had a lot more experience than him and Kung Lao combined. Johnny was the one who told Raiden where to touch and what to do that would drive a woman crazy. That was how he described it.

“Let’s take this to the bedroom.” Raiden whispered as he pulled away from her. He picked her up, making her squeal as she wrapped her legs around his torso. He gave her kisses as he walked to his room, kicking the door open and setting her down onto his bed gently. He continued to kiss her, peppering kisses down her jawline and onto her neck. He moved her hair to the side so he had full access to her neck. Kissing and licking different spots, she moaned quietly while she tangled her fingers in Raiden’s hair. She started to undo the bun that it was in, so she could see him at his full glory. His black hair trickled down his shoulders, the smell of shampoo and fresh rosemary hitting her senses. She ran her hands through his hair, making Raiden hum in content. It was comfortable. He felt like he belonged in her arms.

He took his shirt off, making her do the same for herself. Raiden resumed kissing her collarbone as he wrapped his fingers around the clasp of her bra, looking at her for permission. With a nod of her head, he unclasped it and let her breasts fall freely. He kissed lower, gently licking and sucking on her soft skin. She moaned with every move he made. He made her feel good. Better than Lao ever did. He focused more on himself where Raiden was not selfish.

She felt up his body as he continued to kiss lower and lower, reaching the waistband of her skirt. Looking up once again for permission, she enthusiastically nodded her head quickly. He wrapped his fingers around the waistband and slipped them off, face to face with her aching core. Her panties were soaked, a large wet spot making it obvious. He smiled to himself.

He slid off her underwear and threw them across the room, moving himself closer to her. She was beautiful in ever way possible. He wondered how Lao could ever love another woman when she was the greatest. Giving a long lick, he eyed her as her face scrunched up in pleasure. He pushed her thighs up around his shoulders and dove his face into her sopping wet pussy. He ate like it was his last meal of a lifetime. She moaned louder, her hand tangled in his black locks as he tongued her clit. Sucking, licking, nibbling very softly, he drove her insane. She felt the warm knot tying in her stomach.

She pushed his head away rather quickly. Her wetness and his saliva was smeared across his mouth and chin. Wiping some of it away, he furrowed his brows. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?”

“I have an idea.” She replied as she noticed his hard-on pressed against his underwear. Her mouth watered at what he would taste like. “Lay down.” She moved over where Raiden could lay down comfortably. She removed his boxers, letting his cock spring freely. The tip was wet with pre-cum.

Moving her body on top of his, but in the opposite direction, Raiden understood what she was trying to do. He felt himself become more excited as her pussy was in his face. He settled his arms around her ass and dove back into his meal. Meanwhile, she kitten-licked his tip, teasing him before taking him completely in her mouth. He groaned quietly, sending the vibrations through her. All that was echoing in the room were groans and moans, along with wet sloppy noises from their mouths.

The pleasure continued to build within one another. Almost like bounded souls, they felt their release coming onto them around the same time. Raiden tried not to thrust his hips despite how good her mouth felt.

Sucking on her clit, she squealed in pleasure as she took Raiden completely in her mouth, entirely engulfed in the warmness of her throat. She continued to moan, rutting against his mouth. Raiden’s stomach knot released, and his mind was frazzled in pleasure while her throat took all of his cum. She swallowed as her eyes rolled into the back of her head while she released in Raiden’s mouth.

Minds frazzled with pleasure, she moved off of him and laid next to him. Both of them were panting quietly as they stared at the ceiling. “Wow… that was… amazing.” She said as she glanced at him.

“It was. That felt so good.” He responded, brushing his hair away from his face.

They sat in a comfortable silence before Raiden got up. He started to put on his underwear. “I’ll make us some tea. Especially to ease your throat. I’m sure it is a little bruised.” He slipped on a shirt and grabbed one for Y/N. She slipped it on after she put on her panties, his shirt oversized on her in the cutest ways possible. He smiled sweetly. “You look adorable.”

“You think?” She asked with a giggle. “I probably look like a hot mess.”

“You are beautiful no matter what.” He replied as he went to the kitchen to heat up water for tea. She followed behind him, her legs slightly shaking from the position she was in. While waiting, she leaned against him.

“I really enjoyed today. I would like to have many more days like this.” She said quietly.

“As do I.” He said while leaning against her as well. He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with anything. We can take it as slow as you want.”

“I understand. I would like to take it slow as well. But with what we just did, we definitely did the opposite.” She grinned.

He blushed. “I apologize for that. I’m sorry if I coaxed you into anything.”

“You worry wort,” she laughed. “You didn’t coax me into anything. We both enjoyed ourselves.”

He chuckled. Pouring their cups of tea, they settled back into his room. They cuddled underneath his bed sheets, her head resting on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat. Eventually, it put her to sleep. It was too comforting.

Raiden fell asleep soon after, but not before thinking about the night. He wanted many more nights like this. With her. He knew that he would have a lot of explaining and arguments with Kung Lao, but nothing could separate him from his love. Things worked out for the best, in his benefit.

But what mattered the most was that he had her. And she had him. It was meant to be.

[thedensworld]

Mind Date | H.Js

Pairing: Joshua x Reader

Genre: suggestive, fluff

Words Count: 900

Summary: Joshua has the power of mind control, enabling him to get anything he wants by influencing people's minds. Suddenly, he meets you, someone he can't control at all.

Joshua stepped into the entrance with confidence. The restaurant waitress welcomed him and immediately guided him to his table. They informed him that the other person hadn't arrived yet, to which Joshua responded with a hum and a nod. As Joshua sat at the table, he stared at the waitress, sending her a signal to leave him alone.

"Please let me know if you're ready to order," said the waitress before leaving Joshua alone. Joshua looked at his watch; 7 minutes had passed since the meeting was scheduled, which said a lot about the woman he was about to meet.

Joshua was no stranger to blind dates. Honestly speaking, his beloved mother had arranged hundreds of blind dates for him. No, it was liberating. Joshua might have attended ten dates by this year, and it hadn't even hit July yet. The women's backgrounds were also varied, and he didn't understand how his mother had met or found them. Joshua still remembered the last woman he met, a lovely woman who worked as a model. Nothing was wrong with her; it's just that Joshua never found any of them interesting enough, and he wasn't ready to be in a relationship. So it was part of his strategy to send a signal for them to reject him. It was his strategy for everyone he met through blind dates.

"Stop using your power on the girls, you're so mean, Josh," his mother once said when she realized it was odd for all of them to reject her son. Her son was a vice director of Hong Group, for heaven's sake; he's handsome, and she definitely raised him to be a gentleman.

Joshua chuckled, "then you should stop manipulating them," fully aware that his power came from her.

"Mr. Hong?" A woman approached him. He smiled and stood. It must be you, Park Y/n, the only daughter of Park Gicheol, a national politician. Joshua extended a handshake and let you sit across from him.

"Nice to finally meet you, Ms. Park. I've only seen you in internet articles. Congratulations on your exhibition," Joshua mentioned, presenting a little research he always did before his blind dates. You looked at him in the eyes before letting out a chuckle. Your eyes shifted to your watch.

"It's nice to know you did a little research. However, my work is just to sell them. All the masterpieces were made by the creators," you explained and gave him a smile and a nod.

Joshua tilted his head, "okay.." He paused and nodded, "you're welcome?" he said with an inquiring tone. Your brows raised, "thank you."

Joshua chuckled as he raised his hand to order. He smiled at the waitress, mentioning his order, then looked at you. 'Let's have you order a salad, and we can talk about that,' Joshua thought before he heard you say, "Make that two. What is your best wine?" You asked the waitress with grace. Joshua stared at you before the waitress finally left.

"At least I'll have a proper dinner tonight," you mumbled to him, giving him another smile that Joshua couldn't quite read the meaning of.

He cleared his throat, steering the conversation in a new direction, "So, how did you come to know my mother? She's eager to introduce us," he queried.

You nodded, "Ms. Hong is a regular in our gallery. She's a VIP, in fact," you divulged.

Joshua offered a nod of acknowledgment. He ventured further, "So, did you come here to formally fulfill a VIP's request?" He was convinced this would catch you off guard.

To his surprise, you responded with a soft chuckle, "You're not?" This unexpected rejoinder momentarily caught Joshua off guard.

Joshua let out a jittery laugh before slowly nodding his head, "have to do whatever people want me to do, right?"

You shrugged, "I don't know about you. But yes, some are like that." Before Joshua could respond to your words, the food arrived.

You began to savour the food and continue the talk. Joshua's mind began to wander. He contemplated trying a playful tactic, hoping to gently steer the conversation in a direction that might provide an easy way out for both of them. He decided to say something lighthearted that he could later use as an excuse when talking to his mother.

"So, tell me," Joshua said with a sly smile, "if you could have any superpower, what would it be?" He watched your reaction carefully, wondering if this playful question would lead the conversation to a different path.

However, to his surprise, you seemed unfazed by his attempt at redirection. Instead, you met his gaze with a knowing look in your eyes. It was clear you had caught on to his strategy. You responded with a playful tone of your own, "Well, Mr. Hong, I suppose I'd choose the power to see through clever tactics and witty excuses." You smirked, giving Joshua a sly grin.

Joshua couldn't help but chuckle at your response. He admired your perceptiveness and appreciated the fact that you didn't let his attempt at manipulation slide. It was refreshing to meet someone who could hold their own in a conversation.

Joshua found himself genuinely intrigued by your honesty and how deeply you involved yourself in the conversation. He listened intently as you described your work as an art curator, your passion for supporting artists, and the challenges you faced in the industry.

In turn, he shared insights about his position as the vice director of a major company, the responsibilities he held, and the innovative projects he was involved in. He was surprised at how easily the conversation flowed, finding common ground in their dedication to their respective professions.

As the evening progressed, the two of you continued to chat, your banter becoming more playful and genuine. It was evident that there was a mutual respect forming between you, based on your shared interests and the ability to navigate conversations with wit and honesty. As the evening came to a close, Joshua couldn't help but feel a sense of intrigue and curiosity about the woman sitting across from him. It was a blind date unlike any he had experienced before, and he found himself looking forward to the possibility of seeing you again.

"If you want to see me again, then let me pay for the dinner. You can pay the one later," you said as you sipped the wine in your glass.

Joshua laughed, "Alright, you read my mind," he jokingly stated. But you looked at him seriously, as if to convey that you were being zero jest.

Joshua's laughter faded as he met your serious gaze. He blinked, processing your words, and then a hint of realization dawned on him. The atmosphere shifted as he finally understood the whole situation.

"Maybe I do," you mumbled, confirming his suspicion.

"No way," Joshua responded, a mix of surprise and intrigue in his voice.

"I do, Joshua. And you need to stop trying to use that mind control power, on me." you stated firmly.

His eyes widened in genuine surprise. It was rare for someone to call him out so directly. He took a moment to absorb your words before offering a sincere nod. "Alright, fair enough. No more mind games, I promise."

*

"I'm going to be a grandma?!" Joshua's mother exclaimed, her joy palpable at the news that emerged after two years of your relationship. She eagerly began listing all the things she envisioned doing with you—pregnancy yoga, shopping for adorable baby clothes, engaging in deep parenting discussions. Joshua, however, couldn't help but roll his eyes, growing weary of his mother's dramatica agenda.

"Wait!" She suddenly halted, a spark of realization crossing her face. "Does that mean your children might inherit your power?" Her curiosity was piqued, having once experienced this with Joshua.

Joshua couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah. Just picture it, Mom—controlling and reading minds. My kids might turn out to be super villains in the future."

You simply shrugged, sharing a knowing glance with Joshua, before giving him a playful fist bump. "Yeah. Cool."

[soulc-hilde]

Money, Money

Pairing: Carmen Berzatto x OFC! Caden

Synopsis: No longer about her future, Caden spirals as the rug is once again pulled from underneath her feet. Living her days in a silent shell, she forces herself into her work. Noted as the restaurant's Mute Pâtissier, the stuttering eyes of her boss always finds themselves attached to her. Studying her. Like some animal in the wild.

Divider By @strangergraphics-archive

Mindlessly stepping into the kitchen from the back door, Caden was ignorant of her surroundings as she fumbled to take the helmet from her head. Freed at last, she fans one of her gloves over her flushed face when the sound of something boiling catches her ear. She turns around, lidded eyes stare at the unconscious body of Carmen. She quietly sighs, walking over, and gently lifts his right leg onto the bench beside his left one.

It's uncomfortable to lie like that, she justifies to herself.

