#and when i say i’ll need shampoo i mean just go to the corner shop and get the cheapest shit not drive an hour for fancy branded shit

[selfconsumerofmywoes]

the overdoing it really runs in the family huh?

[taestefully-in-luv]

Always You | JJK (Drabble#3)

Summary: You have yet to tell Jungkook your big news and he might not take it so well.

Pairing: Always You!Jungkook x female reader

Genre: Angst!!! Smut!!! And fluff too hehe

Word count: 7.3k (I am SO sorry)

Warnings: sad Jungkook, jealous oc, panic attack, oral (male and female receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, multiple positions, cum eating, scratching, marking, overstimulation, mentions of anal (sorry if I forgot any)

Notes: sorry this is long for a drabble! I actually managed to get it down to 7k wooo. Also pls don’t be that mad at oc:) hehe. Make sure to send an ask if you want to chat:) ily guys

Taglist: @seagulljk

© taestefully-in-luv

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The record shop is busier than usual this evening…Yoongi has tried his best to stop by yours and Taehyung’s table to chat but another customer keeps walking in one after the other. You chuckle, waving him off, telling him to work.

“And Jungkook doesn’t know?” Taehyung frowns at you, “Like, this is huge y/n. And you haven’t told him?”

“Not yet, at least.” You admit, bringing your coffee mug to your lips. “I’m going to have to eventually though right…”

“Who else doesn’t know?”

“Everyone knows actually.”

“Oh girl, that’s not good.”

“What do you mean?” you bring the coffee mug back to the table, your fingers strumming the side of the mug.

“You’re telling me he is the last to know? That’s just…not going to sit right with him and you know that.”

Fuck, he’s right. Jungkook is your best friend, your boyfriend, the man you live with, the man you love…and he has no idea you’re about to move to another country. You got accepted to work in Japan for a year and you could not be more excited. But there’s this huge weight on your entire body, the weight equal to one man.

“I know, shit, but I just can’t. He’s going to act so supportive but I know how disappointed he will be. I mean, we just started living together recently you know? Our relationship is going so nicely and I don’t want to ruin that.” You rant, a frown pulling down your lips.

“I finally finished with my last customer.” You hear Yoongi walk up to your little corner of the record shop. “What are we talking about?” he pulls up his chair and sits down.

“y/n still hasn’t told Jungkook about Japan.”

“Still?” Yoongi looks disappointed to say the least. “y/n…”

“Guys, I know!” you throw your hands up, “I’m fucking up.”

“Wait, do the others know that Jungkook doesn’t know?”

“I didn’t necessarily announce that it’s a secret…” you bite your bottom lip, worry filling your body, “And he’s with Jin, Namjoon and Hobi tonight.”

“You should text them and tell them.”

“But it’s not the first time he’s hanging around them since I told them…so maybe I just don’t come up in conversation?” you respond hopefully.

“Yeah, not likely. Jungkook always finds a way to talk about you.” Tae grumbles. “Trust us, we would know.”

“Yeah, he’s right.” Yoongi agrees, “Listen, you need to tell him before he finds out from someone else.”

“I’ll tell him…” you pick up your mug and take a sip, “Tonight.”

~~~~~~

Your apartment is dark and there’s no sign of life—Jungkook must still be out with the guys. You sigh in relief because although you said you would tell him tonight you are already chickening out. You know, you know. A cowards move. But honestly, it’s hard!

Right as you think you’re in the clear, you hear the front door opening from behind you. Jungkook is whistling some tune as he walks in and he lights up when he sees you.

“Baby.” He sings out, walking closer to you. “Hi.” He says before leaning down and pecking your lips.

“Hi, how was your night?” you ask as you slip off your shoes and head towards the bedroom.

“It was nice.” Jungkook continues to whistle, “How was yours? How are Tae and Yoongi? Anything new?”

“No, just the usual.” You shimmy out of your pants and slip off your shirt, leaving you in some panties and a bralette. You walk out of your room and into the bathroom to turn on the shower. The water is cold but is quickly heating up as you turn the knob, you enjoy how hot it’s getting.

“Should I join you?” You hear Jungkook say from behind you. He snakes his arms around your waist and kisses your neck.

“If you want babe.”

“I want you to want me to.” He pouts, “So, I’ll ask again…should I join you?”

You can’t help but giggle, turning around in his grasp and pulling at his shirt.

“Yes, please.” You say as he lifts his arms up for you to lift his shirt off. You eye your boyfriend over, his muscles look so strong and honestly? Did they get bigger? He has been hitting the gym more. His tattoos cover one of his arms and it’s such a sexy sight. You trace your fingers over his body art and he smiles down at you.

“Like what you see?”

“You know I do.” You breathe out and he reaches behind you and unclasps your bra.

“I like what I see too.” He says as your breasts are freed. “God, I love your tits.”

“The water is probably ready.” You smirk, sliding your panties down. Jungkook’s eyes follow your movement, he watches as the panties get dragged down leg by leg.

“Then let’s get in.” He’s taking off his own pants and boxers in one go, leaving him completely naked for you.

The two of you step in the shower, letting the hot water wash over your entire bodies. He lets you go under first as he squirts some shampoo in his palm.

“C’mere.” He commands. You step out from under the water and he massages the shampoo into your scalp, creating a bubbly mess. Then you go back under to rinse, this continues for the conditioner as well and then he’s soon washing your body with body wash, making sure he gets every corner and crevice of your body. Then you do the same for him, he loves when you wash his hair, your nails scratching at his scalp has him groaning.

“Missed you tonight.” He says quietly, “You missed me?”

“When am I not missing you?” you lean up to kiss him. He doesn’t let you lean away though as he leans in further to kiss you deeper. The water dribbles down your faces as you two have your lips moving quickly against one another. He nips at your bottom lip before his tongue tangles with yours, you moan into his mouth and he swallows it.

“Gonna fuck you?” he asks impatiently. His hard cock slipping between your folds as he grinds into you.

“Yes.” You respond breathlessly. “Yes.”

~~~~~~~

You slip on one of Jungkook’s t shirts and a fresh pair of panties and slide into bed. You find yourself in your boyfriends strong, warm arms. You lay your head down on his chest and listen to his heart beat. It’s racing. Why?

“Jungkook—”

“So anything new?” Jungkook cuts you off, his heart doing a million things.

You’re quiet for a few moments before you speak up again.

“Nope.”

You hear Jungkook sigh out heavily…then he’s moving from beneath you and getting up to turn on the lamp.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure?” You sit up on your elbows, confusion drawn on your face.

“y/n…” you hear him softly warn, “I’m giving you a chance to tell me.”

“Tell you what? I have nothing to tell you?”

That’s the moment you think you can physically see Jungkook’s heart break in his chest. His face falls dramatically as a frown takes over.

“Nothing at all?” he asks quietly and that’s when you know. He knows.

“What are you talking about, Jungkook?” you decide to say instead of the truth and his face twists into a look of disappointment.

“Were you ever going to tell me?” he looks down at his hands, “That you are apparently fucking moving? To japan?”

You feel yourself go pale.

“I—”

“I have known for a few weeks.” Jungkook admits, “I’ve been giving you time to tell me but it came up again tonight…and I just couldn’t wait anymore. But it seems like you were never going to tell me.” He grits out. “Were you?” His voice is pleading now. “y/n, were you just going to leave without saying anything?”

“What? No! Of course not!” you rush to say, “I just—”

“And you told literally everyone else except for me. Why am I the last to know? Shouldn’t I have been the first person you told? Didn’t you want to like, discuss it with me first? Or did you just make the decision immediately that you’re moving there without even considering me?” he sounds so pained, like speaking isn’t something he excels at.

“Jungkook, what do you mean discuss it with you? It’s my decision,”

He looks at you incredulously, his eyes wetting with tears.

“Of course its your decision at the end of the day but we should still have discussed it! We live together, we are planning a future together!” he cries out. “Or were you going to break up with me?”

“What?! Jungkook no—”

“Maybe that would be for the best, you can’t even tell me something like this—”

“Jungkook stop.” You feel your eyes gloss over, and a few tears slide down your face. “Don’t even talk about breaking up.”

“Why not?” He spits out, “You don’t even tell me shit or consider me in the big things in your life.”

“That’s not true…” you cry. “I was just scared. I thought you would be more supportive…”

“The problem isn’t Japan, y/n.” Jungkook states. “It’s the fact that you couldn’t even tell me about it or discuss it with me. We can make this work but you didn’t even give me a chance to try.” Tears prick his eyes as he speaks and you feel yourself go numb. You fucked up, you should have told him…but you don’t think either way would have been easy.

“I’m sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“Wait! No…” you grab for his hand and he exhales deeply.

“Let go of me, y/n.”

“No.” you say, your stubbornness taking over. “No.”

“Why not?” he asks, using his other hand to wipe at his face.

“I love you Jungkook, and I’m sorry.”

“I love you too, y/n. But I’m mad.” He says, tugging his hand away from you. “I need some space.”

~~~~~

“Space?” Jimin asks with a frown, “Don’t you leave in like a month? Isn’t space the last thing you guys should have?”

“You’d think so. But it’s been 5 days Jimin.” You take a swig of your beer and wince at the bitter flavor. “He’s pissed.”

“And he has every right to be, babe.” Jimin points out, “Full offense but you fucked up.”

“I know…” you tug on your hair, “Last time I gave him space he didn’t talk to me for three months…” you say, worry laced in your voice. “How do I know he won’t disappear on me again?” you choke out, “That would fucking crush me. I need to talk to him.”

“I know where he’s at tonight.” Jimin admits softly, “Should we go?”

You nod your head as Jimin stands up and grabs his keys, he walks towards the front door and glances over at you.

“Coming?”

“Yes.”

You and Jimin pull up to some bar downtown, it’s in a shadier part of town and you wonder how Jungkook ended up in a place like this. You guys get inside and see Jungkook and Taehyung sitting at the bar with 3 girls surrounding them. You can’t help the way your chest tightens at the sight. Jimin looks over at you and offers you a soft smile.

“They come here to talk to girls?” you bitterly question.

“Does it look like Jungkook is even sparing one of them a glance? He just came with Tae.” Jimin defends and you roll your eyes, you still can’t help but feel irritated.

Jungkook sits here at the bar with a whiskey, taking sip after sip. He looks tired to say the least, he looks plain tired. He doesn’t even notice you coming up to them, he just takes another sip of his drink.

“Why doesn’t your friend talk?” One of the girls slurs out, “I want to talk to him.”

“Oh him?” Taehyung points at Jungkook, “He has a….y/n.” his eyes widen when he spots you.

“A y/n?” the girl asks, clearly confused.

“Yes, a me.” You say harshly, “His girlfriend.”

Jungkook hears your voice and sighs out, setting his drink down. He slowly turns in his bar stool to face you, his tired face becoming even more tired.

“What are you doing here?” he slurs out. “I said I needed space.”

“So you two are broken up then?” the girl asks, “Don’t call yourself his girlfriend—”

“She is my girlfriend.” Jungkook rolls his eyes, “I just needed some time to think.”

“Oh? With all these girls around?” you spit out. “This what you do when you need space?” You place your hands on your hips. “Talk to other girls?”

Jungkook looks at you like you’ve lost your mind, he shakes his head with a frown,

“Does it look like I’m talking to them?” he asks you, incredulously.

“It’s been 5 days Jungkook, how much space do you need? Need another three months?” he hears your voice crack as you speak and he feels himself deflate.

“Baby, I wouldn’t—”

“You wouldn’t do that?” You ask, tears pricking the corners of your eyes, “You’ve done it before.”

Jungkook stands from his bar stool and walks towards you, grabs your hand and leads you outside.

“Let’s go home.” He says softly, “We can talk.”

Jungkook pulls out his phone and orders an uber. The ride gets here within 5 minutes…you two stay silent the whole ride over to your apartment.

Once the uber pulls up to your apartment, Jungkook takes your hand and interlocks your fingers as you two exit the vehicle.

The walk up to the apartment is only a couple minutes, those are silent as well. He keeps his tight grip on your hand though, never letting go.

“We’re home.” Jungkook whispers when you two get inside. “We should drink some water.”

You nod your head in agreeance, heading towards the kitchen. Jungkook follows behind you, he watches your figure as you stumble forward. He exhales a deep, deep breath and rolls his eyes. You’re a little more tipsy than he first thought and he thought he was sort of drunk.

“y/n…maybe we should just get some sleep…”

“No, you said we were going to talk!” You yell out over your shoulder as you reach for two glasses for water. You grab the pitcher from the fridge and pour you and Jungkook a glass. He comes up behind you, and takes a glass and begins drinking it back slowly.

“I still think we should sleep on it tonight—”

“Oh? You on the couch? And me alone in the room?” you spit out, “That’s how we’re going to ‘sleep’ on it?”

“Alright, you obviously want to talk—”

“Yeah, no fucking shit.”

“Hey…” Jungkook winces, “You don’t have to cuss at me.” He says softly, “Let’s just talk.”

“How long were you going to go without talking to me, hm?”

“Maybe as long as you didn’t tell me about Japan?” Jungkook snaps. He doesn’t mean to snap, of course. But he’s starting to become frustrated. You look at him with shocked eyes, feeling guilty all of the sudden. Maybe you deserved that.

“Jungkook I said I’m sorry—”

“Maybe sorry isn’t good enough.” He grits out, “You kept something so important from me, and didn’t even think it was something we should discuss together. As a couple…as a team.”

You breathe out, trying to calm yourself, the guilt beginning to eat you alive. As a team?

“I was serious…” he begins, his chest starting to heave. “We can make it work if you’re wanting to go abroad. But y/n you have to actually tell me so we can seriously discuss it.” His pained expression feels like a stab to the gut. “Because I won’t lie to you…this isn’t going to be easy for me. I’m so…” he chokes up, “I’m so attached to you.” He finishes with a hard gulp. His eyes stinging with tears, “I’m so in love with you that I don’t know how I can physically be without you.”

“Jungkook…” you stand here with your own tears threatening to fall. “You can be without—”

“No!” he cries out, “I don’t think so.”

“You’re stronger than you think, baby.” You walk closer to him and he falls forward into your arms, you catch him and try your best to hold him up as he starting sobbing into your neck.

“N-No.” he chokes on his sobs, “P-Please don’t-please don’t…don’t leave me.” He manages to cry out between harsh breaths. “I need you.”

Your heart cracks and breaks into maybe tens of millions of pieces, then those pieces manage to get even more crushed. So, this wasn’t just about you not telling him…this goes deeper than that.

“Baby, I’m not leaving you. I would never leave you. I’m yours forever.” You remind him softly, caressing his back as he continues to weep. “We would make plans to see each other every few months, remember?”

“You—you want to l-leave me.” He cries harder into your shoulder making you screw your eyes shut so your own tears don’t spill over.

“Baby that’s not—”

“Why am I never good enough to make the people I love stay?” he whispers, his quiet sobs taking a toll on his tired body. Your eyes go wide at his comment…this is much, much deeper than you thought.

“Jungkook…” you whisper his name over and over, trying to calm him. Your hand massages his scalp and he continues to cry.

You don’t know what to say at this point…you don’t think any words you can say will work…will comfort him. Only ‘okay I won’t go’ but you can’t…you can’t say that. Because it would be a lie. You’ve already made your decision and that’s that you are going. You’ve already accepted and made the arrangements to fly out, you’ve already been placed in an apartment, everything is already done. And yes, you feel bad. Awful actually but this is something you really want to do, for you. You want this, you need this. And you hope Jungkook will become more understanding. You know he will…he’s just drunk and emotional right now. But you can tell these are his real feelings.

“Do you still love me?” Jungkook chokes out and your face twists into a frown. This is it, you finally cry. His unsureness breaks you.

“What are you talking about?” you let a few tears stream down your face, “I love you more than anything, anyone.” You hug him tighter, your arms becoming sore from how hard you’re holding on to him.

“Then don’t leave.” He begs into your neck and you fall to your knees, bringing him down with you. You feel so fucking conflicted.

“Baby.” You cry out, “Please understand.”

Jungkook shakes as he cries, like he’s beginning to hyperventilate. He tries to speak but only harsh, quick breaths leave his open mouth. He brings his head back and he looks at you panicked, like he can’t breathe.

“Okay, calm down, calm down.” You whisper, rubbing his back. “Breathe, my love. Breathe.”

Jungkook shuts his eyes and shakes his head, he is struggling to find that breath. He continues to breathe out quickly, panic rising.

“In and out, in and out.” You continue to rub his back, “I’m here my love, I’m here.”

Jungkook tries his hardest to take a deep breath but it’s so hard, so fucking hard. He opens his eyes and they scream for you, they are wide and pleading and you feel so fucking heartbroken.

“Come on, in and out…that’s it Jungkook. In and out.” He follows your instructions, trying his best to breathe in and out as steadily as possible. He finally manages to calm down only for him to break down even more…he closes his eyes and starts crying harder this time.

“Jungkook.” Your voice cracks, “Please calm down.” You feel yourself becoming more and more anxious as well.

“I love you, I love you, I love you.” You whisper out over and over until he’s quieting down. You don’t stop though, you continue to repeat the words until his breathing sounds stable again. You don’t stop caressing his back either, you just continue to do what you can to comfort him.

“I know you do.” Jungkook finally whimpers out. “I know you do. I’m sorry.” He sniffles into your neck. “I’m sorry.” His voice breaks and you squeeze your eyes shut.

“Don’t be sorry baby, you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“No, I do.” He says a little more calmly. “I shouldn’t try to make you stay. If you want to go…then that’s what you want and I want to be nothing be supportive of what you want.”

“It’s not because I don’t want to be with you Jungkook. I wish you could just quit your job and come with me, to be honest. But I know I can’t ask you to do that.” You rub his back some more. Jungkook lifts himself off your shoulder and looks into your eyes.

“I know.” He sighs out, “I know. It’s just…it’s just for a year, right?” his big doe eyes bore into yours.

“Just a year babe.” You promise, “And I will see you every few months, and we will talk every day.”

Jungkook nods his head and tries to smile for you but it’s tense and strained and you frown again.

“It’ll be fun when you come to visit me…” you try to lighten the mood. “Imagine all the food we will try and all the sights we will see.”

“Yeah.” Jungkook tries smiling again, this time it’s a little more relaxed.

“And all the sex we will have in a different country?” you playfully wiggle your brows and Jungkook laughs while sniffling.

“I will kiss you in every famous spot in Japan.” Jungkook offers, “And we’re going to take a million pictures. And you will video chat with me every single day, right?”

“Every single day.” You repeat, “And you won’t be alone,” you remind him, “You have the guys, our friends. They’re just as much as family…”

“Yeah, I know.” He sniffles again, “I know.”

“I really am sorry for not telling you first…I was just so scared…I knew you would be disappointed…”

“Baby, I’m not like, entirely disappointed. I am also really happy for you. I’m just a bit sad for selfish reasons.” He admits. “I got so emotional…”

“You don’t think I would ever leave you, right? That you are 100% good enough. You are the love of my life, Jungkook.”

“I’m happy to hear you say that.” He sighs out. “I’m sorry for what I said…I was just…” he begins to get choked up again and you immediately caress his cheek.

“I know. You don’t have to explain…” you whisper. “We’re going to be okay.”

“More than okay.” He smiles at you with his brows pulled together. “Right?”

“Right.” You lean in and your lips meet his. You kiss him over a few times, and he lazily kisses you back.

“Let’s go to bed?” you begin to stand up, taking Jungkook’s heavy body with you.

“Okie.” He nods his head and follows you into the bedroom. “Take my clothes off for me.” He raises his arms above his head and waits patiently.

You chuckle at the sight but agree nonetheless. You walk to him and lift his shirt up, throwing it to the side. Then you are unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his pants, dragging them down his legs. He lifts one leg at a time as you slip them off…you’re dropped to your knees as you take them off his body.

“While I’m down here…maybe I could…” you play with the elastic of his briefs and he can’t help but chuckle.

“We can just go to sleep…” he offers shyly but you can see the outline of his length begin to twitch.

“I just want you to feel good…” you begin pulling the briefs down slowly, his half hard cock making an appearance.

“You always make me feel good.” He admits between a rough breath.

“Good.”

You grab onto his thick thighs and he stumbles backward until he’s gripping the desk in your room, he braces himself, staring down at you with soft eyes.

“Wanna make my baby feel so good.” You say, inching your face closer to his growing member. You haven’t even touched him yet and his cock is twitching uncontrollably. You watch as it gets harder and harder.

“Then make me feel good.” He breathes out, the desperation in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed by you.

You finally walk your fingers up his thigh until you’re softly stroking his dick. Your fingers lightly gliding up his growing length. He softly moans out, but he isn’t really, truly whining until you grip his cock and squeeze his head lightly.

“Fuck.” He sighs out, his hands going to your hair. “Love your touch, baby.”

“How about my mouth? Do you love that too?” you ask, as your face gets closer and closer until he is feeling your warm breaths fan over his cock.

“Please.” He begs cutely, “Need you.”

You bring his cock to your lips, you circle his cock over your mouth, your chin, your nose, all over your face. He groans at the view you are giving him, his tip beginning to leak precum. You dart your tongue out to lick him clean and he throws his head back.

“Please.” He begs again and you chuckle darkly.

“So needy.” You say , “Baby so needy.” You finally take his cock in your mouth, you wrap your pretty lips over the head and lightly suck making his eyes roll to the back of his head. He grips your hair tighter as you take him further into your mouth. He’s losing it. Your mouth feels like heaven, the way you lightly suck, the way your tongue drags up and down his length and swirls around the head of his dick, the way you take him further, so deep that he’s hitting the back of your throat.

You begin to bob your head up and down as you start to allow him to access all his pleasure. He groans loudly as you pick up your pace, his hands falling back down to his sides as he finds the desk again and he holds on tightly.

You take him deeper, causing you to choke on his cock and he smirks down at you.

“Having trouble there?” he asks as you continue to gag on his throbbing length, you just moan in response, the vibrations causing him to screw his eyes shut and cry out in pleasure.

You continue to suck on him for who knows how long, your jaw starting to become sore but his whines are enough for you to keep going. Your eyes wet with tears and he is in awe of the sight you allow him.

“I want to come…” he pants out, “But inside you.” He admits between harsh breaths, “But I want to enjoy this for a few more minutes…please.” He begs and you nod your head, you take your mouth off his cock and use your hand to stroke him over and over. You look up at him with your big eyes and he melts. He wants to come so bad, just not like this.

You open your mouth wide and stick your tongue out, then you take his cock and slap it over the flat of your tongue and he basically fucking loses it. You then swallow him whole again, sucking on his dick so deliciously.

“Okay, okay…” Jungkook pants out, “Let me fuck you.” He’s lifting you up by the arms and spinning your body to be up against the desk. He shoves everything to the side and on to the floor as he goes in between your legs.

“Up.” He says, helping you sit on the edge of the desk. His hands scramble to your shorts, he’s quick to unbutton them and drag the zipper down, taking them off you. Leaving you in your shirt and panties. Then he’s ripping off your shirt and bra.

“Let’s see how wet you are first.” He snickers to himself with dark eyes. His fingers rub the outside of your panties and finds them to be very damp.

“Good girl.” He pushes your panties to the side and pushes two fingers inside you immediately causing you to gasp out.

“Let me stretch you a little first.” He moves his fingers inside you as you nod your head frantically in approval. “Good girl.” He repeats and you roll your eyes to the back of your head as he begins to scissor his fingers. You wish he would keep his fingers inside you but much to your dismay he’s pulling them out and licking them clean.

“Mm.” he sucks on his fingers and winks at you. “Love this taste. My favorite flavor.” He whispers to you and you blush.

“Gonna fuck you right here, okay?”

“Please Jungkook. Need your cock so bad.”

Jungkook smirks at you before his smile turns soft and he looks at you with eyes full of adoration.

“Need me?”

“Always need you.”

Jungkook nods his head slowly as he grabs a hold of his length, he gets closer to you, his cock brushing against your clit and you close your eyes in pleasure. He rubs his cock over your clit over and over until you’re a moaning mess. He smiles at you again before lining his cock up to your entrance and slowly, very slowly pushes in. Good lord, his cock is entering you so fucking beautifully, the way he brushes against every special spot inside your tight pussy has you arching your back in pleasure.

Jungkook releases a long, harsh breath as he bottoms out, he stays still for a few moments before he’s sliding in and out of you. His thrusts are intentional, every single one has a purpose. They’re hard, fast and rough. You claw at his back, leaving long lines of pink and red down his back which only encourages him to fuck you harder. One of your hands trail up his body until you’re in his hair, you pull on the strands as your wrap your legs around his tiny waist, your heels digging into his lower back.

Jungkook lifts you from the desk and lightly slams your bodies into the wall next to the door as he continues to fuck into you. You toss your head to the side, giving Jungkook access to your neck, which he gladly accepts the invitation. He kisses you throat, and sucks into your skin. You whine at how good everything feels. Your bodies roll over the wall until you’re at the entrance of the door and Jungkook carries you over to the hallway, fucking you up against that wall as well as you scream out his name.

“Gonna fuck you on every surface of this apartment.” Jungkook promises you. “So you have a memory of a new spot every time you think of this apartment you will be reminded of how I fucked you.” Your legs begin to sliding down over his ass, and he uses his strong arms to bump you up higher, his cock never leaving your pussy.

He walks you over to the couch and lays you down on it, you’re flat against the sofa as he stays standing, fucking into you faster and harder. His cock is throbbing and aching for release but he endures it, his moans filling the room.

You try your hardest to keep your orgasm at bay, but it’s becoming so difficult as his dick is reaching that spot deep within you that has your body going tense. You try so hard you really do but before you can even warn him you feel your body electrifying with intensity as your orgasm washes over you like a huge wave of warm water. You scream, you cry, you moan out in pleasure. But Jungkook doesn’t stop, he slows down though, giving you a moment to relax.

“This isn’t over.” He warns. “I still have to fuck you from behind, still need your fucking gorgeous ass.” He’s lifting your weak body up and momentarily taking his cock out of you to walk you to the kitchen, his hands make their way into your hair and he guides you to bend over the counter. It’s cold against your breasts and you shiver.

“Spread your cheeks for me baby, give me that view.”

You are still out of breath from your orgasm but you listen to him, you reach behind you and spread your ass apart to show him your used pussy.

“Fucking beautiful. So wet.” He groans. “One of these days you’re going to let me fuck this ass aren’t you?”

Your eyes widen but you nod your head frantically, already loving the idea.

“Words baby.”

“Yes.” You moan out as you feel his cock being shoved back inside you, you choke on air as you feel him start thrusting again. You really fucking gasp when you feel his hand come down on your ass hard.

“Love this ass. So fucking much.” He says, panting. “Can’t wait to stick my cock in it and fuck you.” His words go straight to your pussy. God, you don’t want to come again this quickly but his cock feels so god damn good.

“Tell me you want me to fuck this ass.” He grunts.

“I want you to fuck me in the ass.”

“Next time, baby.” He promises, his thrusts still fucking you with so much purpose. He pulls you by the hair causing you to arch your back even more and he falls in love with this view. He loves your boobs, but he’s definitely an ass man. He will argue he loves both but the way your ass is pushed into his crotch right now…he could honestly lose his mind.

He lifts you up again, by the hair—mostly gently. And he now has your body pushed up against the fridge, your face being smooshed into the cold silver box. Your fingers dragging leaving prints down the fridge as he lifts one of your legs to fuck you at a better angle. You cry out, he’s hitting that spot again and you feel yourself losing all composure.

“I’m gonna come again Jungkook.” You warn him this time between your rough breaths.

“I’ll come with you. But we aren’t done.” He starts thrusting faster, the sound of his skin slapping your skin is honestly pushing you further into your orgasm. You feel the warmth travel through your whole body and you feel the band fucking snap. God, you are coming so hard, creaming around his cock as he slows down his thrusts to come into you, his breathing is so heavy as he starts to come. When he stills his hips he’s releasing a loud, low, guttural moan and you could come again just from the sound.

Jungkook starts whining uncontrollably as he starts to move his hips again, slowly grinding into yours and you wince at the pain, the overstimulation. He cries out, it’s too much for him as well but he doesn’t stop.

“Wanna keep fucking you.” He screws his eyes shut, thrusting into you slowly and carefully. He brings your body closer to his, your back flush against his chest and he walks you over to the breakfast table. He leaves your body, quickly takes his cock out of you and sits down on the chair and orders you to sit in his lap. He gestures towards his cock and smirks.

“Sit.”

“Jungkook…” your eyes slightly wet, “I can’t”

“You can and you will.”

You crawl into his lap and hover over his aching cock, he looks up at you and whimpers.

“hurry.”

You slowly sink down onto his length, the feeling so fucking euphoric. He slams his eyes shut and nods his head.

“Ride me.” He softly commands. You lift yourself up and lower back down again, this angle has you seeing fucking stars. You start to ride his cock a little faster now, slamming down on his hips and he grips your hips helping you rise and sink down on his cock.

“Fuck I am gonna come again.” He says, meeting your thrusts half way. He lifts his hips and fucks you from beneath you. He’s going feral now, losing all control. His cock is so hard, so needy, aching so badly for you, for release. You lean down and start kissing him, nibbling on his lips, nibbling on his jaw, nibbling on his neck. He cries out and thrusts into you so harshly now, you feel your high building and building. You’re going to come soon, but then you’re completely overwhelmed when you feel Jungkook’s fingers on your sensitive bundle of nerves. You scream in pleasure, yelling out his name as he fucks you. The chair threatens to screech backwards as you two fuck so roughly on it.

“I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come.” He yells out, his hot seed shooting inside you as he halts his movements. His fingers still rub your clit quickly and you are pushed over the fucking edge—again. You cry as you come. You grit your teeth as this powerful orgasm hits you. You’re so overwhelmed as your whole body shakes.

“Oh fuuuuuuuck.” You yell out and Jungkook grins at the ceiling as he tries to catch his breath.

“Holy fuck.” You pant out, “Mother of god.”

“Good?” he breathes out heavily, stroking the skin on your cheek. “felt good?”

“It was so fucking good Jungkook.” You whine, your body going week as you collapse on top of him. He’s just as tired as you are but finds the strength to lift you up and carry you to the bedroom.

He gently lays you on the edge of the bed and spreads your legs apart. He watches with focused eyes as his cum and your cum spills out of your used hole. He licks his lips and buries his head between your legs, you immediately release a high pitched moan when you feel his tongue cleaning you up.

“Jungkook I can’t.”

He only grunts as he swallows down both of your cum, you roll your eyes so far back into your head that all that is seen is the whites of your eyes.

“So good.” He whispers, lifting himself up and crawling over your body, his lips finding yours in a slow, tender kiss. You open your mouth as you moan, and he takes advantage and slips his tongue in. You can taste yourself on his tongue and you moan in satisfaction.

“We really need to shower. We’re so sweaty.” You laugh, kissing his shoulder.

“Then let’s go.” He says in your ear and you groan, not able to move.

“I can’t. I’m so fucking tired. You exhausted me.”

Jungkook looks down at you with a cocky grin. He lifts the duvet up and helps you slide underneath, then he is joining you.

“We can shower in the morning, let’s sleep.” He offers you and you smile in approval.

“Even though we’re so gross?” you ask, yawning.

“I’ll love you no matter how gross you are.”

