#and very much looking forward to whatever comes next | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

esmedelacroix · 14 hours ago

Text

11 - Untouched

synopsis ! he’s an american football player by day and a passionate mathematician by night . she’s a well-rounded historian and writer who couldn’t evaluate a derivative to save her life . they lived in two different worlds but shared the same study room .

previous chapter | series masterlist

cw ! no use of y/n, y/n is _____, fluff, slow burn, college au, ooc sukuna, f!reader, child abuse/neglect, alcohol, angst, brief mention of self-harm, depressive tendencies, very suggestive, smut if you squint

fic radio ! Diet Pepsi by Addison Rae

Sukuna didn't walk back to his house like you thought he would. He took a seat on a nearby bench he was lucky wasn't occupied by some horny couple. He maybe sat there for thirty minutes belittling himself and picking apart your last interaction because, why the fuck did he do that?

What you said to him was even more intimate than simply saying, "I like you" or "I'm interested in you." It was a whole new level of romance that Ryomen wasn't ready for. He had a moment of panic; his brain short-circuited from pure shock, and he decided to cowardly say goodnight instead. Rubbing a tired hand down his face, he got up to leave.

He wanted to leave, but his feet felt like they weren't moving. His brain was urging him to get out of there, crawl into bed, and maybe skip class the next day, but his body was screaming at him to go to your dorm and confess that he felt the same way. He spent the entire night wondering if you were looking at him the way he thought you were, and it turned out you were. If the mutual fuck-me-eyes weren't obvious enough, Ryo also wasn't entirely ready to admit that his heart fluttered when he realized you didn't like pickles.

That memory alone was enough to push him forward, making him determined to silence whatever doubts were swirling in his mind. He would go to you, without hesitation. As he entered the building, people were leaving, each step fueling him. He climbed the stairs to your room, feeling a rush of urgency. The elevator would have taken too long, and he couldn't afford to wait any longer. He needed to see you now.

You, on the other hand, were back in your room, wearing a face mask and hydrating your skin, trying not to think about what had happened just an hour ago. As you cracked open a Diet Pepsi, you heard a knock at your door. This wasn’t uncommon at any hour since you were an RA, but you hoped it was Suguru, so you could have some company while you tried to manage your sanity. You rushed to the door, certain it would be either Geto or a confused freshman. You never would have expected to find 195 centimeters of Sukuna standing there.

His eyes instinctively roamed up and down your body, taking in that you were only wearing extremely short, low-waisted shorts and a tube top that could easily be mistaken for a bra. It didn't help that you had a towel wrapped around your hair and a face mask on. "Hold on," you squeaked, slamming the door in shock.

Quickly, you grabbed a random T-shirt off the ground and put it on after removing your tube top. You took off your face mask, applied some moisturizer, and tidied up as much as you could. After a few minutes, you opened the door again and stepped aside for him to come in. You sat on your bed while Sukuna took a seat in your desk chair, trying not to stare at the exposed skin on your legs. He glanced around, taking in the view of your room, which was definitely not what he expected. There were trinkets, Polaroids, and mementos everywhere. It was colorful—a kind of room that would leave anyone guessing what your favorite color was.

His gaze fell on the bear you were currently hugging for comfort, and a small smile appeared on his face. He looked closer at the Polaroids and saw pictures of you and your friends. His eyes lingered on one in particular, where you and Suguru were embracing. You were smiling at the camera while he was kissing your cheek. Sukuna often felt bothered by your relationship with Suguru; he could never quite tell if you two were just friends or if you had deeper feelings for each other and were simply trying to avoid ruining your friend group. "It's late, and I have class tomorrow," you said, breaking the moment.

“You were going to spend all night studying anyway.” He was right.

“Why are you here? I thought you had gone back,” you trailed off, looking at the ground. Sukuna paused for a moment before saying, “I um—I like the way you look at me too.”

He sat there, waiting for an answer. After what felt like an eternity (it was like ten seconds), you looked up at him. You wore that same hopeless expression in your eyes that you had when you confessed to him in your own way. “How do I look at you?”

“The way I look at you,” Ryomen answered.

“And how is that?”

“Like, if I can’t ever just look at you, I need to memorize the way you look. Like I want to burn the image of your face into my brain until it’s the only thing I can think of. Like, I need to see you and look at you as much as I can because I’ve been waiting these past three years to muster up the courage to even speak to you,” he revealed.

All you could do was stare at him, your mouth slightly open. You felt more shocked with each word that fell from his lips. "Ryomen," you stumbled, unable to say anything else.

“You don’t need to say anything; I just wanted you to know,” he reassured.

“No, I feel the same,” you confessed.

You both stared at each other. Neither of you looked away this time. You didn’t have to. You had already stripped each other bare. “So, what now?” you asked awkwardly.

“I don’t know,” he answered.

"We don’t need to know. We can just exist together and see where that takes us," you suggested. You knew what you were saying didn’t make much sense; you were too dumbfounded. It felt like you had been climbing to the top of a roller coaster all night, and when it finally went downhill, you felt scared and panicked.

“Well um, I have an early morning and you probably have things to do, so we can talk tomorrow,” you said.

“Yeah, we’ll talk tomorow,” he said getting up. “Nice shirt by the way,” he smirked nodding at you before waving goodbye and leaving.

You looked down and realized you were wearing Sukuna’s Guns N' Roses T-shirt that you never returned.

Upon returning to his house, Sukuna headed directly to Toji’s room. "Hey, man," he said, trying to hide his excitement.

His face appeared completely serious, but Toji could tell that by the way he said “Dude,” he was over the moon.

“What? What’s up? Tell me,” Toji urged, setting down his headset. He ended his game and walked straight to the bed where Sukuna was already lying on his stomach, kicking his feet. Everyone except for Toji and Sukuna noticed how the two large men often acted like teenage girls.

“Tell you what?” Gojo’s nosy ass peeked into the room and climbed onto the bed too. “I just went to the library with _____, right? And the whole time we were just staring at each other. We weren’t talking, but there was definitely a vibe,” he started.

Gojo and Toji started howling, whistling, and shoving Sukuna's shoulder. "Then what? Then what?" Todo asked, bursting through the door because, of course, he was eavesdropping.

He jumped onto the bed, provoking a chorus of moans and "C'mons," and honestly, no one really fit there anymore.

“Then we went to Sal’s for a snack, and she got fried pickles.”

“Ew, that's so her, she loves that shit,” Gojo spat.

“But, I ate them. Out of respect, you know?”

“Yuck.” Gojo interjected.

“But then get this, she thought it was funny ‘cause she actually remembered that I hate pickles. It was like a cute little prank,” he mused.

Toji rolled his eyes because she knew if he ever tried to pull that shit, he would get cussed out and maybe bitch slapped. But it was just more proof that his best friend was in love.

"And then we went to her dorm, and before she walked in, she said, [in Sukuna’s high-pitched rendition of your voice], ‘I like the way you look at me’,” henearly squealed, and the guys borderline giggled, giving each other dap and cheering.

“I didn’t think I’d see the day that Sukuna actually liked a girl here. Good work, man,” Todo sighed, getting up and stretching, clapping him on the back.

Gojo got up as well, “My group chat is blowing up; got to go!”

Toji and Sukuna lay on the bed in silence for a while. “That’s how frat guys are. Once you get the girl to like you, they don’t care about what happens next. What do you end up saying?” Toji asked.

“Well, that’s the thing; I didn’t say shit. I sat on the bench outside her dorm building for a while,” he admitted.

“The cum bench? Yuck, dude,” Toji chuckled.

“It’s actually called that?” Sukuna questioned in disbelief.

“Yeah, they say so much cum has leaked into the bench, that it’s starting to mold. Some girls even sit on it for fertility and shit,” he explained.

“Who the hell would want to be fertile in collage?”

“I don’t know, education majors? Stop distracting me is that all you did?”

“No, I went up to her dorm after a while, and when I opened the door. Her room smelled like fuckin’ cinnamon and cookies. And she was like fresh outta the shower. I could smell her hair and I wasn’t even that close to her,” you excitedly started he sat up and continued, “When she let me in and I walked past her she smelled like a bakery. Her skin looked so soft and her face looked so bright because she had a sheet mask on,” he explained lying back down stuffing his head into pillow.

Toji looked at him dumbfounded. He watched the way his eyes lit up. He couldn’t help but crack a smile. He was getting to see a whole new side of his best friend. Ryomen Sukuna was head over heels for a girl.

“And she was wearing this top with no sleeves when she opened the door. And these shorts that made her ass look unreal,” he blabbered almost in a daze.

“Alright dude, I don’t need to know about that,” Toji interrupted.

“No, but then she changed and she was wearing my Guns N’ Roses T-shirt. It was so huge on her; like at breakfast,” he recalled, stuffing his flushed face into the pillows again.

Toji couldn’t believe his eyes. This man who could take down anyone on the field, barely fit on the bed, and had tatts all over his body, was acting like girl in a romcom over you.

“Then, I told her that I like the way she looks at me too and other stuff you don’t need to know,” Sukuna finally finished smiling back at the memory.

Toji smiled to himself. “I’m happy for you man. Seriously,” Toji smiled, “Now get the hell out of here. It’s late as fuck.”

. . .

The rest of the week went by well. You and Sukuna exchanged greetings in the halls, Sal’s, and in class. You would study together in the library and Sukuna learned a lot more about you then.

He learned that your escape in high school was the yearbook club. That was how you discovered your love for being a sports spectator. It didn’t matter what sport you were observing, you could watch it, understand the rules like you play said sport, then write expertly about it. He was shocked by your football knowledge, even offered to let you coach the team.

Things went well for the next few weeks. Nothing too romantic but you were getting to know each other a lot better. Weeks turned into a month and now you found yourself at the last game of Sukuna’s college career before the spring NFL draft.

You were wearing some cropped school merch and a pair of jeans. Were you cold? Yes. Did you look and feel incredibly hot and sexy. Also yes.

You took your seat next to Suguru and passed him his popcorn. “Thanks, I owe you one,” he smiled looking to the bench. Gojo was being his usual self, hyping the team up and doing dumb shit. It was like the college-level Super Bowl. Ohio State was playing Notre Dame and no one really knew what the outcome would be.

As the game went on, feelings and tensions were high. The team flip-flopped from leading, to being behind a few points, to looking like they were going to lose the whole thing. For the first quarter, Sukuna was benched trying to conserve his hand he had hurt a week prior.

The crowd, coaches, and players were scared because they had no idea how Sukuna was going to manage. He proved those concerns incorrect as he was still leading and commanding his army of teammates from the bench.

Still, without their leader being there on the field the team wasn’t fully connecting the way they needed to. When they put Sukuna in they were gaining some momentum but still weren’t playing to their full potential. At half time the team slouched on the benches with towels over their heads and their heads either hanging low or in their hands.

That was until Gojo started being his usual self even after a tongue-lashing from their coach and Sukuna. Toji sat with cloud storming above his head, staring at the field like it killed his whole family. There were scouts and coaches at this game he couldn’t pull his head out of his ass for the life of him.

In come, Gojo pulled pranks getting Yuji excited and getting the crowd laughing as the dance and cheer squad tried to get the OSU crowd in better spirits. Soon enough, all the guys were laughing at Toji chasing Gojo around with an evil grin. Sukuna stayed seated and dialed in drawing up new shit on the board. It looked like they were out of plays and needed to try something completely different.

The following two quarters would go down in history forever at Ohio State. The crowd was going insane at the crazy plays the team was hitting. The passing was on point there were so many diversions some of the touchdowns felt illegal.

At the final half, the score was close. One play left and a little under a minute on the clock. Just then Sukuna was feeling greedy. So he faked a pass to Gojo creating confusion and beelining for the side giving Sukuna a bit more space for another fake pass to Toji who instead made a distraction for him. Sukuna booked it for the touch zone barely making it evading and stepping defenders; he made his first touchdown of the game.

Contrary to popular assumptions, Sukuna is the least greedy player on the field. He knows he’s the brain. He can go some games without scoring but he knows he’s doing his job as the playmaker of the team. The crowd roared erupting with cheers and praise. You were cheering. Sukuna’s head turned in your direction and instead of giving you one of those ‘impossible to read,’ looks he grinned.

He then got jumped by his whole team. After the festivities, you and Suguru waited outside of the lockerooms trying to get the confetti out of your hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him genuinely smile before,” Suguru quipped.

“He smiles a lot more than you think,” you cheesed.

“Is that so? What are you doing on those little study dates if yours, hmm?” he teased.

“Oh, stop it. We don’t do anything.”

“How long has that going to go on?”

“Not long. I was actually going to give him a congrats kiss,” you revealed proudly.

“Your first kiss to a sweaty brute? You make me proud, _____.”

You both hear a chorus of cheers and war cries meaning their post-win meeting was over and they would be storming out any second now. You took a mint and rubbed your clammy hands on your jeans.

“Why are you nervous?” Suguru smiled.

“It’s my first kiss! Of course I’m a little on edge,” you mumbled.

“Don’t be.”

“Thanks that helps so much,” you sarcastically drawled.

Just then Satoru burst through the door in a T-shirt and some sweats. The whole team was wearing their matching gear as they practically skipped out of the locker room in their jollity.

You all group hugged. “Where’s Shoko?” he asked.

“She’s with Utahime and the school news club interviewing people,” you explained. You let Gojo talk about the game like a toddler with a new interest to hyperfixate on. The last ones to step outwere Toji and Sukuna dripping with nonchalance.

The second his eyes landed on you, Sukuna’s face animated and he strode over to you. “Hey, you! Congrats!” you exclaimed, opening your arms for a hug. He hugged you like you were tapping him out of the military whispering in your ear, “Thank you for coming. Thank you for believing in me. I saw you cheering.”

“Of course, Ryomen,” you replied, with a smile looking up at him. You both smiled each other awkwardly before his team called him in for photos and interviews. While being pulled into the crowd, he shouted out to you, “Meet me in car parked outside the kitchen exit in 20 minutes.”

You regrouped with Suguru and the two of you walked and talked for a little while. You told him about meeting Sukuna. He just raised his brow. “Oh c’mon it’s not like that,” you defended.

“Yeah, but I know you want it to be like that. Isn’t that what you read about in your little books?” he teased.

“You don’t get to do that. I balance my consumption of actual literature and straight porn with a shitty plot very well,” you argued.

Suguru chuckled and patted your head, “I know, besides, Sukuna isn’t like that.”

I sure wish he was though. Sure, this past month it’s been great to get to know eachother and just innocently flirt. But I am a woman with needs. Needs that I have dreamt about since I read my first dirty fic in middle school on Wattpad. So, although you weren’t too experienced, you definitely knew far too much. You knew what you thought you liked.

Sukuna on the other hand, was experienced simply because he felt like he had to do the same things Toji was doing during high school and his first two years of college. Though some of the rumours were partly true, he only ever made out with girls and the last time he had sex was in freshman year when he was an absolute dog. There was no doubt he was freaked the fuck out thanks to being friends with Toji.

When you maneuvered yourself through the kitchen, you could feel your heart pounding in your head. Finally, opening the back door, Sukuna was already waiting leaning against the car.

“Hey.”

Sukuna opened the passenger door for you and drove after getting in his seat. “Where are you taking me?” you asked, after a little while driving.

“Don’t worry bout it.”

You look out the window as you enter a neighboring town not too far from campus. The area was so packed that these places were within walking distance. You recognized the route after a bit. You thought you were the only one who knew about the secluded part of the gardens. He parked at “your spot” and turned to you.

“I didn’t even know had a car.”

“I’d just rather walk places,” Sukuna shrugged.

He opened his door and then yours and the two of you sat in the back seats. It was a bit too chilly to be outside. “This is the first place I saw you,” Sukuna started.

“It seems that we both like coming here, we just never met here at the same time. That was until I saw you. But I decided that you needed space and I left you to your devices.”

“I had no idea. I thought the first time you saw me was in class or something. No one knows I come here,” you said.

“I knew.” A comfortable silence fell over the two of you as you took in the moment. You thought about how much you truly had in common.

“I’ve never been kissed before,” you blurted out cutting through the silence but making the tension thicker.

“Really?”

“Nope.”

“Not even Suguru?”

“What? Why would I kiss him?” you asked with genuine shock almost laughing the question.

“Well, you guys are just super close. I saw your Polaroids and he’s really touchy with you,” Sukuna explained.

“Oh, that’s just the way he is. He’s like that with all his friends,” you dismissed.