The baker walks over to the locker room and begins to remove her jacket, swapping the green and black bike gear for the blue apron that lays on top of her white graphic ‘Eat My Boot’ shirt. As she leaves the corner, the bell rings at least two times. Heading for the door, Carmen jumps up behind her, a frazzled reenactment of The Undertaker.

His dazed eyes take a few to focus, squinting at the blurred figure strutting for the door. He hops to his feet, walking behind as the door opens. His eyes rest on Caden as the morning light lays across her face, onyx eyes turn into a warm brown similar to the chocolates she’d melt for her desserts. Curly, blonde edges peak from underneath the green bandana. He watches as she looks down at the cooler, face blank and unimpressed, but forced to take it anyways.

He snaps out of it, stepping closer.

“What’s that?” He rhetorically asks, glaring down at the blue cooler.

She sighs, “25 pounds of meat. He says, we couldn’t even afford half of what we needed.” Carmen shakes his head, “no, no, no – Fuck!”

“That’s what I said,” she sighs, pulling the tub with her to the kitchen. “There has to be a way… a, a mistake, maybe?”

Caden shakes her head, “call Lu, see what she says. If anything, she’s probably so far in debt with Mikey, there are no more loopholes.”

With that she steps into the walk-in, begrudgingly putting away the meat onto shelves taller than her. In the meantime, Carmen rushes into the office to call Luanne in hopes she’d at least give him this one chance.

“Yeah, yeah,” he nods. “yeah, yeah, yeah. No, no. No, Luanne that’s, that’s… that’s really nice of you.” He pauses as she speaks, “uh-huh.”  

“Yeah. No, no, w-we’re really grateful to still be open after everything. Yeah, so listen, I, um… I’m still tryin’ to figure this place out, ya know, see how Michael was doing everything and I wanna get yer money. Yeah, yeah, no. Uh, I miss him, too. Yeah. Okay.”

“No, it’s good. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Thanks, anyway. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A’ight. Bye.” He hangs up, tossing the phone across the office.

Stewing with his thoughts and the obnoxious, old ass arcade games, he stands up. “Fuck!”

He marches for the games, “shut up!” He goes to pull at the overcrowded outlet extension. Tina charges after him, “no, no, no. Puta! Don’t unplug it.”

He stops, rubbing the center of his forehead with the back of thumb. “I know what that means, Tina.” She continues. “You unplug it, it won’t work again.”

Caden appears in the doorway behind the woman. “Guessin’ the call didn’t go good,” she sighs. He simply shakes his head in response, eyes catching the coin slots of the machines. He points, “when was the last time you emptied these?”

The women shrug, “don’t know.”

Carmen rushes to grab the key, opening each one, emptying the mounds of coins into buckets. Caden’s eyebrows raise as she watches. He turns to her, the ocean meeting the black sand.

She shrugs, “it’s not much, but it gets us goin’.”

She leaves, returning to help Marcus in the bakery. Well, more like do everything three times faster as he still has a bit to comprehend in terms of pacing. On the other hand, Carmen’s face stretches with a small corner smile, racing into the kitchen as he prepares one of the chucks of meat with his Japanese knives. Pot heated, ready for the red meat to drop within its cave.

Carmen trims the chuck of its fat with gloved hands and throws it away, he then seasons the meat before setting it to the side. He prepares the carrots, cutting them in halves before taking one and dicing it. Tina watches from over his shoulder, smirking, “you cut vegetables like a bitch.”

“Don’t wipe your hands on your apron, Chef,” he simply responds. Tina stops behind him, turning around, “Jeff?” “Chef.”

Unbeknownst to him, Caden watches from the corner of her eye, a subtle smile painting her round face. Like a tiny mad genius, she huffs.

He shakes some extra virgin olive oil across the bottom of the steel skillet before placing the meat inside, pressing down gently to start that nice brown sear as the oil hisses. Flipping the meat onto the other side after about five, ten minutes at the most, he flips it. The slightly charred meat with cooked remnants of seasoning practically sparkles against the yellow artificial light of the kitchen.

In another pan, he sautés some chopped onions, swirling them on a low-medium fire with a wooden spoon to prevent them from burning. He then adds in the diced carrots as well as celery with the onions, after a while of cooking those down, he adds in the tomatoes and beef stock, allowing it to boil. After bringing down the heat, he adds into a deep pan and coats the seared beef chuck with the sauce.

He covers the top with tinfoil, tidying up the edges and slides onto the top rack of the oven and letting it slow cook until they open for service. With his moment to breathe, he leans against the counter with a slouch, glancing at the clock.

10:25 a.m. He’s got some time to give Chi-Chi that jean jacket.

Caden was preparing another tray of honey buns and setting another on the rack to cool when Marcus glances at her. “How in the hell do you do that?”

“I’m sorry, what?” She looks back from the cooling rack, pulling down the protectant sleeve to keep them shielded from any contaminants.

“Like, how are you so fast?” He asks again, looking down at the raw down that lies flat and pathetic underneath his huge hand. “The mixer’s a piece of shit and broken, but when you do it, it’s as if you’re hands are the mixer… if that makes sense.”

She stares at him, “Marcus, kid, not a lot of shit you say, makes sense, but that’s okay.” She goes to wash her hands, speaking over the water.

“At first, I wanna say it’s all about experience. Regardless, if you went to culinary school like Car or if you’ve just worked within the food industry all your life.”

Hands wet and clean, she turns them upwards, digits facing the ceiling as she turns and grabs three paper towels with a pull and tear. She pats dries her hands before balling it between her fingers and using the material to turn off the water and tossing it into the trash bin. Rather than bouncing off the inner wall, the ball soars in a perfect arch, landing center on the empty trash bin.

“But, it’s more than that,” she continues, beginning to work on forming the next round of rolls.

“You need to find a repetition. A form of discipline that works with you. Not for, but with. Without that repetition, your skills become dull, or they become stagnant. You never progress.”

She lightly showers the cutting board with flour, covering the small ball of dough. She sets the cup beside her left and begins to roll with a circular motion, until it stopped sticking to the wooden board. Using the heels of her palms, she pushes the dough forward before picking up the top with her fingers and pulling it back down, molding it with the rest.

And the cycle repeats. Flour. Roll. Push. Pull. And finally, she places the collection on the parchment paper that lines the steel baking sheet. She covers them with another parchment paper and then two kitchen towels to let them rise.

“Once you create that rhythm, you begin to enter a flow. Whether that means you get lost within your work, you feel at ease – confident, or you learn somethin’ new along the way, you’ve made yourself a home within your space. Just like when you first came in, you were overwhelmed, felt like you were intruding, all that goes out the window.”

Marcus nods, a small smile of understanding brightens his face. She points at the shelves of dry and momentarily ingredients that were stored and labeled.

“That’s my system. Everything I do follows a system and no, it’s not like whatever fuck shit Tina and ‘em be doin’. Okay? That right there is Mikey and Richie’s mess that Car is now forced to fix. But here, in my bakery? Boy, yuh gonna learn somethin’ and yuh betta stick wit’ it cause I’on’t play.”

He laughs, nodding. “I got you, Chef. I got you.” She nods, eyes light with amusement, “ye hearin’ me?” He nods, “I hear you.”

She holds her hand out. He dabs her up and the two go back to the rolls. Marcus struggling while Caden empties the ovens and refills them with new trays.

Entering the kitchen, a woman stops, looking lost. She turns to the duo with a small smile, “uh, hi,” she waves. “I’m Sydney, I’m here to do an interview for the stagging position.”

Caden nods, shutting the oven. “Nice to meet you, Sydney. I’m Caden, the Head Baker. You’ll be speaking with the boss, Carmen. Follow me.” The two walk to the back of the dish room.

As they reach the back where Carmen’s voice echoes, conversating with someone of the phone, Caden sends a gentle knock. He hangs up, turning around. His face red and painted with lines of exhaustion lightens, his cerulean eyes meeting Caden’s dark ones. “Hey,” he breathes.

“Howdy,” she drawls. Her warm eyes softened at him, silently checking in. He nods in response, “yeah, yeah.”

She nods, gesturing to the young woman beside her. “This is Sydney Adamu, the new hire for the stagging position, I told you about.”

Carmen nods, “I remember. Yeah, thank you.” She nods, backing out, eyes staying on him, “always.”

Y'all, we got Syd the Chef in here, let's go! I'm also kind of soft for Caden and Carmen but that's a whole other discussion

Taglist: @spiderstyles04 @lostinwonderland314

[imaginesforeveryone]

Spunky Bitch

pairing: John Shelby x Y/N Warning: angst, swearing, sassy reader, smut, re-write of an episode (S2E2), baby kink Summary: You being a Blinder, and the right hand women of John Shelby all these years you did business with them a lot. This particular day you were doing things with the Italians, the Changrettas, and you just didn’t like the tone they were giving off.

Stood behind John Shelby, also your husband, in Charlies yard. You watched as Mr. Changretta walked towards you, accompanied by Finn, and his two body guards. 

“You asked for a meeting out in the open, fresh air and the fine aroma of shit.” Arthur spoke as Mr. Changretta stood in front of the chair across from John. You let out a small laugh as Arthur spoke. 

“Neutral grounds you say.” Arthur speaking again as you let the smile fall off your face and kept an eye on one of the two body guards that stood beside Mr. Changretta. 

“This is hardly neutral ground,” He spoke to Arthur for the first time. 

“Well, its what you’ve got.” Arthur said sitting on the chair beside John. Taking a step closer to John, and being almost shoulder to shoulder with Finn, but not really shoulder to shoulder at all, because now that kid grew tall. 

“So, por favor, sit down.” Arthur spoke motioning Mr. Changretta to sit in the chair. Smiling slightly as you listened to the conversation. Resting a hand on Johns shoulder. 

“Where is Thomas?” Mr. Changretta spoke to John. 

“He got called away.” John replied back to him, who didn’t sit down as he was told from Arthur. 

“He said he’d be here.” He rebuttled. 

“and he just told you, Thomas got called away. What do you want?” You spoke up starting to get frustrated with them man. John looking behind himself at you and giving you half grin. He loved the sas you had. Even more when it was you sticking up for him. 

“There has been a peace between the Peaky Blinders, and the Changretta family for two years now..” He spoke to John and Arthur. Seeing John smirk over at Arthur at what the man was saying. 

“Do you want some tea or not?” John interrupted him. Mr. Changretta just looking at him.

“Here, love, pour the Italians some English tea. Go on.” John said motioning you to pour tea for them. Walking around John as you hand slid across the top of his back to grab the tea pot. 

“We don’t want fucking tea.” Mr. Changretta yelled as you grabbed the pot. You looked over at John, who you could tell wanted to get up and shot him right in his head, but you also knew if this meeting didn’t go correctly, it would end bloody. Setting the tea pot back on the table and going back to you previous position behind John. 

“We want an explanation.” He spoke to John. 

“Well, I’ll have fucking tea.” Arthur said leaning forwards and grabbing the tea pot and making himself a cup of tea. 

“An explanation for what?” John asked averting his eyes away from Mr. Changretta. 

“The little Venice Restaurant on Forge Street was burnt down…” Mr. Changretta spoke. 

“No. No. Couldn’t have been us, we was at a wedding.” John spoke interrupting him for the second time. 

“You burnt it down to stop my son being at the same wedding.” Mr. Changretta stated to John. 

“EHH, He wasn’t missed.” You spoke up causing John to let out a breathy laugh. Mr. Changretta pushing out a fake laugh. 

“You are such big boys now. But once you borrowed clothes from us to look like me.” Mr. Changretta spoke. You were confused a bit by his words. You knew Mrs. Changretta was the boys teacher in school, but didn’t know how close they actually where back then. John adjusting himself in his seat, and looking over at Arthur.

“How’s the tea, Arthur? Is it..” John asked but stopped his sentence as he throw the tea out of the cup. Arthur making a disgusted face at it, 

“Its cold.” He said looking up at the body guard to Changretta’s left. John averting his eye back up to Mr. Changretta.

“Please tell Tommy. We pay whatever he asks us to pay. We stay in our part of the city and off the tracks. But you tell him from me.” He spoke but taking a pause getting closer to John. You removed you hand from his shoulder to put your hand on your gun. John putting his hand out to let you know its fine. 

“That my son will walk with any women in this city. Anyone he choses. Even if that women works for the emperor, Thomas Shelby.” John grinning at his statement but letting him speak. 

“My son is in love.” John starting to snort out a of laughed. 

“Sorry. Do excuse me.” He spoke through a bit of laughter, pulling the bill of his hat down to cover his laughing face and rubbing his eyes a bit. 

