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chelseeebe · 5 months

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too sweet (for me) p2

lines begin to blur between his two lives, eddie feels hopeless at any semblance of keeping you away from that side of him. how does he fair when murray drags you kicking and screaming into this world?

a/n: so perhaps this is a little dramatic and very soap opera-esque but it was so much fun to write! i have a little thing i’d like to write for a part 3 but it is very much domesticity and sadness so we’ll see hehe <3

read part one here.

18+. mdni. smut. mentions of drugs and crime references throughout. eddie munson x fem!reader

eddie lingers over your shoulder, catching glimpses of him in the mirror as you fluff your hair and pucker your lips. he likes to sit and watch you get ready, just like how he used to watch his mom when he was much younger.

“so where are you going tonight?” he queries, a hint of territoriality about his question.

you shrug, swiping the lipgloss over your lips, “probably ace’s.. i don’t know yet,” meeting his eyes through the mirror.

admittedly, it had been a tough few weeks. he shut down for a few days, restricted to his bed as you cleaned up the mess he brought home. you were just grateful to have eddie back, the colour slowly coming back to his face thanks to your gentle love.

“i’ll take you,” arms snaking around your waist, “unless you wanna stay?” peppering kisses to your neck, the sweet scents of your overzealous sprits of perfume overwhelming his nose.

you giggle, though you make zero effort to shake him off, “i’m going,” wrapping your hand around his arm to keep it from travelling any further up your dress.

a tiny sense of guilt hits your chest, he was still shaken by whatever had happened. you’d practically moved yourself into his apartment, taking care of him for weeks. he’d rarely been alone since the day he’d stumbled in here with bloody hands and a newfound stammer.

“okay,” he relents, “what time do you think you’ll be done? i’ll come and get you,” face nestled into the crook of your neck.

you wouldn’t put it past him to just wait outside for hours, ready and waiting to see you again.

“why don’t you just come? i’m sure the girls won’t mind.”

he shakes his head, planting one last kiss to your shoulder before letting go, “no no.. you have fun,” nodding, as if to assure himself that he’d be fine.

eddie drives you right to the door, ignoring the disgruntled bouncers trying to get him to move. “don’t do anything stupid, i’ll be here when you’re ready,” squeezing your knee as you gather your bag from the floor.

you lean over the leather console, pecking his lips, leaving a small smudge of glittery gloss as you go.

“yessir.. love you,” before clambering out of the car, knowing smile plastered across your face as the door shuts.

there had been a sense of uncertainty about saying it, though you’d felt it for a short while now. only solidified by the last couple of weeks and the newfound upset you felt to be leaving him. it was like all your feelings were merged into one, dread bundled together with excitement. a scary but otherwise comforting feeling.

he immediately rolls your window down, leaning forward to catch you properly, “what? what’d you say?”

you shrug, scampering off into the queue as he watches, mouth hung open in sheer shock.

what you didn’t know was that eddie had been toying with the same sentiment, adamant to not scare you away but otherwise desperate to tell you.

he pulls off, beaming from ear to ear, counting down the seconds until he sees you again.

you perch on the marble countertop, legs swinging as eddie accidentally brushes past for the thousandth time, hand lingering on your thigh for a few seconds too long. the pot threatening to boil over if he keeps neglecting it in lieu of you.

“why’re you looking at me like that?” he asks, resuming his position at the stovetop.

he’d carefully perfected his little chef routine, throwing god knows what into the pan as if he had any clue what he was doing.

“i just can’t believe that you’re cooking for me.. have you ever even used this kitchen before?” chuckling at him, wishing he had gone all out and worn an apron.

“what the hell are you talking about? i cook all the time,” smooth talking, attempting to distract you from the near burnt pan of food in front of him.

“i don’t believe you,” you tease, glancing wearily at your supposed dinner. knowing damn well that he’d be on his way to pick something up in the next half an hour.

he leaves his station, faux-angry stare on his face as he leans on your knees, “you won’t be having any of this if you’re gonna keep being rude.”

the buzzer interrupts before you can insult his skill, or lack thereof, any longer.

eddie frowns towards the door, “i’ll get it,” trying hard to palm the cooking onto you.

“no no,” you hop down from the counter, “you try not to burn anything else and i’ll get it,” already out of the kitchen before he can protest.

the door opens to a man you’ve never seen before, glasses and crazy hair accompanying his toothy grin. those two goons eddie has to babysit sometimes are stood behind, looking as foolish as ever with their hands over their chests.

“ah! just the woman i wanted to see,” he beams, pointing into the apartment, “can i come in?”

“i’m sorry- who are you?”

but before the maniacal man can answer, eddie begins from behind, “let him in,” voice full of regret, you had wished you’d never hear it again.

you open the door wider, watching as they file in to the apartment. dumb and dumber barely able to walk on their own two feet without tripping over each other.

your eyes meet eddie’s but you can’t place whatever it is he’s trying to say. a look of warning maybe, hesitance and slight fear in his usually soft eyes. you’d figured it was something to do with his work, maybe the scene you had walked into those few weeks ago.

“have a seat,” the man smiles, gesturing towards the sofa.

they sit strategically, boxing you into the empty seat in between those two idiots. forcing you apart, a twisted mind game you wanted no part of.

eddie looks wracked with worry, sitting in the empty seat next to the other man. you want to jump up, order them to leave and do this some other time.

“i’m murray,” the man announces, staring right into your soul, “i work with eddie here.. for.. what is it? seven years now?” thumping eddie on the back.

he nods, chewing on his lower lip, choosing to stare at the floorboards rather than you, which stings a little.

“anyway! i didn’t come to small talk, i’m sure you two are very busy with whatever it is you young people do in your free time,” murray scrunches his nose, returning his heavy gaze to you. “i have a problem, you see, i’m a salesman, i sell things and to sell things, i have to get my product to different places,” nodding along with his words.

your eyes flit between him and eddie, figuring out exactly what he was asking.

“so,” he begins again, leaning forward, elbows pressed to his knees, “i need you to take it there,” not looking at eddie or either of the two losers beside you.

you. he was looking at you.

eddie interjects, “no, absolutely not,” jaw clenched taut, his fists balled by his sides.

“i didn’t ask you,” murray spits back.

you can see eddie’s chest heaving, anger bubbling through his body.

“where?”

their eyes fall back to you, eddie blinking rapidly. it’s like he can’t believe you’d ever agree to something so stupid.

“well all you’d have to do is take.. a bag down to.. mexico.”

“-mexico?” eddie interrupts again, jumping forward in his seat.

murray’s face turns to confusion, “is that not what i said? jeff! is that not what i said?”

jeff nods along, “that’s what you said,” like a creepy puppet doll, obeying his master.

“she can’t.. mexico, murray? that’s too far-”

“and why can’t she, eddie?” turning to face your boyfriend, a stern glare plastered firmly on his face, “i’m not hearing any objections from her, so what’s your problem?”

eddie looks up, catching your eye, chewing on the inside of his cheek. he’s swallowing whatever objection he has contained on his tongue. but you’re not stupid.

you either do this or your life gets very complicated, you’d seen enough movies to know that men like murray don’t fuck around.

“okay,” you say meekly, holding eddie’s gaze in hope that he’ll understand, that he knows you well enough now to know that you’re agreeing for both of your sakes.

“great,” murray beams, “my cousin has an apartment down there, you can stay a few days.. enjoy the scenery, whatever i don’t care,” ignoring eddie’s huffs of defiance.

you don’t remember a lot of what he says next, talking about the drop and other insignificant details. eddie volunteers to head down before you, wait for you in mexico to ensure everything goes to plan, which you appreciate.

they get up to leave while you’re still sat weighing up your decision and how badly this could end. eddie walks them to the door, glad to see them gone.

murray yanks him out of the door, tight grip onto his arm, “you wanna buy her a nice shiny ring?” glowering directly into his face, “or a big house so you can knock her up a couple’a times before you give this all up? hmm?”

eddie swallows, adams apple bobbing nervously in his throat. but nods, because he does want that. it’s all he’s wanted since he met you.

“then you’ll do whatever i tell you to do, okay?” face only mere inches away, “this is how you get those things.”

eddie doesn’t say a word as he stomps back in, heading straight for his bedroom without so much as a glance toward you.

his cold shoulder cuts deep, wedging a lump into your throat. you did this for him, for both of you. it wasn’t as if you had much choice between going to mexico or losing eddie.

you creep into the silent room what felt like hours later, heart aching for just a hint of reassurance.

he’s sat on the bed, facing the window, back to the door. you don’t want to startle him but feel absolute desperation to talk to him.

“eddie?” speaking quietly into the room.

he sighs, shoulders relaxing at the sound of your voice.

“i’m sorry if i said the wrong thing.. i was just trying to help,” blinking away the sharp tears threatening to spill.

you linger in the doorway, wary of the thick cloud of tension that had settled over the apartment.

“i’m not.. angry at you,” standing at last, turning to face after an eternity apart. he slinks over, ashamed of his own actions, he had never wanted to make you feel like this. “i didn’t want you to get involved in all this shit,” shaking his head as he walks over, throwing his arms around your sunken shoulders, “i don’t wanna lose you.”

you rest your cheek on his chest, slinging your arms tight around his waist, “you’re not going to,” and you meant it.

- eddie’s pov -

eddie has nearly thrown up at least twenty times since he’d left you for the airport.

he was going to land in mexico a couple hours before you hopefully arrived.

the plane journey is long, his only thoughts being you. if you were safe. if you’d made it onto the plane or not. watching the clock, waiting to just land and be one step closer to knowing.

murray had swindled his friend into letting you stay at his place for a few days, a large villa not too far from the airport. it’s warm and he’s sweating through his clothes, dumping his bag on the floor without a care in the world.

stepping out onto the balcony and lighting a cigarette whilst simultaneously trying his hardest not to hyperventilate. you should be on the plane by now, somewhere 3000 miles above, safe and sound.

squishing all of the echoing thoughts of what if or the images of you in a cell somewhere in mexico. it does nothing for the churning in his stomach, tossing the half-finished cigarette off into the distance somewhere.

eddie is restless, buzzing around the house as he waits rather impatiently for you to waltz through the door.

you should be here by now. the blazing sun finally setting in the sky, though he’s still sweating.

the clock ticks loudly, as if it were taunting him. every second you’re not here, he descends further into his despair, heart pounding as he paces the creaking floorboards.

a short wrap at the door makes him jump but he wastes no time in answering it, throwing the door open to find a strangely docile and calm version of you. polar opposite to how he had spent the last few hours.

“oh my god,” breathing a sigh of relief, unable to stop himself from lifting you from the ground, spinning around the warm evening air as you shriek.

you’re still elevated when he puckers his lips, attacking any skin he could get ahold of. a chorus of high pitched squeals and giggles coming from above, sending his heart into a frenzy.

“put me down,” you order, whacking him on the back, right between the shoulder blades.

he does as he’s told, still clinging onto your waist, fearing you’ll just slip away again. he felt a thousand pounds lighter, to see you, hold you again after only a few hours.

“you’re okay? how was it? did anyone stop you?” going a million miles at once, keeping you at arms length as he examines your face.

“it was fine,” you chuckle, your nonchalance a little unsettling, “nobody even looked at me,” shrugging your shoulders as if you hadn’t just smuggled a kilo of cocaine over the border.

“jesus christ,” eddie exhales, cupping your cheek in his hand, “you’re not doing that again, i’ll kill him if he asks,” he thinks he might just kill him anyway. his heart had nearly given out a hundred times, hell would freeze over before he ever let murray do something so stupid again.

“okay okay,” you brush past eddie, fed up already of his incessant coddling, marvelling at the view outside the apartment.

he slings your bag over his shoulder, joining you at the window, “nice, isn’t it?” knocking his elbow gently into your side.

he’d already envisioned how he would have you bent over the balcony later.

“let’s go out tonight,” looking toward him with your sparkly eyes, “i want to celebrate not getting arrested.”

eddie’s head lulls to the side, trying to hide his disappointment. “do we have to?” grabbing your waist to pull you closer, brazenly attempting to get you to stay here.

“yes,” you order, palms flat on his chest, “if you love me, you’ll go.”

you’re squished into the tiny booth, legs draped over eddies thighs as people come and go all around. he’s not interested in anything else going on in the busy bar, just you.

sharing lazy kisses between drinks, his hand resting on your thigh, ever so slowly inching upwards.

eddie hadn’t even wanted to leave the house, hoping you’d spend three days fucking your way around the furniture.

instead, you’d somehow convinced him to go out. though he couldn’t resist when you stepped out with that tiny dress on, sitting perfectly on your hips.

your nose brushes against his, breathing in the thick air that sat between you. the room could very well be ablaze right now, but eddie wouldn’t even notice. too consumed with you, palming at the inside of your thigh as his eyes gaze into yours.

“‘m gonna get a drink,” he breathes, squeezing your thigh before shifting your legs back to the floor.

he dares to look back when he reaches the bar, eyes immediately drawn to the six foot something adonis now lingering by the booth.

eddie wasn’t particularly jealous or insecure, secure in the fact that you were his and nothing would change that. but he couldn’t help but let a little envy seep into his eyes.

a fire burning in his stomach at the sight of you chittering away to this stranger. you weren’t a stranger to attention, not one to shy away. so why should you now?

he grits his teeth on the walk back over, grip tightening around the glasses, prepared to smash them over this pricks head.

“who’s this?” painting on his fakest smile, sliding back into the booth next to you.

you glance at eddie, just long enough for him to see that terrible glint in your eye. preparing for trouble.

“this is..” reaching out for the strangers arm, “sorry, what was your name again?” batting your lashes, an act eddie was used to and yet, still detested.

“alejandro,” the man purrs, taking your hand in his.

eddie resists the urge to jump across the table and wring his neck. biting on his cheek rather than letting what he really wants to say out.

“alejandro,” you echo, all starry eyed.

he’s not going to play up to it, well aware that you don’t actually give a shit about the chiseled man. you just want a reaction from eddie, maybe throw his weight around a little so you could reward him later.

you look back at eddie, pouting a little when he doesn’t give you what you want. confusion plagues your expression before you quickly drop the man’s hand, displeased with the reaction, or lack thereof, you had been given so far.

“it was nice to meet you,” eddie nods, shooing him away without so much as a look at you.

he slinks away, leaving the two of you sat in uncomfortable silence. taking careful sips of his drink, calculating his next move as he was sure you would also be doing.

“d’you wanna go home?” you pry, attempting to snake your arm around his though he doesn’t budge.

“do you?”

your eyes flash with hurt only momentarily until a lightbulb flickers and you realise getting him home means one step closer to getting what you’re fiending after.

“yeah.”

eddie nods, standing from the booth, “lets go then,” more so barking his order rather than asking.

and you’d follow along like a dumb little dog because the result was always always worth the temporary wait.

eddie’s a smart man, at least sometimes.

he’s wise to your games and refuses to rise to it. flopping onto the bed, watching as you dance around the room, antsy and eager for his reaction.

his hands are itching to touch you, enjoying every last second of you flitting about, the anxious eye contact as you get ready for bed.

you’ve just about had enough when he doesn’t react to your new pyjamas. not even a nod of acknowledgement. nada. nothing.

“eds,” you huff, jutting your bottom lip out as far as it’ll go, “is that it? you’re not even gonna talk to me?”

he pulls his eyes from the window, containing his smirk. you’re putty in his hands and you don’t even know it, falling right into his trap.

“what? i’m talking to you right now?”

the mattress dips as you climb on top, “you’re being weird.”

“i’m not being weird?”

your nostrils flare, tired of his silly little act. taking matters into your own hands by clambering onto his lap, perching atop of his thighs.

“stop being a dick and touch me,” you pout, practically begging for an inch of his attention. your hands grab onto his, placing them on your waist in an attempt to make him do something.

eddie weighs up his options, deciding that pushing your buttons one last time would make everything all the more worthwhile.

he lets his arms flop back into the bed, sighing softly, “baby, i’m tired,” jutting his chin to the sky, urging himself to not just toss you onto the bed and pound you into the mattress.

he hadn’t anticipated your reaction, climbing from his legs to stand beside him, “maybe alejandro would touch me,” you spit, turning to stomp out of the room as if he wouldn’t chase you to the ends of the earth.

eddie jumps up, bounding after you to grab your waist, pulling you back toward the bed with a squeak.

“too fuckin’ bad he’s not going to then, isn’t it?” pinning you between his body and the mattress. “you gonna stop being a little bitch?”

he hates that you’re not even mad, wild eyes glinting in the dim light, as you nod, chewing on your bottom lip.

“huh? you gone shy on me all of a sudden?”

your head shakes, stars in your eyes and absolutely any thought drained from your pretty little head. “beg for it,” he barks, nose just barely brushing against yours.

“please,” you gulp, fire burning in your stomach, at mercy to his touch.

eddie stands up straight, pulling your body down the bed by the legs, hips banging against your heat, groaning at the contact.

“hmm,” he hums, manoeuvring your thighs onto his shoulders, “i can’t hear you sweetheart,” palming at the doughy skin as his hands trail upwards.

“please eddie,” you whine, guiding his hands back down, aching for them to slide between your legs. “i need you,” rutting your hips with every grope and grab he allows.

his boxers strain against your silky pyjama shorts, the utter desperation dripping from your throat makes him crazy, electricity buzzing through his bloodstream.

he’s addicted to you. the way you feel, the way you smell, the way your body keens and melts for him.

“fuck,” lips vibrating against your neck, “stop playing those stupid games with me,” though quite honestly, he did enjoy the little chase routine you guys had curated.

you nod, arching your hips to allow him to slip your shorts down, working them down and off onto the floor. his hands slithering back up over the soft skin until his hand rests comfortably on your thigh.

eddie would love to toy around with you a little bit longer but his dick was starting to ache against his boxers with every not-so-subtle move of your hips.

he stands up straight, tugging the cotton down his thighs, the elastic resting just beneath his heavy balls.

his fingers slide between your slick folds, disappearing inside your cunt, pulling the strangled moan from your lips with every dip of his fingers.

“look at you,” he purrs, though he knows you’ll make no effort to actually look, “so pretty for me,” admiring your pussy, pupils near enough heart shaped.

his knees dig into the mattress, hovering above as his fingers grip onto your hips, sinking in to your cunt with a hoarse groan.

you cry out, grateful for him giving you what you had begged for at long last. hands flailing about for something to grab, fingers twisting around the soft cotton blanket, pulling the sheets from the bed.

eddie’s hands roam all over, palming your breasts and then back down to your calves, keeping them firmly balanced on his chest.

“fuck baby,” he coos, forcing himself to go slow, savour the feeling. you’re insatiable like this, sprawled out on the mattress, head thrown back, full of nothing.

hand disappearing between your legs as his thumb circles your neglected clit, watchful eyes lapping up your every move your body makes in response to him.

he’d never believed in all that soulmate shit before meeting you but now he couldn’t fathom the idea of ever being with anyone other than you. two people made to fit together by some grace of god.

your thighs cramp around his wrist, keeping his hand firmly there while you writhe around.

your eyes squeeze shut, eddie can already feel you clench around him, “you gonna cum already?” he teases, what kind of boyfriend would he be if not to mock you.

“n-no,” you gasp, fingers intertwined with the white sheets surrounding your head.

the headboard knocks gently against the wall with every thrust of his hips, the cool midnight breeze seeping in through the open window though it does nothing to stop eddie’s brow from sweating.

you snap, coming undone all around him, melodic moans filling the room, somewhere tangled between his low grunts and the filthy sounds of your bodies meeting.

“good girl,” he coos, reaching up to hold your chin between his fingers, forcing you to look up at him.

your eyes glossy with tears, lips puffy and swollen when your hand wraps around his wrist, struggling to hold eye contact as his thrusts continue.

biting down on your bottom lip, becoming a puddle of nothingness right before his eyes.

“sh-shit,” you mewl, his thumb still circling your clit, pulling you straight back to orgasm.

eddie leans over, pressing his dripping chest to yours as his hand slinks down to your neck, loosely squeezing the skin all while your lips meet in a hazy, messy kiss.

“one more.. for me,” he pants into your mouth, burying himself inside of your cunt, filled to the hilt.

only responding with a drawn out wail, clinging onto his cheeks for a little levity. his cock nudging your sweet spot. tipping you closer and closer to the edge once more.

“fu-uck,” you pant, sucking on his bottom lip. he can feel you tighten around him, thighs drawing him in. “cum in me,” babbling nonsense into his mouth.

there’s no way he can think clearly, too utterly lovesick with your pussy for any critical thought to seep in. it was a bad idea, his gut told him as much.

but at the end of it all, he’d give you what you wanted. no matter what.

“you want that? hmm?” breathing through his teeth.

your head nods enthusiastically, bleary eyes meeting again, sweat mixing with your tears of overstimulation and exhaustion.

disgusting and erotic all at once.

eddie can feel your legs begin to quiver around him, pretty little mouth falling slack, threatening to swallow him whole.

“ohmygod,” you rush, chest heaving rapidly as your eyes flutter shut.

eddie near enough chokes on the thick air, a pitiful final few thrusts before filling your cunt. a decision he’d regret in the morning but made perfect sense for right now.

he grunts, the air knocked from his lungs at the immense, earth-shattering feel of you and your body enveloping him.

tendrils of his hair come loose from the haphazard bun he had thrown up, covering your pretty, dewy face.

“‘s that what you wanted?” balancing carefully on his elbows, carefully brushing your hair from your sticky forehead.

“yes,” grinning wearily, your hand gentle as it now lay on his cheek.

“you’re gonna be the death of me, y’know?”

“mhm,” you hum in agreement, fingers delicately weaving into his hair, “just don’t die before we get married.”

his smile fades, fingers poised as they tuck your hair behind your ear, “are you saying you wanna get married?” completely prepared to slide down onto one knee right here and now.

your nail traces carefully over the scar on his cheek, gazing lovingly into his eyes, “obviously,” pausing momentarily, “you still have to ask me properly though.”

eddie’s laugh bubbles over, burying his face into your chest, wondering how long after this conversation he’d have to wait to ask and just how much he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life right here, next to you.

#eddie munson #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff

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im-sleepdeprived · 5 months

Text

Crazier • Pt. 3

pairing: mcu!peter parker x reader

a/n: ITS FINALLY HERE omg I loved writing this series so much i had a blast. thank you for everyone who was asking me about part 3 because it felt amazing knowing you enjoyed it as much as me😭💕💕 i hope you enjoy !! (beware, she is long)

warnings: some angst thrown in here and there, fluff (later), mentions of breakups, mentions of cheating, very very brief mention of suicide ( someone mentions and old author who offed themselves), me not knowing anything about theater (I apologize in advance), glitter

read part 1 here & part 2 , masterlist

"And when we got the chair, Brad made me sit in it and he pushed me around the whole school!" You were telling Spider-Man about your day, and as always, he listened politely, only chiming every now and then.

"Wow, you and this Brad guy sure did a lot together today, huh?" He said, and even with the voice changer, you could tell he sounded a bit off. "I mean yeah! He's a great guy, way cooler than I originally thought.” You told him, making him grind his teeth hard, not that you saw that.

"Actually I'm a little upset that the play is about to come to an end." Your voice gets a little softer as you confess what's been on your mind today. "The rehearsals have been a blast, and the people are amazing and it's been such a good distraction from everything. I'm really sad to see it go," you looked down at your hands.

Peter took one look at your expression and knew there was something else you weren't telling him. "Well what kinds of things do you need a distraction from?" he asked carefully.

"Um," you looked anywhere but at him, "well, my parents have been fighting a lot lately and it's just been really hard to be around the house, everything's so tense."

His lips parted but nothing came out. He knew about your parents, of course, whenever things got bad you'd always run over to his place to hang out. But now you couldn't do that anymore, so you were just looking for any way to avoid coming home for as long as you could.

"And of course, there's that whole breakup." you continued. "But I've been pretty good at ignoring that so far, and I think that's just the way I'll keep going." You drummed your fingers on your thigh as you stared into nothing.

"Do you really think that's the best way to go about it?" He asked hesitantly. "Maybe you shouldn't just completely ignore something like that."

You gave him a questioning look, "And why wouldn't I want to forget about it? Isn't that what you're supposed to do eventually after a breakup?"

"Yeah, eventually," he repeated, "but wasn't that relationship a big part of you? Ignoring everything isn't gonna make all your feelings go away. You have to face your emotions, embrace them, and go through the motions before moving on."

He hated that you seemed to be fine all of a sudden. That you were getting so close with this Brad guy all of a sudden. It might've been selfish, but Peter didn't wanna see you moving on just yet, he still had a tiny hope in the back of his brain that you might take him back if he waited till just the right time. But the more you kept talking, the more that tiny hope diminished.

You snorted, "Ok Dr. Spider-Man, I'm not sure a guy running around New York in a bright onesie is qualified to give out relationship advice, but you do you.”

He couldn't help but let out a laugh. "I'll let you know I give out great relationship advice and I'm not wearing a onesie," he huffed. "It's a super suit."

That just made you laugh harder, "Yeah, sure, whatever dude."

"So you and your team won?" he asked. He wasn't about to waste the only time in the day when he got to speak with you being jealous. He was gonna keep this conversation going. Try his best to give you what he never could as Peter.

"Yes!" you beamed. "Oh and look," you scrambled around looking for the crown you had received after you won. You had brought it up with you just so you could show him.

You put it on and straightened your posture, "We were rewarded with these fabulous crowns.”

Spider-Man let out a loud laugh. "Wow, you look like true royalty."

"Don't I?" you grinned. "I always wanted to be a princess when I grew up, so this is very fitting for me." You tapped the crown lightly and grinned at him.

Peter was sure he was grinning like a lovesick idiot. He remembered you telling him this, your crazy childhood dream during one of your late-night talks. He truly believed that if anyone in this whole world were some kind of royalty, it would be you.

“Just like Rapunzel.” He murmured. Your head perked up at that. “Oh my god,” you rush, “YES! Holy shit! She was my absolute favorite as a kid, how'd you know that?”

He fumbles a little but quickly finds himself. “You were humming ‘I See The Light’ a couple days ago. It was an educated guess.” You can hear the grin in his voice. “Glad to know I got it right though.”

You laughed a little and settled back down. “Dude, I'm not kidding. I used to eat yellow flowers as a kid 'cause I thought they’d give me magic hair.”

At that, Peter loses his mind. He’s cracking up and you're joining in beside him. This, he thinks to himself. This is what he’s been missing. This is how things should be. He can't help himself, the words are leaving his mouth before he can even gather his thoughts.

“So what about your ex? How’ve things been going with him?” Nice going dumbass. She's never gonna wanna talk with you again if you keep mentioning her ex-boyfriend.

You looked at him weirdly and started twisting the ring on your finger. “Why do you wanna know?”

“I-just I…” he scratched the back of his neck, “Well actually, I'm going through a breakup too, right now, and I guess…I don't know, hearing you talk about it, about him, makes me feel less alone.”

Peter Parker feels like shit. He feels like a total asshole. And yet, he doesn't feel bad enough to stop, to come clean. Not yet at least. He tried making himself feel better by thinking, ‘Well it's not a lie. I am going through a breakup. She just doesn't know with who.’

You stared up at him, shocked. He never shared anything about himself. Not a thing. You two joked back and forth but you were usually the one sharing personal issues (or triumphs, like today). You start to wonder what his personal life looks like. He can't be that much older than you from what you can tell by his sense of humor and some of his references. This man, no, boy, who spends practically all his time running around one of the most popular cities in the world, saving lives and changing them, is going through a breakup. And he’s currently sitting on a rooftop with you and talking about it.