He stayed silent at that answer, not fully convinced. You cracked a smile, “Are you jealous?”

“So what if I am?”

“Don’t I get to be a little jealous too? You’ve kissed and slept with a bunch of girls,” you half-teased.

“Well never a girl I actually had feelings for,” he retorted.

“Oh yeah? So, how would you kiss a girl you have feelings for?”

“Like this,” he whispered in a lower gruff voice. His large rough hand went to your jaw as he tilted your head up. His fingers were warm igniting fires on your skin. He sewed his lips to yours and didn’t let go. Your hands went to his chest and he continued kissing you like he was eating you.

People always told you that your first kiss was bound to be awkward and bad; that it was something you couldn’t escape but the two of you made out like you had been dating for years. Sukuna’s hands went down to your waist to pull you in closer. You ended up straddling him with your hands raking through his short pink tufts of hair.

You weren’t sure how things got this heated but you weren’t exactly complaining. Though you expected to have your clothes thrown off by now, they were still on; a little in disarray—but on. You just kept kissing. Sure, Sukuna wanted to see and feel a little more but, he also didn’t want to stop tasting you. He was addicted to feeling your want and desperation through the feeling of your hands roaming his neck and scalp.

He was teaching you how to kiss with his mouth alone studying your tongue, demonstrating what to do with your hands, and where he liked them.

When you bit his bottom lip, he almost went completely wild. You could both feel him hardening a bit under you. Sukuna’s hands rested respectly on your waist when he wasn’t moving your hands where he needed them and brushed your hair out of your face so he could stare at you for the brief moments your lips where apart. You wanted his hands lower and even started to move a little to taunt him.

But as quick as the passionate exchange started, it ended with the piercing ring of Sukuna’s phone. You both pulled apart breathing heavily like you were only breathing in eachother for the past ten minutes. Your eyes were still locked and a bit of sweat formed. You hadn’t even realized that ten minutes had passed. His kiss felt like an enternity and you wanted to drown in him forever.

. . .

-> next part

@minasuniverse @not-a-glad-gladiator @love-me-satoru @sukunawhores @emoedgylord @domainofmarie @sadrna @lazylunarlover @tamishadawn @boudoirbae @river-vixenn @bitchyfestivalbouquet @elizabeth-von-winken-universe @clp-84 @emochosoluvr @yoongithebean @linaaeatsfamilies @magalimachete @chubbydumplingbarnes @katsukiseyebrows @sukubusss @r33m-world @pelicanpizza @mykuronekome @linny-bloggs @your-mum3000 @jayathelostdragon @userr152536367474 @veras-fanfic-reblogs @yuaisen @k0taaaa @nina-from-317 @sukunasrealgf @sukunana12 @syynthesame @kyo-kyo1 @chloe022r @detredoomy @lanaleanne @kunascutie @recelestial @nyx1e-e @nanam1nz @himezoro @fushiguroooozzz @calypso888

comment to be added to the taglist !

63 notes · View notes

namfinessed · 19 hours ago

Text

party 4 u - k.th.

genre: angst, fluff, soulmates!au (6.7k)

summary: every year on your birthday, you throw a big party and every year on your birthday, you wait for taehyung to show up and every year on your birthday, taehyung shows up, only to disappear after. but he always comes back, he always comes back.

note: this story doesn't have much dialogue, it's very much focused on the internal thoughts of the main character, it's quite focused on the feelings and not the plot. nevertheless, i hope you guys enjoy as always and that you feel something when you read this <3

there are very few people who actually change your life and when they do grace your life, they tilt your world on in their direction and you can't think of anything else but to follow them, you can't ever avoid the inevitability of someone becoming a part of your life.

you knew from the moment your teacher introduced your best friend on her first day in school, that she was going to be important.

you knew from the moment your first ever date said that he didn't like to give or recieve flowers, that you were going to get hurt.

you knew from the moment you met taehyung, that he was going to change your life.

but when exactly that would happen?

you were yet to found out.

that's why you're sitting here, chewing on your freshly done nails, in a dress that made breathing difficult, with glitter trailing your arms and legs and a blingy crown sitting on your head, waiting for his message to come through.

"you know, he's not the only one coming," your best friend, lisa, snickered, a balloon in her hand and you threw your head back, "is it bad that i only care about him coming?"

lisa wondered for a moment, "a little bit but crushes are unreasonable like that," she shrugs and starts walking away but you're already getting up to follow her.

"it's not a crush! i told you, i don't care about him that much," you huff, trying to smirk but lisa side-eyes you, "did you hear yourself say that you only care about him coming or did i imagine that bit?"

"i'm just...curious," you shrugged and she sighed, "whatever you say."

you didn't know how to explain to her, the itch, the longing, the excitement of just catching a glimpse of his hair, his face, his anything.

but you also wanted to tell her, he wasn't everything to you, not yet but right now, your world chose a new orbit to rotate on, and he was the orbit, you were the star.

you were still the star.

you were turning 21 today for god's sake.

within the next hour, your tiny apartment had people crawling on every corner, some were making out, some were drinking their asses off, some you actually liked and some you knew nothing about.

there was no sign of your orbit and you tried not to feel like you've been plummeted in the dark of space.

"let's cut the cake!" lisa cheered, clapping loudly to get everyone's attention and everyone erupted in cheers. at once, you were the shining star in this room and everyone's eyes and hands pushed you towards your kitchen island.

you saw your cake.

a pink heart with two sparkling '2' and '1' candles on it.

and you tried to tell yourself that it didn't matter that taehyung wasn't here, you would drink enough to forget about him by tomorrow.

but you still looked, all the way from the entry to your apartment to the people who crowded in front of you.

nevertheless, you stepped forward to your cake and forced yourself to smile as big as you could because people still showed up to celebrate you.

so, you had to shine.

you had to be grateful.

you were grateful.

but their voices drowned in your ears and their faces all blended together.

when the lights dimmed and everyone's not-so-meliduous reindition of the 'happy birthday' song floats through the air, your face lights up with the candles and you hear a new voice.

a new, clear voice that cuts through everyone else's and that's when you know that he was here.

so, you look up and there he was, standing among the crowd but standing out as if everyone else didn't exist, a clarity in a haze, and he meets your eyes.

your orbit.

was here.

YOUR orbit.

was here.

you smile at him clapping and singing the song and under his gaze, you feel your body fold, feel your knees weaken and your heart thunder just a bit.

when you blow out the candles, you are acutely aware of his eyes on you and you feel like jelly on legs.

but you blow the light out and look up as quickly as you can to see him, savour him.

in the darkness and chaos, he stands still and mouths to you 'happy birthday, sweets.'

your orbit.

was here at your 21st birthday party.

the party you threw for him.

and you shined the brightest when he smiled at you as everyone else's claps faded into white noise.

feeling taehyung's attention on you always left you feeling like a fresh wound opening in front of him, as if he could see through the layers under your skin and directly touch the tender parts of your soul if he wanted to.

but he always kept his hands to himself, even if you wanted them desperately on you, even if your tender parts ached and beat for him.

"quite a party you have here," he hums and you're struggling to believe this is reality.

you are 21.

you are in a room full of people.

you are backed into a corner with taehyung leaning on the wall next to you.

you are with taehyung.

you don't know how it happened, how it started, if you stepped to him, if he stepped to you, if everyone else saw it too, if everyone else could see the galaxy growing between you two.

it always felt as if gravity pulled your bones and nerves towards him and it always felt right when you were perched next to him.

you wanted to scream, 'i did this for you!' but you smiled modestly instead, "you didn't see lisa's 21, it was way, way wilder than this," there were broken bones, and confetti was found in the corners of your house for weeks.

he laughs a little, eyes growing close and his laughter runs like a hot wire through your spine.

"i think even if i did, i would like this one better," taehyung raised his eyebrows at you and you couldn't help it, you asked even if you knew the answer, "why?"

"because here, you're the birthday girl and i get to see you in this crown," he laughs again, fingers poking at the bling sitting on top of your head and your chest compresses when he runs his fingers on the edges of it.

the birthday girl part, you expected.

your crown, not so much.

and it suddenly felt more present on your head than it was before.

"i told lisa that it was a bit much," you self-conciously touched the tip of it and he frowned, "what? no, it looks...good on you."

but you could see he was biting back a few words.

"you can't be serious," you shake your head and taehyung smiles, "well, don't believe me but don't take it off, it's very you."

and you don't know what takes over your brain.

you imagine his compliments in your ear as you wear a white dress and he wears a crisp maroon suit.

his whispers of 'the rest of my life, with you, in your heart and you in mine' as your veil dragged behind you.

you shake it off.

it was dangerous.

possibility.

potential.

you couldn't dwell in it but you couldn't ignore it.

so, you talked instead and he met you, word for word, expression to expression, face to face and sometimes, body to body.

"i miss what dating used to be," he takes a swig out of his cup, and you lean in, a moth to his flame.

"what do you mean?"

"things used to mean something, you know? people used to want to know each other and fall in love at the same time. now, everyone wants a full report on the other person but refuse to fall in love," he sounded...frustrated and tired, and a part of you ached for him and yourself and your generation.

what did this mean for you?

was he just tired or tired and not open to anything at the moment?

why were you holding up the wall here if he didn't want anything?

but taehyung wasn't like that.

he couldn't be.

"that's true, it's like you can also love someone in the process of knowing them, instead of waiting for something to come up that ticks you off and leave them but you know, there is someone for everyone," you continue and he nods fiercely, eyes widening and body relaxing next to you.

and you relax too.

taehyung can see that you have something, he can see that he's yet to change your life, that he owed your instinct that satisfaction.

"people only love when its convinient for them now, when it's convinient for them to fall, be affectionate, caring, no one wants to show up when shit hits the roof but you're right, there is someone for everyone, just can't be sure who is who anymore."

you wonder who burned him for him to speak with so much venom and your heart that dropped and picked up during his whole speech, dropped solidly to the ground.

you want to shake him and tell him, 'i'm not like that! i'll stand with you between the heavens and the earth, will you love me?'

because you're dramatic like that, a bit obsessed with bridgerton and the regality of love, and you think he might like that part of you.

you hope that he would like that part of you.

then, his phone buzzes. he excuses himself and turns away to talk, you wait impatiently for his eyes to look at you again, to have his full attention again.

but then he turns around with a small pout and you try not to let your heart sink further.

"i just gotta go for a few minutes," and you're already nodding and smiling, but your heart's beating from 6 feet underground, and you're saying that it's okay, "but i'll be back! i promise, like 20 minutes and i'll be here again," he rushes to explain and you nod again, with even more understanding and enthusiasm.

because you're cool like that.

"that's totally fine, let me see you out" you walk with him till the door, watch him put his shoes on, try not to laugh as he slips a bit trying to put his shoes on, and laugh anyway when he narrows his eyes at you.

he laughs with you before his eyes completely soften.

"happy 21 sweets, you look beautiful and so does your crown," taehyung's finger brush once again on the edge of bling, a flash of amusement and endearment flash in his eyes before he leaves with his head down.

you're left with red cheeks and a hand that unconciously brushes on the silly tiara on your head.

he doesn't come back.

lisa takes your hand and drags you out of the apartment after you wait for an hour on the sofa.

but your hand still reaches for your tiara throughout the night and you still want to tell taehyung that you might just be his someone.

21 faded like everything else.

it was filled with heartbreak, hope, but mostly, just heartbreak.

because taehyung never returned in your life fully.

he came and went.

a handsome smile during sunset on a hill.

across the hood of his car, where you laid, watching you and your body getting bathed in light that made you look like you came from above.

driving back to your house where you lingered near the door until his car disappeared down the road.

zero messages or calls from him after.

and you were here, turning 22 and an invitation in the form of a casual text message that was unread by him. sat heavily on your phone.

as casual as the message was, so were your feelings.

they really were.

they had to be.

and this time, you were grown anyway, you weren't a princess with a tiara.

you were an angel with wings that could rival a victoria's secret model.

because you could be turning 50, but you would still pull up with the drama of a paegant queen, this was part of growing to you, getting to be everything your kid self would find super cool.

"hey, baby," a familiar strong aftershave scent engulfed you from behind and nuzzled it's nose into your glitter-spilled neck.

yes, you had a boyfriend.

yes, it was terrible that you were waiting on someone else.

but no, you didn't love him.

you didn't hear wedding bells nor could your eyes flash the tiniest bit of a veil and a suit when you were with your boyfriend.

somehow, that was all reserved for someone who couldn't even answer your text.

so, you nuzzled back, you cheered with your friends and you thought, life has so much to see, life wasn't just taehyung.

and you partied.

hard.

for hours.

until your knees shook with every step you took, until your lips were swollen from the kisses your boyfriend stole, until you walked into the bathroom and smiled stupidly at your reflection.

22 fucking rocked.

but then, you got out of the bathroom, humming, a skip in your step and your boyfriend had his tongue down someone else's throat, someone else's lip swole as he swallowed them whole.

and you watched.

you waited for your world to crash and burn.

you waited for your stomach to drop.

you waited.

for something.

anything.

to know that he meant something to you.

but you couldn't even conjure up a single tear for him.

"baby?" his voice was as if in a tunnel and it echoed all around you but didn't quite reach you.

"baby, it's not what you think, she's just an old friend," he was still talking and somehow, lisa appeared in the fuzzy borders of your eyesight.

"i knew it! i fucking knew it, the second i saw you looking at her, i fucking knew it! how dare you? how could you, on her birthday? seriously, is thi-" and it was all too much.

lisa's voice.

his voice.

his whining.

your own breathing.

just too fucking much.

so, you walked away, lisa came behind you because she was good like that, because she was your friend, because you would follow her to everywhere too.

but you held a soft, shaking hand up, the alcohol suddenly feeling like it took your feet off the ground.

"i just need a minute, alone. i'll be out, i'll be back, okay?" and her eyes softened, but she didn't know.

she didn't know that you were still thinking of taehyung.

would he ever do something like this to you?

and with that thought, you stumbled out of the bar, loose-limbed and free from a ridiculous man that you would regret dating.

you had to thank the girl who kissed him, she took a load off your hands.

you sat on a ledge and rested your head on the wall, the vibrations from the music in the club bounced off your head but you enjoyed it, you tapped your feet to the beat and let yourself just be.

then, you heard arguing.

shouting, actually.

and you peeked.

because, who wouldn't?

but you regret it immediately.

on the sidewalk, just a couple feet from you was an angry taehyung and the girl with swollen lips.

yes, that girl with swollen lips.

fate was funny.

maybe cruel to taehyung right now.

but to you, it was hilarious.

you watched in mild amusement and not-so-mild jealousy as she tries to hold him, tries to console him, tries to kiss him (which had you curling your fist at nothing), and all the while, taehyung looked at the road behind her.

then, she yells at him.

"this is because you never stepped up! this is because of you, not me. i tried to be a good girlfriend but you never even tried to be a good boyfriend," she wailed at him, eyes turning glassy and jaw quivering.

which was interesting, because ten minutes ago, she was kissing the lips you had kissed for four months.

you waited for taehyung to do something.

but he was a tree, unmoving, hands shoved deep in his pockets and that had your respect for him skyrocketing.

she was shaking her head at him, hailing a cab and soon, it was just taehyung on the street, bathed in moonlight and you didn't even try to look away.

heartbroken people shouldn't have looked as good as he did.

no one should look as good as him.

"sweets?" his voice sounded as his nickname for you.

sweet.

surprised.

warm.

and.

so fucking soft.

why did he call out to you like you were the only person his voice changed for?

"hi, taehyung," you swallowed and everything you waited to feel, rained down on you like stars falling from the sky and hitting your head.

maybe your kid self wouldn't find the sick yearning in your throat, your chest, your stomach, knees and ankles, super cool but you agreed with your kid self on this.

this wasn't very cool.

it wasn't very cool to feel everything from one person calling out to you nor was it cool to watch him with eyes that were practically dripping with love.

it was irrational.

stupid.

but taehyung comes to stand in front of you and offers a strained smile and you don't want to be anywhere else in this world.

"nice wings," he muses, and you shrug, delighted that he noticed them, "it's a birthday thing."

a look of realisation passes on his face.

he doesn't panic to explain that yeah, he forgot but remembered that it was your birthday.

instead, he smiles, larger, brighter and whispers, "happy 22, sweets."

"or should i just call you angel?" you scrunch your nose at him, pretending to be annoyed but you really didn't like angel, you would only like 'sweets' from his mouth.

he laughs at you and the sound always made you feel so proud.

like hello world, look what i can do? i can make the man i love laugh, i can make him feel joy, i can light up his life, and even for just a second, i own you world.