“Carry on.” He spoke after he held in his laughter. Vicente pausing and just staring at John and he composed himself. 

“And if he wishes, he will walk with the women he loves.” Vicente finished. 

“Okay.” John said out to him, still trying to compose himself a bit. 

“You know. It would be hard for your son to walk anywhere.” You spoke up behind John getting quite annoyed with the way Vicente was telling them what his son was going to do. Walking between him and Arthur grabbing the tea pot, and beginning to pour into a cup. 

“With a bullet in each knee, wouldn’t it?” John finishing you sentence. Not what you were going to say, but you know now this meeting wasn’t going to go the way it needed to go with the words John spoke. Vicente now standing straight up. You looked over at Arthur who was looking over at John now, knowing that’s not what was needed to be said. John taking a sip from the cup you just put tea in and looking up at the now angry Vicente. 

“Too much.” He said pointing a finger at John. Now blood boiling in your veins, you looked around to see what everyone next move was. 

“You said too much, my friend.” Vicente said starting to walk. 

“Sabini says, ‘suck and swallow.’ but no. Too much. I spit.” Vicente said as he spit on the ground in front of you. With slight giggle exiting everyones mouth. Hearing a chair being broken you looked over at one of the men who stood next to Vicente. 

“Oh. Okay. A bit strong.” You spoke out to the man laughing a bit. 

“Fucking hell.” John spoke after taking a sip of his tea. Arthur not looking to happy at all. 

“Isaiah.” Arthur said to the young Peaky boy stood behind him. Isaiah Leaning over next to Arthur. 

“Put two extra men on our pubs in Nechells.” He told him. John looking over at Arthur in confusion. 

“What are you talking about, Arthur?” John asked. 

“We’re not scared of fucking eye ties anymore.” You told Arthur. 

“Don’t tell Tommy about the chair and clean this fucking shit up.” Arthur said to Isaiah ignoring what you and John just said to him. Standing from his seat and looking over at John and you with anger. John looking at him with an expression that said “what the fuck.”

“We’re not scared of fucking wops.” John said to Arthur turning around in his seat. 

“Alright John.” Arthur said under his breathe.

“Come on lets get back to the shop.” You told John taping him on the shoulder. He stood up and threw his arm over you shoulder as you guys began to walk to the betting shop. Walking through an alley, John grabbing you by your hips and pushing you up against the wall and attaching his lips to yours.

“It so sexy when you stand up for me like that.” He said through kisses. You smiled and lightly pushed him away. 

“How about you show me how sexy it is?” You spoke up at him now with his back against the other walls. 

“Later love. We have to get back to the shop.” He said causing a puppy dog face to spread across your face. He just giggled and threw his arm around you again and continued your walk. 

“Hey Pol. Can you help me real quick? I barely understand Arthurs writing. I feel like I’m super drunk trying to read them.” You said as you heard Polly walking into the office you and John shared, but she didn’t answer back just kept her eyes locked on John as he had his feet up, sipping tea and reading the newspaper. She then threw her newspaper on his desk. He looked up at her from the corner of his eye and still sipping his tea. 

“Did we run Kempton yesterday or not?” He spoke to her breaking the silence and setting his cup down. But still had his eyes fixed on his newspaper. 

“Danny Lee got drunk, instead of injecting the horses with cocaine, he decided to share it with his cousins.” She explained talking about the races that were being held at the racetrack the day before. John just closes his eyes trying to regain patiences about the situation and sided softly. 

“Jesus Christ.” He spoke out about it. 

“Its your brother-in-law. Tell Esme to speak about it.” She spoke back. 

“Ex.” You spoke out from the side. 

“Maybe be an ex darling but nobody divorces a Shelby. Shelby’s just get married again. I love you like my own kin darling, but I’m sorry to say you are married to a married man, who’s wives family is a big part of this company, and sadly we still need them.” She spoke to you but not looking your way. You sighed softly and sat back in your chair to see where the rest of this conversation was headed. 

“look.” Polly spoke going back to the previous conversation. 

“Before I start.” She said grabbing a chair and pulling it up to the other side of Johns desk.

“I don’t want you to do a thing about this.” She said then shutting the door. This really peaking your interest, kind of knowing what she was about to talk about. 

“About what?"John asked already with annoyance in his voice and face as he took his feet off his desk to face Polly now. You knew what she was about to say was about the Changretta problem. 

"Vicente Changretta’s son.” She said before taking a seat. John sitting up with s mile on his face and laughing. 

“The one Lizzie was stepping out with.” Polly said. 

“What, Angel?” He asked for confirmation of her previous statement. 

“He’s no bigger than twopence with of change.” He spoke before letting Polly speak again. 

“Well, he heard you threatened him directly to shoot him in his knees and not he’s going around Nechells telling everybody he’s going to kill you.” She spoke. You instantly standing up to begin your joinery to go kill him yourself.

“Sit.” John said. You rolled your eyes sitting down, crossing your legs and your arms. John grabbing a pencil looking as if he was writing something. 

“This is Lizzie’s fault to start with, Tommy’s for leaving it up to you.” She told him.

“What are you talking about?” John asked looking up at Polly now with confusion on his face. Polly just look at John with a blank expression. 

“We run London. We run the north, we run the whole fucking country. What do we care about some fucking Nechells Green Eyeties?” He spoke seeing him starting to get a little angry as he looked down at his paper again. You stood from you desk and walked over to him and placing your hands on his shoulders hoping to maybe calm him down a bit. You looked at Pol, who just raised an eyebrow, knowing what she said next was probably going to piss him off even more. 

“We sent need to be getting involved in all these little piss pots.” Polly said back to John. 

“What does Arthur say?” John said with his voice a little calmer. Pol again looking up at you and raising both eyebrows. 

“That’s why I’m here and not him. If he said it, there’d be a fight.” Pol said getting ready to tell John what Arthur said. 

“He says, apologize.” Pol said. Instantly shooting your eyes to hers then down at John, now lightly massaging his shoulders hoping it will help him from getting angry. He put his had to his face almost with a face of disbelief that Arthur said that. 

“He fucking said what?” He said with laugh between words. You knew it wasn’t a good kind of laugh. He went back to scribbling on his paper. 

“We own the city. But we dint need to rub everyones noses in it.” Polly said causing John to push his pencil hard into the paper. 

“If the old man decided to make a stand, he might get Sabini feeling sentimental..”

“Sabine’s done.” John said interrupting Polly. There was defiantly an awkward silence now in the room as everyone just kind of looked around not making eye contact. 

“They’re all done.” Polly said breaking the silence. John putting his fist up to his head and pushing his forehead into it trying to get himself as calm as possible. But, you’ve known John a while and there’s only so much that could be done to keep him calm, so you took your hands away from him and took a step back. 

“They all pay up. But we don’t want rebellions.” Polly continued. John now sighing heavily still trying to keep calm. 

“What does Tommy say?” He asked in a tone of regret even asking the question. 

“Tommy’s busy. He left me in charge.” Polly spoke with a low but direct tone trying to make John understand. 

“What do you say?” John asked twirling his finger, fixing his mistake with his eyes closed. 

“Compromise.” Polly said sitting back in her chair. 

“Mmm-hmm” John said under his breathe with s light smirk on his face. 

“I’ve asked Lizzie to do it for you. She’s going to meet him, break up with him for good, apologize for any inconvenience, say it was all her fault”

“FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” John screamed stranding and hitting everything off the table finally losing his cool. You just stood there in silence, waiting to see what would happen next. 

“You know what ask this is?” John asked with a slight stutter. 

“This is Arthur’s fucking missus.” He said starting to walk back and forth talking about Linda. 

“Turn the other fucking cheek? We’ll be handing out bibles in the fucking bull ring with her cousins.” John said leaning over the desk to Polly before turning and grabbing his jacket. 

“John, you don’t have to do anything. Lizzie will do it for you.” Polly spoke. You threw your hands in the air, and put them over your face knowing that was going tone make him more mad. 

“ Then it’ll all calm down, and nobody will lose face.” Polly said as John walked passed her to the door. You followed behind stopping next to Polly. 

“I’ll take his fucking face. How about that?” He said as he opened the door. 

“John, do nothing…. ” Polly began but John slamming the door before she could finish. She let out a sigh and looked over at you. 

“How do you deal with this?” Polly asked you. 

“I’ll try to find him.” You said quickly grabbing your jacket and running out of the office and out the front doors. You saw Johns car driving away. You hoped into yours and followed him. Losing him. few blocks away. You drove in the direction of where the Changretta’s spent most their time. After about 10 minutes you spotted John’s car parked in front of a building. You parked and got out running to the front doors. But before you should open them, John came out. He had sweat on his forehead, and blood on the blade of his cap. 

“John. What did you do?” You said backing up a bit. He ignored you and pushed passed.

“JOHN!” You yelled at him. 

“Nothing y/n! Leave me alone!” He yelled back before getting into his car and driving away. You threw you hands in the air and sighed out. 

“Fucking Shelby’s” You spoke out loud to yourself. 

“Where is he?” Polly asked about an hour later as you sat in the kitchen with her and Arthur sipping tea. Tommy stood in the betting shop waiting for John to show. You heard the door close and saw John walk in with his hat in his hand and Finn stood next to him.

“All right, Finn, thanks for coming. Fuck off.” Arthur said as John stood, not making eye contact with anyone in the room. You were quite upset at how he treated you when you saw him. But here is where we’d get all the answers we needed. 

“Finn, you can stay.” Tommy said walking into the kitchen, and Finn turning around too come back. Tommy stepping in the doorway. 

“Sit down John.” Tommy said leaning up against the doorframe smoking his cigarette. 

“Sit down.” He said once again when John didn’t the first time. 

“John, you cut Angel Changretta.” Tommy spoke after a bit of silence. You looked over at John who just held his head down and listened. 

“Even though Arthur told you to apologize.” Tommy spoke Arthur holding his head up to show that yes he did tell John that. 

“Mmm-hmm” Was all John said to that statement. 

“Polly told you to compromise.” Tommy continued. 

“Mmm-Hmm” John replied again with. 

“You chose not to listen to Mr. Apologize, or Mrs. Compromise.” Tommy said pointing his finger at each of them, causing you to sightly grin. 

“And now I have an Italian walking around my backyard saying he’s going to kill my brother.” Tommy spoke after a slight pause. Making a fist of your hand. 

“Not if he wants to join his son in having no eyes too.” You said quietly, causing everyone to look at you. You held you head down letting Tommy speak. 

“So what do we do, John. Do we apologize or do we compromise?” Tommy asked. Seeming as if it was a trick question to you the way this conversation has been going. John sucked on his teeth looking down, and then up at Arthur. 

“Oh, it was just something said as a joke.” Arthur spoke for the first time since sitting down. Tommy looking up at him away from John. 

“Yeah but he’s your brother as well, Arthur.” He said lifting a hand and speaking with it. 

“Yeah. I know I didn’t want to start a war over something John said without meaning it.” Arthur said looking back at Tommy. Tommy had a confused look on his face and looked away. 

“So, should he apologize in Italian or in English?” Tommy said looking back at Arthur with slight sarcasm in his voice. Polly looked over at Tommy in disbelief he just said that and Johns eyes finally coming up off the table and looking over at Arthur, Polly and you.

“Or should we ask them which fucking language they prefer?” Tommy asked them. You now understood that Tommy was on John’s side about the decision. 

“I’m not clear.” He said looking over at Arthur with anger on his face. Polly turning and moving her body is confusion and like she just had been disrespected in some way. 

“You said while this business was going on in London, you wanted peace at home.” Polly spoke to Tommy.

“And the only way to guarantee peace is by making the prospect of war seem hopeless.” Arthur sitting back in his seat more tense than before, and Polly with her hand on him hoping to calm him down a little bit. Polly stared at Tommy with disbelief in her eyes. 

“If you apologize once, you do it again and again and again. Like taking brick out of the wall of your fucking house. Do you want to bring the house down Arthur?” Tommy said looking over at Arthur who was still looking away from Tommy and tense as ever. Arthur just grunting back at Tommy’s question. 

“If you’re soft on rebellion, it’ll grow.” Tommy spoke. Polly grinning as she picked up her tea again, and Arthur getting up from his seat. 

“Bloody 'soft on rebellion.” Arthur said standing up mocking what Tommy said. 

“You did the right thing, John.” Tommy spoke looking directly at you now. You could see the lust in his eyes the way he looked at you. 