You blew out a long breath. “If Spider-Man can’t find love, none of us stand a chance.”

He let out a soft laugh at that. “Ah, I wouldn't say that. I definitely have my fair share of flaws. And then some.”

You shake your head, “I'm sure the good outweighs the bad. I mean, come on,” you gestured towards him.

He laughed again. “So tell me, you still see him every day, right?

You nodded, deciding that if this made him feel less alone, you could do this.

“Is it hard?”

You shrugged, “Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve been avoiding him like the plague. I’ve only run into him once and it was when me and another friend went to grab ice cream at our old hangout spot. I couldn’t look at him. I haven’t spoken to him since everything and I don’t really want to. Not anytime soon.”

He sighed. Of course, you didn’t wanna speak to him as Peter. He’d totally fucked you over, he’s lucky he found any kind of loophole at all because he really doesn’t think he can handle not speaking completely.

“How do you think he feels?” He has no clue where the question came from but now that he’s asked, he can’t help the curiosity bubbling in him.

You run a hand through your hair and sigh, “I have no idea. One second he’s avoiding eye contact in the school hallway and the next, he’s staring daggers at me in an ice cream shop. He’s weird.”

Spider-Man chuckled lightly, “Yeah, he sounds like he is.”

“Do you see your ex a lot?” You hope he doesn’t see it as prying, you just want to see how similar your situations are.

“Yeah, actually, I do.” He nods but says nothing else.

“Is it hard?” You ask softly.

He nods again, keeping his eyes low. “Crazy hard. Especially when I know everything is my fault.”

“Do you think she’d ever forgive you?” He only shrugged. “Do you want her to forgive you?”

He looks up at you, “Would you ever forgive your ex? After whatever it is that he did, I mean.”

You took a moment to think. “I don’t know. I think it’s different. I mean, I don’t know what happened between you guys, but I think with Peter and I, I think he was starting to lose interest.”

He can feel his heart drop. “What? Why would you say that?”

“Yeah,” you continued, not taking notice of the spider slightly freaking out beside you, “he just stopped caring. Stopped showing up, and stopped listening. If I didn’t know any better I’d actually think he’d cheated on me.”

“No way! I mean-,” he cleared his throat a little, trying not to sound as anxious as he felt, “Do you… do you actually that he did? Cheated, I mean. Do you seriously think he cheated on you?”

Please say no, please say no, please say-

“No, of course not,” you told him honestly. “Peter’s a lot of things, but he’s not a cheater. I’d accuse him of that.” You paused for a moment. “But there was something…I don’t know what. There was something he wasn’t telling me.”

He let out a breath of relief. Thank god, he doesn’t think he could’ve handled knowing you thought of him that way. And it’s true, he would’ve never stooped so low. As for the ‘something’…

“Say he were to show up, right now, knocking on your door. Begging to have you back and swearing that he’s changed. Would it work?” He asked half serious and half joking.

You laughed a little, “No, but it’d probably piss off my parents.”

He grinned beside you, his mask shifting slightly at the movement. “Aw come on. Not one for big romantic gestures?” He nudged your shoulder a little.

You smiled but your expression fell as you thought about his words some more. “No, I’m just not one for empty promises. Which is all he had to give me after a while. He used to be amazing, he used to be the perfect boyfriend. The Peter I knew disappeared and I wasn’t a fan of the one who replaced him.”

You look up at him and grin. “If there’s any chance of anything being repaired between us. Even a friendship. He’s gonna need to get his shit together.”

“So he cheated on her, which fueled her depression, and ultimately led to her suicide. And that wasn’t enough so he burned her most of her work, and profited off of the rest of it after she died!”

This is what your mornings looked like lately. Hanging out with MJ so much had been…interesting to say the least. There was always something you could learn from her. Currently, she was telling you all about some ancient female author’s shitty husband as you waited beside her locker while she grabbed everything she’d need for her next class.

“Every article online about it says ‘allegedly’ but fuck that. It’s totally the truth,” She finished.

“God. That sounds awful,” you grimaced. “Whatever happened to him? Didn’t they have kids?”

“Oh, he married someone, won a ton of awards everyone loved him. And yes, a son, who also dies by suicide, and a daughter. I'm pretty sure she writes kids' books now.”

You sucked in a breath. “Holy shit. And where did you learn all this?”

She shrugged. “I read a lot.”

“Right,” you nod, unable to completely shake off the grossness that story left you feeling. “So,” you started, hoping to change the subject. “What do you have next again?”

“Biology. But I think we have a sub today, so that’ll be fun.” She slammed her locker shut, leaned on it slightly, and turned toward you. “What about you?”

You shook your head at her, “Free period. I was gonna catch up on my reading for AP Lit. Hey,” you wondered aloud, “is it that sub that marks people tardy even if they’re a second late? I can’t stand him.”

She sprung up. “Shit. Shit. Fuck,” she rushed out. “It is. And I can’t get another tardy otherwise I get detention. Again. And my parents would kill me.”

You nodded, completely understanding. “Okay. Well, I’m just gonna go grab my stuff and head to the library. See you later!”

“Bye Y/N/N!” She yelled over her shoulder, already halfway down the hall.

You laughed lightly before heading to your own locker. You opened it and grabbed your bag when you felt a tap on your shoulder.

You slam your locker shut and turn around, only to come face to face with Brad. “Hey, Brad!” You grinned.

You’d never really noticed Brad before. You never had anything against him, you both just ran in different crowds. Even after you both started working on the play, you were friendly with each other but it never went past a simple smile, wave, or quick ‘hello’. But in light of recent events, you were really starting to think of him as a friend.

“Hey.” He smiled right back. “Saw you here and thought I’d just stop by and ask how you’ve been.”

You gave him a closed-lip smile as you leaned back against the lockers. “That’s sweet. I’ve been okay, long morning though. What about you?”

He nodded. “Same. Stayed up pretty late last night going over my lines.”

“Really? Don’t really think you need that. I’ve seen you at rehearsals, you’re a natural Brad.”

“Yeah? You think?” He grinned wide at your compliment and ran a hand over his hair. “I’ve got ‘em memorized and all, but I just wanna make sure I know them, y’know?”

You nodded. He wants to make sure his delivery is as good as his memory. That’s another thing you didn’t expect from Brad Davis. His passion for theater.

“Well like I said, I’ve seen you at rehearsals and I mean it when I say I think you’re fine. More than fine actually. So don’t stress yourself out Davis, you’re gonna be amazing.”

He beamed at you like a child. “Thank you Y/N, seriously. You don’t know how much that means.”

You smiled right back at him. “Anytime.”

It was quiet between you two for a bit, and you didn’t really know what to say. You were about to ask if he had a class he needed to get to when, suddenly, he took a few steps closer to you.

That automatically took any words that might’ve been on your tongue and threw them in the dumpster behind the school.

“There’s um, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually.” His voice is softer but, you hear every word and you can almost feel his breath on your face.

“Oh?” Your voice matches his volume. This can't be happening. He knows you just broke up with Peter. He’s gotta be kidding. Or maybe, he’s about to ask something about the play. Yes, you think, he’s got a question about the play and he’s come to ask me, obviously, because I’m the director.

The halls are quiet now, everyone else is in class, at the library, or something. It's just you and Brad, standing so close you could count his lashes.

Just you and Brad. Brad, who won’t stop staring into your eyes for some reason, so you’re just left standing there….you and Brad.

And Peter.

The sound of squeaky sneakers running down the hall seems to break him out of whatever trance he was held in and he steps back a bit, almost causing you to let out an audible sigh of relief. God, you could just kiss the person who decided to unintentionally interrupt whatever moment was just happening between you two.

Or not.

Because when you both turned to see who it was, your heart fell. Peter Parker is standing there, backpack hanging off his elbow, binder bursting with loose papers in hand, and staring at you like a deer caught in headlights.

For a second, none of you say anything. Brad’s looking confused, staring at Peter. Peter is looking at you, then at Brad, then at you again. And you, well, you’re just wishing the school hallway would split in half and swallow you whole. You’ve run through a few different scenarios in your head, and falling into the earth’s core sounds the most appealing.

Then Peter moves closer, clearing his throat as he approaches the both of you. “Hey guys, how’ve you been?” He asked.

Neither you nor Brad replied.

“Right. Hey man,” he turned to face Brad, his face suddenly serious, “don’t you drive a black BMW? Red rims, red interior?”

“Um, yeah, I do,” Brad answered skeptically.

Peter blew out a long breath. “Think you might be in trouble dude. I just heard the principal saying he was gonna get it towed, something about you parking wrong.”

“What?!” Brad’s whole demeanor changed on a dime and you almost felt sorry for him.

Peter held up both his hands. “I’m serious man, that’s what I heard. But don’t ask me,” he pointed to the hall behind him, “go ask Mr. Morita.”

Brad stared at you for a moment before walking off, mumbling something about ‘another fucking ticket’ as you watched him leave. You almost grabbed his arm like a child, almost asked him to stay, just so you wouldn’t be alone with Peter.

You swallowed. Brad had finally turned the corner, leaving him officially out of your eyesight and leaving you standing alone with your ex. It’s funny really, how you went from talking about suicidal classic authors with your friend a few minutes ago, to this.

Yup, the Earth’s core sounds amazing right now.

For all the words he had to say when Brad was here, Peter was awfully silent now, doing that weird stare thing he did in the ice cream shop the other day. But there was no Ned to play polite this time, and no MJ to hold on a leash so she doesn’t bite. It was just you and him.

And you had no problem running.

You turned so quick, it took him a second to register the movement, and by the time he did, you were halfway down the hall. He ran after you.

“Y/N, wait. Please.” He reached out a hand to place on your shoulder. You jerked away, his hand barely brushing your cardigan.

You’re both standing in the hallway, and you’re still avoiding his eyes when you say, “We’re not doing this.” You shook your head and ran off, leaving a somber-eyed Peter in your wake.

There was no parking violation. Peter lied. But he had to.

He’d gotten caught up doing some last-minute homework in the library. Spider-Man duties were keeping him busy lately because when he wasn’t fighting crime on the streets of Queens, he was spending time with you.

He knows it isn’t right, he knows it isn’t fair, but god if it doesn’t feel good. He loves spending time with you and he hates that he can’t do it more often, hates even more that it’s his fault. And he damn sure wasn’t going to cut your meetups short because he had a few math questions waiting to be answered.

So on his way back, the halls were empty when he suddenly heard a very familiar voice. You.

But you were with someone. Brad. The thought made him roll his eyes.

You were currently going off about how great Brad was doing so far in his role in the play you were managing. Stupid Brad, Peter was sure the only reason anything was going right in the planning of the show was because of you, you were the best person they could’ve picked for the job and all Brad had to do was say a few lines. You were the one who dealt with everything else. Brad should’ve been praising you, not the other way around.

He’d heard Brad’s response to your compliments and almost rolled his eyes again until he heard your response. Of course, you were being an absolute sweetheart. You probably had no clue what words like that meant coming for someone like you. You were probably oblivious to your effect on people, as you were probably oblivious to Brad’s true feelings about you.

You both went quiet for a moment, leaving Peter to wonder what happened when he heard Brad’s voice again.

“There’s um, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually.”

No.

No, no, no, no. No.

If he were totally honest with himself, he knew it was coming. Especially after you told him about your little scavenger hunt around the school, and how well you got along with him, how kind he was being towards you. Brad didn’t just randomly see you in the hall and decide to say ‘hey’. He had class. Peter knew because he was supposed to be in that exact class right now.

He could handle another detention.

Before he even knew it, he was running down the halls. He had no idea what he was going to do, even less what he was going to say but none of that mattered at the moment. He just had to make sure this didn’t go any further. There was no way he could stand by and listen to you agree to go out with some other guy.

And then he was standing there, you’d both seen him, and it was too late to turn back. He stared for a minute, noticing how close Brad was standing next to you. His gaze flickered between you and him and all he could think was how wrong it would be for you to end up with someone like Brad. Stupid, stupid Brad, who hung out with all the stupid jocks, and threw those stupid house parties all the time. Who only talked about his stupid car, and what model it was-

An Idea popped into his head.

He couldn’t help it. Bro Peter stepped out and dealt with Brad, knowing the one thing that would completely get rid of him at the moment. He wasn’t thinking about the consequences.

As he’d suspected Brad left with almost no hesitation, Peter almost doubling over with how quickly he fell for it.

And then, he was left with you, and every ounce of confidence, every word in his lifelong vocabulary, crumbled. It never ceased to amaze him how easily you could completely undo him. He was an avenger, for crying out loud, he had literally saved New York and, he didn’t want to sound cocky but, the world. He had faced villains, of all sorts, so despicable, it’s a wonder he’s alive at all. But he did it.

But you…. He’s never felt like this before. So nervous, anxious, and scared to mess something up when all he wants is to fix it. In the superhero world, stunned silence isn’t an option. One moment of hesitation and everything could go to shit. But now, he’s not sure what the best course of action is. He’s not sure if speaking to you will make things worse, or better. If saying anything at all will give him more of a fighting chance. Was there even any chance of a fighting chance?

He didn’t miss how you hadn’t said a word and all he could think was ‘Please talk! Say something! Give me a hint for what I’m supposed to say!”

He was just stuck in place, staring directly at your face taking in your expression. You wouldn’t meet his eyes and there was no stopping the pang of guilt in his gut. You looked skittish, and it should’ve been no surprise to him when you turned to take off but it still took him a second to shake off that moment.

Just a second though, because soon he was running right after you. He wasn’t going to let you off so easy this time.

He’d called for you to stop, reaching his hand for your shoulder in hopes of getting you to listen. The way you jerk back as if his touch might burn you snaps something in him.

And there they are, your first words to him (Peter him) since the breakup:

“We’re not doing this.”

And you’re already moving away again, already slipping away from him again while his hand hangs in the air. He almost touched you. Maybe it was better that he didn’t because he thought he might’ve never let go.

He’s not sure if you meant what you told him as Spider-Man. Maybe it was just another one of your jokes. But he’s not ready to give up hope yet. He’ll give you time if that's what you need, he’s just scared of who else might try to make their move during that time.

For now, he’s just gonna work on getting his shit together.

And that starts with going to class, and getting his work turned in.

There’s a buzz in the air when you enter the auditorium the next day, that can only be described as highly-caffeinated-extremely-enthusiastic-high-school-theater-kids. You were all feeling the anticipation of your work these past few weeks being shared with all your friends and family.

You were walking around checking up on the last-minute touchups. You walked up on stage and stopped in your tracks. “Oh my god,” your hand flies up to your mouth, “you guys! This is beautiful!”

The set group (Noah, Lacy, and Jack) all grinned up at you. They all had some form of paint on them. Lacy adorned a pair of overalls that consisted of black and navy blue splatters going up and down the front of her. Jack’s T-shirt looked as if it were being used as a rag for his hands, so there were so many colors intertwining with each other, that you couldn’t pick out a single one. Noah was the messiest of the group, this specific set being mostly his responsibility. The knees of his jeans were stained black, but it didn’t end there. He looked like a tornado of night, with all sorts of shades clinging to any visible part of him. Blues, blacks, indigos, you name it. And they were all gleaming with pride.

“Hey Y/N,” Noah beamed at you. “We just finished the last backdrop.”

Behind them all was the backdrop which would be used for the last scene of the play. Lexi and Brad (or Stephanie and Gabriel, per the script) would stand in front of it and finally declare their love for one another, commencing their forever after with a passionate kiss.

You knew it was supposed to be a night sky, but what you hadn’t known was how well of a job they would do.

You let out a breathless laugh. “I can see that. It's stunning you guys, truly.” Although Midtown High was a school that specialized in the education of science and technology, the students here were extremely in touch with their creative sides as well. And that fact had never been more obvious to you than in that moment.

“There's still one more finishing touch, and then it’ll be perfect.” Lacy grinned at you before running backstage.

You were staring at where she'd just been, a furrow in your brows, when Jack nudged you lightly, “Oh, this is what she’s been waiting for since we started.”

Lacy came back, almost tripping over herself with how fast she was running. She held up a jar that sparkled in the auditorium lights as she moved it around, “Glitter!”

You grinned and clapped your hands together, “Oh I’m so happy I get to be here for this.”

Noah and Jack stood to the side while you and Lacy approached the large backdrop from the side. She made quick work of unscrewing the top and setting it beside her. She leaned over slightly and tilted the jar a tad before sprinkling it over the spacious work of art.

If sprinkling glitter were a profession, Lacy would be a pro.

You quickly figured out why she was so excited about this step, and it wasn’t just the glitter. Adding the glitter gave the scene more life. It made it look as if it were real, and you were looking at a sky bursting with sparkling stars.

After getting the area in front of her, she turns to you, holding out the jar. “Here! Give it a go.”

You stared a her a bit before quickly shaking your head, “Lace, I never thought someone could be good at sprinkling glitter, yet here I am. You were like a freaking fairy! I’d totally ruin it, and I can’t do that to you guys.”

You held your hands up and started backing away slowly. You could hear Jack and Noah laughing behind you.

Lacy just rolled her eyes with a smile stuck on her face. “Nonsense, Y/N, you’re a pro at everything you do,” she lowered her voice a little, “like that scavenger hunt?”

You gave her a look before turning around to make sure Mrs. Lightbody was nowhere around. “None of that,” you hiss, “that was a one-time thing! And it was a group effort!”

“Oh come on,” Noah this time. “We all know you had the hardest list of the bunch. Seriously Y/N, if Brad hadn’t shown me the list, I never would’ve believed that you did all that.”

Jack nodded. “Honestly, me and Lace wrote that as a little joke, like, ‘Hey, what if we were really wild with this? What would we do?’ And you came and proved us all wrong.”

Lacy hummed her agreement, “What they said, exactly. And this is just a bit of glitter. No big deal!” She grabbed your arm and pulled you towards her.

You laughed lightly, feeling yourself grow a little flustered under their praises. You grabbed the jar of glitter from Lacy and went to work, being extra careful so you don’t ruin all their hard work.

“This is good glitter,” you say softly, completely concentrated on the task at hand.

“Oh my gosh! I know right!” Lacy practically squeals her response. You laughed but could hear Noah groaning behind you. You finish with the glitter, screwing it shut before turning back to face him.

“There’s no such thing as ‘good glitter’,” He did air quotes on that last part, sounding extremely frustrated and something told you this wasn’t the first time they had this conversation.

“Yes, there is! She just said so!” Lacy was standing her ground. Suddenly, she turned towards you, “Y’know who can settle this? Lexi. Go find her Y/N, take the glitter, and ask her what she thinks. She’s gonna agree with me, I can already feel it.”

You held in a laugh. “Sure thing Lace.” You turn to go find your other friend and as you're walking away you can still hear them arguing, Noah not convinced that glitter could be good or bad. It’s just glitter.

You walked around the auditorium looking for Lexi and failing to find her. You started asking around, feeling sure that someone had to have seen her. You knew she was here, having seen her enter at the start of rehearsals. Walking around the front of the auditorium, peering down aisles, you were about to go check backstage when you heard a Brad Davis.

Now you’re not sure why, you didn’t do anything wrong after all, but a panic settled in you. Next thing you knew, you jumped into one of the aisles and crouched down.

He was walking up the main row between the chairs, script in hand, talking to someone beside him who you couldn’t see. They were moving closer to you. Shit.

In a rush, you start crawling, crawling, down to the opposite side of the aisle they were approaching. You were almost out, but you accidentally pulled down one of the chairs that are built to automatically flip up. Not a loud noise, but loud enough. You wince but don’t stop until you're sitting against the side of the row of chairs, out of their sight.

You could hear the chatter stop and the footsteps slow. You sucked in your breath and folded in on yourself even more. You were already coming up with a cover for yourself.

‘Oh, hey Brad. Yeah, I’m on the floor. Not avoiding you or anything, just….decided to see what the view of the stage would be like from here. Not good!’

It sucked and you really hoped you wouldn’t have to use it.

It seemed as though your luck for the day hadn’t expired because you heard them mumble amongst themselves and move on. After a few moments, You let out a sigh of relief and started crawling down towards the stage. You weren’t risking getting seen just yet.

You were starting to like Brad, you really were! But after recent events you had started to think the interest he’d taken in you wasn’t the same as the platonic one you’d taken in him. And you were bad at confrontation or being put on the spot. Obviously.

Plus you figured he’d want to talk about that weird moment with Peter in the hall the day before and you’d rather pretend that didn’t happen at all. Even you didn’t know what that was.

Moving slowly, you kept your head down, trying to reach the stage so you could just bolt behind the curtains. Suddenly, a pair of pointed-toe black flats came into your view. You paused and slowly looked up. In front of you stood Ms. Lightbody.

“Hi.” You said meekly. She looked down at you with a furrow in her brows, “Hello Miss Y/L/N. May I ask what you’re doing?”

You fumbled for a moment but finally found yourself. Clearing your throat, you stood up and dusted yourself off. “I dropped an earring.”

Way better than that other bullshit you were thinking of.

She stared at both your ears, which adorned a pair of earrings you never took off. “Oh?”

“I’ve already put it back in,” you explained to her lamely. She gazed somewhere behind you and you followed her stare. Brad and his friend were still walking up and down the main row, lost in some conversation. You gulped, if she had seen you earlier, it would’ve been fairly obvious to her the real reason behind your little floor exploration. And that was just embarrassing.

She hummed in response, “I see.” Her voice carried some tone of understanding and you felt yourself run hot with embarrassment under her gaze.

“Did you need something, Miss?” You rushed out quickly, hoping to change the subject.

“Yes,” she focused her gaze on you now, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d say there was a sprinkle of amusement in her eyes.

Ms. Lightbody was a newer addition to Midtown’s staff. She came in to replace the school’s previous drama teacher, and she also subbed at times. Most of the student body disliked her, thinking her short-tempered and strict but you knew that was far from the truth. It seemed this play helped you better understand your peers and superiors alike. She was an amazing teacher and, contrary to popular belief, she wasn’t an impatient maniac who didn’t have the skill set to teach. She was always willing to help someone who didn’t understand, but what she didn’t tolerate was purposeful incompetence.

“Lexi is in one of the rooms backstage, I need you to go find her and tell her there’s one more scene we need to rehearse.” She paused and looked behind you again. “And I suggest you get to that soon because I think your friend, Mr. Davis, has spotted you.”

You blanched, unsure whether to dwell on the fact that she knew, or that Brad had spotted you. You turn slightly only to see Brad already looking towards you.

You quickly snapped your head towards the lady in front of you again. “On it!” You told her, not waiting for a response before shooting up the stage and behind the curtain.

You could’ve sworn you heard her laugh.

You were backstage looking for Lexi. It wasn’t like her to stay tucked away like this, since rehearsals had started she was always ready for anything, talking things over with the other cast members, ready for criticism but rarely needing it. There was probably no one on the cast who was as excited as her.

“Lex, you here?” You whispered softly. Behind the stage was empty and dark. You walked around carefully, trying not to accidentally trip on anything of the string or left-out equipment. All of this was going to need to be changed before tomorrow evening.

Suddenly, so quiet you could barely hear it, was a shuffling noise. You looked around for some switch, finding it on the wall to your left. You switched it on and the action earned you a hiss from someone a little further in the room.

You turned quickly, finding Lexi sitting at one of the small makeup desks, hands coming up to cover her face as if she were some vampire.

That worried you.

You rushed to her, placing a soft hand on her shoulder. “Lex,” your tone was quiet so as not to disturb her anymore. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

She looked up at you, hair disheveled, face a little pale, and eyes tired. “No, no I’m fine.” She shook her head but you weren’t convinced.

You moved to sit at the desk next to her. “Okay,” you said softly, “then why are you sitting back here?”

She sighed a little. “I’ve just had a small headache since lunch. But I’ll be okay really.

Your frown only deepens. “Did you eat today? Drink water?”

She nodded then rubbed her temples a little, shutting her eyes as she did so. “It’s probably my fault, I didn’t sleep well last night and I’m just tired.”

Her eyes snapped open and she looked more alert now. She clasped her hands together and smiled at you. “So wake me up Y/N/N. Tell me something interesting.”

Skeptically, you eyed her up and down. “Are you sure that's all? Should I take you to see the nurse?”

She shook her head again, her hair flying around her face as she did so. “No. I’m actually feeling better already, talking to you. I think the smell of Noah’s Axe Body Spray was just really setting everything off.” She gestured her hands around herself.

You laughed, glad to see her acting like herself again. “But seriously,” she said, putting a hand on your knee. “Talk to me, it’s waking me up. How was your day?”

You let out a breath and leaned back in the chair, looking up to the ceiling. “Brad asked me out.”

She gasped so loud, you started up in your seat. “Shut up. Shut up!”

Smiling, you shook your head. “Well not yet. But I know it’s coming, you know what I mean? He keeps trying to get me alone, and he gets really close and starts staring into my eyes and everything. But he keeps getting interrupted.”

She gasped again, softer this time, and held her hand to her chest. “Oh my god. That’s so cute! Are you gonna say yes?”

You stilled for a moment. Were you going to say yes? You’d figured out what was most likely coming your way, but you hadn’t really thought of how to handle it. You couldn’t crawl across floors to avoid him forever. That would make graduation very awkward.

And at the same time, you didn’t want to reject him. Brad was sweet, maybe not the type of person you usually went for, but he had his own things. Maybe you needed something new, something different.

But something in your gut was telling you maybe you shouldn’t go out with someone who made you panic-crawl on the floor just to avoid having a conversation with them.

Not to mention, you just weren’t interested in him like that. At all.

Lexi was going on about something or other, seemingly fine at the moment. “I totally knew he was into you. I mean, that whole picking you up in the library thing?” She shook her head. “Not just a platonic thing.”

You laughed loudly and stood up. You held out a hand for her to take. “Come on Lex, everyone’s looking for their star.”

She took your hand and stood. “I bet they are, I’ll have to apologize for hogging you from them.”

You laughed again and started pushing her towards the front stage. “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! We’re playing with glitter!”

The rest of the day went by smoothly. You, Lexi, and Lacy applied the finishing touches to the backdrop. As Lacy had guessed, Lexi agreed with her. Lacy went on about all the qualities the perfect glitter should consist of; ‘catches the light, soft, and dustable.’

You were sure that last one wasn’t even a word but Noah gave in eventually and let the girls have their win. But that wasn’t enough for the three of you. Not wanting to put the glitter away just yet, you started sprinkling it on each other.

Word spread across the auditorium like wildfire, and soon, a line started forming on the stage to get glitter sprinkled on you, boys and girls alike. Ms. Lightbody shut that down quick.

You stuck to avoiding Brad for the rest of the day. It wasn’t hard, you were both busy, him being one of the leads and you helping with a little bit of everything and making sure everyone stayed in order (with the exception of the glitter fiasco).

At the end, Ms. Lightbody had gathered you all around to talk about how tomorrow was going to go. She went over the basics, what time the show was going to start, and what time you all had to be there. It was things you all already knew but it was good to go over. In the end, you thought she looked a little sad, and apparently, you weren’t the only one because someone else pointed it out. That made everyone jump and you all pulled her into a group hug. This little group had become like a crazy family and you were forever grateful you had a chance to be part of it.

You left quickly after that, wanting to get out before Brad offered to walk you home or something. You said bye to your friends, taking extra time with Lexi. She had been more reserved after you two talked, not as tired as you’d found her backstage, but still not quite herself. You told her to get lots of sleep tonight. She was needed tomorrow

Now, you were sitting on the rooftop ledge, kicking your feet as Spider-Man sat next to you.

“Are you excited?” He asked.

You nodded, smiling. “Very. We’ve all been working really hard for this. And you should see how great a job everyone has done. I can’t wait to see it all put together finally.”

