#and shines even brighter... warming people with the light that shines through his genuine heart

[preciousqiqi]

Cheng Yi for ELLE China, June 2024 issue

240516 ELLE China weibo update

Regularity and self-discipline are the first impressions that Cheng Yi leaves on people. He speaks with minimal embellishment and refuses to exaggerate一like a piece of paper spread out in front of you, the answer is the riddle itself. When talking about topics that touch his heart, he also exudes a youthful aura, like the raw edges left when cutting rice paper, full of details and extraordinarily vivid.

Photographer: Liu Song

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See post on Cheng Yi x ELLE: Editorial Shoot // Cover Photos and Video // Behind-the-scenes shoot // Cover Preview // BTSvideo from Cheng Yi Studio

Watch the editorial video for Cheng Yi x ELLE, June 2024 issue

[enchantedquill-40]

Joel had never encountered kindness quite like Ed's. In the tight-knit community of Cicely, Alaska, where eccentricity was the norm, Ed Chigliak stood out not for his quirks, but for his genuine and unwavering kindness.

No matter the situation, Ed was there to lend a hand. Whether it was fixing a broken fence, helping someone move, or simply offering a comforting word, Ed's generosity knew no bounds. His acts of kindness became legendary in Cicely, and Joel Fleischman couldn't help but be in awe every time he witnessed Ed's selfless nature.

Joel, a New Yorker transplanted to the remote Alaskan town, initially struggled to adjust to the unconventional lifestyle. The people of Cicely, with their idiosyncrasies and peculiarities, were a far cry from the fast-paced, concrete jungle he was accustomed to. However, Ed's kindness became a beacon of warmth and familiarity in Joel's sometimes bewildering new world.

Ed's sweetness was contagious. His easygoing nature and genuine smile made him approachable, and Joel found himself gravitating toward him. In a town where everyone had a story, Ed's story was one of compassion and empathy. He had an innate ability to connect with people, to understand their struggles, and to offer a helping hand without expecting anything in return.

One chilly evening, as the northern lights painted the Alaskan sky, Joel found himself in a predicament. His car, ill-prepared for the harsh winter conditions, had broken down on a desolate road. Frustration and a biting cold were his only companions until, like a beacon of hope, Ed appeared.

Ed didn't hesitate. With a smile, he offered Joel a ride back to town, assuring him that they could figure out the car trouble later. As they drove through the snowy landscape, Joel couldn't help but marvel at Ed's selflessness. It was more than just a ride; it was a gesture that spoke volumes about Ed's character.

Their friendship deepened over the seasons. Joel, initially an outsider, began to feel a sense of belonging in Cicely, thanks to Ed's friendship. They spent evenings at The Brick, the local watering hole, engaging in conversations that ranged from the profound to the absurd. Ed's wisdom, often disguised in simple words, left a lasting impact on Joel.

One day, as the town faced a crisis, Ed's kindness shone even brighter. A severe storm hit Cicely, causing widespread power outages and leaving residents stranded. Ed, without a second thought, organized a community effort to help those in need. From sharing resources to opening up his own home for those without shelter, Ed's generosity became a guiding light in the storm's darkness.

Joel, witnessing Ed's actions, couldn't help but reflect on the transformative power of kindness. In a town where everyone had their quirks and eccentricities, Ed stood out not for any idiosyncrasy but for the profound impact of his compassion.

As the seasons changed and life in Cicely continued its unpredictable course, Joel and Ed's friendship endured. Through laughter and shared experiences, through challenges and triumphs, Ed remained a constant source of inspiration for Joel. In the unpredictable wilderness of Alaska, Ed's unwavering kindness became a beacon of warmth, a reminder that even in the harshest conditions, the human spirit could shine bright.

And so, under the mesmerizing display of the northern lights, Joel felt a deep gratitude for the friendship he had found in Ed – a friendship that had not only thawed the chill of the Alaskan winter but had also warmed his heart in ways he never thought possible. Despite Ed's unwavering kindness, there were moments when sadness and moodiness clouded his usually cheerful demeanor. However, even in those challenging times, Ed continued to extend a helping hand to Ruth, a testament to the depth of his compassion.

Observing from a distance, Maggie couldn't ignore the fact that some newcomers were exploiting Ed's generous nature. It weighed on her conscience, witnessing the toll it took on Ed. She knew that genuine kindness should never be taken for granted, yet it seemed like some were doing just that.

Chris and Joel, noticing the unfair treatment Ed was enduring, felt a shared sense of responsibility to protect their friend. They recognized the need to step in and address the situation. Their friendship with Ed went beyond the surface, and they couldn't stand idly by as others took advantage of his good-hearted nature.

In a small town like Cicely, where everyone's lives intertwined, the community felt a collective responsibility to ensure the well-being of its members. So, when Maggie, Chris, and Joel witnessed people exploiting Ed's kindness, they decided to intervene.

Approaching Ed one day, Joel started a conversation about the importance of setting boundaries, gently encouraging Ed to prioritize his own well-being. Chris, with his philosophical insights, added words of wisdom, emphasizing the value of reciprocity in relationships.

Maggie, not one to mince words, confronted those who were taking advantage of Ed's generosity. She made it clear that such behavior wouldn't be tolerated in Cicely and reminded everyone that kindness was meant to be reciprocated, not exploited.

The collective effort to shield Ed from those who sought to use him became a rallying point for the community. As the news spread, others in Cicely also stood up against the opportunists, reinforcing the town's commitment to genuine connections and mutual respect.

Through this ordeal, Ed, initially hesitant to acknowledge the exploitation, began to understand the importance of self-care. With the support of his friends and the community, he learned that saying no when necessary didn't diminish his kindness; rather, it protected the authenticity of his generous spirit.

In the end, the town of Cicely rallied around Ed, ensuring that his kindness wasn't taken for granted. Together, they fostered an environment where everyone respected one another, and true friendships flourished. Through the challenges, Ed's resilience and the collective effort of his friends and neighbors became a powerful reminder that kindness should always be met with gratitude and reciprocation, not exploitation. Beneath Ed's stoic exterior, a silent struggle unfolded. While he never voiced the pain inflicted by the newcomers, his friends sensed something amiss. Unbeknownst to them, Ed bore the physical toll of his selfless acts, with broken ribs serving as a testament to his unspoken suffering.

As Cicely continued to thrive in its unique blend of community bonds, the undercurrent of Ed's silent suffering remained concealed. Joel, Chris, and Maggie, unaware of the true extent of Ed's pain, continued to rally against those exploiting his kindness. Little did they know that their dear friend was enduring more than just emotional distress.

One evening, as the northern lights painted the sky in vibrant hues, Ed found himself alone in his thoughts. The pain in his ribs served as a constant reminder of the unspoken sacrifices he made for others. Yet, despite the physical agony, Ed clung to the belief that his kindness could make a difference in the world.

Joel, Chris, and Maggie, fueled by their passion to protect Ed, organized a town meeting to address the issue head-on. They spoke passionately about the value of kindness, the importance of respecting boundaries, and the need for reciprocity in relationships. Little did they know that Ed, the very person they were advocating for, was grappling with his own silent battle.

As the meeting progressed, Ed couldn't escape the twinge of pain that resonated through his ribs. The more he listened to his friends speak up on his behalf, the more he realized the magnitude of the situation. While gratitude swelled within him, so did the awareness that he needed to address his own suffering.

The next day, Joel noticed a slight wince in Ed's expression as he lifted a heavy box at Ruth's store. Concern etched across his face, Joel gently inquired about Ed's well-being. Ed, ever reluctant to burden others with his own struggles, deflected the question with a dismissive smile.

Chris, attuned to the subtleties of human behavior, sensed that something deeper was at play. Over a game of chess at The Brick, he engaged Ed in a conversation that subtly probed beneath the surface. It was during this quiet exchange that Ed, unable to conceal the pain any longer, admitted to the broken ribs he had been nursing in silence.

Maggie, always direct and forthright, confronted Ed about his decision to keep his pain hidden. She emphasized the importance of seeking help and letting others in, especially when facing physical hardships. Ed, torn between his instinct to shield others from worry and the realization that he needed support, began to open up about the struggles he had concealed for far too long.

As the truth emerged, the trio of friends rallied around Ed with unwavering support. They encouraged him to seek medical attention, reminding him that true strength lay in vulnerability and the ability to lean on others during tough times.

The community of Cicely, once focused on protecting Ed from external exploitation, now shifted its focus to healing their dear friend from within. Together, they navigated the complexities of pain, resilience, and the enduring power of genuine friendship, ensuring that Ed's kindness, though tested, would continue to be a guiding light in their tight-knit Alaskan town. The revelation of Ed's hidden pain shocked Joel to his core. Unable to bear the weight of the unspoken suffering any longer, Ed reluctantly allowed his friends a glimpse into the physical toll of his relentless kindness. As they gathered at Ed's place, a somber realization dawned upon Joel when he caught sight of the cuts, bruises, and ominous handprints on Ed's ribs.

A surge of anger gripped Joel, his protective instincts flaring up. The newfound information transformed the abstract notion of exploitation into a stark, tangible reality. The sight of Ed, a beacon of kindness, marked by the scars of mistreatment, fueled a fiery determination within Joel to confront those responsible.

"What happened, Ed?" Joel demanded, his usually rational demeanor overridden by a surge of protective fury. Chris, too, eyed the evidence with a mixture of concern and disbelief, while Maggie, typically candid, could hardly contain her indignation.

Ed, however, remained characteristically calm, attempting to downplay the severity of the situation. "Don't worry about it," he insisted, a gentle smile masking the pain in his eyes. "I'm used to roughing it up a bit, and they needed help moving in."

But Joel couldn't let it go. He had witnessed the toll firsthand, and the idea of Ed being mistreated for his selfless acts irked him to the core. "Ed, this is unacceptable," Joel exclaimed, gesturing towards the visible marks on Ed's ribs. "No one should exploit your kindness like this, let alone resort to violence. We need to put an end to it."

The trio huddled together, devising a plan to address the issue head-on. Chris, with his philosophical insights, emphasized the importance of establishing boundaries and ensuring that kindness was reciprocated, not abused. Maggie, fueled by her no-nonsense approach, urged them to confront the newcomers directly and demand accountability.

As they marched toward the new residents' abode, Joel's anger simmered beneath the surface. He couldn't fathom how anyone could harm someone as genuinely kind as Ed. When they arrived, Joel didn't mince words. He confronted the individuals, his tone firm and unwavering, demanding an explanation for their mistreatment of Ed.

The newcomers, taken aback by the unexpected confrontation, stammered out feeble excuses. Yet, Joel's insistence on justice and Chris and Maggie's unyielding support left no room for evasion. The community of Cicely, protective of their own, began to rally behind Joel's impassioned plea for decency and respect.

In the aftermath of the confrontation, the town underwent a collective reflection. The incident with Ed became a turning point, sparking conversations about the importance of empathy, kindness, and the responsibility each resident held toward fostering a supportive community.

Ed, though hesitant to draw attention to his own plight, found solace in the newfound unity of Cicely. The scars on his ribs, once symbols of silent suffering, now became markers of resilience and the collective strength of a community standing up against exploitation.

As the northern lights danced in the Alaskan sky, a renewed sense of camaraderie enveloped Cicely. Joel, Chris, Maggie, and the entire town became guardians of kindness, ensuring that Ed's selfless spirit continued to shine brightly, untarnished by the darkness of exploitation. In the heart of the wilderness, a small town learned the profound lesson that true strength lies not just in weathering storms but in standing together to protect the warmth of genuine compassion.

[gladerscake]

Blind Spots

(Gally x Reader)

Another lengthy one, because self-restraint means nothing to me. Major fluff ahead. Hope you enjoy!

Gally was back, and it was nothing short of a miracle. All this time, for the last six months, your grieving heart had wept for him, quietly, while you did your best to put on a brave facade and seem alright on the outside. You always made sure that none of your friends could see exactly how much pain you were in. They didn’t need to know. They couldn’t have done anything to change it, and their looks of pity wouldn’t have helped in the slightest. So you kept it locked away, only letting it torment you at night, while everyone else were asleep and couldn’t hear you cry.

And now, seeing him again, alive and relatively unharmed… Truthfully, you were still processing it, but even through your heavy state of shock, every fiber of your being was reeling with joy and relief. You felt a little light-headed, but in the best possible way. Feeling his muscular arms around you again, his warm embrace, looking into his piercing bluish-green eyes that shined into yours with the same undiluted love they had back in the glade… It had almost made you dizzy, and you were surprised at yourself for not having passed out - for a moment there, it felt like you might have.

You never stopped loving Gally, not for one moment. Despite having been convinced you’d never see him again, there was no force in the world strong enough to make you forget him or even begin letting him go.

Having him back filled you with a happiness you had long given up on experiencing ever again. You hadn’t felt anything close to it since the day you thought you’d lost him. The worst day of your life, your most haunting memory… No. You refused to think about it again. It didn’t matter anymore, because Gally was alive, and that’s what you needed to focus on. The light inside you, the one you thought had died with him, was flickering back to life again. It was flourishing and spreading with each passing second, as you realized you were no longer bound to imagine a future that he wouldn’t be in. The bleak and cheerless future you had laid out for yourself was rapidly dispersing before your eyes, giving way to something brighter, something much more hopeful and promising.

However, as much as you wanted to let the euphoria of having Gally by your side again consume you entirely, you knew you couldn’t. Not completely. You still had a mission, a dangerous and inordinately challenging one - rescuing Minho. You could already feel what a “fun adventure” this was going to be…

You had just met Lawrence, and although he’d initially stated that only two people were allowed to be shown the way into the city, Gally managed to bargain for three. The third one being, unsurprisingly, you. He had just got you back, and he wasn’t ready to let you out of his sight, if he had anything to say about it. Not that you minded - you had no desire to be far away from him either. You’d had more than enough of that.

“So… That’s the dead boyfriend, huh?” Brenda asked with a cheeky smile as she walked beside you, pulling you out of your thoughts. Gally was walking ahead, leading you all somewhere only he knew, as you were making sure to keep up.

“Yeah… That’s him.” You responded, keeping your voice down, a slightly dazed grin pulling at the corner of your lips. ‘Not dead anymore’ your heart seemed to whisper in utter excitement.

“He’s different from what I’d imagined!” Your dark-haired friend mused out loud, causing your brow to quirk upwards as you shot her a confused glance.

“Different how?”

“Just different…” Brenda shrugged, her smile widening before she lightly punched you in the arm. “But I’m happy for you, Y/N. Really. Most people don’t get a second chance like this.”

Your grin grew brighter, eyes landing on Gally’s broad back as your abdomen swarmed with butterflies. You were well aware of how minuscule the odds were of a past love ‘coming back from the dead’. Yet, a part of you couldn’t help but feel like, maybe, after all you and Gally had endured, you deserved that second chance.

“I know…”

Soon enough, Gally led you all into a closed-off area of the base, a rather filthy room with a large covered pothole in the middle and a ladder propped up against one of the walls. You took a moment to examine your surroundings, while the rest did the same, all exchanging equally questioning looks.

Before you could ask what this place was, you suddenly felt a large and warm hand descend onto your shoulder. There was no way for you to not know, immediately, who it belonged to. Your question died in your throat as you turned around to face him.

Gally squeezed your shoulder with as much comfort as he could manage, his bright eyes staring, deeply, into yours, making your heart leap. There was so much he wanted to do, so much he wanted to tell you and talk to you about, but the number of people surrounding you was preventing him from doing so. He so badly wanted to be alone with you. Even if just for a few minutes… All he could do was hope that there will be time for that later. You two had plenty to catch up on, and he couldn’t wait for a chance at it.

“You alright? You’re not hurt, are you?” He whispered, hoarsely, scanning you for any sign of even minor injury.

You breathed a slightly quivering chuckle, shaking your head and covering Gally’s hand with your own, the mere contact reminding you of the closeness you and him once shared… and will share again, now that he was back.

“I’m okay, definitely. Much better now…” You whispered in response, your eyes gleaming up at him. A small but sincere smile formed on his lips as he looked at you. He knew what you meant by that - he felt the exact same way. He had been afraid that after everything that’s happened, your feelings for him may have dimmed, or even worse, trickled away altogether. But with the way you were looking at him now, with such warmth and sheer affection, Gally felt those heartbreaking thoughts melt away. You still loved him. Just as much as he loved you. Even if only one person was genuinely happy to see him again, he couldn’t be more thankful that it was you.

Ignoring the presence of your friends, Gally pressed a loving kiss to your forehead. You bit down on your bottom lip, the sweet gesture almost bringing fresh tears to your eyes. However, the next moment, he drew back, gazing down at you “I’ll be right back, okay? I need to grab a couple things before we can go.”

You nodded, understandingly, giving his hand a soft squeeze before letting go “Of course.. We’ll be right here.”

Gally delivered you one more subtle smile before leaving you and the others to look around a bit.

“By the looks of it, we’re going down the bloody sewer.” Newt assumed, eyeing the pothole with slight confusion and just a hint of disgust.

“Wouldn’t be the worst place you’ve been to so far, no?” Jorge scoffed, arms folded on his chest as he stayed close to Brenda.

Frypan chuckled, lowly, glancing at the ladder “True that…”

Although most of your friends had seemingly chosen to look away and act oblivious to your and Gally’s little exchange, one person had not.

Thomas’ dark eyes darted to you, uneasily, every muscle in his body strained and jaw clenched, tensely, as he nudged you in the side.

“Y/N… Can we talk for a second?” He all but grunted, clearing his throat.

“No.” The blatant response tumbled from your lips without hesitation, despite the calmness of your tone.

You already knew what was on his mind. You didn’t want to hear it. Thomas was a close friend and very dear to your heart, but this wasn’t something he had a say in. You knew how he felt about Gally, so naturally, the thought of you two together again did not particularly thrill him. Nonetheless, you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. If Thomas had a problem with it, then that’s just something he would have to learn to deal with.

“Y/N…” Thomas tried again, more insistently this time “Please…”

You felt him grip your forearm, not hard enough for it to hurt, but hard enough to let you know that he needed to speak with you, now, and he wouldn’t let go until you at least attempted to hear him out.

Drawing in a heavy sigh, you shot him a sharp pointed look.

“Fine.” You muttered, curtly. You decided you would give him a chance to just get it off his chest. Nothing he’d say could possibly change your mind, regardless.

With that, Thomas briskly slipped out of the room, as you reluctantly followed him. Once you two were a few feet away from the others, you halted to a stop, not wanting to go too far.

“Can’t imagine what’s so urgent.” You huffed, quietly, your arms crossing as you stared, expectantly, at your friend. “Well? Come on, let’s hear it.”

Thomas frowned, his features painted with exasperation “Y/N, before you go running back to him-“

“I already did.” You hastily cut him off, trying to keep your expression as placid as you could. “Thomas, there’s nothing you can do. You know how I feel.”

He grimaced, his mind refusing to wrap around it. What was it about Gally? How could you so easily forget what had happened and welcome him back with open arms?

“Seriously…? After what he did?” He stared at you in disbelief, dark brown eyes narrowing.

You gritted your teeth, staring right back at him, endeavouring to suppress your own bubbling comtempt for the subject “What happened to Chuck wasn’t Gally’s fault.”

“He shot him, Y/N!”

“It was an accident, Thomas!” Your voice had risen, finally, your hands clenching into fists. You had had this exact argument with him before and you couldn’t stand hearing it for one more second. “Whether you want to admit it or not! You were there - you know exactly what happened!”

Thomas, much to your surprise, fell silent. His mouth twitched as he looked at you as if you weren’t making any sense. Yet, deep down, even though he despised the idea of conceding, a small part of him knew you weren’t entirely wrong.

You took advantage of his silence and continued. You had every intention of standing your ground on this. “Gally never would’ve hurt Chuck! He wasn’t aiming for him! And what part of “he was stung” keeps getting lost on you? Have you forgotten what that does to a person? Because I haven’t!”

“Yeah, he was stung, but he could have-“

“No, he couldn’t have!” Your hands were practically shaking by now, a lump had formed in your throat “He wasn’t himself, he had no control over what he was doing! You just want to blame him, because it’s easy!”

Thomas glowered “I don’t get it… I really don’t, what is it about him?”

“What is it about Teresa?” You countered, not missing a beat.

At that, Thomas trailed off, the familiar pang of hurt shooting through his limbs. Something that occurred every time he thought about her, since the day of her disastrous betrayal.

You huffed, knowing you had struck a nerve, but also knowing that you were right “Come on, look at me and tell me that if she showed up right now, looked at you with those big blue eyes and told you how sorry she was, how much she regretted the whole thing, you wouldn’t immediately want her back.”

“I wouldn’t-“

“You would!” You noted the way Thomas bit the inside of his cheek, as well as the way his knuckles were already turning white. “You would, Thomas… You damn well know it.”

He shook his head, the inner conflict swirling prominently in his dark eyes as his tone dipped “She would have to do a lot more than apologize.”

“Yeah, but you still wouldn’t turn her away.” You retorted, firmly, your penetrating gaze not leaving him.

Silence. Heavy, deafening silence that spoke for itself.

Thomas remained unmoving, his shoulders sagging as he peered at you, solemnly. You didn’t break the agitated eye contact, merely taking a step back.

“That’s what I thought. I guess we both have our blind spots.”

The dark-haired boy looked away from your eyes, finding himself tragically at a loss for words. He hated that you were right. He could lie to himself all he wanted, but at the end of the day, he knew that even after what Teresa had done, he still cared for her. If he were to see her again… He highly doubted he would forgive her instantly, especially while WICKED still had Minho, but if she were to have a change of heart and choose to be on their side again… He knew he would have an agonizingly hard time discarding her.

You watched Thomas’ demeanor shift, his tense expression softening as he exhaled in defeat. Evidently the thought of trying to get you to keep your distance with Gally was no longer the dominant one on his mind. You took no joy in fighting with him, but Thomas needed to understand exactly where you stood, on all counts. You didn’t need his approval on this. You and Gally were together, and if Thomas, as your friend, couldn’t be happy for you, then the least he could was stay out of it.

“At least mine isn’t torturing our friend right now.” You gritted out, your voice barely above a whisper.

Thomas heard it clearly, though. His gaze shot up to meet yours once more, and you almost winced at the miserable glint in his eyes. You suddenly felt like you had just kicked a puppy. Was that a little harsh? Maybe. Was it accurate? Unfortunately, it was.

Still, you couldn’t help but feel bad, your compassion prevailing. You and Thomas may have had moments where you didn’t see eye to eye, but he was a good and loyal friend to you. There was no need to hit him where it hurt.

“I’m sorry…” You breathed out, giving him a forlorn, apologetic look.

Thomas only shrugged in response, eyes momentarily averting to the ground “No, you’re right. I just…” He inhaled, deeply, his hand reaching up to rub the back of his head in irritation “I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.”

You delivered him a soft smile, touched by his concern, even though there was no need for it. At least not in that regard “Gally is not going to hurt me.”

Your friend responded with a tight-lipped smile that read ‘I hope that’s true’, before turning away and beginning to walk back to the room the rest of your friends were in. You were about to follow him, until… you realized how badly you needed just a few minutes alone with Gally, before you, him, Thomas, and Newt would venture into the city. You didn’t know just how dangerous the path was, and you couldn’t bear the idea of something terrible happening along the way. Sure, you could be optimistic and wait until after you all got back, but… could you? Could you really? You had missed him so much, and so far you’d only managed to say a few words to each other.

Oh, screw it. You were not asking for much. You needed it, so you were going to take it.

With a quick look-around, you turned on your heels, following in the direction you thought you’d seen Gally go. Sadly, as you reached the spot where he had disappeared from your line of vision, you had no idea where to go from there.

People were bustling all around you, some reloading their rifles, others fixing their gas masks. In one of the rebels, you recognized the guy that had stood behind Lawrence, while you all were being introduced to him, earlier. You thought his name was… Jasper? Whatever. Clearly he knew Gally, so you hoped he would know where he would have gone to.

You cleared your throat, striding up to him with as much confidence as you had been able to gather “Hi! I’m sorry, do you know where Gally’s room is? Or… wherever it is that he sleeps around here?”

The rugged man looked you up and down, a strangely amused smirk curving his slightly crooked mouth. It confused you and almost made you feel uncomfortable, but not enough to make you retreat without an answer.

“You must be the girlfriend? From the maze? The one he wouldn’t shut up about finding?” He rasped, snickering under his breath.

You relaxed, inwardly, glad that you had apparently picked the right person to ask. Also, hearing that Gally had mentioned you during his time here, undoubtedly made you smile on the inside.

“Yeah, I guess that’s me. So where can I find him?”

The rebel chuckled, pointing upwards to the corridor a level above that led to the more secluded parts of the base “Right up there, seventh door on the left.”

You muttered a quiet ‘Thank you’ before scurrying off, hoping you would, in fact, find him there. Soon, you made your way down the corridor, your gaze bouncing from one door to the next one. Five, six… seven.

Your heartbeat suddenly began quickening as you stared at the tattered, scratched-up door in front of you. You allowed yourself to take a deep breath before finally knocking.

“Yeah?”

You exhaled in relief, a smile instantly making its way onto your lips. Gally’s voice. He was in there.

“Gally…? It’s me. Can I come in?”

After a short pause, he replied.

“Of course. I’m just about done here.”

You pushed the door open with a slight ‘creak’, and there you were met with a sight that brought a burgeoning blush to your cheeks. Gally’s bare back was turned to you as he was changing, about to reach for a grey hoodie that was draped over an old wooden chair. You could see his toned muscles tensing, every crevice generously offered to your view, as you felt your face grow hotter. He looked even stronger than he did back in the glade, his form even more glorious than you remembered it.

You didn’t get to remain in your trance for too long though, as Gally slipped the hoodie over his head and turned around to face you, a loving grin playing at his lips.

“How’d you know where to find me?” He arched a curious brow, making his way over until he was standing right in front of you.

You smiled and took a step closer, minimising the distance between the two of you and gently taking his hand in yours. Your fingers interlocked perfectly, like puzzle pieces. “Jasper told me.”

Gally chuckled at that, eyes widening in slight surprise “You know his name?”

You shrugged “I pay attention.”

His grin widened, warmth filling his eyes as he gazed down at you, giving your hand a tight, grounding squeeze “You always have.”

Your heart raced faster as you raked your gaze over every feature of his face, each faint freckle on his cheeks, his plump lips, his vibrant eyes… You couldn’t help yourself as you threw your arms around him, Gally not wasting a second in wrapping you up in his strong embrace. He held you so fervently, so close to his body, you thought he was almost lifting you off the ground. So many emotions swirled between you two - the relief of both of you somehow having survived every hardship up until this point, the joy of having found your way back to one another, the desperate urge to never let go of each other again, the fear of somehow getting separated along the way of whatever came next. You felt a small shudder pass through your body as you clung to him for dear life, tucking your head into the crook of his neck.

“I’ve missed you… Gally, I’ve missed you so much…!” You uttered on half a breath, succumbing to the compelling warmth that emanated from him.

“I’ve missed you, too, Y/N… More than anything.” He whispered so close to your ear, his arms around you tightening as he slowly rocked you from side to side, making sure you felt how much he meant it.

Tears were beginning to well up in your eyes, in spite of your best attempts at keeping them at bay “I’d spent months thinking you were… Dead… I-I thought it was over, you were gone, I’d never see you again…!”

Gally released a fervid sigh, at last picking you up and allowing you to wrap your legs around his midriff as he nuzzled his face into your shoulder “I know, baby, I know… But I’m okay, I’m right here. And you are, too…”

You stifled a sob, pressing your slightly trembling lips to his temple, basking in the feeling of his heated breath fanning your skin “I’m scared I’m gonna wake up any moment, and you won’t be there. It’s already happened too many times…”

“Won’t happen this time. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere, Y/N…” He promised, lifting his head from your neck so that he could meet your glimmering eyes “I’m not gonna screw it up twice.”