"what did you do today?"

"broke up with my boyfriend," a spark of hope passes quickly in his eyes.

"same here."

"i saw."

"oh," taehyung looks away, scratching his neck, "i didn't mean to, i was just here," you explained and he nodded, "yeah well, it happened."

"she was kissing my boyfriend, actually," you didn't need to tell him, but you wanted to.

"what a coincidence," no emotion played in his tone.

"you can beat him up if you'd like, he's inside," you point towards the club and taehyung laughs, but it was cold, detached, "my girlfriend, well ex now, kissed him back so i can't exactly blame him."

"that's right too," you shrug, leaning your head back on the wall and ignore the stabbing need for more words to come out of your mouth.

you wanted to say so much more.

you wanted to ask if he remembered the hill, the car, the sunlight and mostly, you wanted to ask if he remembered you in all of it.

but you didn't.

because if he forgot, you wouldn't know how to live with that.

"i'm sorry about not calling you after that day."

that day.

that sacred day.

you actually expected him to act as if it never happened.

"which day?"

because you like to make him squirm sometimes, because you know that he knows that he's left you hanging not once, but twice.

taehyung laughs a little, shaking his head, "all the days, i should've always called you back, is it too late now?"

what a stupid question.

your life waited for taehyung, it was never too late for him.

your heart climbs up your throat, down your tongue and hangs right at the edge, waiting for him to take it.

"no, not late and well, i'm here now, talk to me," you wish you could say that your desperation wasn't obvious but when taehyung grins at you, you know he's caught it.

the soft centre of your soul for him opens up again.

he holds his hand out and your wings close around you in the wind of the night.

you don't think you could've done anything else in that moment except take his hand and walk away into the night.

"happy 23, sweets," taehyung's voice in your ear and his kiss on your temple, beat everything else in the world.

you were 23.

finally.

with taehyung by your side.

you weren't in an pageant-level outfit, you were in his t-shirt, his shorts, in his bed, with the clock blinking red with 12:00.

but you had your old tiara, a bright eye-hurting pink wig, a new furry sash, and a full face of your best makeup on.

because you still had to be dramatic, it wouldn't be your birthday without atleast a little bit of flair.

and taehyung was here, arms wrapped from behind you, his scent, his softness, touching you everywhere your skin screamed to be touched and you melted.

because this was what you waited for.

you were never wrong with your gut feeling.

you were never wrong about taehyung.

that night, when you walked away with his hand in yours, you didn't know where you would end up but you always hoped it would be here, with wedding bells ringing in your ear everytime he smiled.

"i was hoping to see you somewhere," taehyung had said, hands scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish smile and you raised your eyebrows at him, "and ignoring my text would've helped you, how?"

and he had laughed, "i don't think you realise how scared i get."

it was a loaded answer but with no real explanation.

"with what?"

"you."

"you're scared of me?"

"yeah."

"seriously?" you narrowed your eyes at him and taehyung squeezed his eyes shut in delight.

"i love when you look at me like that," taehyung smirked after and you almost stumbled onto the road.

"like what?"

"like you don't believe a word i say, like you can see right through me," he hums and you swallowed down the words, 'i do see you, i see you, i see through you, i see around you, all i want is for my eyes to have you in front of them.'

"that doesn't explain the scared part, taehyung." you said instead, casual, cool, unbothered but your stomach furled and unfurled like a wild cat in heat.

"it's true!" he threw his hands up in the air, and you scoffed, "that's a lame excuse to not text me back, taehyung."

not so casual, not so cool, not so unbothered but you couldn't keep it in you anymore.

and maybe he noticed the underlying exhaustion your tone held, the exhaustion of your hope slowly burning out over the year.

taehyung knew he had messed up but he never could guess if you cared about him messing up or not.

so, he bit the bullet.

"you terrify me," and his words were softer, laced with the kind of vulnerability that was addictive, it was as if watching the flowers of his voice slowly bloom in front of you.

"how so?"

"because, every other person, i can fake something with, i can fake a smile, my feelings, and i'm okay with that. it doesn't make me sound like a good person but it's easier to fake that stuff when you know the other person isn't in it for anything serious," maybe he noticed he was rambling, taehyung took a deep breath, let out a tired laugh and smiled at you.

he poked at the frown forming between your eyebrows, and his touch bled into your skin, making it liquid, suddenly your skin could be anything taehyung wanted it to be.

"my point is, when you look at me, i don't want to lie or fake anything, even if that's easier, i just want to be me and i don't know, well, i don't know if you'll like that. i've always been okay with casual relationships, but if it's you," he looked up at you, you sucked in a shaky breath, the world suddenly spinning uncontrollably in front of you.

your wings fluttered around you again, the wind closing in on the two of you and you waited with wide eyes and a tight throat for taehyung to finally tell you something real.

he was either going to break your heart or have it forever.

"if it's you, it can't be casual, i can't be casual and that's," he looked at you again, as if he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth, as if he's buried them so long ago that them coming out made no sense.

but there taehyung was, making your face warm and red.

"that's terrifying, y/n."

and knowing that you scared him, shook whatever foundation he was always comfortable with had you gleaming with confidence.

"do you want to do it scared?"

his head snapped up at you, eyes zeroing on your face to search for any signs of teasing or joking.

"because i'm scared too, and whenever i see you, i feel like everyone else doesn't exist. i'm scared but i'll do it, if you do it," there was no going back, there was no hiding behind your phone and texts and invitations.

there was only your torn apart body and your bleeding soul, that waited for him, that was always waiting for him.

he had stepped forward and kissed you then.

he had smiled and told you that he would do it.

the wedding bells rung then.

your gut screamed at you, 'i told you so!'

and taehyung did it.

he loved you while he was scared, not perfectly but he did it.

but 23 was still 23.

and you were still people, imperfections and fights and all.

but right now, the birthday candle in front of you flickered and threw it's light onto taehyung's face.

that night, he whispered to you, "do you remember you told me that there was someone for everyone? you were right, you are my someone, and i hope you're my someone in every life."

and the wedding bells kept ringing.

five years passed painfully, quickly.

but slowly enough for a ring to shimmer on your finger.

you and lisa had drifted apart.

you didn't remember the face of the man who cheated on you.

your pagaent-level outfits were old news.

taehyung was old news.

at least, that's what you told yourself.

because there was a man holding onto your waist with a tighter grip than you'd like but you smiled and let it go.

taehyung had touched you gently, but he hadn't stayed.

your friend from school, edward, had stayed.

it helped that your families were the ones to bring you together.

"and there she was, just beautiful and i knew i had to make her mine," edward said proudly to a room full of people who swooned and clapped, he smiled down at you but your stomach didn't jump, your skin didn't tingle and your heart shriveled.

the wedding bells still didn't ring with edward even if you were set to marry him in nine months.

but they would soon.

they had to.

he was the rest of your life.

"but you know, some taming was required," he whisper-announced and you wanted the ground to swallow you up but you laughed instead.

"either way, i'm glad she's mine, i love her and i can't wait to live the rest of my life with her," his eyes always glimmered but it was never with love.

it left you feeling confused.

because they sparkled.

so, it had to be something good?

but lately, his eyes made you sick in the stomach.

"love you more," you kissed his cheek, and his fingers brushed the ring on your finger.

"why don't you take it off before dinner so that you don't lose it?"

it was always like this.

the sweetest words he ever told you, were loud enough for the rest of the world to hear but the words only you could hear, were hardly ever sweet.

when he sees your face fall, his eyes shut exasperatedly and he forces a smile, "i just don't want you to lose it."

"i only lost your sunglasses that one time, edward and i even paid you for it, so can you leave me and my ring alone?"

"it's my ring too," he argued, eyes narrowing but when someone claps him on the back, edward smiles like the world's shining on him and he's once again the charismatic and easygoing guy you first liked.

then, he walked away with that person.

and you finally breathed again.

he was going to leave you.

not now.

not anytime soon.

but when you're older, when you have more wrinkles, when you're not as glamorous anymore, he was going to find someone younger and leave you.

you maybe had 10 years for that to happen.

you sighed.

if it weren't for your family introducing him to you, you never would've met him, and you never would've been...whatever you were now.

you left the room too.

and the bathroom was somehow a worse place to be.

it was just you.

but it also wasn't you.

your hair laid neatly with curls at the end, not one strand was out of place.

your eyeliner was thin.

your blush was a light mauve.

your lipstick was an appropriate brown.

you were wearing a knee-length skirt and blouse, both in dull colors.

and it was your 28th birthday.

28 fucking sucked.

but no one in the other room cared about that, no one brought you a cake and a candle, no one cared that you were 28 today.

even you didn't.

today was your engagment announcement, not your engagement announcement and your birthday.

edward had said it would be special to celebrate but he hadn't even bothered with acknowleding your birthday today.

you guess, this was just 28.

maybe 29 would be better.

or worse.

maybe you were wrong about taehyung then.

maybe you were wrong about everything too.

but you would still grow an year older and the world would still rotate.

several girls entered the bathroom with bright dresses, glitter all over their faces, dyed hair and they all laughed amongst themselves.

you were seeing yourself, from a couple years ago in women you didn't even know and a part of you ached for who you were.

you were your own person, you had your own likes and dislikes, you wore smoky eye makeup to class just because you could and now you were here, bland and drowned out.

you stared at yourself with more pity than you'd like on any other day and pushed the door open again, plastering on a polite smile and forcing yourself to get through...the rest of your life.

you blend into the crowd seamlessly, having perfected this routine, this dance of polite but not boring, entertaining but not crass, beautiful but won't claim it out loud.

you were what he said you were, tamed.

and soon, everyone became another face in the crowd, another person to greet and another person to look good to, to not embarass edward.

speaking of edward, you looked for him in the crowd, and when you found him, you wish you could say you were surprised.

he was whispering to a younger girl and laughing obnoxiously loudly at something his friends were saying.

at your engagement, he had the gall to kiss her cheek too.

your eyes met with his.

he looked back at you with that glimmer that you now realise is pride.

pride at having succeeded in molding you into whatever he wanted.

he changed you, tamed you and still didn't like you, still would choose someone else but he only wouldn't because you were the easier choice, you were already molded to fit him.

you hated that shape of you now.

you couldn't remember anymore, why you ever liked him.

years of him by your side and one look from across the room had you coming to the realisation that yeah, you could smile, fake it, be with edward, have a fine family, be a hot divorcee, you could do it all.

but you don't want to.

you won't.

you walked over to him and his hands immediately reached out to grab you.

you placed the ring in his open palm, "i guess this was always really yours, i can't do this, have a good life."

and you hear his angry shouting but you don't care enough to turn back, you know that he wouldn't if he found someone else, hell, he wouldn't even chase you down the hall.

your stomach twisted with pride, embarrassment, fear and grief.

you looked at the finger where the ring had been.

a deep, angry and red imprint glared back to you.

you should've known it then, the smaller ring size, the engagement announcement on your birthday, the constant taunts telling you to tone down, calm down, be less of yourself.

but edward was also old news now.

and you had to start over, all over again.

at 28.

but then you pass one person by.

just one person.

who you would recognize even from outer space.

and you stop.

right in the middle of the room.

you stop.

and your shoulders fall.

the relief you felt coursed through you in waves.

the relief that came from knowing that you were never wrong about taehyung.

you could be wrong about everything else in the world but never him.

he would always come back to you and you to him.

your organs all dropped, after being hung from strings for so long, everything in your body relaxed and fell back into their place.

maybe at 28, you won’t have to start all over again.

you knew that just a couple steps away, he paused too.

and when you turn around to see him, there's no surprise at all, there's no stiffness, there's no small talk, there's nothing except sweet, sweet relief.

there is only silence with unsaid words echoing in it, there’s only eyes that scan your every inch, there’s only longing and regret and mourning pumping through every cell in you.

'there you are.'

'where have you been?'

'why did you let me drift away for this long?'

but your eyes drop, it was painful to see him, it was always at least a little painful to see taehyung because you couldn’t believe he existed, that he was real, that he was once yours…or still was.

"you came back to town?" is the only thing you can whisper.

he had left for a job.

there were many tears.

lots of arguments.

lots of screaming.

you had tried long-distance for an year or two but that only made you hate each other, you had broken it off amicably, you were the one who called it, you wouldn't have even dreamt of that possibility before, that you would ever let him go.

but you did and nothing dramatic happened but soon, you were out of each other's lives.

but you two.

you never are out of each other's lives, are you?

at least, not for too long.

"just a couple days ago," he swallowed and his voice dropped your shoulders further.

you felt sleepy.

dazed.

cradled.

just from being around him, you felt like more of yourself.

you felt 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and every other age that you held him close to your heart, which was apparently also 28.

"for good or?" your guarded heart asked.

"for you, and for good, yeah," taehyung grinned, struggling to meet your eyes, and the hand with the ring imprint on it, flinched next to your body.

“you knew i’d be here?”

“lisa told me.”

she was invited, she was in a different city but she was always invited.

you had to call her, kiss her, thank her, tell her you missed her.

you had to call so many people.

“am i late again?” he stared at the imprint.

you wanted to say yes, that he was late, that because he left you, you had to suffer for this long, you had to fall in love with someone you didn’t even like, just to forget him.

but you also just wanted to be held again.

because you knew it wasn’t his fault or yours.

and your body was calling to him.

"not too late,” you said instead, hoping that he sweeps you off your feet, squeezes the life out of you, and fills your ear with sweet words that were only for you.

taehyung’s fingers twitch, and you watch as his face goes from resignation to his fate, to hope, soaring hope.

you watch each other with amused smiles.

look how terribly our lives are tangled, even when we walk from each other, look at how we find each other.

“what are you going to do about it, taehyung?” you ask, because you wanted to run away with him and never look back at anything.

“do you love him?” the question throws you off balance but you had the answer.

"i did once, yeah but not for a while, not anymore," you whisper, rubbing the spot where your ring used to be, “it never felt like it was my ring.”

it also never felt like it was your life.

then, he touches you, not explosively like you wanted but tenderly like you needed.

his fingers reach for the back of your hand achingly slowly and they brush your skin once, twice and he doesn’t grab, he holds.

“i came back for you, i had to leave but i always knew i would come back for you.”

“even if i was with someone else?”

“you and i both know, that we are written in the stars,” that one sentence put together everything your gut had been telling you for years, that this was it, he was it, “no one can stop us, not even us and if you let me, i would love to love you all over again.”

and the wedding bells rang.

but this time, it wasn’t just your wedding that you could imagine.

it was everything.

you imagined him twirling you on a hotel room floor on your wedding night.

you imagined looking up at him from under a veil and feeling like you did everything right in your life if you ended up next to him.

you imagined coming home to him after an exhausting day at work.

you imagined waving goodbye to your kids as they left for school.

you imagined tracing the wrinkles on his hands as his hair grew white.

you imagined kissing the top of his grave.

you imagined lying next to him, in this life, the afterlife, and every other life.

so, you do what you wanted.

you pull him forward and bury yourself into his body, molding your body to fit him, the shape you always liked.

and this time, you knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

how?

because your body just knew, your heart just knew, they had known since you were 20 and they still knew now.

and taehyung moves away only to plant the softest kiss on your temple.

“happy 28, sweets.”

56 notes · View notes

toxicrelief · 24 hours ago

Text

Crawling Back to You

Chapter twenty-one

Synopsis: A Viltrumite is headed towards earth

Pairing: Rex x F!Reader

Word Count: 6.8k

Chapter: 21/?

Masterlist of all Chapters

TW: Depictions of Violence, Short Graphic Memory

Note: I love Invincible, the whole show is so :3 but there are so many inconsistencies with things, like why Cecil was able to monitor that Allen was coming, but was blind sighted by Anissa, and the differences in speeds, like mark turning off the light while practically phasing through Amber’s arm in one episode. So I’m having fun trying to utilize/fix those plot holes a little.

Also very show dialogue heavy this chapter.

Cecil is debriefing you, at least you think he is. He’s talking quickly, gesturing at the sizable screen against the wall of the surveillance room. As much as your whole attention should be on whatever Earth’s newest threat is, your mind is only replaying what just happened between you and Rex. That happened, right? It wasn’t another embarrassing dream, that was real. You looked down at your arm and considered whether you should pinch it or not. Does that actually work? You never thought to do that when you’re actually in a dream, so you must be awake.