“Now, we go on the offensive. We take two of the Changretta pubs, and we take them tonight. That’s it.” Tommy sad standing straight and now walking all the way into the room. 

“oh! Right, for Christ sake, why?” Polly now raising her voice. 

“Hey!” Tommy said as he began to walk away.

“WHY!?” Polly yelled back. 

“Why? because we fucking can!” Tommy said walking back now and everyone settling back down as he raised his voice. 

“Because we fucking can and if we can, we do. And if we lift our heel off their necks now, they’ll come at us. Do you want them to come after your wife John?” He said motioning to you. 

“No.” He said in a low growl. 

“Remember these are the bastards that wanted Danny Whizz-Band dead.” Thomas said with even more anger in your voice. Remembering back to when Danny was alive. He was a joy to be around when he wasn’t off his rocker. Arthur now pacing in front of the fire place and Tommy just staring at him. 

“You’re getting soft, brother. Soft and weak. Save the Bible for Sundays, eh.” Tommy said to Arthur still not taking his eyes off of him and Arthur getting noticeably more angry. 

“Finn?” Tommy said still staring at Arthur. 

“I need to get to Hockey and then home. It’s been a long day.” Thomas spoke to Finn. Finn getting up and placing his hand on Johns shoulder as he passed him walking passed Tommy probably to go get the car ready to go. 

“You take the Wrexham, you take the Five Bells. Arthur on the Wrexham. John and Y/N the Five Bells.” He said giving you guys your orders for the night. 

“You get them signed over to us in the morning. You make sure the coppers stay away.” Tommy said to Arthur and Polly, who both now paid no attention to him. 

“Don’t use the fucking phone, all right? There’s someone listening.” Tommy said before turning around. 

“Oh and John.” Tommy said turning around one more. 

“You fuck your wife in the Five Bells to celebrate what you have done.” Thomas said and finally leaving. John sat there in silence as he looked up at Arthur and Polly. Arthur looking at him and walking to him. 

“Well done.” He said walking passed John and leaving. John turning to see Arthur leave and all you heard in the room was Polly slurping her tea and staring up at John, making you giggled just a bit. You got up along with John to start heading to do you assigned duties.

As you kicked the last person out of the bar, your felt hands around you turning you around and pushing you up the door. 

“Tommy’s order, eh?” John said with a huge smile on his face. You smiled back and attached your lips to his. He lifted you from your feet and onto him. Before sitting you on the bar and ripped it off from the glass that laid on it from prior activities you guys indulged in. 

“You want to fuck me Mr. Shelby?” You asked between kisses. 

“ I want to do more than fuck you Mrs. Shelby. I want to put a baby in you. Right in this pub.” He said making your eyes go wide. 

“Then come on daddy.” You said making him see red. Attacking your neck with his lips making you moan out a bit. He unbuckled his pants and slipped them down around his ankles. Then doing so for you. But not before he ripped open your top to make you breast accessible. Taking your nipple in his mouth and sucking furiously on it, you grabbed the back of his neck for leverage to stay up. His now sweaty hair not slicked bad anymore you yanked it back pulled his face to yours. You reached between you two grabbing his cock in your hand and guiding him inside of you. 

“Oh fuck, John.” You moaned out and throwing your head back. As he pumped in and out of you he gripped your shoulder to give him leverage to pound into you. 

“John, please don’t stop.” You cried out. 

“Why, love?” He asked as he slowed down. 

“NO, Please don’t.” You cried out as your grabbed around his torso to pull him into you. 

“You want me to put a baby in you? You want to cum all over me?” He said stilled now. 

“Yes, please please, making me cum. Put a baby in me.” and with that being said he quickened again, pounding even harder into you than before. 

“John, I’m going to cum.” You spoke out with labored breathing. 

“Go ahead , love. I’m right there too.” He said as you felt this cock twitch in side of you and he started to get shaky. You came and yelled out. Loud. As you clenched around him, he let out a stream into you. You felt the hot cum just all inside you, making you smile and giggle out. As he pumped a few small strokes and relaxed his muscles into you. 

“Fuck. I love you.” He said lifting his head. 

“I love you, John Shelby.” You said kissing him.

[waitimcomingtoo]

Part Of Your World ~ p.p

chapter eight: in pain, in need

series masterlist

Peter trudged home after spending the entire day in the ocean. He called your name from every cliff point, rock, and boardwalk until he resorted to jumping into the water. He swam as far as he could and dove under the water to scream your name. Once the sun was starting to set, he gave up for the day. He felt his deadline working against him as he watched the sun sink below the horizon. He had just wasted one of his three days and no longer felt confident that he’d get you back in time. He didn’t want to go home to May soaking wet, so he went to his room in the tower to shower off the day. When he pushed open his bedroom door, he jumped at the sight of you with your back to him.

“You’re here?” He asked in disbelief. You froze at the sound of his voice and remembered your mission.

“I came to get some of my things.” You said without turning to look at him. Peters head jutted back when he heard your voice and quickly looked down to see if you still had your legs.

“You can talk?”

“Someone gave me my voice back. Is that okay with you?” You asked sarcastically as you looked over your shoulder at him.

“Yeah, of course that’s okay. It’s better then okay. I know that’s what you always wanted.” Peter said sincerely as he put a hand on your shoulder. You were quick to push it off.

“It is what I always wanted. I could’ve had my voice from the beginning but you didn’t seem to like that idea.” You snapped before turning to leave his room.

“Please don’t go.” He said softly and caught your wrist. You heard the desperation in his voice and stopped trying to leave. You turned to look at him and finally noticed that he was soaked.

“Why are you all wet?”

“I was out looking for you.”

“In the ocean? Why? You had no way of finding me.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t try.” Peter said simply, making your heart ache. You looked away from in because looking into his eyes would lead to forgiving him.

“I have to go.” You said instead and started to walk away again.

“Wait.” He caught your arm. “Can we talk about this? Please? Our story can’t just end like this.”

“Oh, now you want to talk? I thought you just liked me for my listening skills.” You asked and folded your arms.

“Look-“

“Did you really like me, Peter?” You interrupted. “Or did you like the pretty little mermaid you could keep as a pet?”

“What? You were never a pet. Of course I liked you. I…I loved-“

“I just think it’s really interesting that you knew why I couldn’t speak but didn’t do anything to fix it.” You cut him off again. “If I hadn’t gone in the water that day, you would’ve let me go the rest of my life without telling me the truth. It makes me wonder if you like your women to be silent.”

“I don’t. We were together for a month before you ever came to land. I came back to you every single night because I wanted to be with you. It wasn’t about who was talking and who was listening. It was about us.” Peter insisted and you couldn’t help but to believe him. You knew who Peter was in his heart and he wasn’t a bad guy, as much as you wanted him to be. And if he wasn’t a bad guy, you’d have a much harder time killing him. Peter saw that you were deep in thought and grew hopeful that he hadn’t totally lost you.

“Maybe we could go out tomorrow. On a date. And you can talk. And I can listen.” Peter suggested. You instinctively wanted to say no, until you remembered what you had to do. If you were alone with him, you might have an opportunity to do what you had to do.

“Okay.” You agreed, making Peter smile. You felt guilty when you saw his smile, knowing how tomorrow had to end.

“I’ll see you then?” He smiled hopefully. You couldn’t look at him so you just nodded your head and swiftly left.

Knowing how you reacted last time Peter took you to a fancy restaurant, he made a plan to take you on a walk around Central Park. You walked to the spot where you agreed to meet up with Peter with your knife in your back pocket. It was burning against your skin in anticipation of being used. You spotted him by a bench and felt your heart pounding in your chest. This night had to end with him dead or else you’d be doomed back to the ocean forever as sea foam.

Peter, on the other hand, had a different goal in mind. This night needed to end with a kiss or else he’d lose you forever. Peter spotted you and waved you over with a happy smile. You sighed sadly before going to sit beside him.

“Hey. You look really pretty.” He awkwardly complimented you and you felt like strangers on a first date.

You tugged at your clothes in an attempt to look busy because looking in his eyes felt impossible right now. You didn’t want to admit it to yourself, but you didn’t want to kill him. No part of you wanted him dead, no matter how angry you were. Peter could tell that you were deep in thought and cleared his throat to remind you he was there. You looked over at him and his little awkward smile made you gulp. You clenched and unclenched your hand a few times and cringed at how awkward you felt. Peter started to point out the weather, the foliage, and the people walking by just to have something to talk about. He was talking fast, faster than usual for him. It was the kind of rapid speaking one does when the thought of a moment of silent happening was unbearable to think about. A few minutes into Peters spiel about the invention of the street lamp, the irony of the situation dawned on you. You were finally able to talk to Peter and yet you were still the one listening. Peter noticed your blank stare and stopped talking.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked quietly. You turned to look at him and remembered the way his side profile used to look lit up by the setting sun behind him on the rock he would meet you at in the ocean.

“I’m thinking about how a month, you did all the talking and I did all the listening. I could never tell you how I felt or what I was thinking.” You said finally.

“So tell me now. I’m listening.” Peter insisted.

“I feel angry.”

“Okay. That’s a good start. What’s making you angry?”

“I feel like I risked it all for you and you let me down.”

“But you didn’t risk it all for me. You risked it all for you. Being on land was always your dream. I just helped you get there.” Peter reminded you in a gentle tone. You turned away as you thought about what he said. He wasn’t even wrong. You had wanted to be on land long before you ever met Peter. You would’ve risked it all for any means of getting there.

“Do you think if we met on land, we’d still be together?” You asked suddenly.

“I don’t know. I’d like to think so.” Peter told you.

“I don’t know either.” You answered honestly and thought back to the long conversations you used to have on that rock. That seemed like so long ago now, like a different life.

“What are you thinking now?” Peter asked as he searched your eyes.

“I don’t know if risking it all was the right thing to do.” You admitted without looking at him.

“Do you regret coming on land?” Peter asked as he turned his body to give you his full attention.

“No. But I have doubts sometime. I’m afraid I’ll always feel like an outsider. I will never forget the way your classmates stared at me. Or the way the people at the restaurant looked down on me. I was among them but I wasn’t one of them. They all knew it. I wasn’t part of their world and I never will be.”

“That was your first day. What did you tell me about the bad men? You didn’t let one bad man change your idea of all men. Why is it different from humans?” Peter responded. You thought about what he said for a minute and looked down at your hands.

“I think blaming you for not enjoying the land as much as I thought I would makes it easier to admit that this wasn’t as magical as I always dreamed.” You realized.

“I still deserve some blame. I still lied to you.” Peter pointed out. Him acknowledging that what he did was wrong made it ever harder to stay mad at him.

“I guess I was so hurt that you lied that I never thought about why you did it.” You admitted for the first time out loud. What he did was wrong, but he did it in an attempt to protect you.

“Does it still hurt?”

“A little. I don’t know how to trust you anymore.”

“You can trust me. I’ll never lie to you again. I promise.”

“How do I know you’re not lying now?”

“Because I now I know how it feels to lose you and I’m never going to risk it again.” Peter said definitively. You absentmindedly cracked a smile at his sincerity but quickly looked away. The knife was burning against your skin with the end goal of being buried into Peters. Peter took your silence as accepting his apology and took a leap of faith.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked shyly, drawing your attention back to him. You nodded before you knew what you agreed to and started to lean in.

“Flower for the lady?” A man asked as he thrust a flower between you and Peter. You jumped apart and Peter looked at him angrily for ruining his moment.

“No, thank you. I’m full.” You told the man and he left you alone. Peter sighed in frustration and felt his deadline approaching.

“It’s getting late. We should probably get home.” You smiled awkwardly and stood up.

“Oh. Sure.” Peter smiled sadly and got up as well. You walked to the exit of the park together with your hands bumping awkwardly. Once your hands touched Peter, you quickly pulled it away and touched the knife in your back pocket to check that it was still there. Peter noticed you grabbing at something but didn’t ask. When you got out of the park, you realized you had to go in different directions.

“Can I see you tomorrow?” Peter asked hopefully. Tomorrow was the last day he could get the kiss. If he failed again, he may never see you again.

“Yeah. Sure.” You responded, surprising Peter. He didn’t know that the only reason you agreed to see him again was because you had the same deadline to meet.

“I have class until 3. I can meet you after?”

“I’ll be there.” You nodded. Peter smiled and went to hug you, then withdrew. You smiled in embarrassment and gave him an awkward side hug. He hugged you back with one arm and then shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Wait, where is home for you right now?” Peter asked you.