You let out a quivering breath as you gazed into the eyes that reflected all the unyielding love you harbored. Every nerve in your body pulled you into Gally, every thump of your heart resonated within him as he held you in his arms. This was the feeling you thought had been lost forever to you. Something so powerful and burning that no other force could compare to it. He was the piece of your heart that had been ripped out all those months ago, the piece that was now being graciously returned to its rightful place.

With a tenderness no one else but you has ever shown him, you cupped his face in between your soft palms and leaned in, your lips pressing fully and ardently against his.

The long-overdue kiss instantly clouded Gally’s senses, his heart hammering against his rib cage as his lips reciprocated, moving against yours with enough passion and longing to make your head spin. Your legs tightened around his midsection as his left hand moved lower to grasp at your hip, endeavouring to bring you even closer, as if that was possible. Gally swallowed the soft whimper that escaped you as he kissed you deeper, all his conscious thought paralyzed by the enrapturing sensation of your lips on his. He didn’t believe anything in the world tasted sweeter. He had spent countless nights dreaming about the day he would get to do this again. And now that he had you back, just like this, so close, so yearning, so thoroughly his… he wished it would never end.

Your fingertips threaded through the short sandy strands of his hair, your body feeling weightless, almost floating. You bit back a mewl as Gally’s hand reached up to your face, his calloused fingers brushing your cheek and trailing down your neck in a feather-light caress. Every bit of your skin felt so sensitive to his touch. After a few more blissful seconds, you finally broke away from his lips, both of you panting heavily, catching your breath from the heavenly feeling of your kiss.

Gally rested his forehead against yours, his mouth still mere inches away from your own “I’m never losing you again… Never, you hear me?”

You nodded, frantically, holding onto his neck with both hands, his closeness filling you with a searing light. It exhilarated you, made you feel like you could do anything, overcome anything, as long as you two were together.

“Sounds good to me…”

Thank you for reading!

Tags: @seldomabsent @obsessivelycapricious @ultraintrovertedgryffindor @maraudersimp @lattsgocaps @magnoliabloomfield @sherbertscarrothead-2 @moobrvoobl-moobmoob-oobmpoobroom @abundantxadorations @izzymultifan @willseyebrows @annoyinglythoughtfuldestiny

[aimfor-theheart]

neon crush (prologue)

(18+ minors dni)

pairings: aged up pro-hero denki kaminari x f!reader, in later chapters aged up pro-hero katsuki bakugou x f!reader, aged up pro-hero eijiro kirishima x f!reader

summary: But you hush back, almost so quiet amongst all the noise that he only knows what you said because he could feel the shape of the words on your lips against his, “I wanna go home with you.”

You say home the same way he did, like you wanted a taste of what he meant.

Denki Kaminari falls in love with you at first sight. The trouble is, so do his friends.

(love at first sight, pwp, humor, some hurt/comfort)

wc: 11k

warnings: in this chapter, just smut: specifically oral sex (female and male recieving), drug use, mentions of shitty and toxic exes (neglect, stealing, using denki's pro-hero status for clout).

if you are under 18 you should not be reading or interacting with this!

a/n: hello! this fic is mostly for fun! a small amount of plot but mostly just an excuse to write some tooth-rotting fluff and self-indulgent smut lmao way different than my usual angst! kinda going to be updating this whenever? i do have the second chapter written so i'll probably get that out next week for sure! and if you guys really like this series/want to see more, let me know and i'll try to write more!! also open up to ideas for cute scenarios or something! this first chapter is kinda just set up, but i hope you enjoy it!

→ playlist for this fic!

read on ao3

***

Denki Kaminari thinks falling in love is similar to being struck by lightning. He would know, he’s intimate with the flash bang of electricity, the taste of it beneath his tongue, hot and sharp. The way his chest heaves, heart sputtering out an unsteady rhythm, with the zinging rush that arcs through his body.

Looking at you for the first time is like that– like his whole world is cleaving apart, sparking with a bolt of electricity only to blaze into something brighter, neon and hot.

He understands suddenly why Cupid strikes with arrows. He understands why you fall in love. Strong, terrifying verbs. Maybe even violent. They’re not gentle, they’re visceral and frightening.

You’re in the center of a group, your laughter carrying to him even over all the noise of the party. You’re so open and joyful, you’re making the whole room light up, hang off your every word. There’s glitter on your eyelids, dusting down onto your cheeks to make your eyes look as if they’re sparkling. Shimmering, pink blush roses your cheeks up, too. Your lips are glossy, shining as you talk, as you smile.

You look vivid among the haze of smoke and flashing, colorful lights. You look straight out of one of his dreams.

Maybe it’s the drugs talking.

He shouldn’t be here— not at this party for college students when he’s a young Pro-Hero climbing his way through the rankings. He’s the same age as the people around him but he feels leagues older most days, even with his upbeat and seemingly childish attitude. He thinks all heroes feel this way, just a little removed from this world, civilian world.

He shouldn’t have taken that molly.

Bakugou would yell at him. But now at least his pupils are blown wide and there is a bubble of joy and excitement growing in the pit of his chest.

He just wants to feel young for a while, that’s all. He just wants to be in love, maybe, with you. That so bad? Is it a crime?

He makes his way to the group gathered around you, falling into your orbit. He understands why they’re all so enraptured; you give everyone around you your honest attention, genuine and excited to talk and share a moment with each person.

He says something that makes you laugh and he truly has to keep his jaw from hanging open.

The sound has already made a home inside him, burrowed down to warm him from the inside out.

“You look familiar,” you tell him when you really take him in, your eyes falling over the contours of his face.

For a moment, he’s fractionally self-conscious. Mostly of the skittering, lichtenberg scars that now arc and bend and weave over part of his face. Those spindly, branching scars are all over his body now from years of abusing and pushing his Quirk.

But you’re smiling and open and you say, “I know you. How do I know you?”

He grins back, tipping his head forward to speak with you over the noise, “Maybe from your dreams?” He asks, wiggling his brows in a way that sends you laughing again, giggling, the sound like a fountain, overflowing from you.

“I think I’d remember if I dreamt of someone like you,” you respond and Denki truly thinks for a moment he’s short circuited.

Are you flirting back?

He almost does a double take. But then he gets a stupid smile on his face, his eyes lightning up like a spark.

Finally he admits, “I’m a Pro-Hero, maybe that’s where?”

And you gasp, all excited, peering up into his face in a new way, “Yes! You saved someone I know! You and Red Riot!” And then your eyes are softening, twinging with adoration, rounding out all sweet and gentle in a way that has Denki practically melting under your gaze. “You’re incredible,” you breathe, “Chargebolt, right? With the electricity?”

“Yeah,” he manages to get out, feeling warm and flushed with your praise. Denki doesn’t hear a lot of it. He doesn’t need to, he assures himself. He’d do what he does without any praise at all, but he is often overshadowed. He has his own fans, of course, and he loves the little kids that have started to look up to him but the way you’ve said it, the way you look up at him, like he hangs the moon and the stars, is threatening to make him weak-kneed and wobbly. “Yeah, with the electricity.”

“I’ve never met a hero before,” you say, inching closer to him.

“I’m honored to be your first.” he replies and he doesn’t know why he’s breathless.

“What’s your name?” you ask, and then, “Your real name. I know your hero name.”

He doesn’t know why, but you wanting to know his name, his real name that his friends call him, does something strange to his chest. You could just call him Chargebolt for the rest of the night, that’s what most people do in these settings. He’d let you, he thinks.

He doesn’t want it to be a secret though, not from you. He wants to give this part of himself to you, let you have it.

“Kaminari Denki,” he finally says, offering you a lopsided grin. “What’s yours?”

“Kaminari,” you say, testing it out, and he already could listen to you say his name for the rest of his life.

Then you give him your name and he says it back, tasting it on his own tongue. And you’re both looking at each other, giddy and smiling and strangely tender.

He says something dumb about how he’d let you call him whatever you want, though. And you laugh again but tell him you like Kaminari. Sounds nice, you tell him, and he can feel the slight flush that’s crawling along his cheeks.

By some miracle, you keep talking with him.

He really likes you.

Really, really likes you.

There’s gotta be something magical in you, something that he just can’t get enough of. Sweet like his favorite candy. Pretty the way sunsets are— overwhelming, so colorful and mesmerizing he can’t quite believe he gets to behold you.

You both end up on this couch, pushed to the outskirts of the room, you pressing so close that you’re practically in his lap. He’s got his hand on the small of your back.

You touch his cheek, just below his eye. He doesn’t think you realize it, but a part of his scar runs beneath your small finger. The scar doesn’t seem to matter to you, but your hand on it matters to him.

He inhales softly.

“What are you on?” You ask curiously, looking into his eyes, which must be blown black and wide, and then you smile a little, playful and sweet, “You look like a demon.”

“A demon?” Kaminari asks, laughing brightly for a moment before he decides to flash teeth. He adopts some form of a fake-scowl to be menacing, “Are you scared of me?” he asks, his voice going low, almost a croon.

He can feel your breath hitch. The sweetest parting of your glittery lips and he can feel heat simmer low inside of him. You shake your head, eyes gone all wide, almost innocent, “No,” you respond, before a fraction of a smile twists at your lips, “Should I be?”

He shakes his head and he’s so close to you that your noses almost brush, “I’m a hero,” he responds, but the smirk that is pulling at his lips feels a little hooked, a little off-kilter. You’re driving him crazy, “You don’t have to be scared.”

You’re looking at him with such round eyes, your lashes pretty and sparkling with glitter, that he feels suddenly ravenous, suddenly desperate for you. God— you’re looking at him so openly, all vulnerable and excitable. He doesn’t know if anyone’s ever looked at him like this, like he‘s miraculous. Like you’d let him devour you whole if he asked nice enough, gave you a pretty smile.

“I’m not scared,” you breathe, but it’s a shaky confession, swallowing before you say again, “I’m not scared of you, Kaminari.”

He tilts his head the slightest amount, looking at you through lidded eyes, “No?” he asks softly, just a breath against your lips.

You shake your head fractionally, the tips of your noses brushing. “No—“ you say and it’s almost against his lips, “Just want you t’kiss me, that’s all.”

The admittance is a shy one.

Denki’s eyes open in surprise to take you in and you’re nervous, he sees it now. He can practically hear the hummingbird beat of your poor heart just by the look on your face.

And oh, who is he to deny you?

He’s a hero, after all, like he just said, he’s no demon. He won’t torment you. He's gotta take care of you— wipe that fear and uncertainty clear from your pretty face.

He can’t help the smile that spreads across his lips. He’s almost in disbelief himself. A giddy flutter to his heart makes him feel like he’s practically glowing.

You wanna kiss him?

He’s thanking his stars as he leans in to kiss you, smiling, maybe like an idiot. But he doesn’t care because the moment your lips meet, you’re throwing your arms around his neck and pressing closer.

He tastes vanilla first, maybe from your lip gloss and he doesn’t know why but he’s excited to have leftover glitter clinging to kiss swollen lips. His arms are quick to pull you in tighter, try to get you closer as the kiss begins to melt into slow exploration.

Colors from the lights flash behind his closed eyelids like fireworks, his heart is tumbling in his chest, stomach swooping the way it does when he jumps from high places. You open your mouth to his like a flower blooming and he has to bite back a too excited noise.

Maybe the kiss is a little sloppy now with his eagerness but your hand is tightening in his hair and you’re suddenly hooking a leg over his thighs to perch right in his lap.

Never mind you’re still at a crowded party, on some couch for the whole world to see.

Your skirt is all hitched up now. He runs a hand from the back of your knee, up to your waist and squeezes, tries not to think about your plush bare thighs, the weight of you settling onto his lap as he licks into your mouth.

You mewl, pulling tighter to him and Denki swears he’ll short circuit if he’s not careful.

He’s already hard behind his jeans and he’d be more embarrassed if it wasn’t for the little gasp you give when you feel him.

The slightest twitch in your hips.

Faintly, he knows he should be more careful. If anyone snapped a photo of him, this would be all over tabloids and his poor PR manager would have a heart attack. He’d never hear the end of it from his friends.

He has a reputation and a public image to uphold and all that.

Besides, he doesn't want you to get caught up in it, either.

You squirm again in his lap and Denki has to hold back a stupidly desperate moan already. He squeezes at your waist again, just as he finally pulls away from the kiss.

You’re both panting a little and your pretty gloss is definitely smeared on you, he can feel it on him, too. You’re both flushed, looking at each other wide-eyed and amazed.

“That’s all you wanted?” he teases, but it’s breathless.

You laugh, and it’s breathless, too, your smile lighting up your whole face for a moment.

But then you bite your lip, gazing down at him and Denki watches as the party lights splay across your face— washes of pink, turquoise, cherry, tangerine.

You’re so pretty it hurts him, an arrow straight through the heart.

“Want more than that,” you admit softly, tipping your face back to his, your eyes fluttering shut. He can feel them against his cheek, little butterfly kisses that have him nearly sighing, “Wanna leave with you.”

Denki’s brows raise in surprise, his heart skipping a whole beat in his chest. He can’t quite believe it.

You want to leave with him?

You pull away a little, suddenly nervous, “I-if you want that, of course.”

“I want!” Denki gets out, maybe a little too fast, and perhaps a little too barbaric with the lack of a noun. Damn, he was okay in his language and literature classes, too, you’d think he’d be able to speak properly.

But you make him haywire, he can practically feel the humming of his Quirk right beneath his skin.

He can hear Bakugou’s “Smooth, dumbass,” in his head. He can hear Kiri’s bark of a laugh, too. Even Sero’s snicker. Mina would probably mock him for the rest of the night if she heard that one.

But it makes you giggle, too, and he even gets another kiss— a teasing, playful one— for his efforts.

He’s on cloud nine.

“You wanna come home with me?” he murmurs against your lips.

Something about the word home, the way it softened in his mouth, melted like sugar to his tongue has him feeling tender. And the way he’d ended it pitched and higher on the question;

With me?

It sounds too eager, too desperate and sweet and surprised.

But you hush back, almost so quiet amongst all the noise that he only knows what you said because he could feel the shape of the words on your lips against his, “I wanna go home with you.”

You say home the same way he did, like you wanted a taste of what he meant.

With you, like you’re trying to tie a knot, like you’re trying to tangle yourself up with him.

The smile that bursts across his lips is electric. He swears a spark may have even fizzled out from him. Yours is just as excited, he can feel it when he crashes his lips to yours again.

“I’ll take you home,” he says between kisses, nipping at your bottom lip, trying to get closer, “I’ll take you home, baby.”

It’s a feat trying to leave the party— it’s packed and you keep pressing up against him, stealing kisses. He keeps grabbing at your waist and pulling you back into him. You’re all over each other like teenagers, fumbling and excited and young.

Once you both manage to stumble out the door together, the night in a city engulfs you two. People are coming and going, college kids walking along the streets together, dressed up and going out. There’s shouting and loud music that thumps from the party, from somewhere else, too. The air is cooler, though not overly cold.

Denki fishes out his phone to order a taxi of some kind while you try to distract him, pulling on him to give you more kisses. He’s laughing as he tries to do both, as you keep slotting yourself in front of his phone for his attention.

It feels painfully natural; like he’s known you for months and not a night. A few hours, really.

His friends always warn him he falls too fast but— but if they had you looking up at them like this, hanging off their necks, the taste of vanilla on their tongues, they’d understand, too.

He manages to call for a taxi. It’s going to be at least twenty minutes, though, since it’s a busy night.

Twenty minutes is a decent amount of time.

He doesn’t know if it was you or him who started tugging the other over to the nearby alleyway, but suddenly your back is against the bricks and your mouth is hot and soft against his.

He lifts one of your legs to hitch up along his waist, your hips already tilting up to meet his. He makes a noise in the back of his throat, pressing firmer into you to make you gasp. Your little hands squabble for purchase on his shoulders. One slips into his hair as he eases his lips down your jaw. You tilt your head back to make room for him as he drags soft lips against your tender pulse.

He sets a gentle, sucking kiss there.

You nearly melt beneath him, a little garbled noise getting caught in your throat.

So he does it again, and again, until he’s littering love bites all over your body. Until you’re whining a little, hips eagerly trying to rock against his.

It’s cute, the way you’re already desperate but trying to control yourself.

And Denki can’t help himself with those tiny, aborted rocks of your hips. He slides his lips lower, to your collarbone, down, down, until he drops to his knees in front of you.

When he peers back up at you, your lips are kiss stung and parted in surprise.

Denki shuffles forward, pressing a sweet, messy kiss to the top of your thigh. He’s pushing your skirt up a little, glancing at the cotton of your panties.

They’re light pink, with little hearts on them. They’re not lingerie or even overly revealing— but they’re sweet and clinging to you. Denki tries not to moan at the thought.

He catches your eyes as his hands slide up your thighs, to your waist. “This okay?”

You swallow and he can tell you’re nervous again. He flashes you a sweet smile for reassurance, “I’ll stop or slow down if you want—“

“No-!” You say, perhaps too quickly, voice little more than a squeak. “I mean— you don’t have to stop or slow down. It’s okay, if you’re okay.”

Denki can’t help his smile, can feel it turn lopsided as he gazes up at you, as his thumbs trace circles into the bare skin of your thighs.

“S-shouldn’t it have been the other way around?” You ask, though, “Don’t think I’ve ever had a guy get on their knees like this before—“

Denki’s eyes spark, hitching your hips closer to his face, “If you want, you can repay me at my place,” he hums sweetly, lashes fluttering, “For now, hold up your skirt for me?”

You let go of a shuddering breath and he thinks it hitches somewhere, gets caught inside of you, when he noses his way beneath the fabric and settles a few teasing kisses on your inner thigh.

You bunch up the front of your skirt in a shaky hand, squirming a little in his hold. He eases one of your legs over his shoulder, though, tilts your pelvis towards his face and settles a slow-burning kiss on your core, through your adorable panties.

You mewl, a high, soft noise. When he glances up the line of your body, you’re nearly trembling and your eyes are all round and pretty.

He settles another kiss there, slow, letting his tongue press fleetingly onto the cotton.

Your free hand comes down to tangle in his hair. And Denki’s not feeling overly cruel tonight, so he doesn’t tease you or torment you—

He lets his thumb drift over, rubbing slow circles into that sensitive bundle of nerves that has you keening softly.

Besides, he’s a little impatient himself and he wants you. He’s excitable and soft, eager to be close with someone, to have and taste and please. He’s been a little lonely lately, a little bruised from his last relationship, banged up in ways he hasn’t quite yet processed.

But you want him, too, don’t you? Ready to please like him, aching for another.

More than that, Denki just likes you. The moment he’d laid eyes on you, he hadn’t been able to look away.

And now he’s easing your panties off of you, watching the wiggle of your hips as he works them down your legs. He tucks them into his pocket with a cheeky grin, before settling himself back between your legs.

The first swipe of his fingers through you makes Denki almost purr.

He doesn’t feel embarrassed about being so hard earlier after only kissing, not with the way your dewy arousal clings to his fingers. So slick and warm that he sighs a little, almost dreamily.

Then he’s hooking your leg tighter around his shoulder and letting his tongue roll out and trace through right where his finger just was. Both of your moans are simultaneous; his pitching higher just on the end as your hips rock towards the heat of his mouth. He adjusts to be sure he’s holding as tight to you as possible, fitting you snug to him so that you can’t be shy.

He isn’t shy, either, delving his tongue slowly and sweetly between your folds, sliding up to find that sensitive bundle of nerves that makes you gasp.

He looks up at you, his eyes sparking gold, flashing up to watch as your face screws up in pleasure.

When he eases a finger inside of you, your moan– though music to his ears– is a little too loud. He pulls away, hushing you softly, placing messy kisses on your inner thigh again. He glances around for a moment, just to be sure you’re both still relatively alone in this alley.

He curls his fingers inside of you, though, so your, “sorry!” is gasped out, pitching high.

Denki dips back to place another sloppy kiss to your clit, which turns into his tongue swirling against you again. “Hmm, I don’t mind,” he murmurs, “I just figured you didn’t want to be caught.”

He glances up at you, at the pretty curves of your body. Your eyes pinch shut as you let your head fall back against the wall.

“I-I don’t want to be,” you manage to get out and Denki can’t help his laugh, right up against you.

“You don’t sound sure of that,” he teases, but he doesn’t let you get another word out, because he sets to work on figuring out what it is you really like. He hugs your thighs tighter, his eyes settling into a determined spark, and doesn’t let up on you. You squirm and gasp and bite back moans and Denki doesn’t slow.

You have to cover your mouth with your own hand and Denki can’t help but groan against you softly.

Fuck, he’s so hard. He’s so turned on. He feels like his Quirk is going to skitter out of him in bursts of electricity.

If he was lying down, able to rut his hips into his bed, he swears he would’ve already been close. Something about you– your pretty face all flushed with pleasure, the taste of you, the squirming of your hips, it’s almost too much for him.

“Denki–” you cry, “I-I’m close–”

Another needy moan from him and he doubles his efforts, desperate for it, for you to fall apart on his tongue. He’s nearly begging with his eyes, turned all round and pretty to look up to watch you.

Your fingers flex in his hair, your hand squeezing tight over your mouth to trap the moan that you let out, your poor hips trying to squirm and move as you break, but Denki holds fast to you. He chases your movements with his mouth, whining a little as you try to break away from him. His fingers dig into your plush thighs.

It’s all slick and messy, just the way he likes it. He swears he’s dreaming, feeling you gush around him, twitching and over sensitive.

“D-Denki, too much– ah– I can’t, I can’t–” You manage to get out through your fingers, so he finally relents and let’s up on you.

He wipes his chin with the back of his hand, throwing you a dazzling smile as your fingers gentle in his hair, trying to smooth it down again.

“Good?” he asks, eager for your praise.

“So good,” you exhale, your own eyes turning a little dreamy as you look at him and he thinks you must have twin expressions on your faces, because he’s also looking up at you like you’re the answer to a long lost question he’s been asking for far too long.

He stands finally and he isn’t expecting it, but you rock up onto the tips of your toes to kiss him soundly. He thinks it’s in thanks, but then you’re moaning a little into his mouth, and the kiss is turning desperate again. Denki’s hands are everywhere this time, bolder now, touching and grabbing and squeezing at all the soft, pliant parts of your body.

When you part from him, you shower him in little kisses along his jaw, his neck. You nibble on the lobe of his ear, “Are you gonna let me repay you now?” you murmur and Denki has to bite back a (probably pathetic) noise.

“Bet the taxi is almost here,” he responds, sliding one of his hands down your arm to find your hand, “You can do whatever you want to me back at home.”

And then he’s tugging on your hand, pulling you back towards the busy street with you laughing, unable to contain it. It’s a sound that fills Denki to the brim, makes him beam, probably foolishly but he doesn’t even care.

Because when he looks down at you, slotting yourself beneath his arm like you belong there, you’re grinning back just as brightly.

It nearly takes his breath away.

He feels silly with it, so happy he could burst, and when you pull him down for more eager, sweet kisses, he thinks he even lets out a fizzle of a spark again.

Maybe he’s still high, but it feels fated to have found you tonight. Like you were both looking for each other.

He pulls you into the taxi laughing.

You fall into his arms the way he falls in love with you, so fast it's dizzying, so hard he’s sure he’s going to need a bandaid for this one.

On the ride home, you’re nearly in his lap again, and you tell him that he’s the prettiest boy you’ve ever seen in your whole life.

The taxi driver makes a comment about young love and you giggle yourself silly into the crook of his neck.

Maybe a few stitches, too, he decides, feeling his heart spark and catch, the crush of electricity sitting on the back of his tongue, hot and neon.

You brush your nose against his, eyes glittering in the dark of the taxi, the city’s nightlife passing over your features to turn you dreamy and otherworldly. You rub your nose to his in a kiss, laughing when he returns the gesture. Then he presses you against the chilled window and slants his lips to yours desperately.

You tangle your hands into his hair and sigh like he’s your long, lost lover.

On second thought, might as well call the ambulance now, he throws in, and lets himself be set alight by you.

***

“Okay, we have to be quiet, because if we wake my roommates, they’ll kill me–” Denki tells you as he eases the door open to his high-rise apartment. Its dark, so you’re not able to see much but you can tell there’s a lot of windows that open up the living room, the city below twinkling to life before your eyes.

You and Denki ease your shoes off and his jacket comes off, too, hung up on a hook beside the door.

His place looks relatively neat, for a young man like Denki. And expensive, for someone his age. But you suppose that’s what comes with being an up and coming hero.

“How many roommates do you have?” you ask, letting Denki take your hand in his and lead you down a hallway.

“Two,” he responds, “And they have to get up early for patrol tomorrow.”

“They’re heroes too?” You gasp excitedly and Denki’s responding, soft laugh is enough to make heat tickle your cheeks.

He shoulders open a door, “Yeah and my best friends from high school.”

Denki’s room is neater than you’d thought it’d be but also crammed with a lot of furniture, knick-knacks, and decorations. He shuts the door behind you and fumbles in the dark for a moment, before the room floods with soothing, blue light that is strung up around the walls. He flicks on several lava lamps of various, neon colors, and even a little salt rock lamp.

The room is cast in all that soft light, blue and pink and red turning the room hues of purple and magenta.

“You don’t have to get up and patrol tomorrow morning, too, do you?” you suddenly ask, eyes still drifting around his room.

“Nope! I have tomorrow off unless there’s an emergency,” he responds, a grin flashing across his face, his brows waggling suggestively, “Why? Planning to keep me up all night?”

You laugh, but try to muffle the sound with your hand as Denki drifts near you again. His hands find a home at the curve of your waist and he drags you back into his orbit, fitting your body to his.

You peer up at him, eyes twinkling happily, “You can go all night?”

“For you? I could do anything,” Denki drawls with the dopiest, cheesiest grin caught on his lips.

You can’t help the laugh that bursts from you. It makes you bubble with excitement.

You fit yourself against him eagerly, tipping your chin up, almost offering your lips to him like a sacrifice, “Should we test that?”

Your voice is sweet and soft, like honey that he wants to taste.

“Mhm,” he hums in agreement, almost a trance as he gazes at you, “let’s do that.”

And then his mouth is slotting against yours, warm and hot, all slow rolls of tongue, the gentle nip of teeth. You’re both stumbling backwards together, legs tangling with each step until you tip back onto his bed. Denki draws you into his lap eagerly and you’re quick to straddle him.

You feel him underneath you, the hard line of him pressed against your bare core.

He still has your underwear.

You both must realize this at the same time because Denki’s hips press upward and yours squirm, an excited little gasp tearing from your lips as you finally pull away from the kiss.

Denki’s hands are all over you, eagerly searching for more ways to pull those sweet sounds from you.

But you start kissing along the crook of his neck, scattering them downward, shifting slightly to keep going down, down, down—

Denki’s hand slides to the back of your neck, fingers beginning to tangle in your hair.

You look up at him through your lashes, settling yourself between his legs. Your hand drifts to the button of his jeans.

“You know, you don’t have to just cause—“ he starts, but you cut him off easily;

“I wanna repay you.” And then you slowly work the button free, eyes rounding out a little, cheeks flushing with heat as you hush, “I really wanna repay you.”

Denki is almost hypnotized, jaw slack. He might start drooling, you think to yourself, biting back a smile.

You’re careful as you ease his cock out, wrap your fingers around it. It twitches at your touch, flushed red, like the color of his cheeks now, and already leaking a little.

He’s longer than you expected, a slight curve. You squirm a little yourself at the thought of him being inside you—

You stroke him experimentally, almost languidly and watch as his hips press up into your hand. He makes a slight hiss of breath, eyes zeroed in on you, on your slight hand wrapped around him.

You’re not cruel, you don’t tease him, the way he didn’t tease you earlier.

You let your tongue loll out, giving kitten licks up the underside, to the head.

He moans softly, an almost pitiful sound, his fingers flexing in your hair. He’s gentle, though, careful with you.

The moment you slide the tip of him between your lips and suckle, Denki’s other hand is already fisting the sheets.