Fiddling absentmindedly with the teleportation wristband you glanced up at Cecil. The device dug lightly into your skin, leaving grooves when you pushed it to the side. What does this mean going forward? Would you really just be able to talk about it like adults? Seemed unlikely somehow.

“Sir, it just passed by close enough to get footage.”

“Then pull it up, Donald. Christ, what are you waiting for?” Cecil was more agitated than usual, leaning forward on his hands that were pressed against the desk in front of him.

A section of the screen was taken over by a large pop-up; slowed footage of the oncoming Viltrumite. It was a woman, wearing a grey and white suit. She had short dark hair and a steady sneer on her face.

“That’s not Omniman.” An obvious statement, said more to yourself than anyone in the room. You begrudgingly set Rex aside in your mind, finally focusing fully on the situation.

“Astute observation as always, Killdeer.” Cecil didn’t turn to look at you, his eyes closely analyzing the screen.

You shot him a sidelong look. “Shouldn’t you alert the Guardians, Invincible-” You tried to think of anyone else but drew only blanks, “Or…I don’t know, anyone else?”

“We need to see what she wants. If we respond to her appearance with every hero, guns blazing, that might only agitate the whole situation.”

“So, you’re going to wait and see if she decides to level a whole city? Like Chicago?”

“We don’t have much of a choice. This is how it is. You need all the facts before acting.”

You didn’t respond, turning your gaze back to the screen. You didn’t like it. It was leaving too much up to chance.

“Don’t worry, kid. We’ve got you.” Cecil gave you a small nod, it almost felt like he was trying to make you feel better. The statement only made your stomach twist harder, you felt that you had connected to Mark, you’d worked tirelessly with that godforsaken blood bag. But Mark was partially human, even if the Viltrumite DNA had worked meticulously to cleanse him in regards to any trace of genetic humanity. This person was likely full blooded. The pressure felt enormous. Digging into you, ripping at your skin. What if you couldn’t do it? What if you could, but it knocked you out in the process? That would leave everyone with a huge problem, and you, most likely, without a head.

“Coffee?” Donald’s standing next to you now, holding out an already assembled coffee.

“I feel like this is a little below your pay grade.” You gave him a small lopsided smile, but took it, regardless of whether you liked coffee or not, you weren’t about to leave him hanging.

“This isn’t one of my duties, I’m doing it because I can.” He gave you a small nod before turning to one of the agents in the room with you who had walked up to him with a tablet.

From the consistent feed flowing in on the screen, the furious typing coming from the different desks in the room, and the look on Cecil’s face, it was going to be a long night.

The minutes passed painfully slow. The GDA had immense access to just about every type of surveillance they could need, which meant, the first glimpse they had of the oncoming Viltrumite was at least a planet away. A countdown was clicking by, running off to the side of the visual display. Really adding to the feeling of impending doom.

You looked down at your second cup of bad coffee, running your thumb over the paper ridges that were starting to unfurl at the rim. Donald had brought your suit in for you to change into rather than your nightwear, which you appreciated. But changing made it all feel much more real. More serious. The adrenaline was dying away steadily now though, and your mind was starting to drift away again. A few times you opened your phone to message Rex, but you didn’t know what you’d say.

‘Hey, about the fact we made out an hour ago, what’s that about?’ putting your phone down with a sigh you tried to focus again on Cecil debriefing yet another group of people. In the time you had been here, it seemed like Cecil had spoken directly to upwards of forty people. That or you were awful at committing anyone to memory, and the same groups were coming through. Maybe a bit of both.

‘I’ve been really into you for a few weeks now, and I feel really stupid about it because you’ve been a complete and utter ass.’

Worse.

‘I want to do that again. Please.’

Delete his number at this point.

‘Hi.’

You typed it out, tapping the desk in front of you with your other hand. It was beyond late. He should be sleeping by now. Your body ached from an evening of fraternizing in heels, and everything in you wished you were in that bed right now rather than sitting in this office chair. Which had no lumbar support, by the way. The GDA can manufacture a whole hand for Rex but not afford semi-quality chairs?

Even if nothing had happened, and the two of you slept with that stupid pillow between you the whole night. You would be happy just to be near him. Hear his breathing slow as he drifted off to sleep. Maybe it was foolish to think that somehow, he would have had a more restful sleep near you, but you really wondered…

Hey.

Staring down at the screen your incessant tapping paused. He was still awake. You’re straightening up in your chair, thumbs hovering over the keyboard. Shit, now what?

You weren’t sure what to say, how to say it. But somehow just his response seemed to relieve some sort of tension within you.

“Goddamn it-”

You looked up, dropping your phone on the desk. The overhead screen moments ago holding live footage of the oncoming threat, was now black. The foreboding countdown stopped at five minutes out.

“What happened?” You stood up swiftly, sending your chair a good foot away.

“She flew straight through our satellite.” Cecil was standing over the shoulder of a GDA agent, monitoring their screen.

“And what? Destroying one satellite makes her disappear?” You’re at his side in an instant trying to learn anything you can from the screen he’s looking at.

“It doesn’t make her disappear, no. But it causes a second delay in the relay with our other satellites. With the speed she was moving at it’s nearly impossible to catch up unless we know where she’s going.”

You look back up at the black screen, the large red timer to the side still frozen with minutes and seconds left over.

“She wouldn’t come here, would she?” Your mouth felt dry.

Cecil is quiet for a moment.

“Cecil, how likely is it she’ll come crashing through that wall?” You gesture with a harsh whisper towards the dark screen, your pulse quickening.

“I don’t know.” It’s surprisingly calm. “You know as much as me as to why she’s here. I don’t know the chances.”

“Because I really want to kiss you…”

It rings out over and over in Rex’s mind. He groans, pulling his hands up to cover his face. He had wanted to kiss her, that was one of the more honest things he had ever said to her. But it hadn’t truly displayed what he was feeling in that exact moment. It was thoughtless. Almost tasteless. After feuding for the better part of the evening he just, kissed her? Weeks of debating what to say, or if even to say anything and he just…didn’t.

Before he might have thought it was enough, he was never good at depicting how he felt. Several memories of evenings with Eve were resurfacing to further cement it.

“Why can’t you just be straight with me, Rex? Just this once.”

“I am being straight with you, what are you even talking about?”

“You knew him for years and you don’t want to go to his funeral? Fine, whatever, but at least talk to me about it. It’s obviously bothering you.”

He had shaken his head and laughed at her, eventually convincing her to let it go and move on to other things. That time in particular being the feeling of his hands trailing up under her shirt.

Sure, he had real conversations with Eve. He trusted her, and by now he had known her longer than anyone else in his life. But he avoided it like the plague, never gave anything up without a fight, or at least trying to shirk around the topic entirely. It was the cause of more than one disagreement, and something he hadn’t thought was a problem. Until this very moment, lying in bed, clutching one of the overly embroidered pillows to his chest.

He wanted to tell Killdeer. He didn’t want to just kiss her, he wanted to let her in.

How do you do that though? Let someone in, show them the ugliness?

Right about now she’d probably say, “I think I’ve already seen the ugliness, Rex.” And laugh. The same fucking laugh he had been forced to hear in the distance all night long. Talking to some phony, uppity, prat no doubt. Every time he caught the sound of it, he’d lose his train of thought and have to ask whatever phony, uppity, prat he was talking to, what they had been discussing. It was torture.

And that wasn’t even entailing how he had felt seeing her walk down the aisle of the plane, silk flowing tastefully down from her collar. His fingers suddenly felt numb, useless as he fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. With less than agile accuracy he ran through the remaining buttons and moved to put back his shoe box. She had laughed at him then as well, chastising him over the haphazard fashion in which he had made his way through dressing.

He wanted to tell her that it was her fault. Explain that he couldn’t think half the time when she was around, but it was even worse now with her in that dress. He wanted to tell her he thought she looked beautiful, not just beautiful though, something more. Ethereal, maybe. Tell her he was sorry, again, but better this time. He wanted to ask her about the books on her shelf in her apartment, more specifically the tattered chapter book. He wanted to ask her if she regretted not going to the man’s funeral who she learned how to tie a tie for. He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t sure if he regretted not going to the director’s funeral. He wanted her to ask about his past, and then in turn tell her. Explain why he struggled to talk about the director, everything.

And then, the overhead speaker announced there were only five minutes until arrival. Far too short to say any of that. At least that’s what he told himself.

The seconds turned into minutes, and still none of Cecil’s methods seemed to locate her again. Instead of your dread lessening like before, it only got worse. The longer no one could find her the more you felt your panic rising. Even if you could stop her, it wouldn’t matter if she flew straight through you before you even saw her.

“Mark?” Cecil’s voice shattered the tense silence in the room, his hand raising to the comm in his ear. “Mark- calm down, what is it?”

The tension inside you was stretching to a breaking point, you needed to do something. You hadn’t felt this exact feeling since you had practiced with Rex. An acute awareness of everyone around you. Your innate connection to them, the ease with which you could overpower every single one of them, even if not for long.

What an odd thought.

“Okay- yes, I hear you, just- Mark.” Cecil’s tone is overly controlled; he’s already gesturing to the worker in front of him. The former dark screen flashes to life, cycling through different satellites and security cameras, slowly honing in.

Didn’t you hear me? I said I only wished to speak.

That hasn’t been my experience with Viltrumites so far.

The angle finally centers, audio crackling to life for the whole room to hear. The woman is floating ahead of Mark, her back to him, arms clasped behind her. They are above a city, lights shining through the night sky.

“Where are they?”

Cecil doesn’t respond.

“Cecil, where are they? Send me in!”

“They’re in the fucking sky, how are you going to be able to reach them, hm?” Cecil snaps, his gaze not leaving the screen.

This was fucking torture, you needed to be of use. Scared or not, this was your duty.

The woman scoffed, turning fully away from Mark.

How little you know of your own people.

They’re not my people.

“We cannot let this become another Chicago, people. Get me everything that you can on her.” A silly notion, she was an alien from outer-fucking-space. They didn’t have anything on her and you knew it. Or else you wouldn’t have been waiting for over an hour watching her.

Oh, we are your people. You simply do not accept it yet.

“We’re doing everything we can in case this turns ugly, Mark, but we don’t have a lot of good options.” He glances over at you, his hand pressed up to the comm again. “Keep her talking as long as you can.”

What do you want?

Mark says without a single missed beat.

We’ve studied this planet.

Good for you.

You stared numbly at the screen. Mark was instigating. Now is not the time to fucking instigate.

Human civilization has less than an eighteen percent chance of surviving the next two centuries without the loss of billions of lives.

Is that a threat?

Goddamn it, Mark.

“Goddamn it, Mark.” Cecil hissed out your internal monologue, turning to Donald. “What do we have?”

“We’re gathering all of our resources but it’s not looking good. Hail Mary had Omniman on the ropes but-” Donald shook his head, creasing his brows, “unfortunately Mark helped kill her, so she’s no longer an option.”

“Christ.” Cecil turned his gaze back to the screen, his knuckles white from clenching the back of a seat.

That is the truth. The powerful of this world destroy their own home. Strip resources for themselves. Large areas of this planet will soon be uninhabitable due to human greed.

Yeah, I know.

Yet here you are, hands in fists, worried about stopping me instead of stopping them.

It’s complicated.

No, it isn’t. We have the technology to repair their climate. Feed their hungry, punish their criminals. We will save more of their lives in a single year than you could in a hundred. You are failing this planet and its people.

At least I don’t kill.

Is this how people saw you when you stumbled over trying to lie about the extent of your powers? If so you needed to get better quickly, this was borderline painful.

Yet, you let thousands die every day you resist Viltrumite rule. Or do those human lives not matter to you?

“Based on bone and muscle density scans, the simulations give Mark a less than eighteen-percent chance of surviving a combat encounter with her.” Donald’s hands are clasped on the edges of the keyboard in front of him. You suppose there was a way he could gather more information on her then.

“Ah. Well, isn’t that poetic?” Cecil pulls up live footage on a small screen in front of him. A man you don’t recognize is dressed in a lab coat, a ReAniman is sprawled out on a metal table behind him.

Cecil, I’m in the middle of-

“How many of my new ReAnimen are ready for the field, right now?”

The field? I-I don’t-

“Answer the goddamn question, Sinclair.”

None! None are ready for the field. We agreed on a schedule, and it-

Cecil pressed his hand to the screen, effectively hanging up.

“I don’t see how you could get any of those any higher in the air than you could get me.” You breathed it out, intentional snark, but you hadn’t fully intended for Cecil to hear you.

He shot you a glare, opening his mouth-

“Sir,”

“What?”

“Satellites are picking up a behemoth-class kaiju. South Pacific. Closing fast on a passenger cruise liner.”

“Shit.” He drawled out.

Viltrumites do not kill for pleasure, even if they sometimes take pleasure in killing. Dead humans do not benefit us in any way.

“Let’s see if she means that. There’s a cruise ship about to get eaten a few thousand miles southwest from you. Tell her you need to save those humans she loves so much.” Cecil lowers his hand with a sigh. “What are our other options, Donald, come on.”

“Sir…”

“There are no other options, Cecil, I don’t understand.” You take a few steps away, running a hand through your hair. “You brought me here as backup, but the time for backup is now, why aren’t you using me?”

“There’s a delicate balance to this all kid. Sending you in means you’re not a secret anymore.”

“Who cares?” You exclaimed; it was a bit louder than you intended. “People could die; Mark could die! There’s no reason for me to be the last thing between Mark and the potential of following his father’s legacy, if there’s no Mark left to be on guard against!” You gesture in a futile fashion at the screen. It now portrayed the two of them battling a giant sea monster. “And what’s the point of not encouraging the fact that as of right now he is good? How are we nurturing that side of him by valuing a secret more than his fucking life?”

Cecil once again opened his mouth to respond, but was distracted by the screen. Anissa had practically phased through the creature’s head, taking it out instantly. Gallons upon gallons of blood turned the water surrounding the cruise scarlet.

“Well, that’s one way to do it.” Cecil sighed into the comm.

“Hail Mary wouldn’t have done us much good anyway, it seems.” Donald commented.

The ship slanted and began to sink, most likely from the damage the behemoth had left behind. Cecil looked over one of the GDA agents’ screens again and instructed Mark where the closest landmass was. Once the ship was safely on land, Mark and Anissa stood on a beach. Level with the ground for the first time since they’d seen her coming.

“Send me in. Now Cecil.” You clenched your fists, stepping up to him.

“Did you not see what I just saw?” He held his hand outstretched to the screen. “She ran through that thing’s brains in a fuckin’ millisecond. I can’t just put you out there without a thought, we need to be careful-”

“I only need a millisecond, Cecil!”

“Kid.” He said in a warning tone, his eyes narrowing.

I think you should go now.

You both turned back to the screen, Mark was in a defensive stance, which contrasted strongly with the tight upright position Anissa had been in since her arrival.

“Careful, Mark. She’s a lot stronger than you.”

Remember that we started with reason.

In an instant she’s on him, sending him flying upwards, both of them in the air again.

Goddamn it. If Cecil had just sent you in, you could have stopped this. Your fingers clenched tight against the wristband, as if you could will the object to transport you at this moment. A brief period passes where the two are moving so fast that the cameras couldn’t locate either of them. Empty images of the sky and sea flash by. It’s eerily quiet besides the sounds of Mark’s injured groans over the comms. You can hear the wind rushing by him, and the sound of her punches making impact. It’s all cut off by the rush of water, the camera’s finally catch up to reveal Anissa, floating stagnantly over the water, looking out.

You can see the water ripple softly before Mark surges out of it, heading towards Anissa’s back, only for her to send him flying again. This time, through the side of the cruise boat.

“The Guardians could be on their way but regardless of when we inform them, their ETA would still be twenty-two minutes later. Backup hero teams are standing by, but…”

“It’d be like feeding them to wolves. What else?” Cecil directs his attention to Donald, seemingly ignoring you.

“One carrier group with a boomer and twenty fighters, three orbital gravity weapons, two long-range Q-bombers, but she moves too fast.” Donald glances over at you. “Quicker than Nolan even. They could be a thousand miles away before we even get there.”

“One goddamn Viltrumite all by her lonesome and we’re fucking useless.”

“Sir, there’s… another option.”

Yeah, there’s another fucking option, put me in!

Anissa is back on land again, standing near Invincible. It would be easy, well, it’d be easy maybe. But you had to try, or what was the point of these months of training?

“Mark, listen to me. Say you’ll do it.” What? You felt your face settling into a scowl as Cecil spoke through his earpiece. “Say, ‘fine, I’ll take over the planet.’ You can’t beat her, kid. Say it. Get her to leave, and we’ll get ready for these assholes together.”