“I’m sure you’ve done a great job,” he nods. “I really wish I could be there. You’re gonna need to take some videos for me. Show me afterward.”

You grinned wide. “Seriously? You’d wanna see?”

“Heck yea I wanna see,” he said, voice serious.

“Okay.” You nodded. “I’ll take plenty of videos, don’t worry.”

“Thank you.” He said, raising a hand a ruffling your hair. You laughed and slapped his hand away. He stared at you a little before asking, “What’s in your hair?

You grinned wide. “Glitter.”

He shook his head, laughing. “I don’t even wanna know.” You giggled beside him.

“Are your friends going to be there?” He asked.

“Um,” you say, still smiling. “Yeah, I think so. They said they will, and I think it’ll be fun.” MJ had told you she was definitely going to be there, she couldn’t wait to make fun of the kids in the play, she’d already bought her ticket. Ned said he wanted to see it as well, and Peter…well, after recent events you couldn’t think of any reason he’d be there. He probably wouldn’t be able to find the time in his busy schedule, even if you two were still together. So it was better like this.

“What about your parents? Are they gonna try to make it?”

A beat passed before you replied. “No,” you shook your head. “I don’t think they’re gonna be there.”

He was quiet for a moment, not sure what to say. He almost regretted asking.

“But it’s okay,” you said, your voice so soft, it took everything in him not to reach over and pull you into his arms. “I wasn’t expecting them to anyway. I have my friends, that’s enough.” You cleared your throat and wrapped your arms around yourself.

He watched you for a bit and it hit him then, just how strong you were. How much you had on your plate at the moment. How little you let it show.

Your parents were basically roommates to you, you barely saw them, they were just there. The play you were managing? While everyone else had one job, one task they needed to focus on and get done, you were involved in everything. He remembered you mentioned to him a few weeks ago something about your phone blowing up since planning started. He never thought much of it then.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized you were always doing this. When it wasn’t the play it was something with your family, or tutoring other kids at school. And on top of all of that, you were always available for your friends whenever they needed you, and your grades never slipped. Your essays and tests were used by your teachers as examples. He always knew, but not really. It was painfully obvious right now. And it was even more obvious to him that he never helped. He should’ve helped make things easier for you, because he loves you, because he cares for you. But all he did was add to your plate. The thought made him feel sick.

“I’m so sorry,” Even through his voice-changer you could hear the sincerity, the despair in his voice. Your brows furrowed.

“You don’t need to apologize, it’s not that big of a deal. I swear,” you told him sincerely.

He nodded but the movement almost looked forced. “How have you been?”

You paused. “Good,” you nodded, as if confirming your own statement. “Busy, but good.”

“Have you taken a moment to breathe recently? Just relax yourself for a few seconds?”

You were taken aback by his question. No one had ever asked you that. “I- I don’t think so,” you replied quietly.

“Alright, that’s okay, we can do that together. Here,” he held out both his hands, palms up. “put your hands in mine.”

You followed his lead and placed your hands in his. The material of his suit felt smooth, but thicker than it looked, and you were surprised to see how well your hands fit together.

“Close your eyes.” He said, and you saw the whites of his mask flicker shut. You followed his lead.

“Great. Now big breath, through your mouth.” You sucked in a handful of air, the sound ringing out like a quick gasp.

His hands gave yours a gentle squeeze. “No,” he said, voice soft. You felt your face heat up and you tried again, this time slowly letting the air enter and fill your lungs.

“Now out through the nose.”

You let the air leave you, not even realizing how tense you were until you felt yourself relax. Your eyes fluttered open and you found him already staring at you. His thumbs had started gently caressing your hands and you found you didn’t mind at all.

“A few more times.” He told you, and you nodded at him. You closed your eyes again and repeated your actions from before, more sure of yourself this time.

When you had finished, you opened your eyes again. His eyes were still open and you thought his mask shifted into something like a grin.

“Better?” He asked you, and you smiled, nodding your head. It was crazy to you to think about how over these past few days, that very mask had turned into a comforting sight for you. You really thought of New York’s Spider-Man as a friend. And you hoped he felt the same.

You nodded again, unable to take your eyes off of him. You weren’t even aware you were still holding hands until he removed his from yours. You almost protested, your hands suddenly feeling colder than they ever have.

But then he brought his hands up to cup each side of your face.

Oh.

You were sure you were melting. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt like this, and you couldn’t even see his face! You wished he’d just rip it off, you wouldn’t care who was underneath.

He brought his face closer and leaned his forehead against yours. Your eyes fluttered shut. You stayed that way for a minute, both of you just enjoying the moment before you decided to speak.

“Take it off.” You whispered.

“What?” He asked, his voice matching your volume. You had opened your eyes and you were looking at him now. You could clearly see the eyes of his mask were still closed and you fought off a smile.

You brought up your hand to his face and traced his jawline. You could feel his jaw flex underneath your fingers and you could’ve sworn you heard him gulp.

“Take it off.” You repeated, your thumbs now caressing his cheekbones.

His eyes flew open and he leaned back. “No,” he shook his head, moving even further from where you two were seated next to each other.

Your brows shot up at his sudden change of demeanor. You wished you hadn’t said anything. “Ok,” you said, voice quiet. “You don’t have to. I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I was just- ugh I’m so sorry.”

“No!” He repeated. “Don’t apologize I- you did nothing wrong.”

But the way he was acting was making you feel otherwise.

“I have to go. Good luck tomorrow.” He said, stood up, flung out his wrist, and started swinging through the buildings faster than you could blink.

Fuck.

You were a wreck.

Everyone was running all over the place, orders being shouted across the entire backstage. Some people seemed to have invited their friends to hang out backstage (which was not allowed). Every corner was packed. And you were in the middle of it all.

“Y/N!” Ms. Lightbody called for you from across the swarm of bodies. You made your way through everyone, not stopping until you were standing in from of her. She placed a hand on your shoulder and steered you until you were both standing in a corner, as far away from the others as you could get.

“Miss Walker isn’t here, and it’s starting to become a problem.” She told you, voice serious.

You blanched. “Lexi isn’t here yet?!”

She shushed you. “I don’t want to start a commotion. Things are barely going smoothly as is, and this will not make it better. Everyone will start worrying if they find out their lead hasn’t arrived, and we cannot have that.”

You nodded at her, mind racing. “What do we do?”

She sighed, “For now? Wait and hope for the best, there’s still a bit more time.”

You nodded again and she took a second to look around the room. “What is all this? Half these kids have no business here!” She turned towards you again. “I'm going to try to reach Miss Walker’s mother, deal with all these children Y/N, please. I want them gone by the time I get back.”

She turned to leave before she remembered something that had her turning right back, “You have Miss Walker’s contact information, correct?” You nodded at her again. “Great. Try to get ahold of her, will you? The sooner we figure this out the better.”

“Sure thing Ms. Lightbody.” You told her, waving her off, your voice sounding a hundred times more confident than you felt.

You watched her walk out the back door to make her phone call, and you paused for a moment, unsure what to do first. You turned and pulled out your phone. Heading for the door Ms. Lightbody just walked out of, you pulled up your message thread with Lexi.

girl WRU !!!

you were needed like 30 mins ago !!!!

get here-

You bumped into someone, your phone flying out of your hand before you could send that last one. You would’ve been sent flying backward if the person hadn’t gripped your waist tight to keep you steady.

“Woah, careful.”

You’d know that voice anywhere. Peter.

“Parker,” you said, backing away quickly. “What are you doing here?” And you don’t mean for it to come out as harsh as it did but…there’s just a lot on your plate right now.

And it seems he can tell. He bent over to grab your phone, placing it back in your hands. “The lady at the office saw me walking by and asked me to drop these off.” He waved a big bag you hadn’t noticed in his other hand.

You reached for it, saying, “Oh my god, perfect.” At the same time, he asked, “Are you okay?”

You completely ignored him, taking the bag from his hands. Turning around, you caught Jack walking by at just the right moment. “Jack! Here,” you called him over, “Those supplies you guys were asking for.”

“Sweet, thanks Y/N/N!” He said, leaning in to give you a quick hug. You smile but then quickly shove him away, “Thank J, but you really need to go finish. Like, right now.”

He straightened his posture and saluted you. “Ma’am yes ma’am!” He said, then he turned to Peter, who had been watching the whole exchange, “Sup Parker.” He sent a little head nod towards him, as he started walking away.

Peter returned it, brows slightly furrowed as he looked between the two of you, “Hey man.”

You started walking around, trying to count up how many people there were who weren’t a part of the cast or crew.

One, two, three-

You felt a hand placed on your shoulder and you turned quickly, only to see Peter still hasn’t left.

You looked at him in disbelief. The nerve of this guy. There’s no way he seriously thinks you’re going to talk about the two of you right now, is there?

“How are you?” He asks again and you’ve never found someone dumber than you did right now.

“Hello?! Things aren’t going too hot in case you can’t tell, and you aren’t exactly helping right now!”

He nodded, “Okay. What can I do to help?”

You scoffed. “I don’t know, leave. It’s so crowded in here and I have to get all these extra people out. Shit,” you smacked your forehead. “I forgot I have to find Lexi. Fuck! And I have to-.”

“Y/N!” Someone shouted your name for the umpteenth time that night. You turned and met Vanessa, one of the people in charge of makeup.

“We’re out of setting powder.”

“What?!”

She winces. “I know, I’m so sorry. We thought we had enough but then some of the boys were playing and knocked over-,”

You waved her off, not wanting to hear the rest of it. “Okay, okay. Do none of the other girls have any extra? Is no one willing to lend you some?”

She shook her head. “No! I already asked. I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll get you some.” Peter stepped in. “Just send me a picture of what it looks like and I’ll be back in ten minutes tops.”

Vanessa gasped, “Dude. You’re a lifesaver. Y/N,” she met your eyes, “your boyfriend is a lifesaver!”

“Oh he’s not-,” you started, but she was already walking away. You turned towards Peter, the disbelief on your face getting stronger every time you looked at him today.

You started shaking your head, “What on earth are you doing Parker?”

“Helping you.” He said as if it were the easiest thing on earth. He wondered if you were making a conscious effort not to say his first name.

Your head wouldn’t stop shaking left and right. “What? What do you- I don’t-,”

He cut you off, “And I’m gonna get rid of all the people who don’t belong here too.” He looked around the room before looking down at you. “You, just…take care of yourself Y/N. Don’t stress too much, it’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure you even have the time?”

Shit.

His face fell and you immediately felt guilt seep into your bones.

“Peter I’m so-,”

He cut you off again, his voice quieter this time. “No, that was..that was fair. But I mean it.” He raised his voice, sounding more sure now. “I’m going to help you out.”

He stepped away from you suddenly, leaving you standing with your mouth agape. He walked to the end of the room, stopping right before the door. “Alright, everyone! Listen up,” He clapped his hands together, his voice booming around the room. Everyone quieted down to hear him.

“Unless you had some part in putting all this together, I’m going to need you to follow me out right now. Let everyone do their thing, we don’t need to bother them any more than we already have.”

Everyone was still for a second.

“And,” he continued, “Ms. Lightbody gave me permission to start handing out detentions.”

That got everyone moving. Your brows furrowed as a sea of students started moving through the room and out the door. Ms. Lightbody did no such thing.

Peter stood to the side, holding the door open. It had come down to the last few people and Peter held back a boy. “You,” he told him, “I’m gonna need you to stay outside this door and make sure no one enters unless they’re part of the cast or crew. We can’t have that happening again.”

“Oh shit. Like a bouncer?” The kid asked eagerly.

Peter stared for a bit before he nodded. “Yeah man, exactly. And listen,” he pointed at you, “if you’re not sure, you ask her, alright?”

The boy turned towards you and you offered him a smile. “Damn! She’s smokin’!” He exclaimed. If you weren’t so busy, you might’ve blushed.

Peter narrowed his eyes, and it seemed like he was considering something before he quickly shook his head. He grabbed the boy by the shoulder and placed him on the outside of the door.

“Vanessa!” He shouted. “Send me a picture of the powder, I’m going right now.”

“Already sent Pete, thanks!” She shouted back, giving him a thumbs up from where she was standing by the makeup chairs.

Pete? Why would she call him Pete? She doesn’t know him like that. I used to call him Pete-

You stopped your train of thought. You could not afford to think like that right now.

“Perfect.” He said, he made to move away but his eyes met yours and he froze. “I’m gonna…” he trailed off, feet stuck to the ground as his thumb pointed to the door.

“Of course,” you nodded quickly. “And Peter,” you stop him before he turns to go, “thank you. So much.” You hoped your voice carried the sincerity you felt.

He smiled at you softly, “Anything for you Y/N/N.”

This time, you did blush. You turned away before he could see you and placed a palm on your forehead.

“Wow,” a voice said from beside you. Brad. “Didn’t know Parker had that in him.”

“Yeah,” you whispered, “me either.”

“Hey, where’s Lexi?” Someone in the room asked. You felt your heart drop. Lexi. You’d completely forgotten about her after that whole thing with Peter.

You had a show that needed to start in less than an hour and your star still hadn’t shown up.

You pulled out your phone again, pulling up her contact. You were about to hit the ‘call’ button but right then, Ms. Lightbody walked in.

She was holding her phone to her ear, and she was staring straight at you, her face full of dread.

“Lexi can’t make it. She’s got some type of flu, she can’t get out of bed. I am on the phone with her mother right now.”

Your jaw dropped. Chatter broke out everywhere. The kids were panicking, wondering what to do now, now that the lead of the whole show wasn’t going to be here.

Fuck. You should’ve known, yesterday when you saw her. But you were stupid enough to believe it was just lack of sleep. You should’ve figured it out faster so you could’ve planned something. Stupid, stupid, stupid-

“Miss Y/L/N.” You looked up when you heard your name. “She’s asking to speak to you.” Ms. Lightbody holds her phone out for you to take.

Your eyes widen, “Me?”

She nodded, hand still outstretched toward you. You swallowed and walked your way toward her. You reached for the phone and held it to your ear. The chatter around the room stopped, everyone straining to hear what was going to happen next.

“Hello?”

“It wasn’t the Axe Body Spray.”

You barked out a laugh at the unexpected joke. “Lex! Be serious, what happened.”

“I got sick when I got home from rehearsal yesterday, I’ve been asleep since.” It was then that you heard how different her voice sounded. Nasally and broken, like she’d swallowed a lawn mower.

“My mom’s only woken me up about twice to drink some medicine,” she continued, breaking into a fit of coughing at the end of her sentence. Yeah, maybe it was a good thing she didn’t come.

“Lex,” you repeated, sounding more desperate this time, “what’re we gonna do?”

“Wait,” someone in the room with you starts, “what about her understudy?”

“There is no understudy, dumbass!” Someone quipped right back.

“You,” Lexi said.

“Huh?” You replied.

“You, Y/N.” She repeated. “You need to do it. You need to play Stephanie. No one else could do it. You know all the lines. You know the whole play.”

You paled. “Be so fucking for real with me right now Lexi Walker.”

“I am.” She said seriously. Or, as seriously as she could sound when she had to cough after every other word she spoke.

People were leaning in now, trying to hear what was going on between the two of you. You ignored them, “Lex, there’s no way. You know I can’t do that.”

“Oh my god!” Someone shouted. Lacy. “Y/N! Y/N can do it!”

You shook your head quickly. “No! I can’t!” You replied to her, the phone still pressed to your ear.

“You have to, Y/N, please, for me. You know how much this means to me. You’re the only person I trust,” Lexi begged

There are shouts from your cast-mates now, encouraging you to take the role when that was the last thing you wanted to do.

“Lex, babe,” you tried to reason, “I didn’t rehearse as much as you did! I don’t know it like you.”

“No,” she agreed, “you know it better. All that time you spent, going over every detail of the set, the costumes, the script. It was for this. Now please, you know you can do it.”

You paused. You didn’t want to, but it was really looking like you had no choice. You looked around at everyone in the room, they all worked so hard, hell, you worked so hard to make this happen. You weren’t gonna let it all be for nothing.

You rubbed your temple with one hand, the other holding the phone up to your ear. “Do you guys really think I can do it?” You looked around at everyone, hoping they’d answer honestly.

A chorus of agreement rang out from the group but Ms. Lightbody stepped in. “Miss Y/L/N,” she started, “I know none of this has been ideal. And I know we’re asking a lot. You didn’t come in today expecting to step onto that stage, but right now, that’s what we need. And I think we would all appreciate your help in these unexpected circumstances.”

You stared at her for a moment. You always wondered why she spoke so formally all the time, maybe one day you’ll ask her.

“Sure, I’m down.” You shrugged and everyone started cheering.

“Oh good,” Lexi sighed, “cause I need to go throw up right now, so bye. Tell everyone to take lots of photos and videos for me please!”

You winced. “We will Lex, you just work on feeling better. Now go, I love you.”

“Love you too babe.” She replied before hanging up quickly.

“Alright,” Ms. Lightbody started pushing you to the makeup chairs. “Have a seat Y/N. Girls,” she turned toward the makeup crew. “Get started on her, afterward, take her to hair and then, get her into her costume.”

They all chorused an agreement and started fussing over you. You were one of the last people to get ready, everyone one else having already had their turn.

With so many people working on you, your makeup was done in no time. Soon, only Vanessa was left and she was powdering your face.

“Peter came back?” You asked her once you realized what she was holding in her hands.

She nodded. “Yeah, a few minutes ago, but he didn’t come in, left the stuff with the dude outside the door who’s calling himself our ‘bouncer’.”

You nodded, “Oh okay.”

“You’ve got a great boyfriend Y/N, seriously. Not many guys I know would help out like that, no matter…”

You zoned out while she was doing the finishing touches on your face. Not many guys you know either, Peter included. Or at least, the Peter you’d come to find yourself in a relationship with. The old Peter, however, would’ve done anything for you, and you for him. You got a glimpse of him earlier tonight and you wondered what it was that triggered that.

The few moments of silence gave you time to go over everything that's been happening recently in your head. You’ve had a hectic past few weeks, but especially this last week. With the last few rehearsals, everything with Peter, everything with Spider-Man. Oh…

And then there was him…

There was a moment yesterday. You tried to gaslight yourself into thinking you imagined it but you didn’t. It was real. Until you ruined it.

You’d gone to bed late last night, staying on the roof even after he’d left in case he decided to come back so you could apologize again. You’d felt downright terrible all night. And this morning.

It was none of your business to ask him to take off his mask. Who the hell did you think you were? There might’ve been something before but there was no way…not after the way he reacted last night. You’d pissed him off. And now you’d lost another friend.

“There you go!” Vanessa said, pulling back from your face and grinning. She held up a mirror for you to take a look. “What do you think? I think it matches Stephanie’s description pretty well, no?”

You gasped, “Oh my god Vanessa, this is exactly how I pictured her! When all this is over you have to teach me how to do my eyeliner like this.”

“Deal.” She grinned.

Suddenly, Ms. Lightbody walked by. “Who is that child standing outside the door?” She asked. Vanessa shot you a look and you subtly shook your head at her, and at anyone who turned towards you.

No one answered her. “He asked me for my ID?!” You choked back a laugh. “He doesn’t even go here!” She continued. Everyone successfully avoided her, playing busy with whatever task they had in front of them. Vanessa kept brushing over your face with a clean brush while you both fought back smiles.

“Y/N!” Ms. Lightbody called. You shot out of your chair and approached her. “Yes ma’am?”

“Is your makeup all done?” You nodded while she examined your face. “Very well, head over to hair, we need everyone ready soon! Curtain opens in 15!”

That last one was directed at everybody and you could feel the shift in the atmosphere. If everyone wasn’t working before, they were now.

You headed over to hair and let one of the people there pin it up for you. After that, you were held into your costume, your friends pulling on layer after layer before finally, you were completely ready.

You looked in the mirror. “I look I came out a Jane Austen novel,” you murmured.

Lacy, who stood beside you, laughed. “And it suits you! You look beautiful Y/N, stunningly classic. Very vintage.” She nodded in approval.

You turned towards her and smiled, “Thank you, Lace.” You sucked in a breath and ran your hand down the hem of your costume. “I’m nervous,” you admitted shyly.

“Don’t be,” she replied, voice soft. “Hey, if you could pull off that scavenger hunt, this should be a piece of cake.” She smirked wickedly at you.

You laughed, “Actually, you’re right.”

“I always am.” she shrugged

“SHOWTIME EVERYONE, GET IN YOUR PLACES!” Ms. Lightbody’s voice boomed across the whole backstage.

You both looked at each other. “Break a leg.” She grinned at you.

You grinned right back. You could handle this.

The anxiety from before had mostly worn off. Now, all you felt were nervous jitters and even a little excitement. Everyone was right, you knew everything about this play like the back of your hand, and you were looking forward to being out there with people you’d come to think of as friends.

You got into place, standing beside Brad and some of your other cast-mates who were going to be in this first scene with you.

“Hey,” he said, voice low and he looked down at you with a large smile on his face.

“Hi,” you replied, smiling right back.

“Don’t think I got the chance to tell you, but I’m really happy you’re doing this.”

“Yeah, I think I am too.”

“Curtain warmers on?” Ms. Lightbody spoke into a little headset. “Perfect. And…action!”

The lights blinded you for a second, once the curtain opened, and you had to stop yourself from turning your face away. In the beat you had before the scene came to life, you chanced a glance at the crowd. You really wished you hadn’t.

Peter Parker was sitting front row.

As quickly as you looked, you averted your gaze, but not before you noticed a few things. Beside him sat Ned, and in the row behind them, right behind Ned’s chair, sat MJ. And all three of them had their mouths hanging open. You had to fight down the heat threatening to rise to your face.

You never told them, hell, you didn’t even know. What were they gonna think? There was no way you could pull this off, you were all fooling yourselves, everyone was wrong and-

The first line was delivered, and it all came to life.

You were panting, running backstage. There was a small intermission at the moment, and you had just changed your outfit, from the simple gown you were adorning, to a bigger one. This one was more detailed and more eye-catching. It was supposed to be special because it was meant for the last scene of the whole play. The confession. Your kiss with Brad.

In the heat of the moment, you’d forgotten that specific detail. And as you sat down in the makeup chair again and one of the girls reapplied your lipstick, it was all you could think about.

You had to kiss Brad. And Peter would be sitting front row watching the whole thing.

That shouldn’t matter. First of all, it was all part of an act. Even if you were still with Peter, (which you weren’t. You had to keep reminding yourself of that little detail) it wouldn’t have mattered because you were doing it for the play. A play you weren’t even planning on being a part of, acting-wise, of course.

And then there was Spider-Man. If there was anyone you had to be kissing right now, you wished it was him. But there was no chance of that happening after last night. You wondered how he was feeling right now. He’d probably tell you to relax and stop stressing yourself out.

The thought made you take in a breath through your mouth, and slowly exhale from your nose. Just like he’d taught you. You felt yourself relax and, not for the first time that night, you decided that you needed to just get through tonight. And then you could worry about everything else.

The girl helping you with your makeup (you didn’t recognize her, but appreciated the help nonetheless) pulled away and smiled. “Alright, I think you’re good to go.”

“Thank you.” You smiled back and stood from your chair.

Ms. Lightbody approached you, placing a hand on your shoulder, “Come on, Miss Y/L/N. We need to get you in place.”

You nodded as she led you to the wing on the side of the stage, the curtains were still down, and by the time they opened again, you would be standing on the makeshift balcony (built by the props team), soon to be joined by Brad.

You went to approach the steps of the balcony when you felt her hold you back.

“I wanted to thank you again Y/N. I know we were all planning on Miss Walker doing all this but honestly…I couldn’t be prouder.”

Your heart warmed at her confession. You were upset you didn’t get to see Lexi shine like you’d been planning but you hoped you’d do her proud. You were glad to know you did Ms. Lightbody proud.

Without saying a word, you throw your arms around her in a warm embrace. She quickly reciprocated.

“I know we’ve all given you a hard time these past few weeks, and we don’t say it enough but we appreciate you. All of us.”

You both pulled back and her eyes were full of emotion. “Thank you Y/N, truly. Now go, I’ll get Mr. Davis ready.”

You nodded and stepped onto the set, positioning yourself at the end of the balcony. The balcony protruded from the side of the stage and covered a quarter of it. The backdrop you’d been appreciating just yesterday now stood to your side. You saw parts of it glitter from the light leaking in from backstage and you stifled a laugh.

Soon, the curtain opened. You’d grown used to the lights by now, welcoming their glow over your face. You gripped the railing and played broken-hearted, right now, Stephanie and Gabriel had just had a falling out during a ball and you had run out onto the balcony to get some air.

“Stephanie.” Brad approached behind you, and you turned around in fake shock.

The hardest part about acting, you’d come to find, was keeping a serious face and not laughing at yourself or your partner.

“Leave me be, Gabriel.” You waved a hand at him, turning away.

He caught your arm and held it gently between the two of you, standing so close, you were trapped between the railing and him.

“I can’t,” he said, his voice strangled. He looked down at you, face so pained, you almost believed him.

And so it began, the two of you going back and forth, delivering your lines, monologues about your feelings for each other, and how nothing in the world mattered except holding the other person, even for a moment.

Brad was finishing up, he was pacing back and forth in front of you while you listened intently.

“…And all this, because I love you.” He stopped in front of you now, hands coming up to cup your face. You did your best to get your expression to convey the love you (or Stephanie) were supposed to be feeling and then it happened.

Brad leaned, crashing his lips onto yours. You throw your arms around him, meeting him just as eagerly, and tried your best not to think about all the people currently watching suck each other’s faces off. One of his hands traveled down to your waist while the other moved from your cheek to hold the back of your head as he dipped you. Cheers broke out across the crowd.

You two stayed locked together like that for a few moments as the curtains closed, and then you broke apart. You were both panting, faces flushed, but you didn’t have time to think about what just happened. You and Brad had started moving off the balcony and onto the actual stage itself, the other members of the cast and crew joining you to take the final bow.

You all lined up across the stage, hands interlocked. With you and Brad in the middle, the curtains opened. You could still hear the applause before, but now, it got even louder and you couldn’t help the big smile that overtook your face. People were whistling, and clapping, someone was even throwing roses. You all took a bow together, and rose together, throwing your interlocked hands in the air.

Your body was buzzing with adrenaline. It was over, you’d actually done it. You could see Ms. Lightbody standing to the side, gleaming with pride at you all.

Soon, you all let go of each other and started embracing and exchanging congratulations. Brad turned toward you and pulled you into a tight hug, lifting you up a little. You laughed, holding onto him just as tight. The applause seemed never-ending, even as you all started walking off stage.

Now backstage, there was a buzz in the air. Not the same as a couple hours ago, which had been anxiety and nerves. This was triumph, pride, and adrenaline.

“Alright everyone,” Ms. Lightbody approached the center of the room once everyone had reconvened. “We’ve finally finished. And it was a hit.”

That caused everyone to start whooping and shouting. She rolled her eyes but even she couldn’t hide the smile creeping onto her face.

She held up a hand, “Okay. I just wanted to let you all know, how proud I am of each and every single one of you. You all worked so hard to make this happen and you worked through every problem that came your way.” She gave you a pointed look and the cheers started up again.

You hid your face in your hands as your friends pulled you into side hugs. “And I just wanted to say,” she continued. “We’ve all had a long night. Leave the cleaning for another day, everyone, go celebrate!”

She waved her hands and everyone started cheering again, moving as one to the back door to meet up with their friends and family.

As soon as you entered the hall you were bombarded by thanks and praises from your friends. You thanked them and threw their compliments right back at them, saying that this whole thing was a group effort.