~~~~~~

Waking up to Jungkook’s head buried between your legs has got to be one of your very favorite things. He starts with kissing up your legs, he starts at your ankles, works his way up your calves then finally he’s at your inner thighs. Kissing, nibbling on the soft skin and you mewl at the contact.

“Jungkook…I’m so sore.” You admit shyly, and he looks up at you with big, doe eyes.

“Just my tongue then.” He assures you, as his lips grow closer and closer to your pussy. You throw your head back on the pillow and wait in agony for his tongue to finally find your clit. He takes his time though…he continues to kiss your inner thighs, and caress your skin lovingly.

“I love you.” He whispers.

“I love you t—”

His tongue licks a hard, long strip over your pussy…and when he finds your clit he’s lightly sucking on it causing you to moan out. He licks it over and over, his face getting so wet with your juices and his spit. He eats you out messily, his nose bumping your clit as he licks you, then he travels up until he’s flicking his tongue over your clit quickly. It doesn’t take much for you, you hate to admit, but you feel the rise of your high. The tension growing and growing until its fucking snapping. You come all over his tongue and he smiles into your pussy, letting you ride out your high. He squeezes your thighs with his hands and leans back and watches as you have your eyes closed, and your lips apart. You quietly cry out, your face twisted in pleasure.

“That was fast.” He teases you. “Might be the fastest you’ve ever came.”

“I think I’m still sensitive from last night…” you open your eyes and stare up at him, “You were so amazing.” You tell him breathlessly.

“Me? Baby you’re the one who did amazing. Such a good girl.” He cleans his face with the back of his hand and makes his way next to you on the bed.

“I’m sorry for last night.” He sighs out, “I was…”

“It’s okay baby.”

“It’s not okay. I’m not selfish, I promise. I want you to follow your dreams, and I want to be as supportive as I can be.”

“I know.” You say softly. “You did have me worried there for a moment though…” you admit, your eyes sliding to the side. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m abandoning you, Jungkook.”

“I know…Fuck, I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to feel responsible for me.” He curses under his breath, “I think this year will be good for both of us.” He tries admitting. “I clearly have abandonment issues.” He tries laughing and you frown. “I think…I have to learn to be my myself too.”

“But Jungkook you won’t be alone, you have our friends.”

“I just mean…be without you.”

“Oh.”

“But you’ll still talk to me every day.” You try to smile but tears fill up your eyes. “We’re going to be a successful long distance relationship story.”