No.

It’s rasped out, his voice coming out crackly over the speakers.

“Kid…” Cecil furrows his brow, and you’re stepping forward, grabbing his arm.

“Now, Cecil! Goddamn it, why are you waiting?” You feel helpless, trapped within this conference room. The smallest of voices in your head speaks to you. Tells you something you know but you don’t want to acknowledge. You could make Cecil put you in. How easy would it be? A headache for an hour? Breached trust for a lifetime? Your lips curl into a frown as you consider it, but a loud crash from the audio output tells you they aren’t on the ground anymore.

They’re flying through the air once again, you would say they were fighting, but that would require Mark to actually be doing anything. Anissa wasn’t letting him get a single hit in, every single one of her jabs was meeting its mark. Next, they’re diving so fast that the camera once again can hardly keep up until-

A crack sounds over the speakers, loud enough to make everyone cringe. A few workers put their hands up to their ears, hoping to rub away the assault. The dust displayed on the monitors steadily clears to reveal a huge crater. Anissa and Mark are both at the dead center of it.

This is your last chance to show me you can learn.

She’s crushing Mark’s throat beneath her foot, shoving him deeper into the ground. The earth is crackling around him, accepting him easily. A grave.

“Just say the goddam words, Mark.” Your eyes are on the screen, hand still clenched around Cecil’s wrist as he speaks into the mic again. It’s a horrifying sight, the way she dug her sole into his throat. The choked gurgles.

You’d spent so long idolizing him, believing in him. And he was about to die before your eyes.

His hands that had been gripping at her ankle loosened, dropping back against the ground, a surrendering gesture.

Do it.

“Cecil…” You felt like a broken record, all the anger dropping from your tone and replaced with begging.

Either you need me, or you don’t. Make up your mind.

She grunts, shoving him further down. The earth groans around his head, extremely audible over his comm.

“Cecil, please-” You can see even from how far away the visual is the way that Mark’s hand is twitching. In a few seconds he’ll be gone-

And then- Anissa steps off of him. He gasps for breath, coughs rattling through his body.

“Fine. You’re going in, but I’m not putting you right there. You need to come from the side, make sure she doesn’t fucking see you.” Cecil’s eyes are drilling into you, his expression stone-cold serious. “Don’t be stupid about this.”

“I won’t.” You nod furiously, glancing over at the screen. Anissa is saying something, but you aren’t paying attention, your eyes are glued to Cecil’s. Your grip on his arm loosens and he’s gone.

You knew they had crossed time zones, gone somewhere it was daytime, but god if it didn’t hurt. Cecil was barking directional orders at you, which you followed blindly. Sprinting as hard as you could while trying to will your eyes to adjust, your lungs felt like they might burst by the time you finally saw the edges of the crater.

A blur of white shot out overhead, sending a burst of air towards you, knocking you back. With a groan you force yourself to move forwards again, padding lightly over the ground. You could have been sound asleep right now. The thought settled bitter in your mind as you reached the edge and looked down.

Mark was sprawled out on his back trying to catch his breath. If Anissa was gone, should you even go down? It would surely be suspicious you were there, right? And with how deep the sides were, you weren’t entirely sure how you’d even get down. While you’re debating a familiar electrical crackling settles over your ears, and in the same breath, you’re only a few feet away from Mark, Cecil by your side.

“You really rolled the dice on that one, Mark. All over a few words.”

“It’s more than just words.” Mark looks defeated. Nursing a black eye and a bloodied nose, he’s hunched over his knees.

Cecil glances over at you, considering, before he steps forward to offer Mark a hand up.

“She was strong.” Mark grunts out while raising up to a standing position. “I’m not sure I could stop her if she started killing people.” He notices you now, his gaze tightens almost unnoticeably, but he doesn’t comment on it. At least not yet.

“Well, we’re gonna figure out a way to change that. But those nights off you wanted? I’m afraid that’s a thing of the past.”

“Yeah…” Mark looks off in the distance, deep in thought.

“You took a hell of a beating. Killdeer can help patch you up, if you want.”

You nodded absentmindedly, only partially listening to the conversation. Now that the immediate threat was gone your mind was swirling. You felt useless. This one time you could have helped, the only person who could have. And Cecil hadn’t put you in. Anissa was gone now, but what if she hadn’t decided to let Mark go? He’d be dead, and they’d be standing around his body now.

No one trusted your competence. Not Rex. Not even Cecil. It was like acid on your tongue, resentment starting to build off of you. You were a glorified fucking nurse.

The darkness of the room enveloped you. Besides the constant ticking of a timepiece on the mantle, it was dead silent. After standing for a bit, letting your eyes adjust to the pitch black, you were able to make out another sound. Soft inhales, gentle exhales, shallow breathing. The minuscule light from over the curtains illuminated the room just enough that you could get around without tripping over the furniture. Making your way to the bathroom, you settled down the new bag Donald had sent you with that contained clothes for the brunch. If you are lucky, you could get a good five hours of sleep in before the final leg of your mission.

Slipping out of your suit and back into your nightwear you exited the bathroom. For the briefest of moments, you considered sleeping on one of the couches. Getting into bed could wake Rex. Trailing your hand over the upholstery, his words from earlier echo through your mind.

“Do I really repulse you that badly?”

With a sigh, you approached the bed. He was on his side, facing inwards. One of his hands rested over your side, while his other arm underneath him clutched the pillow you had put between you earlier. Not exactly the Great Wall of China in barrier terms. It made you smile. With as sour as you were feeling, it was nice to see him peaceful. At ease. His brow was relaxed. Even when he was sleeping, he somehow maintained the smallest semblance of that familiar asshole smirk.

You pulled your side of the blanket down, smoothing out the sheet beneath it with your fingertips. Your hand brushed against his as you gently pushed it closer to him so you could lie down. His hand twitched subtly but he didn’t stir. Settling into the bed, you stared at the ceiling for a moment, replaying over and over how you had begged Cecil to let you help. You ran through scenario after scenario, asking yourself how you could have reworded it to make him listen. But even in the freedom of your imagination it all ended the same, nothing you could have said would have changed anything. In the end, there was always one consistent factor; you. And nothing you said could change that truth.

Rex shifted in his sleep beside you, his hand that was originally settled where you were supposed to be, stretching out again, catching softly on your arm. He didn’t grab you, nor did he pull it back. His digits just rested against your skin, not at all registering that you were there.

Even without him knowing or intending it. You managed to turn your mind to the gentle touch, close your eyes, and drift to sleep.

It had been almost two weeks since you relived your museum mission in your dreams. Somehow knowing what had happened, and that it was real, seemed to put you at ease. You still felt immense guilt, and before going to your shifts at the hospital you would stop by his memorial to make sure there were fresh flowers. Donald’s explanation about self-preservation had somewhat put you at ease too, after all, you were shot and going down. If he had posed a real threat, you wouldn’t have thought twice about taking him down. But killing him?

It had been almost two weeks. Now you were waking up with a cold sweat, gasping out breaths, as tears pricked at the edges of your vision. Every time you had it you seemed to notice more details. The way his face turned purple, bruising beneath the skin as all of his blood rushed forwards. How in seconds, droplets started to leak from the very pores of his face. The feeling of impatience and pulling the remainder out through his chest. The way it scored over the painting, a Jackson Pollock of your own design.

Soft daylight spread through the room, illuminating it in columns. You tried to focus on anything else to shake off the adrenaline left over from the nightmare. The clock quietly ticks away on the mantle. The golden etches on the ceiling. The red furnishing on the couches- The empty space next to you on the bed.

Where’s Rex?

Creaking grabs your attention as the door cracks open, revealing a familiar face from the night before.

“Ah, good. You’re awake. Director Stedman alerted Madam Mune of your night excursion, so she instructed me to let you sleep in. The brunch has just started. Mr. Sloane and Mr. Randalph are already downstairs. Please get dressed and I will walk you down.” Gareth’s head disappeared behind the door again before you could respond.

Right. The brunch.

Today, what you were wearing was much less elegant, but still formal. Most of all, you were glad to have pants. As beautiful as that dress had been, you missed pockets. After forcing yourself out of bed and into your current clothes, you leave the room, letting Gareth lead you downstairs. A part of you expected to end up back in the ballroom, but instead, he led you outside into the garden.

The cocktail tables that littered the stone patio the previous night had disappeared. A bar had been put together near the glass doors of the ballroom, decorated with soft pastels. Why anyone needed to drink at noon you couldn’t say. But you figured it most likely was a way for Mune to talk people out of their money more easily. Wooden tables were sprawled out in rows on the grass, surrounded by matching wooden chairs. The tables were all set with dishware, and alternating colored napkins. From the looks of everyone’s plates, the event had started at least an hour ago. Some people were sitting, others were standing and talking, while the remainder strolled around the different branches of the gardens. You caught the eye of Mune who had gathered a large crowd around her, she didn’t wave, or smile, but gave the slightest, tilted, bow in your direction.

A man in a dark crimson coat stood next to her, Lance, you realized. He blended in surprisingly well. If you didn’t know his position you’d think he was just another guest. Gareth tapped your arm sharply, and when you looked over, he pushed a small object into your hand. You nodded, and with that he was gone, mingling in with the crowd. Turning your head, you pretended to adjust your hair, slipping the earpiece in. Back to work.

This event was much more lax than the dance, people were talking to you in passing, mentioning how they remembered seeing you, or your dress, or asking you how you knew Mune. A few asked which oil companies your family had been involved with, which had you saying you saw someone waving you over- oh you didn’t see them? They were just over- and then walking away. You should probably be taking this all much more seriously, but with the level of exhaustion you were trying to function with you could hardly be bothered. What were the odds that someone would try something less than twenty-four hours after the last attempt?

“You look like you slept like shit.” Zandale slid in next to you as you stood at the bar. Your previous sentiments about not needing to drink this early in the day was long forgotten after the last person asked you to explain in heavy detail how oil was really collected.

“I did.” You muttered, sipping on a mimosa that tasted suspiciously like plain old orange juice.

“Damn, I figured Rex would get more palatable after getting some, but I guess not-”

You choked at that, a burning sensation traveling up your throat as you coughed. “What?” You huffed it out between coughs, waving off the bartender who approached to check on you.

“Rex. He’s somehow more insufferable than usual. Well at least for the new and improved Rex.” He made air quotes as he spoke.

“Oh god, Zandale. Are you joking?” You sputtered out a few extra coughs, squinting at him.

“You just said-”

“I said I slept like shit. Nothing else.” You rolled your eyes. “I didn’t even get to sleep there most of the night.”

“Why?” Confusion is shown clear in his tone if nothing else.

“Cecil needed me for a patient at the hospital.” You paused for a moment. Mark had seen you, and he worked closely with the Guardians. If you weren’t careful, you’d be eating your words, and eating them soon. “There was a situation with Invincible, I was brought in to heal him. Didn’t get back until sometime around four or five this morning.” Vague enough that details could be explained away, but direct enough that he wouldn’t want to inquire further.

“Are you kidding me?” Zandale sighed heavily, gesturing for the bartender to come back and give him a drink.

“What?”

“I just lost another fucking twenty to Rae.” He responded bitterly.

“What?” You scoffed. “First of all, you never seem to win in bets with her why do you keep making them? Second, what was it?”

He grumbled nondescriptly.

“You brought it up, man.”

“Fine. God. I bet that you guys would get together last night. But judging from Rex’s sour mood, and you not even being on the premises, I was wrong.” His lips curled downwards at the realization that Rae was once again going to laugh in his face.

“Why on earth are you both so interested in this? Don’t you have literally anything better to do?”

“Eh, don’t take it personally, we’ve been betting on shit for ages. My last big win was that Shapesmith was an alien.”

“How much did you win that time?”

He hummed softly, a small smile crossing his face. “Next question.”

“Five bucks, huh?” You laughed, finishing off your glass.

“Well, something like that.”

The brunch was passing without a hitch. Boring conversations shrouded by constantly looking out for one, particular, face. But as the afternoon passed you didn’t even see him in the passing crowds. Once or twice, you thought you had, just for the person to turn around, revealing a total stranger. You rejoined with Zandale a few times, making comments about guests who you suspected were cheating on their spouses with other guests. One of you even caught two of them trying to sneak off and were offered a bribe. Which you ended up declining and then wondered why on earth you just declined that large a sum of money.

The receivers were dead silent up until the end when Lance announced to his crew that it would be time to start herding the guests out in half an hour. Conversations were lulling, Mune had already left the event entirely a few minutes ago, declaring that everyone must come again in a few months. It was peaceful almost.

A soft breeze was licking at your arms, shifting your hair faintly. It kept you cool underneath harsh unforgiving rays. Lance had tasked you with circling the perimeter of the garden, acting as a sheepdog, and pulling the remaining guests to the center. At one point you end up taking off your shoes. Heels weren’t the most efficient choice for grassy terrain. It’s soft and lush beneath you. The travelling wind sets off a few chimes that are hanging loosely from trees nearby. For the briefest of moments, you’re there.

That secret place you’ve always dreamt of. A countryside home. Every gentle breeze sends a tingle down your spine. A tin roof, windchimes, wildflowers, a fireplace. Maybe there is a little gazebo behind the house. You aren’t alone.

Stepping out of the gardens, you take a final look behind you, anyone you had passed you’d informed that the event was coming to a close, but a few stragglers were still following behind. A dull buzzing pulled your attention away. You had to be sure to send Donald your thanks to whoever chose your outfit for the brunch. It really was nice to have pockets again. Pulling it out, you shift your attention from the people passing you and heading towards the center of the open plain. Cecil must have found something more out, messaged you the new plan-

Hi.

You bit the inside of your cheek and looked up. Quickly, you scanned through the crowd of people, pastels and atrocious hats, until your gaze caught on a familiar ginger hue. Rex was standing with his elbow propped on the edge of the bar, a person was talking to him, but his eyes were on you. He was a little far off but you could still make out an almost boyish grin that was spread across his features, it only widened as you finally met his line of sight.

‘Hey.’ You texted back, looking up again to give him a small wave, which he returned gently, with a slight tilt of his head.

Author's note: Dreams normally only last 5-45 minutes, so Killdeer didn’t have a nightmare until after Rex left the bed 😛 Which could mean nothing!!

Also yes, I do giggle to myself when I make references to insignificant details from other chapters, why do you ask?? I LOVE CALL BACKS

divider credit: @/ saradika

taglist: @kittymeowmrow @sketchlove @jewelwayne101 @0ut0fsweets @cheeyan @spidernuggets @sweet-cuddlebug @ohmysoultakemysoul @lapisbwub @velovicy @liquideyes @insirecrate @isnotraven @thatonegayloser616 @viovya @miss-ivy-kyle request to be tagged for new parts!

Chapter twenty-two

#rex splode x reader #enemies to lovers #slow burn #no beta we die like rex splode apparently #crawling back to you rexfic #invincible #rex splode #invincible season 3 #invincible rex splode #rex sloan #rex sloan x reader #invincible fic #invincible rex sloan #invincible reader insert #invincible fanfic #ao3 fanfic #fanfic #rex x you #rex x reader

37 notes · View notes

nunchikoi · 2 days ago

Text

Davrin huffed. “You know for a Crow, you’ve got a shit face for Wicked Grace. It’s like last week when you wanted to beat that Veil Jumper guy ten ways to the Fade,”

“That—!” Lucanis flushed. “He was suspicious.”

“Why? Because they obviously wanted to bed Rook?”

A slender hand traces Rook’s bicep, fingers brushing against his braid.

“Where’d you get these from, lethallin?”

Rook flushes, eyes wide with the forward gesture.

“Oh, uh, these are…”

Lucanis made a noise of frustration, grabbing at his drink. Well, at least he didn’t beat that person into the Fade. It would be very insufferable if they did follow them all the way into the Lighthouse.

“Suspicious strangers are one thing. Whatever happens between you and Rook is your business. There is no need to ask for my input,” he insisted.

“Says the guy who’s been lovesick for months. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the fact you and Rook aren’t talking as much by the way. The others might be too polite to say something, but we’ve all sensed it—”

“Then what are we doing here, Davrin?” Lucanis snapped. “What is the purpose to your line of questioning? If this is how Grey Wardens extract intel, I’m surprised that your order can keep a modicum of secrecy, using your mouths like blunt instruments,”

“I’m doing you a courtesy, Crow. And by extension, I’m helping Rook too.” Davrin frowned. “If you’re not serious about him, you better get it together, because the next person in line won’t be asking you.”