Okay, maybe you are a little cruel, to stay here, just at the tip.

“Baby—“ he whines, pushing at the back of your head a little, “C’mon, I’m tryin’ to be nice and gentle with you—“

Your eyes flicker up, catch with his, feigning innocence.

He clenches his teeth together to keep back the groan, to keep quiet.

Pride and arousal sweep through you.

You pop off of him, lips pretty and kiss stung. A string of saliva, sticky and glimmering in the low light gets caught as you hold your tongue out for him to see. It falls from your parted lips, dripping back onto his twitching cock.

His fingers tighten in your hair.

You squeak when he flexes his hips up, bringing you back down to his cock.

You don’t fight him when he makes you take more of him— feeding you his cock. The desperate moan that wracks out of him as his head falls back onto his pillow sends a bolt of arousal through you like lightning.

“Ah— yeah, that’s it,” he murmurs, guiding you up and down slowly, gently still, mostly letting you take the lead as you hollow out your cheeks around him.

When he picks his head back up, his eyes are alight, “Oh, fuck, don’t you look cute like this?”

Your eyes water as you take him as deep as you can. A tear slips out and he cooes, leaning forward to brush the tear away with his thumb.

“Making me feel so good, baby,” he gets out, voice pitching a little when you pick up your pace.

“Aren’t I lucky? Prettiest girl I’ve ever seen—now sucking my cock.” Denki babbles, but it makes you melt, forcing a whine out of you that reverberates around him.

He moans again, too, shamelessly, and you think of his poor roommates. You hope they’re deep sleepers.

He pushes the hair from your face with gentle fingers, cooing more praise, an unconscious stream of words that falls out of him as he gets closer and closer to that edge;

“So good for me, baby—“

“Yeah— oh— just like that,”

“Take a little more for me? Here— I’ll guide you— fuck, ah—“

He makes you gag when he flexes his hips up a little too sharply, your eyes watering as you pull off, more slick spit spilling between you two, coughing a little.

Denki coos his apologies, but there’s something in the small smirk at the corner of his lips that has you keening. Almost feels a little mocking. He’s been so sweet— the idea of a meaner side to him, a rougher one, makes your stomach swoop excitedly.

You take him back into your warm mouth all over again and soon after, he’s whining and moaning more. So vocal, trying to keep it down but failing miserably.

He stops you, fingers tightening in your hair, “Baby, you gotta stop or I’m gonna cum,” he says, almost breathless, cock twitching in your mouth in a way that has you purring.

He groans again and you slowly pull off him.

“How fast can you recover?” You murmur, pressing a little kiss to the flushed head.

Denki almost laughs, a choked little sound that’s breathless and desperate.

“Um— ah, pretty quick, I guess.”

Your fingers tighten at the base of his cock, mouth falling back over him as you double your efforts. It’s all slick and messy, the heat and hardness on your tongue solid.

He groans in a way that makes you whine, just before you feel him cum, pulling off a little to make more of a mess as your hand still works him through it, spilling all over your lips and tongue.

It’s so lewd but it has you keening a little, especially when he starts babbling praise again.

His thumb swipes over the mess, makes it worse, playing with your shiny lips, pressing his cum back onto your tongue.

You suckle happily at his thumb, heat flushed high inside of you, almost purring as his flagging cock gives an interested twitch.

“Fuck,” he spits out, pulling his thumb out from between your plush lips only to lurch forward and crash his lips to yours instead.

You gasp, dizzy, surprised, as he makes more of a mess. The kiss is sloppy, open-mouthed, swapping spit and cum. It should be gross but it makes you moan desperately against him. There’s a lot of shifting then, pulling at clothes. It’s almost a little fumbling and you both laugh into each other’s mouths when shirts get stuck, when limbs get tangled together. It doesn’t slow your kissing or your desire; if anything, there’s something about it that’s so charming and real and desperate. It makes you ache worse, hot and panting into his open mouth.

Once you’re both finally stripped of clothes, you find yourself under him, thighs hitched over his slim waist. He’s leanly muscular and you let yourself ogle him a moment, the flush of his pretty face, his chest that is a little rosy, too. Like parts of his face, he has those skittering, pink scars that branch out over his arms and shoulders.

“Like what you see?” Denki waggles his brows at you, preening a little under your gaze.

“Yeah,” you croak honestly, “c’mere,” and you reach for him with childish, grabbing hands.

Your honesty sobers him a little and he’s eager to fall over you, “I like what I see, too—“ he kisses you sweetly, humming, “a lot. You’re so pretty—“

It’s strangely intimate for a one night stand, for two strangers kissing in a bed that’s unfamiliar to you. Still, you both lean into it rather than shy away.

You can feel that Denki is hard again after all that making out and rolling around, can feel the press of him by your inner thigh and you shift your hips up in offering.

He hums as he pulls away from the kiss, “How do you want it? You like things rough? Gentle? Got any kinks?” His smile is infectious, a little salacious. It makes you laugh, makes prickly heat rush up to warm your cheeks.

Even though you’re naked beneath him, the idea of trying to articulate any of your own preferences or kinks makes you nervous. Still, you like things rough, you like things gentle. It all depends on the situation.

You settle on something simple for him, nothing too jarring, since he’s looking at you so expectantly, “I like praise,” you admit, trying to keep the shyness out of your voice.

Denki nudges his nose with yours, “I like praise, too. A little degradation sometimes as well.” His smile is a devil’s grin, playful and sharp.

You kiss that smile, dragging him down into another sloppy kiss, which makes his own hips twitch and flex into yours.

“I like what you have been doing,” you murmur against his lips, letting your hand slide into his hair, “I like you.”

Denki makes a soft noise, almost a whimper against your lips, before he responds, “I like you, too. You’re driving me crazy.”

Your heart takes a tumble in the confines of your chest, the fluttering of it like butterfly wings. You take his wrist in your hand and drag it down to between your bodies, his fingers finding exactly where you want them to go—

He parts your folds slowly, groans when he slides a delicate finger through all the slippery arousal there. You whine softly.

“Please fuck me,” you breathe, pushing your hips up as if you could coax his fingers inside you. “Denki, please,” you cry out, wanting to be as close as possible.

“Yeah—yeah, okay. I will. I’ve got you.” Denki murmurs, love struck and syrupy, “just let me—“

He reaches over you and into his nightstand, rummaging in the drawer for a moment before pulling out a condom. He makes quick work of opening it, sliding it onto his aching cock.

And then he’s shifting, pressing the tip of him against where you’re soft and desperate. He glides against you once, twice, and then—

Your moans are simultaneous, louder than they should be, breaking off into a cry.

Faintly, you wonder about his roommates, if they heard that one.

You wonder what’s got him clinging to you so hard, what’s made his head fall into your chest.

You wonder what has tears pricking your eyes—

It doesn’t hurt. It feels good, really good to be so close, to be so full. Maybe it’s because you haven’t been treated this well in awhile. Maybe it’s because he’s so sweet or so eager or maybe it’s because you’re fiending for care, hitting withdrawal after being abandoned too many times. You’re desperate for something real, hungry for—

Denki picks his head up to look at you, heaven in his eyes, cheeks flushed darkly.

“I think I’m in love with you.”

Your laugh bubbles out warmly, an outpouring of your giddiness and tenderness and delight.

You hook your leg around his waist, “we just met, Denki.”

“And I’m in love with you.” He replies, smiling curling at his lips with your happiness, with the way you’re looking up at him through your lashes.

“You’re not—“ you laugh, but it catches onto a moan when he finally thrusts, almost experimentally.

“I am,” he promises, kissing at the corner of your lips that are hitched up because of him, “fuck, you feel so good.”

You hook your legs tighter around him, beg for more with the way you whine into his mouth. He sets a steady pace, hitching your legs up a little higher until he hits a spot inside you that makes you cry out, that makes you dig your nails into his shoulders, it makes your eyes cross.

“Yeah?” Denki asks, thrusting like that again, “right there?”

“Right there,” you moan, hand disappearing into his hair to pull and tug on it.

“You’re so pretty,” Denki gets out, lips falling to the crux of your neck, teeth nipping, tongue sliding over to soothe it.

“Denki—“

“We should get married—fuck—right after this.”

Another laugh blossoms out of you and onto him. He’s smiling when he kisses you again, you can taste the sweetness when he murmurs, “I’ll fuck you all night and then we’ll get married in the morning.”

He thrusts deeper, harder, pauses so you can feel him inside you, like he’s trying to carve himself into you. You mewl, hiccup his name as tears spring to your eyes again.

“I’ll take you to breakfast right after—what do you like?” He’s still joking, but there’s an earnestness to his voice that’s making your chest ache.

“Waffles,” you gasp, “with berries and whip cream.”

“Perfect,” Denki moans, before dipping into another kiss, sloppier, hungrier, “you’re so fucking perfect—“

You whine when he reaches between your bodies and slips his hand down. His fingers slip over your clit, but you’re sensitive enough that the messy passes of his hand don’t matter. It’s going to send you careening into another climax in no time, especially with the way he starts to put all his weight into his thrusts. It almost aches, the way he’s shoving into you so desperately.

You tilt your hips a little more and that’s all it takes, pleasure zipping through you like a bolt of lightning, expanding out. You cry out–loud enough that Denki removes his hand from your body to cover your mouth.

“You’re gonna wake my roommates,” he laughs, but it tapers off into a moan as you moan from behind his hand, “oh fuck, you’re squeezing me so tight–what? You like the sound of that?”

He honest-to-God whines, high and needy, hips shoving harder into yours, deeper in a way that makes your eyes cross, lashes fluttering.

“‘M gonna– gonna come–thought I’d last longer–” he gasps, fingers tightening against your cheek, hips beginning to lose rhythm, staggering, faltering as he gives into his own pleasure, “fuck!”

And then a spark fizzles around him, a skittering shock of electricity that races around his neck, down the arc of his shoulders, his torso, and then zips over you. You yelp behind his hand, the strange feeling careening through your body and making you shudder.

Your eyes go wide as it lights up the dark room, realizing in that instant why. You should’ve told him, should’ve warned him that your Quirk–

It stings a little, makes your muscles jerk but otherwise was just a little shock, just a little strange feeling–

“Sorry!” he gets out, “s-sorry. Are you okay?” he gasps, and when you nod frantically behind his hand, he keens sharply, still thrusting into you.

He forces himself to keep thrusting through his climax, until he turns shivery and gasping, until you pry his hand off your mouth so that you can kiss him and swallow his own noises now. So he’s not the one that wakes his roommates. He tastes like a lightning bolt, neon hot, making you gasp and squirm beneath him.

His hips eventually slow to stuttered, small thrusts. You can feel his cock still twitching with sensitivity. You throw your arms around his neck, try to fasten yourself to him.

“Shit,” he gasps, “are you okay?” He asks again, “I haven’t done that in so long–I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you can’t help but laugh a little, “I think it was my fault, anyways.”

“What? No, it was definitely–”

“I should’ve told you earlier–” you cut him off, “my Quirk is an amplifier.”

You watch Denki’s mouth fall open a little in understanding, “oh,” he blinks a few times, “oh! Then that’s why I felt like I was having a hard time containing my Quirk earlier.” He laughs now, “felt like a high schooler again.”

“Did you think I just made you that nervous?” you tease, dragging your hands through his hair.

“Kinda,” he laughs, nudging at your cheek to scatter wet kisses there. You laugh, too, turning your face to catch him in another deep kiss. When he pulls away, he watches you for a moment, “that’s a really cool Quirk. Why didn’t you become a hero?”

He says it so casually, like everyone in the world could be a hero.

Your fingers drift over the curve of his neck, his shoulders. He leans into the touch like a cat, “ah–doesn’t work out well in combat. Especially with Quirks like yours. I can only amplify by touching someone and I’m not immune to the Quirks I amplify. if I did that while you let out however many volts of electricity, I–”

“Oh, you’d die.” He realizes, suddenly becoming solemn.

“Yeah,” you agree, “it’s really just dangerous for me. And others, probably. I’m studying medicine, though, so I can amplify healer’s Quirks. Much less dangerous.”

Denki’s eyes find yours again, “oh that’s–that’s a great way to use your Quirk.”

“I like helping people.”

You swear there are stars in his eyes as he looks at you. “Yeah,” he agrees softly, “me too.”

Your voice is more hushed than you intended, tipping your chin up to brush your lips along his, “well aren’t we a pair.”

“Yeah,” Denki agrees again, just as soft, just as tender. He dips into a sweet kiss, which develops into something slow and aching and deep. His hands skate up your sides, hands fanningo out like he can’t touch you enough, can’t get close enough.

You feel his cock give an interested jump inside of you, which makes you break away before anything else can develop–

“Are you–? Can you already-?”

“Go again? Give me a little bit longer this time but I did promise you–”

“Maybe you should at least– you know, get a new condom.” You say, cheeks smarting with heat.

He laughs a little, which makes you laugh, which turns into more kissing, shared smiles against teeth and tongue. He does, eventually pull out of you, toss the used condom into the trash in his room, before nearly tackling you again, sending you into another fit of laughter.

He keeps his promise, though, and he does fuck you nearly all night, in so many different positions, until you’re nothing but his. It’s fun, you realize, it’s so fun and exciting with him. He’s got an earnestness to him that makes you want to fall sharp and hard into the affection he’s offering. He touches you like he’s always known you, like he should’ve been the one to touch you all along.

He takes care of you after, wipes the makeup from your face, showers with you at near five in the morning. He laves soap over the contours of your body until you’re sudsy and soft, until you’re clean and taken care of. He fits you in his shirt, he holds you tight as you fall asleep. He doesn’t want to let go of you.

In the morning, an alarm blares a little too early. You’ve maybe gotten three hours of sleep when you’re startled from sleep.

Denki shoots up in bed, blinking blearily. He jostles you off of him.

“Shit,” he curses, fumbling around on his night stand for a yellow and black pager.

“What is it?” you ask groggily.

“Emergency. ‘M being called into work.” He responds and this shakes some of the sleep from you as you force yourself to sit up as well.

Denki is already up, though, wandering sleepily around his room and pulling at clothes from his closet, gear that’s sitting on his desk. There’s a practiced ease to his movements, a ritual he seems to have. By the time he’s dressed, now in his hero costume, he’s more awake.

He tosses his cell phone at you, “I was serious about taking you for breakfast,” he says, pushing his glasses onto the top of his head, “but if you want, you can put in your number and I promise I’ll still take you–I just have to do this, I’m sorry.”

There’s a new seriousness to him, or maybe a new sense of responsibility. He sounds like a hero, stands like one, like he’s massive and only as real as the legends say. You don’t know why, but your heart falters in your chest for a moment, looking up at him, seeing him in all his glory.

“No, don’t apologize!” You hurry to assure him, “I understand!” You glance down at the phone in your hands, “I would like that, though–to get breakfast some other time.”

Your fingers glide easily over the screen, putting your name in his phone, with several heart emoji’s and the ring one. You smile to yourself, before picking your eyes back up and offering Denki’s phone back to him.

He smiles at your name, absolutely smitten.

“Okay, I’ll text you?” he asks, hope teetering on the edges of his voice.

“Yeah–yes, of course.” You assure him, feeling giddy and suddenly shy under his gaze.

“I do really have to go, now–” he starts, “you can let yourself out whenever. Or stay forever in my bed, I wouldn’t mind. The front door locks behind you.” He leans over you, drops a honey sweet kiss to your lips, “I did have a really, really good time with you. I really like you–”

“I really like you, too, Denki Kaminari,” you murmur against the curve of his lips.

You can feel his smile, see the way he’s practically glowing when he pulls away from you. “Okay–I have to go, seriously now–”

You laugh as he heads for the door, walking backwards, “I’ll see you soon, maybe?” he asks.

“Yes, please.” You tell him earnestly and then you practically watch his heart soar in his chest.

His smile is a dopey curve, filled with so much joy, “Okay, see you later, then.”

He turns from you and his hand falls onto the doorknob.

“Denki?”

“Yeah?”

“Be safe out there.”

He smiles over the curve of his shoulder at you, “always.” he agrees, and then he says, “watch the news later. I’ll wink at the camera for you.”

You laugh again, full bellied and warm, letting it burst free from your chest and carry Denki out the door with a skip in his step. You watch him go. You hear him leave.

You fall back into his bed for a moment, lovestruck, reeling.

And later that night, long after you’d gone home, when you watch the coverage of the villain attack Denki had helped contain, he stands beside Red Riot in an interview, stealing a moment to look right at the camera and give a slow smile, and then a wink that makes you bury your face in your hands and just about squeal like a school girl with a too-big crush.

He texts you later;

i was serious about marrying you, too. tomorrow? wedding and breakfast?

Followed by a series of increasingly strange emojis.

You laugh so hard that your roommate asks you to quiet down, then cover your hand over your mouth to try and catch the giggles that spill from you like spooling ribbons, like twinkling, ecstatic bells.

Like a girl with a crush. Like a girl that could be in love.

***

“Dude, who are you texting so obsessively?” Eijiro asks, the clicking of the video game controller in his hand and the faint sound of Super Smash Bros in the background are familiar noises in their apartment, “usually you never want to stop playing and now you’re missing out on rounds– shit, dammit!”

Denki glances at the screen to see that Kirishima has lost again.

“Ha,” Katsuki gloats around the sucker in his mouth, it pushes at his cheeks in a way that makes Denki momentarily focus on something other than his phone. “Not even in a challenge.”

Denki’s phone vibrates again.

“Dude!” Eijiro snaps again and Denki finally remembers that he asked him a question.

“I’m just texting the love of my life.”

Katsuki groans loudly, “Fuck, here, we go again–”

“Is this the girl you met at the party the other night?” Eijiro asks, at least attempting to entertain Denki.

“Yeah,” Denki says, finally closing out of his phone for a moment, “she’s perfect.”

“Kaminari, buddy, we’ve talked about this–” Eijiro starts as Katsuki rolls his eyes so far back into his head that Denki imagines they’ll get stuck and then he’ll just look possessed and pissed off with the whites of his eyes for the rest of his life.

“Okay, I know, she’s not technically perfect, but I am going to marry her.” Denki defends himself, as if that truly was better somehow.

“Oh, for the love of–”

“I already asked her.” Denki continues, probably against his better judgement.

Eijiro and Katsuki blink at him for a moment.

“Uh, what’d she say?” Eijiro asks tentatively.

“She laughed, but she put her name in my phone with the ring emoji.”

“Oh, so she’s fucking crazy, too.” Katsuki says, before crunching down on his sucker.

“Uh, when did you ask her this?” Eijiro pipes up, brows furrowing like he’s trying too hard to work all of this out.

“When I fucked her for the first time–”

Katsuki chokes on his sucker, coughing harshly.

Eijiro barks out a surprised laugh and when he realizes Denki isn’t laughing, he pauses, “wait, are you serious?”

“Yeah,” Denki admits, “and you would’ve too. That good. I told her I loved her and I wanted to marry her the moment I got inside her.”

“You didn’t–” Eijiro almost pleads with him.

“Yup,” Denki replies shamelessly, popping the ‘p’.

Katsuki throws his head back and cackles, mean and loud, “you fucking dumabss– where’s my phone? I have to tell Tape Arms that–”

“Whatever. It worked well for me because I’ve already seen her twice since then. And we text everyday, all the time.” Denki gloats, smiling as his phone lights up with another one of your texts.

“So, are you dating her? Trying to date her?” Eijiro asks and Denki can tell he’s trying to be supportive but doesn’t love the idea. Still, Denki doesn’t know how or when to shut up;

“Yeah, I mean, I just said I wanna marry her so—“

“Okay, quit fucking with us.” Katsuki snaps.

“I’m not fucking with you! It was love at first sight.” Denki replies, raising his voice a little.

“Kaminari, remember how we had that conversation after your last break up?” Eijiro speaks up, gentling his tone.

There’s a long pause. Denki does remember but he doesn’t want to at the moment so he says, “no, I don’t think I really—“

Katsuki rolls his eyes, “you move too fucking fast and then you get your heart broken and then you’re a fucking wreck that we have to take care of. Also you have shit taste in people.”

Denki is about to open his mouth and protest when Eijiro cuts in, “what Bakugou means to say is we just don’t want to see you hurt again. And maybe if you do really like this girl, you take it slower and get to know her? Like really get to know her?”

“I am getting to know her.” Denki protests, “and I don’t have shitty taste in people.”

“Your last boyfriend stole 100,000 yen from you before disappearing. And your ex before that used you for popularity on her social media. And the one before that—“ Katsuki starts listing, holding fingers up to count each horrible ex that Denki has had.

“Okay, I get it!” Denki snaps.

“We just care about you, man, and we don’t want to see you hurt again.” Eijiro tries to placate.

“Well, she’s different, so you don’t need to worry.” Denki replies indignantly.

“You said that last time, dumbass.” Katsuki responds with a roll of his eyes.

Denki’s phone buzzes again and this time, it has him jumping up from his spot, eager to leave this conversation. “Well, I’m going to go pick her up so—“

Eijiro and Katsuki both share various looks of surprise and annoyance, “but I thought we were having a Super Smash night?” Eijiro asks and it almost makes Denki pause.

Eijiro just looks like a kicked puppy with that tone. Katsuki’s all bristled, though, jaw ticking in irritation. He looks so sharp and smoldering that Denki is sure if he came near him, he’d get all cut up and burned.

“I’m in for the next one, promise!” Denki tries to placate, “but if you knew her, you’d completely understand.”

“Whatever,” Katsuki rumbles, looking away.

And now Denki really pushes it—

“Kacchan,” he sings sweetly and with the way Katsuki levels him with a hard glare, Denki is sure he already knows what he wants, “could I pretty please take your convertible?”

“Ha! No fucking way.”

Denki throws himself down onto the floor beside the couch, draping his arms dramatically over Katsuki’s lap, “please? Please? Pleeeaassee, Kacchan?”

“No, get off me, you fucking—“

“I’m on my knees,” Denki whines, looking up at him with round, sweet gold eyes, “you know I take care of her! I’m so scared of you I would never even get a scratch on her!”

“No, I’m not letting you take my car so you can fuck this girl in the backseat—“

“I wasn’t going to do that!”

Denki’s voice has gone high, though, and there’s a long pause between the three of them.

“Okay, so I was going to fuck her in the backseat, but I’ll get it cleaned first thing tomorrow morning—“

“No.”

“Kacchan! Why do you hate me?” Denki whines, fingers squabbling and grabbing for Katsuki’s hoodie.

If there is one thing Denki knows about Katsuki, it’s that he can be softened. Not often and not by many, but Katsuki, if nothing else, is a little bit of a sucker for those he loves. He’s got a good heart, one of the best. And Denki can count on his hand the amount of people who know this and who know how to exploit it. Even fewer who would exploit it. Though Eijiro and Izuku could, they won’t because they’re too honest.

Mina does when she wants her way.

Todoroki does it in his own, quiet way.

Ochako does it all the time, it’s where Denki mastered the art of it. She can make Katsuki come to heel with a look. But Denki also thinks Ochako just has that sweet sort of face that you don’t want to disappoint anyways.

“Fuck off—“

“C’mon, please? Won’t ask again for the longest time. I really like her and I want to impress her.” Denki pleads and an earnestness creeps into his voice when he adds, “you know I’ve never asked you for your car to pick up a date before.”

Katsuki pauses at that because it’s true. For the handful of times that Denki has managed to convince Katsuki of driving his flashy, cherry red convertible, it was never for a date. A party, maybe. Just a joy ride. To go shopping with Mina.

He gives Katsuki his best, sweetest smile. The one that is a little lopsided and unassuming. It’s innocent and boyish, hard to say no to. Denki’s gaze catches glowering, red eyes and he holds his breath.

“On one condition.”

Denki refrains from cheering too soon or dropping his innocent smile.

“Anything,” he says, leaning a little more onto Kastuki’s lap, fingers twisting in his hoodie.

“Shitty Hair and I get to meet this girl you like so much—“

“Oh, that’s easy!”

“And if either of us don’t like her or don’t approve, you have to drop her immediately.”

Silence eats up the space between them.

Denki leans away from Katsuki a little, looking suddenly unsure, pensive. He laughs, nervously, “Oh, c’mon, what are you guys? My parents?”

He looks at Eijiro, as if he’ll back him up, stick up for him a little, the way he does from time to time. Eijiro shrugs as if to say, sorry, not this time.

Denki’s eyes lift back up to Katsuki’s face, seeing if he can wiggle his way out of that condition. Not that he thinks his friends won’t like you but–he doesn’t want to give you up for anything, no matter how bad you might be for him. No matter what his friends say.

“That’s my condition.” Katsuki says with finality, “take it or leave it, Pikachu.”

Denki weighs his choices for a moment. Does he really need the convertible? He knows he doesn’t, knows he could show up in scraps and you would still throw your arms around his neck when you see him. You would still look at him like you’re wishing on a star, like a girl starved, like you’re the last lovers left on earth.

He thinks his friends would adore you.

“I’ll take it,” Denki agrees with a suddenly confident smile, flashing it up at Katsuki, “where are your keys?”

Katsuki rolls his eyes, but he tells him anyway. Not without adding, “we’re meeting her soon. Next week, Dunce Face.”

Denki spins the keys around his fingers as he heads for the door, “fine by me,” he sings, head tilting back, over his shoulder to glance one last time at them, “but when you inevitably fall in love with her, too, just remember I found her first.”

He doesn’t hear Katsuki’s snarky reply, the door slamming shut behind him.

He holds his head high, humming a little tune to himself as he hits the cool, velvety night air, wishful stars peering down on him happily.

He smiles back at them and is glad he decided to take the convertible.

***

Your ex is being a dick again.

It isn’t new, but after hours and hours of begging and promising to try again with you, he’s hardly talked to you at this party. More than that, you think he’s doing it purposefully. He’s always hot and cold. He loves you or he hates you. He wants you or wants to throw you aside.

He wants to sleep with you but doesn’t want to date you. Days without contact turn into blowing up your phone obsessively.

(You’d changed your phone number once already because of him and now you’re feeling worse, like you should’ve changed it a second time over to get rid of him, after everything–)

Tonight seems to be particularly bad, in this party of people who you don’t know, whose faces all wash together in sickly sweet colors. You’re feeling woozy, too tipsy but also not drunk enough to forget the thorns that have knotted in your poor chest.

You’ve already ran to the bathroom to hold back tears once, furiously trying to keep your makeup in place.

Then you had started texting Denki more. Denki, who is so sweet and fun. Who responds right away. Who doesn’t leave you waiting. Who professes his love the night you’d met. Who you like so, so much.

Fuck it, you’d thought when you’d asked Denki to come pick you up from this shitty party so you can get away from your shitty ex.

And now you’re standing outside, on the side of the road in your baby pink mini dress and platform boots, all dolled up for a man who didn’t even care to look at you.

A growling convertible makes its way down the side street you’re on and you’d recognize that blond head anywhere. You ache suddenly, seeing him, so willing to drop everything and come find you.

He pulls up, grinning all crooked and excited to see you. He whistles at you, eyes lighting up as he takes you in, as you walk up towards his car, “damn, you look incredible. I’m one lucky guy, huh?”

You laugh as you fall into the car, already throwing your arms around him excitedly, feeling suddenly bruised because of course he’d said something, made you feel better than your ex ever could, even when your dress and the vanilla flavored lip gloss weren’t even for Denki originally. Should’ve been, though.

Should be, you decide as he catches you in a hard, quick kiss. It’s overeager, but there’s nothing better.

You pull away, looking up at him through your lashes, “thank you for picking me up. It means a lot to me.”

“For you? Anything.” Denki says and you can’t help but tip forward and crash your lips to his again.

You can feel his laugh, warm and delighted, can feel the way his tongue dips into your mouth in a way that makes all your thoughts melt away. It takes away some of the sting, stops the bleeding a little.

This time, when you pull away, you say, “get me out of here, Denki Kaminari.”

And he slams on the gas, making you lurch back, making you laugh, the sound carrying up into the open night sky.