“Oh, I’ve been staying with May.” You admitted. Peters face changed to an expression you didn’t recognize. He looked almost sick and then laughed sadly.

“Sleeping in my bed?” He asked with a sad smile.

“Yeah.” You reluctantly admitted.

“Without me.” His sad smile stayed as he nodded his head. You’d been sleeping on his sheets and he never would’ve known.

“I’m so sorry for the way things turned out.” He said after a beat of silence. You swallowed hard and felt your hand touch the knife in your pocket again. He kept making it so hard.

“Maybe we could sleep together tonight.” You said suddenly as an idea came to you.

“Do you know what sleep together means?” Peter asked skeptically.

“Sleep at the same time in the same place?”

“Okay. That’s what I thought.” Peter chuckled. “Why don’t we walk back to the tower? My bed is bigger there.”

“Okay.” You nodded and followed him in the direction of the tower. You put your hand on your back pocket to check that your weapon was still there. Once Peter fell asleep tonight, you could kill him and slip out before anyone saw you. You figured that killing him while he was asleep was more humane since he’d never see it coming. It would also be easier for you since you wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes as you ended his life. Your anxiety pooled with every step you took and by the time you made it to Peters bedroom, you felt like you were having a heart attack. Peter let you use the bathroom first where you scrubbed your face clean of makeup and stared at your reflection. You had to look away because you couldn’t bear to look at yourself knowing what you were about to do.

When Peter went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, you took the opportunity to hide the knife under his mattress. You slipped it in just enough so you could easily reach it but he couldn’t see it. The sound of Peter opening the bathroom door made you scream as you jumped in the air.

“Woah. Are you all right?” He chuckled as he eyed you with concern.

“I’m fine. Just really tired. Let’s go to bed.” You lied and quickly ushered him to the bed. Peter found your haste strange but didn’t question it as he climbed into the bed. When you saw he had gotten in on the side with the knife, you accidentally let out a huge gasp. Peter looked at you with concern and you quickly faked a smile.

“Sorry. I just prefer that side of the bed if you don’t mind.”

“Oh. Sure. I don’t mind at all.” Peter laughed awkwardly again and scooted over. Your heart pounded in your chest as you climbed into bed beside him. You could feel the knife beneath you burning a hole into your skin so you turned on your side with your back to Peter. He noticed your withdrawn position and frowned in disappointment. He didn’t know why you wanted to sleep in the same bed, but he thought he’d at least get to hold you.

“Good night.” You said robotically and shut the light. Peter stared up at the ceiling with a million questions he wanted to ask you. He didn’t understand why you wanted to sleep with him if you didn’t even want to talk.

You, on the other hand, were cringing at how awkward the situation was because you knew he must be extremely confused. You almost wished he’d just ask you what was going on because then you could tell him. You could tell him that you made a deal with a sea witch and now you had to kill him or else you’d be turned to sea foam. And knowing Peter, he’d have a solution for you. Peter always had a solution. And if he couldn’t find one in this situation, he’d let you kill him. That became the worst part of this for you. Knowing that if Peter knew what your situation was, he’d let you kill him without a moment’s hesitation. But instead, you had to do it in secret once he fell asleep like a coward. You felt yourself getting emotional and wanted to get it over with so you could stop thinking about it.

“Are you asleep yet?” You asked into the darkness.

“Not yet. Why?”

“No reason.” You quickly lied.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked and rolled over to face you. Your heart pounded in your chest and he could hear it.

“I’m fine. Just go to sleep.” You said and rolled away from him. Your back was to him now but Peter could still hear the way your heart was pounding. You were anxious about something, but he didn’t know what.

“I can’t.” He whined a little.

“Why not?” You looked over your shoulder at him with slight annoyance.

“I’m scared this is the last time we’ll ever speak.” He admitted, making your eyes soften. You felt yourself about to tear up and quickly turned away.

“Well don’t think about that.”

“What should I think of?” He asked you.

“I don’t know. Anything else.” You gulped back your grief and slowly moved your hand under the mattress where you had hidden the knife. There was a long pause of silence and you tried to listen to his breathing to see if he’d fallen asleep yet.

“I remember your face when you realized what I did.” Peter said suddenly, making you squeeze your eyes shut in frustration.

“Peter.” You groaned. “Just go to sleep.”

“You weren’t even mad. You were just betrayed.” He continued as if you hadn’t said anything.

“Go to sleep”. Your voice shook and threatened to crack as your fingers wrapped around the knife.

“Did you mean it when you said you didn’t love me anymore?” Peter sat up on his elbow to ask you. Your fingers froze on the knife and Peter saw chills cover every inch of your skin.

“No. I didn’t mean that.” You admitted and tightened your grip on the knife. A silence settled between you again and you held your breath in anticipation of his next words.

“Do you still love me?” Peter asked, making your fingers slip off of the knife. You could feel him staring at you and felt sweat dripping down your face.

“Go to sleep, Peter.” You whispered.

“I love you. I’ve loved you since the day we met.” He continued. “I wish I said that before we broke up. I wish I had told you sooner.”

“I still would’ve been mad at you.” You said as a tear leaked out of your face and onto the pillow.

“I know. But I still wish I said it.” Peter said softly. You covered your hand with your mouth so he wouldn’t hear you crying and tightened your hands on the knife again.

“I miss you.” Peter said in a quiet voice.

“I’m right here.”

“I can’t feel you.” Peter responded, making you let go of the knife again.

“Go to sleep.” Was all you could say.

“Okay.” Peter gave up and laid on his back.

You stayed perfectly still and listened to his breathing until it gradually started getting slower. You were scared to move in case you accidentally woke him up. Without any clock to look at, it felt like hours were going by as you waited for him to fall asleep. Finally, you heard small snores coming from behind you. Your anxiety was making you feel sick as you slipped your hand back under the mattress and grabbed the knife. You got out of bed and stood over Peter while he slept. He looked so peaceful and so unaware of what was about to happen. You wrapped both hands above the knife and held it high above your head to give yourself a perfect aim at his heart. Your hands shook and tears spilled down your face as you stared down at Peter. You didn’t want to do it. He didn’t deserve it. But if he didn’t die tonight, that meant you would. You loved him, but you didn’t know if you loved him enough to give your life for his. Peter stirred a little in his sleep and you knew it was now or never. Without taking another second to think, you brought the knife down.

🌊🔪

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[lokisprettygirl]

Brokenhearted (Daemon Targaryen x Female Reader) (Non Canon Modern AU) (18+)

Read Chapter 3 here // Series Masterlist

Chapter 4

Summary: As you reveal your desire to want more than just sex in this situationship, Daemon runs again but this time he comes back with an epiphany.

Warning: 18+, Daemon is mean and toxic, pure disrespectful at times, Reader has a personality, flashbacks of abusive relationship, sexual abuse, Daemon is a big time smoker so if it’s something triggering don’t read it, he’s not the best boyfriend, alcohol drinking, mention of past trauma and therapy, cigarette smoking, possessive behaviour, some violence, baby needs therapy,

Next morning when he woke up he was startled a bit to see the blanket covering his body, he sighed as he realized that you must have put this on him in the middle of the night. You continued to care for him despite his offensive behavior towards you and he wanted to stop being such a jerk but his experiences weren't allowing him to move on.

One had to learn to heal in order to move on and he hasn't healed at all in the past seven years, a part of him wanted to leave it all behind but he failed, he couldn't forget the betrayal, the way he allowed himself to be used and abused in the name of love always reminded him how pathetic he truly was.

He got up to see if you were still in his condo but the silence around him was enough to indicate that you must have left for work.

He got ready and decided to check up on you, he shouldn't have snapped at you like that, again, maybe he should just tell you that he didn't like talking about his past and he was hoping you'd leave it at that. Somewhere in his heart he knew he adored your presence in his life and he knew he didn't want to let go of you, he didn't want to be the one to leave this time, if you do, that would be alright with him, he won't chase you either, he'd deserve it like he deserved to be left by those women he used as a crutch for his mental instability.

As he reached the restaurant, Claire saw him and rolled her eyes.

"Can you call her? I need to talk" he said to her so she turned around and left for the kitchen area, a few moments later you came out of the door and walked towards him,

"Are you alright?" You asked him softly as you reached closer, you felt worried about him, that nightmare that he had must have been about something he had suffered in his life. Only a truly traumatizing event could have caused a man like him to shrivel up like that.

"Yeah why?" He looked at you, slightly confused by the question, maybe he didn't remember the nightmare.

"No .. nothing…ummm you want to eat something?" You asked him but he didn't say anything, he was staring deep into your eyes and then much to your shock or delight would be the better term, he placed his hands around your arms and pulled you closer to hug you.

You were so taken aback that you didn't even know what to do in that moment. He placed his head down on your shoulder and was holding onto you as tightly as he could, he had never hugged you this way before so you had no idea how to react but you eventually decided to wrap your arms around his neck.

"I don't want to talk about my past life. When I'm with you I just want to be with you alright?" He mumbled as he pulled away and cupped your cheeks, he placed his forehead down on yours and it made you think of that soft vulnerable man you had gotten a glimpse of a night before.

"Okay, we don't have to talk about that if you don't want to..I was just curious but to be honest I want to get to know you better Daemon, this casual thing isn't working out for me anymore, i know you asked me to not involve emotions but I can't turn it off especially when I'm around you..it's hard for me to do that, you can get out of this situation and leave if you want to..but I can't keep it casual anymore" he lifted his head up as you said all that in one breath. He feared sooner or later you'd say something like that to him.

"I can't give you what you want" he mumbled softly, he looked around and people were staring so he grabbed your hand and took you to the bathroom, not the best place to have this conversation but he had to talk to you about this.

"What do you think I'm looking for?" You asked him so he sighed, he stepped away from you and ran his fingers through his hair in nervousness as he leaned against the sink, crossed his arms and then that typical condescending smile graced his features.

"Well for starters, you would want a lovey dovey boyfriend who'll dote on you all the time. Write bloody Shakespearean poems for you and kiss you as if he's starving for a taste, then you'd want him to snuggle you and tell you how much he loves you everyday and night" he said as a matter of fact as if he knew what you wanted. He knew nothing.

"Okayyyy ummm ..first of all I'm not a teenager, I'm a grown woman .. and i don't need a grown man to coddle me all the time..it's frankly unrealistic and kind of disturbing" he looked down as you said that so you walked towards him. Was it unrealistic or you were just trying to appease him? He used to be that man. When he fell in love with her he went all in, sure he was younger and unwise back then but he wasn't always this cold stone condescending man that you were dealing with right now

"Intimacy bothers you, both emotional and physical, you don't think of sex as intimate and I'm not going to ask you why you feel that way. I don't need to know if you don't want to share just yet or ever, but I care about you Daemon and I'm tired of pretending that I don't, and I know you care about me.. I can feel it when you're around me, am i delusional?" Your eyes teared up so he sighed and looked down again.

"I care about your safety and well being, I won't lie and tell you that I don't feel protective of you. I really do and I enjoy fucking you and I'll be honest I don't want to stop either but that doesn't mean I'm in love with you or ever will be" he said to you so you nodded, this was more than what he had said in the last few months.

"You know only those who have been deeply burned by love say stuff like that?" He snickered as you said that,

"Are you a shrink now? Changing professions now huh?" He chuckled as he spoke, his voice was dripping with undiluted sarcasm.

"Look Daemon, If we are going to see each other and continue thisss then I need you to accept that I care about you and that when we are together I would want to take care of you..I'll never beg for your attention or your emotions but I want to be the one to give them to you" he looked at you, bewildered by your response, he didn't understand why you even cared about him when he has been nothing but awful to you. Was all of this just because he happened to save your virtue once? Did you feel like you owed him something?

"And why would you be so selfless if I may ask? Why would you want to waste your affections on a man who won't make you feel the same?"

"You make me feel good Daemon, just in different ways, I don't feel trapped when I'm with you or feel liable for you in any which ways, you don't expect much from me unlike those other guys that I have been with before and I enjoy that. I enjoy your company, is it hard for you to believe that?"

He gave you his typical look before he looked down again, he didn't really have an answer. She had destroyed his self esteem to the point where he didn't feel he was worthy of any form of care or affection, especially not from you. You looked at the time and you knew this wasn't the right time or place to discuss this "I'll have to go now before they assume I'm having sex or something in here and fire me" he chuckled as you said that but a somber look appeared soon after.

"Darling I'm not sure I'm what you need" He told you so you smiled and nodded. You walked closer to him and his body went stiff for a moment but he relaxed as you cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead, the touch did evoke some memories but your scent calmed him down. You were not her, he knew that but he didn't want to accept just yet that when you showed him affection it made him feel good about himself, even if just for a moment it really made him feel like the man that he used to be.