“I know.”

“And if you butt in like you did in the Swan, Rook’s gonna give you more than a cold shoulder…”

“I know.”

The bard rushes away, red-faced, Rook’s pretty eyes forgotten. Lucanis leans back, settling into his chair, triumphant for only a moment before the sight of Rook’s taut jaw sours it all.

Rook is still not looking him, eyes trained on his hands on top of the counter. No… no, Lucanis realises that this whole time he has been refusing to.

Guilt washes through him like a wave of nausea, his face now burning with shame.

“Rook,”

“I’m going to do you a favour, Lucanis, and let that nice lady who only wanted to buy me a drink go.”

“Esha, I’m sorry—”

Rook slams his hands against the bar counter and gets to his feet.

“Piss break,” he grunts, stomping away.

Neve and Davrin share a painful silence as Lucanis stares down at his hands. He doesn’t touch his drink.

Rook doesn’t come back that night.

---

an excerpt from my rookanis fic, they're in their break-up era and it's DELICIOUS🙂‍↕️📢

#mine #rookanis #lucanis x rook #lucanis dellamorte #dragon age veilguard

20 notes · View notes

mizgnomer · 1 year ago

Note

Hello :) What's your favourite David Tennant character?

Oooh, that's a hard one. I absolutely adore so many of his performances, but his Doctors (Ten, Tentoo, Fourteen - I'll take them all) are always going to be sentimental favorites for me. I've been a Doctor Who fan since I was a youngster during the Tom Baker era. When I started watching new Who in 2005 I figured no new-fangled Doctor would ever take the place of the fondly-remembered favorites from my childhood, but David absolutely shot to the top of my best Doctors list, then went on to become my favorite actor as well. My kids also became Doctor Who fans during David's time, so watching the show together became a fun family event! As much as I adore Crowley and Alec Hardy and David's Hamlet and Benedick and Richard II (and love to hate his Kilgrave), it's hard to top his Doctor(s) in my heart.

...but there are so many other characters I also love. So, so many. Objectively it's too hard for me to choose, so I'll stick with the sentimental Doctor answer. 😊

#answering asks #@obsessedobsesser #apologies for taking so long to answer #things get lost in my inbox sometimes #and I have no spare time to speak of #david tennant #so many excellent roles #I'm spoiled for choice #and very much looking forward to whatever comes next #stuff i posted

75 notes · View notes

sysig · 8 months ago

Text

Requestober 2024 Sketches

The playlist is...well, it will be posting very soon! Keep an eye out for your req(s) every Wednesday and/or Friday after the 6th (I think?), pretty sure I got ‘em all >:3c

Doing the full season this time around! The entire mixed bag o’ candy haha

Day 1 had my beautiful boys!! ♥ I’m so happy that Yanderapy took the lead this year ah! It’s too bad I’m so out of practice with them haha, unconfident lines, but the idea was solidly in place from the word go - this was really the only image that came to mind for them, their weird dynamic hehe <3 Made for each other! I am glad their expressions came together so well in the final version, though I didn’t get to show Micchan kneeling! That’s alright tho ♪ Cute enough here hehe

Day 2 got a lot of notes! Kabu’s clothing design is So complex lol, just toss him behind Larry who’s like second nature to draw, suits are so so simple in comparison haha ♪ Still only ended up hiding bits of him! He did end up with his shoe on the outside of Larry’s, boxing him in that little bit <3 And look! His smirk!! As well as the “hiragana” on his sleeves while I was still under the impression that it was text and not Flame Texture lol

And yes, as you can see, I ended up going with the alt doodle, they got more! I was quite tempted by Larry holding Kabu since he’s so tiny lol, but that would’ve required drawing his details! No! Hide him!! The pose is fun and silly and cute tho haha, very plush-coded ♪ And then also a little smech for funsies <3 Just to follow up their staring-at-each-other-in-a-gay-way they ended up with ♥ Rather a fan of Kabu’s hands pulling Larry in :)

Day 3′s was such a pose change!!! Mostly for Edgar, though he’s still kneeling here, inexplicably haha - the angle changed for the final version, and both of their head angles and just, ah, nothing more than a general outline of what I was going for. I’m pleased with both tho! I think the final is much more clear and readable, but there’s always a bit of fun with Edgar looking down/Scriabin looking up haha. I suppose it’s more appropriate than an angel would be looking down on a devil, isn’t it? Haha

Day 4 was another easy one at least, the pose immediately came to mind to show off Nny’s clothes on an even ganglier, thinner frame haha. Like I said, I really tried for more fullbodies this year, so I had to give the tiny version a proper swing on-page! Ran out of room for the larger one, but I really wanted to draw him holding his shoe with his hand haha. You can see the goopmonster on his shirt here too! :D I think his annoyed face is quite cute hehe <3

Day 5 was practically a freebie, and I took absolute full advantage hehehe ♪ If I get the prompt of “soft” of course I’m going to opt for plushies! I’m back in my Webkinz era, and Tala is big big big on Webkinz as well :) And her being a plushie has something of an impact there too lol, but it was really fun to look over all my little guys! I ended up having an extra handful of thoughts about all of them so they’ll be getting their own post(s) :D Good too, since I didn’t talk much about Embroidery’s closet cosplay haha

Day 6 was actually a bit of a question mark for me at first! :0 Not as though I don’t love when Edgar has to clean up Scriabin’s self-inflicted problems haha, I just wasn’t sure what it should be! Making it seasonal helped a bit there - lots of sticker burrs around here when we go walking haha. The bonus ended up being a digital-only, but it was a good motivator to finish these, and then the full poses came to mind - I’m not sure why I was more excited to work on full body poses, but I really was! Maybe the success of meeting my self-imposed challenge haha

I ended up scrapping the alt since it reminded me a little too much of one of the ‘22 reqs - trying to keep things fairly fresh! It was also a little too cartoony haha, where would Edgar suddenly pull such strength from! This doesn’t look like a dream! At least it wouldn’t have been a nightmare of Scriabin being hurt :’) Rescue!

Day 7 was another insta-idea! Really going back and forth on those lol, it sprouted into my head fully formed! This was actually one of a couple I wrote down as I was away from my notebook while brainstorming, so it came back as a mini script; one of more dialogue-heavy ones! Chicken or egg, I wonder, hmm. I always draw Smoker with her sleeves up even though she usually wears them down haha, I dunno. Had a heck of a time with Angie’s hair! I tend to make hair super super fluffy but hers is long and straight and presumably weighs itself down! Doesn’t floof! You’d think having heavy hair myself would incline me towards knowing anything about it but nope lol

Little bouncy concepts haha, and poor Mousey so jealous in the middle, surrounded with them having the most fun!

Day 8 was fairly simple with such a focused ask of them eating Specific Food - can do! Chibis just felt right for such a cute food haha. Would Edgar have a crepe pan, I wonder... I suppose a lot of it comes down to the batter, I haven’t made crepes in such a long time so I wouldn’t know anymore haha

Day 9 featured the slouchy throne! You can see I like the little leggies haha, I did make it a touch more proportional in the final version but who can resist the sillies! Had to draw it and Mettaton separately so I could easily see their silhouettes, I think it all came together in the end fairly well :) Had one heck of a time getting the bottom of his shoes to play nice, but I’m proud of how it turned out!!

Day 10′s, who can resist skelehugs ♥ No I! Not me!! The original had them a lot more upright, I’m glad I went with my note of leaning them back a bit more. Also had Papyrus’ legs on either side of Sans, protective <3 I do like both, but I think they look a bit more reasonably comfortable in the final version, figuring out contact points with one of Papyrus’ legs all the way to one side was too much haha. No boots on the couch! I think they look a bit younger in the final version too, maybe from their eyebrow expressions? Interesting how such small changes can make a big difference ♪

Day 11 was originally going to feature a bunch more Pokemon!! Several of my pink-and-purple faves all gathered around MewTwo <3 Flaafy and Musharna and Sableye my beloved 💜 And of course Whismur!! Can’t but Whismur all the time haha, but in the end I opted to go for the simpler(?) option of just the two ‘mons interacting

Whismur is so spooked by you, even lying down!! Even tho I drew it so I can see it right in front of me, I just can’t imagine MewTwo lying down to investigate haha. More posing changes! Lot of ‘em this year. Pls to quiet, cats have very sensitive hearing, you don’t need to shout

Day 12 started off with probably the Correct Amount of confusion lol, considering even @cutiebetutie didn’t expect this to be the matchup lolol, still deeply hilarious to me. But hey, what was I going to do, question a crackship?? Do I look like the kind of person who would say no to exploring some possibilities? Of course I had to give them a scope lol

Haha, “Alt” in quotes as I knew this would actually be the full version, the handholding is cute but where’s the dynamic! There is something there after all! I think so anyway, some tiny tiny sliver that they could start from, and what more foot in the door do you really need? If Nny’s on his charm that drew Devi in, I don’t see why someone a little more airheaded like Jake couldn’t be beguiled haha, if he lasts long enough for that ♪ It’s very tense! I wish him well, I wonder if he could protect himself... Just cut and run, Jake!! Makes for an interesting suspense, that’s for sure haha

Day 13‘s kigurumis!!! Yay!!!! Smol and I successfully wore ours for Halloween this year, we’re them fr fr haha, definitely one of my favourites from this season <3 <3 They’re so cute! Biggest change from here to there is probably where the legs start/end haha, kigurumi have funny little legs hehe. And also Papyrus’ gloves! Sans ended up without any, I can’t resist a hand plate here or there ♪ Also him closing his one good eye to pun about was an accident until it wasn’t haha, just another excuse to do a touch of rereading :3

Day 14‘s turned out so good for how cramped the sketch was!!! Gaster’s hardly there at all! Which is appropriate in its own way haha, filling in the rest of his details was pretty fun tho :) Papyrus looks a lot more desperate in this version which I do like, but him openly enjoying himself is very sweet, who could deny him that <3 Quite pleased with how his arm and hand posing came together in the end as well, fairly minor changes but I think it all flows together much nicer :D

Day 15′s word bubbles turned out way cleaner in the sketch than the final version?? Calls for more practice I suppose; it is asymmetrical, but it does look nice! Maybe needed more colour swatches haha, more and more rows! Edgar’s unimpressed look in the final version is quite good I think but there’s almost a kind of urgency with no eyes behind blank glasses hmm, they both have their merits! I applaud everyone who caught Scriabin holding the bi flag as his swatches! :D Good eye!

Day 16 began The Sleepies lol, I was a bit tired while doodling the first go and it uhm. Well. I mean. You can see lol. S’a bit goofy haha

The alt was much much better! I did end up leaving out the grass which I’m a Little disappointed about - feels too manicured, too sterile in the final version! But I really couldn’t figure a way of adding a bit of visual noise that wouldn’t look flat as well! Minecraft, eh, lol. I am quite pleased with how round Moomin turned out tho :D He looks like a marshmallow in the final version! Yay!

I actually doodled Day 17′s concept before 16 since it came to me so strongly - I do kind of like how much more upright Mob is here, him being as hunched over as he is in the final version adds to the moodiness of the piece I feel. He really is such a good boy! I don’t wish him dark and upsettings!

Day 18‘s didn’t get a paper sketch as I was verrryyyyy tired and had no energy to scan, so skipped the step that would make scanning necessary haha. For all that, I do rather like the digital sketch tho! I think Snufkin’s left leg is a bit better proportioned, and his expression is maybe a bit cheekier? Moomin’s perfect, no notes haha. I also ended up really liking their tail expressions, how Snuf’s is kind of straight and flat while Moomin’s is very roundy hehe <3

I know I said Day 20 doesn’t count but I mean, it’s on the same page! It got the “Day 20″ label! Sketch can go here why not haha. Happy belated Ace Week! I thought it was fun to put a bunch of pink lovehearts around the big central ace heart for me specifically hehe 💜💗

I mentioned in the tags that Day 26‘s original concept was too big to try to do all at once and ahhhh I wish I’d been able to swing it!! I wish I’d been able to do the whole thing!!!! I love scenes like this the most!! Little isometric rooms with little isometric characters all chatting and interacting and being cute and silly and tiny!! I love that! Alas, it had to stay a sketch, but here it is!! Can you recognize everyone here? The main three got the center, but who could the rest be :3c And what of their costumes! Hehe ♪

Still fighting back the sleepies for what ended up being the final version so the dialogue was left much more vague than the caption haha, the aliens don’t even have feet here! I suppose they are meant to be in fish costumes lol, it tracks that only the fully-human Captain’s legs would end there, but definitely not intentionally done so lol. I like ZEX’s expression here so muuuuch ahh I wish I’d been able to capture it a bit better in the digital version! Always something for next time haha

I actually ended up drawing Day 30′s sketch very very last, so this was the last doodle of the season! Me, projecting my tiredness onto the Vargases? Nooo <3 Another one that ended up very very different from the final version, I just needed Something down to paper and out of my head to work with really - I knew even while drawing this that I was going to end up with something very different haha. Sometimes hand just does whatever it wants pft. The dialogue was the star of the show here! And you can see what Scriabin was up to, obscured by the couch haha

Day 31, penultimate sketches for the final day! I really do love Scriabin hiding behind Edgar - wants to be included but not That close, very much with Edgar in the way of anything bad happening to him haha. More pose changes! I like both versions, Todd holding Shmee for comfort or him spilling out of his lap as he focuses all his attention on Joel <3 Both cute in different ways!

Cats are still not one of my strong-suits, but I have been drawing them a bit more recently! Admittedly of the cartoon variety, but even that has had some effect I think! Like their little triangle noses, and the way their ears scoop inwards, and whiskers - little things! I like it! I had fun with these little concept poses, Joel kind of curiously huddling on Edgar’s chest, looking at the world from a safe vantage spot haha. Hold him gently! He deserves it!

All the sketches from this year! I ended up having a lot of fun this season even if it was a little lighter than previous years haha, thank you again to everyone who joined!! ♥

#Doodles #Requestober #Oh hey there wasn't any blood this year was there! How unusual haha #Here we go tag roundup - Yanderapy hehe <3 - Pokemon (both 'mons and canon characters!) - Vargas of course - Handplates ♥ - Webkinz :D -#RespectAWoman! Yeah!! Their first digitals whoo! - Undertale non-AU haha - Moomins and Minecraft - MP100 - Damned! So happy to have one ♥#I really wasn't sure if I was gonna get one! I spent so much time thinking about Damned this year ahhh <3 <3 Niche of a niche but delight ♪#A very fun spread this year - as is every year haha but it's always fun to see which ones are new and which ones return!#Much higher proportion of Handplates this year :D Not surprised there considering how the year started haha ♪#Always happy to draw those lads <3 They're a delight #And as usual my focus tends to drift towards whatever the req is so I've found myself doing some rereading all over! Which is quite fun :D #Still holding off on Vargas for the time being but everything else got some attention which was very enjoyable ahh #Being caught up has its perks - like reading new things hehe ♪#It does feel funny to have Vargas stuff in a sketchdump when I've still got the VLH-specific sketchdump in the backlog.... Remind me lol #Still lol for as much fun of a season as it was I am ready for it to come to a close haha #And luckily this didn't break even once so I'm getting my ask without a fuss!! Yes!!!#Tired!! Ready to take a short break!!! And it really will be short since I want to start up again at the beginning of next week lol #But I get my break!!! I definitely feel like I've earned it haha #And then it'll be back to doodling and editing and writing ahhhh - plenty of other things I'm looking forward to!!!#Thanks again for such a fun season <3 Couldn't do it without you hehe

15 notes · View notes

spacedkey · 3 months ago

Text

shrimps247 and jazz radio save me

#trying to get my full use out of a radio i got last week lol #it's a cute little thing but since i'm in the basement i taped a knitting needle to the end of the antenna for better signal lol #a college radio station(i think) that mostly plays jazz and a station that plays classical music are smushed right next to eachother so #i have all the variety a man could ask for #what's the purpose of a radio in 2025? well the aformentioned cuteness factor for one.#also this radio has dedicated tuning for tv audio but since analog tv signals are defunct it's just static #and it has a weatherband button so i can get all the weather forecasts read by a robot voice at the literall press of a button #that doesn't really answer the posed question but i just feel like typing right now i guess.#i haven't had much extra energy to do much of anything due to frequent headaches that stress exacerbates #and i'm an easily stressed individual lmao #once that stops happening i'll get back in the groove of streaming maybe but we'll see.#sorry this was about the radio. i like it. very object object #also i have more cassettes coming by next week so that's fun to look forward to #same day as the radio i got an actual usb cassette recorder that sounds better than what i was doing before #because something's fucked with the mic aux port on the back of my computer lol #anyway. i'll go back to doing whatever. with shrimps on one monitor and other stuff on the other.#key's lockbox

0 notes

tobeholyistobeempty · 4 months ago

Text

joel miller • be quiet, or i’ll make you

“Tightest pussy I ever had. Goddamn. You wanna feel good, huh? I’ll make you feel good. Just lemme’ have it nice n’ deep, and I’ll get you back later. Let you sit on my face for hours. Make you cum till’ you’re cryin.”