He takes you through the city, buildings tall, shimmering blurs of light against the dark. He plays music too loud, synth and lazy bass that fills your head and beats alongside your heart. You lay your head on the window, let it tip out and up a little, so all the world rushes past you in a wash of technicolor and phosphorescence.

The stars above you spin in and out of focus, the wind high on your cheeks, rushing through your hair like a wild lover.

Everything falls away except for the neon crush of color, of him.

He drives you further out of the city, he makes you laugh more, always, spends the drive hitting on you like it’s the first night he’s met you again.

He finds a look out, something closer to the sky, to all the heavens, a view of the twinkling city below.

He let’s the music play when he devours your kisses, when he chases after your touch, when he’s got you sitting pretty in his lap. He steals all your doubt and heartache, feeds you his love and lust and excitement instead with a flick of his tongue, with the nip of his teeth.

He makes you feel precious or stunning or hot or mystical. Makes you shimmer, makes you shake apart like a little, falling star in the night sky that arcs over your heads.

And you think maybe you could fall in love with him, too, just like that little star above your heads, burning so hot and bright.

Like you were always meant to, like he’s your long, lost lover.

You kiss him hard and sweet and hot. You cling to him as if you’ll never let go.

Fuck it, you think, and let yourself be set alight by him, too.

[bokutoslittlebird]

I’m Sorry

Alpha!Ushijima x Beta!f!reader x Alpha!Oikawa

Warnings: THIS IS A SEQUEL to Regrets, intention of suicide, suicidal thoughts and actions [overdose, cutting, falling], mentions of self harm [overdose and cutting], angst, pregnancy, bonding mention, I did not look up Argentina resident rules

The rain was heavy today.

You felt as if it was the universe’s way of saying it was sorry for you. The ride back to school would be in the pouring rain that matched the gloominess of your heart, only to enter a campus where nobody wanted anything to do with you. His scent was all over you; despite being a Beta, you could feel it. You had been claimed and nobody would dare try and claim Ushijima Wakatoshi’s mate, despite the fact you’re not his mate.

Sobbing did little to ease the ache in your chest, eyes blotched from the constant tears and your nose sniffling as you tried to wipe away snot with your sleeves. Your sleeves, not his sleeves of a jacket you stole. Reading stories of how an Alpha would bestow their mate clothing would always warm your heart, but sitting on a dirty busstop with nobody but the rain beside you, your heart felt cold.

“What are you doing?” Someone asked. Your head snapped up to see a brunet looking down at you, his attire telling you he was dressed to run. Running? In pouring rain? What an idiot. He was gorgeous, though, hair collecting silver droplets that seemed to only accentuate his features. Your eyes trail down to the black collar adorning his neck, hidden beneath the white and blue jacket he wore. He quirked an eyebrow, giving off a small chuckle. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,”

“More like an idiot running in rain. What’s up with that?” You sniffle, rubbing at your raw nose and cursing the timing. An Alpha coming on a claimed Beta alone — words don’t need to be spoken for the other man to know why you’re crying. But instead of running off, he sits next to you. “You’re gonna get me wet, weirdo,”

“Well if I sit too close, I’d get snot on me, so maybe I’d be better keeping my distance, anyways,” he shoots back, barely batting an eye. You just scoff, rolling your eyes.

“Someone seems to have a problem with me. I don’t even know who you are, stranger,” you give off a grin, trying to keep up the light tone.

“Well, you’re wearing a Shiratorizawa jacket and you stink like Ushiwaka, so can you blame me for being a bit of an ass?” He says, grinning. Though you were keeping a light tone, his words quickly reminded you of the position you’re in. Gloomy day, pouring rain, busstop. Looking back to the ground, you sigh heavily.

“Well, at least it’s the most interaction I’ve had all day. Ushijima’s got a stick up his ass and no funny bone in his body, so I suppose if this is my last interaction, it’s better than him,” you off handedly say. The man beside you quirks his eyebrow once more, your words settling into his brain before he’s leaning closer to you. His shadow moves towards you, making you jump back. “What are you doing?”

“You’re pregnant,” he flat out says. Before you can shoot anything back, his eyes get sad as he pulls himself back some more. “You’re going to kill yourself because he abandoned you?”

“How-” you sputter, tears springing to your eyes once more, “how did you-”

“You know if he’s abandoned you, another Alpha can take claim, right? You’re not worthless,”

“Easy for you to say. I’m a Beta with an Alpha’s bond mark. An Alpha that doesn’t even want to talk to me. My family and friends have turned their backs on me because it’s my fault. I wouldn’t expect an Alpha to understand the other party’s feelings,” you say, wiping away the tears. Despite trying to appear strong, your eyes are wet and there’s snot running down your face. “No Alpha wants Ushijima Wakatoshi’s leftovers. Don’t make me laugh,”

“Well, a cute little Beta would look better with a genuine smile then tears in their eyes, wouldn’t you agree?” He smiles, rubbing your cheek, but you slap away his hand.

“Stop patronizing me. You sound like a creepy old man. Who even are you?”

“Oh, I didn’t think I had to introduce myself. I’m Oikawa Tōru,” he smiles once more, a genuine smile, as he holds out his hand. “And if there’s someone who hates Ushiwaka more than you, it’s me,”

“[Y/N]. You’re from Seijoh, right?” You shake his hand, although it’s brisk. His nod confirms your suspicions. The captain of the team that never beat Ushijima’s team, but always aimed for the top. Ushijima also mentioned how talented Seijoh’s setter was, but you never expected to be sitting on a busstop next to the man himself. “Well, you’ve gotten my life story and told me you hate Ushijima, so I guess it’s time for you to go back to running in the rain,”

“Nah, I can’t,” he shrugs, but you look at him confused, waiting for him to continue. Eventually, you ask him why. “Well, I can’t leave someone in need alone. If I leave, you’ll still kill yourself. You’re hurting and I can’t just abandon you. I’m not like other Alphas, you know.” You know his reference is to only Ushijima, but it warms your stomach nonetheless, seeing someone actually be there for you.

“I’m sorry you had to meet me then. If you hadn’t stopped, we’d both be blissfully unaware of each other’s presence,” you say, letting a sob wrack your body before covering it with a cough. “Guess I’m the weirdo getting sick,”

“Still thinking there’s no other option, huh?”

“Well what do you expect? You’re the only person who hasn’t told me to face my consequences on my own and turned your back on me. There really is no reason for me to stay here, especially if I have to raise a child without a support system. I’m still in high school, what the fuck,” you huff, running your hand through your hair, looking up at the sky, noticing how the rain has eased up and the sky is brighter. “I’ll be out when it comes, but the fact of the matter is I’ll graduate pregnant, who wants to go through that? I’m basically a cheap slut in everybody’s eyes. I just wanted to feel needed by someone I admire and this is what it results in? The more I think about it the more I want to down a bottle of painkillers and never wake up.”

“If nobody is sticking up for you, then maybe they’re not your real friends. Fair weather friends, only there for good tea and sunny days. If there’s nobody there for you, reach out for help,”

“I don’t want to be a burden,”

“People who will help you willingly won’t see it that way. Me sitting here with you isn’t burdening me, and I haven’t turned from you. I know we just met, but I want to help you. There’s a lot to live for and one setback doesn’t deserve to sever that line before you’ve even gotten to the good part. Good people exist, you just need to find them,”

“‘Find them’? I thought I had, so what’s the point in trying to find more, only to be disappointed?”

“[Y/N], was it? I’m right here, you know,” he puts a hand on his chest, a smile on his lips and shining in his eyes. “I’ve seen you at your lowest and I’m still here. Find someone like me,”

“That’s sweet, but I doubt there are multiple Oikawas running around in the rain,” you sigh, looking back up. It’s almost time for the bus, but you have a feeling that if he’s still here, then he won’t let you leave. “Are you gonna sit there until my opinion changes?”

“They don’t change that easily, trust me,” he chuckles, but it lacks the merry behind it. Glancing at him, his eyes are downcast as he runs a thumb over his knee. “But I don’t want to see someone die over one thing. There’s a lot to live for, a lot to strive for, that’s why I keep moving even after all my failures. If someone kills themselves for one thing, something I don’t see as a reason to end, I wonder if it was deeper than what it was on the surface. Was it a quick way to feel numb for a while? Was it an easy solution? Sometimes the easiest path isn’t the right one. Surviving an attempt makes you realize things can change, but what if you didn’t survive? If you regret putting the blade to your skin or stepping off the ledge seconds after you do it or seconds before death? You can’t change it once it’s in motion.”

“I never.. I never thought about it like that,” you mutter, your hands holding each other, fingers twiddling. A brief meeting with a handsome Alpha suddenly put things in perspective. A laugh breaks you from your trance, his mouth behind his hand.

“If I see an opportunity to help, I’ll be there, but the fact is I can’t change your mind. I would like to put things in perspective and give you options, but that’s all I can do. If the reason you’re planning to end it all is because you have no friends, I can help with that. I’ll be your friend when nobody else gives you a chance.”

You mull it over, thinking of your options. In the end, the worst that could happen is you end up back on the bench, in the rain, ready to match to your death. “You know, I was told that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is,” you mutter, but rifle through your jacket pockets for your phone. “Don’t make me regret second guessing myself, Oikawa Tōru. If you want to be my friend, I’ll take the hand extended to me,”

“Wonderful! And just in the nick of time, the bus is here,” he takes out his own phone, ready to swap numbers. As the bus pulls up to a stop, Oikawa waves at you as he pockets his phone, your contact information all piled inside. You really hope you don’t regret this decision, too.

In the few days that pass, you find yourself wondering how you could have possibly thought bad of Oikawa. He was sweet to you, introducing you to his friends (who knew about your predicament prior), with their promise they’d never turn their back. Iwaizumi was also an Alpha, but the other two were Betas. You did think it to be odd about how they seemed to willingly to help you, stay beside you, despite having no reason to. Their only reason was a promise to you. To Oikawa? Maybe, but you never asked him about it; if you did, he’d just shrug and give you a vague answer.

He promised to show you the light on a dark and gloomy evening, and he kept that promise. As your friends turned their backs on you, scoffing about how your decision will affect you for the rest of your life, Oikawa was there when you needed him the most. He was on standby all hours of the day and night, his phone always on and beside him. When your family turned you away, calling you out on your sudden friendship with another Alpha while carrying a child, they kicked you out and you had nowhere else to go, Oikawa was there. When you felt your world crumbling around you, feeling hopeless and desperate, picking up a secret stash of painkillers, Oikawa was there to talk to you. He didn’t actively take away the pills, but he sat on the other side of the door and talked to you, listened to you. Even his mom was there for you when your family and friends had left you, but Oikawa stood beside you through it all.

Then your world crumbled again.

“I’m planning on moving to Argentina,” he had said. You were looking into colleges to further your education when he had knocked on your door, his old sister’s room, sitting on the bed.

“You’re.. leaving?” You wanted to add to that sentence, but you didn’t want to seem clingy. He’s been with you for so much, you’re not entirely sure you can be independent without him.

“It’s been almost 6 months since you met me. I actually went on that run to decide if I wanted to study abroad in Argentina, but after meeting you, I decided to wait. I’ve been studying the language and keeping up with local volleyball communities, but my dream is over there,” he explains. You click your pen and set it down, ready to ask if you should leave his house, but he continues. “I wanted to know if you’d come with me.”

“Wh- What?”

“I’ve been putting in extra time so we can both move together, get a fresh start,” his face tints as he speaks, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “It seems a bit forward, now that I’m actually talking aloud about it. Sorry ‘bout that,” he chuckles, before clearing his throat.

“You want me.. to come with you?” You ask, unsure if you’re hearing correctly. He’s asking you to move to a new country with him, which is exciting! But, the baby.. “He is due soon, you know,”

“5 weeks, if I remember correctly,” he smiles, looking down at the large bump. You run a hand over it, solemnly nodding. “He’d be born in Argentina, our new home, if you come with me,”

“But Ushijima—”

“He’s abandoned you, officially. Your bond, it’s hardly noticeable anymore. The scent, I mean,” he corrects himself. “He’s basically just a sperm donor at this point,”

“This is.. very sudden, you know,”

“I know. And it’s also a very grand way of asking to court you, while also essentially marrying you, but I will say that if you choose to stay here, Iwa-chan will take care of you. He’s going to study in California for some amount of time, but that’s not for another few months. There is Mattsun and Makki, but I’m not too sure-”

“Okay, don’t stress yourself,” you giggle, getting him to stop. “I’ll go with you, but you gotta teach me the language,”

“I’ve been told I’m a great tutor, actually,”

“I believe it. Will the bond go away, or is it just the scent that’s gone?” He raises his brows at that.

“Ah, I guess you never took those classes. The bond is permanent, but another Alpha can lay claim on a mate that has been abandoned. I’d be honored to replace his bond with mine, but I’m sure you’ll need-”

“I’m ready,” you interrupt him. He sputters as he processes the words, but then smirks.

“Are you sure? I don’t plan on making mistakes, so you’ll be stuck with me, you know?”

“Tōru, I’ve been ready for a while now. Hope you don’t mind bonding me while I’m pregnant,” your hand once more rubs the large bump, settling on the top.

“It just means I’ll have to wait until it’s my turn to try,” he licks his lips, moving towards the door. The locking sound seals your fate, keeping others from interrupting your moment.

- Years Later

“Koichi, come back here!” you shout, weaving in between the crowds. Aiko is somehow still asleep on your shoulder as you chase your son through the crowd. He’s been dying to meet his favorite uncle for quite some time, so see as he’s the trainer for the Nationals team of Japan, Koichi ran once the match ended. A brief Q&A with the members of the team would happen exactly right after they left the stadium, which he knew because of his father’s position.

You finally come to a stop, grabbing Koichi’s collar as he struggles to get through the crowd. “I told you to not leave me, and what did you do? Uncle Iwa isn’t going to suddenly disappear. He’s been waiting for this day, too, you know?”

“But mama! I told him I’d be the first one!”

“That’s impossible. The paparazzi gets to him first, that’s how it works in Hollywood movies,” you joke, but you pick him up. You’re no professional athlete, but you do stay in shape to take care of two children. As soon as you pick him up, he’s shouting as he sees Iwaizumi, trying to talk to the reporters. He catches Koichi’s waving hand and decides to take a break, going towards where you are as the crowd parts.

“How is the Oikawa family doing? I see Koichi is energetic,” he laughs, taking the boy from your arms.

“Ugh, as always. Don’t know where he gets it from, it’s not like his sister is bursting with energy all day,” you gesture to the child sleeping, despite the loud crowd.

“Well, definitely Oikawa’s kid. He sleeps through anything and so does she, jeez,” he sighs, but you just laugh. A few members of his team come over, excited by the new people.

“Iwa-chan, what’s this? Wife? Your kids?? You have kids???” A man with white and black hair says, giving Koichi a high five.

“Uh, no. They’re actually Oikawa’s wife and kids. I’m the favorite uncle, of course,”

“I wanna be the uncle! ‘Samu is never gonna get married, I need to be an amazing uncle somehow,” a man with platinum blond hair says, but he’s quickly pushed aside as a familiar face comes into view.

A face you didn’t want to see.

“[Y/N], I didn’t expect to see you here,” Ushijima says, tone as flat as ever. Iwaizumi takes on a forced smile as yours drops, a frown etched on.

“Didn’t expect to see you here either. Actually, ever again,”

“Oh?” The owlish man says, eyebrows quirked up as his eyes glance between the two of you.

“I see you moved on. I’m glad to see that,”

“No thanks to you,” the venom in your voice has Koichi turning to him, looking at the larger man with large eyes. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the resemblance. He’s got the same hair color and eyes as the man in front of you, taking hardly any features from you. Not to mention, Koichi is showing signs of presenting as an Alpha.

“Darling, that’s where you were!” Oikawa shouts from over the crowd, them parting so he can mingle with the group around you. “I was wondering where my personal cheerleaders went to,” he smiles, pressing a kiss to your forehead. His eyes meet Ushijima’s and despite being unable to smell the tension, you can feel it. Reporters and guests alike back away as the overwhelming tension of two Alphas clash.

“Oikawa,” Ushijima says. Oikawa just tilts his head, looking over his opponent.

“I thought you’d look more defeated after I wiped the court with your ass, but I’m more disappointed in that. Emotionless as ever, aren’t you, Ushiwaka?”

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” he says, then looks to you. “I’ve been meaning to say something to you, [Y/N],”

“Trust me, I don’t want to hear it. You’re too late, Wakatoshi. You’re much too late,” you say, before nodding at Iwaizumi. “I’m leaving,”

Despite turning to leave, Oikawa taking Koichi away from his uncle and new “uncles”, despite being in the middle of a loud crowd, you can hear him. It’s quiet, almost as if he knows the words are weightless, holding nothing after years of his abandonment. Despite Oikawa’s bond pulsing, your heart still yearns for the other man, what he could have given you and what he did to you. Despite all this, you’ve fantasized about hearing those words, yet they do nothing.

“I’m sorry.”

Author’s Note: I’m sorry this took forever to publish but I hope it was worth the wait! I didn’t keep track of time while writing this, so if something seems wrong just ignore it. I might come back and fix it later but probably not lol ; Argentina residency rules and citizenship requirements were not consulted for this, seeing as it only took up like one sentence, but I might change it if I look more into it of course.

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Moment In Time

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: Just when you've gotten out, you’re given a reason to come back.

Warnings: Mild Language

Chapter 8

* * * * * * *

There’s a small, skin toned bump under her eye. Another small, almost unnoticeable mark just above her lip. 

Her eyes crinkle in the corners when she laughs and her cheeks pull up into perfect plum shapes.

Though the skin on her hands is soft and smooth, her palms are calloused a little. It leaves you wondering if it’s from all the times she’s held the cold metal of a gun in her hand, or wielded a knife that’s handle was too rough against her skin. 

Still you notice, despite the initial roughness you pick up on when you see the scars on her skin or feel the callouses on her hands, that she’s utterly breathtaking.

Your favorite sight of her being when she smiles.

“Are you even paying attention to me?”

Refocusing on the words she’s saying instead of her looks, you raise your eyebrows.“ I’m sorry, I just-” you shake your head, glancing down at your cup of tea.“ I can’t get over how gorgeous you are.” You look back up, raising the cup to your lips and sipping.

Her mouth opens, ready for a reply, but closes immediately as she realizes she doesn’t have one. Unusually, she isn’t sure what to say.

Unlike every other person who’d complimented her, yours was truly genuine. You meant it when you said it and expected nothing from her in return. 

She reaches across the table and takes your hand, squeezing it gently as a blush rises on here cheeks.“ Thank you.” 

You smile sweetly at her, then lean forward a little, elbows and forearms pressing against the table.“ Okay I’m listening again, what’s up?” 

“I don’t want the team to know.” She quickly says, eyes dropping from yours, a worried look on her face.“ About, whatever we are. I’m not embarrassed or-”

The way her smile drops instantly makes you frown. She rambles on and on, trying to explain her words to you.

Shaking your head, you reach forward and lift her head to meet her eyes.“ Nat, I appreciate it but I don’t need an explanation. Really, I want you to be completely comfortable with whatever this is.” She smiles at your words, her shoulders visibly sagging afterwards. Only for her body to tense as you utter a low ‘but’.

Brows furrowing, the redhead leans forward, her hand gripping yours.“ But what?”

“Does keeping things under wraps mean I can’t take you out on a date?” This time you smile brightly at her.

Natasha rolls her eyes, shoulders once again dropping as the corner of her lips tug up. Slowly, those green eyes look up into yours, a growingly familiar look in her eyes.“ That has nothing to do with keeping things secret and everything to do with where and when.”

Chuckling softly, you run your thumb along the back of her hand, keeping your gaze on her eyes.“ I’d like to take you to dinner Romanoff. It’s nothing fancy but retired SHIELD agents don’t get paid all that well.” 

“Dinner sounds lovely.” She says, her smile maintained. Her lips part as she goes to say something else but her phone cuts her off. Glancing down at it for a moment then back up at you.“ A lot lovelier than training Pietro with Sam and Steve.”

“Oh Bird Boy got promoted to training people huh?” You joke, eliciting a laugh from her like you hoped it would.“ Well, I want to check in with Wanda anyway so I can take you to the compound.” 

She playfully smirks, standing up as you do,“ got a sweet ride you’re gonna let me in?”

Rolling your eyes, you drop the money for your drinks and muffins on the table along with a tip. You then walk with her out of the cafe. 

The two of you walk over to your car and you open the door for Natasha. She lowers herself into the passenger seat of the classic mustang you’d come here in, and you shut the door after her. Going around, you get into the driver's seat after the cars pass. 

You can’t help but find it adorable how Natasha waits for you to put your seatbelt on and pull off before she reaches across the console to grab your hand. 

She raises your hand and presses a soft kiss on the back of it, squeezing gently as she relaxes in her seat and looks out the window. A look of contentment washes over her face and you can’t help but be a little proud that you seem to be the cause of it, or have been for the last few days. 

Your first kiss had taken place around a week or two ago. Over that course of time you’d shared more kisses than you were able to keep track of. 

It seems as though that moment opened the floodgates to all the physical touch you and Natasha had been starving for. Along with every kiss came a number of touches. Nothing had gone beyond PG-13 and you were more than okay with that.

You were completely happy with the way Natasha would drape herself over your lap like it was nothing in the comfort of your apartment. The light ghosting of her fingers against your neck before they curl into the hairs at your nape. Or the shiver that runs down your body when her fingers brush across your leg. And of course, how her fingers would lace with yours when she nonchalantly grabs your hand. 

Her affection warms your heart in the purest and most perfect way possible. Especially having known how she felt, and partly still feels, about that. 

While she hadn’t gone into great detail about her past she told you enough plus what you already knew about the Black Widow and Red Room organization. You knew of the horrible things that happened to the young girls in the Red Room and had had more than one encounter with the women who trained there. 

Knowing that and what she told you, shined an even brighter light on Natasha in your eyes. She’s strong, there’s no way you could ever say otherwise, but you severely underestimated how strong. Everything she’s been through that you’re aware of required the utmost of endurance and strength. 

“Stop looking at me like that Y/ln. Your eyes need to stay on the road.” She says, voice slightly teasing. 

Yeah, you’d subconsciously been looking over at the woman but you can’t really blame yourself. She’s beautiful in every conceivable way. 

“Oh forgive me. My eyes are just attracted to a particularly beautiful redhead.” You say, a small smile thrown her way afterwards.

Her eyes roll, an action you notice she does a lot when receiving genuine compliments, and a snort falls from her lips as she chuckles. You aren’t sure how others would react to that but you kind of love it. Especially since it’s always followed by a blush. 

The drive upstate continues with you being slightly less distracted by Natasha and her clicking through the radio stations. Which you find amusing since her musical tastes vary greatly. 

Funnily enough, she can’t seem to find a station before you get to the compound. Right when she does though, you’re pulling up to the door. 

An adorable pout forms on her face and her sad eyes look from the compound, to the radio, then to you. The radio host gets quieter and the song gets louder, the intro playing through. You know what she wants.

Sighing softly, you shake your head and shift gears. A look over at Natasha reveals her pleased face, as well as the image of Steve at the compound windows. His brows furrow as you pull off.

Quickly looking away from him, your eyes focus on the road. You don’t stay gone long, the song only lasts four minutes, enough time for you to head a little ways down the road from the compound security gate before it goes off.

The next song that plays isn’t Nat’s cup of tea so you turn around and head back. The agent at the gate gives you a slightly annoyed and curious look when you come back for the second time but you can’t say you care, not when your little drive put that smile on Nat’s face. 

“You two here to stay this time?” Steve asks, arms crossing over his chest as blue eyes shift from you to Natasha. 

Locking your doors, you pocket your keys and smile at him.“ Not sure Stevie, might steal her away in the middle of your training session and go for another drive.” You tease, cocking your eyebrow at him.

“Y/ln-” His voice is a warning that makes you want to laugh. 

“Can’t say I’d be opposed to that.” Natasha says with a small smile, walking past Steve no doubt in route to one of the training rooms, she glances back at you with a small wink before she disappears around the corner. 

It takes a bit of effort to fight a smile, but you manage. Then averting your eyes to Steve’s blue ones.“ Don’t worry, I won’t steal your partner. I hear Speedy is a handful.” 

“Thank you.” His shoulders drop as he sighs softly. You can’t stop yourself from laughing at his response. 

You both turn to head down the hallway.“ He can’t be that bad.” You say, almost as if challenging his reaction.

Steve gives you a look.“ He’s a good kid but a pain in the ass. And stubborn.” Shaking his head, he looks over again to see Pietro’s blue blur shoot by and disappear through the doors.“ Doesn’t listen for the most part.” 

“I believe that.” You have to admit,“ Wanda was pretty stubborn when we started. Still is sometimes.” You shake your head and stop at the end of the hall.“ Her powers are incredible so she doesn’t believe she needs hand to hand combat.”

He nods along, sucking his teeth and sighing.“ They’re kids. We keep teaching them and eventually they’ll get it.”

“Yeah. They’ll get it. Gotta have patience.” With that said, you leave a final pat on Steve’s shoulder before you turn away and go in search of Wanda. 

Surprisingly it’s pretty quiet. You assume Tony is out or down in the lab tinkering. With everyone else in the training room, you head to Wanda’s room, knowing it’s likely that’s where she is.

Once you’re there you raise your hand and knock, calling out,“ room service.” When her door swings open, you smile at her, matching the one on her face.“ Good afternoon little witch. How are you?” 

“Hi,” she greets back, leaving the door open as she goes to pull a sweater on.“ I’m good, how're you?” 

“Just dandy,” she laughs a little and steps out.“ Figured I’d stop by and see how you're settling in. If my guidance is working or if you’re just keeping an old gal like me entertained.”

“Oh please. You act younger than me sometimes.” 

Your jaw drops, eyebrows pinching together.“ I do not. I’m a mature adult.” 

The two of you make it to the common room, detouring to the kitchen. Wanda quirks an eyebrow at you as you sit at the island, the younger woman moving around to fix a cup of tea. 

“Sure you are.” She drags the first word out sarcastically and you roll your eyes.“ You’ve got your childish moments Y/n.” 

A disagreement is on the tip of your tongue, until you realize she’s right. Natasha tells you quite often how childish you can be, usually after you’d just thrown a pillow at her or shot the wrapper of a straw at her from across the island. 

“Okay I’m a little childish sometimes.” You admit in defeat. 

Wanda chuckles and nods. 

The two of you chat as she finishes making her tea and once she’s done you move to the common room. Falling onto the couch, you flick through tv stations and continue to talk. 

You’re more than happy to hear that she was no longer on the “I hate Tony Stark” train. She admits that there’s still strong dislike, but both she and Pietro had been learning more about Tony, seeing him for the man he truly is and not what the media portray. 

With the young woman becoming a closer friend the more time goes on you feel better knowing she doesn’t hate the man who is family to you.

“Ooo I love this show.” She stops her statement to say, stopping on a sitcom about a family. 

You quirk a brow,“ Malcolm in the Middle?” You ask and she nods. 

That provokes the woman to explain why she loves the show. 

Starting off, you listened to every word, adding words of agreement and a show that you’re attentive. Until Natasha comes in. 

Attention instantly divided. 

Eyes drawn to the way her eyes land on you the second she steps in, then down to the purposeful swish of her hips. She smirks, cocky that she so easily grabbed your attention, then turns into the kitchen with Steve and Sam. 

Your heart, that started beating a little faster when she smirked, doesn’t calm down. Even after she’s no longer in sight. Instead it picks up a little more at the thought that pops up in your head, lingering front and center.

“Well if you love her so much you should tell her.” 

Eyes wide, your head snaps over to Wanda. She gives you a nonchalant expression in return, only to quickly realize that you didn’t say that out loud. 

“Oh. Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” the young woman sits up, eyes suddenly pleading.“ I wasn’t trying to but it was so loud I- I thought you actually said it.”