"Think about what I said and if you decide to take this thing forward, you can come to my place tonight. I'll make something you like for dinner and then we can discuss your boundaries and what bothers you" you smiled as you said that and then you turned around to leave, once you were gone he let out a irritable groan and turned around to look at himself in the mirror.

He had tried so hard to not stray away from the boundaries he had made for himself and the rules he had made for women in his life that came after her but with you he was crossing every single boundaries and he was willing to allow you to break a rule or two with him.

But he couldn't stop feeling so pathetic no matter how hard he tried, her voice kept ringing in his head, he was good for nothing and always will be, he'll never give you what you deserve.

As he reached the center, Casey Anderson stormed towards him and asked him why he had punched his brother for speaking the truth, he wanted to dissolve his contract with Daemon and change the trainer because he was utterly furious at humiliation his brother had suffered. The Targaryens made the best coaches and Casey knew that he needed them so instead of abolishing the contract with the center itself he wanted to hire Viserys instead.

"What is this all about?" Viserys took him aside to question him and Daemon just rolled his eyes, he didn't care about anything, if he didn't need money he'd quit it all together. There was a time when he wanted to become the world famous fighter and make his own name. Being in the ring and defeating his opponent was a rush he'd never forget but he couldn't even get in the ring now without thinking of the last time he was in there and what had transpired that night.

"Why don't you ask his cunt of a brother?" Daemon glared at Viserys but he wasn't having any of it today,

"Look Daemon I don't care what you do in your personal life but I won't allow this nasty attitude of yours to interfere with our business you hear me?" Viserys grabbed him by the collar of his shirt as he spoke to him loud and clear. If it was any other guy Daemon would have hit him left right and center by now but he owed his brother for helping him get back on his feet again. Literally and otherwise.

Daemon didn't care that he lost a client, he should have cared but he didn't. In the last few years under his training several fighters had made it to the international leagues so this wasn't really his loss. If he could go back in time, he'd punch him all over again for disrespecting you like that. After the stupid altercation he decided to take a day off and went straight home.

He couldn't stop thinking about your offer, was he ready to take a leap and build this relationship with you? What would happen if you try to cuddle him in bed or want more in future? Like marriage and babies and all that stuff? He would never want that. He groaned and pulled out a cigarette as he continued to worry about the situation he was in.

He wanted to give this a chance but he wasn't ready, he didn't think he'd ever be ready for an actual relationship again.

He called you in the evening and for once he felt nervous, he didn't want to hurt you again but he knew he won't be able to keep you happy either. You deserved better.

"Hiii" he heard your voice and for a few seconds he lost his own, he hadn't even realized how drastically you were starting to change his feelings for you.

"I'm not coming" he told you in a strict firm tone but his heart clenched as you went quiet on the other side. You needed a few seconds to compose yourself.

"Okay, so this is it then i guess?" You asked him and he wanted to tell you that he wanted to keep seeing you without getting all the emotions and complications involved in the mess but that would have been selfish and even though he was a selfish man to his core, he didn't want to hurt you anymore.

"Yeah..I told you to not get your emotions involved –"

"It's not your fault..no hard feelings really" his eyes teared up as you said that. You were finally giving up on this toxic situationship and that's what he wanted from you then why did it hurt? It never hurt like this when those other women left him, he looked back at the past few months and you both hardly spent any quality time outside of those dates that eventually led to fucking each other's brains out. Then when and how he developed these pesky little feelings for you?

"Alright, take care of yourself then. And i meant what I said last night, if you ever feel threatened by anyone you can always come to me" he said softly, this was the softest you had ever heard his voice go.

"Okay I'll remember that..thank you. Whatever it is..i hope someday you'll find the strength to move on Daemon, I don't know what has happened with you or what you suffered but you're so much more than that, your suffering doesn't define you or the type of man that you are. If you ever need me I'll be here too..I promise" you hung up as soon as you had finished your words, you didn't want him to get upset but you felt as if you had to tell him that.

You really wanted to be the one he'd open up to but maybe he wasn't ready to let go of his past and whatever was hurting him. You were mature enough to understand that healing could never be forced on anyone. He had to take the first step and he wasn't ready.

Ever since you met him you always had a feeling that someday you'd end up right where you were right now and get your heart broken again but you still took the risk. Now you wondered why because this hurt more than you could have anticipated.

Daemon wanted to cut you off completely, find some other distraction and not think of you ever again but it wasn't easy, he was addicted to you and how you felt around him. When a few weeks passed he had realized that he had made a grave mistake, it's not that he was sulking at home all day and was a mess because you weren't in his life anymore. Infact nothing like that happened, he went out, enjoyed his nights and even slept around with women who caught his eyes but everytime he had another woman in his bed he saw your face, even if for a brief moment he saw you underneath him, he missed the way your lips tasted and the way you'd always try to hold him when he was fucking you.

He missed waking up with your body on top of him and he missed pretending that he absolutely despised it.

He missed taking you out on dinner dates and watching you squirm in your seat as he'd gift you lavish things, he didn't enjoy putting you through such situations but he wanted to spoil you rotten in the only ways he knew how. Money and sex was the only thing he was capable of offering you so he did his best with what he had.

It's been a few weeks since he had seen you last and it was starting to eat him alive, even though he knew he could walk to your workplace anytime he wanted he never really dared. If you had moved on from him, he wanted to give you space but he always questioned himself if you had indeed moved on or there was a part of you that'd take him back if he was to show up at your door?

....

Like every breakup, this one hurt as well, if you could call it a breakup, your situation was only about to get worse with him every day because you were falling for him more and more while he stayed distant and he didn't feel anything for you or so you convinced yourself.

He had done you a favor by allowing you to get yourself out and you were grateful for that but you couldn't deny that you missed him. When you two weren't fucking like bunnies, he was someone you could go to for advice and he offered one without any sort of judgement whatsoever. In retrospect, your relationship with him might have seemed superficial and carnal but it wasn't, you felt cared for by him even though he had tried his best to not come across that way.

You also knew that he had moved on, Claire told you that she had seen him kissing a woman and then taking her home at the club he often frequented. It hurt alot to hear that but you always knew what this thing was between you two and you weren't expecting him to go celibate after the things fell apart between you two. He had fucked you stupid on the first date as well.

You just felt jealous that you weren't the woman he was sleeping with any longer.

With all those thoughts heavy in your head when you went home that night you weren't really expecting to see Daemon Targaryen. And you especially weren't expecting to see him sitting in front of your apartment door. His hair was all messy, he had his typical casanova attire on, that whorish chain hung loosely on his neck and for some reason you couldn't stop thinking about those women he had fucked in the past few weeks and if they tried to pull him closer in bed by using the chain the way you used to.

"What are you doing here?" You asked him as he stood up and stepped away so you could open the door,

"Just came to see you, you said i could if I wanted to" you looked at him as he said that, there was a fresh bruise on his cheek.

"Fought with someone?"

"Noo ..for once it's a workplace hazard" you smiled as he said that and the corner of his mouth curved as well.

"Want to come in for a cup of coffee?" You asked softly, you didn't know why he was there but it felt good seeing him.

"Sure" as you both entered you turned the lights on and put your bag down on the couch, he wanted to grab your arm and pull you into his chest, he wanted to kiss you but he controlled his desires, he didn't know if you were still willing to take his damaged self back into your life. But If you were willing to suffer with him he knew he'd have to make a few changes and sacrifices if he wanted to keep you in his life. He followed you into the kitchen and leaned against the refrigerator,

"I'm sorry I don't have the coffee machine ..in case if you haven't noticed.. would you mind if I serve you an instant one?" He smiled as he looked around, he knew what he was going to buy tomorrow.

"Don't mind one bit" he answered so you put the kettle on boil,

"Sooo how have you been?" You asked him sheepishly

"Same as I used to be, how are you darling?"

"Sameee" you smiled. Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it. "Ummm Claire told me that she saw you at the club one night"

"Huhhh? Did she tell you that she tried to hit on me?" You looked at him wide eyed and mouth opened as he said that,

"She did what?" Your pitch got higher as you questioned him.

"I didn't reciprocate" you shrugged and focused your eyes on the kettle.

"Well you could have..it's..it's not that..i mean..we were not--" before you could stutter more he interrupted you.

"I won't fuck a lady you work with darling" you looked at him as he said that, he was always sincere and honest with you about these things. He respected you and gave you his loyalty when he absolutely didn't have to, you weren't surprised that he chose to not sleep with Claire but it still felt good.

"But you fucked other women?"

"Mmmhmmm..I'm just a warm blooded man..we are the worst breed of all" you chuckled as he said that.

He suddenly closed the distance between you two and turned you towards him.

"I have missed you" you tilted your head up since you didn't have your heels on and looked into his eyes as he said that.

"You have?" You gulped, your voice was trembling with anticipation.

Did he want to give this a try?

"I should have come that day but I was terrified. You were right, I have several issues but ..when I was with you.. for a little while I was able to look past my past and just be with you" your eyes welled up as he said that, you had never seen him be this way with you so it was a little overwhelming but not in a bad way.

"I thought I was showing you mercy, didn't want a lady like you to get caught up in my mess so I spared you..but i haven't stopped thinking about you..you're all i have thought of these past few weeks" he mumbled softly and you sniffled, your voice choked on your own tears as you spoke to him.

"You shouldn't make my decisions for me"

"I know..it wasn't just about you, I'm scared ..of this thing between us" he wasn't looking at you anymore and his gaze was fixated on the floor so you grabbed the hem of his jacket and pulled him closer.

"You can take your time with me Daemon, build trust slowly and we will see where it goes, small steps okay?" You mumbled softly so he nodded and hugged you the same way he had done that morning, he was so tall so he had to bend down just to put his head on your shoulder. You wrapped your arms around his neck and your face snuggled between his neck, he always smelled like cigarette and bergamot.

You had no idea where this would go from here, he was traumatized from his past but you didn't want to get scared by that knowledge, you wanted to be there for him and help him cope.

"Tell me what you want from me, tell me something so I'm careful around you, I don't want to hurt you" his arm wrapped around your waist and he placed his forehead on yours, his eyes were closed and he was thinking about what and how he wanted to move forward with you.

He just wanted momentarily peace, for the voices in his head to stop screaming but he knew he had to talk about this with you and he had to do it now.

"I'm not sure what I want..but I know what I don't want from you, and I'll tell you all about them but I need you to know that I'm not going to be the best man that can be out there for you..Do you still want this? Us? Want me when you deserve so much more? So much better?" his fingers curled into your hair and he pulled your head behind to make you look at him.

A relationship or whatever he wanted to name this thing between you two won't be easy, you knew that but you had to take a chance for once in your life. You have always played safe and being with him was not any less dangerous than playing with the fire itself but for once in your life you weren't afraid to get burned.

"I want you..I want us"

And whenever that would happen you only hoped that he'd be there to lick your wounds and kiss it better

❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️

Note : it's not the end, there are a few more chapters

Taglist (please check your setting if I’m not able to tag you)

@simbaaas-stuff @ajthefujoshi

[starfirewildheart]

Scars and Souvenirs 

Chapter 12

Summary: Sy and his lady both retire from the army but not before tragedy befalls Sy. He slowly tries to adjust to life again on their ranch.

Pairing: Sy / OFC

Word count: 4,004

Rating: mentions of the aftermath of animal abuse. Kidnapping. Shooting.

Scars and Souvenirs 

Chapter 12

Sy pulled into the parking place in front of the pizza place in the small strip mall and they all climbed out of the truck. “Do you need any toiletries or anything for the house that we didn't think of?” He asked Mike. 

“I could use some shaving supplies unless growing a beard is a requirement at the ranch,” he chuckled. 

“Mmm no big beards, I prefer scruff,” Debbie smiled and ran her hand over the scruff of Sy's jaw. Sy smiled as he turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm then bent and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Why don't you two go grab that stuff and I'll put the order in for the food,” She suggested. They agreed and headed off. 

Deb put in their food order laughing when the girl behind the counter asked if she was having a party with the amount of food she was getting and she laughed. “Nah just feeding to men that are bottomless pits.”

“I'd keep that man so happy that the only thing he'd ever be hungry for was me.” Another woman waiting for an order whispered to her friend, though they were not quiet.

Debbie bristled and turned to the women. “Excuse me?”