“Yeah,” he smiles for you and you believe in it, “We will be.”

~~~~~~

“So fucking does solve all problems.” Jimin comments playfully, taking a sip of his wine. You hit his shoulder with your fist and smile slyly.

“Something like that.”

“I’m glad you guys worked it out though…” Jimin looks at you more seriously, “I hope you learned your lesson not to keep things from him again.”

“Yes dad.” You roll your eyes. “I learned, I learned.” You throw your hands up in defeat.

“Ew, save the daddy talk for Jungkook.”

You quirk a brow at him, “I don’t call Jungkook daddy.” You laugh. “But I might if he asked me to.”

Jimin’s face twists into a look of amusement. He doesn’t even look disgusted, just proud. Classic Jimin.

“So, are you all packed?”

“Getting there.”

“You guys will be fine, you know?” Jimin looks at you with a soft, assuring smile.

“Trust me, I know.”

[btsydtrash]

So Far Away [2]

single father yoongi x preschool teacher yn; mechanic vmin

Living as a single father, Yoongi had to make many adjustments to his lifestyle, specifically in two aspects: his sleep schedule and dating. Both of which, he doesn't get to pay enough attention to.

Things all change when he meets YN - a warm-hearted girl who gives him butterflies and makes him feel as if he's floating on cloud nine.

Now, all that he has to do is get her to actually notice him.

Masterlist / i dont have a tag list / find me on twitter  /  word count: 2.9k

author’s note: so the side-pairing is vmin, and that’ll develop as the story goes on, but won’t be a main narrative. taehyung is the bestest friend in the world and would do anything for YN. no, literally. anything.

(angst / smut / yandere / gore / fluff)

Chapter 2 - Intrigue

“Taehyung, I need you to stop doing this to my shampoo,” you cry, holding the empty container above your head like an anvil. “I really mean it this time!”

“Sorry, YN,” the handsome man says, putting both hands together in a prayer position, but he doesn’t move his eyes from the TV screen. “I have a sensitive scalp and your shampoo is a god’s send.”

“Stop using it or I’ll cut up your favorite Alexander McQueen’s,” you threaten, pointing a finger in his direction in warning.

Taehyung grimaces at your threat but doesn’t flinch. He knows there isn’t any heat behind your words, plus he had already bought a new bottle of shampoo for you. It was in your room, but you hadn’t seen it yet. He supposes you were too frazzled by your early morning to really check your surroundings.

“Check your desk,” he says, distractedly.

“For?”

“Just go, Juicy,” he tells you, with a roll of his eyes. “Quickly. You wanted me to drive you to work today, didn’t you?”

You glare at him, before disappearing into your room. The two of you have been house-mates since meeting in college, realizing you both were on the same creative arts course. Taehyung decided to blend his love of cars with painting and detail work so once he graduated, he apprenticed at a mechanic’s in Daegu, while you had used your talents and your love for kids to become an art’s teacher for pre-schoolers.

Taehyung’s first store was small but the work he was able to do was interesting enough for a couple weeks, but soon, he realized the quality of clientele he was getting didn’t match what he wanted to do. It turned out that you had the hook-up. One of your loser ex-boyfriend’s was the son of a big mover in the Seoul car distribution scene and he knew a guy who knew a guy who gave Taehyung an in at a cool-ass mechanic’s shop in Seoul.

Once their relationship dissolved some weeks later, which, thank God, both Taehyung and YN had already made their way to Seoul together and they have lived together since. Taehyung thinks there isn’t another soul who knows him as well as you does. You know his likes, his dislikes, his habits, his idiosyncrasies, the way he sits or stands when he’s frustrated or happy, when he needs a break, when he misses his parents, when he wants to go for a smoke - even when he needs a piss. You know it all.

If he wasn’t attracted to men, he probably would have married you by now.

Just as the thought passes through his head, you poke her precious face out from around the corner and murmurs, “Hey, Tae..”

“Just say ‘thank you’ and go,” he cuts her off, spooning in another mouthful of sugary cereal.

You pout a bit but reply, “Sorry for threatening to ruin your things. And thank you for the new bottle.”

He half-shrugs. “I finished it, so I should buy the new one. Now go and shower so I can take you to work. I want to get a couple of things before work for the guys.”

“Nothing says ‘thank you for having me’ like whiskey and pop tarts,” you remark, drily.

He scoffs. “I was only going to get the whiskey this time.”

“Yes, I remember the strawberry pop tarts didn’t go over too well last time,” you tease. “I’ll be quick, I promise.”

He hears you pad upstairs and true to your word, it only takes most of the episode for you to come down, full-dressed in a shapely pair of jeans and a lovely floral blouse that compliments your warm and deep skin tone. Being a foreigner, you draw attention wherever you go, and Taehyung swears, he hasn’t seen anyone as bright as you - and he’s met a whole bunch of people.

“How do I look?”

“I wish my dick responded when I looked at you,” he replies, honestly. “You look amazing.”

She grimaces. “You couldn’t just say I look pretty and leave it at that?”

“‘Pretty’ doesn’t express my full meaning,” he explains, throwing an arm over your shoulder and grabbing his car keys from the bowl near the front door. “Tell me, Ms DJ, what are we listening to today?”

She contemplates for a moment before she answers, “I’m thinking 90s. Throw it all the way back.”

Taehyung nods, just happy to have his best friend leave the house in a good mood. “Whatever you want, Juicy.”

The drive is quick as the traffic is light, considering the time in the morning. Taehyung doesn’t know why she wanted to get to work so early, nor what was in the huge shopping bags that she made him carry, but she was bouncing in her seat with excitement, eyes glittering.

“So, Juicy,” he says, pulling at a red-light and reclining in his seat. “When did you last talk to lover-boy?”

Instantly, YN goes quiet, curling in on herself and Taehyung only has to cast a side-long glance her way to see how shy she became at the mention of her crush.

“He doesn’t stay for long, so we don’t, you know, really talk much,” she explains, her small smile growing into something beautiful and private. “But, Sena talks about him all the time. He’s her favorite person in the whole world, and I really like hearing about him.”

Taehyung blanches at the sappiness in her tone of voice. “You’ve been crushing on this guy for half a year at least, at this point. You’re really not going to tell him how you feel?”

She shakes her head, curls bouncing endearingly. “He’s my student’s dad. It’s a big conflict of interest.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes. “You aren’t his therapist. He’s free to date whoever he wants. So are you.”

“He doesn’t look at me like that, Tae,” she admits, bashfully. “Look at me. Why would he?”

Taehyung practically slams down on the brakes at her admission and turns his body to face his best friend. “We’ve talked about this, a lot, YN. I literally would carve his eyes out if he even blinked at you wrong. Any man, any woman, any person would be lucky to have you in their life. And if he can’t see that, I mean it when I say this - he can choke and die.”

You blink up at him, his chest heaving at his impassioned speech, before you nod. He waits for a beat, just to make sure you have understood how serious he is, before he turns back to the road and continues driving ahead.

“I already told you,” he says, reaching for your hand and using your palm to maneuver the clutch. “You are literal starlight. You are so bright and warm and kind and inviting. Anybody who gets to be around you, me included, is so fortunate.”

“Thanks, Tae,” you mumble, lightly, squeezing his fingers with your own before turning your eyes back out of the window and singing along quietly to the music pouring from the stereo.

“Love you, Juicy,” Taehyung says, as you close the door behind you. He yells, “It’s jjigae night tonight. Don’t forget.”

“Like I could,” you answer. “Love you, Tae. Drive safe. And here.”

You reach into your shopping bag and pull out a little lunch box for him. “I made some of your favorites last night.��

He feels his heart drop to his toes at the cute heart-shaped box. “YN… I don’t think I’ll ever find anyone who loves me like you love me, you know.”

You roll your eyes at his sappy words and answer, “Good, ‘cause I won’t find anyone who’ll love me like you love me either. We’re stuck with each other.”

Taehyung’s answering grin was so bright and earnest that you found yourself thinking about it all the way into work.

..

Jimin walks into work, headphones pressed into his ears and old-school 90s rhythm and blues pours into his ears. He nudges open the door with his side and freezes at the sight of an unfamiliar back. The guy is facing away from him, seemingly engaged in earnest conversation with Jungkook about something or other, and Jimin finally pulls out a headphone to catch the tail end of the conversation.

“I bought my girl a pair of those for her birthday last year, but she never wears them,” the stranger laments, running a hand through shaggy brown hair. His arms are long and his fingers are pretty. Jimin shakes his head slightly at the thought - he’s never thought of a guy’s hands as pretty before. “She prefers those practical flat shoes with the flowers on them.”

Jungkook grimaces slightly. “Sucks, bro. ‘Cause those shoes are so nice. You got a couple pair to match and everything.”

“We do everything together, so,” the guy mumbles, half-shrugging. “I’m happy to meet another shoe collector, though.”

Jungkook smirks. “Finally. The guys over here only care about hard-toe boots and this one,” he gestures to Jimin who has been stood silent for at least a minute, just watching the two, “only ever wears Chelsea boots.”

The guy follows Jungkook’s line of sight where they land on Jimin’s surprised form, and Jimin feels the air get sucked out of his chest at the sight of the other man. He’s stunning.

He comes across as charismatic, his smile is inviting and friendly but not overbearing, as if he’s holding much of it back. The square of his jaw makes him appear more mature, but his eyes twinkle with youth.

Jimin recovers quickly, holding out his hand and giving his best, most amicable smile that doesn’t express just how frazzled he was at the sight of this stranger.

“So, you’re the new guy?”

The other man nods, and his smile grows until it is perfectly rectangular and his eyes disappear. His hand-shake is firm, and Jimin tries not to go weak in the knees at the sight of how easily his larger hand envelops his smaller one. He says, “Call me Taehyung.”

Jimin pulls away and shoves his hand in his pocket to hide the trembling, and asks, lightly, “How old are you?”

“24,” he answers. “December.”

“Me too,” Jimin replies. “October.”

He contemplates for a minute before he asks, “I should call you Hyung from now on, then, right?”

“If you want,” Jimin answers, a shiver climbing his back at the respectful term. He doesn’t know what’s happening to him, but he feels all out of sorts just seeing this guy. He knows he likes men, but what the fuck is he supposed to do with all this? Jimin isn’t even sure if he is going to be able to function today. “I’m gonna go give the donuts to Namjoon-hyung. He’ll complain otherwise. Jungkook, you got this, right?”

The youngest nods, his long hair pushed back with a thin black headband swishing with the motion. “Sure thing, Hyung. Gimme one of those before you go.”

Jimin swats the tattooed hand that moves to try and swipe a donut for himself and the younger man rears back, giving his best hurt puppy look. Jimin’s lip curls up in distaste but he holds the bag out, with a roll of his eyes. “One, Jungkook. One.”

The long-haired manufacturing engineer makes a gleeful noise and digs into the bag, pulling out the lemon-flavored donut. Once he moves out of the way, Jimin offers the bag to the other man and he says, kindly, “You too, Taehyung.”

“Thanks, Hyung,” the puppy-like man says, reaching into the bag and pulling out a purple and blue donut with shimmery glitter. “It’s pretty.”

The way he says it, his eyes lingering on Jimin’s face for a beat too long, before he bites into the donut and he gives the shorter man a playful wink, turning back to Jungkook to continue their conversation.

Jimin walks into Namjoon’s office, and he braces himself by leaning against the door, closing his eyes and letting out a long heavy gust of breath.

“Are those my donuts?”

Jimin nods, and Namjoon pads over, excitedly, to grab them from him and he digs into the bag.

“You met the new guy, right? Taehyung?”

Jimin nods again, words escaping him.

Namjoon eyes Jimin, curiously. “What’s eating you?”

“Nothing,” he replies. “But I wish he was.”

Namjoon’s eyes widen around his mouthful of cream and sweet batter. “Is this going to be an issue?”

Jimin shakes his head, carding a hand through his dark locks. “I can separate business from pleasure, Joon. I’m just saying: he’s hot like burning.”

Namjoon snorts. “He is cute. And he’s friendly to boot. He brought everyone a bottle of whiskey.”

“Jungkook doesn’t like whiskey,” Jimin comments.

“He wouldn’t admit to that, though,” Namjoon replies, smirking lightly. “He’s too proud for all of that.”

Namjoon puts his hand on the back of Jimin’s neck, leading him out of the room and back out into the open area. He says, to the rest of the boys, “We’ve got the four-man detail coming in in an hour. The pick-up in the day after tomorrow. The parts are coming in in the morning, but all we need to do today is break it down, deep clean and paint the parts that we do have.”

Jungkook sits up straighter. “I’ve got the deep clean.”

Taehyung smiles a bit. “Can I take the painting part?”

Namjoon nods. “Jimin, are you okay with watching over him this time around, just so he knows how we do it here?”

Jimin feels himself nod, trying hard to avoid Taehyung’s curious gaze, keeping his eyes fixed on Namjoon’s face. Their boss squeezes Jimin’s neck, warmly, and says, “Good. Hoseok said he’ll swing by later to help Yoongi with the break-down, before Yoongi leaves to go pick up Sena.”

Taehyung’s face twists a bit, distantly recognizing the name, but he shakes it off once Jungkook taps him on the chest to gain his attention.

“I’ll show you around the shop,” the maknae says, grabbing a spare loose jacket with the company logo printed on the breast pocket. “Wear this whenever customers come in and take it off when you go outside for a smoke break.”

“I don’t smoke,” he replies. “My girl doesn’t like the smell.”

It was a little disingenuous of him to represent YN as his ‘girl’, knowing the implications suggest that they are in a love relationship, but for all intents and purposes, you were his girl - his best friend, his girl, his person, his Juicy. All that and more.

“Good. I hate it, too,” the long-haired man says, walking into a wide back area with a bunch of cars in various stages of disrepair. “This is where we work our magic.”

He flicks a light and it takes a moment for the flickering lights overhead to come to life.

Jungkook rattles off, a bored tone in his voice, “Left side are western models, right side are Korean. Over here is where we log customer information, that is where we put any damaged parts that the Big Boss is going to want to sell for scraps. We don’t usually get cars that are that damaged, but still, be careful. Always wear appropriate protective gear. If you get hurt on-site, you’re entitled to getting your hospital fees covered, but still, it puts you out of work and it’s annoying to have to clean up the blood after.”

Taehyung covertly rolls his eyes, already knowing these rules. He isn’t as wet behind the ears as this guy seems to presume, but he lets him do his job of introducing him to his new environment. He shrugs on the jacket and fixes his collar as Jungkook shows him all of the equipment, hung on walls and hidden in locked crates. The equipment isn’t complex, but it is expansive and so there was a lot of information to take in.

Taehyung can’t wait to tell you all about it.

He wonders how your day is going, and if you would tell him about whatever adventures you had with your students. He was used to coming home and seeing paint-stained clothes in the hamper or your own easels filled with pretty pictures that you had made with your kids’ help. You loved creating art with your students, and he loves seeing you happy, so he often paid for the paint supplies and other utensils that you used in your classes.

“Are you listening?”

Taehyung blinks and focuses his eyes on the apparently-miffed man in front of him. “Sure, my bad. Keep going.”

He tries his hardest to focus on the words coming out of the other man’s mouth, and he spent the next couple of hours getting acclimatized to his new work place. When the cars arrived, each of the men become quiet and focused on their work. He was introduced to Hoseok, a brown-haired bright man with a sharp jawline and a kind smile consistently on his face, and Yoongi, a shorter, reserved man with fluffy brown hair and a delicate, measured way of speaking.

Something about the second man struck him as familiar but as soon as the thought comes to his mind, it disappears as he becomes more intrigued by the pretty brunet who avoids being alone with him.

Park Jimin.

- end -

(1), (2), (3), (4), (5)

[whorefordazai]

Hey rai I hope your doing better than me 😃

My aunt just died in the hospital and I wish I could’ve seen her in Cali before then...

So idk if requests are open but when they are

I was wondering if you can do fluff Dazai and Chuuya headcanons comforting a s/o who just lost a family member

Take your time cuz Ik u probably have so many requests in your inbox

Thank you tho

-🎸

I’m really sorry for your loss. I saw this as a comfort request so I got to it as quick as I could 💗

comforting his s/o who lost a loved one

ft. dazai | chuuya x gn! reader

genre: fluff, comfort

warnings: mentions of loss and depressive episodes

Dazai

he knows loss all too well—so he’ll understand and accept any reaction you choose to give. whether it’s crying, being numb, or distracting yourself with things...he’ll be there every step of the way with you.

at first he’ll be a little hesitant, because he’s not sure how you’ll react. he doesn’t want to lose you—he knows death can sometimes change a person forever. but when he sees that all you need is him next to you, he’ll immediately be at your side.

If you need to cry it out, he’ll hold you in his arms with your face buried in his chest. he’ll stay quiet and mumble words like “it’s okay babe, you can cry” or “I’m right here, it’s okay I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere”

telling someone he’s not going anywhere is a huge advancement for him, but he truly means it when he sees you in your state of mind. not because of pity—more like he can finally empathize with someone.

If you decide to go about your normal day, he’ll agree but look out for you all the time. If he sees you about to break down in public, he’ll carefully wrap an arm around your shoulder and guide the both of you to a room or corner where he’ll hug you tightly and let you express any emotions.

If you say stuff like “you don’t have to be here for me” or “you don’t have to do this, I’m troubling you a lot.”

he’ll immediately lift your chin, place his hands on your cheeks and kiss your lips. wrapping his arms around your waist he’d say, “but I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to be the one here for you.”

If you’re feeling numb or want to distract yourself with things, he’ll gladly take you places and try to cheer you up. it would be different tho—not his usual jokes that seem insensitive and careless. more like paying attention to what would make you laugh or smile. he just doesn’t want you to fall into a dark hole all by yourself.

If he sees you moping around or having depressive episodes, he’ll be a little hesitant on what to say. after a while, he’ll just come lay next to you and rest your chest on his chest.

pressing soft kisses on your hair and gently rubbing small circles on your back, he’d say, “you know...time doesn’t always heal. but after a while, when their face flashes across your mind—instead of remembering the sad things, you’ll remember the happy things.”

Chuuya

he’ll be a little unsure on what to do at first. not because he doesn’t understand (it’s quite the opposite, he does understand) but more like he’s never had to or wanted to comfort somebody so bad. he wants to do it the right way.

the moment he heard about the death, he raised his eyebrows and glanced at you. he immediately wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close to him. his face was buried in your neck and if you cried, he held you anyway.

he’ll let you cry as much as you want. chuuya would even wipe your tears and keep a box of tissues on hand if you can’t stop crying.

If you’re numb, he’ll understand that too. but he won’t let you get to the point where you don’t care about your life or your health. if he sees you always pretending to be happy, he’ll get a little pissed off (but only because he knows how much you’re hurting inside)

he’ll gently grab your face and kiss your forehead. he’ll say, “it’s okay. you don’t have to pretend when you’re with me. I can take your feelings. In fact, I want to know your feelings. I’ll be here with you.”

if you’re having a depressive episode and he sees you not eating, drinking water, or taking showers—he’ll definitely encourage you to take care of yourself. or more like, he’ll take care of you.

“alright, it’s time to get up.” he said, gently grabbing your arms to lift you off the bed.

“w-what?”

“what do you mean, what? I’m going to take a bath with you, and then we’re going to eat dinner, and then you’re going to brush your teeth and fall asleep in my arms.”

and he stays true to his words. in the bath, your back would pressed against his chest and he’ll be concentrating on massaging shampoo into your hair. he’ll wash your hair and massage your shoulders, wrapping his arms around you.

“we can do this more often, if you’d like.” he’d mumble, kissing your neck. he knows how hard it is for you to get up from bed and wake up in the morning.

“yeah, I’d like that...thanks chu.”

he’ll let you take a break from work, and he’ll take a break too, just to stay with you. he doesn’t pity you—he thinks you’re strong for making it this far and still being able to function.

he won’t let you fall into a deep dark hole, he wants to be there for you. but if you choose to spend some time alone—he’ll respect that too.

at the end of the day, when your in each other’s arms in bed, he’ll try doing your hair. It’s a silly thought that came across his mind—since he loves it so much when you play with his hair, he thought you’d like the action returned.

tag list: @uwu-monster101 @14th-century-homosexual-spirit @dai-tsukki-desu @i4gumi @cross-crye @starglow-xx @ranposlover @bsdwhore @arimakii @malewifegirlboss @shadyteacup @smadhuman @knjksj0301 @neighborhoodfriendlysimp @rirk-ke @mushroomplantasia @luftdum @pickleisrandom @3-am-depression @its-chuuya-bitch @mars-bakery-shop @nagitoshopehoe @ijustwantfreenetflix @fashionablyfailing12 @dazailiones @atsushisgf @coveringthebiconissue @the-wholesome-ranpo

[gyeomsweetgyeom]

Donghyuck x Reader

summary: dating Hyuck apparently also kinda means dating Mark

word count: ~2.4k

A/N: Hyuck is a total drama queen here and Mark is oblivious, happy reading! (also do we like the header?? I think it’s kinda cute)

-

Dating Hyuck was everything you dreamed of and then some, he was the perfect boyfriend and best friend all in one. He knew when to have fun and when he could mess around with you, but he also knew when you needed him to be serious and help you. Of course, he was super affectionate and loving, to you and his members, meeting you did not change his habits toward his members in the slightest. He still bothered Doyoung every chance he got, he still loved on Jisung with every fiber of his being, he still fought Renjun any chance he got, and he was still babied by Johnny- that wasn’t surprising to you. But what did surprise you was just how close Hyuck and Mark really were. From the very beginning, you had been under the impression that Hyuck was the one that smothered Mark with affection to the point of being annoying, but now months, nearly a year, into your relationship with Hyuck it was very apparent to you that Mark was almost like a third piece of your two-person puzzle. Mark was just as clingy, if not more clingy than Donghyuck on any given day. These two were practically glued at the hip when they were together, they were inseparable.

Mark would very often join in on your movie nights, squeeze himself to Hyuck’s unoccupied side while you cuddled, joined in on your facetime dates when you were apart, he had even crashed a few dates and Hyuck loved it. He loved spending time with his best friend and his love, his two favorite people at the same time. Now, don’t be confused- you loved Mark but as a friend and when he wasn’t being a major pain on your dates. You loved that Hyuck had a best friend and someone to comfort him when you couldn’t, but sometimes you just wanted some alone time with your boyfriend and lately, Mark had become increasingly needy with Hyuck. It was like every time he saw the both you together he saw it as an open invitation for him to join. He never picked up on the romantic vibes when it was just you and Donghyuck together.

-

You had just woken up, looking at the clock that read something close to 10 am, a bright, early morning for you and Hyuck, you turned, cuddling further into his chest in an attempt to absorb his warmth. 

“You’re up early.” He grumbled, hand gently rubbing your back. 

You pouted, “I think Johnny left the blinds open on purpose.” 

Hyuck let out a sleepy laugh, pressing a peck to your forehead, still in the limbo of being awake but also asleep. “I thought I heard voices, good morning!” Mark exclaimed as his head popped into the room. He made his way to the twin-sized bed and made room for himself on a remaining tiny sliver of the bed. Hyuck smiled widely, ever the cuddly baby when he woke up, he threw an arm around Mark to cuddle the both of you. 

“Did you change your shampoo or something? You smell good.” Mark asked Hyuck, wiggling over a bit to make room for himself. 

“Mark,” you groaned. This bed was not made for three people, heck, it barely fit you and Hyuck comfortably so while Mark was making room for himself you were losing room. 

He simply replied with an oops before he and Hyuck carried on with their soap conversation, “Hold up,” Mark paused, sitting up and making even more room for himself. With a sudden bump of his hip against your boyfriend’s led to Hyuck bumping into you, you fell out of bed, landing on the floor with a soft but sudden thud. 

“Oh my god! I am so sorry!” Mark apologized, trying and failing to hold in his laughter.

“Baby, are you okay?” Hyuck laughed.

You huffed and sent a glare at the two laughing idiots on the bed, standing from the floor to make your way to the kitchen. “I think Mark is trying to steal my boyfriend.” You stated as your eyes landed on an innocent bystander Johnny. 

“Coffee?” He offered simply. 

-

After a busy day of schedules, you took it upon yourself to treat the guys to a nice dinner as a nice relaxing treat for working so hard. The table was filled with conversations and laughs while the food was eaten and the stress was eased away. Hyuck sat beside you, hand on your knee while he spoke to Jaehyun. 

“Thank you for the dinner y/n!” Taeyong smiled, leading to the rest of the guys at the filled table to follow up with their own thank you’s and compliments on your choice of food. Even a few compliments about how sweet and amazing you are, which is always nice to hear.