You were flying from one group to another, everyone shouting your name. You were currently with Noah, Jack, and Lacy, telling them how good a job they did on the sets when you heard your name being shouted out again.

You turned around and saw MJ. Grinning, you excused yourself from the group and charged at her, pulling her into a hug without giving her any time to protest. To your surprise, she pulled you in just as tight.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She mumbled into your hair.

“Oh my god,” you started, “MJ it was insane. It all happened so fast, that Lexi got sick, so she didn’t show up! And I knew all the lines and stuff so I had to step in cause no one thought of casting an understudy and-,”

You pulled back from the hug but kept your hands on her shoulders. “Oh my god, what did you think? Was it bad? You can tell me -,”

“No! No way, holy shit Y/N, it was so good!”

“Seriously?” you smiled at her. “What happened to the whole ‘school productions are so cringe’ mindset?”

“That was before her best friend was starring in one,” said Ned. You hadn’t realized he was standing beside you two, with Peter beside him.

“Don’t worry, Y/N,” He continued. “The show was amazing. And you popping up on stage was a fun surprise.”

You grinned at him. “Thank you, Ned! I’m so happy you all made it.” You looked at Peter and offered him a small smile. He’d really helped you out today, and the fact that he’d made it to the actual show, and stuck it out till the end, meant a lot as well.

“Oh of course we made it!” Ned cut it, putting your attention back on him. “Petey here wouldn’t shut up about it. Went out and bought you flowers and everything.”

Your mouth fell open at his words, and for the first time, you noticed the large bouquet in Peter’s arms. You saw Peter nudge his friend hard and Ned winced before his face lit up in understanding. He grabbed MJ by the hand (which she quickly yanked back from him) and said, “Ok, well we’re gonna go talk to someone else. Congrats Y/N!” But you didn’t have a chance to reply before he was scurrying off, MJ with him.

You stared at them for a bit before turning all your attention to Peter. He cleared his throat before saying, “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“These are for you,” he said, holding out the bouquet of fresh flowers. You accepted them from him and brought them up to your nose, taking in a whiff of the sweet scent.

“My favorite.” You whispered, fingers lightly tracing the petals.

He nodded. “Yeah, um, I saw them and I thought you might like them. Especially with everything, you know,” he gestured vaguely, “thought you’d like some flowers.”

Your heart warmed at the thought that he saw your favorite flowers while he was out and thought of you. “Thank you, really. But you didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.” He admitted.

You looked around, unable to meet his eyes. You focused on the floor, “Well thanks Parker, that was really sweet of you.”

He sighed, “Y/N please, I don’t want to-,”

But he got cut off by someone shouting your name. “Y/N!” Brad approaches you two. He looked Peter up and down before turning to you, “Hey, so the whole cast and stuff is going out for ice cream in our costumes, thought it’d be fun. Wanna join?”

Your face lit up, “Of course!”

He grinned right back at you. “Great. Come on, they’re leaving now.

You turned towards Peter, whose expression looked harder than before. “Listen, thank you so much for your help today, it means a lot. And thank you for the flowers.”

He nodded but his attention was on Brad. He finally turned toward you, his expression notably softening, “Like I said before, anything for you Y/N/N.”

You stayed there for a bit, caught in his eyes, unable to look away. It isn’t until Brad places a hand on your shoulder that you realize you’ve been staring.

“Ready to go?” He asked. You nodded and turned to leave. As you were walking out the door, you turned to look over your shoulder. You weren’t even sure why, but as you did, you caught Peter already staring. You sent him a little wave and he returned it before turning and walking away himself, shoving his hands in his pockets.

You walked to the ice cream shop with the others, still holding your flowers. And after everything that happened today, all you could think about was Peter.

You had a blast. The ice cream shop was packed with a bunch of high school kids in old-timesy clothing, laughing and joking with each other.

Brad had paid for your ice cream, despite your multiple refusals, claiming that they all owed you for stepping in and saving their asses.

“Consider it a thank you for that great kiss earlier.” He winked before walking off.

That had gotten you to shut up.

You all sat at tables surrounding each other, even pushing some together. You ate your ice cream in peace, joining the conversation every now and then to make a joke.

Someone had gotten Lexi on the phone and you all said hello. She congratulated you and you thanked her, letting her know you thought it should’ve been her on that stage instead. She made some joke about ‘if you wanted the whole front row to be covered in vomit, then I totally should’ve been there, you’re right.’ And you all laughed.

You had noticed Jack and Lacy moved to their own spot across the store. They were laughing together with Jack’s arm around her cocooning them from the world. It seemed they had finally gotten together and you couldn’t be more happy for them.

For some reason, the only thing on your mind was Spider-Man. It was silly but all you could think about was finding a way to make things right with him. It sucked that you had no way to reach him, but you’d decided to wait on the roof tonight, hoping he’d see you while swinging and stop by. Even if he left right after you apologized, you wouldn’t mind. You just wanted to see him.

You realized how late it was getting, and that it was usually now when you met up with him. So you'd asked Martha, (her mom helped with costumes, but she worked on the props) for a ride back since she had a car and lived in an apartment building near yours.

She quickly agreed, claiming she was ready to go too, but she had to walk back to the school to grab her car.

So you’d waited, but you couldn’t fight off your anxiety. Your leg kept bouncing up and down. You stayed like that for a while before Brad put a hand on your knee, stopping the action.

“You alright,” he asked, some sort of half-smile on his face. You looked at him then and thought, I can see why people like you Brad. He was kind, he was funny, he was fairly handsome, pretty popular too. And yet all you could think about was heading back home and waiting for someone you didn’t even really know.

You nodded, “Yeah, I’m just waiting for Martha to pull up.”

“I could walk you home if you wanted.” He offered.

You smiled but shook your head, “No, but thank you, I’m kind of in a rush.”

“Everything alright?”

“Everything’s fine.” You assured him. “Just…tired.”

“Yeah,” he nodded at you. “I get that. But hey.”

You looked up at him expectantly.

“Before you go there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

Your eyes shot open. “Oh?” You said, and it felt oddly reminiscent of that moment the two of you shared in the hall.

“Yeah. Would you wanna go out with me sometime?”

“Like a date?” You blurted out. Like an idiot, you thought. You knew it was coming and yet you’re acting like he just told you he was Taylor Swift.

He smiled at you and nodded, “Yeah, like a date.”

Oh Martha, where are you?

You were silent for a few seconds before you cleared your throat. There was no crawling away this time, no Peter running to interrupt. You had to face this.

“I really like you Brad but…I can’t out with you.”

His expression fell a little, but he didn’t look surprised. “It’s Parker, isn’t it?”

You were taken aback. “Huh?”

He nodded his head towards and flowers lying in your lap, “Parker. I saw you two today. When he was helping before the show, that was all for you. He sat front row before he even knew you were going to be on that stage.”

You blew out a breath and ran a hand through your hair, which you’d taken out of its updo. “I don’t know.” You told him honestly. “I don’t know and that’s the problem. Things are still really weird between me and him, and going out with you? That wouldn’t be fair to me or you.” And the other person you couldn’t wait to see.

He nodded again, understanding coating his features. “I get that, but hey,” he smiled at you, “we’re still friends right?”

You grinned wide, relief flowing through you. The last thing you’d wanted to do was hurt his feelings and you were so glad he was taking this so well.

“Of course we are,” you replied honestly. Right then, your phone started ringing and you stood up to answer. Martha was outside waiting for you.

You walked back to your table, saying your goodbyes to everyone. You were pulled into hugs and thanked a few more times. You really wanted to take your time but you couldn’t stop the part of you that wanted to rush home and sprint onto the rooftop.

As soon as you were out the door you were sprinting to the car. You spent the whole ride anxiously fiddling with the bouquet of flowers from Peter.

You barely thanked her as you stepped out the door, closing it and waving goodbye as she pulled away.

You rushed straight up the stairs, wasting no minute. You felt hopeful, for the first time in a long time. You were going to make sure he knew you were sorry, make sure the two of you remained friends.

You stepped onto the roof, the wind blowing around you. Only then did you realize you were still in your costume. That didn’t matter though, you didn’t want to risk going down to change. And you were sure that if he did stop by tonight, he would love to hear about the crazy day you had.

You stepped close to the ledge, setting the bouquet down by your feet and you leaned over slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of the hero you’d come to think of as a friend.

A weird sense of familiarity washed over you, and you realized, this was exactly what you’d been doing a few hours ago. Standing on that makeshift balcony, waiting for your lover to come so you could make amends. Except, this wasn’t a fake balcony, and there was no way you and Spider-Man were lovers, barely friends at best. But still, there was something familiar there.

You waited. And waited. Just when you were starting to give up hope, you heard the small thwip you’d come to realize signaled his arrival. Soon after, you heard a pair of feet land in the middle of your rooftop.

You turned toward him, heart racing. For a moment neither of you said anything, just stared at each other, but you quickly decided you needed to get your words out before he left again like last night.

“I am so sorry. I’ve been so worried since last night that I upset you and I can't stand it, please would you-,”

Oh….oh.

Before you could even inhale to get your next word out, he was walking towards you, ripping his mask off, gripping your face, and pulling you into a deep kiss.

You didn’t even get to see him but that was the last thought on your mind. He was kissing you. And it was perfect. Your hands flew up to his hair, and you tugged slightly, making him kiss you even harder.

His mouth moved against yours like he’d been waiting his whole life to do this, and couldn’t believe he finally got the chance. You met him just as eagerly, for each kiss, trying to memorize the feeling of his lips on yours.

Something about this, all of it, felt so, so familiar. But every time you made to pull away, his lips chased yours and you couldn’t help but give in.

Soon enough you both pulled away to catch your breaths, eyes still shut as you leaned into each other, foreheads touching. You enjoyed the moment for a bit, and then you opened your eyes, about to make a joke about how that was an interesting way to accept an apology.

You gasped out loud, hands flying up to cover your mouth as you stumbled backward.

“Oh my god,” you whispered. “Oh my god.”

“Y/N/N, I’m so sorry,” he says. Peter says. Because it’s Peter standing in front of you right now and he didn’t seem to be the least bit taken aback by your reaction.

You’re unsure what to say to him, your head is reeling and you can't breathe.

“Oh my god,” you repeated, your voice barely a breath.

“Y/N, please, please let me explain.” He stepped toward you and reached out a hand.

You shook your head so quick, that you thought you might give yourself whiplash. “No. This,” you pointed at him, “is so sick, Peter.” Your voice broke at the end and you tried to fight back the tears that were already burning in your eyes.

His eyes widened. “Y/N I promise you, it’s not what you think-,”

“What do you think I think Peter?” You asked him, voice full of exasperation. “Because I think, you lied to me. I think, you played me for a fool. I think, you’re sick and twisted for sitting here with me every night and playing friends with me. Asking me about my day, pretending to care. Fuck, asking me about my ex. Continuously,

“I think,” you continued, tears flowing freely now, voice shaky and weak, but still conveying your anger. “I think you got me to trust you, again. Just so you could stomp all over every bit of me, again!”

“It’s not like that Y/N, it was never like that. Please, believe me, sweetheart. Please don’t cry.” He begged, looking like it was taking every muscle in his body to hold himself back from pulling you in again.

“Why should I believe you?” You snapped at him. It was hard for him to believe that, just a minute ago, he was holding you again. Kissing you like nothing else in the world mattered. He’d give anything to have that back.

“Because every moment we had out here was real! Every concern, every question. I was never playing pretend, I just, ugh!” He groaned out loud, dropping his head in his hands, and tugging his hair tightly before looking up at you again. “I fucked up Y/N,” his voice is watery, and because you can’t undo the time you spent together, as Peter and as Spider-Man, you can’t help the strong impulses you feel to hold him tight. But you stand your ground and wait for him to continue.

“First when I didn’t tell you about this,” he said gesturing towards his suit. “Which has its own reasons. And then again, when I bailed on you all those times, which was because of this. And again when I let you walk away from me that night at school. I should’ve fought for you, I should’ve shown up more, I should’ve shown up every time and never given you any reason to not trust me,

“But I didn’t. And you called things off… And at that moment, all I could think was you, walking down the streets of New York, crying, and distracted.” He shuddered and your heart fell. You’d never thought of it like that. “You don’t know the things I’ve seen,” he said, looking up at you, eyes red and face flushed.

“So I thought I’d just walk you home, make sure you got there safely, and then I’d start staying away. But it was you,” his voice broke. “And you were so upset and all I could think was that it’s my fault and I hated myself. So when you invited me to hang out on the roof with you, I thought I’d show up, try to cheer you up a little,

“And you made me tea, that night,” he laughed softly. “I don’t think you even realized, but you made it the way I always drink my tea. My favorite.” Your mouth fell open a little when you realized you had, in fact, made his favorite tea that night. He’d told you during a late-night conversation before you two had started dating, and ever since, it was the only tea you drank.

“So I had to stay,” he continued. “And then we started talking, and you were joking, and telling me things I had no idea about. And I never wanted to leave,” he admitted softly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You asked him, pointing at his mask on the floor, voice raspy from the tears still clogged in your throat. “When we were still together? I’ll bet that's why you were always bailing, isn’t it?”

He looked down and nodded. “It is. Or was. I wanted to,” he looked up at you suddenly, his face so sincere, that you could feel the desperation in his next words. “God Y/N, you have no idea how many times I almost did. But I stopped myself every time because the risks of you knowing were too high.”

“Risks?” You asked confused.

He nodded, “I’ve met a lot of people. Bad people. And if the one catches wind of this, of you? If someone ever tried something, I’d never forgive myself.” He looked away shaking his head.

“So no one knows?”

He shook his head again. “Only Ned and May.”

“Ned knows?” You knew they were best friends, but really?

“It's not like that, no.” He waved his hand. “He found out by accident. He was waiting in my room one day, and I crawled in through the window ‘cause I didn’t see him.”

You huff out a breath from your nose. That was so Peter. You’d bet money that May found out in some similar situation.

“Wait,” you started, “if we went through all of that, and you still didn’t tell me, why tell me now?”

“Because I can’t stand to be away from you any longer.” His voice sounded broken, like he’d been dying to get that off his chest.

He stepped closer again, and you didn’t push him away this time, much to his surprise. He doesn’t stop until he’s standing right in front of you.

“I’ll protect you from anything or anyone that may come your way. I’d do anything for you sweetheart,” he repeated his words from earlier and you felt something grow in your chest. One of his hands came up to cup your cheek, the other, moving to your waist. Your hands rose up to lay on his chest.

“God, you have no idea how much it was killing me to sit beside you all those nights and not be able to touch you.” He whispered, staring straight into your eyes.

You met his gaze. You believed him, every word. You’d known Peter for years, you knew when he was lying to you, which was part of why you broke up with him. You knew he was lying to you, or holding something back from you, you just didn’t know what. But you still had a few more questions.

“Last night. Why did you run off? Why didn’t you just tell me then?”

“Because I was a coward,” he admitted, expression sad. “I was enjoying it all too much, I wasn’t ready to ruin it yet. I still couldn’t believe I found a way to still talk to you, and you were asking to see me,” he blew out a breath.

Yeah, obviously that didn’t initially start well.

You nodded. “And when you kept asking me about you. About my ex and how I felt about him, why?” That part still had you confused

He looked up, closing his eyes, “I won’t lie to you sweetheart, that was just me being a dumbass. That was complete selfishness and…,”

He trailed off. “And what?” You questioned him. There was some unspoken thing you two were doing right now, that you could ask anything, and he’d answered honestly. It was the least he could do.

“And jealously,” he finished quietly, looking down at the ground.

“Jealousy?” You repeated, still confused. “But who would you be jealous of…oh.”

And it was then that you realized how you’d talked about Brad to Spider-Man (before you knew who he was of course), and how, right after, when he’d asked about Peter, you’d said something about just trying to forget the whole thing. You had to hold back a laugh when you remembered all that. Poor guy must’ve been going insane.

He nodded. “You kept talking about that Brad guy and talking about trying to get over me. And I hated that you seemed to be getting over me so quick. Like I said, completely selfish. I'm sorry.”

“No,” you shook your head, “that makes sense actually. But seriously Peter..” You trailed off, shaking your head again.

Worry crept onto his features, “I know I messed up Y/N/N, big time, but I’m willing to do anything-,”

“You really thought I was into Brad?” You asked, wrinkling your nose up at him.

He let out a breath of relief, before laughing a little. God, he was so happy you were joking with him.

He leaned down and pressed his forehead against yours, “I’m sorry sweetheart.”

“You’re forgiven,” you told him, the sincerity in your tone impossible to miss, and he knew you were talking about more than the crazy jealousy.

He looked down into your eyes, his gaze so intense you almost went to look away. “I’m the luckiest man alive,” he whispered, his voice so low, you wondered if he even meant to say it out loud.

His eyes flickered down to your lips, and you took that as your cue. You leaned in, closing the gap between you. He kissed you back instantly. It was softer than the one earlier, but way more meaningful. Every press of his lips on yours felt like repairing something. Mending whatever it was that had broken between the two of you.

You pulled away first because you knew he wouldn’t, but he didn’t let you get far. He started planting kisses all over your face.

"Have I told you," Kiss. "How beautiful," Kiss. "I think you look tonight? And every night."

You laughed, face heating up at his compliments. "Thank you, Petey."

"I love it when you call me that." He said, grinning like a lovesick idiot. He leaned in and kissed your cheek one more time before he pulled away again.

"I didn't like it." He said, a frown on his face.

"Didn't like what babe?" You asked, tilting your head up at him while your fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

He let out a sigh, "The breakup. Being broken up. Not talking to you, as me, I mean. Not as Spider-Man. And I sure as hell didn't like seeing some other guy make out with my girl in front of everyone."

You laughed and you felt butterflies erupt in your stomach when he called you his girl. "Well don't worry," you told him, moving your hands to cup his face. "We're not doing that again, not if we can help it."

You leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips, before pulling away, which made him whine.

He moved his hands to your shoulder as he buried his face in your neck, breathing in your scent.

“You drive me crazy, sweetheart.” He said, voice muffled by your skin.

You giggled, “You drive me crazier, Peter Parker.”

‘crazier’ taglist: @coralineyouareinterribledanger @666yourmomdotcom

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ephemeral--dreams · 2 years

Text

Making you cry during a fight - Kaveh, Alhaitham

(part 2)

☆ ☾ ☆ ──────────────────

Kaveh

Kaveh… Had a tendency to get caught up in the moment. He says things he may not mean, does things he usually wouldn't do, entirely swept up in the tide of his emotions. He did not always pause to think things through, and it had gotten him into trouble many, many times before.

That impulsivity was a curse in this moment, when his own shouting rings in his ears, too late to take back.

The tiny, choked little sobs you let out are heart wrenching. Kaveh couldn't even remember why he was shouting a moment ago. The only thing running through his mind was the sight of your tear stricken face, and the awful guilt that came with it. He should know better than to raise his voice at you, should've known it would set you off like this.

"Sorry… S… I'm sorry…"

Any anger or frustration he felt before entirely melted away at your words. As emotional as he himself is (too emotional, according to a certain someone), it's easy to be pulled in by what you're feeling right now. The urge to leave and hide from his actions was strong, but the pull to comfort you was stronger. Let it not be said that he wouldn't face the consequences of his actions.

With little warning, he tugged you into his embrace, trying to calm you with the contact. "No, I'm sorry, I- I shouldn't have yelled at you. You didn't deserve that."

"N-no, I… I'm the one that shouldn't be crying over it."

So the both of you were blaming yourselves. Great job, Kaveh, look what you did…

"You shouldn't be crying, but only because I shouldn't have made you," Kaveh told you, pulling back a bit to wipe away your tears. "Let's just agree that this won't happen again, okay? Good."

Alhaitham

You always started fights over the most idiotic things. He was lenient with it because he cared for you. Anyone else who bothered him this much would promptly be ignored. He had noise cancelling earpieces for a reason, after all. Alhaitham was an unfortunately busy man, so he'd rather not spend his downtime bickering with you. Didn't he do that enough with Kaveh already?

It had been a rough day. He was rather irritable at how many tasks he'd been forced to deal with at the Akademiya - just when where they going to find a new Grand Sage so that he could stop taking over the role? Alhaitham had no desire to spend any more time working than necessary, and this simply wasn't the position he had signed up for.

Usually he would mind the way he spoke to you more carefully. You were one of very few people that he willingly chose to keep close to him, so driving you away like he did to others would be less than ideal to maintaining things the way he wanted them. Yet even he, with all his calculation, could slip up occasionally.

That is, perhaps his words were too harsh. Alhaitham certainly hadn't meant to make you cry. Yet here he stood, for once entirely unable to take action as you tried to wipe away your own tears.

He'd admit it was an unpleasant sight. There were few things that could make him feel upset or guilty in any way, that make his chest ache, but it seemed this was one of them. Usually, it didn't matter to him whether his words made someone react badly, but… Alhaitham wasn't going to deny that he regretted snapping at you.

"…Alright, come here. Let's not waste time crying," he pulled you down to sit with him, taking your hands into his, thumbs rubbing in soothing circles. "I apologize. I'll make certain not to be so blunt with you next time."

"S-sorry, I know you'd rather be reading than dealing with th-"

"Hush. No more of that line of thought. You're not a burden. I wouldn't be here if you were," it's not something you can deny. He does do his best to avoid anything troublesome, and you know it. Alhaitham leans in to press a kiss to your forehead, feather-light, and resolves to be more careful with your heart.

#alhaitham x reader #kaveh x reader #genshin impact x reader #Headcanon hours

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lil-spider · 9 months

Text

Oh Sweet Girl

Chapter 2: Average arvo with Johnny

Part 1 : Part 3

Paring: Johnny Slaughter x Female Reader

Summary: You and your boyfriend are two Australians backpacking through Texas and hitching a lift with Johnny. He becomes enamoured with you, but not so much with your boyfriend.

Note: Sorry for not posting frequently, I’ve been caught up playing BG3 since it finally came to Xbox last month and it’s taken over my life lol.

Warning: This is 18+ and please! Do not read if you’re sensitive to graphic material containing heavy descriptions of non/con, blood, assault, objectification and death. For those who don’t mind I hope you enjoy.

During the tedious walk, Johnny took it upon himself to feel you up. His rough hand grazes across your shoulder, sliding it down and along your spine. Tiny shivers cascade along your body.

He hungrily gropes the fat of your ass, squeezing it tightly. He mummers profanities to himself while admiring you, inching closer to you; the sharp knife poking your back is replaced with his hard-clothed cock, now grinding against your ass. ”Fuck it, I need you now.” He groans after finally arriving at the truck.

He shoves and holds you against the truck while he opens the driver's seat door. Your then manhandled onto the seat, pushed in so your sweaty chest is flat against the withered seat, your hot skin sticking uncomfortably to the leather. You're just on your tiptoes with your ass vulnerably poking out.

You swallow dryly, trying not to glance up. Noah’s body is right across from you; his blood is painted everywhere, staining the interior of the truck. You don't have the courage to keep looking at the horrible mess.

Johnny regains your attention by grinding his hips against yours. He leans over you, making his cock press harder against your nether regiens as he grabs some blood-stained rope lying on the floor where the pedals are. He leans back up, tugging your wrists along with him and tying them behind your back. With what seems routine, he ties them tightly and perfectly together, rendering you helpless.

“Please let me go.” You whimper, sinvelling and praying he has a smidge of sympathy in him to not continue his plans.

“Sweet little cocktease like you need a good ol' fuckin." He slaps your supple thighs, dragging his hands back up to your daisy dukes. “Wearing jeans, this fucking short is just beggin' for it.” Johnny says while squeezing your cheeks with both hands.

His fingers hook onto the belt loops and drag your jeans and shorts down to your dirty boots. You are almost fully exposed, except for black cotton underwear covering your most delicate area.

You focus on flexing your fingers, hoping for them to get some blood flow, while ignoring Johnny rubbing his thick fingers along your clothed cunt, but he presses down on your hard nub, causing you to flinch in surprise as he starts rubbing it tantalisingly well.

He crouches down to watch your lower body submit. The twitches and shivers you do from just having your clit touched, and if he rubs just right, your pussy soaks your panties.

Johnny leans in further and gently blows on the wet patch on your underwear. making you gasp, rubbing your thighs in shame.

"You're enjoying this, aren't ya' sweetheart?" He teases while you shake your head in disagreement, stubbornly denying the throbbing between your legs.

Johnny places his fingers on the sides of your thin underwear, carefully sliding them down your smooth legs to your boots and bundling them with your jeans. You feel his hot breath on your wet, vulnerable flesh. Your pussy unwillingly clenches, hungry for stimulation.

He wolf-whistles, placing his large hands on your warm thighs and spreading them to get a better view of your wet heat. “You got a very pretty pussy darlin'." He compliments you as he slides a finger amongst your wetness, exploring as he finds your little nub again. The suddenness of his finger rubbing the sensitive organ quickly forces you to jerk your hips away. He chuckles at your reaction and continues playing with your cunt.

Now he experimentally slips only one thick finger into your drenched hole. You whine and clench around his finger; you haven’t had sex in a while, you and Noah were too busy for it, leaving you already pent up.

He is fascinated by how tight your pussy is. Feeling the addicting sensation of your gummy walls makes his cock twitch. He bites his bottom lip, thinking about how good you’ll feel around his cock. You’re going to become the best cocksleeve, massaging his cock every night with your cunt.

“I'm gonna' stretch ya' out nicely for me.” He slides his single finger in and out while his other thumb rubs your clit softly.

“Please stop this.” You cry out while, arguably, grinding yourself back onto his hands. You take big breaths, trying to conceal moans, refusing to give in, but he speeds up, rubbing your throbbing clit faster, making you lose concentration. You bite your lip, but the moans slip out.

“That’s a girl, enjoying it.” Johnny replaces his fingers with his hot tongue. Dragging the wet muscles up and down your vulva and pushing it inside your heat. You whine, feeling his tongue sliding inside you. Sweat drips from your forehead as your breathing intensifies.

You're tied up, getting your pussy devoured out in the open by your boyfriend's murderer, and you're blissfully enjoying it. You thrust your hips back into his face, his tongue making you forget, for a second, what he did.

You whimper as he licks down to your clit. You accidentally glance at Noah's cold, dead hands, and tears well up in your eyes. You start apologising in muffled tears while Johnny presses his lips onto your nub, sucking it. You feel the tension in your stomach building, and your legs twitch each time he sucks too harshly. You pant, pressing your heated face against the cool leather. Just when you get close, he pulls away. You breathe deeply, trying to calm your body.

Johnny pulls up your leg, removing your shorts and panties tangled at your feet, and throws them away. He palms his hardness at the sight of you. Your bare body is shivering in your boots while your cute cunt twitches, just begging to be filled with his cock.

It’s quiet except for the hum of the truck; you hear the shuffling of his boots; you look back and see a black shirt being tossed; and then the familiar sound of a belt being unbuckled and jeans dropping. Your heart starts racing knowing what’s about to happen; you're conflicted, you don’t want it, and yet you're aching to have him inside.

You feel his hard cock sliding against your wetness. Lubing his dick before slowly pushing it in. He thankfully takes it slow, as the stretch is painful. He’s massive. You can feel yourself tearing the more he goes in.

“Too much!” You yell as he holds your hips tighter, continuing to push all the way in. Once his cock has been fully englufed, he stays still, relishing in your sweet, tight cunt.

“Fuck baby, your tight.” He grits as you clench around him and finally adjust to his size. You’ve never taken anyone this big, and it shows. You don’t hold back your moans as he starts thrusting, hitting a spot that makes you drool.