“ What?” One of the women rolled her eyes, irritated that she had to explain herself. Her friend at least had the sense to look uncomfortable. “Syverson is hot as hell. Ain't a woman in town that don't wanna piece of that.”

Debbie stepped closer to her. “Well you may be female but you're far from being a woman, sweetheart. Why don't you just stick to pickin up the trash off the street.”

~~~~☆~~~~

Mike grabbed some cheap razors and shaving cream as well as some and some aftershave and Sy stopped him.

He took the cheap razors out of Mike's hand. “These things will chew up your face.”

Mike shrugged, “it's just what happens when you shave, right?”

Sy shook his head. “Look you don't have to have stupid expensive razors to shave or anything but you do need something with a bit of quality.” He saw the confusion on Mike's face and tried a different approach. “It's like a good knife.  It doesn't have to be expensive but, the blade does need to at least have a good quality. It can't have a bunch of nicks and imperfections in the blade or it just tears and rips instead of cutting and slicing. A razor is sort of the same. It needs to have a quality edge or it's gonna tear your skin instead of shaving the hair.”

“Oh,” he blinked. “That makes sense.” He took the pack of razors the Sy handed him. “Thanks.” They headed to the check out and again to Mike's surprise, Sy pushed his hand away when he took out his wallet and paid for it himself.

“Thanks but you didn't have to do that. You're supposed to be punishing me, not supporting me,” Mike told him as they left.

“Sure,” Sy smirked, otherwise ignoring him. Once they stepped outside the heard people arguing. Looking to his left, about five shops down he saw a small group of people, Debbie among them. He quickly went to her just in time to see her forcefully shove a man's hand from her arm. Sy grabbed the man by the arm forcefully. “Is there a problem?”

The man held up his hands in surrender. “The girls were arguing and I was just trying to see how I could help, “ he said innocently. 

Debbie‘s eyebrow arched as she glared at him. “Help? You wanna do something useful then put your bitch on a leash before she gets hurt!” She growled before spinning on her heel and going back into the restaurant. 

The man turned to walk away with a laugh but was caught short by Sy's suddenly vice-like grip. “You ever touch her again I'll break both your fuckin arms, understood?” The man looked like he was about to piss himself but didn't speak. “I said,” Sy snarled spring the mam to speak.

“Yea, I understand! I understand!” He grunted when Sy shoved him away and he and the two women took off. Sy and Mike went into the restaurant to check on Deb.

She was sitting on a bench seat across from the counter. They both sat next to her. Sy put his arm around her feeling her trembling. “I'm not hurt,” She told him before he could ask. “I'm just pissed.”

The manager of the pizzeria came over to check on her. “I'm so sorry that this happened.”

“What happened?” Sy asked? The counter and floor were covered with cups, napkins and other things.

“The ladies were being very rude,” the manager explained. I asked them to leave and they started pushing stuff off the counter. The blonde shoved one of my workers to the ground when she tried to intervene. Your friend stepped in when that happened and showed them out the door. I came back in to call the police when the man came up.”

Sy pressed a kiss to Debbie's temple as two uniform officers walked in. They took Debbie's  statement and allowed them to leave with their food,  which had been comped by the grateful manager. 

From across the road the man and two women watched them get into the truck and drive away. He turned to Mitch, Mike's father who was beaten bloody. “You better be right about how much the kid will bring but the boss will enjoy the bitch as well,” he licked his lips at the thought. 

On the way back to the ranch Sy kept his hand firmly on her thigh and she hugged his arm. Mike was chuckling from the passenger seat. Deb looked over at him with an arched brow. “Put your bitch on a leash!” He laughed. “That was like the coolest line ever,” he insisted.

Debbie blushed as Sy joined in. “My vicious little wolf.” By the time they got home they were all laughing.

They all gathered in the den with soda and pizza watching movies by Christmas lights. Deb was curled up on the sofa next to Sy, Aika sitting by them hoping for sneaky snacks and Mike in the recliner. Deb was about to doze off when Sy started getting texts. She didn't think anything about it at first but they were almost constant and when she glanced over she saw the name Mary. When the movie stopped she sat up. “I'm gonna let you guys clear up in here while I go get ready for bed. The vet and farrier will be here at four in the morning to work on Rose.” She turned to Mike. “Need you to be at the stable no later than three thirty.” She smiled when he cringed. “Some mornings we're out well before the sun.” She patted his shoulder on her way to the bedroom.

She leaned against the bathroom vanity willing herself to not let her mind run away with her. Maybe Mary was someone he was working with…but she knew all of the officers too and there was no Mary. She tossed back a few Tylenol for the permanent headache she seemed to keep lately then brushed her teeth then slipped off her jeans before crawling into bed. 

After Sy got everything locked up and Mike settled, Aika out for her night time potty he went to the bathroom to relieve himself and brushed his teeth before crawling in bed. He slid to the middle of the bed but Deb was still an arms length away so he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “Mmm, that's better,” he rumbled, kissing her shoulder then neck. “Walt texted earlier, he needs me pretty early in the morning but it shouldn't take long and I'll be back to help.”

Her chest clenched knowing it wasn't Walt that had texted him but she refused to cry. Instead she twisted in his arms and crashed her lips against his on a painful kiss. Her hands shoved his underwear down and stroked his semi hard cock to fullness as he moaned and thrust into her hand. 

Sy moved to go down between her legs but she grabbed his arms and stopped him. “What's wrong, sugar?”

“Fuck me Sy “ She rasped desperately. 

He grinned  “demanding tonight?”

“We just don't have a lot of time.” She rolled them so that she was on top and straddled him. Reaching down she jerked her panties to the side, not even bothering to take them off before spearing herself with him and sinking down to the hilt causing them both to moan. She only paused a second before she started levering herself up and down squeezing her walls tight around him.

“Fuck, baby,” he grabbed her hips in a near brusing grip as she milked him in the most amazing way. He watched her ride him with abandon desperation and seek out her own pleasure.  Reaching under her shirt he pawed at her breasts as she rubbed circles on her clit rolling through her first orgasam. 

“Oh God, oh God, oh god,” She whined as her body clenched. She fought against Sy rolling them over but wasn't strong enough to stop it. His wide body pinned her legs up near her chest as he continued to fuck into her. She scratched her nails roughly over his back causing him to jerk and hiss. “Harder,” She demanded. “I want to feel this for days. Every time I move or set I don't want to think of anything else but you fucking me so hard my teeth rattle and my legs won't work!” She pressed her heels hard against his ass and thrust up hard and fast as she worked her hand between them and started pinching the already sensitive bundle of nerves there leaving it even more red and swollen. It didn't take long for both of them to cum hard, she squrited hard all over his cock and balls and the obscene squelching, wet sounds rung his orgasam out of him until he collapses on top of her for a moment before rolling off so she can breathe. 

“Fuck baby, that was, wow,” he panted. 

“Yea,” She agreed breathlessly. “Thank you.” Sy used all the energy he had left to reach over and lay his hand on her. 

~~~~♡~~~~

Debbie was up and at the barn by two am. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Sy with someone else. She trusted him and knew he wasn't already fuckin the woman but he was bonding with her right? She was probably all sweet and soft, soft spoken, timid little thing. Someone who doesn't remind him of his time in the sand box. All the shit he just wants to forget.

She facepalmed after sitting her cup of coffee on her desk. “You are the stupidest smart person on this planet!”  She growled at herself.  It was starting to make sense .

She tried to focus on getting all the files on her desk into the computer. They had full time ranch hands to help with the animals especially with intake when there is a rescue. Deb or sometimes Sy, are the only ones who input the animal vitals, donation of time or supplies and tax paperwork for the volunteers and paychecks for employees. 

“You left early sugar,” Sy pressed a kiss to her head.

“yea I realized i was behind on input so I needed to get it done because I'll have to give doc and Sam the forms for their time today.”

He leaned against the desk next to her and lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. “You ok?”

She stood and stepped between his meaty thighs.

“Used, sore,” She smiled. “Everything I asked for.”

Mike chose that moment to step up to the door with a hot cup of coffee. “Mornin,” he nodded, his voice deep and sleepy. 

“Hey kid,” she smiled. “Have you ever worked on a farm or with animals?”

“Had a dog once but that's it.”

“Ok, Sy is leaving for a while so I'm going to show you some things I'd like you to work on while we are dealing with Rose.”

She walks out of the office and shows him where the wheelbarrow and rake where and how to muck the stalls and spread new straw then how much food to put in each feed bag. “,When we have Rose tied and being 

 Worked on make sure you stay away from her back end, legs and head. She had some pretty  bad damage and she's in a lot of pain. Poor girl.” She pointed to the stall across the way. “These are her two babies Lilly and Daisy. We will be working with them later. We need to get them used to wearing gear.”

“Ok,” Mike nodded.

“If you have any questions just ask.”

Once Mike got started Sy pulled Deb into a hug. “You know I love you don't you?”

She took a deep breath. “Yes, I know you love me. I'm just not sure I'm…” The vet chose that moment to walk in. “Hi doc,” She nodded.

“Not sure of what?” Sy inquired frowning when his text alert started going off.

“You have a meeting and I have work here. We do need to talk but not now. Just,” She took a deep breath, no matter what, if you need me for anything I'll always be there. Always.”

“Debbie, what's…” his damn phone kept going off and the farrier came in. “I…”

She pressed a kiss to his lips. “When you get back and Rose is settled we will talk, ok?”

“Why do I feel like you're trying to say goodbye to me?” He clung to her.

“I promise you that I'm not going anywhere. So as long as you come home to me I will always be here.”

“No more waiting, Debbie. Tonight we talk about what's going on. We silence the phones, the kid can watch movies in his room and we talk this out, sugar. I hate seeing you like this.”

She hugged him and felt relieved that they were finally gonna get it out in the open. Tip toeing, she pressed their foreheads together. “Love you cowboy.”

“Love you, sugar.” He reluctantly headed for his truck as he thumbed through his phone.

The morning continued on in pretty rough form. Poor Rose, she was more patient than any horse should ever be asked to be but the deformed and infected hoof was soft and oh so tender not to mention had spread up to her leg. Deb was doing her best to hold Rose's head so she did hurt herself or one of them but they called for all hands on deck for the leg. She showed Mike how to hold the head and explained that if he talked to the horse calmly it would help. Deb moved to a flanking position to help hold the rasp so the farrier could start a drain hole in the hoof.

“So,” Mike sighed. He'd never had a conversation with a horse. What did he say? “Come here often?”

The farrier,  vet and Deb looked at each other. “Do you like the grain? More oats or corn?”

They all chuckled, making Mike blush. “You're Doing perfect,” Deb encouraged 

After a couple more scrapes they were able to get the hole open and the grossest smelling stuff came pouring out. Rose acted like she felt instant relief. “That's good” the vet nodded as he sprayed some antibacterial medicine on the hoof and started cleaning. Everything was going smoothly. Deb stepped away to grab the volunteer paperwork. She came back just as the vet put something on the wound that stung. Rose whinnied and stomped, turning to the side as much as she could before kicking out with her back leg catching Deb in the right, front hip. She cried out and instantly crumbled to the ground.

~~~~~☆~~~~~

Sy checked his watch for the third time.  “Act like it's a fuckin life or death emergency and don't show up,” he growled to himself. This UC woman was flakey as hell and he didn't like any of this. He looked over to see a big truck pulling in next to him. “You definitely aren't Maria.”

Walter shook his head with a sigh. “She no showed on me last week.”

“What did the FBI say when you told them our theory?” Sy asked.

“Same bullshit as always man. The prick said if we lost our nerve to let them handle it and go write some parking tickets.” The contempt in Walt's voice was thick. 

Sy didn't want to say what he was thinking but he had to. “This gang is so big in so many ways Walt, maybe it goes a lot higher than we think. I hate to say it but there is an informant at your station somewhere.”

Walter scrubbed his hands over his face. It pissed him off but Sy was right. “I have a friend at the ATF that I trust. I know he's a good cop. Maybe I write up all the information and just turn it over to him? Maybe he will know someone who gives a damn.”

Sy understood Walter's frustration. Losing faith in something your heart and soul has been in for years is not just sad, it's disheartening, unsettling and you feel your world will never be the same again. He felt it when he left the Army.  “I'll do whatever you choose to  do. I got your six.”

“Let's go get it all down and on a file while it's still fresh,” Walt suggested. Somewhere we won't be watched or overheard.”

“Thoughts on where that would be?” Sy asked.

“Follow me,” Walt grinned and started his truck. 

“Fuck,” Sy chuckled at the look on Walt’s face. “That’s never good.”  