“Thank you, baby, I love you. My favorite person on the whole planet.” Hyuck smiled, nuzzling his head into the space between your neck and your shoulder. 

“Whoa! Favorite person?” Mark questioned.

“After you of course,” Hyuck corrected himself as he got up to suffocate Mark in a gigantic hug. The two of them carried on laughing and play fighting as if you weren’t sitting a few feet away with your mouth hanging open. The table burst out laughing upon seeing the interaction between the youngest of the group and your reaction. 

“It’s okay y/n, you’re my favorite person tonight.” Taeil laughed, pulling you into a side hug. At least Taeil would give you affection.

“Hyung! Hands off.” Donghyuck glared. There was just no winning with him.

-

A regular movie night ended up in Hyuck laying on your chest and your hand running through his hair. The couple on screen was being cute and lovey-dovey in a cafe, making the man on your chest let out a longing sigh. “I wanna kiss you in a cafe.” He whined. 

“What if I don’t want to kiss you in a cafe?” You replied playfully.

He sat up quickly, caging you underneath him as he leaned in and began to attack you with a million kisses. 

“Okay!” you laughed, “Okay! I’ll kiss you wherever you want, now let me breathe.”

He smirked, “I want to cash in on one of those kisses now.”

Before you could fully catch your breath, his lips were pressed to your lips. Your lips moved in sync, just as they had hundreds of times before. Your hand was running through his hair, pulling and tugging in such a way that drove him crazy. One hand was slipping under your shirt, resting on your waist while the other made its way up to cup your cheek. You were pressed further into the couch as the heated kiss got somehow even steamier, with that you tugged a little more roughly on his hair. He pulled away with a groan, chest heaving while he caught his breath. “That was nice.” He smiled bashfully. 

You smiled, sitting up while continuing to play with his hair more gently now. “I would hope so, you sounded like you really liked it.” 

His forehead met yours, lips brushing gently, just a few more millimeters and you would be kissing again, but of course, “Yo! Dude, you said we were going to watch this together!” You heard Mark exclaim as he plopped himself on the couch. 

“Mark! It’s so good, we can restart it right? We weren’t really paying attention anyway.” Hyuck replied cheerfully as he just about jumped away from you and onto Mark. 

“Hey y/n, you look a little flushed, I’ll take this so you can cool off,” Mark mumbled while he shoveled popcorn into his mouth, pulling the blanket off you to wrap himself and Donghyuck in it. 

You grabbed a pillow from the couch and pressed your face into it to muffle your frustrated groan. “y/n, I know, she seems awful already.” You heard Mark say. This guy…

-

“Baby, are you almost ready?” You asked Donghyuck. The two of you had plans to go shopping at one, but it was already 2:30 and you were getting bored of sitting around just playing on your phone. There was Hyuck sitting on the couch bumping elbows with his best friend while they played a stupid video game. A video game that they seemed to play every waking second when you weren’t around and now apparently when you were around.

“Just a second baby.” He grumbled, now he had taken the lead, just a few points ahead of Mark. 

“You’ve been saying that for like two hours.” You pouted.

“Hey y/n, what are you doing here?” Johnny greeted. 

You explained with a sigh and a glare sent your boyfriend’s way that you had planned on going shopping but someone was preoccupied with their other significant other. Johnny laughed, “I’m going to the mall right now with Yuta if you want to come, we have to go by Ikea.” You jumped up, beating Johnny to the door, ready to be on your way out the door without so much as a glance in your busy boyfriend’s direction to bid him goodbye. 

Shopping with Hyuck was always an adventure, you had fun every time you went out. He would make you try on the ugliest clothes he could find and then pouted when you did the same for him. However, shopping with Johnny and Yuta was a different type of fun. These two were crazy. It was the most fun you had ever had while shopping. After hours of shopping, it was finally time to go home, but Yuta and Johnny had convinced you to go back to the dorms and join them for dinner. Something about it being their turn to treat you to dinner.

The three of you entered the fifth-floor dorm, laughing while Yuta jokingly had a conversation with the stuffed animal Johnny bought you, he and Yuta had bought matching ones to be a little “family.” 

“Food should be here soon, you can set your stuff in our room.” Johnny offered. 

You let yourself into his and Hyuck’s shared room, seeing Mark with his guitar on the gaming chair while Hyuck was on the bed snuggling a pillow. He lit up upon seeing you, “Baby!”

“Hey… you guys finally stopped playing your game.” You noted while you set your shopping bags in the corner.

“Where did you go?” Hyuck asked, to which you replied by pointing at the bags. “Well, why didn’t you wait for me? We were gonna go together.”

“I went with Johnny and Yuta because you were so busy playing with Mark, I was ready and so were they, why not?” You shrugged.

“You went on a date with Johnny hyung and Yuta hyung?! You guys took my lover on a date?” Hyuck yelled angrily.

“You were having your own little day with Mark, so what? Nobody wants to wait around an hour and a half for you.” Johnny replied as he set the food down on the table. 

You managed to squeeze past Donghyuck, taking your seat at the table beside Yuta who was already mocking Hyuck under his breath, resulting in the both of you covering up your laughs as quickly as you could. 

“Baby, don’t laugh at me- hey! What is this? Why do I see three of these things?” Hyuck questioned, waving your brand new stuffed animal around.

“They’re a family!” Yuta smiled before shoveling some food into his mouth.

You thanked them for the dinner before digging into your own food while Hyuck continued to throw a fit in his doorway, “Now, you don’t even love me! You have a family with my hyungs, they stole you from me and you don’t even care. You’re just laughing in my face, I hope you’re happy with them. I hope they make you happier than I made you.” 

“Oh my god baby, it was one afternoon for 3 hours. You were busy with Mark and I had to go shopping. I can hang out with my friends like you do.” 

“Mark, you distracted me! You drove my baby away from me, shouldn’t you have been with Yuta hyung?” He went off again. Mark replied with his own argument, filling the room with loud yelling and complaints from the two of them. One of them yelled something about being clingy and the other one said something along the lines of ‘look who's talking.’ Meanwhile you were purely focused on eating your food. 

You nearly choked on your drink when Donghyuck squeezed himself onto the bench next to you and pressed his cheek against your own, “Take me back! I promise I’ll never choose Mark over you again. I won’t ever even talk to him again if that’s what you want.”

You shook your head quickly, clearing your throat, “Hyuckie, no, calm down. Mark is your best friend, you don’t have to do that.”

“I just realized that Mark has been crashing in on us time, I’m sorry. Forgive me?” He mumbled, still pressing himself to your side. 

“Yo! Have I really? Oh my god… you’re right! Ew! You weren’t warm that time we watched a movie right? He was on top of you and I-I saw your lips touch- gross!” Mark gagged. 

“That was your fault idiot, that was our alone time.” Your boyfriend glared, wrapping a hand around your waist to pull you impossibly closer. It really was more funny now to you that the both of them came to their senses days later and not on the actual night that everything had happened.

“I don’t think I can look at you guys right now, I feel sick.” Mark held an arm over his stomach as he made his way to the door. Hyuck let out a content noise, his face now pressed fully into your neck while his arms were wrapped around you like a snake suffocating their prey all the while mumbling that Mark would never bother the both of you again, he would make sure of it. And that he would never let you out of his sight or his grasp, at least not while you were near him.

Johnny leaned over the table, whispering “I think you got your boyfriend back.” Yeah, looks like you did.

[hornime]

saeko, an angel

you’ll let yourself believe a vain and untrue fairytale that humans can fly among the angels if it means that you can be in her presence for a moment longer.

warnings: gay lol

w/c: 2k

a/n: i’m so in love with her. also this is sfw which goes to show how much i am in love with her.

you crack your eyes open, a bright white light blinding you and forcing you to close them again, the burn settling into your pupils. you wait a minute, letting the red behind your closed eyelids warm to a fiery orange, before trying again, squinting as you let your eyes slowly adjust to the morning sun. and then you see her, through the blurry haze of dawn.

an angel.

you silently blink early tears away, too afraid of moving or making a noise and scaring the divine being away. as bubbles of light start sharpening into crisp clarity, you realize where you are: a hotel bed, with clean white curtains and walls framing a heavenly scene. and you realize what you’re seeing: saeko. so yeah, close enough, you think. an angel.

you remain immobile: your hands are tucked under the pillow and quickly going numb at the uncomfortable position, and the kink in your neck is demanding more and more of your attention as your nerves realize that you’re awake, naturally refusing to give you a mere minute of painlessness. but the aches in your joints and throbbing behind your eyes become secondary as you become transfixed on her, her. her, silently sitting on the edge of the bed and playing with the linen beneath her with the tips of her fingers, only half of her face towards you. she hasn’t noticed that you’re awake yet, a serene smile gracing her face as she remembers a joke, something between her and herself. saeko, an angel.

it’s funny, you think, how mom always told me that mornings were times of clarity, times when things make sense. you remember a story she’d tell you when you were little.

“there’s something about the time when half the world is sleeping and the other half wishes they were sleeping,” she used to say, “that makes things make sense. everyone’s too groggy to start thinking their thoughts for the day. so the universe has all of these thought bubbles in the air, floating around, waiting for someone to just pluck it out of the air.”

“like a ballon?” you’d ask.

“yes,” she’d chuckle. “like a balloon. and you can just pluck it out of the air! sometimes, when the universe needs you to realize something, all those thought balloons will come rushing towards you, and they’ll form a big,” she’d spread her arms for emphasis, “big, big cloud of thoughts. and suddenly, everything would make sense. and you’d get the courage to do something that you’ve been wanting to for a while.”

you used to laugh at that story, imagining someone with a giant thought bubble sneaking out of their ears, carrying them up, up into the air. what could someone even be thinking about, you’d wonder, that would make their bubble so big? you couldn’t fathom contemplating something so large and important that you’d worry it could whisk you away into the atmosphere.

but now, laying here in silence, mom’s words were resurfacing to the flesh of your chest, warming it with something that had been burning there for a while, burning with what the universe had been wanting you to realize for quite some time now. 

you were just scratching the surface of what that was threatened to make you weightless, the strings of balloons tugging restlessly at your arms and legs, wishing you’d just let them fly already. wishing you’d just let yourself fly.

you don’t even realize your eyes are closing until you glance back up again, at the angel perched next to you, wingless yet still able to show you the wonders of the sky. saeko, an angel.

you study her for who-knows-how-long, noting the sheer beauty before you, so delicate yet strong you worry it’ll break itself or break you from the weight of its magnificence. she doesn’t even know, you register, she doesn’t even know that each moment around her is a blessing.

and you know for a fact that each moment is a blessing, because angels are blessings, and she’s an angel. somewhere in the murky depths of moral ambiguity, between drops of bitter vodka from a teenage birthday party and stolen quarters from the mall fountain, there is a glow of truth and irrefutable certitude: that she is an angel. saeko, an angel. 

and you, blessed.

wisps of blonde hair curl from her forehead to her jaw, whispering words in gold that you can only partially translate into a hymn of some kind, its rhythm vibrating along the headboard of the bed and prodding at your ears. you wish to brush them behind her ears, so cliche, she’d say, just so you can see more of that heavenly face. god, you groan internally, why’d you make her so fucking perfect? how’s that fair to any of us mortals? how’s that fair to me?

you trail your eyes down the bridge of her nose, slanted perfectly. you’ve never really thought about what the perfect nose bridge would be, but you know without a doubt that she has it. of course she does. saeko’s perfect. saeko, an angel.

and before you can help yourself, you’re tracing the curve of her lips, plump and pink and oh-so-kissable. you’d drown in those lips if you tried: visions of how they stretch into cheeky grins and purse into pouts could flood your mind if you let them. and you don’t let them, at least not as often anymore, especially since her lips can be really distracting, and last time you thought about them you were driving, and saeko shrieked in laughter when you called her telling her the reason there’s a new dent on the side of the car. 

“we can’t both be bad drivers!” she’d giggled. “that’s feeding into the gay stereotype!”

“it’s not my fault,” you’d grumbled, “that i can only concentrate on one thing when i’m behind the wheel.”

“that ‘thing’ should be the road! not my lips!”

“yeah, i know! but ‘i kissed a girl’ was on the radio and then i thought about kissing a girl and that girl was you and then one thing led to another and...”

the corners of your lips turn up at the memory. although you had been pretty pissed about having to pay for a repair, saeko proceeded to try and fix the dent herself with a plunger since she has a vendetta against auto shops because “they’ll take advantage of pretty things like you” and “motorcycles aren’t that different from cars anyway, so its fine.” and she was sure to give you some quality time with the lips that you’d been so distracted by, so even the fact that your insurance company had upped your rates hadn’t bothered you too much.

the strings of your thought balloons dangle in the air, glowing in the sunlight streaming through the window. you wonder how saeko hasn’t seen them yet. she must really be lost in thought.

your gaze remains steady on her face, her glory, her beauty. i’m lucky, you decide. so so lucky. you can feel your limbs be lifted slowly into the air. the balloons are getting restless.

you’re almost taken aback when you feel something wet roll down your cheek. are you... crying? seriously? you squeeze your eyes shut, trying to get a hold of your emotions. when’s even the last time i felt this in lo—

“hey.” saeko’s soft voice makes you crack open your eyelids as she runs a hand along your hair. “are you okay? you’re crying.”

you smoosh your face further into the pillow. “i don’t know,” you mumble through the comforter.

she repositions herself on the bed so that she’s sitting criss-cross towards you, leaning forward to bring her face closer to yours. “are you on your period?”

“no,” you respond immediately. you nuzzle further into the sheets, but poke your head out again. “wait, i’m not sure. what day is it?”

“the 21st.”

“oh,” you roll over onto your back, stretching your arms out hoping that she’ll hug you. “then maybe.”

saeko obliges to your silent request, crawling her way over and straddling the blanket over your legs before resting the top half of her body on yours. “i knew it,” she whispers into your neck.

you don’t dare look her in the eyes. you know that mortals will disintegrate if they look directly at an angel. you read that in a percy jackson book or something.

but the thought balloons are yanking at your arms, forcing your fingers to run down her spine and through her hair. i must be insane, you think. i’m insane to think that i’ll ever be enough for her. 

she’s an angel, you remind yourself to no avail. wingless, but can still fly. and you are nothing but a human, rooted to the ground by gravity and inevitable death. you’d be a fool to think that you’d ever be enough; after all, what bird would choose to stay on the ground when it can explore a limitless sky?

but you are a fool. you know that now, even if you were in denial before. you’ll let your delicate and fragile thought bubbles carry you into the air and bask in the temporary feelings of freedom before they pop and you crash and burn through the atmosphere. you’ll let yourself believe a vain and untrue fairytale that humans can fly among the angels if it means that you can be in her presence for a moment longer.

you most certainly are a fool, because you let your thought bubbles wrap their strings around you like a harness, pull themselves taut, and prepare yourself to jump out into the morning heavens, putting your trust into the wind to carry you alongside her. your toes are dangling across the edge, the open beyond becoming more and more appealing than the safety of the hotel room. you know that there is no do-over once you take the leap, once you try to fly. you’ll either get to fly beside her or you’ll fall to the ground and face an untimely end. but fuck if you aren’t daring, yearning, stupid enough to jump. 

you swallow. there really is no going back from this.

“saeko?” you let the words carry through the stagnant air of the room, filled with the lemony scent of an air freshener and saeko’s shampoo.

“hm?”

“i—” the wind whips widely at your back and at your balloons, sending them into all directions as they maintain their hold on you. it’s compelling you to fall, to throw caution into it and hold tightly to your faith and let go of your tether. you must be crazy because you’ve already made up your mind. this decision shouldn’t be that easy, but you are scarily sure. 

the earth’s roots are retreating back into the grass and your body is free for the first time. you can’t tell if the air will catch you, but it doesn’t matter anymore. you’ll be the first human to fly, even if it kills you. it probably will.

“i love you.” your feet leave ground and find nothing below them. the helium in your balloons is straining against your weight. your breath hitches—maybe this is how your life ends. maybe this is how the illusion that you’d created for yourself, a love between a human and an angel, disappears: shattered like bones on concrete.

you open your eyes. you hadn’t even realized you closed them. they meet a sky of warm brown, glinting with the promise of flight. the brightness of her smile makes the light of the sun pale in comparison, the same sun she’s gotten closer to than you ever will. her nose is dotted with freckles, mirroring the constellations that you’re sure she’s flown through countless times. you can practically see her wings, her halo. your confession, one you thought would land heavily in the space between you, feels like its expanding into something light. something... weightless.

the air seems to grow solid beneath you. it’s like you’ve realized you can fly. you’re starting to think you can.

“i love you, too.” 

she loves you. saeko loves you. 

saeko, an angel.

[morganaspendragonss]

fic request because i am d e s p e r a t e : tarlos carlos whump with supportive gabriel reyes ??? if you’re down to write him that is. i love ur work n ur whump n i think u would write a p good gabe. 🥰

holly’s august extravaganza day 1: against all odds (we're still here)

i'm always down to write gabriel! thanks for the prompt trick, i hope you like it!

ao3 | 2k | car accidents, whump, major character injury, angst with a happy ending

“I told you we should have brought the car.”

Carlos scowls over at TK, shifting one of the many bags he’s carrying higher on his arm. It cuts painfully into his skin, his good mood from earlier long since soured. The knowledge that TK is, of course, right isn’t exactly helping matters.

“In my defence,” he starts, for probably the fifth or sixth time, “when we texted your dad to see if he wanted us to pick up anything from the store, I wasn’t expecting a full list.”

“We could have told him no.”

“TK, he’s your dad and we are literally crashing his home right now. I’m not gonna tell him no.”

TK opens his mouth, presumably to retort with a comment about how his dad loves Carlos and loves having them around. Both of which are things Carlos knows perfectly well, thanks, but he’s still not interested in testing it by refusing to get Owen’s kale chips or that specific brand of shampoo which took half an hour—and two stores—to track down.

Whatever TK was about to say is abandoned when one of his own bags slips out of his grasp and falls to the ground with a depressing thud. It bursts open—because why wouldn’t it—and spills their purchases across the sidewalk. The only solace is that nothing breaks, but that’s where the good news begins and ends; Carlos’s eyes track a can as it rolls down the street and into the gutter, landing in a puddle of dirty water. TK looks forlornly between the dropped bag and those still balanced on his arms, then heaves a long-suffering sigh and crouches awkwardly, easing the other bags down as carefully as he can manage.

“Call an Uber,” he grumbles. “We are not walking home like this.”

On that point, they’re in agreement. Carlos spares himself a moment of idle amusement at TK’s predicament before beginning the arduous task of extracting his phone from his pocket without dropping any of his own shopping.

He’ll hate himself for it later, but he’s so focused that the screech of tires coming around the corner barely registers as a blip on his radar. He doesn’t notice anything until TK suddenly barrels into him, throwing Carlos to the side just before something else, something heavy, crashes into them with a blinding flash of pain, and then—

Nothing.

*

Oh my god!

Someone call 911!

Are they even alive?

Just hold on, son, you’re going to be just fine.

*

Beeping.

Carlos frowns, slowly blinking his heavy eyelids open. It takes a minute to register his surroundings for what they are—a hospital room—and a further minute to notice the presence at his side. It’s his father, looking exhausted, turning his cowboy hat in his hands as he stares at the floor.

“Dad?” he croaks, wincing at the soreness in his throat. “What happened?”

His father’s head jerks up, his eyes going wide as he sees Carlos awake. “Mijo. It’s good to see you awake.”

“Dad, why am I here? What happened?”

He sighs, reaching out to pat Carlos’s arm. “There was an accident,” he explains. “A drunk driver lost control of his car and mounted the curb right where you boys were standing. He was speeding, so he hit you pretty hard. Your foot was crushed under a wheel, you have a fractured wrist, and you bumped your head when you fell so you probably have a concussion. The doctors say you should heal just fine, though, gracias a Dios.”

Carlos lifts his head to look down at his body, only just registering the casts on his arm and foot. There’s a dull ache radiating through his entire body and his head is pounding in time with his heartbeat, but he’s alive and he’ll heal. He should be happy about that, but the only thing occupying his mind is his dad’s silence on TK.

“What about TK?” he asks, part of him dreading the answer. “I remember him pushing me; is he okay?”

“He’s…” His dad hesitates, sending a cold slither of fear down Carlos’s spine. “Alive.”

Carlos stares, the beginnings of panic stealing his breath. “What does that mean?”

His father blows out a long breath. “It means you were right,” he says, meeting Carlos’s eyes. “He did push you, so he took the brunt of the hit. He suffered a serious open pelvic fracture and broken ribs, which punctured his lung. Last I heard, they managed to fix him up and they’re not expecting any further complications, but we won’t know for sure until he wakes up.”

“He hasn’t woken up?”

“Not yet. He will, you’ll see.”

“I want to see him.”

And Carlos knows what the answer will be to that—a resounding no. He also knows that he won’t be able to argue; his father is incredibly stubborn, and when he digs his heels in, there’s no moving him. But he needs to at least try—he’s not going to stop worrying about TK until he sees him, and probably not for a long time after that.

His dad sighs and fixes him with a firm look. “Carlitos, you and I both know that’s out of the question,” he says. “You’ve only just woken up, you need to give yourself time to heal before exerting your body even more. Besides, he’s in good hands and Owen is with him, so we’ll know as soon as there’s any change.”

“Joder, Papá, I know all that,” Carlos cries, frustrated, barely able to refrain from throwing his head back on the pillow. “I just hate that he’s here, hurt, and I can’t even see him.”

“Lo sé,” His dad smiles gently, something that’s probably supposed to be comforting, but really only gets on Carlos’s nerves. “Escúchame, hijo. Descansa. Cúrate. Then you can focus on TK.”

It’s easier said than done and his father knows it, but Carlos has no choice. The conversation is effectively put to an end by his dad reaching over and pressing the call button next to the bed. A nurse comes in and quickly sets about checking his vitals and asking enough questions to make Carlos’s head spin. His probable concussion becomes definite, but otherwise he’s in good shape, all things considered.

He can’t help but wish he weren’t.

*

Two days later, Carlos is deemed fit to be discharged, providing he has someone to help him and providing he agrees to rest and not do anything even close to strenuous. TK is also awake now but, according to Owen, he’ll be kept in the hospital for at least another week. The break to his pelvis was bad, so he’ll need a wheelchair for a while even after discharge, and his refusal to take strong painkillers means his recovery is going to be long and painful.

Carlos is itching to see him. It’s been torture cooped up in his room without knowing how TK was doing—there’s only so much relief messages passed through their fathers can bring. It had only been his father’s stern and steady presence that had kept him in that bed when he felt like he was losing his mind with worry.

But now, finally, he’s being wheeled into TK’s room and helped onto the chair next to the bed. Owen stands off to the side, watching the two of them with a mixture of affection and sadness in his gaze, and his dad hovers behind him, but Carlos only has eyes for TK.

He looks incredibly tired, but he attempts a smile when he rolls his head to look at Carlos, extending his hand out across the distance between them.

“Hey, Ty,” Carlos says softly, taking TK’s hand in his good one. “How are you feeling?”

“Been better. Not sure if I’ve been worse. I think this might just beat getting shot to that title.”

“That’s not funny.”

TK just hums, his eyes drifting closed for a second. “Maybe not.”

“Why did you push me?”

TK’s eyes fly open at the question, confusion overtaking his expression as he stares at Carlos. He moves as if to sit upright before groaning in pain, his face screwing up. Carlos reaches out for him, but he’s beaten to it by his father, who places a reassuring hand on TK’s shoulder.

“Take it easy, son,” he says gently. “Don’t move too much.”