He slows his thrusts and moves a hand to rub at your neglected clit. He tortures your poor clit, by flicking and pinching it. You're so close to cumming. You beg Johnny not to stop.

Your orgasm suddenly vanished to disappointment as Johnny stopped moving. "Whyyy?" You question whining, grinding your ass on him, trying to get him to move again.

He removes his hand from your clit and grips your wrists forcing you to stand back your wobbly legs. "I wanna see your face when you cum". He whispers, sliding his nose along my neck up to my ear.

He opens the back seat door and pushes you in. You clumsily climb with your knees onto the seat as he gets in right behind you. Your hips get grabbed and lifted over his lap. His cock slides easily right back inside you, filling you up again. You groan, resting your head on his strong shoulder… Your bare heated bodies pressed up against each other. Johnny grunts, thrusting up, holding you close.

You sit up while Johnny slides his rough hands along your curves, landing them back on your bare chest. "Such a pretty girl". He groaned, squeezing your breasts, massaging them, making you clench your walls around him.

"Come on darlin' ride me". He says as he places a nipple in his mouth, sucking it. The closed space in the truck makes it humid. You feel gross knowing that Noah is behind you, but the sensation of Johnny playing with your breasts distracts you.

You adjust your thighs, making yourself sit deeper on his cock and begin to bounce.

"That's a good girl" he relaxes his hands on your hips, watching your chest sway. You fuck him hard on him, steaming up the car. He places his thumb on your clit again, rubbing it in delicate circles. You're so close to cumming.

"Fuck that is baby yeah." Johnny slaps your ass, as you continue fucking yourself on him, your thighs get sore and you start grinding on him, pushing your chest in his face. He keeps rubbing your clit, and despite the soreness in your muscles, you finally cum, hard, whining into his neck as you shake.

"That's it, good girl, cum on me just like that." He grunts, thrusting himself up into you, chasing his own release.

"Johnnyyy". You whine his name right before he kisses you, shoving his tongue in your mouth. While holding you tight as he pounds you from below.

He cums inside you, he stares into your eyes, and the look he gives as he pumps you full of his cum sends shivers down your spine. You are so exhausted, emotionally and physically. You don't fight as Johnny manoeuvres you.

He slips his cock out of your drenched hole and places you down gently on the seats. He gets up and leaves. You hear boots shuffling and banging noises against the truck. Johnny comes back redressed and drags you out of the vehicle by your legs. He lifts you up and carries you to the back of the truck.

You try to struggle out of his grasp, failing as he plops down on your back. The cold metal bubbles goosebumps along your flushed skin. Johnny reaches over to some old bloodied rope, wrapping your legs up tightly and making sure you can't run off.

Your lust-fogged brain is starting to clear as fear floats in. The realisation of your situation is starting to shift into full gear.

Looking around, you try to find something that could help cut the rope. There is a rusty tool box and more rope left lying about. All to be splattered with more dried blood. You’re not the first victim.

Johnny proceeds to pat your thigh and jump off the tray. “Don’t leave me here, please!” You yell, wiggling in your restraints. He ingores your pleas, slams the tray shut, and walks away. You begin to shiver from the cold wind brushing on your bare skin. You curl up into the foetal position, trying to keep warm.

You hear more doors slam shut, and Johnny reappears with Noah's corpse hanging limply over his broad shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He heaves him off and throws him right next to you. The impact of him being thrown in carelessly causes his cold blood to spray over your body, making you gasp loudly in surprise.

Your dry lips quiver as you hold back tears, hearing Johnny's mocking laugh as he goes to the driver's seat. Panic sets in as the vehicle starts driving back to the road. The tears you were holding back before started pouring out. The trucks start speeding up along the bumpy road, and your poor body roughly smacks against the truck when going over a pothole.

Not wanting to focus on the dead man laying near, you turn to look up at the beautiful stars above, wondering where Johnny is taking you.

#johnny slaughter #texas chainsaw game #texas chainsaw massacre #the texas chainsaw massacre #johnny slaughter x reader #johnny slaughter fanfic #tcm fanfic

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auroragehenna · 1 year

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AI-less Whumptober

Day 3 Blackmail (alternate)

TW/CW: Creepy/intimate Whumper, blackmail (duh), threats towards loved ones, knife, start of torture (fading into black), paranoia Words: 771

Maybe it had been a mistake to get take away today of all times. One of her favourites. Before she could even sit down the loud electronical ding-dong of the doorbell over tuned the series she was watching. What was going on? Did her mother come back early from her trip anyway? Wouldn’t make sense, she said she’d stay with her friend for the night. And her brother was in ‘Graubünden’. The hairs on her whole body stood up but she walked in the dark room towards the door. There she carefully peaked through the windows in the door and saw Adam. She gulped and as much as it terrified her to do so she unlocked and opened the door. “What are you doing here?”

Adam took a step towards her, now nearly standing on the edge of the door. Just felt like popping in, I hope I didn’t annoy anybody?”, he inquired innocently, even though he of course already knew the answer.

“Only me, the other’s aren’t here right now.”

“I see…” Adam’s grin grew predatory “So? How are Sam and Dean doing?”

Lyra froze. How did he know that?! The thought that he really could read her mind flashed in her brain but she tried to ignore it. With a, as she hoped, secure grin she replied: “They’re not living ‘la vida-loca’ right now.”

“To be honest are they ever?”

“Eeeeeeh, no, not really.”

Adam smirked and took another step, now he was in the house. “You should close the door, who knows who could come in in the middle of the night.”

“Like you, for example.”, Lyra whispered under her breath. She stared at him for a moment more, then closed the door behind him, drenching them both in darkness again. Turning on her heels she walked back to the dinner table and sat down. Doing her best to ignore him.

Adam followed her casually and watched as she turned off her headphones and ranked the volume on her laptop up. Now he could hear Sam talk to Ruby and Dean about Lilith. But his focus was set on Lyra who now uncovered a plastic package with sushi rolls from a cardboard bag. He caught up to her and stood behind her chair, waiting. After a few moments Lyra sighed and paused her series.

“You have something to say?”, she asked.

“Oh no, no, I wouldn’t want to disturb your meal. It’s good that you’re eating. Even if it’s not much.”

“Huh. Alright. Well sushi is actually quite filling.”, she threw in and then took the chopsticks into her right hand and started eating.

Adam reached over her shoulder, relishing in the tiny flinch that caused and pressed the space bar on Lyra’s laptop. Continuing the play of the series. As she was about halfway through her sushi Adam began to speak again: “So, how’s your mental health been recently?”

Lyra froze at the question; rainbow roll halfway to her mouth. “It’s been normal, I guess.”

“I see, I see. Talk to anybody nice recently?”

Her breath stopped. He couldn’t possibly know that she wanted to talk to best friend about it. Right?! She tried to force the shaking out of her voice as she answered: “I mean, some teachers, classmates, a friend.”

“Would be a shame if they got to hear more than what’s healthy for them, right?”, Adam put a hand on Lyra’s shoulder.

“And what exactly would too much be, hm? The fact that you torture me?”

“Just know, they are very easy to take out. And for the torture part, well the way I know her she wouldn’t last long, don’t you agree? Oh but I’m sure she would break beautifully.”

“You’re bluffing.”

“Am I? I swung by her house earlier, dropped something off. Maybe you should check in with her in a few days.”

Lyra paled. “You-you can’t be serious. You wouldn’t do that.”

Adam chuckled darkly: “And why is that hm? I have no trouble keeping you quiet. Just keep in mind what I told you and nobody has to suffer.”

“Nobody but me.”

“See it that way”-Adam pulled out a knife and rested the blade against Lyra’s throat-“If you do it somebody else won’t have to. Now how about we get up and upstairs, wouldn’t want the neighbours to see what’s next, right?”

Lyra was too stunned to resist so she just stood up and let Adam guide her, still with his blade against her windpipe.

On the table the credits of the episode ran out and the last two sushi rolls stayed abandoned on the plate. Nobody would finish them tonight.

Taglist: @yourlocalgaefae33, @princessofhe11, @greatkittencloud

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milyaaurfa · 1 year

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Sudah lama tidak; catatan sebuah interview dari yang memaknai pencapaian ke-ilmu-an lebih dalam lagi.

The reason why you are stuck in the “shallow” realm of the map of meaning.

The way he seeks a deeper significance in everything he does.

Does about three hours of focused work. He might think about a math problem, or prepare to lecture a classroom of students, or schedule doctor’s appointments for his two sons. “Then I’m exhausted,” he said. “Doing something that’s valuable, meaningful, creative”.

For a few months in the spring of 2019, all he did was read. “Which means I didn’t do any work,”.

He’s since made peace with this constraint, though. “I used to try to resist … but I finally learned to give up to those temptations.” As a consequence, “I became better and better at ignoring deadlines.”

He finds that forcing himself to do something or defining a specific goal — even for something he enjoys — never works.

He found the writing process too focused on the self — and for him, that exploration was often painful and depressing.

The act of trying to do something no one really knew how to do — and the freedom that came with not knowing, the surprises that became possible.

This kind of mathematics could give him what poetry could not: the ability to search for beauty outside himself, to try to grasp something external, objective and true, in a way that opened him up more than writing ever had. “You don’t think about your small self,” he said. “There’s no place for ego.”

Cherished his experiences in graduate school. He was able to dedicate himself wholly to math, and he relished the freedom of exploration that had drawn him to the subject in the first place.

His talks at conferences were always accessible and concrete; in speaking with him, it was clear that he was thinking both deeply and broadly about the concepts he was working with.

“He was ridiculously mature for a graduate student,” said other.

He already had a program in mind, and ideas about how to pursue it.

Many of his collaborators note that he’s incredibly humble and down-to-earth.

In Matroid topic. The work showed that “you don’t need space to do geometry,” he said. “That made me really fundamentally rethink what geometry is.” It would also guide him toward a host of other problems, where he continued to push that idea further, allowing him to develop an even broader range of methods.

He speaks slowly, pausing often and choosing his words carefully, and carries himself in a calm, peaceful manner that borders on meditative.

“He doesn’t get so easily excited,” said other.

He proceeds just as deliberately when doing mathematics.

“He likes to do things in the right way,” said other.

For instance of solving a problem. He said they should take some more time to find a cleaner, more appealing approach. He thought there was a nicer explanation out there, and that it was best not to rush things.

He’s entire life is built on routine. “Almost all of my days are exactly the same,” he said. “I have a very high tolerance for repetition.”

He often works in the public library, in the children’s section, where it’s pretty noisy. “I don’t like quiet places,” he said. “It makes me sleepy.”

He lived off frozen pizza for months at a time because he didn’t want to deal with getting groceries and cooking. He just wanted to do math. He describes that period of his life as “almost monastic.”

Later that year, her wife gave birth to their first son. While in labor, she caught he doing math.

“My wife is a much more balanced person than I am,” he said. “Life has very many facets, and math is a very, very, very tiny part of it.”

“I’m a real worker,” his wife said. “He is a thinker.”

When he is working, there’s something almost subconscious going on. In fact, he usually can’t trace how or when his ideas come to him. He doesn’t have sudden flashes of insight. Instead, “at some point, you just realize, oh, I know this,” he said. Maybe last week, he didn’t understand something, but now, without any additional input, the pieces have clicked into place without his realizing it. He likens it to the way your mind can surprise you and create unexpected connections when you’re dreaming.

“And it’s nice to admit that we don’t know what’s going on.”

He hopes to continue uncovering unexpected connections between different areas of math.

When asked if he’d ever entertain the earlier version of his artist self and try writing poetry again, he shrugged. “Maybe. But I don’t know,” he said. “I’m very much into something else.”

I’m very much into something else :)

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crestfallencrest · 1 year

Text

Bravus Vesperia Magica (Ch. 3)

(Basically a Magical Boy/Girl AU origin story!) Read here on Ao3 [x] (Notes at the end) Read Chapter 1 here! [x] Read Previous Chapter here! [x] Hi! Surprise! I actually got this out before my trip which was a big surprise for me! [Enter Victory Fanfare here] So starting this chapter off with a tiny POV change! Just a tiny one! There will be some tiny POV changes here and there. And also some tiny hints and tiny reveals of how Yuri and Flynn's life was like before now in this chapter! And a tiny peek into Yuri's head once more! Enjoy!

Chapter 3: White Lily

“Ah– Karol, where are you off to?”

Karol skids to a stop, holding his bag close to his chest as he whirls around to face Flynn. The blonde was currently moving out of the kitchen, tying his apron around his waist and he raised a curious eyebrow at the small boy.

“Oh, nowhere!” Karol answers quickly as he glances for the door. “I just need to go… uh… tend to Mom’s garden.”

Flynn’s eyes trail over to the door in question. “The flowerbed outside?” He questions and then offers a gentle smile when Karol nods a bit too quickly. “Well, I haven’t started cooking yet. I can help you, if you’d like.”

“No, no, that’s okay!” Karol holds out both of his hands to stop Flynn from moving towards the door. “I can do it! It’s… part of my chores!”

Flynn tilts his head, looking rather confused before slowly relenting and moving to step back into the kitchen. “Okay… Well, don’t go too far, alright? Dinner won’t be too long.”

Karol isn’t sure why a chill shot up his spine but in order to focus on the task at hand, he chooses to ignore it. “Uh… Right. Well, I’ll be right outside if you need anything!”

“And if you need anything, let me know, okay?”

“Sure thing!”

And with that, Karol was out the door with a flash. He hopped off of his stone porch and ran past his mother’s flowerbed and towards the shed so he could grab the watering can and her small digging shovel. As he went over to the water faucet, he quickly began to fill the watering can up with water before carefully making his way back to the flower bed.

There were still plenty of flowers left within the garden though they had very clearly seen better days. His mother usually hired a gardener to take care of her plants while they were away but it seemed like maybe she had either fired him or he quit. Regardless, the flowers weren’t doing that great. A quiet part of Karol’s mind wondered if he should start tending the flowers instead.

It would certainly make his house feel like home again.

But first, he had a mission to carry out. He quickly moved over to a patch of empty soil and used the shovel to break up the dirt a bit as he began to pull out little packets of red carnation seeds. After breaking up the dirt, he quickly began to push some of the dirt to the side, ready to plant the seeds.

For a moment, doubt began to rest in his mind. It was only a rumor that he had heard, after all. A rumor that Nan was a huge fan of carnations. He didn’t know if it was true or not but he… just wanted to surprise her with something nice. And even if she wasn’t as into carnations as the rumors suggested, she still had to at least think that flowers were a nice gesture, right?

…Except… What if she was allergic? Or what if she actually hated flowers? Nan had a soft side, of course, but she was also just as much of a tomboy as she could be. What if the rumors were wrong?

As he’s digging into the earth, he’s pulled from his thoughts as his fingers brush against a rather hard object buried underneath the dirt. Used to finding random rocks while digging around, he pushed the dirt aside so he could grab the stone and toss it to the side. But he’s stunned into silence when he pulls out an amber-colored stone instead.

The stone was small and fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, almost looking like a lost jewel rather than an old rock. The remaining sunlight that was beginning to drift away for the day seemed to hit the stone just right, making it almost glitter as he turned it over in his hand, observing it closely. He had seen stones like this before and he was pretty sure they studied them in class. Though they usually had fossilized creatures inside of them… at least, so he thought.

But whatever this was seemed to be a perfect sphere and fully polished. Maybe it was a piece of jewelry that was lost? But then again, how could someone have lost this within his garden? Was it his mother’s? Did she accidentally bury it?

He frowns, eyes squinting a bit. It did seem familiar somehow… Maybe it was his mother’s! He turned it over in his hand once more, the familiarity growing stronger and stronger with every moment before he eventually decided to shove it into his bag to show to his mother later, when she returned home.

If he didn’t forget about it by the time she finally did come back…

Attempting to push the bad thoughts away, Karol continued his work, somehow feeling a bit more confident about the flowers. As he planted the seeds, covered them in soil, and then watered them, he felt a giant sense of accomplishment and pride in himself before moving to water the rest of the neglected flowers.

It’s when he gets to the lilies does he give pause, lowering the watering can just slightly. He felt himself drawn to the pure white color of the flowers and felt himself reach out to poke at one of the petals. They were still standing strong but he had a feeling that they would only be in season for just a little longer.

He remembered when they had first sprouted. When Yuri had spotted them, the man’s eyes seemed to be drawn to the white flowers with an unwritten expression on his face and Karol couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Yuri had liked lilies at the time. Every time he walked Karol home, his eyes seemed to drag over to the white flowers in question.

He pursed his lips and seemed to consider his next actions as an idea began to hatch in his head. Yuri seemed so busy and tired lately and he did so much for him. Karol should definitely do something nice for Yuri, right? Maybe a gift of flowers for Yuri would be nice too? Would his mother even notice if the lilies were gone? What if Yuri didn’t appreciate it?

He hears the front door open and the lightbulb goes off in his head. Oh, of course! Flynn and Yuri were childhood friends! If anyone would know, Flynn would, right? “Hey Flynn!”

Flynn was halfway out of the door before he heard Karol call out to him. He gives the small boy a smile as he steps out onto the porch and looks over the garden. “Hey, are you just about done out here? I think I’ve almost got dinner finished so you should probably head inside and wash up.”

“Yeah, I’m just about done… I just… um… I have a question.”

---

Estelle had mentioned rumors of some monsters appearing within the city lately and it had sounded familiar at the time but Yuri had a hard time trying to remember why it had nagged at his brain as hard as it did. Maybe he had heard passing talk of it? He certainly would have remembered seeing a monster out in the wild.

Yuri was laying in bed, staring up at his ceiling when the memory finally returned to him.

It had been a little under a month ago, in early August. He had heard the rumor about a week after school had started. It had been during their lunch period and Yuri had decided to just trail behind Flynn as the boy made his rounds through the school. As the newly appointed Student Council President, he took the role very seriously and was determined to make sure everything was in order. Yuri would have found it rather cute had Flynn not been determined to criticize his uniform every few minutes. (He was glad that Flynn seemed to give up on it a couple of days later.) As they walked through the halls, he remembered how his vice president, Sodia, had wandered up to the two of them. How she gave Flynn her usual look of respect and adoration only for it to be replaced with scorn as her eyes found their way to Yuri’s, as was usual. The girl never liked him for some reason. He couldn’t possibly see why: After all, he was the pinnacle of perfection. Such a well behaved model student, how could anyone hate him? …Hah. Anyway… Sodia had torn Flynn away from him, not that he cared too much. But still, Flynn had asked him to wait for him so wait he did. As he had leaned against the wall that day, he couldn’t help but listen in to the passing conversations of students wandering the halls. Nothing relatively interesting had caught his attention. Mostly just talks of playing basketball after school, complaints of homeworks, students lamenting the loss of their summer vacation… But he remembered one catching his attention. A group of girls, huddled by the stairs that led to the upper and lower floors. One looking pale as her eyes darted between her friends as she spoke, voice urgent and frightened. “I swear, it wasn’t a bear…!” “So, was it a wolf, then?” “No–! I–I don’t know… I don’t think it was.” “It really just sounds like you came across a bear and just freaked out. Maybe your imagination is just making it a lot worse than it actually was.” “M-Maybe…” “Or maybe she ran into the curse of the Quoi Woods.” “Oh, stop that. There is no curse. Stop trying to scare her.” Yuri found himself raising an eyebrow. The Quoi Woods… There was a park that wasn’t too far away from the school, The Quoi Park, which had usually been a pretty popular place for kids to hang out after school. It was actually where Yuri had met Karol for the first time. Despite the popularity of the park, however, the extremely dense forest that sat on the edge of the park had a different reputation. It was always considered to be haunted or cursed and it seemed like every time Yuri heard about it, a new ghost story had emerged from the shadows. He was pretty positive that someone had made up those rumors to keep kids from going in and getting lost in the woods. Surprisingly, it seemed to work, since not a lot of people seemed to care about going into the forest. If Yuri cared just a tad bit more, he might have gone to explore it himself but he simply had better things to do than chase ghost stories. When Flynn returned from whatever Sodia had dragged him off to, the topic of the Quoi Woods was quickly shoved to the back of his brain, no longer concerned about the weird “Creature” that had apparently been seen.

Yuri’s eyes open after he’s finished recalling the memory and he gives a tiny sigh of irritation. He had not heard much else regarding the Quoi Woods since that day. But he had a feeling that he would likely have to look into it, especially if there was a chance of it actually having some monster in it that would prey on unsuspecting people. If he had the ability to do something about it, then he would. He’d probably have to bring it up to Estelle tomorrow. If he wasn’t turned away at the gate for his fight earlier.

If he was suspended, he realized that he probably wouldn’t mind too much. It’d give him some time to rest after going through one hell of a day. He had been trying not to think about it but the sudden responsibility that had been dropped on him left him feeling rather exhausted and overwhelmed by everything else going on in his life. Taking care of Karol, working a part-time job, going to school, taking care of Repede, and now… Saving the world?

He could have said no. He could have turned down this responsibility but how in the hell could he? He always wished to help make the world a better place and this was a way he could do that, if everything Estelle said had been true. But even if he didn’t feel that way, he would have had to have been a pretty evil son of a bitch to turn down Estelle’s request.

‘Sorry Estelle, I can’t help you save the world. I have a 5 to 9 shift at the restaurant today and then I have to do my homework.’ There was no way to make that sound acceptable, no matter how hard Yuri tried.

So then, he began to weigh his options. Saving the world was definitely a priority. Karol was also a pretty big priority. He hoped that anything he had to do for the world wouldn’t interfere with watching over Karol. Maybe he’d have to talk to Estelle about that. Hell, maybe the responsibility wouldn’t be so heavy once they found the other members of Brave Vesperia?

Yuri’s eyes trailed over to the sleeping puppy, laying next to his bed. As for Repede, his injury to his eye was practically healed at this point. Plus, it seemed like the canine was a lot tougher than he looked. After all, he was able to transform as well… at the same time as Yuri. He couldn’t help but wonder about the connection there. Was Yuri fated to find Repede? He wasn’t one to put much stock into fate but… well… It was pretty hard to ignore.

He would likely have to talk to his boss about his job. Maybe he would have to double down on making sure he knew that he could only work weekends at this point. He was a bit lenient before but now he should probably be more firm about it. As much as he hated it. He really could use the extra money. As for school… his earlier conversation with Flynn still rang loud in his head.

“ Dude, if this school is pitching such a fit about me being here, maybe I should start putting my focus into shit that really matters.” “Yuri, you better not be suggesting what I think you are–” “And what if I am?”

He had said those words in a fit of anger but part of him really couldn’t help but wonder if staying in school was worth it? He never really expected to become much in his life. It wasn’t like he was planning on becoming a big time businessman or a doctor or anything like that. Maybe he could become a chef or something. He could start working full time somewhere and it would take one thing off of his plate. But even then, imagining the look on Flynn’s face if he decided to drop out would probably kill him. Flynn, for some reason, wanted so badly to graduate with Yuri. It was some sentimental thing Yuri wasn’t sure he understood but…

He sighs and throws an arm over his eyes. Man, this all sucked super hard.

He continued to lay in his bed and carefully went over his options, over and over again. At some point, Estelle finally texted him to let him know she had made it home. Once her number was saved in his phone, he flopped back down onto his bed and continued to contemplate and think. One arm over his eyes and one arm hanging off the bed, he almost began to drift off as he considered his next steps when suddenly, a cold nose touched his palm, startling him from his thoughts.

He sat up and stared down at the source, seeing Repede had finally woken up and was staring up at him with a curious eye and a wagging tail. The worry and anxiety seemed to wash away upon seeing the pup awake and well and he quickly reached down to pick him up and place him in his lap. “Hey there, Repede…” He greets gently, scratching behind his ear. “Man, you had me worried there for a minute.”

Repede gave a sharp bark as he leaned up to nuzzle his cold nose against Yuri’s bandaged cheeks, which earned a laugh from the man.

“Yeah, I’m doing okay. The nausea seems like it’s worn off and I took some pain meds so the pain has worn off too. I’m doing okay.” He gives a gentle smile. “We’re both okay.”

The reply is another furious wag of the tail and another quick bark.

Yuri continued to pet Repede for a while, thinking back to the large dog he had seen earlier. So Repede would be changing from a puppy to his adult form? Or, at least what looked to be his adult form? He had to admit, the idea of it all was rather cool and entirely unreal to think about. But he had seen it. He saw Repede’s other form and then saw him change back before his very eyes. He briefly wondered if it hurt, rapidly growing like that but Repede didn’t look to be in pain but…

“Repede, what did you think of all of that? Of getting to transform?” The question came out before he could stop it and surprisingly, the dog looked back up at him with a strange look of understanding.

Instead of barking or whining, Repede simply leaned over to give the bracelet on Yuri’s hand a quick lick before quickly planting his two front paws on Yuri’s chest, trying to lick at the man’s cheeks again.

Yuri laughed and leaned back. “Ew, dog breath– Knock it off!” He snorts as he lifts Repede up in his hands and pulls him away. “I guess that’s a good sign?”

Another bark of agreement.

Well, that was a relief. Yuri smiled and placed Repede onto his bed and then moved to flop back down beside him. “Seems like we have some work cut out for us.” He hums quietly, moving to grab his phone, mindlessly scrolling through whatever could possibly grab his interest. “I guess if you’re there to help out though, Repede, it shouldn’t be too bad, right?”

Repede lets out a yawn before letting his head plop down on Yuri’s stomach. He reached down and gave him another quick pet, taking this as an agreement.

They sit in their silence for a while, just taking in the time to relax for once but his mind wanders to Karol and Flynn after a few minutes. Flynn wasn’t horrible with kids. If anything, he was as good with them as Yuri was, maybe even better. He had babysitting experience with the kids in the apartments in the Lower Quarter, after all. He was surely doing okay with Karol.

But he couldn’t seem to stop himself from pulling out his phone and pulling up Karol’s number, sending out a quick text. He just wanted to check in, make sure that everything was going well. Nothing wrong with that, right?

‘hey just wanted to check in. everything ok over there? flynn dead yet??’

Yuri grinned a bit as he dropped his cellphone to the side for now as he waited for the reply. Yes, Flynn could handle himself just fine and thankfully Karol wasn’t too big of a handful but… Karol also had a large amount of energy as a twelve year old and the only thing that let Yuri keep up with the boy was the unspent energy that he had as well. Flynn was once a rowdy child, just like Yuri, but the guy seemed to mellow out as time went on. Yuri, however, did not.

So there was a chance that Karol’s energy was just a bit too much for Flynn to keep up with. A part of Yuri hoped so, so he could laugh at Flynn later.

However, when Karol’s response came in a few minutes later, Yuri found himself laughing at the boy’s misfortune instead. He tried to repress the giggles but the desperation that came from the text was almost enough to send Yuri into a laughing fit.

‘no he’s not dead but I think im going to die. Flynn is finishing up dinner and I think its going to kill me. Or it’s going to come to life and ask me to kill IT. I’m scared. :((( ‘

Repede’s head lifted up, confused, as Yuri quickly tried to calm down from the desperate message sent from Karol and before he even knew it, he found himself standing up and pulling up Google on his phone, searching for the nearest pizza place in relation to Karol’s house.

“Speaking of being heroes, Repede, I think we need to go save Karol from the horrors of Flynn’s cooking, don’t you think?”

Repede slowly stood up and gave a big stretch before barking out another agreement as Yuri grinned and moved to slip his shoes on.

---

Yuri normally had no issue with walking the streets after dark. There was something a bit peaceful about it, walking down the empty streets, the soft buzzing of the street lights guiding his way, the rare and occasional car that would drive by him and the soft breeze of the warm summer night that would pass by him. It was peaceful and usually gave him the chance to stare up at the few stars that managed to break past the lights of the city of Zaphias.