~~~~~♡~~~~~

The vet, the farrier and Mike all ran to Debbie to check on her. She took a hard hit from the horse. They tried and tried to convince her to go to the doctor to get an x-ray.

 “I'm fine, I'm fine," she said. “Really I don't think anything is broken, it just hurts like hell. It's not the first time I've been kicked by a horse, I promise.”

The vet looks over at her, “I really think you need to go get checked out.”

“I'm okay, honestly I promise I'll go see it if something else happens or it gets worse.” After arguing with her for a bit they finally relented and left. She and Mike were finishing up what needed to be done in the Stables when her phone rang. She grabbed it, “hello?”

“Miss Calloway, this is Jennings from the PD. We have some new paperwork that needs to be signed about Mike. We need you to come down as soon as you can and sign it. The best place to meet would be Mike's dad's Pawn shop. I've already contacted Syverson. He said that he would meet you there if you can leave now.” 

Debbie inwardly groaned. After the morning she had all she really wanted was a hot bath and to hang out and feel sorry for herself. “Is this not something that Sy can do by himself?”

“No, I'm afraid it's not, it requires both your signatures and Mike should come too.”

 She took a deep breath and sighed again. “Okay, give us about 20 minutes and we'll be there.” She hung up her phone and turned to Mike and told him what was going on.

“Man, I really don't want to see my dad again. Why do I have to be there?”

“I don't know, kid but at least maybe this is something that can keep you away from him longer. Sy is going to meet us there so we won't be going in alone.” They both got ready, cleaned up a little bit and got in the truck heading to town.

She drove to the back and pulled into the back of the shop. In the parking area she noticed an undercover car there. Jennings got out and stepped over to her truck. She and Mike got out and approached him. “Wow we beat Sy here. I can't believe it,” she smiled. 

About the time she said that a big van and another truck pulled up and blocked her truck in. A cold chill ran down her spine. She knew that something was terribly wrong and that they had been set up. “What the hell is this?” She asked angrily. “What's going on?” 

Several men piled out of the van and the truck and approached them. She leaned toward Mike just enough to be able to whisper.  “If you get an opportunity to run, go find help. It'll be better if you run. Before she could say anything else there was a gun pulled on her from one of the men who had exited the van. 

“Just be calm," he said “and everything will be fine. Just get in the truck and nobody has to get hurt.” 

She arched her brow at him looking at the six men that surrounded her and the kid and wondered what the hell was going on. “Mister, I don't know what it is that you think okay is but this isn't it. Why don't you get back in your van and leave?”

“You’re cute aren't you darling?" he snarled. “I'm not here to play games bitch. You and the kid get the fuck in the van!” 

“And if I don't?” She asked?

“Then I'll make you," he growled. 

“I don't think that's a real good idea,” She told him.

“Please, what the hell are you going to do about it?” He smirked. 

“She took a deep breath preparing herself for what she was about to do. She had to try because if she didn't she knew that she and Mike were as good as dead. Her only hope was that the kid could get free and go find help. 

What a day for Rose to decide to take out her hip. Debbie approached calmly like she was going to get in the van. When she got next to the guy with the gun she turned quickly striking the man in the throat grabbing the firearm and dislodging it from his hand. She managed to shoot two of the others, one in the shoulder and one in the knee. 

Everyone scrambled and tried to regain control.. She managed to kick one of them in the balls but before she could take out any of the others she was hit from behind with a metal pipe. She fell to the ground and the man grabbed the gun out of her hand. They continued to kick and punch her trying to get her in retaliation. 

Mike tried to run but of course it didn't work. Two of the men grabbed him and started beating him before tying them both up and throwing them in the back of the van. 

Jennings was pacing frantically. “What the fuck am I supposed to do now?” He demanded. “People have heard the gunshots! Now how am I going to explain this?” he questions? “What the hell am I going to say about all the blood and stuff back here?” 

The leader of the group turned around grabbed the gun and shot one of the downed men in the head then threw the gun down after wiping off his fingerprints. “Tell him you heard gunshots come back here and found this asshole dead.” They all got back in the van and sped off. 

Jennings was still frantic; he knew he was going to get caught for sure. He phoned it in, saying that he happened to be over near the shop when he heard the gunshots and that he just arrived on scene.

Tag List

@shellyshellshell

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@summersong69

@mollymal

@warriormirkwood

@bloodyinspiredme

@kneelforloki

[letsgetrowdy43]

Can you do ““My family thinks we are dating.” With Dylan duke and or Luke Hughes? Thanks!

A gentle kind of love

Being Luke’s cousin meant that not only was she destined to be attached to his hip the moment she entered university with him, but it also meant that the entire Umich hockey team came with him. Of course, being close with the team came with its perks, having an entire team of bodyguards and overprotective father figures being one, and unconditional friendships being another

Dylan always held a soft spot in her heart, he had become her second in command the moment they were introduced, the one who would help her team up against Luke when he was in need of some humbling, and the guy she would spill her guts to while her cousin was out of tune with her emotions.

“Yes Dylan I’m going to the family skate,” she said over the phone as she sat in the back of Jim and Ellen’s car, “Luke has your wallet in his hockey bag, remember last night when you said you were gonna forget it so he took it for you” Ellen smiled as she looked through the rearview mirror to the girl who laughed over the phone as Dylan refused to hang up, stressing over the upcoming game versus his brother and Ohio state university.  “Ok, k bye see you later tonight”

Jim cleared his throat as they continued on the highway, “So you and Dylans huh?” Ellen turned around in her seat to see her niece red in the face. “It’s not like that” “Are you sure, I get a call nearly every week from Luke complaining that you two are way too close” the woman mused as she left her to her thoughts

Sure Dylan and her had been close, and the lines between friends and something more had been blurred slightly, but there was no talk of romance between the two.

She sat in the back of the car spiralling as they pulled up to the stadium where the family skate and game would be held over the weekend, “Don’t forget love, we have dinner with the Dukes tonight after the skate and media stuff” Ellen smiled as she handed the girl the hockey bag full of hats, mats, and skates from the trunk.

“Come on Yn, stop whining,” Luca said as he stood behind the girl who was still very lacking in the skating department. “I look like a newborn baby deer,” she said looking down at her shaking legs, “just cause you guys practically live on the ice doesn’t mean I do too” “You’re best friends with an entire college hockey team, it just kinda seems like something that comes with the job” Rutger added as he pretended to push her over making her lose her balance and falling onto the ice, a smile on her face as Dylan extended his hand out for her to take.

“Just hold my hand I’m not gonna let you fall,” he said as they skated around the outdoor rink. “I just threw up in my mouth” Mackie whispered to Nolan. “Let him have his moment, well chirp him later”

“So you’re telling me that they aren’t together?” Dylan’s mom looked over to her son Tyler and Luke as they shook their heads, both of them clueless as to what was happening between the couple. “She was telling me in the car that they are just friends” Ellen shrugged as she finished tying up her skate, “I don’t believe it though”

The Duke and Hughes family left early from the event in order to make it to their reservation at a small restaurant not even ten minutes away. She sat in between Dylan and Luke as the two older women sat on the other side of the table, skeptically staring at the pair as they lowly talked in their own separate conversation from the rest of the group.

“Your mom is glaring at us” she whispered to him with a laugh as they looked over to Ellen and Ms. Duke who were pretending to stare at their menus “My family thinks we are dating” “Ellen asked me if we were earlier too” her cheeks flushed pink as he laughed.

Duker’s leg bounced as he stared at her flustered expression, “Im gonna ask something and don’t feel pressured at all to say yes” She nodded with a smile and turned back to face him, “Do you want to go out on a date when we get back to Ann Arbour?” He asked sweetly making a grin break out on her face “I would love that” she pecked him on the cheek as he looked away for a second

“I KNEW IT!”

[angelsanarchy]

Alkaline: Euronymous x Y/N Series CH 7

Tagging: @ophelialaufey @madamemaximoff06 @forever-not-gonna-sink @ajmiila02 @liquidsmoothdomme @shady-the-simp

"Sorry, we're closed." Y/n's exhausted voice came through the phone and Oystein smiled.

"I know you're closed, I was kind of hoping you were also cleaning up alone so I could talk to you for a few minutes." There was a brief paused like she was trying to figure out who she was talking to.

"Oystein?" She said his name making him smirk.

"Since you haven't decided to use my number, I figured I would call the only number I have committed to memory." Her laugh came through softly.

"You have an unhealthy addiction to Hammed's cooking." She let out a sigh like she had just sat down.

"Yeah the food and the immaculate service." He teased leaning back in his chair comfortably.

"What are you calling for? I mean, if you wanted to chat you know you could just wait a few hours and we'll be reopening. Don't think you get special after hours food delivery just because you're our best customer." Y/n joked.

"No no I just wanted to let you know that Pelle got his stitches today. We had to lie to the nurse so she wouldn't commit him but he's all stitches up and Hellhammer and I are making sure to hold him down to put the antibiotic shit on it, which he's also super pissed about." Oystein explained.

"I just wanted you to know he was doing fine." Oystein cleared his throat. He didn't like that Y/n was upset at him or anything that really involved him. He knew he couldn't control Pelle's strange ways but having that in her face was his fault since he picked the place to eat.

"Thank you for letting me know. I'm glad he got it taken care of much to his chaotic disdain." Y/n sounded relieved.

"I also wanted to make sure before I put in a grocery order that you would be okay with coming back out here for a delivery. I know this isn't really the nicest place, specifically now but we're in desperate need of a few things and we've got a show coming up so we're living on gas station food." Oystein knew that he had been at his parents just recently but he wanted to see Y/n. He wanted her to come to him so he could talk to her, be in her presence, anything just to be around her.

"Why would you think I wouldn't bring you groceries? I've delivered there before." Y/n seemed confused.

"Well because you bailed out the last time you were here. I didn't know if it was because the place is gross of just the debauchery that was occurring." Oystein looked around and noticed how absolutely wrecked the place had gotten in the short time they had lived there. Having parties almost every night probably didn't help.

"I didn't leave because of the place. I left because you seemed wrapped up with your groupies. I don't really know any of your friends well enough to hang out while you knock down a wait list of women." Y/n explained making Oystein confused.

"What are you talking about? I didn't hook up with anyone that night. I don't have any groupies." Oystein defended but Y/n laughed.

"You're the lead guitarist of a band Oystein. You've got groupies whether you want to admit it or not. I'm not judging you. You can fuck who you want." Oystein didn't like this narrative, especially since the only person he wanted to fuck was her.

"It's not like that-"

"Oystein...please don't act like I'm some naive normie. I know how those parties work. I dated a drummer once. Hanging out at a giant orgy's isn't really my scene." Y/n didn't seem upset about it but that night she would be a liar if she didn't say it upset her to see so many women flocking to him.

"Y/n...if you come to one of these parties you claim to hate so much, I can guarantee you would have a good time." Y/n laughed.

"Oh yeah? Why is that?" Oystein sat up hearing her disbelief.

"Because I would spend every minute with you, in my room, fucking you until you begged me to stop." Y/n felt herself blush and was glad no one else was in the restaurant.

"Y-yeah? I'm not much for sharing." She tried to play it cool.

"Neither am I." Oystein said confidently.

"I'll bring the groceries by but I make no promises beyond that." Y/n felt the back of her neck heating up.

"That sounds like a deal. You should also consider calling me sometime. I like to hear your voice." Oystein added.

"I technically did call the night of your show, I just didn't leave a message on the voicemail. I didn't realize the number you gave was a community house number." Y/n admitted hearing a sigh.

"You're going to make me get my own phone just to talk to you?" Oystein teased.

"No! I just...I don't want to call and talk to your band or whoever might be lingering around there." She laughed.

"I'll see what I can do about figuring a way for you to be more comfortable with calling." Oystein promised.

"You really don't have to do that." She pressed.

"If I want to talk to you whenever I want, I guess I'm going to have to." Oystein laughed. Y/n was so surprised by his dedication.

"Why do you want to talk to me so badly? You see me almost every day." She asked genuinely curious.

"Because there is no one else I'd rather talk to." Oystein had no problem admitting that. Next to music, the only thing that stayed on his brain was Y/n. He wanted to incorporate her into his life as much as possible. He just had to make her comfortable with his lifestyle first.

"Goodnight Y/n. Get home safe." Oystein added.

"Goodnight Oystein. I'll see you tomorrow." He could hear her smile through the phone and when he put it on the hook he smiled himself. Taking his glass off and chewing on his thumbnail. He felt like an idiot being so caught up on someone but she was worth it.