WARNINGS - smut smut smut mdni, porn with some plot, forced proximity, feral!joel, risky/secret sex, brutal sex, size!kink, dubcon if you squint but mostly a mutual want situation, reader and joel have an unspoken relationship, copious amounts of dirty talk, piv, creampie, daddy dom joel.

The world ended in disaster.

You’ve lived with that knowledge for years now, and you think you’ve finally come to terms with the kind of things you’ll get from it. Pain. Loss. Destruction. The same chaos, day in day out, just in different forms.

You know that at this point you’ll be lucky if you survive until tomorrow; so you take it in stride.

And it’s with that thought that you find yourself following Joel into the city, your steps just as reluctant as he was to agree to this. You don’t particularly want to be out here — and neither does he — but you’ve been wanting to look for more medical supplies for a while now and Joel wasn’t about to let you go alone. Despite how much bitchin’ he did beforehand.

You can’t tell which is more depressing; the streets covered in broken glass and littered with remnants of a life long gone, or the buildings that are nearly crumbling to the ground. Neither are very pleasant to look at, but not many things are these days, so you keep moving. You have a job to do, and you don’t have too much time to do it — the sun won’t be up much longer, and you want to get the fuck out of here before the real dangerous kinds of people come out lookin’ for their next meal.

Or, whatever Joel had said earlier. Mostly just in attempt to scare you.

Minutes feel like hours as you keep your gaze pointed forward, and when you pass a shattered window belonging to some old broken down building, you don’t dare look inside.

You’d rather not know what lingers inside death eaten walls.

But it’s while you’re doing that, keeping your gaze ahead, that you miss the fact that Joel has stopped walking. When it finally registers that the world around you has gotten quieter - and when you finally do turn around - you’re surprised for two reasons.

The first being that he even stopped at all, and the second being the fucking look on his face.

“You alright?” You ask as you edge closer, glancing at the abandoned building that’s in front of him. It doesn’t look like anything remarkable, but there’s definitely something in the way he stares at it. “Joel, you still with me?”

He isn’t saying anything, his expression is rather blank — but you know him well enough to know that he’s not just seeing what’s right in front of him. He’s seeing something else entirely. He snaps back to attention faster than you would have expected at the sound of your voice, and when his eyes land down on yours - there’s something inside them that makes your heart sink.

“Somethin’s wrong.” Is all he says before he’s grabbing your wrist, and yanking you inside.

Your heart starts pounding faster, but you try your best to stay calm. He isn’t the kind of man who would panic without cause, so you know he must have seen something - or heard something - and you’re doing your best not to let that scare you.

“Joel—shit—what the hell—“ you stumble over rubble and pieces of broken furniture. “What’re you—“

He’s pulling you deeper into the building, not giving you a chance to stand still long enough to say more. When you get to a staircase he yanks you down a few steps, waiting for the sound of the door shutting behind you before shoving your shoulders back against the wall.

“You listen to me—“ he’s panting, words spat through grit teeth. “You’re gonna’ shut up, and you’re gonna’ stay quiet. Can you do that for me?”

The tone of his voice alone forces you to bite the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from talking. It’s been a long, long time since you’ve seen him this serious. You’d almost forgotten that he was capable of producing this kind of tension - the kind that’s so palpable it could be cut with a knife.

So, you just nod, lips pressed into a thin line, and you hope that it’s enough.

“Alright.” He doesn’t seem certain of your answer, but he nods anyway, reaching for your wrist again and dragging you down the remaining stairs.

When you get to the bottom, he opens the door slowly, eyes darting around until they land on a nearby closet - and it’s only after the first step you take towards it that you hear noises on the floor above you.

Footsteps.

And way too fucking many for you to be comfortable.

The kind of heavy, laden-boot marching you’d dread to hear on good days - nevermind while you’re out in dangerous territory, trying your damnest to flee unseen. It’s only seconds before the steps grow louder, and you can feel your heart rate speeding up again - while Joel is staring at the ceiling with such intensity you think that he might just be able to will it to break if he so much as blinked at it.

Then, in a flash, he snaps out of it - dragging you toward the closet and shoving you inside before you can even think about protesting.

And god, is it fucking cramped.

The closet is small. Small enough that you have to force yourself closer to the wall so that he has space to squeeze inside behind you. And it’s within the first second that he shuts the door, and the darkness swallows you both whole - in which you realize you have a new problem altogether.

“Joel—“ you choke out as a heavy palm snakes around your waist, pressing tight against your belly. He’s a solid wall behind you, his front flush against your back, and all you can fucking feel is his hot breath against your ear - his stubble tickling your cheek. “What’s—“

“No talking.” And then he brings his free hand up to cover your mouth, and you have to stifle a noise that threatens to explode in your chest. “Not a fuckin’ word.”

You take solace in the fact that he can’t see how flushed your face becomes, but your stupid brain is working overtime - overanalyzing the feeling of his calloused palm against your lips, the heat of his mouth way too fucking close to your ear, his free hand that seems to be sliding lower down your abdomen—

“Stop squirming.” He whispers, all heat as his fingers press a little harder against your lower stomach.

You long to bark at him. I can’t control it.

But you can’t. So instead you try to focus on the sounds of the people upstairs. You try to pay more attention to the way your heart is threatening to break free through your sternum. Anything to try and take your mind off of the way he’s touching you - but he makes it so, so hard.

You’re certain you would have a better fighting chance if you were to try and move mountains.

Without even thinking, your hand comes up to wrap around his wrist, and it’s then that his lips curve into a smile against your ear. And when the realization comes crashing down - the realization that he’s fully aware of what’s happening to you - you think you may just collapse.

Oh, god, this is torture.

If it were anyone else, you’d think this was a joke. You’d think that perhaps the way he’s touching you was some kind of attempt at making the terrifying just a little more tolerable, a little more exhilarating for different reasons - but this isn’t just anyone. This is Joel. And you know his mind never works like what. Instead, he simply acts on instinct - in ways that usually leave you reeling and your thoughts in a whirlwind.

You’ve been through this a million times with him.

Unsurprisingly, this time is no different.

And as you try to focus on the footsteps above you - desperately searching for a thought, a train of any kind to follow - his hand moves again, fingertips tracing the waistband of your dirt covered cargos - barely dipping between fabric and skin.

It’s slow, teasing, but it’s enough. And you don’t currently have enough control over yourself to stop your back from arching, pressing directly against the bulge in his jeans that’s growing impatiently despite himself.

And it’s the way he exhales in your ear, the way you hear him inhale right after before his nose brushes the shell of your ear — before his hand dips lower to trace the zipper of your fly — that you find yourself fighting for your life to swallow the moan that threatens to spill because the people on the second floor are now shouting and hollering, and the whole floor seems to quake under the force of their heavy boots.

A second passes. Then two, and then ten — there’s silence. You’re pretty sure the steps are now heading away from where you’re hiding, and you think Joel must agree because he slips his hand from your mouth, sliding it down your jaw.

“Joel—“ you choke out, the last syllables of his name sounding desperate. “I-we—“

And yet again, you aren’t able to finish, because he has a habit of taking the words you think you want to say straight from your chest. You aren’t able to process it until a moment later - when his mouth finds your neck, fingers slipping into your now unzipped cargo pants.

This isn’t what you meant.

You don’t have the chance to tell him that. You don’t have the cognitive ability to push the idea that this isn’t the time. You don’t even have enough room in your head to acknowledge how this could go so badly, so quickly. You’re too drunk on the high of his touch to think straight.

And when his fingers drag the lace of your underwear to the side - all you can do is squeeze your eyes shut and pray to a God you’re sure you’ve never actually believed in that you’ll survive this without the shame over how fucking soaked you are eating you alive first.

His fingers find your clit, making slow, small circles. Just enough to make you keen. Just enough to make you forget who you are, and what you’re doing. You think if he keeps it up for any longer, the sounds trapped behind your teeth are going to jailbreak before you can get a handle on them. He knows it too - because it’s only a split second after that thought enters your mind, that he whispers gravel in your ear again.

“If y’can’t stay quiet, I’ll make you.” And it’s said with enough sternness to let you know that it isn’t a threat, it’s a promise. “Be good f’me.”

You don’t know if you can. You don’t know if you can possibly keep yourself silent. Not when his lips are teasing your burning flesh, not when his fingers are rolling your clit, not when he’s whispering promises of heaven in your ear.

But it’s then, that you hear the floorboards creak, and you know then, that you have no choice.

Either find a way to stay silent, or throw yourself headfirst into danger.

“Mm.” He hums as his fingers slip lower, sliding along your slit until they find your embarrassingly wet heat - to which you find yourself widening your feet despite yourself.

And this time, the noise that slips isn’t audible. Not to him anyway. But you can feel the sound vibrate the back of your throat. You can feel the way it glides over your tongue - and when you have the wherewithal, you bite down on your bottom lip, hard enough that it’s almost painful. He doesn’t seem to notice, and you’re glad because you know he’d only find it funny.

He pushes a finger into you, and holy fuck—

“Oh—“ the sound gets out of your mouth before you can stop it, involuntarily defying his direct order to shut the fuck up.

You hope, foolishly, it was quiet enough for him to not hear.

It isn’t, and as a result the hand that had been sitting lazily around your jaw slips firm over your mouth again, yanking your head back against his shoulder. You feel his fingers tighten as if to let you know that it’ll only get harder as his finger pushes deeper, and then retreats, pumping into you slow and steady.

“F-fuck—“ your whine is smothered against his palm, and you somehow have half the mind to realize the footsteps have stopped. Vanished. “J-joel.”

You’re expecting some type of response, some biting be quiet — but instead, all you get is a deep grunt in your ear and a roll of his hips against your ass as he slides another finger into your cunt, thumb brushing your clit.

And there’s almost no fight in you left to resist this - to resist the pleasure he’s pouring into your veins. You’d curse him if you could, if you could put more than four coherent words together to do it - but all there seems to be left in your mind is his name, which he’s using against you like he always does.

“Good girl.” He praises between slow, steady thrusts and you have to wonder what kind of game he’s playing to get you like this - to get you so undone you don’t even remember your own goddamn name.

Then again, you know better than to think there’s a game, at all. There are no games with Joel. He does what he wants and you’re either the benefit of it, or you’re the object of his ire.

But when a third finger slips into you, stretching and stuffing your cunt wider than you were mentally prepared for - you forget about any of that as you bite down on his hand as hard as you dare because it’s just too fucking much.

“J-joel—“ you try again, shaking your head. The footsteps haven’t returned. You have to believe they’re gone. You know Joel knows it too. “P-please—“

And like someone struck a match in a room full of gasoline, he seems to have decided that you’ve waited long enough. In the blink of an eye, you feel his palm leave your mouth, and move to the limited space between you. He’s unbuckling his belt.

“What’s the matter, huh?” He all but growls in your ear, still pumping his fingers deep. “Three too much for you? How d’ya think you’re gonna’ take my cock if you can’t even take my fuckin’ fingers.”

God. His voice is deep, dripping like sin. It goes straight to the center of your chest and you feel like the walls of your rib cage are cracking open. You have no idea how you’re going to be able to take him like this - especially when he’s so far gone it’s like he’s forgotten himself.

“I-I don’t know—“ and it’s the truth. You have no concept of how you’ll take a single drop of him in this state. But he’s already shifted himself free, pulling his fingers out to yank your pants down and slide his throbbing shaft into the slick space between your thighs. “F-fuck. You’re crazy.”

“Worse.” And you already know what he’s going to tell you just by the way the word drips into your ear. “M’insane.”

Truer words.

You never imagined that you’d ever find the thought of Joel Miller going insane so enticing. You imagine all kinds of ways you would have pictured it if someone had told you back when you first met - but somehow, this was never one of the things that came to mind.

“What does that make me?” You hiss as his fingers find your clit again, as he kicks your legs a little wider to slide his leaking tip against your slit.

“A goddamned fool.” He answers as he sinks into you, and there’s never been a more divine connection in the world. He groans into your ear, and you have to bite your lip again until you’re sure you might draw blood. “But you already knew that.”

And somehow, even still - you do.

Yeah. You do. He isn’t the type of man someone can ever know fully. He’s got walls and barriers built high - a fortress, impenetrable and vast - but somehow, you still manage to squeeze your way through it. It isn’t lost on you that you’re the only one who has.

“J-joel—go fuckin’ easy, please—“ you’re grabbing at the wall infront of you as he splits you open without so much as giving you a chance for breath. “It’s—been a while—“

And that stops him for a beat - but not for long, and not long enough. He still doesn’t go easy, still thrusts right to the hilt with the kind of power you’d associate with a man half his age - a man who (if the world hadn’t gone to hell) would be so close to retiring that he could taste the future on the back of his tongue - but you wouldn’t want him to anyway.

“I know, babygirl. I know. Just take it nice n’ deep, f’me. Just take it.”

And then he grabs a handful of your hair, pulling you back so he can get even deeper, your spine arching just enough.

Fucking hell.

The sound that’s almost impossible not to make threatens to rip from the pit of your chest, but you bite down in time and it turns into something between a strangled cry and an elongated whimper. You know you’re going to be walking funny tomorrow - but right now, there’s no such thing as being able to imagine tomorrow.

“You—fuck.” It’s a whisper so pained someone might think you’re actually being impaled. In some ways you are. “Oh, god, Joel. Ohmygod you’re deep—“

“There she is.” He all but growls into your ear. “There’s the tough woman I know.” If he wasn’t holding you so tightly you might’d fall at the way he suddenly slams into you. “Tightest pussy I ever had. Goddamn. You wanna feel good, huh? I’ll make you feel good. Just lemme’ have it nice n’ deep, and I’ll get you back later. Let you sit on my face for hours. Make you cum till’ you’re cryin.”

You almost bite your tongue in half at the very thought of him doing that. Your mind is a wasteland of icoherent thought - and it’s then that you know with all the certainty in the world that you’d been done for the moment he came into your life. He always had a rough edge to him - but back then, when you first met, you thought it was just the product of a shitty life. But now, you know better - now, you know he’s just a good-natured person with an innate drive to protect - and you’d go to your grave knowing that you’d go there loving him for it.

Even though, right now, it feels a lot more like he’s trying to kill you rather than protect you.

“Ohhh, fuck—“ you hiss through grit teeth as he pulls out, dragging slow at tight, wet walls. “M’close to cryin’ now.”

“Mmm.” He all but purrs. “That’ll mean I’m doin’ my job right.” There’s heat in the way he speaks that you swear would burn even the toughest person. But then again, that’s always been something you’d only ever been able to say about Joel. “M’not gonna’ be gentle. You know you ain’t deserving of it right now.”

Another time, you’d tell him he was wrong. Another time, you would have argued that you hadn’t done a single thing wrong - but right now, your thoughts are just as lost as your voice.

Still, you try your best. “W-why? Because I—mmf—dragged you outta’ bed?”

“Wrong.” You can’t see it, but you’re sure there’s a smirk on his face. “You really wanna get into it? Wanna’ make a list?”

You don’t, but you have the horrible feeling that this is going to happen either way.

“Do I have a choice?” You ask with what little breath you can find.

“No.” The word sounds so simple - but in that moment, it might as well have been a dagger. “You don’t.”

He pulls out just so he can drive back into you harder, hand sliding from your hair and back over your mouth.

“First, you dragged me outta’ bed. That right there? Shoulda been spanked for it. Next, you got yourself pinned in a goddamn closet with me after raiders chased us down. Almost got us killed.” Another painfully slow draw out, followed by a hard drive back in - smacking your cervix. “An’ for what? Cause’ you don’t wanna’ listen when I say it’s too dangerous to be out here.”

There are a million retorts you could have - most of them have something to do with you being able to take care of yourself - but none of them even find the beginning of your tongue.

He’ll take that win. Just like he takes everything else.