With a shake of your head, you chuckle. It’s a light, almost unbelieving sound.“ It’s fine Wan. Truly.” You gently pat her knee. A moment of silence passes.“ Was it really that loud?” You ask.

“Very.” Wanda says, laughing a little.“ Did you mean it in the way it sounded?” Her voice holds curiosity, making you look over at her. 

“I-” Words cut short by a loud melodic laugh. Your gaze once again finds Natasha as you follow the sound. She leaves the kitchen, smiling at something Sam said.“ Yeah. I meant it. In that way.”

Yes, you love Natasha. 

Admitting it makes it feel like it was obvious as hell. Everything you’d been feeling points to it. From the way her smile sent butterflies rumbling in your stomach to the way her touch seemed to light you on fire. 

You won’t lie and say you aren’t scared by that. The two of you have just started exploring this aspect of your relationship and you’ve already started falling for her. And you already love her. 

The surprise isn’t that you love her, with how strongly you’d felt about her already and the progression of things, you knew you were bound to fall for her. The surprise is that it happened so fast. 

Part of you is worried, fearing that this revelation so soon could mess things up for you. However the other part of you, the bigger part, is telling you to just relax. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen. Natasha likes you and that’s more than enough.

* * * * * * *

Taglist: @owloftheshadows @natasha-danvers @blackxwidowsxwife @yumusak-yastik @b-5by5 @fayhar @lostandsearching @iliketozoneout @ecruzsalaz

[creativeashproductions]

Curiosity // Luke Patterson

Summary: After filling up another journal designed his songbook Luke is left empty handed. With the offer to a shelf of blanket journals is given he’s immediately choosing. But Luke’s curiosity leads him to a discovery. In other words Luke finds Perfect Harmony in Reader’s bedroom.

Requested: Yes by @averyharrypotterlife​ 

Warnings: None.

Words: 1.7 (including lyrics)

A/N: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the 5000+ followers whether it was years ago and you didn’t unfollow or in the future. Thank you for enjoying and interacting in something I’ve always loved: writing.

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX PLEASE!

Masterlist

Luke’s always been a curious person going as far back as his early childhood. The most consistent evidence being during the Christmas holidays. Until he was ten, yes, he’s aware that his friends stopped believing in Santa way earlier. The young lad would stay up hidden in the living room waiting to catch Santa. Without fail, Luke would wake up in his outer space planet sheets having fallen asleep in his mission.

When he was twelve years old, he was left at his aunt and uncle’s house for the weekend due to a work-related thing. His older cousin was eighteen at the time and at college, so Luke stayed in his bedroom. Luke couldn’t help but snoop through Bryan’s personal items, and in a drawer with a false bottom, he discovered magazines.

Luke had a lot of fun that weekend diligently going through the magazines his mother would skin his hide even knowing about them. He may have had to use the excuse of having a cold for the entire box of Kleenex missing. No one was the wiser on that weekend.

Now when Luke was fourteen years old, he had snuck into the Rated R film Candyman with Alex and Reggie. Luke’s parents had been strict in their rules and definitely had shot down the question of seeing the film. The three didn’t sleep with the lights out for a month after that, and the truth came out when no lie was sufficient to their concerned parents.

Luke Patterson didn’t care about boundaries. Why ask for permission when you can just ask for forgiveness? It worked with going through Julie’s dream box, but all personal items got hidden from the ghostly guitarist.

“No!” Luke exclaimed flipping through his song journal once more in hopes of a blank page. The frustration in his body snapping the pencil he had been using.

“You good?” You questioned glancing up from the essay you graded as a teacher’s assistant for an AP course. Luke’s frustrated brown met yours with a cute pout on his lips.

“I’ve filled my journal up. I hate using loose-leaf, but no money means no buying things.” Luke roughly scrubbed one hand on his face.

“You could always just forever borrow one from the- “Luke quickly shot that down with a look of absolute horror, “Okay…so stealing a no.”

“I did listen to my parents on certain aspects. I would never steal anything, other than the food when we didn’t have enough cash.” Luke’s brown hue had softened back into the hazel that caused flutters in your heart, “I have no respect for thieves.”

You nodded before scribbling a suggestion on the paper in dark red, “I have a shelf in my room dedicated solely to blank journals. If you want to, you can take one free of charge.”

With a quick smile, Luke disappeared from the room to your personal domain he sometimes hung out with you in. You had no misgivings on the teen finding solace in your room and gave him free rein; your prized possessions hidden very well.

Luke appeared in the soft blue and lilac bedroom with the queen white iron wrought style bed in the middle. A white desk in the corner with a multitude of bookcases and shelves in the room. The desk chair neatly pushed into the desk as well he went straight to the shelf.

Journals of all colours and styles with a label on the shelf noting them as empty. It was packed with dozens, but it was the midnight blue one that called to the boy. In his reach, he bumped an emerald green one off the edge. It opened having hit the edge of the desk.

As he leaned down, he noticed notations in the margins, now remember how Luke is a curious guy? He only hesitated a second before he was reading the pages of words in your signature script.

The guilt flared for a second before he justified it as being on the shelf you declared free game. So Luke settled sitting criss-cross against the side of your bed reading the words so eloquently written. Even notes allowed Luke to hear the melody in his mind.

Assignment: Write a piece of literature from two points of views. Genre doesn’t matter as long as it is a minimum of one page and not exceed eight.

Step into my world

Bittersweet love story ’bout a girl

Shook me to the core

Voice like an angel

I’ve never heard before

The words took his breath away, recalling a moment he gushed to Alex on how he had caught you singing. He had described your voice as being angelic, and it took him by complete surprise. He remembered Julie, and you entered the room shortly after with a nervous feeling if you had heard. Now Luke had his answer. His phantom heart pounded in anticipation for the reply to this first point of view.

Here in front of me

They’re shining so much brighter

Than I have ever seen

Life can be so mean

But when he goes, I know he doesn’t leave

The smile threatened to split his face with the elation as he continued reading with a subconscious hum. His fingers tapping the sides of the paper as his hazel irises tinged green ate up the words.

The truth is finally breaking through

Two worlds collide when I’m with you

Our voices rise and soar so high

We come to life when we’re

In perfect harmony

Whoa-oa-oa, whoa-oa-oa

Perfect harmony

Whoa-oa-oa, whoa-oa-oa

Perfect harmony

The world faded as Luke distinctly heard your angelic voice singing the parts he could easily recognize as perfect for you. There was something so powerful in this incredibly personal song only intended for your eyes and your teachers.

The next handful of lines left him breathless and astonished as he visualized not sitting across from each other. But engaging in another art form that can be so incredibly intimate for people; he imagined singing this while holding you in his arms.

You set me free

You and me together is more than chemistry

Love me as I am

I’ll hold your music here inside my hands

We say we’re friends, we play pretend

You’re more to me, we’re everything

Our voices rise and soar so high

 We come to life when we’re

 In perfect harmony

 Whoa-oa-oa, whoa-oa-oa

 Perfect harmony

 Whoa-oa-oa, whoa-oa-oa

 Perfect harmony

Luke went from humming to softly singing to the heartfelt tune with a flutter of butterflies deep in his stomach. When Julie saw Unsaid Emily, he had denied it as an experiment, and it was the truth. Luke wrote rock anthems and rock-pop with his living friend. He never dabbled into romantic ones.

He’d never read something so poetically beautiful it felt him weeping at the sheer amount of feelings.

I feel your rhythm in my heart

Yeah yeah yeah

You are my brightest burning star

Whoah whoah oh

I never knew a love so real (so real)

We’re heaven on earth

Melody and words

When we’re together we’re

In perfect harmony

Whoa-oa-oa, whoa-oa-oa

Perfect harmony

Whoa-oa-oa, whoa-oa-oa

We say we’re friends (we play pretend)

You’re more to me (we create)

Perfect harmony

His eyes found the last line of the song setting him back in a dead silence returning to the start to reread it. On his third read, he found the notes from your teacher on a separate page.

Y/N, in my years of teaching, I’ve never read something with such meaning behind it. The longing, passion, respect and love you artfully encapsulated is rare. To have written, this means you’ve felt this. No corrects needed, and I felt compelled to not mark on the piece. Thank you for being vulnerable with me, for letting me step inside your mind and please never let this emotion fade.

Your grade is A+.

Luke’s lips pulled apart at the genuine words your teacher had written because it indeed was a word of art. Carefully Luke returned the notebook back to the shelf to retrieve the blue one that caught his attention. AS he turned, he found you leaning against the door frame with a soft smile.

“I am so sor-“

“No.” You replied, walking into the room, “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I told you any notebook on that shelf. I can’t get mad, and I’ve seen you can’t leave something half-read.”

“Probably why my book reports were insanely well done in school.” Luke joked as you stepped in his personal space. The tension faded from his shoulders as he took in your features, “You got a perfect grade.”

“I did.” You simply spoke, staring up into his eyes, “You helped me with it.”

“How?”

“You told Alex what you felt about my voice. You looked nervous when I walked in, so I let it go. It wasn’t the time to bring it up. It’s called Perfect Harmony.” You told the ghost gently grazing your fingertips on his hand. The feeling sends shudders down his spine.

“I guess it just wasn’t the right time. With the band and-“

“-the whole soul owning thing. Too much but now that you’ve read that…what do you feel?” You hesitantly asked because reading it and discovering how someone feels is another to if the feelings are reciprocated back.

“That I was always meant to live in 2020. That I was meant to love you with every atom in my very being.” Luke murmured before he crashed his lips onto your own in a searing kiss that had your toe-curling.

The midnight blue journal dropped to the floor as his large calloused hands cupped your face to feel the warmth. The very journal would be filled with songs all about this person, Luke adored not matter his state as a ghost. Two worlds collided just as two souls came together in perfect harmony.

So, wrapped up in each other Luke didn’t notice something magical encased in the warm love. In the bedroom, the two teens were kissing in had two distinct heartbeats with a glow emanating from Luke Patterson.

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[omg-imagine]

All We Are

Pairing: Johnny Silverhand x female!V

Summary: V is jealous after Johnny’s date with Rogue, which leads to an honest discussion about where they both stand.

Words: 1.7k

Warning: spoilers for Blistering Love side job, a little angst

A/N: Requested by an anon. This may be a bit different than what you were expecting, but I was in the feels™. Hope you still enjoy :)

Also, can we please talk about how adorable he looks in the gif?? 

The long drive back to the apartment was silent; the utter stillness in the car weighs heavily on V’s mind. Hands gripping tight on the steering wheel, she tries to ignore this unsettling ache she has, not allowing even an ounce of thought to pass. Though she chalks it off as a side effect of the pseudoendotrizine, this strange, hollow feeling of hers continues to stir deep inside, burning, burning and burning.

And so, she switches on the radio and focuses ahead on the stretch of road winding down the North Oak hills, the approaching lights of Night City glowing brighter against the inky skies. A fresh breeze flows into the open windows, dulling the tension for a moment.

A moment of tranquility that ends far too soon, yet it was a moment V’s at least grateful to have.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Johnny points out, the gruff baritone of his voice piercing the air. “An enny for your thoughts?”

Kicking his feet up on the dashboard, his aviators glint in the silver moonlight, making him appear impossibly more obnoxious than he usually is. He acts as if he’s not aware of the recent thoughts plaguing V’s head, but perhaps that truly was the case. If it were, then she would be surprised— Johnny often invades her mind, poking and prodding at things he shouldn’t be. For a while, she assumes he knows.

“Just tired,” V replies monotonously. Her answer was far from a lie; she really was tired. Exhausted, even. All she wants is to collapse into bed, pass out, and hope that for a few short hours, she can forget about today, about everything.

“Huh,” he breathes out, and V spares him not a single glance. “Pretty sure somethin’ was up. You’ve been actin’ weird since we left the drive-in.”

A chuckle rumbles through her chest. V still finds it unusual for Johnny to act so… concerned. Almost caring, if she had to be honest. She’s noticed a change in him recently, which became apparent after their conversation in the oil fields. He’s a lot softer now, sometimes sweet, both in his own unique way, of course. As if his rough edges were slightly smoothed out with sandpaper, enough that they no longer cut and make her bleed.

V would often catch him staring when he thinks she’s not looking. She also doesn’t fail to miss the small smile that creeps across his face as she talks. And in those passing seconds that lasts an eternity when the relic malfunctions, Johnny was there to offer her comfort. He’d kneel down to the ground while she coils in agony, whispering promises that this will all be over soon. That one way or another, they would get rid of that goddamn chip slotted in V’s head and ultimately save her life.

Life. Life has a funny way of unraveling itself. Fuck, this all seems like a cruel joke the universe is playing on V. Fate is rarely kind to her, a sad fact she’s accepted over the years. Never would she have imagined that after experiencing the pain of heartbreak and loss, she’d find herself falling for someone at the worst possible time.

And that someone is the imprisoned digital ghost of a rockerboy-turned-terrorist studying her from the passenger seat.

But V’s adamant in denying it. Her life was too fucking complicated for this right now.

“Are you capable of shutting the fuck up for two seconds?” V bitterly snaps, the hands on the wheel clenching stiffly as her jaw. “You got what you wanted tonight. Finally got your dick wet after fifty years, so leave me the hell alone, would’ya?!”

She doesn’t mean to act on her muted anger, but it manages to get the best of her. V knows why, and because of it, she crumbles. She crumbles like the walls she’s built around herself. Like the facade she’s been hiding behind for the past couple of months. Because underneath the dirt and grime, V was just a poor, tragic soul, more worried about losing the man she couldn’t have than her awaiting death.

“Really think that’s what happened?” Johnny asks, pushing his shades up to his head as he shifts to sit up straight in his seat.

V grits her teeth, eyes remaining locked on the road. She had woken up an hour or two after Johnny took over, finding her lips still warm, still swollen. Her hair was tousled, and she had been stripped off of most of her clothes; the scent of Rogue’s perfume lingering on her skin. She didn’t need him to recount; it was all clear to her what had transpired. It was what she agreed on to make him happy, a date with the Afterlife fixer and whatever it could lead up to.

In the end, V regretted it, not because Johnny used her body to sleep with someone. But because even after the rollercoaster ride, the dog tags, the private concerts, and the heart-to-heart they had at his gravesite, she still wasn’t his. He was too hung up over Rogue, and she couldn’t blame him. Having shared a lengthy history, there was no doubt Johnny wouldn’t snatch up the opportunity to win her back.

But then where does that leave V?

“The fuck is wrong, V? Don’t make me figure it out by myself.”

Biting the edge of her lip, she ignores Johnny’s latest question and contemplates swallowing an omega blocker. She doesn’t even care that he’s threatening to search for the truth without her permission. Choosing not to do so, he keeps pressing on regardless, and V was getting pissed off. When he doesn’t stop, she loses her temper and slams on the brakes, the Porsche coming to a screeching halt on a dead street.

Huffing, V pulls over to the side, shutting the car’s engine as Johnny is left bewildered by her actions. Peace and quiet. She yearns for peace and quiet, and the pills would do the trick in an instant. Her hand reaches for the bottle in her jacket pocket, the pounding of her heart echoing in her ears. Popping the cap open, she turns her head to the side, unable to help herself. She sees the tenderness etched in his features, a wordless plea shining in his dark eyes.

“V… Tell me.”

V’s gaze slowly falters, her consciousness at war with itself. The storm of anger in her calms, yet she needs to know what her next move is. She’s always been terrible at this sort of thing, dealing with her feelings and shit. Growing up in the streets of Heywood, she’s learned how to shut people out and keep them out. Biggest rule she had imposed on herself was to never, ever fall for a choom, but this time was different. Despite him being a mere figment of her imagination, she feels safe around Johnny, appreciated and content. The two understand each other on a level nobody else has done. They’ve been through literal hell and would only sink further into it to find a way to survive.

A chrome palm comes to rest on V’s cheek, the sensation oddly warm, oddly familiar. Her attention flickers back to Johnny as he strokes her weary face. His touch was delicate, movements careful and controlled. He treats her as if she were porcelain, afraid that his metal hand would cause her to crack. V exhales deeply, relishing the feeling she’s longed from the moment she had broken that dumb rule of hers.

“Go ahead,” she mumbles, giving Johnny consent for him to read her mind. It only takes a second, maybe even less. V half expects his shit-eating grin to make its appearance. She couldn’t forget how cocky he was, and she thought this would certainly rub his ego.

It never comes. Instead, Johnny’s lips turn up into a genuine smile, one softer than the way his black hair falls to frame his face. V swears she was floating; this doesn’t feel all that real to her. It couldn’t be real. But as the first faint slivers of sunlight appear on the horizon, she starts to believe that she isn’t dreaming nor hallucinating. She was still very much wide awake.

“Didn’t know you were the jealous type,” Johnny quips as he leans closer. “You had no reason to be jealous, princess.”

“Why not?”

“Nothin’ happen between Rogue and me,” he clarifies, his fingers pushing back her locks. “Yeah, we made out a little, but I couldn’t go through with it. Wanna know why?”

V nods.

“’Cause I realized that ship sailed a long time ago. We’re too different people now; she’s got her own life, while I got mine sittin’ right here.”

“Johnny…” she murmurs his name as he brings up his other hand to cradle her face. “I wanted to have what you and Rogue had, minus the shitty things you did. But I could feel how much you loved her, how you basically worshipped the ground she walked on. Then I thought, can’t compete with her. She’s a livin’ legend, a badass. Meanwhile, I could be dead the next minute or two, either by this fuckin’ relic or a bullet.”

“Trust me, V, you wouldn’t want that,” Johnny returns, resting his forehead against hers. How could he feel so real? “What you and I have is special. Ain’t felt this way before, not even with Rogue or Alt. Like I said, you’re the fuckin’ closest to me. These feelings you’re afraid of? Shit, I have them too, and I’m fuckin’ terrified. But knowing that you’re here and we both share them, it makes things a lot less scary.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Johnny laughs softly. “Gotta spell it out for ya, huh? Well then, here it goes; V, I love you. I don’t throw that word around randomly, but know that it’s what I feel whenever I think of you.”

V doesn’t waste a second longer. Her lips meet his for a kiss that is gentle and bruising, all at once. They hold one another close, their grasps taut so that the other wouldn’t slip away, not wanting to lose what they’ve gained. Time goes by, ticking in the background as they kiss again and again, but to them, it’s slow, nearly everlasting.

And when it was over, when they finally had to part, they were breathless, panting.

“Love you too, Johnny,” she murmurs into his skin, tone dripping with affection as he hums in response.

Night melds into day, and the city comes back to its fullest life. V kisses Johnny a final time before driving back to the place she calls home, even though she’s found her true one in his heart.

—

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Johnny Silverhand Tags: @silverse​ @overheardatthecontinental​ @meshlababy​ @ataraxydreams​ @ineedpeetalikehekneadsbread​​ @savsselfinserts​ @the-bottom-of-the-abyss​ @donakamark

*If you would like to be added to the taglist, feel free to send me an ask or DM!

[7wanderingpaws]

let's have some gentle fun - m

Dedicated to anyone who is left thirsty after Drown; there is a sprinkle of Disappear as well, so beware.

This is written especially for @to-all-the-stories-i-love​ thank you so much for your support and I really hope you will like this oneshot! I apologize for the wait dear ❤

Word count: 7K

 🛑 This one shot contains explicit mature content and alcohol consumption. Please do not read if you are uncomfortable with the themes or under 18 (also dont listen to Drown then). Thank you!

You had seen them a couple of times in the club. Their swaying bodies, his wandering hands and her obnoxious roll of hips couldn’t go unnoticed by anyone. Well, anyone who didn’t look particularly close (unlike you had been doing for the past hour). 

Despite the loudness of the music, you always thought you could hear people’s conversations in the dark room full of dancing bodies. It was most probably a defect caused by your occupation but you never minded - the frustration of customers when you couldn’t hear their orders over the deafening house music was something you wanted to avoid at all costs and you did. You were thankful until now. Hearing their (imaginary) conversation did you little to no good.

Before you could purse your lips in distaste, someone elbowed you, effectively gaining your attention. “Huh? What?”

Your co-worker and the owner of the club, Jiyong, smirked, shaking his head. The tattoos littering his skin were shining brighter tonight. “Troubles in love land?”

You scrunched up your nose, pretending to be oblivious. Pretending. It was second nature almost. “Dunno what you’re talking about, dragon,” you replied quietly but loudly enough for him to hear you. He was mixing drinks, preparing them on the tray that you were supposed to bring to that cursed table with half of your “friends”. What were friends anyway?

“You need to resolve this unknown issue then,” advised Jiyong, grabbing a whisky. When you noticed where he was pouring it, you gasped, reaching out to hold his arm. He shot you a questioning look. “Huh? What is it?”

“Why are you pouring it into the coffee? Who the hell ordered coffee?” It was a freaking night club.

Jiyong only chuckled and winked your way before proceeding to pour the whiskey into the small cup of espresso. “I’m pretty sure it’s your table.”

Oh.

Looking behind your shoulder, you noticed some of your friends laughing at the VIP section. They didn’t know you arrived at your shift and took over their orders. But now, you were getting a hunch about who ordered the weird combo.

“Here,” Jiyong brought you back to planet Earth. “You need to do something with that stare of yours, really,” he commented before moving on to the next orders. “I’d piss my pants were I to be on the receiving end of it. You’re scowling.”

You gasped and snatched the tray skillfully, throwing him an offended frown which only prompted him to chuckle. You were marching towards the table of your friends.

They all welcomed you with cheering but you knew better than that. It was just a clout; some way to make you feel like you were cool and important before they would quickly forget about your existence. You made sure to ask out loud (while smiling) who wanted which drink until only coffee was left and you had to face the inevitable.

She was sitting on his lap from sideways, which you thanked all the club gods for, because nobody wanted to see her straddling him. Well, you didn’t for sure.

Baekhyun smiled at you kindly, his eyes following your movements the entire time despite having a beautiful chick sitting on his thighs. Gulp. Those thighs.

“Thank you,” he made sure to say, when you stood up to your full length. Shooting him a very pressed, almost painful smile, you nodded once, accidentally meeting his gaze that you thought was not on you any longer.

You were wrong. But were you wrong as well when you always felt electricity curse down your veins whenever you would look at each other? Was the attraction just from your side? Why was he so hard to approach yet so easy to talk to once you actually managed to spike up a conversation?

Right. Your friends always snatched him away. While he was the center of the circle, you were the edge; the misunderstood one yet always invited. Doing chatty-chats with the famous ones in the circle of your friends seemed to be hard because if they didn’t really vibe with you, they’d made sure you could feel it. Baekhyun not once did, yet his apologetic smiles whenever someone wanted to talk to him when he was about to start a conversation with you, hurt more than any of your other friends’ attitude.

Reciprocating his stare a little longer, you finally turned, thinking he would be paying attention to the pretty lady on his lap. Yet again, you were wrong. He was looking even when you were far gone and back to the bar to continue your shift.

-

He was your neighbor, too. How damn lucky. Living on the same floor should have been a blessing; the best news for someone with a crush as crazy as yours, but it was anything but. 

Hearing him bring his girlfriend home, hearing them do stuff made you sick in your stomach but you never said a word. If anything, you were glad at least he could have a certain someone with whom he could spend the intimate times with.

You, on the other hand, weren’t so open. Despite working in a club, you rarely ever let another man touch you or agree to their invitations; you did receive many of them on a daily basis but club was a workplace for you and certainly not your kind of fun. Of course, pretty much every one of your friends had the misconception that you were wild and had banged half of the town given your curves, the way you dressed those curves and sending convincing, confident smiles. You were pretty sure Baekhyun believed in them, too, and it made you sad for some reason. If there was one person you didn’t want to think you were promiscuous or too open-minded, it was him.

Currently, it was eight in the morning when you were just typing in the code to your apartment. A small headache and swollen ankles made you want to pass out on bed, too tired after work. Just when you were about to close the door behind you, someone called out your name before you heard rushed steps.

Quickly opening the door and recognizing the voice, you felt your heart skip a beat when you noticed Baekhyun on your doorstep.

“Hey,” he smiled, somewhat sheepishly. He was in his work attire - very, very handsome suit. He wasn’t wearing a jacket over the dress shirt which made you momentarily distracted when you stared at the way the textile stretched over the broadness of his shoulders. The necktie seemed so thin compared to the vastness of his shoulders.

Bringing your eyes back to meet his, you caught a smirk and you quickly cleared your throat. “Hey. What’s up? You’re up early.” Oh god, you knew he was heading to the company, why would you say such nonsense?

He let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, just in time to catch you,” he winked and your heartbeat became erratic. “Could you please lend me baking soda?” Your eyes widened in surprise and he added: “I mean- if you have. I forgot that I don’t have one but I already started on the cake.”

It took you exactly three seconds to overcome your surprise and nodded hastily, opening the door wider for him to come in. “Sure, sure. Don’t stand outside, what will people think, huh,” you added sarcastically which earned you a snort in return. You took off your trainers and rushed to the kitchen, meanwhile thinking where the hell you had baking soda. It’d been a while you used your kitchen for its actual purpose.

“Nice flat,” Baekhyun commented, looking around with curiosity.

You smiled to yourself while you opened a cabinet. He was living in the middle unit of the corridor and those were the priciest of apartments in the building. The side ones were for poorer people, like you. The fact that he still had the need to compliment your small but cozy apartment made you feel warm.

“I like how you wisely use up the space,” he continued, eyeing the small, dark green couch that had a cream-colored carpet in front of it. You liked to bury your feet into the fur while watching tv. “You have an eye for design.” He stood now next to you and it made you momentarily freeze.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, not looking his way. “I prefer to think twice about what I’m spending my money on.”

Baekhyun smiled, endearment visible but not to you. When it came to him, you didn’t want to admit to anything you saw, for it could be just a product of your desires.

“I like that,” he said in a lower tone and this time you made sure to keep searching despite electric shocks spiking through your heart. “There is so much more to you than it meets the eye.” He looked around your kitchen, pushing his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. “I feel like you’re so much more interesting than you ever let on.”

Baking soda. Finally. Grabbing the package you handed it to him with a triumph. “You could hardly know when you’re so busy with your own, uh, stuff.” When Baekhyun didn’t accept the package, you pushed it into his chest. “Not like half of you all care, anyway.”

Baekhyun messily grabbed the package, almost dropping it as he tried to save the situation. “No, that isn’t the truth. Of course we care-“

You giggled. “You’re so cute. Of course I don’t mean it!” you exclaimed, faking a genuine smile. “I have a man hiding in the closet so...“ you said, wanting him to be out of your apartment already. Bad decision.

“You have a what?” he frowned, confused.

Licking your lips, you raised an eyebrow. “You heard me. Go before your precious lady needs to wait for you any longer. Not that I’m throwing you out of the house-“

“You have a man here?”

Both of you were quiet now. He was staring into your eyes, something so hard for you to decipher flashing in those deep orbs. His eyes seemed almost black, swallowing up every light that dared to enter including you.

“It’s what you all think about me, isn’t it?” you mumbled quietly. “That I bring men home, that I’m the quiet before the storm. I know that’s what you all say behind my back. I’m just living up to your knowledge.”

Baekhyun’s face became unreadable. His features evened out. “Way to ruin the mood.”

You laughed. “Whatever mood you’re talking about-“

He stepped closer, silencing you right away. “I know people are judgemental fucks but I would have always said otherwise about you.”

“Meaning?”

He gave you a lopsided smirk, not reaching his eyes. “I can hardly judge you when I know so little about you. I never believe those rumors and you shouldn’t give a damn either. If anything, you’re the most intriguing among our friends.”

He couldn’t tell, but breath hitched in your throat from the way his eyes were drinking you up, their intensity burning every sane thought you could produce. “Then why do you always yield to those friends? We had many chances to talk. But it wasn’t me who always turned around at the last moment.”

The tension was almost palpable when you were looking up at him.

He didn’t reply and you realized the headache you were gifted with today. Sighing tiredly, you smiled up. “Whatever. Don’t answer that. Go. I bet your girlfriend is waiting.” When he didn’t move, you snorted a laugh. “Why are you even baking at this hour? You’ll be late to work.”