This time, however, he felt anything but peaceful. He kept a careful eye over his shoulder the entire way to the pizza parlor on the way to Karol’s place, making sure that someone didn’t get the jump on him once again. He knew that Zagi was out there, waiting to strike though he wasn’t entirely sure when that would be. He and Repede left quite a few wounds on the man in their fight earlier that day so surely he would have to take the time to recover… but Zagi was also just a complete nutcase. Would he really be against pushing past his limits just for another chance at taking Yuri out? So he proceeded with caution, watching his shoulder with Repede at his side, watching every spot that Yuri wasn’t. It made him feel a bit more at ease, knowing that no one would be able to sneak up on him between the two of them but if Zagi did deem to show himself, he would have to act as fast as possible, despite still feeling absolutely exhausted from earlier. Hell, even this walk was taking a lot out of him. He actually had to stop and rest at the pizza place for about thirty minutes after purchasing the two pepperoni pizzas that he intended on taking to Karol’s house.

Thankfully, the boy did not live too far away. But still, maybe he would invest in a bike at some point.

Another thing that made Yuri anxious, he thought as he continued his way over to Karol’s, was the giant star in the sky that usually brought him a strange sense of comfort.

Brave Vesperia.

The star was suddenly an eyesore. Twinkling in the sky like it’s legend hasn’t just completely rocked his world in a span of 24 hours. It was almost mocking him, in a way. He still had a bunch of questions and he was sure Estelle wouldn’t have been able to answer them all, considering that she seemed to be just as new as he was. But, if he was a member of Brave Vesperia, then what exactly did that mean? Was it just destiny? A prophecy? Reincarnation? All of it sounded like a cheesy plot line in a fantasy cartoon…

He wasn’t sure what to really think about it aside from the fact that he really really hated the idea of some unseen power trying to tell him what he should be doing with his life. And because of that, he couldn’t help but feel a bit spiteful towards the star as well. After all, he wasn’t doing this because it’s his destiny or whatever dumb shit it was. He wanted to help Estelle because she needed help and it was the right thing to do.

Nothing else mattered, right?

This was the conclusion that he decided to stick with at the moment as he began to make his way towards the familiar brick house that was right down the street. He could still see the lights of the living room and kitchen were still on and he could only hope that he made it in time before Karol succumbed to food poisoning.

As he stepped up to the front steps, he glanced down to Repede, who looked back up at him with a tilted head. “Well, here we are, Repede.” He grins a bit as he moves to ring the doorbell. “Time to grace them with the presence of yours truly and his trusty partner, yeah?”

Repede barks out in agreement before turning his attention to the approaching footsteps on the other side of the door. Yuri lets his eyes trail up just in time to see blonde hair and blue eyes peeking through the blurry window of the door and he has to bite back a laugh upon hearing his voice come through, muffled.

“Oh, for the love of–”

Within seconds, the door is thrown open as Flynn greets Yuri with wide and surprised eyes. “Yuri, what in the hell are you doing here?!” He exclaims loudly as his eyes seem to begin scanning him from top to bottom, as if examining him for any more injuries.

Yuri decides to distract him by shoving the pizza boxes into his chest and then reaching down to scoop Repede up into his arms, still unsure if the young pup was allowed in or not. “Oh, I was in the neighborhood so I wanted to stop by.” He hums lightly as he moves to peek his head in. “Hey Karol!! Are you there?!”

Almost immediately, the young boy emerges from the hallway, having already changed into his pajamas for the night. Upon seeing Yuri, his confused expression changes to a wide grin as he quickly hurries over to the door. “Yuri! You’re back! You’re okay!”

Karol’s eyes dart over to Flynn and then down to the pizza and a flash of guilt enters his eyes as he realizes that his text regarding Flynn’s cooking probably prompted Yuri to come to his rescue but it was quickly replaced with a wide eyed expression when he saw Repede in Yuri’s arms. Yuri snickers a bit.

“Yeah, I wanted to stop by and check on you two. And I wanted to introduce you to someone.” He grins, looking to Repede. “Is it okay if I bring him in or…?”

“N-No– yeah, no it’s fine!” Karol stammers, looking extremely excited, almost bouncing on his heels. “Yeah, come in, please!”

Yuri wastes no time in stepping inside, grateful to be out of the dark and into the safety of Karol’s home. He places Repede down and moves to remove his shoes by the door. “Okay, so…” He starts off, grinning at Karol. “Karol, this is Repede, my new dog! And Repede, this is Karol. He’s the boss man around here, so what he says goes. Got it?”

Repede looks between Yuri and Karol before giving a quick bark of approval before moving over to Karol and letting the boy pet him. “Wow… Hi Repede.” Karol grins widely, scratching the dog behind his ears.

Happy that the two seem to be getting along okay, Yuri hums in approval before looking at Flynn, who still seems to be standing there, dumbfounded with pizzas in hand. “Well, Flynn? You gonna go put those in the kitchen or…?”

Flynn suddenly stammers, snapping out of his trance. “W-Well–” He huffs, gripping onto the boxes. “You really should have called, Yuri… I’ve already cooked dinner and Karol’s also not feeling well, so I worry that he’s not even going to eat the pizza… If you had called ahead, I would have told you this.”

“Aw… Karol’s not feeling well, huh?” Yuri’s eyes dart to Karol, who pointedly looks away, cheeks red with shame.

Smooth one, captain.

“Yes, unfortunately so…” Flynn gives a small sigh. “I was going to send him to bed early after trying to give him something easier on the stomach–”

“Um…” Karol suddenly spoke up, moving to pull Repede’s small form into his arms. “I think I’m feeling a bit better now… Can we try and eat some of the pizza?”

Flynn pauses, raising an eyebrow at Karol. Yuri has to fight to hide the smirk on his face and Karol quickly begins to scramble for an excuse. “I–I think that maybe I was… um… just… worried about Yuri, that’s all! It really tied my stomach into all sorts of knots and… and now Yuri’s here and he’s okay, right?”

“Aw, you were that worried about me, boss? I’m so touched!” Yuri throws a hand over his heart, dramatically, before he turns to Flynn. “C’mon Flynn, let's give the kid some pizza. We can use your dinner for leftovers. Maybe you can even take some to school tomorrow.”

Flynn’s confused expression had softened into one of understanding and Yuri immediately knew that he and Karol had won. And he also knew that Karol absolutely owed him one now. “Alright…” Flynn speaks softly as he turns away to take the pizza boxes to the kitchen. “I’ll go get us some plates then.”

“Sure thing.” Yuri grins as he makes his way over to the couch, moving the plop down on it.

He sits in silence, waiting until he knows for sure that Flynn has gone into the next room before he turns his head to look over his shoulder, giving Karol the biggest shit-eating grin he could muster. Karol clears his throat and looks more interested in playing with Repede than looking at Yuri.

“You’re not feeling well, Captain? Whatever could have happened?” He teased, earning a groan from the small boy.

“Shut up, Yuri…” Karol’s cheeks are red again. “You don’t know what it was like. It was like I walked into a war zone. The spices almost suffocated me…”

“Oh, I don’t know what it’s like? I lived with it for about four years. He started trying to learn how to cook at the age of twelve because his mom would end up working late and couldn’t be home in time to feed us.” Yuri snorted as he waved his hand dismissively. “Guess who was the test dummy for that? I forced myself to learn just so I could cook dinner for us instead of him.”

From his place on the couch, Yuri can see the look of confusion appear on Karol’s face briefly and for a moment, Yuri raises an eyebrow questioningly, unsure of what it was that he said that could have been considered confusing. Karol knew that he could cook, right? So what was so confusing–

Ah. Right. That.

“Did you and Flynn used to live t–”

“Karol?” Flynn’s voice calls out from the kitchen, causing both Yuri and Karol to snap out of their thoughts. Suddenly the blonde man peeks around the corner, eyeing the boy with a small smile. “Hey, Karol, since Yuri is here, why don’t you go grab the thing you put together for him?”

There was a certain gleam in Flynn’s eyes as he spoke and Yuri couldn’t help but turn a bit on the couch so he could glance over to Karol, who’s cheeks have once again gone red with embarrassment. His lips fell into a frown. “Oh God, what did you two do?” Yuri asks with a huff.

“N-Nothing!” Karol exclaimed quickly before jumping to his feet, putting Repede down carefully. “We just got a ‘Get Well’ present for you, that’s all!”

Yuri’s eyes widened just a bit. “A present? I’m not sick though.” “You were stabbed, Yuri.” Flynn’s response was quick and a bit deadpanned.

“No, I got sliced and it was my own fault.” Yuri corrected, crossing his arms. “You guys didn’t have to get me anything.”

“It’s really not a big deal.” Karol calls out as he hurries down the hallway, not willing to listen to reason.

Yuri shoots a look towards Flynn, having a distinct feeling that this was his idea. Yuri was never too big on attention like this. In actuality, he really wanted Karol to forget this ever happened. He did not want Karol thinking the whole ordeal with a big deal, even if it kind of was but he would simply be more comfortable if Flynn and Karol had just forgotten that it happened. That would be easier for Karol than for Flynn but, dammit, a man could dream and wish, right?

Flynn, like the creepy ass mind reader that he was, seemed to catch onto Yuri’s suspicions immediately. He wanders into the room with two plates of pizza, setting one down on the table in front of the couch that Yuri sat on. He places the other to the side, letting it wait for Karol’s return before he moves to go get his own plate. “Don’t look at me like that. This was all Karol’s idea.” He snorts, the gentle smile not faltering in the slightest.

“Something tells me that you didn’t do anything to discourage him though.” “And why would I do that?” Flynn calls back, slipping back into the kitchen with a soft hum on his lips. Yuri bet that the bastard was using this as some kind of payback for something. He just knew it.

By the time Flynn was returning with a plate of pizza for himself, Karol is also hurrying back into the room holding something carefully in his arms. Yuri sucks in a sharp intake of air as his eyes zero in on what Karol was holding.

A small red vase filled with a small bouquet of white lilies.

As Yuri stares wide-eyed at the white bundle of flowers, Karol carefully moves them over to the table in front of the couch and smiles a bit shyly as he stands up straight. “I was gardening earlier and while I was doing that, I saw the lilies and… uh… I figured they’d make you feel better.”

Yuri doesn’t respond. He feels a bit too brain dead suddenly to form a coherent sentence. He feels the couch dip in next to him as Flynn takes a seat by him. He doesn’t even spare the man a glance and instead, reaches out and runs a finger against one of the soft petals of the lilies. He felt a strange feeling settle in his stomach and he wasn’t entirely sure how to pinpoint it. He did recognize these from Karol’s garden, of course. He would glance their way sometimes but–

“You like lilies, don’t you?” Karol’s voice breaks through again, uncertain.

Did he like lilies? Yuri wasn’t too sure himself. He always felt a little drawn to the flower due to his own namesake but only because it was hammered into his head when he was little from a warm and loving face that he could hardly remember anymore.

“Yuri?” Flynn’s voice speaks gently, concern right on the tip of his tone.

“Hey, ma? What’s your favorite flower?” “Oh, Lilies, without question. Especially white lilies, but they’re not my favorite.” “Then what IS your favorite lily?” He remembered warm arms, hugging him close, pulling him into a warm chest with a loving laugh leaving her lips. Lips pressed against his head, a hand running through his hair. “It’s you, silly!”

“They’re great.” Yuri says quietly at first before quickly clearing his throat. He gives a big smile to Karol, reaching over to ruffle his hair, making sure to make it as messy as possible. “You didn’t have to do this, boss. But I really do appreciate it. I’ll take good care of them.”

Any doubt that Karol may have felt seemed like it was washed away the second Yuri began to ruffle his hair. Looking rather proud of himself, he bashfully looks and moves to sit down to eat his pizza. “I’m glad. You always seemed to look at them when we would walk home together so I figured they would be a nice present.”

It was not on purpose, I can assure you.

“Yeah, guess I do look at them a lot.” Yuri sits back, moving to shove a slice of the pizza into his mouth. He tears his gaze away from the bouquet and glances at Flynn and, man , sure wish he didn’t do that.

Flynn is giving him that look of uncertainty again, where he knows something was wrong with Yuri but he wasn’t going to bring it up just yet and risk making shit awkward. Yuri appreciated it but he also knew that it meant he was going to be hearing about it later. He appreciated that a little less.

He quickly looks away and instead focuses on reaching out and grabbing the remote and switching it on, desperate for any sort of background noise instead of the weird silence. “So, Karol, anything fun happen at school today?” He asks, knowing that Karol would take the bait to talk about his day.

As he listened to Karol ramble on about the ongoing events at his middle school classes, Yuri tried his hardest to ignore Flynn’s knee bumping against his and the way he could feel Flynn’s eyes burning into the back of his skull.

---

After eating more than his fill of pizza and poking Yuri with plenty of questions regarding his injuries (which Yuri gave the same story he had given Flynn. He saw no reason to shelter Karol by hiding what had happened), Karol was very quickly hitting the end of his rope in the land of the living. Despite the fact that he was still capable of holding a conversation, one look at his eyes that were slowly beginning to fall closed told Yuri everything he needed to know.

Despite it all, Karol would jerk awake seconds later and would rub his face, determined to stay awake for just a bit longer. From his place on the floor, he continued to rub at his eyes before letting out another yawn. “Oh… I meant to ask earlier…” His voice was thick with sleep, his body wanting nothing more than to pass out right then and there.

Both Yuri and Flynn exchanged amused glances, knowing that fight all too well from when they were kids.

“Yes?” “Go ahead, shoot.”

Gaining permission from both Yuri and Flynn, Karol does not hesitate to ask his next question, a curious look appearing on his face. “Did you guys… did you grow up together?”

Yuri snorted gently. “Karol, you already know this. Yes, we did.”

“No– I mean… like…” Karol trails off, trying to think of how to phrase it. “You guys lived together? Yuri, you were mentioning how you guys cooked dinner together earlier…”

Flynn raises an eyebrow. “You were?”

“Ah… We were talking about…” Think fast, Yuri. “...about how you loved to cook for us when your mom was out.”

“Oh… well, it was necessary but I think you loved it more than me. I mean, you started taking over the kitchen sometime later. It was almost impossible for me to cook then.” Flynn smiles a fond smile. “I dare say you’re in your element when you’re cooking.”

It was a hobby that Yuri had picked up during a fight for survival. At the very least, it turned out he had a natural talent for cooking.

“So, you guys did live together? I thought you guys were just childhood friends.” Karol tilts his head, confused.

“We are, just… Things happened and Yuri had to come live with us afterwards.” Flynn pauses, looking at Yuri. “Though, you were living with us, even before that.”

“That?” Karol asks, unaware of the can of worms he was opening.

Shooting Flynn a quick glare, Yuri shifts in his seat and looks back to Karol. For a moment, his eyes darted over to the bouquet of lilies sitting on the table. “I don’t remember hardly any of it but some stuff happened with me and my mom. And she and Flynn’s mom were good friends, from what I hear. So Mrs. Scifo let us stay with her and her family for a while. We were like neighbors, kind of. Neighbors under the same roof.”

Karol is quiet as he gives a quick nod of understanding. “Oh… That was really nice of your mom, Flynn!” He suddenly smiles.

“It really was.” Flynn nods in agreement. “She was a really kind woman. Of course, at the time, I hated having a new roommate.”

Yuri snorts, leaning back into the couch. He’s silent as he tries to wrack his brain for any memory of meeting Flynn for the first time. Unfortunately, as he mentioned before, his memory of that time was fuzzy, at best. Although, maybe fuzzy wasn’t the best word for it. Fuzzy implied that he had at least some sort of memory of those times. But a lot of his memories from when he was around five were blank. As if his memory had large gaps that were missing. It wasn’t too strange, however. After what he experienced as a child, it was understandable. But it admittedly stung a bit, knowing he couldn’t remember how he met Flynn. He couldn’t remember meeting Finath or Amelia. And most importantly, he couldn’t remember…

He finds himself looking towards the lilies again.

“Oh yeah? How did you react?” Karol asks, laying his head down on the table as he glances between Yuri and Flynn.

“I’m pretty sure I locked him out of the room we were supposed to share one night.” Flynn chuckles quietly. “Yuri didn’t tell on me though. At least, not until my parents and his mother found him sleeping on the couch and asked him why he wasn’t sleeping in his bed. Guess who got the lock removed from his door that day?”

Yuri weakly nudges Flynn’s side. “You definitely deserved it.”

Flynn laughs again, moving to catch the hand that poked at his waist. “Oh, definitely. Although, considering you broke one of my action figures the following day, I believe that I had some sort of point.” He does not let go of the hand.

“Me? Breaking one of your little soldier dolls?” Yuri doesn’t pull his hand away and instead just gives the man a teasing smirk. “Doesn’t sound like me. Sounds like there was an imposter in the house.”

“Then there was the time you threw a baseball through my window…”

“I feel like you had a hand in that as well.”

“I’ve also got a scar on my leg where you hit me with a rock…” Despite it all, Flynn continues to smile and one squeeze of the hand lets Yuri know that there were no hard feelings about it.

“Bullshit, I don’t believe you.” Because, once again, Yuri couldn’t remember. His eyebrows furrow, as he stares at Flynn’s face. He would remember hurting Flynn, right? Of course, their entire childhood was filled with bumps and bruises that they had given each other but…

“Nope, I’m not lying.” Flynn snickers and moves to pull up one of his pant legs to show a very small but prominent scar on the lower leg, near the knee. “I remember that you cried more than I did.”

“I–” Don’t remember. “Shuddup, no way.”

“Yes way. Karol, he–” Flynn turns to look back to Karol and his words die immediately. Yuri follows his gaze and whatever conflicting feeling he had surfacing in his chest immediately washed away when he saw the young boy’s face buried in his arms on the table, snoring gently.

“Good job, Flynn. You bored him to death with your childhood stories.” Yuri reached over to flick Flynn on the forehead before he moved to get up from his seat, so he could try and get Karol up and into bed.

He almost let out a yelp when the hand holding his own yanks him back hard onto the couch. Fingers slip from his grasp as Flynn climbs to his feet instead. “ Our childhood stories. Just because you don’t remember doesn’t make them any less yours.” He speaks gently before moving to carefully scoop Karol into his arms. “I’ll put him to bed. You’re still hurt, remember?”

“It’s just my hand…”

“Yes, the hand that you would have had to carry Karol with.”

Flynn rolls his eyes as he begins to make his way towards the hallway, carrying Karol with ease, which Yuri couldn’t help but pout at. Karol was a growing boy and because of that, he was already pretty hard to carry for Yuri. Flynn, however, spent a lot of his free time training at the gym. Considering that Flynn was planning on pursuing the path of becoming a police officer once they graduated (much like his father), that was of no surprise to Yuri.

(Flynn going to the gym came with the added bonus of Yuri getting to admire the change to the man’s body, particularly the muscles that began to slowly make their appearance as time went on. The cons of this is that if they ever got into a fight again, Yuri would be at a bit of a disadvantage.)

Not so innocent thoughts aside, Yuri watched as Flynn carried Karol to his room with ease, leaving him momentarily alone with the white lilies and Repede, who had made himself at home and was curled up next to the couch to fall into yet another comfortable sleep. Yuri reached down to pet the small dog, smiling just a bit when he watched his legs twitch as if running in his sleep.

He tries to ignore the white lilies that seem to be haunting him as he focuses on whatever Repede was dreaming about when he hears Flynn re-enter the room. As if on auto-pilot, Yuri climbs to his feet and starts collecting all of the set aside plates from their pizza feast.

“Better get these dishes washed before bed…”

“For God’s sake, Yuri, can’t you please just relax for the night?” Flynn lets out a sharp sigh as he manages to grab at least one of the plates right from underneath Yuri’s reach. “It won’t kill you.”

Yuri just as quickly reaches over and pulls the plate from his grasp. “I don’t wanna hear a lecture on relaxing from a guy who’s idea of a fun time is studying for a potential pop quiz all weekend.”

“ Once. That happened once. ” Flynn sighs quietly as Yuri begins his escape into the kitchen. Unfortunately, Flynn was not one to be deterred so easily. “Can I at least stay up with you?”

“I’m not stopping you from doing anything, Flynn.” Yuri laughs as he piles the three plates into the sink and begins to run the water.

“That’s up to debate.” Flynn grumbles quietly as he moves to lean against the counter as Yuri digs underneath the sink to find a glove to pull over his hands. He had to protect his injured hand as much as possible, after all, or else Flynn would find something else to whine about.

They stand in silence for a while, Yuri making quick work of all of the dirty dishes (the plates they used and also the dishes Flynn used for his monstrosity he cooked earlier) and Flynn just watching him, intently. Yuri had half a mind to just ask him to say what he needed to say but he was also perfectly content with ignoring the weird tension in the room.

Flynn, however, was not patient enough to let it go on. “Can you tell me what’s on your mind, Yuri?” His voice breaks the silence so suddenly that Yuri’s eyes glance up to meet Flynn’s before he can even think about it.

Flynn’s got that same look on his face from before. Worry, concern, some soft feeling behind his face that made Yuri’s stomach do flips. There was no irritation, no frustration, at least not for now. There’s just a silent plea that floats in the air between them. Flynn continues to stare at him and Yuri stares back, pausing in his task of scrubbing the dishes as his mind races through what Flynn could possibly be talking about.

Can you tell me what’s on your mind? A lot. A lot was on his mind. Way too much and half of it was something that Yuri either couldn’t talk about or would rather push away and ignore, if he could.

“What’s currently on my mind at the moment is how fascinated I am that Student Council President, Flynn Scifo, is currently hovering over my shoulders, silently micro-managing how I wash dishes in the Capel residence.” Yuri deflects with ease, shooting Flynn a teasing grin.

At least, he wished it was with as much ease as hoped. To be honest, Flynn had never fallen for his deflects before, so Yuri was not sure why he thought he would now. Instead of just taking the bait, Flynn stares at him with a face full of doubt before moving to lean closer. “Yuri, come on…”

“Well, it’s not my fault that you aren’t being specific.” Yuri’s grin remains, forcing it to stay, to try and keep their conversation light instead of dragging it down with whatever sore topic was waiting on the tip of Flynn’s tongue.

“Well, where do I even begin with you?” Flynn’s fingers tap on the counter impatiently, weighing his options over what to bring up first. “I guess we’ll start with this one.” He moves around Yuri’s form so that he can stand to his left instead of his right and before Yuri can shove his hands back into the soapy water of the sink, Flynn is gently grabbing his wrist and pulling it closer.

Yuri lets out a deep sigh as the glove is carefully peeled off of him and he stays silent as Flynn observes the hand with a frown. Flynn’s fingers brush gently against the bracelet and Yuri tries to ignore the quiet feeling of anxiety rising in him. The bracelet didn’t seem to react to anything as Flynn examined his hand closely, looking more at the bandaging rather than the bracelet. While his eyes do dart to the bracelet, it’s only for a second before Flynn looks back to Yuri.

“You didn’t go to the hospital, did you? Miss Estellise was supposed to take you…” There’s disappointment in Flynn’s tone when he speaks again, his eyes trailing back down to the bandaged hand.

“Nope.” Yuri’s answer was quick and simple as he tugged his hand away and pulled the glove back on. “Once we got to the apartments, I just let Estelle patch me up after I showered. Just like I told you, the wound was not as deep as it looked.”

“What?” Flynn’s head snaps back up to meet Yuri’s gaze, eyes wide in shock, though Yuri could not figure out what part was so shocking. “Miss Estellise was– She–?”

Flynn trailed off, seeming a bit flustered over something though Yuri wasn’t entirely sure what he could possibly be freaking out about. His grin quickly turns into an annoyed frown as he moves to continue his task of washing the dishes. “Flynn, seriously. My hand is fine. Estelle was perfectly capable of patching me up. She’s like a natural nurse or something. She’s got one of those… healing touches.” Literally. He turns back to look at Flynn as he tries to give some kind of comforting smile to the man. “I’m fine. I promise I’m fine, okay? I’m okay.”

Yuri took a moment to study Flynn’s face, watching as a conflict of emotions took over. Worry and concern, his mouth tugging down into a frown as he let a hand reach out to gently hold Yuri’s hand. Unease and suspicion as he silently mouthed Yuri’s words ( “Healing touch…?” ) back to himself, as if committing them to memory. And then finally, defeat but acceptance as he gives one final glance to Yuri’s hand.

“A-Alright…” He whispers, only to repeat it, voice more clear and confident. “Alright, Yuri. Alright… I trust you.”

Yuri smiles. It’s still teasing, but he makes sure Flynn knows he’s being genuine. “Probably not your best decision but… Thanks. I mean that.” He says, quickly reaching out to take Flynn’s hand again, giving it a firm squeeze of assurance before letting it go.

“Yeah… Can you just…” Flynn pauses, turning back to lean against the counter again. “Can you just promise that you’ll go to the doctor in the future? If something really bad happens?”

Yuri can feel his mouth twitch, his smile threatening to fall as he quickly goes back to washing the dishes. He doesn’t answer and Flynn, sure enough, can’t accept that.

“You still hate the hospitals, don’t you?”

“They’re hospitals , Flynn.” A scoff leaves Yuri’s lips before he can stop it. “Can you introduce me to someone who looks at a hospital and goes ‘Oh man, that place looks fuckin’ AWESOME.’? No, Flynn, hospitals are gray, quiet and depressing.”

A noise leaves Flynn that sounds akin to his usual tone of sniffing out any bullshit that Yuri put out. Yuri immediately copied the noise, in a higher pitch just to mock the man beside him. Was it mature? Absolutely not. Did it make him feel better? He’d be lying if he said it didn’t. He rinsed off the remaining dishes and began to put them in the dish rack to dry before moving to remove the gloves so he could toss them away.

As he moved away from the sink, however, Flynn immediately reached out and grabbed Yuri’s waist with both of his hands and pushed him against the counter, effectively pinning him to the hard marble behind him. There is a brief moment where Yuri considers violence, a brief twitch of the hand as he nearly moves to shove Flynn off of him. Instead, he takes a deep breath and just stares at Flynn, his grin completely gone now.

The silence settles between them, Flynn unable to push the words out and Yuri unwilling to continue the conversation if he didn’t have to. The only sound breaking the almost deafening silence was the soft ticking of the clock that hung against the entryway of the room. Flynn’s eyes dart from Yuri’s grey orbs before they trail off to the side, anxious and concerned and God, Yuri wished he would stop worrying so much over him, it wasn’t worth it–

“Yuri, you know you can talk to me, right?” The voice came out so tiny and tired. “You told me that before, that I could come talk to you if I needed to. You know the same goes for you, right?”

Yuri’s eye twitches and suddenly it hurts to look at Flynn. He tears his gaze away, ignoring the sharp pain in his chest and the way that his breathing hitched, just slightly. Flynn definitely catches it as his grip on Yuri’s hips tighten before he’s leaning down to press his forehead against Yuri’s chest. Despite Estelle’s healing, his chest still stings, just a little and he can’t stop himself from flinching in pain but if Flynn notices, he doesn’t say anything.

As they stood there, Yuri thinks back to the day he had told that to Flynn. It had been three days since Flynn’s mother, Amelia, had passed. Being just fifteen, Flynn had become despondent from his grief, surprising no one. He had just lost his father five years beforehand, the man having died suddenly while in the line of duty as a police officer, and now he had lost his mother to a sudden illness. So many people came and went, paying their respects to Flynn, and to some extent, Yuri.