“Not t’mention you’ve kept this perfect ass from me for far too long.” He’s fucking you hard now, head kissing your cervix with each long thrust and you’re crying out under his palm but the sound doesn’t escape. He makes sure of it. “Mmm, yeah. Far. Too. Long.”

You want to tell him to shut up - that he’s being an ass - but you’re two broken breaths from wailing at the sting on your cervix and the pressure he’s now swirling on your clit. The only thing that’s left for you to do is the only thing you can do.

Take it.

You roll your hips, shoving back against him with every thrust just to have him hit that much deeper - and if he has something to say about it, he doesn’t say it. But he seems satisfied with just that, and suddenly, you think he’s just as close as you are.

“That’s it.” His voice is tight. “Good girl. Just like that.”

His hips snap against your ass so hard you think you might end up bruised tomorrow, but the thought only adds to the haze in your mind.

“Ffffffuck—Joel—“ you mewl, pathetic desperate and needy as a whore, against his palm. His fingers speed up against your clit. “Oh!”

“Take it, baby. Make me fuckin’ proud.” He hisses in your ear, a groan slipping out between it. “So good. Pussy feels so good.”

“Gonna’ make me cum.” You try to speak - maybe another time you’d be embarrassed by how desperate you sound, but this isn’t that time and it’s not the time to be anything other than truthful. “Mmm—gonna cum J-joel—“

“Yeah you are.” He grunts, the rhythm of his thrusts stuttering just a little. “Squeezing my cock so goddamn tight. Fuckin’ cum on it, babygirl. Wanna’ feel you.”

The sound that pushes past his palm at just the last moment doesn’t sound like you - but you know it is. It's the sound of the kind of pleasure that you’ve never experienced before that makes your entire body feel like a rubber band that’s too tight, and you have the vaguest sense of your walls squeezing the life out of him but there’s nothing you can do to stop it from happening at all - becuase your climax hits you like a goddamn freight train and its run you over hard.

You think he’s saying something - you know he is - but you can’t hear anything aside from the blood racing in your ears. Even still, you know exactly what happens next, because you’ve experienced it so many times. The way he loses himself, like he forgets every bit of control he prides himself for having and the need to empty himself inside you takes over.

He spills into you hard - and you love every second of it for the simplicity of the comedown.

It’s the kind of feeling that washes you in warmth. It’s the kind of feeling that tells you that the world is going to be okay, so long as you’ve got him and he’s got you. He groans and his hands come out to brace against the wall infront of you to hold himself up as he shoots hot jets of cum deep inside your cunt - and you can’t remember the last time you’d heard him breathe this hard. Though, truth be told, you can’t remember the last time you heard yourself breathe this hard, either.

Your mouth feels dry, your mind feels hazy, and your legs feel weak - and as he leans over you, he can surely tell all three - but he doesn’t say anything.

Instead, he drags his mouth over your ear with an inhale.

“Mmhmm.” He grumbles as he presses a kiss to your jaw. “Look what you made me to do ya.” Your cheek gets the same treatment, and a breath later as he turns your head slightly, your lips do too. “Gonna’ have my cum leakin’ out of ya all the way back to camp.”

The sound you make doesn’t even seem human, but it’s muffled before it even comes - because he’s kissing you. And it isn’t a hard kiss like you’d expect - it’s slow and steady, and you know he’s doing it in a way to say sorry, as if he realizes he might’ve gone a little too far.

You smile into it, and he does too.

“You really are insane.” You whisper as he pulls back slightly. “My cervix gonna’ need a week vacation after that.”

“M’not a good man, darlin'. If I was, I’d say sorry for that.” He whispers with a small kiss against your lips. “But I ain’t. So, I’ll just tell you I’ll take care of you later as much as you like. That good enough for now?”

There’s only one answer for you. Only one that’s ever been the answer with him.

“Always.” There is a beat of silence, and you smile in the dark. “I love you.”

He pulls out of you, finally, leaving the part of himself behind that tells you how much he loves you too without verbalizing it. Soon as he fixes his jeans, he helps you fix yours.

“And I love you.” He whispers, calloused palm finding your own. “Let’s get outta’ here. The sooner we’re back, the better.”

And that, you can’t agree more with.

6K notes · View notes

mooningningg · 10 days ago

Text

notes, a very fun request.

★ Roommate!Sukuna when the bottle lands on you.

You had one rule when you moved in with Ryomen Sukuna: don’t catch feelings.

Which was easy, actually. Super easy. Totally fine.

You only shared a bathroom, sometimes a bed, his hoodies, your fries, a few backhanded compliments, and like… a soul-level tension that felt like a lit cigarette between your teeth.

But feelings? Never.

That’s why you both ended up at Nobara’s party, obviously.

It started normal. Music blaring, drinks poured too strong, your feet already sore from standing too long in boots you had no business wearing. Sukuna was lounging on the arm of a couch, beer bottle in hand, all tattoos and tight jaw, pretending not to watch you dance like you weren’t the only thing he’d been looking at all night.

Then someone suggested spin the bottle.

Of course someone did.

You didn’t think much of it. Just dropped into the circle, laughing, feeling warm and light and stupid.

Sukuna didn’t join.

He leaned back against the wall with a red cup in hand, one brow cocked, looking every bit like a man above it all. Watching. Glowering. Bored.

Until some random guy spun.

The bottle clicked, clacked… and landed on you.

The crowd howled.

The guy smirked, already leaning forward.

That’s when Sukuna moved.

Fast.

Beer slammed onto the counter. Crowd split like the Red Sea. He strode through the circle, sneakers thudding, expression unreadable—but pissed.

“Back the fuck up,” Sukuna said coolly, staring the guy down.

Laughter died. Even the music seemed to quiet.

The guy blinked, confused. “Bro, it’s a party game—”

“She’s not kissing you.” Sukuna smiled without warmth. “Spin again. Or I spin your fuckin’ jaw.”

The guy looked at you, then at Sukuna, clearly re-evaluating all his life choices.

“Dude, what’s your problem?”

“You breathing near her,” Sukuna snapped. “That’s my fuckin’ problem.”

Someone from the back of the crowd muttered, “Damn…”

You stared up at him from the floor, eyes wide. “Sukuna—”

“What?” he barked, not looking at you. “You gonna kiss him? Go ahead. I’ll wait. Right here.”

The guy scrambled to his feet, muttering “not worth it” as he walked off.

Sukuna turned to you finally, jaw tight. “You good?”

You glared. “I was until you pulled a WWE entrance in the middle of a dumb party game.”

He didn’t budge. “If you wanted to kiss some mouth-breathing finance major named Brad or whatever, you could’ve stayed home and swiped right.”

You stood up, brushing yourself off. “It was just a game.”

He leaned in, just enough to make your heart thump. “Then spin the fuckin’ bottle and land on me next time.”

You blinked. “What?”

Sukuna stepped back. “Nothing. Game’s stupid anyway.”

Then he turned and walked off like he hadn’t just blown up the party and dropped a confession-bomb in the same breath.

From behind you, Nobara whispered, “...Your roommate is unhinged.”

You stared at his back.

Yeah. Unhinged. And probably yours.

Eventually.

Taglist, @humeysaga @williamafton26 @aranisbaee @probablynotleahhhh @probablynotleahhhh. @beaniesayshi @levifiance @rinofcike @fushiguroooozzz @gojoscumslut @bellsoftheball @kunascutie. @after-laughter-come-tears

#jjk #jjk x you #roommate jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jjk x reader #sukuna #roommate sukuna #sukuna fluff #sukuna scenario #sukuna imagines #sukuna x reader #sukuna x you #sukuna drabbles #sukuna ff

2K notes · View notes

yvesssssssss · 1 month ago

Text

Nerdmin! who knows you have a voice kink, so he leans close and whispers filth in your ear like he’s reading an academic paper. Calm, articulate, but utterly depraved. “You’re dripping down my wrist, sweetheart. That’s not very ladylike, is it?”

Nerdmin! who has a size kink and uses it against you—not with his body, but your reactions. “It’s too much?” he’ll say sweetly as he watches your cunt struggle to take his fingers. “Funny. You were begging for it just a minute ago.”

Nerdmin! who gets obsessed with overstimulation. He’ll make you come once just to “establish a baseline”—then keeps going with his tongue, fingers, vibrator, whatever he has—until you’re begging through tears. “Let me see how many times I can break you.”

Nerdmin! who switches between praise and degradation so fast it makes your head spin. “That’s my perfect girl. So smart, so obedient…” and then he’s smirking, voice low: “You’re such a fucking mess. Ruined. Sloppy. Disgusting, and still begging for more.”

Nerdmin! who uses mirror play like a study aid. He’ll fuck you from behind while forcing you to look, pushing your head forward by the jaw. “Watch yourself. That’s what I see every time I think about you. Ruined and cockdumb.”

Nerdmin! who uses breath play like he’s testing your limits—his hand wrapping lightly around your throat, not enough to panic, just enough to make your vision buzz. “You okay?” he’ll whisper, and then smirk when you nod. “Then take more.”

Nerdmin! who likes to edge you while he talks softly in your ear, one hand between your legs, the other holding a stopwatch. “You lasted one minute longer than yesterday. Good girl. Let’s see if we can beat that.”

Nerdmin! who has a corruption kink so bad it shows in his eyes. He loves how innocent you look under him—until he’s got you drooling, gagging, whispering filthy things he taught you. “See what I’ve turned you into?” he purrs. “Perfect little toy.”

Nerdmin! who makes you ride his tongue until your thighs are shaking and you can’t even sit up anymore. His arms around your waist, tongue piercing rolling nonstop against your clit while he moans under you like it’s his orgasm.

Nerdmin! who records your moans on his phone when he eats you out, labeled “Study Notes – Vol. 1,” so he can jerk off to them later when you’re not around. “You sounded so pretty, baby,” he tells you the next day. “I came twice.”

I'm so obsessed with nerdmin💔

#attack on titan smut #attack on titan #aot smut #armin aot #aot x reader #aot #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyoujin x reader #shingeki no kyojin armin #armin smut #armin x reader #snk armin #nerd armin #armin arlert #snk smut #snk

2K notes · View notes

no-144444 · 4 months ago

Text

new meetings- o.piastri

summary: oscar is terrified for you to meet his family, funnily enough, you already know a few of them...

pairing: oscar piastri x fem! famous! reader

a/n: PRAYING FOR AN OP81 WIN TOMORROW

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅

Mae was a very convincing person when she wanted to be, and being her big brother, Oscar genuinely wanted to give her whatever she wanted. But meeting you? That was something he was dreading.

He’d made the mistake of leaving his phone on the counter unlocked when he was making dinner, and she saw your messages in his phone. What followed was a very awkward explanation that you two had been seeing each other for the past few months, but he wasn’t going to introduce you to his family yet, he just… wasn’t ready. Which was fair. But Nicole protested, and so did all of his sisters, so he had no choice but to offer you a paddock pass for Australia, and hope you were busy.

You weren’t. And you were much too supportive of him to not attend. So he was, in simple terms, fucked.

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ

“You can’t be weird,” he sighed as he walked his sisters through the paddock. “Just be… normal.”

“We are being normal, you’re the one sweating right now,” Hattie chuckled.

Oscar pulled at the collar of his team kit, and genuinely prayed hiss otters wouldn’t be so awkward with you. He didn’t want to scare you off.

“Come on Osc, we’re cool!” Tim chuckled, clapping a hand on his back. “Jesus, you are sweaty,” he mumbled as he wiped his hand on his shorts.

“Fuck,” he whispered under his breath.

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ

You sat with Alex Dunne, one of the development drivers who was in F2, just chatting casually.

“Osc, hey,” you smiled easily, wrapping your arms around his neck, then grimacing. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, but his voice was much too high, and his grip on your waist was much too tight. You raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry about what’s going to happen now,” he whispered and kissed your cheek.

You turned your head and saw his family, but also your great Pilates buddy, Nicole. Your jaw dropped as hers did at the same time. “Nicole? Shut up!” You clapped a hand over your mouth, a soft laugh coming out. She walked up to you and wrapped her arms around you in a gentle hug. “How are you?” You asked, hugging her back.

Oscar looked between the two of you, shocked.

“I’m great! How are you sweetheart?” She asked, looking you over. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you smiled brightly. “You look gorgeous, by the way,” you smiled.

She pulled you in again. “When are you coming back to Pilates?” She begged and you giggled.

“Soon, I promise. I just finished filming in Toronto so I’m back in Australia for the foreseeable, lest Oscar needs my support at races,” you beamed, looking at him with all the pride in the world. His face was contorted into one of confusion and mild disgust? You stared at him and cupped his cheek, curious. “What’s wrong?”

“You know my mum?” He questioned.

“Of course I do,” you shrugged. “We do Pilates together.”

Again, he was perplexed about the fact neither of you had mentioned it. “I know I’m bad at telling people things, but this is next level.”

Nicole scoffed. “Who didn’t tell me they were extending their contract?”

He was pretty quiet after that.

“I’m Mae!” She interjected, walking up beside you and Nicole. “I’m a huge fan.”

Oscar face-planted. So cool.

“Nice to meet you Mae, I’m Y/n,” you smiled, pulling her in for a hug.

“I’m Hattie,” she smiled, greeting you. “I got you this,” she handed you a sticker of Oscar as a sonny angel. You gasped, taking it from her hand.

“I love it!” You beamed. “It’s so cute, thank you so much!”

Never did Oscar ever think he’d see himself as a sonny angel, but he did know it was right up your alley, and some of the anxiety in his chest eased as he watched you effortlessly mix with his family.

“I’m Tim,” he stepped forward.

“Fuck off Tim,” you chuckled, pulling him into a hug. “How are you?”

Oscar was once again confused.

“I'm great, Bug, thank you,” he smiled. “How are you?”

“Bug?” Oscar commented, but it was drowned out by the conversation flowing freely, Eddie joining in.

He watched for about 30 minutes with a bright smile on his face as you mixed in perfectly with his family.

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ

His hands trailing up your shirt, exposing skin as the sun set outside the window. The way his lips were moving against yours, the way his hands felt on your body, the way he reacted to the things you were doing. He was addictive.

“How do you know my stepdad?” Oscar questioned as he pulled back from kissing you. You looked up at him, unimpressed. You propped yourself up on your elbows.

“You think about Tim when we’re making out?” You questioned and the look on his face was enough to tell you he didn’t. You chuckled. “I’ve worked with him before.”

“Where?”

“On a film,” you explained. “When I was really young.”

He nodded, and lay beside you. “How didn’t I know this?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know, Ithink I would’ve mentioned it if I thought it was important.”

“And you know my mum?”

“Yeah,” you nodded and kissed his cheek, trying to get him back into the mood. “Pilates.”

He wrapped his arms around your waist as you lay on top of him, pressing kisses to his neck. “And I didn’t know this?”

“Evidently not,” you smirked. “Did you feel the need to?”

“I don’t know,” he huffed. “I was just so…-”

“Nervous? For today?” You stifled a laugh. He shot you a dirty look and you chuckled. “I didn’t notice, actually.”

He huffed and nodded. “It was pretty obvious,” he sighed, burying his head in your neck. “I don’t know, maybe I would’ve just… been a little less stressed if I knew you knew them already,” he shrugged. “I just… maybe wouldn’t have been so-”

“Anal?” You offered. “Militarial?”

“Worried,” he finished for himself as he shot you yet another dirty look, making you laugh, yet again.

“Why would you be worried?” You questioned, cupping his cheeks. “I love you.”

He rolled his eyes, trying to stop his heart beat from racing and attempting to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. “I love you too,” he admitted. “But I’m afraid I’m going to scare you away.”

You stared at him with a raised eyebrow, and sat up (aka you straddled him which meant this conversation was going to be a lot harder to keep his mind on. Also, harder- did you see what I did there 😝). “Why would you scare me away?” You gently pulled a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I don’t have a regular job, I’m weirdly famous, I drive very dangerous cars, I’m extremely awkward at all of your events, I’m-“

“I love you, Osc. Anything you say won’t change that,” you shook your head. “I love you.”

It hit him deep in the chest, so much he was sure it would’ve made him double over, had he been standing. A soft smile crept its way onto his face and he pulled you down to kiss him again. Your hands traveled under his shirt, and the kiss was back.

“I love you too,” he mumbled against your lips. You pulled back and tried not to notice how beautiful you looked with swollen lips and smushed lipstick, but it was pretty hard not to. “So fucking much.”

୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅୨ৎ⋅

mclaren masterlist

navigation for my blog :)

2K notes · View notes