Only after that he let out a sigh and made a few steps backwards, watching you. “My girlfriend is my secretary. Thought I’d surprise her with a cake.”

And the mood was dampened yet again. Pressing your lips together, you nodded, crinkling up your eyes to show him you were smiling instead of dying. “What a wonderful employer you are. Bet she’ll be loving it.”

“What’s your favorite cake?” he asked curiously as he backed all the way to the door where he stopped, making you groan inwardly again. He pursed his lips, staring you down and causing goosebumps on the back of your spine. “I’d say you're a raspberry cake person.”

“Raspberry?” you scoffed but laughed nonetheless

He hummed, his eyes becoming droopy as he observed you without a word.

Swallowing, you breathed. “Care to explain yourself?”

Slowly, the side of his lip stretched up in the most flirty way you’ve ever seen on him and you swore you felt something move inside you. “Maybe one day.”

He turned around and raised his hand with the baking soda packaging, shaking it. “Thanks for this!”

You watched him enter his unit but not before he looked back at you. Waving one last time, he disappeared inside, leaving you with a wildly beating heart and a very bothered mind.

-

He broke up with her. You knew for a while when there was barely any movement in his apartment (not that you eavesdropped!) and then the small gossips began in your friends’ circle.

This was just another gathering, another evening full of fake smiles and small talks because you couldn’t win yourself more than that; an actual deep conversation. Baekhyun was absent but someone said he was on his way which, to your dismay, made your heart beat wildly in your chest. Quickly gulping down the whiskey, you made a face but didn’t follow it up with a soft drink.

“It was a bad break up,” you heard from the girls chatting nearby. “But it was him who let her go. She cheated on him with the CFO.”

Your heart involuntarily dropped at the information. Who, in their right mind, cheated on such a gorgeous man like Byun Baekhyun?

“She wanted him back but Baek was adamant. I guess he is truly a man of his words. I wonder who will be the lucky one next? Just imagine fucking hi-“

Thankfully your phone vibrated just in time. Quickly fishing out your phone, you saw a couple of text messages from Jiyong.

sorry to bother you sweets i’m short on staff tonight pls save me by coming in? u won’t have to work during holidays promise

Weirdly enough, you couldn’t have been more happy to get out of the suffocating atmosphere. At least you had the needed push of whiskey and with a fairly good mood could stand up and bid farewell to everyone, though they didn't care much.

Just as you were about to leave the restaurant, Baekhyun entered. With a single glance, he pinned you to your place because as the wind blew from the outside and his coat fluttered around, while his hair was messily falling into his dark orbs, you forgot how to breathe.

“Yo, Baekhyun’s here! Finally, man!”

The shouts were coming from your table while none of them even bothered to call out to you.

Smiling softly, you mumbled a hi before reaching for the door he was still holding open before you felt his arm grab yours swiftly, turning you to look at him. He seemed out of breath.

“Where are you going? I just arrived.”

“I’ve got a last minute plan. They need me at the club tonight,” you replied, pressing another smile while trying hard to control your frantic heart. You became all too aware of his touch on your arm but he wasn’t about to let go for whatever reason. “They’re waiting for you, Baek,” you added quietly when the shoutings weren’t subsiding.

Baekhyun didn’t spare a single glance at his friends when he took your hand and led you out of the restaurant. “Let me drive you. It’s already late.”

“No, it’s fine, really-“

“I insist,” he chuckled, swiftly pushing aside your protests. “It wouldn’t have been fun without you there anyway.”

You wanted to stop and stare at him but you decided against it. He was affecting you too much and you could already feel your trembly hands because he was still holding you.

“They just talked shit behind my back, didn’t they,” he asked, sounding more like a statement, and with one last squeeze let your hand go. He pushed his hand into the pocket of his coat and you couldn’t help but swoon at how handsome he was despite being after a break up and a possible heart ache.

You decided to keep quiet in means to communicate the answer. Baekhyun was smart so when he snickered, you knew he got the message.

His black Audi was parked just by the curb, looking like the horse of the dark knight, easily becoming one with the night. Baekhyun opened the passenger’s door for you, but you almost instantly froze when he stood a tad too close to your body, your face right next to his neck as he covered your entire being with his. He gave a pointed look to your short skirt and you understood, while growing a little warm at his thoughtfulness.

Those couple of seconds while he rushed around the car to sit next to you were a little delirious. The way your hand was still burning up from his touch, feeling like you’d been caressed by love itself. The quietness of his expensive car, the smell of the leather mixed with a small hint of forest, the way it felt so comfortable to sit in it with the seat set low and making your legs so high. The way all the sounds were blocked out and nobody could see inside given the tinted windows. All your senses were high on alert and when you heard the opening of his door and him swiftly sitting down and adjusting himself behind the wheel, you felt your throat go dry just a little bit.

You didn’t realize your mouth was slightly open, lips gently parted before the man himself turned to you with a cheeky smile.

To save yourself you quickly blurted: “What a lovely car you have here, Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun let out an amused laugh as he buckled himself with one hand, while his other one fumbled with the radio. He shot you a look. “Thanks. I’m quite proud to have it, not gonna lie.

“It suits you,” you added, and let out a little oh when he pressed the button and the car came to life. “I always thought you’d be a black car kinda guy.”

He shot you a curious look before looking back at the traffic as he tried to make a turn to the main road. “What does that mean, missy?”

You giggled at the nickname and you heard him heave out a low chuckle too. “Just a thought. Nothing much.”

He hummed, entertained, when a comfortable silence enveloped the inside of the car. “I will take that as a compliment.”

“Yeah,” you breathed, trying to focus very hard on the world outside instead of his leisure stance on the driver's seat; left hand preoccupied by the wheel while the other casually rested between the two of you. “You should.”

You said it so quietly you genuinely didn’t think he would hear it. Leaving you in the utter obliviousness, Baekhyun heard your voice loud and clear but didn’t acknowledge it. To the ever-so soft spoken you, he always was ready to listen, ready to get to know you. Just like you had trouble keeping your stares to yourself, he wasn’t anything different; that darned short skirt hiking a tad too high on your thighs for him to keep his cool. Your legs seemed endless in the passenger seat of his car and he never wanted to pull over this much in his life.

Heaving out a sigh, he said: “Mind if I join for a bit? I think I need a drink,” he told you once he stopped at the curb, the streets yet to be filled up with party people.

Shooting him a look while you unbuckled your seatbelt, you nodded: “Sure. Will that be okay, though?” You nudged your chin towards him. “You’re driving.”

Baekhyun smiled and automatically reached out, tapping your knee gently. “Don’t worry, I have my ways.”

You sprung out of the car, breathing heavily because god damn, did he just touch you? You. Wanted. More.

It didn’t take you long to prepare for the shift, Jiyong basically squeezing the life out of you for saving him at the last minute. “But shit, who is that dude with you?” he asked quietly in awe when you were standing at the other side of the bar, sneakily watching Baekhyun sip his drink. He was standing out, still being in his work attire - a gorgeous striped suit, with his long Burberry coat and almost white hair lusciously licked back, having only a few strands obscure his handsome forehead. He didn’t look like he came clubbing for sure. But he certainly looked like a good time after clubbing.

You tried to keep your saliva back. “He is just a friend.” You cringed at the sentence. “He broke up with his girlfriend recently, so he might get shitfaced soon.”

That was what you genuinely believed in. Why else would he come with you if not to drink away his hurt emotions?

Jiyong threw you a quizzical look. “You know, you can be super oblivious sometimes.”

“What are you talking about?”

He smirked. “That man kept eyeing you up and down ever since you entered my club. I was worried he’d start drooling all over the floor.”

You rolled your eyes. “As I said,” you pressed skeptically, “he broke up with his hot assistant. There is no way someone like him would want someone like me.“

Jiyong nudged you, not giving two damns about your worries. “Make him forget her then.”

“What?”

“C’mon, sweets,” purred Jiyong confidently, always the one up for a game, “ease up a bit, have a glass or two and make him forget. He definitely wants to forget.”

You stared at him, wondering, imagining and then ending up finding the idea ridiculous. Baekhyun would never give in to your advances even though they would be completely honest, be it intoxicated or not. The idea of kissing him sent shocks down your body.

“Whatever. Let’s see what the night brings,” you murmured when you accidentally caught Baekhyun’s eye. The warm, wide smile he gave you in that instant could heal all the illnesses. Could you cure him, though?

-

“Baek, just head home,” you told him two hours later. He was patiently waiting for something that you didn’t know about, his drink long forgotten. He wasn’t even tipsy when he looked at you with wide, bright eyes.

“I’ll wait for you,” he told you gently.

You looked confused. “Listen, there is no need. I still have work to do and-“

He ran his hand over your forearm, bringing goosebump up. “I really don’t mind though. I want to take you home.”

The way he was looking at you… it was all so surprising and telling a story by itself. He bit his lip when you didn’t reply and you still refused to believe that spark of want in his eyes. “Hm? Unless I’m bothering you, in that case…” he retreated his hand quickly and you were fast to shake your head and grab it back. You rested your hands on his thigh, wanting to irk him. Baekhyun instantly smiled. “I take it I’m not bothering you?” he teased.

You sighed. “If this is because of your ex…” you trailed off and at the mention of his secretary, Baekhyun puckered his lips in distaste.

“It isn’t about her. The spark was gone a long time ago.” He observed you and seemed like he wanted to add more but he decided against it.

You nodded and squeezed his soft hand. 

“Okay,” you mouthed and turned to the bar while sliding your hand off his thigh, catching Jiyong smiling down at the cocktails he was mixing up.

Out of nowhere, you felt a hot breath on the shell of your ear with a hand on your waist, momentarily shocking you. “This isn’t a joke but you look fucking hot while working, you know.” Baekhyun’s soft lips tickled you and you wanted to shake off the feather-like feeling. 

You turned your head and saw his expectant eyes, a small smirk stretching his lips that he just sexily licked.

Did. He. Just. Say. That.

“I mean it,” he said louder over the music. He made a point when his eyes travelled lower, the way your shirt hugged your chest and then you skirt doing little to no job of hiding your beautiful curves that Baekhyun seemed to feast his eyes on. He didn't like that you had to dress like this for work, but right now he was confident he was allowed to stare.

You grew hot within a second. Hot and very, very bothered. You leaned in to him and his attention was back to your face. “Baekhyun,” you murmured, “if you were words on the page, you’d be a fine print.”

Within one second, Baekhyun was laughing loudly, quickly covering his mouth when he couldn’t contain his giggles. You leaned back when you heard the tray with the cocktails being put on the bar, ready to be served. “I mean it,” you winked and turned away, taking the tray and going back to work, feeling his eyes following your every move. You noticed the way the tray was shaking because- did you just use a silly pick-up like with him? Either way, you felt incredibly proud for making him laugh like that. As if the sun suddenly made its appearance in the underground club.

The remaining time you spent incredibly conscious of Baekhyun’s following gaze. You caught him chatting a lot with Jiyong which kind of made you happy because Jiyong, despite looking the opposite of Baekhyun, was one of your good friends that never left you hanging.

Soon, you went over to the side of the bar and Jiyong pushed a shot of vodka into your hand. “Go home early. Don’t let him wait any longer,” he told you, and watched you gulp down the burning liquid. “Both of you are making the pressure go up in my club and I don’t want any explosions here. He is basically eye-fucking you.””

You frowned in amusement and handed him back the empty glass, electric waves cursing down to your core at his last sentence. The liquid support was very much needed because Baekhyun was screaming sex even when he looked like the most polished gentleman in the house.

“Baek,” you walked quickly over to him when you changed back to your previous outfit. He turned on his seat, facing you with full interest. “Take me home then.”

The way you said the words; he got the secondary meaning. He licked his lips, looking for a moment at your own pair before taking your hand in his and bidding a quick farewell to the smirking Jiyong.

You were out within a minute. It was only past 2am but you never felt this free and ready to call it a night with him by your side. You expected a heavy make-out session right outside in the fresh air. But when he simply walked the both of you to the car and opened the door for you, you felt a tinge of disappointment.

It was during the quiet, tense car ride that you realized you must have read too much into the situation. God, you so badly wanted to take up on Jiyong’s idea; make Baekhyun completely forget he ever was with that secretary of his, but would he want to? 

“Thanks a lot for the ride,” you murmured when you arrived at your floor. He would go to his own apartment and you’d go to yours. Easy. Painless. Maybe once you’d close the doors, you’d feel like complete shit, but you still kept your kind stance up.

Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair. “Gladly,” he breathed when the both of you stopped walking from the elevator.

You looked up and noticed his droopy gaze on you. “Thank you for waiting for me,” you added to lengthen the time you had with him.

He shook his head, staring at you. “Don’t mention it,” he murmured, somehow distracted.

In that moment, you braced yourself. Now, or never. One last try. 

Stepping closer to him, you murmured. “I can make you forget about everything, you know.” You took his hand, playing with his long fingers. They would surely make you feel good.

“If I let you,” he said without hesitation, “I can’t guarantee I will behave,” he growled your name and you might have grown wet.

“You want to bet who will be naughtier?” you quirked an eyebrow in a challenge.

“Fuck,” Baekhyun let out and he grabbed your face, slamming his lips onto yours. You were taken aback for a mere moment before taking his face in your hands, feeling how smooth his skin on his cheeks was. Baekhyun was anything but soft though. He was biting and cheeky and daring when he forced his tongue into your mouth, making you moan. He made out with you dirtily in the corridor until he pressed you against the wall next to the door to your apartment, his knee pressing up your womanhood while he sucked on your neck as you melted in his embrace.

It took almost five minutes until you were finally inside the apartment.

It was another couple of minutes until he fell on the top of your bed with a huff, his eyes wide when you started to take off your clothes slowly. Your erratic heartbeat was making you giddy, or maybe it was the excitement from having his usually soft, kind eyes, now wildly set on your curves that he seemed to like so much.

“Now, baby boy,” you purred, stepping closer when you were just in your underwear. He followed your every move, and almost flinched when you touched his cheek. “If you dare to moan, you ain’t getting any tonight. How’s that?” you asked him, trying to grasp on every sober emotion that was still left in you, but it was difficult. You were so intoxicated by his still too-well put together look. You wanted to devour him.

Baekhyun slowly raised an eyebrow and it made you feel things. He hummed, observing you for a moment before wordlessly reaching for your hip, his hand landing exactly on the panty line. “As long as I get to touch.”

“You won’t get to do that either, if you as much as squeak. Do you hear me, Mr Byun?”

“Jesus- fuck, that’s to hot,” he groaned. “Let me add a little more fun to your game. If you moan,” he licked his lips and made a point to look at your chest, ”I will destroy you.”

Not realizing how harshly you were breathing by then, you nodded, the urge to get rid of your soaked panties big as you went to straddle him. Just as you were about to move though, you stopped. “Strip for me, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun looked surprised for a moment before smirking. “You sure, pretty?”

“Solid.”

Baekhyun took an eternity and you knew he was playing with you, teasing you. With every button he undid and with it showed more skin, you grew relentless. He stood close to you and when he was reaching the last button, he leaned in to you, kissing your neck sweetly, almost like a secret promise, that was followed with a sensual lick. You quickly grabbed the shirt and slid it off his wide shoulders. “Now the jeans. And the underwear has to go, too,” you said resolutely and he laughed gently.

“You are like a tigress. Don’t get surprised if I stand tall and proud for you, baby,” he winked at you and you wondered just for a moment about what he meant when he did just what you asked, his member springing free and looking very excited.

Daring to take a step back, you looked and swallowed. You made sure to let him know that you looked. His body was sculpted, wide chest and shoulders, prominent pectorals with even more prominent serratus muscles that made his chest even wider and very much ripped. His lean waist and stomach with fading six pack made you salivate until you took in his member. You sucked your lips in and pushed Baekhyun back on the bed, his smirk growing in anticipation.

“Won’t you undress for me?”

“You don’t deserve it just yet,” you replied absentmindedly and when he rested his back against the headboard, you dived. Without any warning, you grabbed the meaty thighs and lowered your head, tasting him. Baekhyun flinched and he let out a grunt as his hips almost automatically bucked up.

As you licked your way up to the tip, you muttered: “Don’t you dare moan. And keep these naughty hips in check for me.”

Excitement was cursing through your veins and you prayed your shakiness wouldn’t show too much. You licked up and down a few times before taking the tip in your mouth and slowly bobbed your head, feeling how he was now fully erected. Making sure you were letting out appreciative hums, you looked up and Baekhyun was gnawing on his bottom lip, his hand inching closer to your hair. “C’mon, grab me. I like it rough,” you told him and he didn’t waste a second with grabbing your hair and pulling on it. You hissed and dived deeper, feeling the prominent vein on the flat of your tongue, his tip gently scratching the back of your throat. It didn’t do you no harm though, and with every movement of your head, you went lower and lower until your eyes were teary. Coming back up, you swirled your tongue around the tip while your hand pumped him sensually, making sure he would be at the end of his wits.

Baekhyun was grunting but he didn’t dare to make more of an explicit sound, given his other hand was clasped over his mouth, his eyes now closed in pleasure. He looked divine and way too comfortable.

Deciding to make it a little harder for him, you grabbed his balls and massaged them gently, knowing it was the ultimate way to make him lose. But you were surprised when Baekhyun pushed you away out of nowhere, and he was now on top of you, his face flushed red, and his eyes so wild and dark he could eat you up. 

“How can this game be fair if I don’t get to play my part?” he muttered in a deep, throaty tone which made your womanhood twitch.

“Wha-“

You gasped when you felt his fingers at your lower lips as he quickly pushed the crotch of your panties aside, the index and fourth finger spreading them apart and letting the dominant middle finger press on the sensitive bud, your mouth opening in a silent moan. Baekhyun was looking carefully, your every move, your every breath detected by his attentive eyes and ears.

“Let’s see how long you’ll last, baby,” he murmured and his hands slid up your thigh, massaging them, the one that fingered you spreading your wetness over your skin. With every touch of his, he raised goosebumps and you found yourself on your elbows. He smirked at you and slowly spread your legs wider before he winked and leaned in. He kissed you on your lower lips, your head instantly falling backwards, and he sucked gently, making out with your womanhood.

You sighed louder and he quickly looked up, letting you know he heard you well. You giggled and pressed your lips together to prevent any unwanted sound leaving your mouth.

“Keep these wide open for me, alright?” He purred, using the voice you used with him before, and then his tongue came into the game; you just knew you would lose. You weren’t bad at giving blow-jobs (or so you thought) but Byun Baekhyun was eating you out like a madman. His tongue licked you up and down before he teased your entrance with it, collecting all your wetness. He hummed and groaned while his nose was pushed in the pubic bone as his tongue swirled and aroused you even more, licking every corner he could reach.

Your elbows became weak and you fell on your back, one of your hands grabbing the bed sheets in a strong grip while the other went to the back of Baekhyun’s perfectly brushed hair. He moaned again when he felt you pull on it, and you found yourself pushing his face more into you. His tongue complied and dove into your hole, poking inside as he lapped up all the juices around.

An earth shattering, deep moan left your throat, your weak mind forgetting about any silly game you came up with in order to make him focus just on you. Maybe you secretly wanted it to happen because you were dying to know how it felt like to let him have his way with you.

“That’s right, moan for me sweetheart,” came in his thundering, low growl and your airy moans filled the room. Your hips buckled up but he was fast to press them back into the mattress, tongue still relentless.

“I’m so close, don’t stop,” you panted with your eyes scrunched close, eager to get the release.

Baekhyun stopped. Pushing himself away, he looked at you in triumph while you snapped your eyes open, whining: “What are you doing?”

“Look who is an eager little tiger,” he teased, climbing over you. “As if I would let you come after teasing me like that before,” he murmured when his face was just in front of yours, his breath fanning yours lips. “I want to feel you.” He paused and leaned in, gently nipping at yours lips, the slightest taste of your own essence present on his mouth. “Let me feel you, baby girl.”

You were shocked at his sudden change from rough eating-out to a gentle kiss on your lips. You felt him poking you at your entrance and you found your hands wandering over his shoulders, feeling up those muscles, enjoying the way he was so wide and covering your entire body under him, making you feel safe. You slid them over his back and you had to spread your legs wider and shimmy under him, reaching his cute butt and squeezing, causing Baekhyun to groan gently against you. It sent another electric wave through your core and you just needed him to be in you.

“Undress me,” you mumbled, still fondling with his backside. You met Baekhyun’s eyes and he expressionlessly leaned back, letting his hips glide against your own while his hand looked for the bra clasp on your back.

You started to giggle and he stopped. “You can undo it right here,” you told him softly, your eyes looking between your breasts where the actual clasp was.

Baekhyun gave you a shy laugh, his cheeks gorgeously puffing up as his hands brushed against your breasts before unclasping the bra and pushing it to the side to reveal your mounds. He observed for a moment and then started trailing kisses around them, biting gently on the tender skin and effectively bringing out a hiss from you.

His free hand reached for your panties and you pushed your hips up to help him slide them off. You watched the underwear fly across the room and you laughed, sighing in content when he circled his tongue around your nipple.

Moving under him, you pressed yourself against his erect member, goosebumps raising on your skin at the feel of him. He wasn’t huge; he seemed the perfect size that would promise you something unforgettable.

“So, so fucking eager, you little devil,” he murmured against your breast but he gave himself away when he also pushed against you, his tip teasing you now at your center. He groaned gently and brought his face back to yours.

You closed your eyes in the meantime. Even the slightest movement from him was giving you a high.

“Look at me. Are you ready?” his voice was so low and raspy you shuddered.

You opened your eyes and you saw sex screaming all over him. “I’m so ready.”

He smirked and mouthed at your neck. “Let me ride you, then,” he muttered and pushed in.

Both of you moaned in unison. Since he stretched you before and denied you an orgasm, you were dripping and sensitive for him, giving him easy access to you.

“You feel like paradise,” you breathed an airy moan.

He was fast to look at you, the tip of his nose brushing up against yours as he gave you time to adjust to him. “Tell me what you like, sweetheart.”

“I like you,” you blurted under the spell of an intense ecstasy your body was going through. You froze right as you said it, scolding yourself for thinking the moment, but Baekhyun leaned in with an acknowledging hum and let his lips hover over yours as he started to rocked you gently, in and out, going up and down above you.

“I like you, too,” he admitted, the regular harsh puffs of his breath hitting your hungry lips. “You’re literally the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on.”

You were shocked and flying on cloud nine. His thrusts were making you feel like a goddess, the way he was looking at you made you feel loved. You chased his lips, kissing him sweetly while he fumbled with your hand and intertwined his hands with yours which made your tummy flutter with excitement. In and out was he rocking, your walls hugging him so well you felt like the missing puzzle piece to him.

You separated quickly for the lack of air and the pressure building up in your lower abdomen made you ever so breathless and moany. It was almost embarrassing how you weren’t about to last any longer; he was so intoxicating you felt like you would be recovering from the orgasm for a while.

“Are you close?” he asked as he gave you a sharper thrust, causing you to scream. He watched with eager eyes. “Oh, that’s right. Scream louder than that, baby girl. You can do better than that for me, hmm?” he gritted his teeth and thrusted into you again, your bed creaking in despair just like you were.

“Baekhyun!!” you met his hips half-way, the both of you rolling in perfect unison like the tumbling waves kissing the shore. Up and down, in and out he went. Just when you thought you couldn’t hold it in any longer, he pinched your clit with his other hand, harshly massaging you between your lips. “C’mon, don’t hold back.”

“Come with me,” you pleaded, trying to hold it in. You moaned, arching your back so that your breasts were pressed up against his chest and he groaned at the feel of your convulsing walls. He fastened the pace, wildly slamming into you now, not caring about the gentle sex he had in mind from the start.

“Let go,” he ordered sternly, and rid you further up the wrinkled bed sheets. “Hold on to me and let go,” he whispered into your open mouth, short on breath.

You did. Your high-pitch scream pierced through the sex-filled room, blocking all the inappropriate rufflings and moans out. You hugged him to you, shaking as you kept sighing.

Baekhyun let out a throaty grunt and you felt him twitch in you. He was fast to pull out, quickly helping himself out before releasing his seed all over your glowing skin. He breathed loudly, watching as his release hit your chest and stomach, looking absolutely stunning on you.

The way your chest was heaving up and down while feeling him dripping down made you feel ecstatic. Baekhyun met your eyes and gave you a tired smile before he fell on the bed next to you.

Both of you were panting loudly, glistening with sweat. You swore your legs were used up, unable to provide you service for a while. Baekhyun took your hand again and rolled on his side, resting himself on his elbow. You looked at him and took notice of the gentleness of his orbs, the way he looked so fucking hot but not a sprinkle of lust was in his eyes anymore; affection more like it.

Without a word, he leaned in and pecked your softly on your lips. “Let me clean you up,” he murmured and didn’t wait for your reply when he left your room.

You knew he would find your bathroom and soon enough he was back with a warm, wet towel. He cleaned you up with utmost gentleness; your breasts, your stomach and your womanhood, neither of it in a sexual way. Then he threw the towel on the floor and joined you in the bed.

“You didn’t have to,” you murmured sheepishly when you saw him making himself comfortable.

He smiled. “But I wanted to.” He covered your bodies in your comforter and you were fast to turn and bring yourself to him, eager to know how it felt like to rest your head on his chest.

He took you in with a small kiss on your temple and his arm rested on your hip. “Thank you. That was amazing.”

You sighed. “Did you mean it though?” you dared to ask, knowing full well you might end up ruining the moment. Baekhyun was a man of his words, and you never saw him as a type to back off when he already uttered something. But you saw how he was unsure the whole car ride back to your apartment.

“I did,” he sighed. “I really do like you, you know.”

“But how… so suddenly?” you asked, your hand drawing spirals on his pectoral. It was so firm.

He squeezed your hip. “I’ve liked you for a long time actually. You are literally the hottest girl in our group of friends and the fact that you’re so oblivious is just mind-blowing.”

Shocked, you pushed yourself up to look at him while his hand slid over your backside. You shivered when the comforter lifted, exposing your chest straight in front of his eyes, yet he didn’t look. “What? But - how? I just… you were with her and then…”

“I told you,” he said quietly as he caressed your butt cheek. “The spark was long gone. I just always tried to do my duties as a boyfriend until I was fully convinced she was fucking another one.”

You opened your mouth to respond but he beat you to it, amusement glistening in his eyes. “You are incredibly attractive and I might sound like a total creep but shit, your body is an eye magnet. I couldn’t stop thinking about touching you and feeling you.”

“Baekhyun,” you sighed, already affected by his words.

He hummed and his eyes dropped on your lips. “Just kiss me and let’s talk in the morning, hm?” he suggested as his eyes traveled to your mounds. “I feel like drowning in you until morning, pretty.”

And you were aroused right away. You leaned in, already hungry while you straddled him under the comforter. “Just so you know,” you whispered, closing your eyes when you felt his member at your heat. “She lost herself a gem.”

Baekhyun’s lips slowly stretched into a gracious smile while his hands navigated your hips above him, ready to let you ride him. “I guess we have to lose something in order to gain something much better in life.”

You smiled as well and kissed him.

-

You woke up sore. It was still a little early and Baekhyun was asleep next to you, his gentle snores making you laugh into your palm quietly. After five minutes of closely inspecting his face and realizing he had a whole constellation of moles, you decided to quickly jump in the shower so you could be fresh for him once he woke up.

You took his white shirt and slid into it, feeling tiny in the huge size that easily came to the middle of your thighs. It made you feel incredibly sexy.

As you tiptoed to the bathroom, you heard loud noises and shouts coming from the corridor outside your flat. You shuffled over, checking the ruckus through the small hole on your door. A little taken aback, you saw a beautiful, tall woman slamming her fist on Baekhyun's door. Her hair was in a perfect bun, not a hair sticking out.

“Baekhyun! Open up, I know you're home! Please, let's talk!”