“I hate this,” TK mutters, his body relaxing bit by bit. His gaze is still clouded when he looks back over at Carlos, but he manages a soft smile all the same. “I pushed you because I didn’t want you to get hurt. The car would have hit me either way; I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to get you out of the way in time.”

Carlos blinks at him, dumbfounded. “You’re sorry?” he asks, disbelief colouring his tone. “Ty, you’re in the hospital, seriously injured, because you chose to save me instead of yourself. Why would you do that?”

“You know why.”

Carlos does; of course he does, but it’s not enough to assuage the guilt still bubbling in his stomach at the sight of TK in the bed.

TK sighs, squeezing his hand. “You would have done the same for me,” he points out. “We both know you would have, so don’t you dare ask me to apologise for my choices.”

“I know. I won’t.” Carlos closes his eyes, deflating a little. “I just hate seeing you hurt.”

“And I hate seeing you hurt, so maybe you can do us both a favour and go home. I’ll be fine.”

Carlos must need his hearing tested, because there’s no way TK just said that. There’s no way his boyfriend told him to leave right after calling him out for hypocrisy. Except apparently he did, because he’s trying to disentangle their hands, and Carlos is not having that.

He grips onto TK even tighter and glares at him. “TK, if you think I’m leaving you here—”

“Carlos,” TK interrupts quietly. “I get it. But, babe, you need to rest and heal, and you can’t do either of those things sitting here.”

“Watch me.”

“No.” TK shifts his gaze over Carlos’s shoulder, a slight smirk playing at his lips. “Mr Reyes, can you make sure he rests?”

His dad laughs, leaning over to pat TK’s shoulder. “Of course. I’m sure once his mother sees him, she won’t let him out of her sight for a week anyway.”

TK grins. “Good to know.” He yawns and resettles himself slightly in the bed, his eyes fluttering shut. “Carlos, if you’re still here when I next open my eyes, I’m not kissing you for a month.”

“You shouldn’t make threats you know you can’t follow through with.”

“Don’t make me make it two.”

Despite himself, Carlos laughs. He leans over and presses a lingering kiss to TK’s temple, then stands as well as he’s able, leaning on his dad for support. “Alright, I’m going. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

TK already sounds half-asleep when he mumbles, “Love you too,” back, and Carlos can’t even be embarrassed by how ridiculously smitten he must look, even though he’s in front of both their fathers.

He allows his dad to move him back to the wheelchair and says a quick goodbye to Owen, keeping his eyes on TK for as long as he can. Just as they reach the door, he catches TK’s eyes opening to slivers, obviously checking to see if Carlos is actually leaving. Carlos shakes his head at him, causing TK to flush at the knowledge he’s been caught. His eyes slam shut again, his tongue poking out childishly, and Carlos laughs, a lightness settling in his heart even as TK’s room disappears from view.

It’s going to be a long few months for the both of them, but they have family behind them to help them get through it.

And they have each other. Which, given everything, Carlos thinks is nothing short of a goddamn miracle.

[a-mended-pact]

Period Pains & Cuddles

Hey! So this is a one shot for @fortheloveofcriminalminds and I 's series Sticks and Stones! That being said this is one that can stand alone if you chose to read it. I for some reason keep dreaming of more things for our story that just aren't needed for the main story line. Enjoy!

⚠️ warning: mentions of Menstruation, Past abuse and malnutrition. ⚠️ (if there are more inform me please)

✒Word Count: 2,398

🛑 If you do not want any spoilers at all for Sticks & Stones do not read.

I Have been living next door to Spencer for a little over a month now. My apartment had slowly become more and more homey as the days went on. He was constantly dropping things off at my door or I'd buy little things from the shop I'm working at and bring them home.  

My apartment finally looked like I had a personality and I wasn't this bland shell of a marionette doll being pushed and pulled the way someone wanted me to be. It was refreshing but more nerve-wracking than a breath of fresh air for me.

It was nearing day break  and I knew I needed to get up and start cleaning my place. I had a routine that I did everyday. I'd wake up early and clean the whole place. Spotless to the point you could eat off the floor if you wanted to. I'd even scrub all the nooks and crannies with a toothbrush.  This was an everyday thing. Changing my schedule wasn't an option. Once the apartment was clean I had to get ready myself and by the time 9 came around I was ready to start my day fully. 

Having been given the time to adjust to eating again whenever I wanted was interesting.  I had no idea what I liked anymore but because of the month of freedom I had started to gain a little weight. God I hoped Spencer didn't notice. I hope he didn't get upset with me the way I knew Brett would. 

Spencer had told me once that I was looking healthier and that he was happy for me. He also spewed facts about how now because I am getting the nutrients that my body needs I could start experiencing things my body wasn't used to anymore. 

I didn't really understand what he meant then but I think I'm starting to.

I forced myself to get up only to notice a stain on my sheets caused by me. Seriously? I forgot that periods were a thing. I pulled my hand up counting on my fingers. Each year is remembered by an unpleasant memory. I stopped having it right after a very brutal night with Brett. I bled for nearly a month after that night. Glancing at my hands I only held up 6 fingers.  

I hadn't had my period in 6 years. If anything joyous came from being with Brett it was the fact I didn't have to deal with this. 

I groaned in annoyance and in panic. I needed to clean this up. I had to because this couldn't be left on my sheets for too long or else it would stain permanently.  Even when I had my periods with Brett he was never supposed to see any signs of a period, none.  I used to use pads and tampons but I quickly had to learn how to use a cup. 

It caused less mess. No waste to be seen in the bin and nothing put under the cabinets that Brett could see. 

I quickly threw my sheets and comforter into the hamper while I rushed to throw away my now wasted pajama bottoms, sealing off the bag I put them in and putting it next to the door. Yes I was in fact running around my home in the nude. Just for a couple of moments though. 

I stumbled into the shower knocking over my body wash and shampoo. The moment the warm water hit my face I felt my body relax. I was in a lot of pain. When I did have my periods regularly they were always heavy and painful. My muscles in my back would always be incredibly tight to the point I couldn't even bend over. 

Now that the adrenaline is gone from the sheer shock of the situation. I'm sure this one would be exactly the same. All I wanted to do is curl up and cry. I couldn't though it was embedded in me that I had to clean the house. 

When I got out of the shower and went to get dressed, that's when I realized the biggest problem I was going to have today. With a loud scream of frustration I slammed my sink cabinet.  I didn't have any female hygiene products for this. I mean it had been 6 years. 

I wracked my brain about what I could possibly do. The thought of ordering things to my door sounded lovely. However, anyone knowing that I am going through this is just embarrassing to me. I made a very quick and brash decision of crumbling up toilet paper to make a temporary pad until I got to the store. 

I dressed in black. I didn't want to risk another disaster.  

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

By the time I made it home all I wanted to do was go back to bed. I got myself and my new things situated and stored away. I immediately started to clean afterwards doing everything the way I always did.  Like I was supposed to do. I glanced at the clock on the stove only to realize it was noon now. 

A huff escaped me. I was finally done. Now I could start winding down and relaxing. I was getting extremely dizzy while cleaning anyway. I made my way to the couch to curl up.  I never wanted to leave this spot.

It was just curved enough to relax my lower back and to cradle me in all the right places.  I started to drift off, giving myself some time to recuperate from my chaotic morning.

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

I awoke to a gentle hand on my face caressing me. I flinched at their close proximity which caused me to tense up a small groan left my lips as I curled up more and rolled away from them.

'Dahlia, sweetheart, you didn't hear me banging on your door or calling you? It's 7pm. We had a date. Did you forget?' His voice was laced with concern and I couldn't help but feel awful because I did forget. 

'I hope you don't mind. I let myself in. You know you shouldn't leave your door unlocked,Statistically in the United States alone 22,796 women are likely to be burglarized when they live alone.' 

Spencer helped me roll over when he saw me struggling to do so.  ‘I’m, I’m sorry I’ll go get dressed for our date now.’ I rushed to go get up when a dizzy spell hit me. He stood up quickly and caught me by my waist. ‘Hey, what’s wrong, you seem disoriented?’ I tried to tell him that I was fine but I didn’t feel fine. Perhaps I was just being over dramatic. I logically knew women go through this sort of thing all the time but all I wanted to do was cry.

 I was overflowing with so much emotion. I was aggravated with the fact that this was happening to me again to start with. I was upset with myself for being like this. I was even more distraught by the fact I had forgotten my date with Spencer. How could I just forget? I was looking forward to it since last week when he got called away for work while we were planning the whole thing. 

We had agreed to go out to see one of his forgein movies. He was gonna translate it the whole way through whispering it in my ear. At first I had declined saying it was going to ruin the movie for him. He assured me that it was fine he had already seen it once with his mother when he was younger. He just believed it was a movie I was going to enjoy. 

We had also discussed having dinner after. We never ended up picking a restaurant before he got called away. ‘It’s nothing Spencer, I'm fine, really. I just forgot our date is all. I’m really sorry’ I moved myself out of his hold and made my way to my bedroom to get dressed. 

‘You know we don’t have to even go out tonight. I am more than happy to just stay in and spend time with you!’  I could hear him shout from my living room. I was getting frustrated because all my clothes seemed unbelievably tight on me right now. I could feel the tears brimming at the corners of my eyes. This was ridiculous. Why was I being so emotional? How do I tell Spencer that I didn’t want to do anything at all? I didn’t even want to be out of bed or better yet off the couch. As long as I was laying down and I wasn’t moving it didn’t feel like my hips were being compressed and my back finally wasn’t in pain. 

I barely even wanted to be pleasant towards him and all he has ever been to me was a gentleman. I walked out in the same clothes I went in with this time wrapped in a throw blanket I bought from the shops. He looked at me with concern and smiled softly as he pulled me with him to the couch. He pulled me close and held me, playing with my hair and moving it off my face. I laughed slightly at how gentle he was being with me. 

‘Do you remember when you told me now that I was getting healthier that my body would start doing things it’s supposed to.’ I whispered and leaned my head against the back of the couch. His warmth on my back felt magical. His chest vibrated as he chuckled. ‘Yes, I remember. Pretty girl, is that what's wrong.’ He pulled me closer to him, his hand lightly touching my stomach. I never noticed how tight my tummy muscles were until the natural warmth he carried slipped to me through the palm of his hand. 

I looked down embarrassed. This was always such a sensitive topic when Brett was around. He didn’t want to hear about it nor did he care to. ‘For the first time in 6 years. I - um started my period.’ I said it as quietly as I could in hopes he wouldn’t be put off by this new information. I went to pull away only for him to pull me closer to him. Him basically wrapping himself around me and holding me close as he kissed my temple. 

‘That’s really good news sweetheart. I know it may not seem like a good thing right now but it is. It means that your hormones and everything are finally going back to normal after years of being not right.’ He grabbed both of my hands in his when I tried to curl in on myself again. I could feel his breath on my neck every time he exhaled. It made me want to slip deeper into him. 

‘I think we should order in and watch one of your favorite movies. How's that for tonight?’ I bit my lip still questioning whether or not I wanted him to go home or not. Him seeing me like this was already upsetting enough. It wasn’t like I wasn’t dressed and didn’t have makeup on. Maybe it was just the fact that I didn't feel great that made me think I also didn’t look it. 

I nodded but otherwise didn’t speak. Spencer has known me long enough to know that I'm a little in my head at times like these. So he knows that as long as I agree he can do whatever he likes unless I say otherwise. 

He ordered food and began looking around on my shelves lining the wall to realize I didn’t own any movies.  I watched him and couldn’t help but smile. It was hard to believe he could be a dominant when he was struggling so hard to take charge of the situation right now. He held up his finger and made an ah ha noise when he ran out of my apartment to what i assume was into his. He came back clutching a bundle of movies in his large hands along with some junk food from his place. 

‘I know enough from Stell that you can’t go wrong with junk food when a lady is on her period.’ His voice was laced with confidence yet somehow his stance said shy as if he were overstepping. I couldn’t help but smile at him. He was so sweet I managed to move myself into a more proper position when there was a knock at my door. ‘Ah that must be the food.’ He placed all the things he brought onto the table and quickly grabbed the take out.

At this point my mouth was watering. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled the food. 

‘Thank you. For just being you Spencer. I didn’t realize I could be cared for the way you’ve cared for me since I’ve gotten the pleasure of knowing you.’ I smiled widely as he sat down beside me. The movie started and the food was passed out between us both. He smiled a smile that stole my heart out of my chest and yet made it beat so rapidly I thought for certain he could hear it. ‘There’s no need to thank me Dahlia. I don’t mind taking care of you. You aren’t a hard person to take care of. I just enjoy spending time with you. Regardless of what we are doing.’ A blush formed on his features. If it wasn’t for the glow of the projector I would have missed it. ‘Thank you, I’m not sure I could be anyone else even if I tried.’ his voice was small and filled with adoration at what I had said.

Some time after we were done eating I gravitated towards him seeking his warmth. He had moved himself, his leg now resting on my couch as he leaned against the arm rest. I was between his legs, my body tangled in his as my head rested on his chest. If every time I got my period meant that I had the pleasure of getting to use Doctor Spencer Reid as a giant teddy bear. I’d be more than happy to have them 

His hand cradled my face as the tips of his fingers played in my hair. His other arm draped over me holding me protectively as I drifted off into my sea of unconsciousness.

‘My precious Dahlia what have you done to me?’ 

[sugawara-sweetheart]

Trying out some overnight hairstyle/curling with the long haired boys: Ukai, Kenma, and Asahi! E.g. like the one where you braid or put hair in a bun, but there are so many silly ones that i think might be funny to try!!

trying out overnight hairstyles | asahi, kenma & ukai

azumane asahi

giving asahi baths was so peaceful and therapeutic for the two of you. sometimes you’d sit in the tub together, his chest pressed to your back or sometimes he’d be in the tub alone with you on a chair by his side

this morning was the latter. asahi was soaking in the warm water tinted white with epsom salts whilst you lathered up the sweet, fresh-smelling baby shampoo into his brown locks

he tilted his head back into your touch, a small sigh leaving him at the sensation of your fingernails scratching across his scalp and he smiled, fluttering his soft brown eyes shut when you poured the water gently over his head to rinse the suds from his hair

asahi doesn’t like not seeing your pretty face which means he always opens his eyes too quickly and gets water and shampoo in them poor bby

after washing his hair, you let asahi dry off alone in the bathroom and went to your bedroom, preparing to get ready for your day ahead

when asahi entered the room, towelling his wet locks, you both smiled at each other till his eyes dropped down to the object in your hand

the long, thick, cylindrical object

immediately asahi blushed furiously, looking away awkwardly as he rubbed at the back of his neck

“ah, y/n, if you needed some...time alone, i can give you privacy- or- or i can help!! only if you want me to though!”

“asahi...it’s a curling iron. for your hair.”

asahi blushed darker, a sheepish smile appearing on his face as you laughed, putting the curling iron aside and wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him into a sweet kiss

as you did, you stroked his wet hair, eyes suddenly gleaming with a sudden idea

“hey, why don’t i curl your hair too?! you’d look so handsome, even more than you usually do.” you beamed at him, the way he shyly smiled, cheeks warming under the gentle touch of your fingertips

“i’ve never thought about having curly hair- do you think it’ll look nice?”

you gasped excitedly, tearing away from asahi to plug in the curling iron as you rambled on about how pretty he’d look with loose curls whilst he sat beside you, grinning softly at your excitement

you were just so cute

after drying his hair don’t fry your hair guys, asahi allowed you to separate his hair into sections and begin wrapping them around the hot rod

as you waited for the heat to twist his brown locks, you and asahi would exchange sweet smiles and quick pecks

you got distracted once and burnt the tip of his ear and whilst you almost cried over his little baby wince, asahi assured you he was perfectly okay and actually apologised instead awwwww

when you had finished, you sat back with a dreamy sigh, clasping your hands to your chest as you gazed at asahi

he squirmed under your wide eyes that were practically hearts and felt his cheeks burn as you came to stroke his hair

“how- how do i look?”

“so so so BEAUTIFUL!”

the two of you fell backwards as you leapt onto him, asahi laughing into your lips as you kissed him

“how do i have the most beautiful boyfriend ever?”

now whenever asahi felt the need to dress up extra special for you, he would always shyly ask you to curl his hair

kozume kenma | braids

kenma knew you loved his hair

everytime the two of you would be in the privacy of your own home, he’d notice you in the corner of his golden eyes gazing at his beautiful blond hair, your fingers twitching

whenever you hugged, you’d always nuzzle your nose into his hair, inhaling the sweet scent of his strawberry-flavoured shampoo

but no touching- kenma couldn’t stand the feeling of people’s fingertips touching at his hair, especially when the strands were already weakened with bleach

one night kenma had just finished gaming, his eyes dry from staring at the monitor for hours whilst his body was warm with you cradled on his lap

he threw back his head with a yawn, knuckles coming to rub at his eyes tell me he wouldn’t rub at his face like the cutest lil kitten and when he pulled them away, he was met with the strangest expression on your face

it wasn’t quite lustful desire or neediness but...longing maybe?

“what’s up?” kenma asked in his low, calming voice. he wasn’t always this affectionate but sometimes he just craved warmth and adored the smile on your pretty face whenever he showed you affection so he couldn’t quite resist the urge to peck the tip of your nose

as your cheeks flushed, kenma continued with his little kisses, peppering them along your nose bridge, your forehead, your cheeks, your jaw, along to the corner of your mouth

this was your chance!! he wasn’t usually this touchy and affection

slowly you slid your hands up his shoulders, crawling them further up his neck and then...

kenma froze as he felt your gentle fingertips pressing against his hair. he slowly leant back from you, his gaze softening as the longing in your eyes had only strengthened

how could you resist saying no to you when you had such an adorable pout and big, pleading eyes and your cheeks were still flushed

“fine.” kenma sighed, unconsciously leaning his head back into your touch. “just this once you can play with my hai-”

his words were cut off by your loud, excited squeal as you engulfed him in a hug, knocking you both over with the chair on top of you

once kenma had kissed your purpling bruises and the pout on your lips, you both settled on the floor with him in between your legs, his body leaning into your warmth as you hummed

kenma hated to admit it but it was nice. he liked the feeling of his locks sieving through your warm, gentle fingers, your chest pressed against his neck, lofi music in the background

“what hairstyle are you doing?” he asked, turning his face to tilt it towards your shoulder, aiming for a gentle peck on your skin as he felt your fingers twine and twist his strands of hair

“i think braids will look so pretty. and when you wake up tomorrow your hair will be all nice and wavy!”

kenma wasn’t sure whether he’d like it but he knew he liked your touch more than he had expected to, so he found his eyelids growing heavier, his heart rate slowing down with your relaxing presence

he was almost asleep when you removed your hands, and immediately kenma jolted awake, turning to face you with widened eyes

“are you already done?”

he blushed at the way you smirked at him, raising a knowing eyebrow before you nodded

“yep and you look so beautiful. please let me take a picture of you.”

kenma pretended to grumble but his heart was actually thumping at seeing your screen, your faces pressed together with his hair framed by little plaits. they were so neat and pretty

the next morning, kenma was happier than he pretended when he let you sit on his lap, slowly unwinding the braids and gasping when his crimped blond hair hung around his pretty face

“ah, so beautiful!!” you cried as you wouldn’t stop touching his hair, causing a small smile to tug at kenma’s lips

it wasn’t even that he particularly liked having his hair braided or the way it was wavy the next morning. he just liked to be able to sit, enveloped in your warmth and melting into your touch as you played with his hair

ukai keishin

it was a normal nice afternoon. you were working in the shop with ukai, you stocking the shelves whilst ukai smoked minded the counter, a peaceful atmosphere hanging over

as you moved further into the aisles towards the toiletries and personal care items, you ripped open a new box and reached for the new stock of...hair clips?

you couldn’t help but gasp at them- ukai had never stocked them before. packets and packets of the cutest hair clips were clasped in your hands- pink ones, yellow ones, glittery ones, ones with little strawberries and cats

“keishin!” ukai started at your loud yell, his cigarette almost slipping out of his fingers as you went rushing to the counter. he couldn’t help but sigh- he really did love you but sometimes you just yelled at him a lot for smoking too much and drinking too much and it especially didn’t make sense when you’d yell at him for yelling at the karasuno boys like we’re both yelling???

“what did i do n-” his eyebrows raised with surprise to see you grinning as you jump into his lap, his arms immediately wrapping around you as you present the hair clips to him

“when did you start stocking these? they’re so cute and pretty!” ukai chuckled at your excitement over some silly childish hair clips

“dad said it’d be good if some of our items catered to children too. why?” he took a drag of his cigarette but once he saw you eyeing it carefully he stubbed it out. “you can take a pack if you want- though i think they’re a bit out of your age range.”

he frowned at you as he noticed the cheeky smirk tugging at your lips. “hm, i don’t quite want them for me...”

it was too late. he had noticed that mischievous gleam in your eye far too late.

“y/n no.”

“y/n yes.”

and that was how ukai ended up with you straddling his lap after dinner in the privacy of your home with your hands in his hair

he didn’t mind you touching his hair at home when it wasn’t pulled back by his headband but that was mostly during sex cuddling

it wasn’t when you had a pack of glittery children’s clips ready to use

but maybe, ukai wondered, it was worth it as he gazed at your pretty face inches away from his, smiling with excitement as you gently combed out his hair

“do you really think just because i wear a headband i’m going to wear little kiddie hair clips?”

you looked away from his tufty blond hair to lock eyes with him, noticing how they softened when you nodded excitedly, pushing his blond locks back to press a kiss to his forehead

“you’re going to look so pretty.”

as the two of you chatted and squabbled over petty things “you’re pulling my hair! i told you to be gentle!” “shut up or else i’ll pull it harder!” your fingers were twisting his locks but he wasn’t quite sure what you were doing

when you opened the packet of clips, he narrowed his eyes at the first one you chose- a pretty yellow one adorned with a plastic bee

he sighed as you scraped it along his scalp, securing it in his hair before continuing along, occasionally pressing kisses to his nose and chin and cooing about how pretty he looked whilst he grumbled

finally, after all ukai’s whining and your kisses, you handed him a mirror, smiling as he frowned at his reflection

“what have you done?” he asked, turning his head to see the rest of his hair. all his hair had been separated into different locks, twisted and rolled flat against his scalp and secured with a bright clip. it was almost comical how his head was covered in an array of bright colourful children’s clips

“don’t you look so adorable?!” you cooed. “they’re called pin curls.” you grabbed his face and squished his cheeks between your palms, plastering a huge kiss to his lips. ukai immediately kissed you back but finally pulled away, putting the mirror aside to place his large hands over your waist

“what does it do?”

“you’ll see.” he wasn’t sure whether he liked the smirk that was pulling at your lips

spoiler alert: he didn’t like it. he couldn’t help but grimace at the blonde curls that fell from his head. he looked different- edgier, cooler maybe? especially with the rings that dangled from his ear lobes and the cigarette between his lips

“no. y/n, baby, no- i need to wash my hair before practise, i can’t go in-” he broke off, frowning with confusion at the way you clung to his neck, eyes darkened and a playful smile tugging at your lips

“keishin...” a little whine escaped you as you began to trail kisses along his neck, making him shiver and lean into your warm touch. “how do you look so hot?” he couldn’t resist the lustful longing in your eyes

ukai ended up being late to practise, but his new curls remained, held back with his headband as he rushed into the gym, quickly apologising to the volleyball players and takeda sensei

the chatter fell silent and everyone turned to stare at ukai, mouths hanging open in shock

“uh- coach, what happened to your hair?”

ukai growled

“my girlfriend happened. now no more questions and get serving!!”