He remembered how Flynn held himself together, hiding his true feelings behind polite greetings and small ‘thank yous’ to every person who came to visit. As soon as the visitors would come and go, however, Yuri would watch as the young boy’s facade would just shatter as he would fall apart in front of him. He remembered how much he hated it, seeing Flynn in that state.

He remembers making the offer to the broken teen, desperate to find some way to make him feel better. Surprisingly, Flynn accepted the offer. They stayed up pretty much the entire night just talking . Sharing stories of Flynn’s parents, memories just between them. He remembers making hot chocolate a few hours later, at three in the morning, just so they could stay up a little longer and talk some more.

Yuri wasn’t sure but he hoped that in some way, it helped Flynn onto his path of recovery. He still wasn’t there yet, though, Yuri wasn’t stupid. But he was doing better. He was motivated again, always pushing forward, always on the move. It was admirable. But Flynn was always like that. Always multiple steps ahead of Yuri, always stronger, always wiser, always–

Flynn shifts and pulls his head away from Yuri’s chest and, oh right, he should probably respond, right? But Yuri mulls over Flynn’s request, turning it over in his head and wondered if maybe he should talk to Flynn. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt. But even then, he had a hard time trying to voice the words.

Instead, he’d move to something else that was, somehow, easier to talk about. “I really did like the lilies.”

Flynn glances up to him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Yuri gently put his hands on Flynn’s shoulders and pushed him back, giving him the tiniest of smiles. “You didn’t seem to like how I reacted to them earlier. You had that weird worried look on your face, like you have now.” He explains and watches Flynn’s face fall in curiosity as if self conscious over how his face looked currently. “But I really did like them. They’re nice. I was just surprised that you guys thought that lilies suited me.”

“Huh…?”

Taking Flynn’s confusion to his advantage, he strolls past Flynn and wanders back into the living room, moving to flop down onto the couch with a quick sigh. He sees Repede climb to his feet and slowly make his way over to his legs only to flop back down once he was within touching range of Yuri. He snorts and pets the pup behind his ears before glancing back over to the lilies in question.

He reaches out and plucks one from the vase, turning it over in his hand as he examines the petals quietly.

“Hey, Yuri… do you think we could get away with filling my room with a million lilies?” A warm voice whispers into his ear, a wide smile evident in her voice. He could no longer remember how her smile looked before. Was she the type to wear lipstick? Did she go without? He couldn’t remember. Instead, all he could remember was the pale color of her skin instead. “A million flowers?” Yuri looks up to her, as he’s pulled close to her chest. The smell of her perfume, a scent he could no longer remember, was no longer there and instead, replaced with a clean but bitter scent of a room that was too tidy, too white, too quiet. He immediately begins to kick his shoes off onto the floor and curls up next to her, carefully avoiding tubes and wires as he does so. “I dunno if I can bring in a million flowers…” “Ooh, whaaat?” A laugh so gentle and full of life fills the air. “But I’ll get so so soooo lonely without a million flowers to keep me company, Yuri!” Yuri gives an indignant pout. “Ma, I’m not strong enough to… to hold a million flowers! And… I can’t count that high. How do I know if I got a million?” He’s held so close, and he remembers how warm she felt despite how cold the room was. But even as he was pulled closer into her arms, even as he stared up at her face, knowing how he could hear the smile in her voice, despite seeing her picture thousands and thousands of times… her face was blank. No matter how hard he tried to remember, no matter how hard he tried to wrack his brain… “Hmm… Then I guess you can just bring me a normal amount. So long as my favorite lily comes to visit me every single day! Okay?”

Flynn moves over to sit by him and Yuri could feel his eyes on him. “You think lilies don’t suit you?” He questions, repeating Yuri’s words back to him.

Yuri snaps from his thoughts, glancing over to his friend with a small smile. “Yeah, I dunno. Feels like they’d fit someone else, you know?”

Flynn gives a small hum of thought as he reaches over and plucks another lily from the vase, looking it over thoughtfully. They both stay quiet, staring at their own respective flowers and lost in their own minds.

“I think I’ll be the judge of that.” Flynn finally speaks up after a few minutes of silence. As he catches Yuri’s attention, he takes the flower and gently moves it towards Yuri’s face. As he gently pushes some of Yuri’s hair behind his ear, he tucks the flower gently in place, letting it rest on the side of Yuri’s face. “...Yes. There, see? The lilies suit you just fine.”

Flynn’s smile is wide and almost blinding as his fingers brush against Yuri’s cheek before withdrawing entirely and Yuri is left wide eyed and slack jawed as he stares back at Flynn’s dopey grin. His cheeks heat up and suddenly the room felt hot and uncomfortable as he quickly decides that he’s better off looking anywhere else instead.

“Flynn, y-you… can’t just say shit like that, man.” Yuri huffs out, only to grow more irritated when Flynn gives a tiny laugh in response. “I’m serious! Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

“I do. At least, in my head, I do.”

Oh, this bastard thinks he’s so smart.

Yuri rolls his eyes and shoves his own flower into Flynn’s chest, who takes it with a delighted smile. “You’re too damn sappy, knock it off.” Yuri leans back into the couch after shoving the flower at Flynn, but he can’t stop himself from reaching up and gently touching the lily that was still tucked into his hair.

Flynn, seemingly satisfied with the impromptu flower exchange, leans back into the couch as well, making sure to gently bump his shoulder into Yuri’s. Yuri lets his eyes dart over to Flynn, eyeing him up and down, remembering his words from earlier. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to open up to Flynn more. If anything, maybe just a little…

“You know…” Yuri speaks up, voice soft as he knocks his hand against the back of Flynn’s. “...I think I remember something about my mom.”

Flynn bumps his hand back, glancing over to Yuri with surprise as he does so, knowing that his memory of his mother was sparse at best. “Oh… You do?”

“Yeah. I think she really liked lilies too. I know she liked white lilies, at least.”

“Oh… That’s really pretty and just like her, from what I remember…”

Yuri nods quietly, a small smirk appearing on his face.

“Yeah. They weren’t her favorites though.”

====

For those not in the know: Yuri's name means "Lily"! Pretty important fact going forward! And also decided to sprinkle a hint of symbolism with the white lilies and their meaning. Also I need to make a confession: Because Yuri has so much going on in his life, I literally had to create a calendar just so I can keep up with everything LMAOOO I'm so sorry that I've done this to you, Yuri.

#tales of vesperia #fluri #yuri lowell #flynn scifo #tov #magical person au #bravus vesperia magica #ch 3

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aqricus · 3 years

Text

FROM THE BACK ! — minors dni

♥︎.PAIRING … odasaku x fem! reader

♥︎.SYNOPSIS … @niggette rly got me thinking about odasaku being obsessed with your body and not being shy about it.

♥︎.CONTAINS … afab reader. cunnilingus. oral (fem!receiving). dubcon if you squint. fat pussy appreciation. SEVERELY unedited writing.

♥︎.NOTE … i have nothing to say for myself. but yeah, you’re gonna find typos. ik this isn’t technically a whole fic or anything like what i usually put on masterlists, but i’m tired of it being empty.

for once, it was innocent, a thoughtless decision with no underlying ulterior motive. when you first shimmied into those tiny, grey shorts that cling to your curves like a second skin, you never intended to tease him. never, you promise. but, when odasaku passed by the threshold of your shared bedroom and spotted you sprawled on your stomach on the mattress, one leg mindlessly kicked up to showcase toenails painted a bewitching shade of red while you scrolled aimlessly through your phone, it seemed to be anything but innocuous.

he'd always heard of the devil wearing prada, yet he never understood exactly how foolish of a statement that was until he felt saliva pool on the cusp of his tongue at the sight of your plump pussy lips faintly detailed in the tight material. he swallows once when he notices not a single seam outlined in the fabric. in his mind, the devil doesn't even have the decency to wear panties.

you see, odasaku is a simple man of simple pleasures. he's content swirling a crystalline glass of scotch in his hand and watching the amber liquid slosh lazily against the sides. he's content settling down with his favorite novel and reading it for the umpteenth time. but, above all, he can't name a more enjoyable pastime than calmly suckling on your swollen clit like a pacifier and relishing the way your fat folds swallow up his tongue in a soft, warm embrace that smells and tastes like you.

he doesn't want to startle you, so he announces his presence with a murmured greeting and a gentle hand sweeping up your thigh. the smile you cast over your shoulder is so sweet and disarming that he almost feels guilty when his calloused palm ghosts over the globe of your ass. almost. his hand rubs soothingly over your back, blunt fingernails lacquered with the hardening solution you persuaded him into letting you apply lightly scratching down the thin material of your white, lace camisole. he remembers how thrilled you'd been when he relented; but, he also remembers feeling the heat of your cunt bleeding through your flimsy, little shorts as you straddled him, plush thighs squishing against his own. you'd been so oblivious, eyes all starry as you carefully drew the brush over his nails, completely ignorant to the way his eyes flickered down to the apex of your thighs every time you shifted in his lap. suddenly, as his hand smooths back down your back, he doesn't feel so guilty anymore.

his fingertips snag on the waistband of those stupid, stupid shorts, and you let out the cutest squeak he's heard in his life when he begins tugging the shorts down your legs. your head snaps around, thick lashes fluttering over eyes wide with shock, thighs clenching together automatically in protest.

"oda?" you sputter. "what are you doing?"

god, you're adorable. a small smile graces his lips, and he slowly slides his hand between your thighs. "open up for me." his voice is low, bourbon-dark yet as smooth as honey dripping from a wooden dipper.

"b-but..." regardless, your legs part, granting him access. he's a patient man, you know this. but, you'd be an imbecile not to notice the darkness pooling in his gaze, pitch-black and ravenous enough to completely envelop the soft twinkle usually present in his eyes. as reformed of a man he might be, odasaku is still very much a dangerous member of the mafia, feared even by dazai himself. and, while you don't question that he would die for you, you also don't question the extreme lengths he would go to for the opportunity to drown in your arousal.

still, it's not like you have it within you to object, especially when the feeling of his skilled tongue on your clit never fails to leave you loopy n' euphoric with hearts brimming in your eyes. so, you let him have you, let him shuffle you onto your knees with your chest bowed to the mattress and your ass perked up invitingly. the pillow is cool against your cheek, the satin case slippery beneath your sweat-slicked palms when you bunch the material into your fists in a pathetic attempt at grounding yourself.

you don't even realize how vulnerable and exposed you've made yourself until his strong hands are caressing your ass, the rough touch of the calluses he's amassed from years of wielding firearms sending shivers skittering up your spine. you only get the chance to gasp in realization before his fingers are digging into your plush cheeks to separate them, the cold rush of air that greets the sodden seam of your pussy shocking you to the core. in fact, you aren’t even allowed time to process the temperature change before you feel the warmth of his tongue laving over your folds.

"don't!" you squeal. any attempts to squirm away prove to be in vain, the iron grip sealed around your thighs keeping you locked in place. your cheeks heat up, embarrassment scorching the tips of your ears. "you can't! it's—it's dirty!"

dirty. he's reluctant to release your engorged clit, obsessed with the way it throbs with tacit desire on his tongue. yet, he does, the lean muscle adorning his shoulders rolling as he slowly lifts himself up with a sigh. he watches you bury your face back into the pillow, and he considers your words carefully as he wipes the back of his hand over his lips to smear away the sheen of arousal coating the stubble on his chin. over the course of his life, he's seen, done, and eaten unspeakable things that would make your nose scrunch up in revulsion and your stomach curdle. as a member of the port mafia, dire situations that call for such experiences are to be expected; yet, here you are, trembling like a leaf in the wind and embarrassed because you think such an undignified position is dirty.

for a split second, he considers depositing a glob of saliva directly onto the tight, puckered hole that sits just above your pretty pussy and lapping it up to prove a point; but, he quickly deduces that it would most likely result in an unsatisfactory reaction. you're shy, and you're still exploring the sexual aspect of relationships. if he's going to pull something like that, he wants it to be with your verbal consent, lest you freak out and question your decision to trust him.

instead, he opts for disregarding your warning and continuing his assault on your cunt. he's sloppy, slurping up the slick accumulating between your folds with such vigor that it trickles down his throat from his chin and dampens the collar of his black button-down. greedy, smothering every part of your pussy in attention—craning his neck to suckle hard on your clit until you're keening and twitching your hips back against his face despite your own reservations; warm breath huffing raggedly over your sensitive cunt when he briefly breaks away for air before angling his head up to press his lips against your chubby labia in a fervent french kiss that has your eyes rolling back into your skull; and, even parting your folds with his thumbs so that he can wiggle his tongue as deep into you as possible. he's insatiable, somehow managing to simultaneously fall apart and piece himself back together between your legs.

and, honestly? you can't really complain, and the reason is simple. when you're dripping milky-white down your clit and onto the sheets beneath you while your thighs quake uncontrollably, there's little to complain about.

#bungo stray dogs smut #bsd smut #bungou stray dogs smut #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader #odasaku x reader #bungo stray dogs odasaku #odasaku sakunosuke #bsd odasaku #bungo stray dogs x you #bungou stray dogs x you #bsd x y/n #bsd x reader #oda x reader

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violettduchess · 2 years

Note

Chevalier 10 fall fluff

A/N: Getting an early jump on these requests! (The Fall Fluff Autumn Angst CCC runs Sept 15 - Nov 15)

Thank you anon for the request!

Chevalier x f!reader

Word Count: 1247

It had taken so much planning on your part, but as you hurry back towards the palace over cobblestones slick with rain, you know it was worth every single agonizing minute. Even the sudden fall drizzle with its tiny cold darts of water doesn’t dampen the glow inside your heart. Because you have managed to do something impossible. You have found a book Chevalier wants….and has not read.

As you zig-zag your way around puddles, you remember the evening a few weeks ago.

You were curled up on his lap, reading aloud from a list of book recommendations sent by a professor friend you had remained in touch with since moving into the palace. Chevalier’s arresting blue eyes were on his own novel, listening with as much attention to your reading as he was to his own story, a skill that at first had seemed like some kind of black magic but was, in fact, just the magic of Chevalier and his incredible mind.

He murmured acknowledgments as you read the list out loud, his expression never changing. ….Until you mentioned the final book, a rare novel from the Northernmost region of the Jade Empire. At its name, he had raised his gaze from the pages of his own story to glance at the letter.

“I’ve never read that,” he murmured, his expression almost thoughtful.

Surprise caused you to look up. It was a rare book indeed that had not yet crossed Chevalier Michel’s path.

“Do you want to?”

He adjusted you slightly in his lap, his arm holding you securely to him as one shoulder lifted in an elegant shrug.

“I wouldn’t reject it if it appeared in my bookshelf someday.” He returned his gaze to his book and you found yourself fighting back a grin. He wanted to read it. That singular piece of information started a roaring fire inside your heart. Come hell or highwater, you would not rest until you got him that book.

Weeks of correspondence, of charming and cajoling Clavis to help you, of promising palace visits and donations and one very desperate letter to Prince Keith had finally paid off. A copy of the book had arrived at the bookshop where you formerly worked, wrapped protectively in the finest black velvet, like a queen’s favorite jewel.

This is the package you clutch so tightly to your chest as you hurry onto palace grounds, your boots squelching with every step. A few words with a passing servant direct you to Chevalier’s study. You burst through the wide, white doors, dripping with rain and excitement.

“I have something for you!”

Your words are breathless with the pace you set to get there and the anticipation of the look on his face. Chevalier pauses his writing, carefully laying down his feathered quill. You are one of the very few people allowed to interrupt him when he is working. He shifts his long limbs, turning to face you. You are bright-eyed and soaking wet and holding something so tightly in your hands, your knuckles are white. You’re also starting to shiver, a fact that you yourself are not even aware of.

He rises from his chair, long legs taking him to you in a matter of seconds.

“It is autumn now. Only a simpleton would be caught in the rain and not seek a fire immediately.” He reaches out, taking your elbow and roughly begins guiding you out of the study.

“But Chevalier-” You leave a trail of tiny puddles in your wake as he firmly leads you out of his study and to the main salon, with its plush furniture and most importantly, large fireplace.

At this hour, most of the other princes are either out or conducting business over drinks. The salon is empty when you both enter. The warmth of the room wraps itself around you, the heat a shock to your cold skin.

“Chev-” You try again, wanting so desperately for him to open the treasure you have procured. But he ignores his name on your lips, his expression etched with annoyance as he deftly removes your wet cloak.

“You are soaked. How foolish.” He takes your arm and pulls you with a bit more finesse closer to the fireplace where a generous fire is crackling, tiny sparks twinkling like fiery stars as they rise and then fade away.

Your cloak soaked in most of the water but he still undoes the hooks of your corseted vest, tossing it aside. A shiver runs through you, not entirely from the cold. His hands start at your shoulders, surprisingly gentle as they run down your arms, feeling the sleeves of your blouse, fingers touching your bare skin when he gets to your wrists and your hands, still clutching the velvet-wrapped gift.

“Put that thing down. You’re still chilled.”

Frustration bubbles up inside you like the fizz of champagne. You step away from his touch, eyes narrowed.

“Would you just take a look at-”

“Not until you are warm.”

Frustration dips, overrun by a wave of genuine anger.

“It’s ‘The Death of King Arthur’,’” you snap at him. He stops, taken by surprise. Whatever he was expecting you to say, that was certainly not it. You move toward him again, holding the package out. “First edition.”

His eyes, frostfire in the warm light of the flames, move from you to the velvet in your shaking hands. He reaches out, taking it from you and you feel your anger begin to ebb. There, now he has heard what it is. He’ll probably want to unwrap it immediately and dive into the book right away. The thought makes you smile to yourself.

Your lips part in surprise as he turns, setting the unopened parcel down on the couch. He steps toward you and reaches out, taking your hands in his. Despite the warmth of the fire, they still feel cold, tense from the way they had been gripping his present from the moment it was handed over to you til now.

He wraps his long, elegant fingers around yours and begins rubbing your hands between his. His touch sends warmth through you in a way that no flame could ever match.

“But….the book. Don’t you want to read it?” Your voice is small, pin-pricked with uncertainty. You were sure he would immediately dive in, no matter what.

He continues to rub your hands between his, his gaze now meeting yours. What you see in them stops the very air in your lungs and quickens the rhythm of your heart: love the breadth of the sky, the depth of the sea; eternity in the sapphire of his eyes.

“We’ll read it together. After you are properly warmed.” His voice is softer now, much like his touch. He lifts both of your hands to his lips, dropping his head down to place an endearingly awkward kiss on the place they meet. You exhale, a dreamer living out the sweetest of dreams. He raises his head to see your smile and the world fills with light when he returns it, a sight that is yours and only yours.

You lean in, stepping as close to him as your joined hands will let you, your chin tilted up to look into his eyes, as blue and radiant as the wings of a blue Morpho butterfly.

“Well, Prince Chevalier….” You rise onto your toes, pressing an inviting kiss to his lips, “Properly warm me then.”

🍂

Tagging: @aquagirl1978 @atelieredux @alixennial @alexxavicry @queengiuliettafirstlady @rhodolitesroseforclavis @somekidnamedkai @ikemen-prince-writers-posts @bellerose-arcana @thewitchofbooks @ikehoe @redheadkittys @themysticalbeing @dear-mrs-otome @firestar-otomeobsessed @curious-skybunny @queen-dahlia @moonstruck-writing @scorchieart

#ikemen series #ikemen prince #ikepri #ikemen chevalier #ikepri chevalier #chevalier michel #chevalier x reader #fall fluff autumn angst ccc #hand warming #fluff #violettwrites

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cherrysrambles · 3 years

Text

Why Are You Bothering Me?

Summary: One night on the Razor Crest you can’t handle just how cold space can get, so you finally decide to do the only logical thing. Snuggle up to a very warm Mandalorian

Warnings: none, super fluffy, kinda suggestive, just cuteness

Words: 1,084

It was a cold night on The Crest. Usually you’d be able to get through the cold by bundling yourself up in all the unused blankets on the ship, and occasionally throwing on one of Mando’s old capes. But tonight you couldn’t handle it, your whole body was going numb, you were sure you were going to die from hypothermia. You both decided to take it in turns who gets to sleep in that tiny cot Mando calls a bed. Well it was more you forcefully telling him that he’s not allowed to fall asleep in his pilots chair on long nights, he needs a good night sleep just like everyone else does. So much so that that particular night, you sprinted up to the cockpit and practically threw yourself in his chair so he would have to go sleep in the cot. Kinda funny at the time. But with Mando in the hatch, it’s now the warmest part of the ship, and you’re stuck shivering in his chair in a big ball of fabric.

This is it, this is how I go you think to yourself. What would Mando think when he found your cold lifeless body in the hanger, would he care that you died? He might care a bit. It’s hard to get a read on him sometimes, half the time you don’t know if you’re annoying him with your presence or if he actually wants you around. You start finding it hard to breathe from how much you’re shivering.

Fuck it. Theres no other option, or is there? Nope, there definitely is no other option. Mando is like his own space heater, he radiates heat even through all that beskar. But waking up a Mandalorian from his rest doesn’t sound like a good idea. To be honest, he petrifies you sometimes, not intentionally, but it’s just the way he is, so stoic all the time, it feels like he’s constantly watching you, which he’s clearly not, why would he? But this time, you have to man up and do it. It even hurts to get off the chair and make it down the ladder. Eventually when you get there you knock gently on the compartment door.

*knock knock* ‘Mando…. Nothing is wrong! So don’t worry, Grogu and I are safe” you manage to get out. You hear shuffling and a grumbled “Then why are you bothering me?” He sounds different, you realise it’s because he doesn’t have his helmet on! Of course he doesn’t, he doesn’t live in that thing, although you had your suspicions…

“I’m sorry, I’ll let you get back t-“

“What do you want?” He cuts you off.

“I.. I’m cold’

“Then get a blanket”

“Mando I have all of them”

“…Then grab one of my capes”

You whisper so quietly that you’re unsure he’ll even hear ‘I have that too”

Silence

“You’ll need body heat” he says. This was not the plan you had in mind, but he’s right, you had ALL the blankets in the ship, you need something nice and warm and firm and har- stop it. Your mind is wondering again.

The lights go out in the hull and you know he’s waiting for you. You press the button to open the compartment “drop the blankets” he says and you can feel his voice trembling down to your core.

“What side are you on?” You whisper “Your left”the replies.

You drop the blankets and hurriedly get under his, facing away from him.

“You’re shivering sweet girl” Theres that nickname again. You nod as he pulls you closer into his arms.

“It’s ok, just relax, I’ve got you” he says into your hair, calming you instantly.

Moments pass before he speaks again. “You should take your clothes off, I mean, take off what you’re comfortable with, like, down to your underwear, like me, so I can warm you properly” If you weren’t so damn cold and embarrassed you might’ve realised just how flustered the Mandalorian is getting.

You slowly start trying to remove your sleep top, but struggle, the feeling still hasn’t come back to your fingers, sensing your frustration, Mando places a warm hand on your hip and ever so slowly moves it under your shirt, undressing you carefully whilst turning you around to face him. He removes your top and you cling to him shivering as he rubs a warm hand up and down your back. You like this you think, as you still continue to shiver. “Your pants need to go” He says, you nod and make no move to remove them yourself. The hand that’s caressing your back moves slowly down your back and under the waistband your your sleep pants as he slowly starts to lower the fabric, using his feet to kick them the rest of the way off, “wrap your legs around me” he says as removes your leg to rest over his. His warm hand goes back to stroking up and down your back soothing you. You try as hard as you can not to think about what is pressing right up against your core currently.

Eventually, you stop shivering and start to relax. You snuggle up to his warm broad chest even closer and. Shit. Mando said ‘take your clothes off like me’ didn’t he? You shuffle around slowly trying to move back and he grabs you tight “please stop moving” he says. Yep, he’s definitely in his boxers and you definitely don’t have a bra on.

“Unless you’re uncomfortable?” He whispers?

“I’m comfortable” You lie. You’ve never been this close to anyone, let alone this close to anyone whilst half naked.

“I can feel your tension, we can stop, you’ve warmed up” he says as he starts to pull away, but you grab him tight.

“It’s just.. I’ve never been.. This is just..I..” You stutter

“Me too”

“Really!?” You blurt out “I mean, I didn’t mean that, ignore I said that” you plead, and you can sense how tense he is now,

“Mando I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel unco-“

“I’ve never been this close to anyone either” Oh, well that’s new information.

He continues “And I’ve never taken my helmet off in front of anyone else, you’re the first”

“I can’t see your face, so it’s ok, right?” He doesn’t answer, he just hums into your hair and very slowly, you start to drift off into the best sleep of your life.

#din djarin #din djarin fanfic #din djarin fanfiction #din djarin fic #din djarin x reader #pedro pascal #the mandalorion fluff #mandalorian x reader #mandalorian x you #din djarin x you #din djarin fluff #din djarin x reader fluff #cherrysrambles

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luvyanfei · 3 years

Text

how they comfort you when you’re sad

ft. diluc, kaeya, venti, childe, zhongli, albedo, & xiao non-requested piece

diluc ragnvindr.

as stoic as diluc may be, he’s the most emotionally affected by your misery out of the others listed here, but he’s clueless in how to help. he’s not adept in everything despite being known for being a perfectionist and unfortunately, comforting you is one of them. he would reach out a hand to you, and then pull it back to his side before you notice. it annoys him greatly how he can insult the knights without hesitation and combat against his enemies confidently, and yet...

it’s easy to get diluc flustered over the simpler things in life. you’re usually so happy and lively, the light to his dark that he finds it almost eerie to see you looking depressed as you enter the tavern. you don’t even spare him a glance, and slumps down at an empty seat, your head splayed down on the table. out of concern for your wellbeing, the winery owner whips up your favourite drink free of charge and delivers it himself to your spot. instead of leaving you as one would expect, he pulls up a chair and taps the wooden surface of the table with his gloved fingers, stirring you to look up at him. he greets you in a monotone voice unintentionally, and shyly asks if there are any problems going on in your life. he may not look like it, with how distant he is, but diluc would be very pleased to help you.

with hesitation, you take the drink and start taking small sips from the cup. the savory taste melts on your tongue and your lips quiver slightly. before you know it, you’re reduced into a sobbing mess, your tears staining the floor. “what’s wrong?” dismayed, diluc rises up and pats your back, handing you a handkerchief from his jacket pocket for you to wipe your tears away with.

he ushers you into a private room where nobody can see you and rubs your hands together. he doesn’t talk, instead fixating on calming you down. dabbing at your swollen eyes and cheeks gently with a drenched towel, diluc cradles your face and leans in close to you, your foreheads touching. “i’m here, [name],” his voice is soft and delicate, a sharp contrast to his formal and uninterested tone, “i will always be here for you, so you don’t need to worry about suffering alone. we’ll get through this together, alright?”

kaeya alberich.

he’ll take you to the tavern with him for a nice drink. it won’t do you any good to be by yourself and moping, right? as hypocritical as it may seem, kaeya is fully accepting of you coming to him for emotional support despite being rather closed-off when it comes to his personal emotions. if you’re underage, he’ll purchase you a soft drink or juice, and if not, a glass of wine will surely boost your spirits up. his attempt to cheer you up is to temporarily distract you from it. quite clever of him, no? of course, his objective isn’t for you to ignore your problems altogether, but to take your mind off of it until you can think a bit clearly.

kaeya will act like a gentleman the whole time, letting a few teasing remarks slip out every now and then, but his attitude is toned down for the most part. after you consumed a plentiful amount of beverages, he takes a stroll with you in the night, passing by a bard stringing music on their lyre. this gives the cavalry captain an idea and he takes you into a secluded area, fireflies glowing to add a touch of whimsy to the scenario. still gripping your hand, he raises it up to kiss the surface and proposes you to join him in for a dance under the moonlight and stars.

kaeya looks at you with a brimming grin. “are you feeling better now?” you nod, placing a hand on his open palm.