You really didn't want to -- but you smiled in triumph. Oh darling, your ex is in my bed, sleeping tight after a mind-blowing night full of sex. Snickering to yourself, you quickly went to the bathroom.

Coming out after fifteen minutes, you roamed in the kitchen for a bit, preparing the water for the morning coffee you very much needed. While it was warming up, you went to check your bedroom to see if Baekhyun was anywhere near to getting out of the bed.

Stopping in the doorway, you saw an empty bed. Sheets messy, your underwear still on the floor, nothing seemed out of the place. Only his clothes were gone besides the white shirt that you obviously still had. Despite searching your small apartment, he wasn't anywhere. He wouldn't explain to you what that raspberry cake meant. He wouldn't explain to you what he promised last night - the way he grew to like you.

Baekhyun was gone.

He disappeared.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

A/N: lets thank our kind anon for wanting to mix Drown and Disappear to have it angsty! here you go, angst and never knowing what will happen 😜😆❤❤ Thank you so much for reading! I hope it was okay -_- 

[preciousqiqi]

Cheng Yi for Elle China, June 2024 issue

240516 ELLE China weibo update (video)

Cheng Yi cherishes his identity as an actor and is grateful for the different roles that have entered his life. He tells himself that since he has taken the script, he must do his best within the framework of the role, whether it succeeds or not, there are no regrets. #ChengYiELLEFirstCover# #ChengYiELLEBirthdayCover# #ChengYiELLEJuneIssueCover#

240516 ELLE China weibo update (cover photos)

Like most people, at the moment of “+1” each year, Cheng Yi would reflect on the traces that time has left on him. The part of him that was reckless back then has rarely shown up, and his approach of charging forward in times of trouble has been tightened up a lot, replaced by calmness and softness. During the long ten-year rise, he saw more of the “healing” part in the process, especially in these years, where his works and roles have brought him strength.

Change is a long process, just like making paper, the green branches picked from the mountains have to go through the wind, sun, steam, boiling and pounding, and repeated processes over the years to become a good piece of plain paper, worthy of writing poetry and splashing ink to paint. It must be given enough refinement, enough time. Looking back, without those past experiences, he wouldn’t be standing in front of everyone today.

Production: SunZheELLE Supervisor: WuZhen Video Director/Editing: Yushu Wang Video Photographer: Ruihuan Li Video Color Grading/Post-production: Feier Lu Styling: KIDD JI Makeup/Hairstyling: Gao Jian Editors: KIKO, JY Design: SHU Producer: Conan Art: HAM LAM Contact Editor: Yunru Fashion Assistant: EDEN, YITONG

---

See post on Cheng Yi x ELLE: Editorial Shoot // Cover Photos and Video // Behind-the-scenes shoot // Cover Preview // BTSvideo from Cheng Yi Studio

Watch the editorial video for Cheng Yi x ELLE, June 2024 issue

[imaginethiswithcoffee]

Hey ;)) about coping thru mentally transporting myself to other universes, i felt that. I wanna request if youre into that - 10 x usual type of reader u write but a bit cockier with her romantic history. Slightly based on lyrics to wicked game - chris isaak, she's never felt genuine love before (and tells that to him bery nonchalantly), and he believes shes not genuine abt it, not in actuality bcz of her history, but because .. that dude hates himself. Good hurt comfort ending though. So yeah!! no issue if you dont want to tho, tysm either way ❤️

Hey! Thank you so much for this request – it’s my first one so I was incredibly excited! Hope this matches your expectations (also, loving the song choice!). I really really really hope you like this!

(Title from ‘Wicked game’ by Chris Isaak)

No one could save me but you.

Words: 887

You hung your legs off the edge of the Tardis, watching nebulas swirl in front of you with grand tones of blues and purples. It was stunningly beautiful, and you could only imagine the years these stars must have lived through. Seen others blink out, explode and die, seen planets swirl and stars shine brighter than anything. The Doctor was sat next to you, watching the nebula with a deep look in his eyes. It was like the world – no, the universe – was on fire, illuminated with cold blue flames. You could stare at it till the end of time.

You didn’t know exactly when your gaze shifted from the nebula to the Doctor, but after some time you started tracing the same nebula in his warm brown eyes. He was still staring out at it, and the thoughts whirring around in his ever-restless brain were practically tangible, radiating off him in pulsing waves.

The Doctor wasn’t like the usual men you’d been with. He was… softer. Stranger. Different in every nature but in a blindingly good way. He was him. It was the only way you could think of to describe him, indescribably him. A hundreds of years old alien with enemies everywhere, and a Tardis that could take them anywhere in the world. The man who took you on adventures, who took care of you when you needed it, who you held back when he needed it. She’d been with people before, different people. Some she’d liked, some she’d desired, some she even thought she loved. But there was a galaxy between think and know, between might love and did.

“What?”

The Doctor’s confused voice pulled her from her musings, and she found him staring back at her, brow furrowed. You tilted your head softly, tasting the words on your tongue before you dared say them. But you’d never held back before. Said what you felt, talked about love, exes, futures. You weren’t going to start now. “I’ve never been in love before,” You started nonchalantly, accompanied by a vague shrug of your shoulders. The Doctor looked startled by the subject, but you continued on. “Not truly. I’ve been with people, people who I’ve liked, but not loved. Not really loved. Not like this”

The Doctor paused. He’d gone still and there was something whirring behind his eyes, something he wouldn’t let bubble to the surface. “This?” He repeated slowly, and you gave him a soft smile.

“This. Never loved someone like this before.” You murmured, watching him carefully. You couldn’t decode whatever was going on in that head of his, buzzing through his thoughts. “You – you love me?” He murmured in a voice that was almost unrecognisable as his. It was… nervous? You’d never heard him sound nervous before. “Yes.” You said, and you, you were confident. Because looking at him, right here, right now, in the glimmering starlight, you’d never been more confident about anything in your life.

And then he smiled, softly, sadly. “You don’t love me,” He said quietly, shaking his head. There was something breaking behind his eyes, and your heart broke with it. “Not how you think. You can’t?”

“Why?” You challenged, leaning forward. He rubbed a hand against his eye, fingers brushing back to comb through spikey hair. “Because you can’t. I’m not right for you,” He looked at you earnestly with deep eyes. For a moment, he held your gaze. When he broke it you watched him turn to the stars again, little lights illuminating his face, the circles reflected in molten brown. “I’m not-“ His shoulders deflated. “You can’t love me,”

“Doctor,” You said softly, trying to tilt your head to meet his eyes. “Look at me,”

Delicately, you reached a hand out and brushed your fingers against his cheek. Finally, finally, he looked back at you and his eyes glistened. “I love you,” You repeated, and now you’d said it you couldn’t get enough of the feel of it on your tongue. The way the words fell so naturally. “You are the only person I’ve ever loved. Truly, truly loved. And I know you think you’re not worth it but you are. I love you and nothing is going to change that,” You said firmly, not looking away from him, not even for a second. “And I think, even if you don’t want to admit it, you love me to,”

The Doctor reached up and gently covered her hand with his. “Of course, I do,” He whispered. “But you – you and me – I could get you hurt. And we can’t last forever, one day…” His voice trailed off and you smiled tenderly at him. “I know. But that doesn’t mean that we can have the most wonderful time, while we have it.” You whispered back, breaths mixing with his in the starry air. “Because I’m right here, right now. And I’m not going anywhere.”

 You leant forward, softly reaching up to press your lips to his. He melted into you, deepening the kiss like it was something he’d been waiting to do for centuries. You fit together perfectly, finally, lips moving softly and eyes fluttered shut. The stars shone down on you, and you may not have forever, but it was going to be a wonderful time. You just knew it (and he did too).

[squiggledrop]

Birthday Confessions - Spencer x Reader

Masterlist

Summary: Reader (gender neutral) and Spencer are both secretly in love with each other. Reader is going to be alone for their birthday, so Spencer comes up with a plan to surprise them.

Word Count: 4k

Pairings: Spencer Reid x Reader

Category: Fluff

Warnings: Kissing

Note: Written based on this request: “Spencer knows the reader doesn't have family near and celebrates it with her?” by @amofbebbanburg​. So sorry this literally took me forever.

The low rumble of the jet lulled you to sleep, your head falling to rest on Emily’s shoulder. Spencer sat across from you, his eyes fixated on the slight curve of your lips as your chest rose and fell with every breath you took, in tandem with the fluttering of his heart. The orange hue of his reading light dusted your cheeks, and the soft sounds you made resonated between his ears. He was so transfixed on your angelic, sleeping form, that he was unaware of the smirk plastered across Emily’s face as she watched him look at you. When he noticed her staring, he cleared his throat and abruptly returned his gaze back towards his book. Her light chuckle at his actions brought a harsh blush to his cheeks, only causing him to sink behind his book even further. 

“You know, you’re not being very subtle”, Emily teased, “(Y/n)’s going to catch on sooner or later”. Spencer felt his lungs constrict as panic coursed its way through his body.

“Wha-what do you mean?”, he confoundingly replied, having realized just how obvious he had been.

“Spencer”, she said with a knowing look, “We all know how you feel about (Y/n)-”

“Emily!”, he hissed. His eyes growing tenfold as he looked back at you to make sure you were still asleep. “They’re right there!”, he pleaded, turning his head to gesture towards your unconscious form.

“Relax”, she grinned. “They’re asleep, and trust me, (Y/n) can sleep through anything”, she said, rolling her eyes fondly. Spencer fought back a smile, trying to maintain his stoic composure, as he thought of how annoyed Emily would get on cases when your absurdly loud alarm would go off and not even wake you up. You would always joke that the point of your alarm wasn’t to wake yourself but to wake up Emily so that you could be woken up by the smiling face of your best friend. Emily would always glare at you in the mornings while on cases, and you would return the favor by laughing Oh hush, you love me, as the rest of the team shook their heads at your comical antics. 

Spencer bit his bottom lip as he thought about how he wouldn’t mind being woken up every morning to an air horn in his ear if it meant he got to wake up next to you. He would wake you up with gentle kisses across your face while holding you tightly to his chest. He would make sure to always have a huge smile on his face as he told you how much he loves you, just so you would start each day knowing how wonderful he thinks you are.

When the jet landed Emily gently shook her shoulder, causing you to groggily awake from your sleep. “Morning sleeping beauty”, she joked. You took in a deep breath, lifting your head and taking in your surroundings. It was dark, save for an amber halo peeking through Spencer’s deep curls. An inaudible gasp left your lips at the sight of him smiling down at you with his dark eyes that still managed to shine brighter than all the stars in the night sky. To quell the augmented flutter of your heart, you quickly turned away, hiding your flushed cheeks, before putting your head back down on Emily’s shoulder.

“Mmm, goodnight”, you sighed, closing your eyes as a smile crept its way to your lips.

“Nice try”, she laughed as she took her arm out from under you, placing a teasing pout across your face, “I’ve hit my sleeping (Y/n) quota for the week”. You reluctantly sat back up and were face to face with the man you had been hiding from. Your eyes met, and you lingered slightly too long looking at each other, completely unaware of Emily’s smirk.

“Right”, you cleared your throat, standing up. Spencer jolted his eyes back down to his book as he turned to place it in his satchel. You took this opportunity to make your way off the jet, not daring to look back at the man you were hopelessly in love with.

As you rode the elevator up to the sixth floor, you were hyper-aware of Spencer’s presence behind you. You kept sneaking glances at him, only to see he was looking at you each time you did. And each time you would both avert your eyes, just to look back a moment later.

After the team debriefed in the conference room, everyone went back to their respective desks to finish up some paperwork for the case before heading home. Luckily for you, this meant having to sit across from Spencer and using every fiber in your body to not look up at him. Spencer, however, couldn’t take his eyes off of you. He watched as you flipped through the files on your desk, and admired how you ran your fingers through your hair, a habit of yours when you were deep in thought. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when you began to chew on your lip, and he couldn’t get the idea of kissing your tender, plump lips out of his mind. You were killing him. He couldn’t focus on his work, and all he wanted was to hear your voice, he needed to.

“So, are you doing anything for your birthday this weekend?”, Spencer inquired. Your head shot up from your desk, your mind having gone blank at his question. He furrowed his eyebrows at you, while his musky brown eyes searched your face. Spencer’s face fell as he slowly turned back to the open file on his desk, figuring he said something to make you uncomfortable. Your eyes were fixated on him, as his words, that hung in the awkward silence, finally caught up to you.

“Uh, h-how did you know it was my birthday?”, you questioned, genuinely confused. You had been at the BAU for seven months, after having transferred from the San Francisco office, and you were sure your birthday, of all things, had never been the topic of conversation. It’s not that you hated your birthday, but seeing as your family lived on the other side of the country, you felt silly celebrating it beyond a text from your mom. Truth be told, you had almost forgotten it was coming up with how hectic everything has been at your new job. It was a lot different than your previous job in California, which mostly consisted of doing paperwork at your desk. But, you couldn’t be happier than where you were: doing your dream job with people that were slowly becoming your family. Emily quickly became your best friend, and your crush on the very man sitting across from you formed not long after. So, imagine your surprise when he looked at you, through dark circles that framed glazed over eyes, hazy from sleepless nights during long cases, and asked you if you had any plans for your birthday.

“Oh, um, well”, he looked away from you and scratched the back of his neck as his plump lips formed a slight smile, “i-it was in your file from when you joined, and you know, eidetic memory”. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently at you before staring back down at his desk.

“Right, of course”, you forced a smile as his head shot back up and nodded. “Well”, your face brightened in an attempt to break the palpable awkwardness that had formed between you two, “probably just going to spend it watching David Tennant on my tv while curled up on the couch with some ice cream.”

“What? For your birthday? You aren’t going out to celebrate?”, he questioned, appearing genuinely concerned.

“Well, normally I would, but drinking at a bar alone doesn’t scream ‘Happy Birthday’, you know”, you chuckled.

“You should at least have cake, everyone should get to have cake on their birthday. Actually, birthday cakes date back to ancient Rome, where people would have cakes made out of flour, nuts, yeast, and honey. However, birthday cakes became popularized in the 15th century in Germany when bakeries began making one layered cakes for people to buy to celebrate birthdays”, he said as he raised his eyebrows while his lips formed a thin smile. You couldn’t help but look at him with complete adoration as he rambled. “But, um, you aren’t even doing anything with Emily or Garcia?”, he hesitantly questioned. Your lips pressed together as you shrugged your shoulders.

“Emily treated me to lunch earlier in the week because she has plans this weekend”, you reassured him and he nodded, “Plus, it’s the first year I won’t be with my parents and I just miss them so I don’t really feel like celebrating alone”, He gave you a sympathetic smile as you shrugged. “But, I promise I’ll at least get cake batter ice cream”, you smiled while winking, eliciting a laugh from him.

“Okay good”, he said, smiling back. His warm chuckles still reverberated throughout your chest, swirling around your heart. Once again you found yourself frozen, knowing you should turn away, but not finding an ounce of strength to do so as you both just gazed into each other’s eyes.

“Well uh, goodnight”, you said, forcing yourself to look down to grab your bag and head towards the elevator. Your stomach clenched as you kept your gaze ahead, not daring to look back at him. Spencer, however, couldn’t keep his eyes off of you as you left. His eyes caressed each of your curves as you walked further and further away from him. He bit his bottom lip, smiling to himself as he watched you leave. 

“Goodnight”, he murmured to an empty room with an obnoxious smile plastered on his face. 

You woke up the next morning, the sun glaring in through your blinds. You turned over in your white, crinkled sheets, shutting your eyes in an effort to avoid the intruding rays. The ding of your phone pierced the quiet room as you sighed and rolled back over to check your phone. You groaned as you squinted at the screen, the harsh light it emitted illuminating your face. 

From Derek: Hey sweet cheeks, sorry to bother you on our day off, but Hotch called a meeting. He said it’s urgent. 

Great, you thought, Happy Birthday to me. You forced yourself out of bed and wasted no time getting ready before heading over to the BAU. You grabbed a granola bar on your way out, rolling your eyes, dreading having to spend your birthday working instead of sleeping all day. 

When you walked into an empty bullpen, you were even more confused. You got out your phone, ready to text Morgan, but you got a text from Garcia.

From Penelope: Good morning and happy happy birthday my sweet sweet (Y/n). Everyone is in the conference room! :)

When you opened the door to the conference room, instead of seeing grotesque crime scene photos of victims, you found the whole team there, each sporting a very cliché party hat. You couldn’t help the smile that grew on your face as everyone shouted Happy Birthday! You made your rounds hugging and thanking everyone, however, you couldn’t help but notice that someone was missing. 

“Hey, Pen, where’s Spence?”, you asked as everyone else was distracted in conversations.

“Oh, he um, he had something to do today, so he couldn’t make it”, she said sympathetically, noticing that the smile you were trying to force was gradually falling.

“Oh okay”, you said, looking around trying to appear happy. 

“But um”, she said, turning to Derek, who raised his eyebrows and shook his head before stepping out of the room, “he gave us very special instructions on what to do”, she reassured. Your heart fluttered at her words, knowing that Spencer did this for you. Just as you were about to ask her what he said, the lights turned off. Derek came in holding a cake adorned with candles as everyone sang “Happy Birthday”. When he held the cake in front of you, you read what it said: Outside those doors, we might see anything. We could find new worlds, terrifying monsters, impossible things. And if you come with me… nothing will ever be the same again! Happy Birthday (Y/n)! You felt a tear slip down your cheek as you blew out the candles. The tenth doctor was drawn on the cake and you couldn’t stop rereading the quote of his that was written on top. You smiled back up at your team and thanked them for such an amazing birthday.

Despite the love and appreciation you felt from the rest of the team, you couldn’t help but spend the rest of the party overthinking, hiding it behind a façade. You didn’t want to read too much into the quote, but Spencer, who could probably, no definitely, recite every line from Doctor Who, had chosen this one for your birthday cake. You desperately wanted it to mean something, but if he hadn’t even shown up to your party, clearly you weren’t that important to him. When everyone had finished eating, you thanked them again and gave your hugs goodbye. You drove home and blasted your music, loudly singing along, in hopes of drowning out the thoughts of Spencer that swarmed your head.

When you reached your door, there was nothing you wanted more than to put on your sweats and sink into your couch. You slid your key into the deadbolt and pushed open the door. Expecting to walk into your desolate apartment, tears were brought to your eyes at what you found when you walked in. The lights were off and the windows had trash bags taped over them to prevent any sun from breaking the barrier and entering your apartment. You looked all around and were met with string lights adorning your ceiling as if there were a thousand glass stars littering your apartment. A projector sat on the floor near the entryway, projecting galaxies that were currently orbiting around the room. The twinkling lights drew your gaze onto the figure standing in the middle of the dimly lit room. You couldn’t make out his face, but you could tell who it was by the way his dark curls were illuminated by the intertwining auburn and cream-colored swirls of Jupiter that spun around him. 

“Spence…”, you whispered, his name slipping out as you felt yourself being pulled towards him. You had missed him so much today, and at the sight of him, you couldn’t contain the relief that washed over you. You placed your hands on his arms, the soft fabric of his pinstriped suit felt so right under your light grasp. You looked down at his converse, laughing as you realized he was dressed as the tenth Doctor. Looking up at him and meeting his gaze, you suddenly realized how close you two were and that you were practically holding him in your arms. “This is amazing”, you chocked out as you quickly pulled away, wiping the tear that rolled down your cheek as you sheepishly smiled. 

“That’s Doctor to you”, he teased, matching your smile tenfold. 

“Sorry”, you laughed, “this is amazing, Doctor.” You looked around your apartment again, still stunned at how captivating it was. “Um, how did you do all this?”, you asked amazed.

“W-well, you mentioned you were going to spend your birthday watching David Tennant on your television, and I figured having the Doctor in person would be an even better way to spend your birthday… And then I figured what kind of Doctor would I be if I didn’t show you outer space”. You opened your mouth but were swiftly cut off by him, “And, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to celebrate with everyone, but, I had to get you out of here and I thought you would enjoy spending some time with the team. Oh!”, he abruptly interjected, “did you um, get your cake?”, he timidly asked with a sheepish smile.

“Yes, I-I did. It was delicious by the way”, he nodded, “I missed you, but thank you for the party”, you said, just above a whisper, “but um, this, is amazing. I-It’s beautiful, Spence”, you smiled, admiring all the twinkling lights and planets that orbited the two of you, “really. Thank you”, you said, finally looking into his eyes that bore into you. 

“You are beautiful”, he said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. You were speechless. Your mouth opened a few times as you struggled to find a response. “I just thought you should know”, he added after your prolonged silence. 

“The quote, on the cake. Did you um…”, you broke the silence between you two looking up at him expectantly.

“Yeah um”, he scratched the back of his neck as he smiled to the ground, “I uh, that line always makes me think of you”, your eyes widened at his words, “At work, we come across the most ‘terrifying monsters’, but, when I’m with you, I feel safe and when I look at you, I’m reminded that there are still amazing, beautiful things in the world, because, I-I think”, he cleared his throat, trying to hold back tears, “Because you are beautiful and amazing, and I am so lucky to have you in my life”. You were stunned. Your heart was beating so fast you feared he could hear it. Your silence, however, scared Spencer, because he didn’t want to lose you just because he had decided to spill his heart to you after breaking into your apartment. “I thought we could watch Doctor Who together”, he paused, still looking for any hint of a reaction from you, “but if not, I can just go. I didn’t mean to barge in like this and-”, he was cut off as you flung yourself into him. Your arms wrapped around his neck as he latched onto you, breathing a sigh of relief.

“No! Um, that, that sounds amazing”, you whispered into his neck. “I’d love nothing more than to be th-the Doctor’s companion”, you said, smiling against his soft skin.

“Good”, he laughed, “that’s, that’s very good”. You lifted your head off his shoulder, just enough to look into his eyes. Your smile slowly dropped as you moved in closer to his mouth, lightly brushing your lips against his. His eyes fluttered shut as you spoke against his mouth.

“But, as much as I love the Doctor, I would much rather be with my favorite doctor,” you smiled against his lips as you looked up, searching his eyes. 

“I think that can be arranged”, Spencer mumbled against your lips, opening his eyes as your noses brushed up against each other. You looked into his velvet eyes and swore you could see the entire universe in them as they reflected the warm glow of every star hanging above your head. You moved in closer, finally connecting your lips. Warmth rose within you, radiating out through your chest as his lips moved against yours. His arms moved up and down your back, mapping every curve of your body as if he were drawing constellations onto your flushed skin. Your fingertips ran across his supple skin as you cupped his cheek, deepening the kiss. His tongue grazed your bottom lip and you gladly opened your mouth, granting him more access. With every breath you took, you inhaled him in even deeper, getting high off the notes of cinnamon and coffee that flooded your senses. He pulled you impossibly closer, pushing you flush against his chest, and the moan you elicited only intensified his grip. Your thighs clenched and your knees felt week as he began to kiss along your jaw. The warmth of his mouth trailing its way down your neck, caused your eyes to roll to the back of your head. “So beautiful”, he murmured against your sensitive skin, saying it to himself more than anything else. Each kiss caused a string of electricity to shoot throughout your system, as you ran your fingers through his deep curls, tugging lightly. His kisses gradually became less intense, and your breathing began to even out. He gave a final peck to your neck and then to your cheek and finally your lips, before leaning back to look you in the eyes. “Happy Birthday”, he said smiling at you, while his eyes gleamed with adoration.

“Thank you”, you replied, your brain still fuzzy from the kiss you two just shared, “for, um, everything.”

“Of course”, he smiled, still holding your gaze, “So um, do you want to watch Doctor Who…”.

“Yeah, yes”, you nodded, finally getting some grip back on reality. You walked over to the couch, Spencer’s hand still laced in yours. You sat down first and Spencer sat next to you, still grasping onto your hand as if you would disappear if he let go. You grabbed the remote from the coffee table and leaned into him, resting your head on his shoulder as you both relaxed into the couch. As you were getting Doctor Who set up on the tv, Spencer took your hand into both of his and ran his fingers over your knuckles.

“I know I’m no David Tennant”, he said, causing you to turn and look up him, “but um, I-I just wanted to be clear that I, I like you, a lot”. 

“I like you too Spence”, you smiled, “a lot”, you teased. “And, Dr. Spencer Reid is way better than any other Doctor in my book”, you kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush.

“Really?”, he asked, biting his lip.

“Really”, you reassured him.

“Even Matt Smith?”, he joked.

“Oooh I don’t know about that”, you said coyly, raising your eyebrows. Despite your joking manner, Spencer’s face still fell.

“Oh. Sorry. Yeah, he’s um-”, he rambled, looking down at his shoes.

“Spence”, you stopped him and put your hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at you, “I was just joking”, you said earnestly, making sure he understood. You searched his eyes as he slowly nodded. “When I said I like you, I meant I really like you, and only you, okay?”, he nodded again but remained silent, “I’ve kind of had a crush on you since my second day at the BAU”, you said smiling as a blush found its way to your cheeks, “and there is no one I would rather be with than you”. Spencer couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Your angelic voice echoed in his head as he pulled you towards his chest, enveloping you in a hug.

“You are the only person I want to be with too”, he said, pulling back so he could see your beautiful face. “And I’ve liked you since your first day at the BAU”, he smiled, crinkling his eyes. You let out a breathy laugh as you gave him a quick peck before snuggling back into him on the couch.

“Always have to one-up me, don’t you doctor”, you teased, and this time he laughed as he pulled you in closer to him, running his fingers along the side of your hip. As the episode began, you turned up to him again and pondered, “Speaking of one-upping, you took me to outer space on our first date, so I am very excited to see what you plan to do for our second”. You both giggled as he kissed the top of your head. 

Finally feeling confident after your many reassurances, Spencer quipped back, “Someone’s eager, and who said anything about a date?”, he smiled, “this is just a birthday present”. You feigned being hurt by his words as you laughed.

“Dr. Spencer Reid”, you shook your head, “I told you, I’m your companion”, you smirked, causing him to laugh, “you are stuck with me”.

“Good”, he said, peppering your face with kisses as you giggled, “Because I am never letting you go”. He looked into your eyes as the Doctor Who theme song played in the background and you both smiled like idiots. You turned your attention back to the tv and held onto each other for the rest of the night. You fell asleep in each other’s arms as the stars twinkled above your heads and you spun in orbit with the planets that danced throughout the apartment.

[bakugouisabitch]

do you think malik goes through periods where he's very fun and bubbly, but then like a switch he's very quiet and wants distance?

GOD YES YES THIS is exactly how I imagine him omg it makes so much sense.

First of all, YES 👏 Let 👏 Malik 👏 Be 👏 Bubbly 👏 And 👏 Loud 👏 2k21 because he DESERVES IT. He should always be happy and loud and it shouldn‘t bother Anyone

.

Okay that being said, I hc him to have a lot of trust issues, so, to get to experience his “real self” always takes a lot of time and “opening up”.

He’s not shy or an introvert, he just kind of doesn’t trust anyone except himself (and his siblings - most of all Rishid) and has been through so much shit that he keeps thinking any form of friendly approach from someone is all just a tactic to get to his vulnerable sides. (this funny fanart kind of gets my point across). And that’s exactly why he is like that too. When talking with strangers, he would go as far as being extremely polite and cheesy that you almost can’t recognise him anymore. But he’s doing it all to warm up to people and get to their weaker spots, just in case he’s going to use it against them. (see: his whole fake personality Namu-act that wasn’t even necessary for his plan to enter the Battle City finale...)

To get to Malik’s real self i HC requires a lot of digging and trust - which can take a lot of time. He also seems to be quite conflicted over what he really wants, because after all that time spent analysing and manipulating people just to understand their weak spots he’s left with nothing but a constant state of being alert and ready to use it against them. And when the moment never comes - because as hard as it is to swallow down for him, some people might have genuinely just nice intentions - he realises he wasted another opportunity for making new friends and ends up being full of guilt and regret and probably a big self loathing and once again alone. Then forms the question what do you really want? to make friends or enemies? And he’s not sure he knows the answer anyway. Shit, malik’s whole character design strikes me as being conflicted since he’s a whole mixture of traditional and modern af. He seems to be quite attached to his ancient roots and the nobility of his bloodline but he also seems to want to re-invent himself into that motorcycle-driving kid who said fuck destiny i create my own. But the way he talks and puts valor into his ancient beliefs (+ his father’s earrings) clearly shows he’s far too attached to it to let it go (this leads also to the whole deal of being literally born and raised to Serve and also his whole daddy issues, but that’s another page completely).