sure, maybe ukai didn’t quite like his new hairstyle but it was worth it to see you pine for him harder

[toastedkiwi]

Returning The Favor

Summary: after realizing you’ve been taken advantage of your friendship with Sebastian, you’ve decided to spoil him like he does with you.

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Rich!Reader

You knocked on Sebastian’s door. No answer. You knock again. Still no answer. You pouted and grabbed the door knob. You turn it and head into the apartment. You close the door and lock it.

“Sebastian?” You called out looking around his open floor plan.

You head to his bedroom and opened up the door. And then you hear the puking. You frowned and head into the bathroom. Sebastian’s hugging the porcelain as he throws up his guts. You immediately think of what he does for you when you’re sick and you spring into action. You start rubbing his back which makes him question who’s in his apartment.

“The fuck you doing here?” Sebastian grunted seeing your high heels and he flushes the toilet.

“Well clearly taking care of you,” you said brushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

He’s shaking in his skin. Truly, you wanted to take him out to his favorite restaurant for lunch and treat him since you saw that terrible article a reporter did on him but your favorite man is sick. It was about time for you to return the favor because who knows how many times you’ve called him over something and he comes over quickly to comfort you or help fix the problem. He’s called you and you wouldn’t show up claiming to be too busy for him.

“I didn’t call you,” he said.

“I know. I tried calling you but you didn’t pick up,” you said.

“‘M sorry,” he mumbled.

“It’s okay,” you said grabbing his bicep. “Let’s get you into the shower.”

He groaned as you helped the 200 lbs man onto his feet but he’s a bit confused at your behavior. You leaned him against the bathroom counter and opened the glass door of the shower. You turned on the shower and found the right temp. You spin around to a butt ass naked Sebastian and he isn’t bothering covering anything. He’s definitely gifted.

“Fuck modesty,” he said giggling and making his way into the shower as you keep your eyes to the ceiling.

You closed the shower door behind and said, “please never do that to me again.”

You leave him in the shower and head into his bedroom. You take the bedsheets, sheets, blankets, and pillowcases off the bed shoving them into the laundry basket knowing it’ll be better for him to have clean ones on his bed instead of dirty ones. You try to make quick work even though it’s a struggle.

“Y/N!” Sebastian called out whining. “HELP!”

You come into the bathroom and he’s peaking his head out of the shower. The poor man looks absolutely miserable and exhausted. He holds the shampoo bottle to you. You take it and he lowers his head. His greasy wet hair falls forward dripping onto the rug. You opened the shampoo bottle. You squeeze more than enough in the palm of your hand. You put the shampoo bottle on the floor and then run your fingers through his hair. You make sure you’re gentle and lather every strand on his scalp. He nearly moans.

“There. Now rinse,” you said.

He does what you say and you rinse your hands in the sink. You then dry your manicured hands.

“Towel, please?” Sebastian begged after the water turns off.

You grab a towel on the rack and his bathrobe that you sent him because it was too big for you and was not your style. You hand him the towel as he steps out and he covers his dick thankfully since he doesn’t want to flash you this time. You help in his robe and you tie the belt around his waist. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Sebastian sniffled looking at you.

“Yes. Why do you ask? Do I look sick?” You asked frantically. 

You spin around and look in the mirror. Sebastian chuckles before coughing. His arms go around your waist after putting the towel on the counter.

“You look beautiful, Y/n,” he said. “Always do.”

You spin back around placing your hands on his broad shoulders and you look up at your proclaimed BFF. The shower seems to have helped him out a bit.

“Then why did you ask?” you questioned.

“You don’t come over unless you need me,” he said.

You frowned but know he’s right. You’re quite the selfish person. It’s bad. Real bad. But thankfully, you’ve started realizing it and you don’t want to be that way anymore.

“So, what do you need from me?” He asked.

“I need you to get better but for now, you’re gonna camp out on the couch while I make your bed and do your laundry,” you said.

Sebastian laughed before going into a coughing fit. You pat his back and you’re pretty worried about him. 

“I gotta see this,” he said.

You pouted and lead him into his bedroom. He seats himself in the chair that usually houses clothes he throws on it. He sees his sheets and what not on the floor in a pile.

“You’re really gonna make my bed?” he asked shaking a bit in his seat.

“Yes, I am,” you bragged. “You won’t even want to sleep on it since it’ll look so amazing and you won’t want to ruin it.”

Sebastian grins knowing you’re in over your head. You don’t know how to make a bed. You grew up with a rich daddy and mommy who had maids and nannies raise you and clean up after you and your snobby ass sister. Your dad funds your lifestyle with a maid still even though you’re 25. 

“I can’t wait,” he sniffled.

You rush off grinning and giving him your “I got this” look. It’s quite adorable especially with your black long sleeved shirt underneath the dress you’re wearing and the heels. You always wear heels. It’s what you were taught to wear. It’s very old fashioned but a good dress and heels are great for any event.

“I don’t like this!” you whined and pouted as the fitted sheet keeps coming off of the corners.

“Prinţesă-,” Sebastian said. 

“Shh!” you shushed the fool.

He stands up and treads over to you. You crossed your arms over your chest and glare at the poor sick man.

“You’re going diagonally. Start on one side, Prinţesă,” he said.

You huffed with an adorable pout and start getting to work. You even have your best friend sit on a very stubborn corner as you get the rest.

“I did it!” You exclaimed happily.

Sebastian smiles and you hug him as he’s still seated.

“Congrats, Prinţesă,” he said. “Can you grab me some medicine? It’s in the cabinet by the fridge.”

You nod and head off pretty proud of yourself. It makes him smile briefly before he has to lay down on his unmade bed with a blanket you grabbed. You’ll probably be mad since you didn’t finish but you’ll just have to make the bed with him in it.

“What are you--?” You asked.

“’M tired, baby,” he said.

You sit down on the edge of the bed placing the medicine down on his bedside table along with a glass of water. He sits up a bit so he can take the medicine. You give him some cough syrup and then some cold medicine after reading the labels.

“I feel like shit,” he groaned laying back.

“I know,” you said caressing his cheek. “But you’ll be all better soon.”

“You’ll probably get sick from being near me, darling,” Sebastian said.

“Then we can be sick together and I can call Junie to come take care of us,” you said with a smile.

He shakes his head no and said, “we are both adults. We can take care of ourselves, Y/n.”

“So, does that mean you want me to leave while you wallow away in your misery?” You asked.

“Don’t go,” he whined and weakly grabbed your arm. “I like you taking care of me.”

His words brought the biggest smile on your face. It’s bigger than when you go shopping and make him hold your bags. No shopping trip can get that smile.

“Alright, it’s only because I love you so much,” you said.

It’s his turn to smile wide as he’s feeling quite drowsy with the medicine kicking in.

“I love you too,” Sebastian said. “You should cuddle me. It’ll make me feel better.”

“But you’ll need to eat something,” you said.

“Just until I fall asleep, please?” he begged with a puppy dog look and a pout you can’t say no to. “I’ll eat for ya later.”

You take off your heels and then lay beside him. He tucks you under his arm and wraps both arms around you. You both sigh contently.

“I think I’ve been a shitty friend to you,” you admitted.

He frowns but knows you’re right. He can’t argue on it if he wanted to. He’s adored you for the last four years. Yes, you’re younger than him and maybe he’s got a thing for chicks younger than him but he can’t help it. You’ve got the poor man wrapped around your finger and he’s completely and utterly hooked.

“What made you come to that conclusion?” Sebastian asked and it sounded a bit snippier than he would’ve liked.

“My other friends are pretty shitty and... you aren’t. You treat me like a queen and never expected me to treat you like a king,” you said. “Which I’ve been taking you for granted and you deserve better but I’m quite selfish and instead of letting this friendship go, I’m gonna do better for you, Sebastian.”

Sebastian smiles. It warms his heart. 

[labyrinthsofyou]

bedside tables and bedsheets

pairing: wong yukhei & female reader

genre: fluff & smut

warnings: blowjob, cumplay, fingering, kneeling, (a) mirror, oral and a little sugary sweet

words: 16, 899

summary: it’s move in day for yukhei.

+

wong yukhei loves his sleep.

he sleeps early when it is possible. he will pull the comforter high up to his neck and curl up into a ball and ignore everything else while his eyes close, his breaths even out and he goes off dreaming.

in the mornings yukhei rather stay in bed. it will take him several alarms ten minutes apart and someone shaking his shoulder and calling his name before he rolls over with a groan. he’ll sit up with his hair messy and eyes squinting at the sunlight filtering into the room and wish he can go back to his dream.

but if yukhei has no schedules he will sleep in. his soft snores will slip from his slightly parted pillowy lips until it’s lunch time or later. he'll catch up on all the rest he has missed in hopes his mind and body forgives him for all he puts it through at times. 

it’s a little different today though. 

yukhei has no schedules. he can sleep in until whenever to make up for not getting enough sleep these past weeks and last night because he slept late. but he doesn’t because he’s been awake since dawn. that one alarm he sets is enough to do the job today and makes him sit up in bed with the morning rays seeping pass the curtains. yukhei gets out of bed and after waiting in line for the bathroom, he greets his friends as they all meet in the kitchen and living room. 

then the seven of them partake in a little of the chopping, stirring, pouring and setting up before the hot breakfast is place on the table. the food is shared with lots of loud laughter and past memories until it’s time to clean up. 

yukhei gets ready soon after. he checks the boxes. he makes sure what he wants and needs are together. 

everything is in place because six weeks have passed since you had asked him that very night to move in with you. each moment free of recording and practices have been filled with well thought out discussions, wondering questions and long lists between you and him together before it had been all figured out. 

he is really doing this with you and a new adventure you will begin together. 

and when the rest of the city slowly wakes on a peaceful sunday morning to enjoy the leisure day, yukhei holds onto two stacked up large containers. each is filled with jackets and coats. he peeks to the side to make sure of the clear path for his feet. he carefully follows you down the quiet floor until you see the familiar numbers on the front door. 

you stop and yukhei nearly walks into you with a short laugh. you prop the box with his t-shirts and sweatpants against the wall as you press in the code on the keypad. once you hear the beep, you open the door and hold it with your foot for yukhei to follow in behind you. sneakers are left on for the moment as your feet move against the wood floors of the short hallway and you make a mental note to remember to clean them later. 

“we can just set everything in the middle of here now. is that okay with you?” you question, standing in the living room. 

yukhei nods. “yeah, that fine. i'll sort it all out when everything is up here,” he says as he gently puts down the containers. you place the box in your hands down next to his and turn to him. 

“how many do you have again?” you ask, stepping closer to him and taking a few deep breaths. 

he faintly shakes his head and places his hands on his hips. “not many. i think we can just take two more trips downstairs and that will be all,” he tells you with a small grin. 

a short nod you give him. “let’s go then,” you whisper, tiptoeing and pressing a quick peck onto his mouth before you begin moving down the hall again. 

it ends up being three more trips though. but you think it’s okay because when the last of the boxes and bags are hauled into the apartment and the sneakers are finally toed off, you and yukhei stare at all he has brought with him. it looks like a bit like mess right now. 

yet it’s a beautiful mess that has your heart skipping and you rambling. 

“so which box do you want to start with first? i can help you sort whatever you need and you can put them where you like. i moved my clothes to the third and fourth drawers on both dressers so you don’t have to bend down too much. you know, in case your back or your waist is bothering you. if you don’t have enough space, i’ll see what else we can do to move some stuff around. or if we really need to, we can pick up another dresser and squeeze it in somewhere. and also-” 

his strong arms suddenly encircle your waist and cut off your words and your thoughts. yukhei holds you close, your back pressing against his chest. you hear the deep inhale he takes, that scent of vanilla from your body wash and shampoo and the floral hints from your perfume you have dabbed behind your ears hit his senses as he lowers his head to rest his mouth alongside your skin. 

and then he chuckles, the low sound tickling you. “calm down, babe.” 

you shift in his arms and turn to face him. almost instantly yukhei presses his forehead to yours and you wrap your arms around his waist. there’s a sparkle in his large eyes and a tender beam playing on his mouth while he stares at the nervous pout on your face. 

“and also i cleared the refrigerator too and we can go food shopping later…if you want.” 

yukhei shakes his head, laughing at you fondly and loudly and bringing a hand up to cradle your warm face. you grip onto his shirt when he bends down to leave a few sweet and affectionate kisses onto your lips. a shy smile little by little emerges out and you let out a slow sigh.

“i want you to be comfortable and have everything you need.”

he lowers his head again and places a quick peck to the tip of your nose. “i feel comfortable, great actually.” yukhei isn’t just saying this to pacify you because he really does. “and if i need anything i will let you know. but as of now i have everything i need, okay?” he quietly reassures you.

yukhei’s staring intently at you then with a little goofy lovestruck smile that illuminates his whole face and your whole heart because his words mean more than just the boxes and bags of his things. his arm around you tightens and his face warms up too fast and you feel the butterflies swarming in your stomach. you stand on your toes to brush your mouth to his. he hums softly in response when you pull back and rest his forehead alongside yours again.

your bodies sway together, melting against one another for a moment before you remember.

“i have something for you.” 

you unwrap his arms from you and yukhei watches you walk back down the hallway and making the short turn to left, only appearing seconds later with something grey in your hands.

“i forgot when you first walked in,” you glance down at his sock covered feet and giggle as you show him the brand new fuzzy grey slippers in your hands. “i know you already have a pair before too, and it’s really not much.” you look back up to meet his eyes and lightly shrug. “but i don’t know, i thought it would be nice to have a new pair since you will be here every day instead of just sometimes,” you tell him quietly, feeling a little ridiculous at saying it aloud. 

yukhei chuckles, his heart warming at all you are trying to do and make him feel. he takes the gift in your hands and gently plops them onto the floor. he slips his feet in and it’s a perfect fit. his gaze finds yours and he leans forward, his smiling mouth right next to your own grinning lips.

“thank you,” he whispers, bestowing you with a short and tender kiss.

there’s a bashful beam on your face. “and we match, too.” 

your words make him look down briefly and you wiggle your foot that is in the fuzzy pink slipper. he’s still smiling brightly and giggling now too before giving you a quick kiss.

“you ready to help me start finding a place for everything?” 

and you grin widely because you are.

you take out his clothes, laying it into piles on the bed and fix any wrinkles that has occurred during the packing process. yukhei places them into the drawers, making sure they fit in neatly. long sleeves and t shirts go in the top drawers. jeans and sweatpants are in the second drawer of one dresser while shorts and all his simple and colorful underwear are in the second drawer of the other. you pull out the new packs of hangers you had purchased. yukhei hangs up his shirts, hoodies and sweaters in the bedroom closet and his jackets and coats in the entrance closet. he drops his rolled up socks into the basket next to yours behind the standing mirror placed in the corner of the bedroom by the window. 

“how much did you leave behind?” you ask, leaning against the door as yukhei puts the small jewelry box with his necklaces and watches on top of the dresser. 

because after the discussions and going through all the scenarios and considerations of his schedules at times, yukhei leaves some things back at the dorms. during promotion periods everything becomes too packed. he barely gets a few hours of sleep. he will always be on the go. it will be best for him to stay at the dorms then. 

yukhei had hesitated at first. he should be staying with you because the whole point of moving in with you had been to actually live with you when he was in the same city. but you had placed your forehead to his while rubbing your hand down his chest. 

“it’ll be okay. you don’t get much rest during promotions and the going back and forth on the tighter schedules will be too hard.” you had smiled reassuringly. “it’ll be like any time you have to travel for filming. so it won’t be always, just sometimes. think of it like that, okay?” you had leaned closer in, your fingertips moving up to graze against his warm cheeks and sharp jawline. “and besides, when you come back, the reunions are the best.” 

a sweet and teasing curl of your mouth and kiss you had given him as the corners of his lips faintly twitched up. and in the end, it had taken yukhei another two days and a long conversation with you and a discussion with his members before he had finally agreed. 

“enough clothes to last me a little over a week. the auntie comes to help with the laundry so i don’t have to worry so much about not having something to wear,” he says while placing his bottles of cologne on the dresser top. “but i left just a little of everything i have here with me that i will need when i am there.”   

you nod and watch as he takes out his glasses cases and a scented candle with notes of jasmine and rose that has been halfway burned away so far from the storage container. he sets them up on the opposite side of his jewelry box and colognes with a smile. 

“i did leave that picture of us though,” he says with his cheeks flushed. yukhei turns and finds your curious gaze. “from the fanmeeting.” you faintly bob your head, immediately knowing the photo he’s talking about. 

the one where his smile beams so brilliantly on his face it rivals the sun. yukhei is hugging you backstage after the event because you had surprised him. he doesn’t remember who had taken the photo. he doesn’t even remember it being taken. he just remembers feeling incredibly happy with his heart so full from the fanmeeting and your unexpected presence, he had been pumping with adrenaline for the entire night.

you tilt your head and your face heats. “don’t you have pictures on your phone though?” 

yukhei laughs lowly, running his hands through his hair. “sometimes it’s not the same as a photo in a picture frame next to you,” he reasons. even if he will not be staying there for the most part, when he does, yukhei wants it to still feel personal. 

that photo will help.

you move to stand next to him, tiptoeing to give him a tender peck against his bashful smile. “you’re a romantic, you know that?”

he nods with a teasing raised eyebrow. “or maybe i just really like looking at your pretty face before i fall asleep.” you playfully roll your eyes and yukhei giggles infectiously and warmly. “i left my toothbrush there too, so maybe we can just go buy one later after we finish here.” 

“i have an extra one in the bathroom closet.” a habit it is of yours to keep an extra of the little things for emergencies. “unless you have a color preference, you can take it,” you suggest while you lean your head against his wide shoulder, staring between the two tops of the dressers.

a his side and a hers side. 

you hum quietly and delightedly at the sight.

yukhei chuckles. “i actually do have a color preference.” 

you angle your head to look up at him, watching a mischievous smile form on his face when he turns to you. “and what color would that be?” you go along with soft laughter and a twitch of an eyebrow.

“well what color do you have?”

you playfully narrow your eyes at him. “it’s green.” 

he lowers his head and brushes his mouth against yours. “hmm, that’s just the color i wanted.” 

you lightly hit his chest while he puckers very sloppy and wet kisses to your cheek that makes you squeal and squirm. when yukhei eventually stops, his mouth rests against your skin and he whispers quietly, “thank you.” 

a smile comes out in front of him. “you’re welcome.” 

and then the unpacking continues on. 

his set of weights is placed right next to your rolled up yoga mat in the corner of the living room. his bath towel hangs besides yours in the bathroom while his extra ones are folded and placed in the bathroom closet on top of yours. the handful of caps, hats and beanies he has go into the closet with the jackets and coats. his rolling suitcase stands alongside yours in the closet underneath all the dresses, sweaters, hoodies and shirts. he lines his sneakers up in rows right besides yours in the shoe closet. the few schoolbags and expensive bags he brings with him hang and sit next to yours in the hallway closet. and the two pictures he brings of him with his members stand right next to the three pictures of you and him on the desk besides the television.

it takes the rest of the morning and lunch of a large order of green onion chicken and beef rice noodle soup with his favorite cola to share to get through it all. 

the floors have been wiped. the containers are stacked up and against the wall inside the storage closet. the bags have been tied up into balls and placed in the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink for future use. the bed is no longer covered in clothes and the middle of the living room floor is cleared. 

everything finds a place and  all the space and nook and crannies in the tiny apartment are utilized.

you stand by the bedroom door and stare. relief is suppose to fill you but you let out a quiet groan. it almost looks perfect. how you could have forgotten it on the list, you don’t know. 

when you had been thinking about him moving in, it had been one of your first initial thoughts and reasons. when you and him had your discussions, yukhei had even stood in the bedroom with you to observe the space just like you had done. he had even noticed it too.

“yukhei, i think we forgot something,” you call once you hear him exit the bathroom. 

he comes to stand next to you, leaning against the doorframe as his eyes scan the room. you count silently in your head to see how long before he sees what is missing. three seconds to a minute and you hear his deep laugh while yukhei shakes his head because he realizes it now too.

to the left side of the bed, his side, is an empty space. 

“we forgot a bedside table,” he says as you close the gap between your bodies. your arm circles around his middle while his wrap around your shoulder. “was it on the list?” 

“i thought i had written it down, but i guess i forgot. we even talked about it, too,” you sigh. “i really thought we could have had everything done today and it’ll be perfect so you could relax and enjoy your first official day in here and not worry about anything.”

you hadn’t wanted him to come back after a long day of practicing and recording to organize or figure out what else he needed. you had wanted him to feel at ease. you had wanted him comfortable without any worries. so when he had been told about this day off, you and him thought it would be best to make sure the moving in and unpacking would be done today. 

you're not certain when he will get his next day off. yukhei isn’t so sure himself either.

“umm, maybe i’ll just keep what i need on the floor for now.” your brows furrow and there’s a pout on your face when he glances down. “or i use a chair.” you shake your head, not fond of the idea either. yukhei places a gentle kiss on your forehead. “so how are we going to solve this little problem of ours then?” he whispers with a soft chuckle. 

you hum softly and turn to the bare spot. you think for a moment before staring up at him with a grinning face. “would you like to go on a little trip?”

yukhei smiles. “i’ll go anywhere with you, babe.” 

and he does.

your fingers are intertwined with his as you enter the store with the familiar blue and yellow hues covering the outside of the building. 

it is quiet for a sunday afternoon and yukhei hugs your waist on the escalator ride up to the second floor. 

“is there a specific color you want?” 

a response you wait for but don’t receive. you turn to him, only to find him staring in curiosity and wonderment as you step off the escalator with the showrooms coming into view. 

“yukhei?” he glances down at you with a tiny grin when you call his name. realization hits you then. “have you ever been here before?” 

the tips of his ears turn pink and he shakes his head. “i remember ordering some things from here for the dorms. but other than that, no, it’s my first.” and that curve of his mouth almost turns shy. 

you reach up with a bright beam to slightly fix his cap so you can see his face better. your hand finds his soon after and fingers are laced together. “c’mon, babe. let's go take some mini house tours,” you whisper with a tug. 

those beautifully staged pictures he has seen on a screen becomes a reality then. 

yukhei walks through the clean and modeled kitchens. he likes the feel of the cabinet doors’ wood grains against his hands. once he’s standing by the stove and stares at you sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchen island, he finds himself thinking about breakfasts and dinners with you.

“what would you like to eat?” he stirs the wooden spoon in the large empty soup pot. 

you throw him a playful wink. “as long as it’s made with love, baby, anything.” 

yukhei saunters into the decorated living rooms. he examines the bookshelves and the lamps. he sits and lays on the soft couches and chairs with a pleased smile. when you take a seat beside his reclining body, quickly kissing his puckered plump lips, he envisions the date night ins of movies and your and his favorite take outs. 

“you know these feel like great make out couches.” he stares dreamily at you. 

your bottom lip catches between your teeth to keep from smiling wide. “i think we should buy what we need before we get banned from coming here.” 