“now that you’re here, yes, i am.” his smile broadens and cups your cheek with his free hand. the tip of his thumb lightly grazes your bottom lip before he replaces it with his lips. the kiss is passionate and savory, a description that fits your relationship perfectly.

“i’m glad you do,” he pulls back and breathes out a sigh of relief. “it’s the same with me. i admit, i also enjoy your company very much.”

venti.

it’s best to let your emotions run loose. don’t bottle it up, okay? if you need to cry, then cry. sure, venti may act all carefree and exuberant, but even he has his serious sides from time to time. he takes the situation rather calmly, pulling you into a comforting embrace and rubbing your back as you tearfully sob. when he feels that you’re muscles have slowly relaxed and your cries have been reduced to tiny sniffles, he transitions out of the hug and places his hands on your shoulder, all with an angelic smile on his face. see, that wasn’t so bad, now was it?

if you’re up for it, venti will be happy to play you a quiet melody carried in the night breeze. he’ll position your head to lean on his shoulder as both of you sit down on the ground and he clears his throat before he begins singing. the stringing of the lyre, the gentle rustle of the leaves in the background, and the soothing sound of his voice automatically brings a smile to your lips. snuggling closer to him, you drift in a state of contentment and serenity. once the bard catches wind of your heavy breathing, your eyes fluttered closed, he stops his singing and presses a dainty kiss to your forehead.

carefully, so he doesn’t disturb your slumber, venti carries you back to your resident and tucks you into bed. as he’s about to head off, you snag him by the wrist, and tug him back to your side. “please don’t go yet, venti.” he pats the hand imprisoning his wrist and chuckles in amusement.

“don’t worry. i don’t plan on ever doing something like that.” he crawls into bed with you, tangling your legs together and hooking his arms around your waist. the tip of his nose grazes your hair faintly as your back is pressed against his chest. “not now, and not ever.”

childe.

he’s the eleventh harbinger, yes, but beneath his fearsome title and mischievous demeanor, childe is a regular human with an affable heart. it hurts him seeing you look dejected, as if you’re on the brink of suffocating from insufferable pain. it’s like your emotions are a type of infection, contagious to say the least. if you’re happy, then he’s happy. if you’re sad, then you’ll bet he’s also going to drop his jovial gleam. luckily, growing up with siblings gives him an advantage here. he’s used to taking care of others and turning their frowns upside down.

if he finds out someone has been upsetting you, he’ll personally deal with them himself, ordering them to apologize lest they want to face his wrath. if you’re having financial difficulties, he’ll lend you a generous amount of mora so you can clear your debts or help you find a well-paying job. either way, he’ll cradle you in his arms and compliment you for being strong, no matter what life throws at you. life’s hard, but that’s all the more reason why you should keep marching forward - hand in hand with childe.

“shh, [name], it’s okay. don’t cry.” childe kneels before you and wipes away a salty tear. grabbing a teddy bear abandoned on the ground, he shoves it in front of your face. to your sudden bewilderment, he grabs the bear’s arm to pat you on the head and grins. “there, there. mr. teddy is here to make you happy once more.”

you sputter out a giggle despite tears still leaking from your eyes. “childe, i’m not a little kid anymore. cut it out!” he resists the urge to pinch your cheeks when you pout cutely at him.

“fine, fine. i’ll stop, but hey! at least you’re smiling again, right?” you roll your eyes and sniff.

“yeah, i’m feeling a little better. thank you.”

your comment forms a blush to dust his cheeks and he sheepishly scratches the back of his head. “there’s no need for gratitude. to me, your smile is the one thing i’d hate to lose.”

zhongli.

feeling sad? his arms are already wide open and a box of tissues is conveniently laid on the table. zhongli is the wave that laps up your sorrows and tears, the lulling sound of his voice uttering words of reassurance like a tranquil melody to set your heart at ease. he’s the type who will lend a shoulder for you to cry on. while he brews up a nice cup of tea to soothe your mind, he encourages you gently to tell him whatever it is that’s bothering you. he soaks up every syllable that falls from your lips like a sponge and in a pensive state, he gives you advice in turn.

you take his words to heart, since everything he’s said before have always been genuine and your trust in him runs deeper than the bottom of the sea. sure, maybe not everything he says is the answer that will cause your problems disappear, but he does guide you to choose rationally how you want to approach it. as much as zhongli would like to solve everything for you, he’s aware that there are times where only you have the potential to fix the issue.

the golden ginkgo leaves twirl in the autumn breeze, as zhongli clasps his hands with yours. you adjust the scarf around your neck, shivering from the mild chill settling in liyue.

you stare grimly at the seagulls soaring in the cloudy sky, and peers down at your feet planted firmly on the ground. a frown tugs on your lips and you sigh. a warm hand caresses your cheek and you look towards zhongli smiling gently in your direction. wiping away the tears that are beginning to moist your eyes, he encages you in a comforting hug.

“don’t hold it in,” zhongli whispers soothingly in your ear, “you’re allowed to cry if you want. i promise you, there’s no judgement.”

albedo.

it’s like he has a sixth sense. you could have been crying in your sleep last night and the first thing you wake up to is all your favourite meals placed rigorously on a sliver tray and a positive message with cursive, neat handwriting scribbled on a notepad for you to read. albedo is rather considerate, like that. before you started to live together and entered a more domestic relationship, he visited your home and asked if anything was wrong in a neutral tone that belied his concern. you were shocked how he could have possibly known since you were sure you concealed the visible evidences skillfully with makeup, and you looked quite normal for the most part, as if you hadn’t been crying mere seconds before he knocked on your door.

he shrugs indifferently and responds that he just has a feeling something’s bothering you. albedo will take a day off from his confinement in his lab so he can stay with you. he takes you by the hand and gestures for you to sit down on a nearby chair beside him, offering you delectable appetites to eat while you rant to him. once you’re finished spilling out your problems, he kisses you on the forehead and tells you that you did a good job. it isn’t easy to admit you’re not mentally well, in which he praises you for.

hugging your legs to your chest, you quietly ask him if it’s not a bother. firmly, albedo shakes his head and squeezes your hand reassuringly. “no, you’re never a bother.” he scoops up a spoonful of ice cream and feeds you the cool dessert. once you swallow, his lips curve into a little smirk as he wipes away the excess on the side of your mouth with a finger and licks the cream off with his tongue.

“whether you’re happy, sad, or disappointed, my love for you will never change.”

xiao.

he’s not very good at handling these types of situations. xiao can never know what he’s supposed to say or do to make you feel better, so he just stands there awkwardly. please don’t blame him! he’s already terrible at consoling himself that having to cheer someone else up seems more like an impossible challenge than a simple task. however, like albedo, he can also sense if you’re depressed or in need of saving. what do you mortals call it, an instinct?

he asks verr for advice on what to do to help, and she suggests for him to stick by your side and show that he cares deeply about you. it takes xiao a while to come up with a suitable plan. he wanders up to the highest floor of wangshu inn and reminisces over the past. your first meeting with him, the time when you gave him almond tofu, and when you both fought together to protect liyue - he’s memorized it all down to the last detail. suddenly, an idea clicks into place and he teleports immediately to where you are. sitting on a bench alone, while you absentmindedly watch the birds peck at the crumbs scattered on the cement floor, it takes you by surprise when you find xiao hovering above you. he reaches out his hand and composedly asks if you would be willing to accompany him for the night.

when you encounter him at the location where you agreed to meet, you curiously question xiao what he wants to do, but he doesn’t reply. instead, he scoops you up in his arms, a surprised expression on your face as you wrap your arms around his neck so you don’t end up falling. before you know it, both of you are... soaring in the air? your eyes subconsciously drift to his vision glowing brightly in the murky night. so he’s using his anemo abilities to create wind currents and literally sweep you off your feet.

“do you see this place?” he gestures with his head for you to look at liyue harbor. the city lights glow in the darkness and most people are walking back home, idly chatting with each other and giggling. “it wouldn’t be as peaceful as it is now if it weren’t for you. so if you ever feel sad again, know that it’s you who puts a smile on everyone’s faces - including mine.”

and with that, xiao smiles serenely at you, to which you finally offer a grin of your own.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #xiao x reader #xiao #albedo #albedo x reader #zhongli x reader #zhongli #venti #venti x reader #childe x reader #childe #diluc #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #kaeya

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mercurygguk · 3 years

Text

the first year | jjk (m)

genre; parents au + established relationship au

pairing; dad!jungkook x fem reader

✎ summary; in which jungkook learns that his new life as a parent can be difficult at times and that it takes a great amount of patience, but even with all that, jungkook wouldn’t trade it for anything.

warnings; my weak attempt at being funny, jungkook as a dad, SMUT; sexual activities, fingering, swearing, light dirty talk, actual sex, jungkook being a simp for his baby mama

word count; 4,121

➵ READ PART 1 HERE

a/n; here’s a part 2 of my dad!jungkook fic - hope you like it, enjoy!! also, please feel free to give some feedback <3 didn’t proof read at all, ignore any possible typos thx

Parenting is anything but easy.

That is something Jungkook has learned after the first few months of being a dad. His daughter is usually very easy to handle, very peaceful at most times and over all a very happy baby. However, she likes to wake him up in the middle of the night with loud cries. At this point Jungkook can’t even remember what it feels like to get 8 hours of sleep at night.

Tonight seems to be another one of those nights. Her cries are nothing but irritation, not satisfied with the lack of attention. Jungkook has learned the differences in her cries from the way they sound and whether there are tears or not. Sometimes she’s only doing it just to get some attention when all she really has to do is sleep. She must have inherited her mother’s temper and need for attention.

A heavy sigh falls from Jungkook’s lips, eyes still closed as he waits a few moments, hoping she’ll fall back to sleep without him having to get up and go to her room. Beside him, his girlfriend and the mother of his daughter is stirring, turning over to face Jungkook’s back. Scooting closer, you reach out to touch his back, your palm running up and down.

“I’ll get her,” you softly tell him, speaking into the darkness before blindlessly pressing a kiss to the skin of his back. Before you can get out of bed, Jungkook is getting up. You watch as he drags his feet out of the bedroom and down the small hallway to where his daughter is currently having a midnight crying fit. A small smile sneaks its way onto your lips, knowing he doesn’t mind getting her in the middle of the night despite how tired he sounds and looks.

There’s nothing in the world he wouldn’t do for her.

Jungkook carefully opens the door, peeking his head inside to see his 7-month-old daughter standing up in her crib, her hands tightly gripping the edge to hold herself up. He switches on the night lamp on her dresser, lighting up the room in a warm glow. Her big brown eyes with long lashes looks at him, no tears in sight, just a small mischievous grin on her face because he’s there to check on her again. The way she has him wrapped around her tiny pinky finger is beyond him.

“You little tease,” he coos with a smile as he steps closer to the crib, immediately picking her up when she reaches for him. Once she’s in his arms, she cuddles closer to him, head neatly tucked into the crook of his neck. Jungkook sighs deeply in content, running his hand up and down her back as he makes his way out of her room and back to you in the bedroom. You’re still awake when he appears in the doorway, a knowing smirk on your face as he moves closer to the bed. You reach out while pouting, wanting your baby girl in your arms. She’s already half asleep again as Jungkook hands her over before climbing into bed.

Jungkook watches with pure adoration in his eyes as the two most important girls in his life are cuddling up against him. You glance up at him, noticing the small smile he always seems to sport whenever you catch him looking at you and your daughter. She’s fully asleep now, completely unaware of the way her parents are watching her with proudness in their eyes and hearts.

“We got lucky, huh?” You softly say.

Nodding, Jungkook intertwines your free hand with his.

“We really did.”

“You know what we should?”

You turn to look at Jungkook, eyebrows raised in question. He looks out of the window in the living room, watching the skyline and tapping his chin as if he’s in deep thought. You wait patiently until he looks your way.

“We should throw a party for Areum’s 1st birthday,” he says. You give him a look only to receive one back.

You scoff lightly, “you don’t think I haven’t thought of that?”

Jungkook shrugs. “Well, you never mentioned it, so how should I know?”

Pretending to be offended, you place a hand on your chest and let out another scoff. Jungkook chuckles at your silliness, scooting closer before pulling you onto his lap. You smile at him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Of course, we’re throwing her a party. It’s her first one after all.”

Smiling, Jungkook rubs his palms up and down your thighs. Soon the smile falls from his lips. You frown as you watch it happen, his eyes falling to look at anything but your face. You know what he’s thinking, he’s mentioned it before.

“I can’t believe she’s already a year old soon,” he mumbled. You smile softly, reaching up to run a hand through his hair to remove it from his face. He looks at you again, a sad smile on his face now. “She’s growing so fast, it terrifies me.”

“Oh, I know, baby,” you coo, “but she can’t stay tiny forever, you know that.”

He sighs deeply. “Yeah, I know. I just wish I could slow down time sometimes.”

Your heart aches watching him being this sad over something so inevitable. He loves her so much and he’ll do anything to protect her, go to great lengths to get her whatever she needs. It warms your heart, makes you wonder if you ever could’ve found someone more perfect than him if you didn’t have him?

“She’ll always need you, Jungkook. Even when she’ll say she doesn’t.”

“Areum, sweetheart, no- watch out!”

You watch with wide, horrified eyes as your daughter climbs onto the couch and stands up, wobbling on her very unstable legs. You’re not quick enough to get up and catch her before she tumbles to the ground, her head thankfully not hitting the floor as hard as it could’ve. A loud cry sounds throughout the living room, tears welling up in her eyes as you pick her up.

You examine her for any injuries while cradling her to you. When you don’t see any, you press a kiss on the top of her head. “Oh sweetie, I’m sorry, it’s okay,” you coo, holding her close as she cries it out.

As she sniffles against your shirt, a thousand thoughts run through your mind. Firstly, Jungkook must never know this happened. Secondly, you feel like the worst mother ever, the way you just let her climb up there without support and basically just watching her fall down and almost hit her head very badly.

“Oh, God,” you breathe out, letting out a quiet cry of panic.

The front door opens, your boyfriend’s humming sounding throughout the apartment. You listen as he kicks off his shoes and unzips his jacket. You quickly check Areum’s face for visible tears, hurriedly drying off the remnants with your sleeve. You press a quick kiss to the tip of her nose, flashing her a smile before picking up a toy, handing it to her and pretending her fall didn’t just happen minutes ago.

“Hey babe,” Jungkook appears in the living room, smiling widely at the two of you. He’s quick to come closer, reaching out for Areum and picking her up. He smooches her cheeks with a smile, but it’s without her usual reaction of laughter. You watch, waiting until it hits him. His smile falters, glancing at you whose face is grimacing in apology already.

The red spots from tears on her small, soft cheeks is what gives it away. That and how quiet she is when usually she’s laughing hysterically when Jungkook smooches her.

“Has she been crying? And is that a bump on her forehead?” He asks, turning to look at you.

“Yeah...” you trail off, wincing as your boyfriend stares you down in suspicion, “we might’ve had a small accident-”

“____!” Jungkook exclaims, horrified as he sits down on the couch with Areum in his lap. He examines her like you did when the fall happened, worry written all over his face. You sigh deeply, getting up from the floor to take a seat beside him. “How did this happen? Did you not watch her?”

“I did!” You quickly defend yourself, “she was crawling onto the couch and before I knew it she was falling down head first into the rug!”

Jungkook exhales, looking back at Areum who’s playing with the thin silver chain around his neck. The bump on her forehead doesn’t look too bad. “I guess the rug took most of the fall, the bump isn’t that big.”

“Oh God, I’m the worst mom ever!” You cry out at the sight of the small bump on your daughter’s head, wrapping yourself around Jungkook’s arm, your face hidden in his shoulder. Jungkook can’t help but roll his eyes. You always have to be so dramatic, thinking the worst about yourself when this could’ve happened to any parent.

“____,” he calls out, catching your attention. You sniffle lightly, lifting your head to look up at him. He smiles at you. “You’re not the worst mom ever, okay? You’re the best and this minor accident doesn’t define your entire role as a mother. She’s okay, look.”

You look at your daughter, her attention still focused on the silver chain, although now her small mouth is curved into a small smile. You smile at her, Jungkook does too. “It’s just a tiny bump,” he tells you, pausing before saying: “there will probably be much worse in the future.”

Gasping, you slap his upper arm causing Areum to let out that precious baby laugh. “Don’t jinx it!”

Jungkook is in a good mood, a pep in his step as he makes his way up to yours and his apartment, fully aware that you’re probably already cooking a delicious meal and making everything ready for your ‘date night’. The drive back from his parents’ place, where he just dropped off Areum, was filled with loud music that made him even more excited for finally having some time with you alone after God knows how long.

Once he steps through the front door, a delicious aroma of his favorite dish hits his nostrils causing him to let out a deep sigh of content. He quickly slips off his shoes and jacket before making his way to the kitchen. Feel-good songs are playing on the speaker and you’re moving around while preparing the food, singing along and just enjoying yourself. You’re not aware of Jungkook standing behind you, a big grin on his face.

Deciding to surprise you, he sneaks up behind you and snakes his arms around your waist, chin resting on your shoulder. You jump lightly in his embrace, turning your head slightly to see that it is in fact the love of your life who’s hugging you.

“Hi,” you softly say, smiling when he presses his lips to your cheek in a soft kiss.

“Mhm,” he hums in response, “it smells delicious, baby.”

“Good for you that your favorite dish is the one I make the best,” you smirk, flipping the steaks on the pan. Jungkook chuckles before agreeing with you. You turn the heat down before turning around in his arms, coming face to face with him. Without another thought he leans in and steals a quick peck. He grins at you when he pulls back to look at you again. “Go get cleaned up,” you tell him, pushing him away from you.

“I love you,” he smiles sweetly as he backs away and heads towards the bedroom. You watch with a lovesick smile, your eyes automatically landing on his butt because it’s right there and you can’t help yourself. Something tells you, you won't finish dinner at the table, but in bed instead.

Sure enough, you stayed at the table until you finished the main dish. You had prepared dessert as well but Jungkook is in the mood for another kind of dessert – that’s what he had said when he got up from his seat before pulling you from yours and tugging you towards the bedroom. Screw the ice cream, you thought to yourself and allowed Jungkook to guide you to the bed.

Ever since Areum was born you’ve had few chances of being alone with Jungkook, enjoying his company and the love he always stores deep inside of him until he feels like showering you in it.

It’s slow but hurried, it’s passionate and yet filled with desperation, it’s you and him together in your own bubble. Your eyes close shut as Jungkook traces your skin with his lips, his hands running over and feeling your curves and every dip in your body. His lips brush across the faint stretch marks on your stomach, his hands cupping your breasts softly yet firmly.

“God, you’re the most beautiful mama to ever exist,” Jungkook groans as he hovers over you, looking you up and down, noticing every single detail of your body and skin. You smile, a faint blush covering your cheeks as he dips down to kiss you softly. His tongue meets yours halfway, a soft moan falling from your mouth and into his. He swallows the whimpers you let out as he reaches down, fingers running between your lower lips, the wetness there evident to him.

“Jungkook,” you sigh in pleasure against his lips as he rolls your clit with his thumb, “more, please.”

He smirks softly, lips moving from your lips to your cheeks and further down to the top of your breasts, peppering kisses all over you. All your senses are on fire, the feeling of his lips, his fingers, his body against yours, the growing erection against your leg. Your hand reaches down to rub against it through his boxers, the only piece of clothing separating his cock from your clenching hole. You’re whimpering against him as the pressure from his thumb on your clit is edging you closer to your release.

“J-jungkook, please, I need you,” you gasp, you're moving automatically against his fingers causing more friction, “n-need you so bad.”

“That desperate for my cock, huh baby?” He teases, smoothly sinking his fingers inside of you, “you want me to finish you off now or would you like to cum all over my cock?”

You moan at his words, back arching up against him. “Your cock, please, wanna cum all over it.”

A grunt leaves Jungkook as he imagines it before him. It doesn’t take long for him to strip off his boxers, throwing them onto the floor beside the bed. You anticipate the stretch, already clenching around nothing as Jungkook lines himself up with your entrance. You reach for his hand just as he starts pushing past your walls, stretching you open so deliciously in a way you’ll never be able to handle without gasping in pure pleasure. Jungkook intertwines his hand with yours as he keeps it pressed against the mattress right beside your head.

He bottoms out, filling you to the brim. He breathes out heavily, his breathing ragged as he lets you adjust to his impressive width and length. “Fuck, I’ll never get tired of seeing you like this,” he rasps out as he pulls out and pushes back in, watching the way your eyes roll back in pleasure, “my pretty baby all fucked out.”

It blows your mind how he always manages to make it so dirty yet soft. You’re already a mess beneath him and he’s barely begun. “Oh god, Jungkook-”

A forceful push of his hips has you gasping, a high pitched moan tumbling from your lips. His hips connect with yours in a rhythm, skin against skin, the lewd sounds of your wetness and the feeling of Jungkook thrusting and grinding into you. His lips are back against your skin, your collarbones earning kisses and small bites, your free hand running from his lower back and up his spine to the hair in his neck. You tug at it, earning a grunt from Jungkook. Lifting his head, he looks you in the eye, his lips slightly parted as he works you both to your highs.

His eyes are soft while his actions are far from it, the look he’s giving you tells you everything he doesn’t say out loud. “Oh my god, I’m gonna- fuck,” you gasp, tightening your hold on his hand, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Me too, baby, me too,” Jungkook moans, leaning down to press his lips to yours, kissing you like it would be the last. He swallows your whimpers, your moans and gasps as your orgasm hits you hard. Jungkook follows you, his orgasm hitting him as you clench around him. He stills inside of you, moaning deeply at the feeling of you clenching and milking him for every drip of cum. He’s panting as he comes down, his face hidden in the crook of your neck. Yours and his breathing is the only thing you can hear in the room as you both try to collect yourselves. Your fingers are caressing his scalp as he stays in your arms, letting his weight rest upon you. Silence engulfs you and him, Jungkook’s breathing clashing against your neck, your fingers dancing across the skin on his back. You can feel his cum trickling out of you, but you don’t really care at this point, just enjoying the moment and worrying later about the mess that is the sheets.

Jungkook’s thoughts are running a hundred miles per hour as he lays in silence with you close against him. His thoughts shift from the first time he met you to when he first kissed you to the way you told him you loved him before he told you. Then his thoughts wander on to his daughter, the tiny person he created with you just from the love between the two of you. There are so many memories with you, moments and life events he shares with you. An idea pops into his mind, it’s something he has been thinking about for a long time, he just didn’t find the right time yet. He wants to add another meaningful celebration of life and love to the memories he shares with you.

He wants to marry you.

Jungkook already asked for your parents’ approval. They told him yes in an instant, reminding him that he has a child with you and that the two of you are already past asking for approval. That thought alone makes Jungkook chuckle softly. He really did things with you in a messy order. First he slept with you then he dated you. Then he asked you to be his girlfriend and then after a few years he accidentally got you pregnant and now he’s thinking about proposing to you.

“What?” You ask, smiling softly as you hear Jungkook chuckle.

He rolls over, his back hitting the mattress and pulling you with him to lay halfway on top of him. He smiles at you, his fingers reaching out to tuck strands of your hair behind your ears.

“It just hit me how we’ve done things in a really random order,” he tells you. Your eyebrows pull together in confusion at his words. “First we slept together and then we started dating after that, then I asked you to be my girlfriend,” he’s grinning from ear to ear as you listen and he’s talking, reminiscing the years he’s spent with you. “I got you pregnant by accident and now we’re parents and I just…”

He falls silent, his smile faltering as he looks you in the eyes. You’re looking at him with those eyes that always hold so much love for him and Areum too. Beautiful eyes that can calm him at any given time, tell him everything’s gonna be alright without you saying anything. Jungkook would do anything to look into those eyes for the rest of his life. He could just ask you, right now in this very moment. It doesn’t have to be a candlelit dinner or with rose petals. What matters is you and him together in an intimate moment where all feelings lay in front of you, bared for the both of you to see.

“Marry me.”

You freeze, your fingertips that had returned to running over his skin freeze in their movement. Jungkook can tell your eyes are watering. You open your mouth to speak, a small voice coming out as you say: “w-what?”

Jungkook nods, “you heard me, baby,” he softly says.

“I’m-” You begin but cut yourself off. Jungkook watches as a wide smile spreads across your face, the first few tears falling from your eyes and running down your cheeks. He reaches out to wipe them away, smiling softly himself. “Oh my god,” you cry.

“So, is that a yes?”

Nodding, you crawl up to wrap your arms around him in a tight hug, pressing your lips to his in a kiss. “Of course, it is! It’s a million times yes!” You say against his lips, pulling away slightly to rest your forehead against his. “I love you so much, Jungkook.”

“I love you the most, baby.”

Areum is 1 year old today.

She’s 1 year old and Jungkook isn’t sure how to handle it. His baby girl is growing up so fast and it both terrifies and amazes him. You seem to handle it pretty well, but Jungkook has a feeling you’re just very good at hiding it. There’s no way you’re not emotional about the fact that the baby you carried around for 9 months is already 1 year old.

“How’s my favorite granddaughter?” Jungkook’s mother coos as she walks right past her son and towards Areum who’s sitting on the rug in the living room, surrounded by her toys. Jungkook watches in disbelief how his mother doesn’t even give him a moment of attention, clearly only here to visit her grandchild.

“Mom, she’s your only granddaughter,” Jungkook deadpans before turning back to greet his father, “hey dad.”

Jungkook’s father gives him a tight hug before moving on to give you an even tighter hug. “How are you, ____?” He asks, smiling as he pulls away to look at you.

You smile in return. “I’m good! And you?”

“Same as always,” he shrugs, “not much happens when you reach a certain age.”

You chuckle at that, telling him to go say hi to his granddaughter. You watch as Areum greets his grandfather with a big grin, reaching out for him like she does with everyone she loves. You smile at the scenario in front of you, how Areum is the center of attention for all of her four grandparents. Your parents had arrived earlier than Jungkook’s, having kept Areum entertained for the past hour or so.

“Should we tell them today?” Jungkook asks as you join him in the kitchen, his voice low in case his mom should suddenly appear behind him. “You know, about that,” he points to the ring on your finger.

Smiling at him, you lean up and kiss him quickly on the lips. “Sure,” you agree with him, making him smile, “but remember it’s Areum’s day today. So we’ll just mention it and then move on with her birthday party.”

Jungkook nods at that. “Of course. Nothing is bigger than her 1st birthday-” he pauses at that, the fact hitting him once again. He then turns to you, giving you a confused look, “how are you not emotional about it at all? I literally cried when I gave her a bath last night.”

A laugh emits from your lips. “You cried? Because it’s your daughter's 1st birthday?”

Offended by how you’re finding his devastation humorous, Jungkook scoffs. “Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did.”

You’re smiling at him in adoration as you wrap your arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Jungkook hugs you back, pressing his lips to your temple. Areum’s laughter flows through the apartment causing the two of you to laugh yourselves. It’s like sweet music to your ears when Areum has a fit of giggles.

“I adore her so much, ____,” Jungkook suddenly says as he watches from the kitchen, watching how Areum is surrounded by her grandparents, having the best 1st birthday. You’re constantly smiling, you have been ever since Areum was born. The joy she brought with her when she came into the world is unlimited and you feel like you’re on top of the world for creating such a happy, lively small human being.

“I know, baby,” you tighten your arms around him, giving him a squeeze, “she’s the best thing that’s happened to us.”

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