Like you said, there are moments where he goes completely quiet and wants distance because i can see him reconsidering every step he took. As confident and self-assured as he might appear, and the end it always seems like his biggest enemy is his own self (or his other self... he might get pretty quiet and dissociates also because he’s probably conversing with his alter in his head. But his alter is also another whole deal completely.)

Just like in Kaiba, I see a constant need to prove himself to be better than anyone in everything: His dressing up as the Pharaoh and saying he has the right for the throne, his modern style and extravagant motorcycle/boat, his emphasis on making the enemies remember his name... 

(see:

it’s all Trauma babey ✨

He seems to just live in a world where conflict prevails over everything. Every moment and every human interaction is regarded with caution and “how to get the upper hand in this” - because that’s All He’s Known His Entire Life. With the Millennium Rod he also got the power to literally read into humans’ minds (in the manga it’s all explained even better). Seeing the desperation and the desire for his wife in Pandora, the homicidal tendencies and dark past of the mime boy he uses... these were all elements he studied and gathered in his collection of “humans just want power over you”, which just increased his trust issues. Also, his tendency to punish his ghouls when they fail clearly reflects a sense of education where you get punished if you don’t succeed and plus being a capricorn this tends to make a perfectionist out of him (and it’s once again something that was ebbed into his brain as a child thanks to his father). So he strikes me as the type who is never satisfied with the end result of something because it could always be Better.

Anyway, trauma and fears aside (and he has a lot of them) he sparks me to be a very loud and extrovert boy and he would probably be shining brighter than anyone if it wasn’t for all the shit he’s been through. He is very intelligent and a fast learner (I hc him to know fluid arabic, japanese and english) and he’s a good observer and very rational. He reacts with his brain first before using his instincts, but he seems to be very driven by his emotions (since they are the reason he does literally everything). He’s ambitious and cunning but with a soft, soft heart like,, I love how the whole deal of Malik in the manga is that he literally Couldn’t bring himself to gain the full power of the Rod and kill Yugi because he’s so soft at heart. No matter how evil and controlloing he tries to be at the end he just Can’t. It was his alter who did it, who took his place in his most vulnerable moment because he literally Couldn’t take it. He would have died.

“His father filled him with pain and sadness... until all he wanted was to die... So in order to survive, in order to keep going, he had to create another self...”

His alter keeps calling this weakness but it basically shows that he’s just good. He’s good at heart and he needs light in his life to survive. (The whole deal of light and shadows that is made in battle city which also includes Rishid is just so beautiful in the manga - i totally rec reading the battle city arc to you to get malik better). He’s soft at heart and this is why I can see him being a loud and bubbly person once he‘s 100% sure there are no bad intentions behind someone. Because he would be so confident and very diva-ish in his attitude of “I deserve the best and the best only”, despite having so many fears he’s battling against daily. Once he loves and trusts someone - and if that someone makes him feel his best - he would cling to them almost desperately this is how I hc him also in my fics and he would be so happy and loud about it, because it’s like FINALLY taking a Break from that “mental state” of alert and control he Has To keep up to Prove to be good. He’s finally his real self.

anyway i could talk abt this boy for hours like i could write an essay over everything regarding him because he’s one of the most complex and rich characters i’ve ever known and *bites fist* I JUST LOVE HIM AND HE DESERVES TO BE HELD SO BAD.

[songbirdsingingthings]

This request (if it's still an option) might be a little odd and will admittedly stay more feminine, but if i may?

Might i request a small shoto x reader story where the reader is a practicing witch? It's something i personally am into and i think it would be fun to read. Imagine shoto learning about spell candles, crystals charging positive energy, tarot cards, that stuff, because the person he likes uses them a lot.

It might be a touch vague, plot wise, but from west I've read it's sure to be something you can make amazing. Thank you very much. (Anonymous because this is my first time ever requesting something like this and I'm way to shy about it.)

Intuition - Shouto Todoroki x Reader

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Kohei Horikoshi

MHA Masterlist - Main Masterlist

WARNINGS: Fluff, Swearing (It’s Bakugou, so, that’s kinda a given)

Requested by Anonymous:

A/N: Hi!!! I am so sorry that this took me freaking AGES to write. In between trying to research and find reputable sources to learn from about what you requested and dealing with school stuff (honestly, my teachers just think that all of my free time should be filled with school work smh) I finally FINALLY finished! I really hope you enjoyed, and I really found it interesting learning about all these things! <3

Word Count: 1.5K

“Y/N, may I ask you a question?” Shouto’s smooth voice cut through to your senses, rousing you from the book you currently had your nose in. Sitting just inches away from you was the red-and-white haired boy, the textbook he had been consulting now bookmarked and set next to him. With a raise of your eyebrow in curiosity, you marked your page and nodded.

“What’s on your mind?” You ask, leaning a bit closer to him. Shouto, being your boyfriend for now 2 months and comfortable with touch, wrapped a light arm around your waist.

“I was just curious about your choice of decor for your dorm, it’s quite unique.” A knowing smile graced your lips as your gaze left his handsome face and flitted around your dorm. On top of shelves, all over your desk, and even on the balcony windowsill you had, crystals and candles dotted the room. A smile graced your lips as you saw Shouto’s eyes on the various beloved items.

“I guess you can say it’s unique,” You start to say, standing from your spot on the floor and going over to your desk and taking your favorite crystal into your hand. It was a simple clear quartz cluster but it’s been with you the longest. You motion for Shouto to stand up next to you so he could see it more clearly. “This one is a clear quartz,” you explain as he bends down so that his eyes are eye-level with the crystal.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmurs, his gaze transfixed on the quartz. With a laugh, you carefully place it back down on your desk.

“Well, it’s not all just a pretty face. It’s actually charged with a lot of healing energy, so it’s provided some real tranquility in my life.” Shouto’s eyes narrow in confusion, looking back up to yours.

“You’re not telling me that this crystal has a quirk, do you?” He asks, genuinely perplexed. With a bark of laughter, you shake your head.

“No, no, it doesn’t have a quirk. I’ve just been charging the crystal myself.” Still sensing some bewilderment from your boyfriend, you grab a few different items - the quartz, a spell candle from your windowsill, and a pack of tarot cards from your desk - and lead him over to your bed to sit down. “A lot of the things I have in my room have a more… spiritual side to them. Basically with things like crystals, I charge them with positive energies. I do this by cleansing them and then emanating positive thoughts, intentions, or words to the crystals themselves.” Shouto nods, seemingly understanding that concept.

“Are the candles and cards similar?” He wonders. 

“Well, they’re all similar in the way that they’re part of witchcraft. People who are practicing witches usually have some, if not all, of these things and probably a lot more. I’m kind of in the low-key part of witchcraft since I don’t really cast spells or am part of a coven or anything, but I really enjoy it.” You gush, causing Shouto’s cheeks to heat up a bit. He’s always loved seeing you so passionate about things whether it be in classes or during hero training, but your passion here was on a whole other level.

“Interesting,” he says, “so what purpose do the candles serve?” His interested tone causes a giddy smile to flicker across your face, sending you into ‘explanation mode’.

“The candles are actually pretty cool. Like the crystals, it’s recommended that you cleanse and charge them in order for them to work. I usually buy these from that crystal store on mainstreet, and this one is one of my favorites! It’s actually one for my zodiac sign,” you tell him, holding the glass holder up in front of him so that he could read the label. 

“And the cards?” He asks, leaning over to view the pack of cards.

“Oh! Those are tarot cards.” “I’m assuming they are pretty different from regular cards?” He asks, a little smirk on his face.

“You would be right in assuming that, yes,” you say, giggling while sliding the deck out of its container. You give the deck a few shuffles. “They can help to gain insight on peoples’ futures by drawing cards that represent your past, present, and your future.” Shouto’s eyes widened.

“They can tell your future?” He exclaims, a little wary but also excited about the prospect of it.

“Yeah, you want me to give you a reading?” 

“Yes!” Shouto says quickly. Your heart warms at his enthusiasm as you let your shuffling come to a stop. Spreading the cards out in your hand, you hold them face down in front of your boyfriend.

“Okay, pick three.” You say simply, yet Shouto still hesitates.

“Is there a strategy for picking them?” He asks.

“Just go on your intuition. Pick what your heart tells you to.” You murmur. Shouto nods slowly and lets his fingers hover over the cards. He lets his fingers dangle for only a minute before picking his three cards and setting them on your bed covers. With a satisfied smile, you straighten up the rest of the cards, set them aside, and turn your attention to the three he picked. You turn them over one by one. His first card, representing his past, is The Tower. The second card, representing his present, is the Death card. And finally, representing his future, he picked the The World card. As Shouto’s eyes rake over his cards, they settle and widen comically at the middle card.

“Uh, oh no, Y/N I picked death.” He said, his breathing becoming a little shallow at his sudden spurt of panic.

“That’s okay Sho, just let me give you your reading, yeah?” You soothe, urging him to calm down. With a hesitant nod, he settles down a bit. “Okay! So for your first card, you chose The Tower. Now this card represents sudden upheaval, broken pride, and disaster. Think back to your past whether it be just yesterday or years beforehand. I know you had a tough childhood and growing up was never easy for you,” you say, trying to empathize with Shouto. He nods acceptingly, having already acknowledged his past.

“Yes, this card makes sense.” He simply says. Your gaze focuses next on the middle card - Death.

“I know this card can look a little scary, but I promise it’s not.” You say, trying to gently ease Shouto into the idea that his current present is represented by death. “The Death card represents the end of a cycle, new beginnings, and metamorphosis. Think and turn your consciousness to your thoughts right now. Think about how much you have changed from your past, and find solace in the end of that cycle and the beginning of a new one.” Shouto closes his eyes and unconsciously begins to smile, causing your own to shine brighter.

“That is a comforting thought. I never thought I could find relief from a card that says death on it.” He remarks, opening his eyes back up to yours. You could tell he was eager to hear about his last card - his future.

“And your final card is The World. I’m not being biased or anything, I promise you I’m not, but this is one of my favorite cards.” You admit, earning a sparkle to show in your boyfriend's eyes. “The World card represents fulfillment, harmony, and completion. Try and imagine your future. This completion and fulfillment could come in the form of many things whether it be your career, your friendships-”

“A romantic relationship?” He asks, his cheeks now burning with red. You feel yourself begin to fluster and the silly smile across your face causes you to look at your hands.

“Yes, this card could potentially apply to a romantic relationship.” You murmur softly. You busy yourself with cleaning up the cards and putting them back in their container, still flushed with the thought of Shouto hoping for harmony within your relationship. However, your thoughts are put to a halt when Shouto has a soft hand beneath your chin, gently angling your head so that your eyes meet his.

“I like the thought of a fulfilling relationship with you.” He confesses, his doe eyes causing you to melt.

“I, uh, Shouto the card might not be referring to that though.” You stammer, your eyes flicking in between his and his lips.

“You said that I should go on intuition beforehand, yes?” He asks, wanting you to confirm. When you nod your head, his smile turns into a smirk. “Well then my intuition tells me that the card is referring to us.” And in one fluid motion, his lips are on yours. Like always, they’re soft, slow, and sensual… and you can never get enough of them. With one hand going up to play with his hair and the other one wrapping around his neck, you press yourself closer to him as he kisses you more feverishly. 

“Thanks for my reading,” he says breathlessly, each word in between kisses. You yourself are breathless as well, sinking into his embrace like puddy.

“Anytime.”

[mediocre--writing]

I saw your plea and knew this was my time to shine 😤 could you do a Neville long bottom x reader fic where the reader is confident and outgoing and he has a secret crush? I feel like it’s borderline cliche at this rate but I cant get enough of the trope 😫😫😫 I love love love your blog by the way!

Summary: Neville feels insecure compared to his longterm crush, Y/n.

Word Count: 1605

Warnings: none

Neville was shy.

This was not a secret to anyone in Hogwarts.

He blushed and hid his face at any attention, he didn’t speak loudly or draw attention to himself, and he most definitely didn’t make an effort to have large groups of friends.

But he admired those who did, Y/n, for example, was someone he enjoyed watching flutter around the great hall during meals, talking to anyone in any house, regardless of what year they were in.

She was spectacular in every way.

Her smile was unparalleled, her confidence shone brighter then anyone’s, and she thrived in large groups.

She was so incredible because she was nothing like him. Nothing compared to how pathetic he felt when he’d watch her laugh across the room, nothing like how he was unable to speak to anyone about anything, since his interests were limited and he feared other’s opinions rather than just living as he wished.

He felt the most inferior to her when they began the DA in 5th year.

Of course she would be invited, everyone loved her and she was close to Hermione grade-wise, so she would probably excel in learning new spells and dueling anyone.

Neville loved watching her talk with the other members, never catching her eye, because who on Earth would look at him when there were so many other options?

As of now, she was giggling with the twins, who were betting on Ron and Hermione’s duel. Her eyes were sparkling in the soft lights of the Room of Requirement and she felt like a magnet, drawing eyes to her without trying.

Neville was so lost in his trance that he didn’t realize that Harry had called for everyone to join in.

He was shaken out of his trance, however, when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, he turned to face Harry, who was looking around the room for someone to practice with neville.

Because again, who would want him?

Neville felt like dying before he heard someone respond to Harry’s request for anyone without a partner.

But not just anyone.

Y/n… ‘s friend, Pepper, he believes her name is. She’s in Gryffindor, though, maybe a year older than him.

Pepper was a bit more on the shy side, like Neville, but she still hung around in large groups, with Y/n, and though Neville had never searched for her explicitly, he knew of her from watching Y/n.

It wasn’t that awful.

Really!

Neville, as bad as he was at spell-casting, was better than Pepper was, though he wasn’t sure if she was really trying all that hard in the first place.

The meeting was over sooner than he’d expected, though a part of him felt like he’d been there for years.

“So, Neville, what do you do?”

Neville looked up at Pepper, who was twiddling with her wand while watching him with a small smile, “Do you play quidditch or anything, I know you’re not on the Gryffindor team, but do you play?”

“I’ve never really had much luck with brooms,” Neville blushed, of course, “It looks fun, but it’s a bit stressful, if you ask me,”

Pepper giggled, “Well you should try to fly, you know it’s really exhilarating once you get the hang of it.”

“I guess,”

It was getting awkward now.

“My friend can teach you, she’s really great, on her house team and everything! She’s a great chaser and I’m sure she’d love to show you!”

Neville felt cornered. To be completely honest, he never wanted to ride a broom again, but Pepper seemed so excited about him doing it he felt bad saying no.

“Uhh… sure, I guess?”

“Perfect!” Pepper said, a bit loudly for Neville’s taste as a few eyes were on them now. “What are you doing tomorrow? It’s a Hogsmeade weekend but do you think you could come to the Quidditch pitch around 2-ish?”

“Oh sure,” Neville agreed, though he wasn’t sure why.

So he’d made a bed he had to lie in.

What the hell was he thinking?

As he walked down the trail from Hogsmeade, he was thinking of ways that this could go horribly wrong, he could fall, or trip, or make a fool of himself. But on the plus side, if he fell, he may just die then and there, which wouldn’t be quite as embarrassing.

Neville was trying his best to talk himself into it, though it was hard, for there was no plus side or silver lining that he could see.

When he’d gotten down to the pitch, he’d noticed a girl sitting in the middle of the field, two brooms next to her.

Once he’d gotten closer, he’d felt his heart shoot down to his feet.

It was Y/n.

The perfect, beautiful, absolutely amazing Y/n.

As if she could hear his hesitation, she turned, but had a look of surprise on her face as she took in who was standing there.

“Oh, Neville,” he didn’t like the way she sounded slightly disappointed, “I didn’t know it was you! How are you doing today?”

She was smiling, but he felt like it was fake. Like she had no motive to be here. It was probably a dare and she had to be nice to him and get him to embarrass himself.

“You ok?”

He looked up at her to see her eyebrows scrunched together in worry.

“Yeah, yeah,” He nodded and recollected his thoughts, “I’ve had a good day, and you?”

“It was alright, kind of a rough morning, if I’m being honest, but I hope it gets better from here.”

And it did.

It wasn’t nearly as stressful as Neville had been anticipating, and all his negative thoughts had begun to fade as he got more relaxed, both with Y/n and flying.

By the time the sky darkened, he’d practically been a natural, flying around the pitch with ease.

They began packing their things, Y/n grabbing the brooms and Neville got his sweater that he was wearing before he got too hot.

Walking back to the castle was silent, but nice and relaxed, no pressure and just two friends walking along the grounds.

“I need to be honest with you, Neville,” Y/n said abruptly as she turned to face him before they walked into the castle.

He knew it. It was too good to be true. She was going to admit that she was messing with him and hung out with him on a dare or something equally mortifying for him.

“...Okay?”

“I like you,” She sputtered out. “Like, like like you and I had Pepper come up to you yesterday to see what kind of person you are because I’ve had a crush on you since first year but you always seemed to be independent and you didn’t talk to many people but I always thought you were cute. And when she said she had wanted to take flying lessons today I was confused but agreed, then you showed up and I had the best time.

“I understand if you don’t like me back, but I just thought you should know.”

Neville was…

He didn’t really know what he was.

Shocked, for sure.

A little confused, to be honest.

Absolutely elated at the news, though.

“Are you serious? You actually like me? I didn’t even know you knew who I was!”

“You’re kidding, right?” She threw her head back as she laughed, “I stare at you all the time, it’s actually kinda sad that I haven’t made a move yet.”

“You stare at me?”

“No!” She shouted suddenly, “Yes, but not in a creepy way, I promise.”

“I stare at you too, sometimes,” Neville admitted with a blush.

“You’re really pretty, Nev,” Y/n commented as she brushed a few hairs out of his face, staring into his eyes.

“Thank you,” He chuckled, ducking his head down in embarrassment before she lifted his chin so they were eye-to-eye. “I think you’re stunning as well.”

She smiled, a genuine smile that he wished to see every day for the rest of his life.

She began to lean in, their eyes slowly closing as they kissed, and Neville swore his knees gave out, but he powered through and tried to kiss back without it being too awkward or doing something wrong.

It was a moment before they pulled apart, but he had never felt that happy before in his life.

Y/n agreed. She’d been silently pining over Neville for far too long and he was everything and more than she’d ever imagined.

“We should do this again,” Neville commented.

“The kissing or the date?” He smiled at her with love in his eyes, “Cause I’d like to do both, if you would?”

When Neville had walked back to his dormitory, still in a daze, Ron, Harry, Seamus, and Dean had all given him strange looks.

Neville flopped onto his bed and had yet to realize that there was a small, pinkish-red lipstick kiss on his cheek from when he’d said goodbye to Y/n.

The boys, however, saw it the second he walked through the door, and bombarded him, but refused to believe him when he’d said that he’d gone on a date with, and kissed, the Y/n L/n.

Though, the boys were shocked to see that as Neville sat down at his spot in the Great Hall, she had come over and placed a quick peck on his cheek before sitting next to him and chattering away as if they were old friends.

Who’d have thought, Neville got the girl.  

[henryspearl]

on top of the world (ao3 link)

It was alluring, the night sky. They did not quite realise how captivating it really was until they stood on the balcony, bright colours exploding and blending with dark navy blue and colliding with the stars that sparkled and shined. It was almost magical the way the many dazzling fireworks burst up into the sky matched how Ben and Callum were feeling and how both of their hearts were bursting with happiness and love, completely.  

Ben, already feeling it on many occasions since he met Callum, felt whole. He was no longer filled with the dreaded darkness that was always walking two seconds behind him, his stomach was not in thousands of knots from fear and dread. He was finally at peace. The darkness had walked away, disintegrating into ash, like the bright radiant sunshine that was Callum burned over the darkness and brought Ben with him into the light, where there were rainbows, and you could hear the birds singing. It was bliss. It felt freeing, like he had left that dark world behind.

Callum’s heat was radiating on Ben, like a warm blanket as he rested his head on his shoulder. He was happy. He looked up at the sky and sniffed, his eyes starting to glass over from the freezing cold as well as being full of emotion, full of love. He silently thanked the stars above for sending Callum to him, that their paths aligned. He never genuinely believed in soulmates, until Callum came into his life. He solely believed that Callum was his destiny, his soulmate.

“You okay?”

The soft gentle warm voice transmitted into Ben’s processor. The voice that sounds so familiar, the voice that he hears muffled under the bed covers late at night, the voice that always soothes him, the voice that reassures him that he is worth it.

Ben’s eyes divert upwards as he continues resting his hand on Callum’s shoulder, his hand feeling warm and cosy as it is tucked up against his. Callum is looking down at him, a smile that is full of love and dimples. His smile lit up Ben’s world. He moves his head from Callum’s shoulder and smiles softly, almost shyly.

“Never better,” Ben says, his smile moving brighter, brighter than the fireworks that continued to explode up into the night sky.

No one was looking up at them from down below anymore, all mesmerized by the fireworks. Ben untucked his hand from Callum’s and put his arm around his waist, pulling him closer. “C’mere,” he whispers amongst the stars.

He clasps his lips with Callum, pulling him into a more passionate kiss where their lips folded together. Ben suddenly felt the rose petals scratch his back lightly, a gentle tickle as Callum moved to wrap his arms around Ben’s back, pulling him closer. Their bodies were stuck together as they indulged in each other’s mouths, smiling against them, their tongues colliding as they battled for dominance, getting lost in their own heaven.

It was just them leaving the world to its own as they stood on the balcony, kissing repeatedly. It was the first proper kiss since they became fiancés. Since their family were too focused on the fireworks that were exploding above them, they decided to use the time to absorb the love and happiness that they felt of becoming engaged and getting married, of spending forever together.

“Oi lovebirds!”

The fireworks had fizzled out, the remnants of the fireworks bubbling against the stars that sounded the same as a fizzy drink bottle being opened for the first time. Ben and Callum moved their lips apart, a smack escaping their wet lips. They looked down to find Jay looking up, smiling mischievously up at them. Jay held his phone landscape in his hands and it was lowered down, like he had just snapped a photo. The perfect photo. Ben was going to have a word with him about getting that photo sent to him and ruin his ego by posting a publicly indecent photo on his social media accounts followed by the caption ‘we said yes’ with a love heart and maybe a ring and red rose emoji.

“Get down here, the champagne won’t drink itself,” Lexi ordered loudly, her little voice travelling up the balcony effortlessly. A chuckle ruptured in Ben and Callum’s chests, used to her ways a long time ago.

Downstairs, a glass of champagne was put in everyone’s hands apart from Lexi who had a glass of lemonade. They all toasted Ben and Callum, the happy power couple of Walford. Callum had his arm around Ben’s shoulders as he felt Ben’s arm across his waist. They were smiling so hard that it would probably start to physically ache soon, but they did not care. They were so happy and in love. While everyone had a sip of their champagne, Callum and Ben looked at each other and stole a quick kiss, yearning for more but knew that it was a promise for later, for when they could finally have each other to themselves.

Ben masked the disheartened feeling in his chest when Kathy showed up a couple of hours later, clearly stressed and her main priority being his waste of a space half-brother. She walked over to Ben, who was standing with Lola at the bar, with a furrowed brow as she took in her surroundings.

“What’s going on here?” She asks. “I got the text you sent me a couple of hours ago. I’ve barely looked at my phone today to be honest.”

With a disappointed smile in which Ben refused to let those feelings take over the true happiness that he felt, he told his mother the happy news, the first bit of good news since his implant worked. When Ben told her, Kathy’s eyes started to brim with wet tears, happy tears for the first time this week of the news that her youngest son was getting married, that he had a steady. She pulled Ben into a tight hug, gushing of how happy and proud she was of him, congratulating him.

Callum was alerted to Kathy’s presence when he was standing in the corner with Jay, Stuart, Rainie and Lexi.

“Where’s that future son in law of mine?” She called out. Callum turned round to find Kathy charging over to him, a wide radiant smile on her face. When she reached Callum, she pulled him into a tight hug, muttering words of congratulations and how happy she is for them both. Callum smiled kindly and looked over Kathy’s shoulder to find Ben slowly making his way over, an amused smirk dancing his lips in which Callum mirrored.

The evening ended on very little champagne, due to the amount that had been consumed by everyone throughout the evening. It all seemed to go by in a blur but to Callum, it was magical. It made his heart swell with happiness and he felt full of emotion on how this was all for him, he had to hold back the tears when Lexi presented her pink clipboard to him, her eyes lighting up in excitement when she showed him the schedule of the whole proposal.

He meant what he had said to Ben - when he’s with him, he feels like they can take on the world.

Ever since he’s been with Ben, he has felt truly loved and worth it, and was pretty much fine the way he was. He was fine as the smiley dopey self that he was born to be. He did not just have Ben, but he had a whole family who loved and cared about him. He felt so lucky of how he just slotted into their family, into their lives and into their hearts.

It made him feel on top of the world.

Towards the end of the evening, Callum was slightly tipsy because of the champagne as well as being slightly drunk on love, drunkenly in love with Ben.

“Have this darling, you’ll look like a proper princess now,” Callum crouched down to Lexi’s level, a red rose in his hand. “Thank you, our little proposal organiser!”

Lexi’s jaw dropped as a wide smile spread across her mouth, her eyes shining in delight as she took the red rose, her heart leaping at the thought of being a proper princess in her wide skirted bright pink puffy dress.

“Thanks Callum,” She exclaims in a thrill voice. “Can I organise your wedding as well?”

“No,” Ben says, almost instantly. “You’ll have us riding about in a horse and carriage if it was down to you.”

Lexi looked over to Ben, her lips pointing outwards into a frown, lines presenting itself under her eyes as she squinted, “It’d be the best wedding ever.” She insisted.

“The best wedding ever would be having you as our flower girl,” Callum tells her, flashing one of his wink-blinks in her direction, Ben completely trying to hide the fact how it just made his heart skip a beat. Lexi looks up at Callum, her face glowing with happiness as she beams up at him.

It made Ben’s heart swell up looking at the two of them together. Just like it did every time. Callum was amazing with her and Lexi adored him and always looked up to him like he hung the moon and the stars. He started to feel overcome with emotion as he reminisced of when Lexi told Callum how there is no one in the world that she would rather have as her other dad only a few hours earlier. And also how obvious it was that they were meant to be together.

Lexi was right. They were meant to be together. There was also no other man who he would want to be Lexi's other dad. Callum was meant to walk into his life and take all the darkness away and make him see the golden sun that illuminated over him and opened a doorway that was full of hope and possibilities. Taking that step through the door was the best decision that he ever made because he was finally truly happy and accepting of who he was.

Ben smiled softly, a muted chuckle rumbling in his chest as Lexi sniffed the rose dramatically, her eyes fluttering shut like she was Belle from Beauty and the Beast, the inspiration obviously coming from one of the princesses that she has made him watch a thousand times.

He briefly looked over at Callum, who was smiling down at Lexi while stealing a sip of champagne. His heart was roaring like a warm sizzling cosy fire. The two most important people in his universe and he could not quite believe that he was going to have them for the rest of his life. It was the best feeling that could make his heart almost explode out of his chest. He could not believe that he got so lucky in gaining the most kind-hearted person to ever exist.  

However, what he did not expect was by the very end of the evening for each single lady in the bar to be given a red rose. Ben stood at the bar shaking his head in disbelief, but he could not help that laugh that escaped and rattled through his body. “Do you realise how much those roses cost babe?” He called out to Callum, who was currently giving a rose to Honey.

He didn’t care though. There were thousands of roses there, but it wasn’t about that. Callum wouldn’t be Callum without being the generous person with his compassionate soul, always thinking of himself above anyone else.

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