yukhei enters the cozy bedrooms and your hand is firmly in his. he fluffs the pillows and looks into the wide spaces of the closets and the bedside tables that match. he snaps a quick giggling selfie picture with you in front of the familiar standing mirror in the corner of the room. then he catches you grazing and studying the soft bedsheets, he imagines how every morning and every night will be like with you.

“it’s going to be nice to kiss you when i wake up.” he squeezes your hand.

you hum softly and serenely. “it’s going to be nice to kiss you when i go to sleep.” 

and all yukhei wants to do then is to kiss you right underneath the fairylights decorating this space until he can’t catch his breath and you feel dizzy. but you move away too swiftly before his lips brushes yours. he listens to your faint giggles with eyes fixed on your sweet smile while you pull on him to follow you. 

“we’re never going to find what we need if we don’t keep going,” you tell him with a glint flickering in your gaze.

yukhei takes the two long strides to be side by side with you. but he drops your hand within seconds, favoring to hold you close with his large hand settling on your waist. a little more walking and admiring of the kitchen tables and chairs and office desks before you finally come into the section of what he needs. 

his brows scrunch up as he studies the different styles and colors. yukhei looks between the traditional and the modern. he notes the black browns, grey stains, medium browns and white oak. or perhaps he should lean towards the clean white like the one he remembers on the right side of the bed. 

he’s not sure what to pick. 

“should i pick something that matches yours?” yukhei questions while turning to glance at you. 

you shake your head though. “it’s your room, too, baby.”

almost instantly you feel your heart skip then because those words feels different yet extremely nice to say out loud. you watch as a boyish grin gradually spreads across yukhei’s face. to hear the sentence roll past your pretty mouth makes him feel excited. 

“it doesn’t matter to me if they match. just pick whatever you like.” 

and this time you don’t move away when he erases the small distance between your mouths. the kiss is chaste and soft but it still leaves your face warm and the quicken rhythms in his chest. 

it takes a little time sorting out the possible choices and asking for your opinion too before he makes a decision. yukhei ends up almost matching with what you already have. he chooses the same two chest drawer style with clean lines and smooth running drawers but in the black brown instead.

“we have to go downstairs to the warehouse to pick it up,” you inform him while taking a quick picture of the tag for reference. “i still have the tool kit i bought with it last time so we don’t have to worry about that.” 

yukhei takes your hand as you make your way out of the section. you take a look at the shelves and closets he rivals in height. he sits on the couches and pulls you down with wiggling eyebrows so you can test how comfortable they are. when you're looking for the descending escalator, you hear the excited laugh beside you. 

he spots all the pretty and vivid colors and decorations of the children’s section. you feel the tug on your hand and follow him towards all the mini tables and chairs and to so many plushies.

puppies, pandas, elephants, monkeys and more, yukhei laughs and hugs the harmless zoo surrounding him. 

“you know what we should do,” he starts and you hum, turning to look at him when he speaks. he picks up the big lion plush, petting the soft mane and stuffing filled body as if it is real. “we should get this one.” 

your giggle yukhei hears amongst the shoppers around as you place the polar bear in your grasp back on the shelf. “and why is that?” you question curiously, your fingers reaching out to the wildlife in question.

the corners of his lips curl upwards while he looks down at the lion. “so when i’m not there, it’ll be like i am. you can hug him while you sleep and pretend it’s me.” yukhei lets out a short laugh.

for a brief second, you chew on your bottom lip wondering what he is thinking about and having an inkling of what he might be. his gaze find yours and you give him a tender smile.

“you’re not scared of the competition? because i might end up hugging him every night no matter what then.” you quietly tease him. 

yukhei chuckles then, his eyes dramatically shifting between the stuffed plush and you. he playfully and sadly shakes his head and puts the lion back with the rest of them. “sorry, buddy, i can’t share her with you.” 

you close the space between your bodies with a laugh and wrap your arm around his waist. you lean against his tall frame as he waves goodbye to the lion. his hand settles on your hip, two fingers sneaking into the loop of your jeans to press you close.

“in case you don’t know…” yukhei stares down at you, catching the tiny twinkle in your eyes. “i don’t need another lion. just one.” you murmur truthfully. 

instantly he feels the warmth across his face. he presses his mouth to your forehead and you feel the growing smile against your skin. despite the conversations and talking from the people surrounding you then, it’s silent for a minute between you and him as your eyes finish taking in what’s around you. and when you nearly walk around in the full circle of how the store is set up, you remember. you pat his stomach lightly and look up. yukhei turns his attention to you and quietly hums. 

“i forgot to bring you to one of, if not the best place here,” you tell him as you quickly take a glimpse at the signs and arrows and motion him to follow along 

the journey just takes a quick minute towards the up escalator to the third floor and then you hear the faint gleeful chuckle next you because you know him all too well. a way to yukhei’s heart and how to always make him smile is food. and how has he not smelled the food until this moment, he’s not sure. but yukhei definitely smells it now and it smells delicious. 

you pull on his hand to look at his watch and note the time. “this can be our dinner.” the gentle tug on his shirt takes his interest away from the café and he looks at you. “and then we’ll go pick up what we need. how does that sound to you?” 

yukhei smiles and nods in agreement before turning to read the menu in front. it takes a few minutes of deciding and counting the number of dishes he wants to eat. you have to laugh at the amount of food you and he order together because it can feed at least four people.

but he laughs beside you. “don’t worry, i’m sure we’ll figure it out.” 

and you do.

yukhei grins blissfully at the taste of the meatballs and potatoes with the bit of jam. he claps his hands in approval at the pork ribs and fries. he gives you a thumbs up at the fried rice when he takes a spoonful of it. he happily holds the piece of fried chicken to your mouth for you to take the first bite. you laugh, smiling at how relaxed he looks as each plate of the food is shared and gradually disappears into your mouths. and once he tries the slices of blueberry and apple pies at your giggling insistent because of your insatiable sweet tooth, yukhei stares at you with his stomach almost as full as his heart.

“i love you. you know that, right?”

your gaze on him under the bright lights softens while you feel the tugs on your heart. slowly you bob your head and close the small distance between your mouths. apples, cinnamon and a hint of blueberries linger between the gentle kiss and you watch yukhei lick his lips when you pull back. 

you tap on the bill of his cap. “you like the pies?” you mischievously question. 

he hums faintly with a boyish beam that makes the corner of his eyes crinkle and your cheeks warm.

“my favorites, babe.” 

when there are just crumbs left of the desserts and the plates are put away and the table is clean of everything, the mission to finish the reason for this trip continues. you take the escalators down with your fingers tangled to his. your feet land on the polished grey floors and you peek up at the signs. yukhei takes a glimpse at you while your eyes dart to the store transit map too. 

“it says the warehouse is this way. are you looking for something though?” he curiously asks. 

you nod slowly and turn to him. “yeah, i forgot to pick up something before.” you give him a slight pull to the left. “it’ll be quick, okay? and i’ll need your help.”

yukhei raises his eyebrows at your last statement but follows your lead. it takes a few left turns and some right turns and in between getting lost within the light fixtures and the artwork he’s admiring before you stand where you want to be. 

“i didn’t know you needed bedsheets,” he reaches to feel the soft material of them. 

you stare up at him momentarily, your bottom lip caught between your teeth when he focuses on you. “i didn’t know either until we were upstairs looking at the bedrooms. in case you haven’t noticed, my sheets are currently a shade of strawberry ice cream pink.” you shrug slightly with an embarrassed smile as your gaze faces back to the item in question. “i just thought maybe this could be something new, too… for us.” even if he has slept in your bed many times before today, it will be his too. “and it’ll be fitting to have new sheets to make you feel comfortable in the bed.” yukhei laughs at the tiny pun you make and what you also don’t seem to realize. “so maybe you can pick a new set.” 

people around you are talking, but the voice you want to hear is silent. your eyes and touch skim the different colored bedsheets waiting for his answer when yukhei lets go of your hand and his strong arm suddenly snakes around your waist. he holds you close. you feel his warm breath against your ear.

“as long as it’s you in that bed with me, i don’t care what color they are,” he whispers. his voice is low, teasing and honest because it really is the truth. 

the faint squeak escapes your lips immediately and you turn to find his gaze intense and shining at you underneath the cap. yukhei bends down and kisses you tenderly. he pulls back and licks his lips with a charming beam. 

he readjusts his cap. “you still want me to choose one?” his tone is soft and playful. 

you squeeze his forearm and the way your lower lip slightly juts out all the while giving him a puppy stare has yukhei laughing because he gets his answer. he leaves a quick kiss to your temple and turns to the options in front of him. it takes him a moment to remember the powder blue comforter on your bed. then his long finger taps onto the crisp white with an endearing smile. 

“it’ll go with your comforter in case you’re wondering about that, too.” 

his words tease, but yukhei feels nothing but gratitude for you as he presses his lips to the apples of your cheeks. 

then with the set of new bedsheet and matching pillowcases in the correct size tucked underneath his arm with your hand connected to his, it takes another round until you’re reading the signs again. yukhei pushes a cart to stand beside you with the bed sheets already inside. a quick peek you take at the picture of the tag on your phone and the numbers before you amble towards the aisle together for what you want. he locates it first and you watch as he nearly effortlessly pulls the heavy package from the shelf and puts it in the cart.

“is there anything else we might need?” you ask, your feet moving in a slow paced unison towards the checkout. 

yukhei thinks for a minute, eyes scanning the products piled around him before he shakes his head. “no, i think we’re good.”

the lines are short for today and it doesn’t take long before the receipt is in his hand. the sun is going to set when you walk out. there’s a light spring breeze in the air as you make you way back home. and once you step into the apartment with the bed sheets in your arms and the bedside table package over his shoulder, the sky is a mix of oranges, pinks and purples. 

it’s silent in the apartment as yukhei sits on the bedroom floor studying the pieces laid out in front of him and the images on paper. but then he hears the water running from the washer. the new bedsheet and pillowcases will be washed today but they won’t be able to be used until tomorrow when they dry. he glances up momentarily when you walk into the room, noting the jeans you had been wearing all day replaced by a pair of short cotton shorts. you take a seat on the wooden floor and place the toolkit in front of him.

“it looks easy,” yukhei says with a confident grin and threads his long fingers through his hair. “the pictures seem clear enough so it shouldn’t be too bad. how long did it take you to put it together?” he motions to the white one. 

you giggle. “three afternoons.” your answer draws an immediate amused snort from him and he covers his mouth to muffle the loudness of it as you playfully pout and swat his thigh. “in my defense i did it alone and it was my first time putting any kind furniture together,” you reason as he pulls you to him.

his large hands settle on your naked thighs and he gives it a light squeeze. yukhei kisses you softly half a dozen times before your tiny grin surfaces alongside his lips. 

“it’s one more you built than me though,” he says proudly and his words earn him a pleased hum and nod from you. “maybe we can finish this in one and a half nights with the two of us instead,” yukhei murmurs with a teasing smile on his face and a glow in his large eyes. “are you ready to help me?” 

you wrap your arms around his neck and give him a quick kiss. “always, baby.”

but the time that has passed since you put yours together feels too long ago and building it together now feels like a brand new experience. 

your brows furrow simultaneously with his when trying to find the correct pieces in the pictures. his satisfied grin matches yours when the screws are twisted and pushed into their designated places. your laughs mix together while you and him try your best at hammering the nails into the back board without it being too loud in fear of getting complaints from the neighbors. 

it feels nice to work together to put it together. 

and in the end, it doesn’t take you one and a half nights to finish. when the bedside table is standing on the left side of the bed, only three and a half hours have ticked away. the sky outside is dark now and all the streetlights are illuminating the city. the cardboard box is folded up and by the door ready to throw away in the morning. the few extra screws and toolkit you store back away in the storage closet. the bedsheet and pillowcases you have taken out of the washer and it drapes over the drying racks with the humidifier turned on ready to be changed tomorrow. 

you lean against the bed, head slightly turned while the corners of your mouth curl up. you watch yukhei pull open the two drawers. it’s quiet in the bedroom and he watches and listens as the drawers rolls out and back into place smoothly and soundlessly once he pushes it close. 

yukhei turns around to face you. “that wasn’t so bad. we should buy more furniture to build together,” he suggests with a chuckle. he scoots until his back hits against the bed like yours and finds your eyes. “thank you for the help. we make a pretty good team.” 

you hum in agreement, feeling the skip to your heart. you take his hand and thread your fingers through his and lean your head against his shoulder. you stare at his phone and charger and that scented candle he has already placed on top of the space. 

“so what’s going to be the first thing you put in there?” 

yukhei purses his lips. “you have any suggestions?” he asks, nudging you softly. 

thinking for a moment, a giggle abruptly slips from your lips. “i have something.” 

you let go of his hand and push yourself up. his head turns and he watches as you climb onto the bed with your slippers dropping from your feet beside him to you crawl over to the other side. yukhei stares after you, unconsciously  licking his lips at the sight in front of him because your shorts are short. you reach your bedside table and open the top drawer. the rectangular box you want is in your grasp.

“close your eyes, babe,” you instruct. 

yukhei raises his eyebrows at you but does what you say. you take out the box then, crawling back and opening the top drawer of the newly built bedside table to drop it in gently. you push it close and then lay on your stomach, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

your breath tickles his ear as you kiss the shell of it right beside his earring. his hands come up, tenderly grazing his fingertips across your skin. “can i look now?” 

you nod even though his eyes remain shut. “you can look all you want.” 

the chuckle into his ear is sugary and almost seductive while he opens his eyes. his head slightly angles to narrows his eyes at you suspiciously and he notes the mischief in yours. yukhei shifts a little and pulls open the top drawer. his low and deep laugh instantly comes from his chest and he feels the warmth dusting his face when he sees what it is.

the brand new box of condoms he had purchased last week comes into his view. 

always he keeps them here for himself to prevent him from forgetting it every time he comes to see you. always he puts them in your bedside table because it was your space, your home. 

but it is different now. 

you giggle and your arms around his neck loosen to give him enough space to twist his body around so he can look at you better. his expressive eyes shifts between  the sweet and devilish beam playing on your lips to the spark glimmering in your eyes. 

yukhei bites the corner of his mouth and swallows the tiny lump in his throat. “you trying to tell me something?” he whispers dangerously low. 

you nod slowly and lean in to kiss him gently on his soft lips. “hmm, just that i love you.” your tongue teasingly comes out then to swipe his bottom lip. you feel the anticipation and nervousness of what will be in store for you and him. he hears the quiet and tantalizingly noise from your throat. “and that maybe i don’t think i have properly welcomed you yet.” 

a faint groan emits from yukhei. his hands come up and cradle your face and he moves bit by bit forward. “how do you plan on that?” 

he doesn’t wait for an answer because his grinning mouth teases yours before he finally connects them. you smile into the kiss, pleased at the way his thumbs are caressing your cheeks and how he slightly angles your head to deepen the kiss a little. your arms drop from around him as he slowly gets to his knees. you grip on his shirt while your mouth continues to move alongside his with delighted sighs when he rises and pulls you up with him.

yukhei stands on his feet and you’re on your knees on the bed. his tongue grazes your teeth before it gently prods into your mouth. you swallow his groan when your hands travel up to thread your fingers into his hair. his hands descend, sneaking underneath your shirt. his touch is so warm and he squeezes your waist while you leave him with a nip to his upper lip. 

your breaths are labored and so are his as yukhei finds the hem of the shirt you are wearing. you give him a tiny smile and he pulls it over your head and drops it to the floor. his gaze sweeps across your face and travels down to the melon colored satin covering your supple breasts. they look so full and soft and just so squeezable. you let out a breathless chuckle at how he stares and the sound draws his attention back up to your face. he presses his forehead to yours and cups your face. the corners of his wet lips twitch up.

“is this what you had in mind?” yukhei hums while your hands journey to grasp the bottom of his t-shirt. “this kind of welcoming?”

you bite the corner of your mouth but he still hears the little squeal. “hmm, maybe.” your tone is sugary and his chuckle makes your stomach flip. you tug on the material and he gets the hint, helping you remove his shirt. 

once it joins your shirt on the floor, yukhei is certain your eyes are lighting up more than before. your touch grazes down his chest, his tattoo and the muscles of his torso before reaching his sweatpants that hang low enough on his hips to give you a peek of the yellow lettering on the band of his boxer briefs. when your fingers are just about to hook onto the edge of them, yukhei takes a hold of your hands. he brings them up to his mouth and puckers a kiss onto the palm of each of them. 

“lay down,” he breathes out, nudging you back. 

there’s a playful pout on your face he catches because something else is on your mind. he nods and chuckles softly though and lifts your arms to drape over his shoulders. you shake your head and his hands find your hips and his mouth momentarily brushes against your forming grin. yukhei slowly climbs onto the bed, kicking off his slippers too and little by little, moves and lowers you onto the bed with light sweet giggles slipping from your mouths. 

your head hits the pillow and you part your legs for him to settle comfortably between them. yukhei leans over you with forearms resting beside your slightly tilted head. there’s a charming beam on his face that makes you feel shy like the first time being noticed by a crush. the spark flickering in his wide eyes as they dance over your face causes the warmth in your chest to bloom. the tip of his nose tickles yours briefly. your fingers reach to push his hair back and lightly scratch his head. yukhei sighs quietly and delightedly at your soft touches. 

he leans down to give you a small kiss. “you know all day you have been making sure of everything for me to feel comfortable and that i have what i need.” his words are low and calm. “i don’t know if you realize it, but i just need you.” the heat rushes to your cheeks. “as long as you are here with me and you are happy when i walk through that front door, it will be enough.”

a little shy yukhei feels at his confession. but then the tiny squeak that comes from you as you hug him makes it okay that the tip of his ears are red and he feels a bit embarrassed. his arms move to slide under you and wrap around your waist. he buries his face into the crook of your neck, his laugh muffling into your skin as he breathes in the vanilla and flowers again. 

once he raises his head up a minute later, yukhei is met with the beam on your face. it is so pretty and bright and he is left wondering what in the world he doing to be deserving of where he is right now. 

your gaze is a little hazy but your heart is a lot full. you wonder if he will always find a way to make you love him more than you already do.

“you’re such a liar when you say you aren’t romantic,” you whisper as your hands slip to grasp onto his arms. his muscles are strong and hard underneath your fingertips. 

you lift your head, gently connecting your mouth to his. the kiss is sweet but passionate. yukhei lets go of your mouth with faint nibbles to your bottom lip. he releases a deep breath with a boyish and soft smile on his face. 

“but just in case i haven’t said it enough to you today, thank you.” 

and his words make you hum softly. they cause the corners of your lips to twitch. they make your breath hitch in your throat. you feel the rhythm of your heart beat a little quicker yet you feel so calm. you cup his face and he watches as you faintly shake your head. 

“actions speak louder than words, baby.” there's mischief glittering in your eyes. “show me,” you softly and coolly command. 

instantly yukhei lifts an eyebrow and a smirk emerges on his handsome face. you stare at his eyes that slowly turn dark at your challenge. 

the teasing curl of your lips coming out encourages him to make his move. yukhei moistens his lips while his hands begin to slide up your body and your feet glide up the back of his legs. his gaze stays on yours while he gently squeezes your breasts. the whine you squeak out causes the beam on his face to gradually widen. 

yukhei leans down and slowly brushes his mouth against yours. your hold on his face firms a little as the kiss bit by bit becomes a little more enthusiastic and messy. he gives your breasts another squeeze and he swallows your moan. his mouth trails off yours and you turn your head while he leaves the wet open kisses on your jaw. you run your hands into his hair as he sucks on the base of your neck briefly. yukhei continues an excited path down, drawing sighs from you when he dots kisses over your collarbones and the exposed skin of your chest. 

your hands leave his hair and you try to slip them to your back underneath his weight. it takes him seconds to notice your movements and he shifts back a bit, stopping you when you attempt again. 

“let me do it,” he murmurs with a small smirk. 

a soft chuckle escapes. “be my guest.” 

you slightly arch your back and yukhei slides a hand underneath and unhooks the clasp with a simple flick of his thumb and index finger. you raise your arms as he pulls the bra off of you and drops it onto the floor. 

there’s a delighted smile on your and his face at the lost barrier. he runs a hand over his mouth, groaning happily while he stares at how you start pushing and cupping your breasts together. you bite the corner of your lips but he still hears the faint little mewl as you play with the supple flesh in your hands. 

yukhei likes all parts of you. he really does. he can caress, kiss and hold every part of you for hours on end. but sometimes in times like this, he thinks he might favor some parts more than others.

“baby…” 

your needy voice draws him out of the trance. yukhei gently shakes his head with a deep short laugh and soon enough his touch replaces yours. his large hands fits around your breasts so perfectly as he massages and squeezes them just how you like it.

how soft they look never compares to how soft they really feel. 

yukhei rolls your nipples between his fingers as he shifts again and lowers his head. with his eyes connected to yours, he latches onto a hardening tip. he sucks and nibbles on one while playing with the other. you slide your hands into his hair again and tenderly move your fingers, stroking his scalp with every action of his mouth. you moan as his tongue flickers across your nipple for a few moments before he switches to lavish the other with his mouth and tongue. 

when yukhei finally parts from your chest, he leaves appreciative presses of his mouth to your skin. you catch the faint curl of his plump lips but then he lowering his face, kissing a simple straight line down your stomach until he stops at the edge of your shorts. he moves back again while reaching for the last two articles of clothing concealing you. 

but yukhei removes only the shorts though, leaving you only then in the simple lace trim underwear in the same color of your bra that just covers enough of your pussy. he grabs the other pillow besides your head. he gently squeezes and nudges your hips to lift up. you do and he slides the pillow underneath, the added height bringing what he wants closer and higher. 

“you okay?” yukhei asks while his hands grips tenderly at your thighs and you spread them wider. 

a tiny noise comes from you and you smile faintly. “i’m good.” 

yukhei scoots himself down and glances up to find your chest rising and falling steadily as you softly pinch your nipples in anticipation. he lowers his head completely then and turns his attention to what’s in front of him. 

you sigh when you feel him press a kiss over your underwear. he nuzzles his nose into the thin and delicate fabric and inhales deeply. you might not see it, but you sense the smile etching across his face right now. he removes one hand off your thighs and brings it to your covered core. he rubs it, his hand creating a warm friction and you whimper quietly at the stickiness that builds. 

“how wet are you, baby?” yukhei teases even though he feels it himself. 

he finds your gaze for a second and your bottom lip juts out almost innocently when you meet his. “very,” you breath out. 

a quiet hum and sweet smile he gives you in response before his head disappears back down between your legs. within moments you feel soft and slow kisses placed along your left inner thigh. yukhei stops right at the edge of the lace and then switches to the other side and does the same. 

then he spreads your legs a bit more and pushes the fabric of your underwear to the side. his eyes eat up your soaked folds. you sigh in relief at the removal of the sticky material and the air that grazes your core. but it’s short break because yukhei parts your folds gently to slip a finger into you. you moan immediately and he lets out a chuckle. he’s watching with pleasure at how easily his finger goes in your pussy. 

yukhei takes a moment teasing you, his long digit working you before he slips a second one in. your eyelids flutter at how good it feels to be touched and you gasp quietly while your hands begin massaging your breasts.

“baby, you’re so soaked for me,” he coos, while sitting up a little. 

yukhei moves to hover over you, his fingers continuing to go in and out of you at a nice steady pace. he softly latches on your parted lips. you let out a needy moan. your hand comes up to cup his face and his tongue is gently sliding into your warm mouth. once he has you a little distracted from the kiss and his fingers, yukhei slithers a third digit into your core. 

you whimper at the additional stretch to your walls and your mouth drops from his. but you continue to hold onto his face as you get use to the three fingers in you. he watches the satisfied smile gradually come out before him. soon enough your hands descends to grip onto the comforter beneath your heated body as you slowly begin rolling your hips. 

“oh, that feels good.” you let out a breathless laugh. “mmm, baby, your fingers feel so good,” you pant out. 

the sticky slick sounds of his fingers drowning in your wetness makes him grunt. you feel the slight cool metal from his rings and smile and whimper at the thought and image of just how deep he is in right now. 

“can you take one more?” he whispers 

yukhei chuckles at how fast you almost nod and glances down as his pinky goes in too. he feels the pride at the way your eyelids are fluttering and your hips move faster while you gulp for air. yukhei holds down your thigh and curls his fingers then. the high whine you let out and your eyes widening has him smiling devilishly. he does it again and again and the high whine turns to desperate long moans. 

you huff, feeling the dampness on the back of your neck. “yukhei, my god- yeah, like that, baby.” 

he scoots his body back down then with a grin that makes his cheeks hurt and your gaze follows him. you stare as yukhei removes his fingers from your pussy. your cheeks heat when he sticks his index finger in his mouth with a hum to suck your juices. you whimper at the sight and give him a sugary smile. he slowly nods and moves closer, bringing his hand between your mouths. 

there’s a smirk on his face. “here, baby,” he murmurs as you hold onto his wrist. 

your eyes locked and your tongues dart out together as both of you lap up what’s on his fingers. 

yukhei shifts away first after a minute and you take the last lick with a pleased sigh. he groans happily and moves back, reaching to grip onto your underwear with both hands. you raise your hips a little to help him and the tiny piece of fabric finds company with your bra.

you’re naked now and settling your hips back down onto the pillow. yukhei admires every curve of yours for a long moment. he watches with a proud look as you plant your feet onto the bed and spread your legs. your dripping folds are glistening underneath the lights for him. you run both hands down over your breasts and your stomach until you reach your pussy. you rub the sides of your core, just centimeters from plunging your own fingers in there.

“you know what would feel really nice?” the playful but seductive question brings his gaze back to your face only to find your tongue slowly sweeping over your smiling lips. 

yukhei laughs, the deep and low sound making his chest vibrate a bit and you mewl. 

“funny because i was thinking the same thing,” he says as he shifts his body down again and lowers his head until he just centimeters away from your pussy. 

and at that first lick against your very wet folds, the whimper you let out has yukhei so satisfied and smug. 

his hands settle on your thighs, tenderly yet firmly holding them down. he takes another lick and then another, each leaving you craving for a little more. you reach over to put your hands on his head, gripping onto his soft locks. 

yukhei hums softly. “so good, baby,” he murmurs in between kitten licks. “you taste so good for me.” 

you let out a needy sound and yukhei thinks it’s just melodic. all he wants is to hear more. so he dips his tongue into your pussy and it draws a loud moan. the smile on his face is so wide he can’t help but do it again, going even deeper. you bless his ears once more with a desperate and blissed noise and soon enough he begins a steady pace of diving and swirling his tongue into your wetness.

“baby, don’t stop,” you mewl. 

yukhei doesn’t, pushing his mouth into your pussy. you whine and try to close your legs around him, but he stops you. he sucks on your clit then and the action immediately causes you to arch your back. he lets go of your thigh, his large hand splaying on your stomach to keep you down.

“you’re fucking delicious, you know that?” you bring the freed leg to drape over his broad shoulder. he flattens his tongue and drags it up so slowly, the pressure making you squirm. “taste like heaven.”

he’s eating you out to his heart’s content as if you are his final meal. 

you feel the tightness forming in your stomach. “yukhei,” you whine. “baby, i want more. please make me come.” 

he groans at your request and lets go of your other thigh to bring his fingers to join his mouth in your pussy. you whimper loudly and grasp for his hand on your stomach, shakily bringing it up to cup breasts. he moans into your core at what he can play with now too. each lick and swirl of his tongue between the hard sucks to your clit has yukhei rolling your nipples and squeezing your breasts. the stimulations feel stronger with the passing moments. your sounds come out needier and higher while the fire in your stomach is burning.

“fuck- almost. baby, please don’t stop,” you cry. “i’m close, yukhei. fuck, don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop.” your desperate pleads has yukhei working twice the speed with so much enthusiasm. 

you come with strangled whines and the corners of your eyes a little wet. both his hands move to your quivering thighs. he’s massaging them as you ride out the wave. you feel the continual gentle touches of his tongue as he cleans you off in between the sweet whispers to take deep breaths.

when the quivering stops and yukhei finally lifts his head and sits back, the smile is soft on his face. his lips and chin have a coat of shine to them and you watch as his tongue proceeds to come out to clean it off. but you hum, pushing your body up to get close to him because you did not get enough the first time. you cup his face and with a enticing smile, your own tongue darts and lightly swipes over your juices that remain. you finish with a tender kiss to his smirk. 

“i don’t think i can ever get tired of your mouth and tongue.” your compliment makes him chuckle softly and a little bashfully. “and i also don’t think i’m done welcoming you yet,” you tell him with a pout when he moves and stands up beside the bed. 

yukhei shakes his head because he’s not going anywhere. 

“really?” there’s the fake surprise lacing in his tone and it makes you giggle. “what else were you thinking of then, babe?” he questions with an all too knowing beam and you gape as he begins  to push down his sweatpants and underwear. 

you shift on the bed to go to him and even if yukhei doesn’t need the help, you glance up at him with a grin and rest your hands over his. each tug down together makes you excited and it isn’t long until his cock is out. it slaps softly against his toned torso and you stare for a moment with your bottom lip caught between your teeth to conceal the squeal. he hears you though. 

even if this scene of you staring at his cock and anticipating it has occurred too many times to remember anymore, it leaves the pride in his chest. 

you still want him as much as he still wants you. 

everything is pushed pass his knees and yukhei finishes the job when his bottoms bunch at his feet. you reach out to hold his hand in one of yours as your other softly grips the base of his cock. you look up briefly through your lashes before you lick the precum covered slit. you hum at the taste and yukhei takes in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. he watches with an amused grin as you get into a comfortable sitting position with your legs bent out before beginning to take kitten licks and pepper kisses along his length. 

“i didn’t eat you out expecting you to suck me off,” he whispers, caressing your cheek with his free hand. 

your head shakes in response, feeling the tugs in your chest. you smile innocently up at him. “well i was about to before, but you had another idea.” your tongue swirls over the tip once and twice before you suckle on it for a moment. 

yukhei chuckles lowly, entranced at how much you are enjoying this. “fair enough then, baby.” 

you spit a little on his cock for a bit of extra wetness. you stroke him with one hand, your wrist rotating expertly as your other remains in his. “and besides, you always taste so delicious,” you tease him and his jaw clenches. “why wouldn’t i want to?”

he gently and affectionately pats your head and you hum softly. the wink you throw his way before your lips descends over the tip of his cock has him moaning. he feels heavy in your mouth yet it’s so comforting. you begin to bob your head for a minute, drawing deep grunts from his parted lips.

yukhei moves his hand to rest behind your head when you suddenly take him little by little more into your mouth. the quick glimpse up to see his head slightly thrown back leaves you thrilled as you feel a rush into your core. his tip hits the back of your throat and you moan, the vibrations making him shudder for a second. your free hand reaches to hold his taut thigh. 

he rolls his neck once before looking down at you. “you ready?”

the faint nod yukhei makes out as you steady your breathing has him slowly starting to thrust. 

your mouth is so warm and it feels like velvet. he groans and your grip on his hand tightens. “fuck, is this what you wanted? yeah, you like how i fuck your mouth like this, baby?” he pants out with a grin while his hips begin to jerk quicker. 

you moan at his words, feeling more of your wetness pool in your pussy again. each thrust follows with your head bobbing and cheeks hollowing. yukhei watches, amazed at how you can take him back into your mouth with such ease. your gaze finds his briefly and the curl of his lips looks too pleased.

he gasps. “you’re beautiful.” how he wishes you can see it for yourself like this.

yukhei pushes your hair back, continuing to push in your mouth deeper and deeper. his eyelids close momentarily and his composure falters for a second at the pleasure flowing in him. you let go of his hand, both of yours now gripping on his muscled thighs and curling your legs underneath you to sit on them for a better stance. 

upon your movements, yukhei opens his eyes and catches the reflection of your ass and the back of your head bobbing in the standing mirror at the corner. he smirks and admires the sight, wondering how he has never fully realized how the mirror has faced this angle towards the bed. he bites his lips, groans still slipping out loudly as he focuses down on you again. he feels the twist in his stomach. the pace of his thrust quickens and tears prickle your eyes. 

“baby, fuck, i’m close. yeah- fuck,” yukhei huffs out. “can you take it?” 

you moan and that close is closer than you realize because it’s barely a minute before he lets out a choked sound and mutters a string of curses. the thick, warm and slightly salty liquid glides down your throat. his hands moves to caress your cheeks once more as you try to catch your breath through your nose. you glance to see his chest rapidly rising and falling while his hip gradually slows. your hands lovingly rub up and down his thighs as you suck and swallow. 

“hmm, you’re too good to me, you know that?” yukhei whispers serenely with a smile.

when you finally pull your mouth off his cock with a pop, a few pearly white droplets of cum flick onto you grinning lips. the tip of your tongue peeks out to clean it up and yukhei leans down to kiss you almost immediately. the pad of his thumb skims your jaw and your arms wrap around his neck. his tongue slides in and he tastes himself. you hold him closer and sigh into his mouth. he nips and tugs on your flesh and parts from your puffy lips. 

his nose brushes yours and you smile teasingly. “do you know what i was thinking of? what i kind to want to try now?” 

yukhei hums as he nudges you back. the bed dips a little with the added weight. he’s sitting on his heels and you move to him on your knees. one arm remains around his neck while you glance down at his cock. yukhei stares with a smile at your fingertips running up and down his length.

“what?” there’s curiosity laced in his voice. 

you swipe your thumb across the slit and the corners of your mouth coil up when your see and feel the faint twitch of his cock. you look up at him then. his gaze on you is loving and soft and it’s hard to miss the mischief in your eyes. 

“i want to try waking you up by blowing you.” 

and you think the opportunities to do so now will be so much more. 

the revelation has his eyes widening and his breath catches in his throat. yukhei wouldn’t need those alarms ten minutes apart. he'll wake up with a grin instead of a groan.

you watch amusingly at how he bites his lip, trying to hold in the moan and failing miserably because the image of being greeted with your warm mouth encasing his cock while your bodies bathe in the morning sunlight looks really good in his head. and as good as the picture looks, yukhei is certain it will feel even better. 

the sugary giggle makes him shake his head and he can’t stop his own chuckles from mixing with those cute sounds of yours.

yukhei feels the blush covering his cheeks. “don’t tease me, baby.” he lowers his head while his hands snake behind you. you squeak when he grabs onto your ass. 

you smile brightly and wrap your hand tenderly around his cock. it’s still a bit slick from your saliva and you slowly begin to move your touch up and down. “i’m not.”

he grunts at the new sensation and takes a deep breath with a pleased and thrilled smile. “then i’m looking forward to it, babe.” he leaves a quick peck on your mouth and rests his forehead to yours. one hand lifts off your ass to cradle your jaw. “hey, do you know what i just noticed?” his voice is so calm and soft.

you simply shake your head, wondering what yukhei has seemed to discovered. there’s a sweet and almost shy smile on his face as he shifts his head back. he juts his chin out and motions to something behind you. your brows furrow for a fleeting moment as you turn your head.

and what you meet is your reflections and the sight of his hand caressing your ass. you laugh softly because that has always been there. that mirror in that corner of your bedroom facing your bed has never changed. you giggle and shift your position a little for his cock, still in your hand, to come into view of the mirror. you watch while his hand lowers a touch and his fingers disappears underneath. you whimper when you feel the faint graze against your folds. his hand on your face descends to cup your breast and your hand over his cock suddenly moves a little faster. 

yukhei shifts his mouth beside your ear, his warm breath fanning your skin. “is the welcoming over yet?” he inquires teasingly. 

he chuckles when you turn your attention back to him with a tiny smile and don’t miss a beat in shaking your head. immediately he leans forward to crash his lips to yours in a messy and fervent kiss. he brings his hand back up to cradle your face for a brief moment before he pulls back.

“turn around, baby,” yukhei breathes out. 

you let go of his cock and do so with happy beam. you sit on the heels of your feet then with your legs parted while your head tilts the slightest. yukhei rests his chin on your shoulder and your stares connect through the mirror. his hands come up from behind you to massage and jiggle your breasts. he moves down to gently cup your pussy, his middle finger reaching to dip a little into your core. you bite the insides of your cheeks as yukhei leaves short kisses along the curve of your neck before he moves away from you.

your head turns to watch him fisting his cock, giving it a handful of quick pumps with one hand as he reaches into that top drawer of the black brown bedside table. he pulls out that box of condoms you had dropped in earlier and you can’t help but turn around fully then. yukhei looks at you with a prideful smirk as his cock is getting heavier and looking bigger with each stroke of his hand. you stare with a watering mouth and rushes to your pussy at how hard he can quickly get sometimes. 

the curl of your lips is sweet as you reach for his cock. “baby, let me,” you whisper.

your touch replaces his hand and even though his cock stands hard and ready to plunge into your dripping core, you can’t resist the feeling of it in your hands. 

yukhei slides a finger under the glued flaps of the box. he tears a condom from the strip and places the box back into the drawer. 

he rips the foil. “so do we keep them in there from now on?” yukhei asks with a quiet laugh. 

you release his cock, your eyes shifting between his glowing handsome face and the condom being rolled on. “hmm, only if you want, babe.” 

a quick kiss you press to his chest before turning back around. his arms wrap around your waist. the tip of his nose grazes the shell of your ear and he takes a deep breath. the activities of what you’ve been doing combining with the scents of your body wash and perfume has him feeling a high.

yukhei exhales slowly. “can you get on your hands and knees for me, baby?” his request is low and soft and he catches the excited whimper from you. 

he watches for a moment as you lift the corner of the comforter and fold it back. the grip on the bedsheet will work so much better with this position. you bend over happily within seconds and crawl up a few inches to get nearer to mirror. the little shake of your ass before you slightly spread your legs has yukhei grunting softly as he follows behind you on his knees. his legs on either sides of yours, he stares with a dreamy smile at how nice your ass looks. 

your workouts are really treating you and him well. 

he brings his hands up to smooth over and squeeze your soft flesh as his eyes find yours through the mirror. 

yukhei licks his lips. “you good?” he reaches between your legs, slipping two of his fingers into your pussy. you see his eyes widen and the satisfaction blooms in your chest.

your grin is near devilish as you clutch onto the bed sheets and jut your ass out against his cock to rub it. “please.” 

he gives his a cock a few pumps and then with one hand gently gripping your hip, yukhei lines up to your pussy. his gaze stay fixed on yours through your reflections as he slowly eases in. you moan at the wonderful stretch of your walls and he groans at how tight you are even after his fingers and tongue. once his cock is fully nestled inside you, his hands run up and down your spine before it stops at your ass. he squeezes it and you whine, wanting him to move already. 

“yukhei.” 

he catches the pout on your face and yukhei chuckles at your impatience when he thinks it should be him that should be the impatient one with what you are giving him right now. 

you see him softly nod and with both hands now resting on your hips, you feel him pull out a little before pushing back into you fully. your instant moan pleases him and he grins, starting with shallow thrusts that draws whimpers from your parted lips. 

“you’re so damn tight,” he huffs out. 

yukhei slowly begins to pick up a steady rhythm. “mmmhmm, yeah, i want more,” you gasps. “yeah, mmm, please.”

your wish he grants because the pace of his strokes picks up a little speed. your whimpers come out higher and in shorter intervals. yukhei looks down, staring with pride at the sight of his cock disappearing into you.

“fuck, baby, you feel amazing,” he groans. “yeah, you’re taking my cock so fucking well.” 

your grip on the bed sheets firms and your back arches while yukhei glances up. he watches you through the mirror as your eyelids shut. 

“open your eyes.” you try your best to do so, to look at him and to just observe at how a mess you are right now as he slams into you with a proud smile. “look at how beautiful you are when i fuck you, baby,” he coos in between the thick gulps of air. 

his hold on your hips tightens. you feel the slight dig of his short nails into your flesh. he's pounding into you at a relentless pace. the room fills with the sounds of skin slapping skin and the strangled words from your throat. 

“oh fuck, yukhei, don’t stop.” you desperately moan. “you feel so fucking good. mmm, go harder, baby, don’t stop.” 

despite what you want, your arms are tiring and you slip for a moment, unable to hold yourself up. yukhei slows down his hips a bit. “you okay?”

you whine, wanting him to continue slamming into you. you try to push yourself up on your arms that feel like jelly.

yukhei catches you though before you completely fall, his arms encircling your waist and his hips stop. he pulls you up onto your knees with his cock still nestled in your warm pussy. you immediately reach to hold onto his arms around you, trying to catch your breath and get comfortable kneeling. he pushes your hair to the side. your very damp back presses to his heaving and very damp chest as your head leans against his broad shoulder. 

you turn the slightest to find him watching you. his eyes are soft and loving and you bite the corner of your lips to keep yourself from smiling too much. 

“hi,” he whispers. 

it'll be a lie to say the colony of butterflies aren’t residing in your chest right now and you feel your face heat for different reasons. 

“hi,” you respond back. 

yukhei tips forward, crushing his mouth onto yours for kiss. it’s wet and eager but the passion and want is there. he pulls back with a sweet peck onto your swollen lips. then his arm stays wrapped around your waist while the other slips under your arm to come up to hold your shoulder, securing you to him. 

you know how he wants it now. he presses half a dozen kisses to your shoulder, then to your neck and lastly your cheek and it draws a light sweet giggle that tickles his soul. one hand grips onto his arm around you middle while you bring your other arm back and around his neck. you turn to him and swallow the lump in your throat.

“i love you.” 

your sweet words and that shy smile on your face makes his heart want to combust with joy. yukhei presses his forehead to yours and within seconds you feel his cock slide out a little before slowly thrusting back in. you whimper at the new angle he hits you. 

unlike minutes before when his thrusts were rough and quick, they’re gentler this time. 

the buildup will be slow but the release will be intense. 

and you will welcome it. 

his hips move languidly as his hand angles down to cup your breast. he pinches and rolls your nipples between his fingers. his mouth settles beside your ear and you hear every low and pleased grunt escaping him. the tantalizing and steady pace has you dizzy and whining at how fucking amazing he’s making you feel. you close the gap between your mouth to kiss him messily.

yukhei releases your lips and puckers an open kiss to your cheek. he turns to stare at the mirror. 

“look at yourself,” he murmurs so calmly. you moan, twisting your head to find his large eyes transfixed on your reflections. “baby, look at how gorgeous you are.” his compliment makes you whine before a small grin slowly appears. “so fucking fucked and gorgeous.”

your heartbeat skips, watching that teasing beam on his face while he squeezes one of your breasts. you let go of his arm around your middle and bring it up to your other breast, your motions on your flesh mirroring his. he smiles delightedly at the scene. you whimper at the slight peek of his cock sliding in and out of you. and slowly then you begin to bounce up and down gently to his deep strokes against your walls. the choked moan escapes from his throat as yukhei briefly throws his head back. it makes you smirk proudly. 

he gulps. “oh fuck yeah, baby, just like that.” the arm around you firms, holding you close to him while he finds your eyes in the mirror once more. “keep going for me, baby.”

for a minute then you continue to move along his thrusts as your eyes stay together. it’s romantic, intimate and you and yukhei feel the calm despite the rushes in your bodies and the fast rhythm of your hearts. 

you grasp his arm again for the balance as you push down harder. the room feels too hot and the sweat on your bodies feels like glue. your mewls and his groans fill up the bedroom and the pit of your stomach gradually tightens. 

your whimpers are needy. “mmm, fuck i’m – i’m close, yukhei.” 

you watch him nod and the arm around your waist loosens. his hand shifts down, finding your clit. then it’s his thrusts and your bouncing and the added stimulations as he rubs small circles quickly on your clit that has your world is spinning. your body is in overdrive. your arm around his neck tightens and your eyes momentarily shut again.

but you sense the shake of his head. 

“look at me,” he tenderly demands. 

it takes you a moment, the pressure increasing bit by bit in your stomach as you finally do so. your gaze finds his again in the mirror. the whines and whimpers come out faster and yukhei licks his lips and struggles to breath deep. the sweet and needy noises from you are making the coil in his own abdomen start.

he moves his mouth to your ear, the friction on your clit intensifying. “come on, baby. come for me.” he encourages softly. 

you do a minute later with a desperate cry of his name and you swear you see stars. yukhei presses a kiss to your skin and his hips stop as the shiver runs through your body. he holds you so closely, crushing you to him that you see the flexes in his arms. you turn your head and his eyes are dark and you nod as your tongue swipes across your mouth and your hands hold onto his forearms. your wave is still coursing through you, but your sweet bounces on his cock start up again and his steady rhythm of thrusts continue once more.

“yeah, you fuck me so good,” you gasps. “mmm, so good, so good, baby.” 

you’re sensitive, your body already gone through euphoria twice now. but the look on his face and that stream of short and heavy grunts tells you yukhei is so close that you don’t care how spent you are. you want him to have another high for the night. your arms drop and move backwards, your grip managing to find his ass.

an innocent smile appears on your face while you coo. “baby, let it go for me.” 

the sound yukhei releases when he finally comes is low and deep and right into your ear. it sends the chill down your spine and you lean your head back because you’re clenching around his cock intensely again. 

you’re whining loudly as your body is trembling and little crescent moons are pressed into his skin. yukhei remains hugging you tight, whispering sweet praises of how well you did and how good you are. he slowly rides out his wave with a satisfied smile and fills up the condom as you take deep breaths and begin to roll your hips a bit. carefully and gently, he latches on your mouth. you whimper and melt into his kiss that is sweet and warm. you reach up, cupping his jaw with one hand while the other settles over his arms. you sigh into him and slowly part as both your hips finally come to a halt. 

it feels like a hot and sticky summer night without air conditioning. there’s a shiny sheen over your bodies and your damp hair matches his. an affectionate peck to your shoulder yukhei leaves you. 

“you okay?” the concern is lingering in his tone. 

humming and faintly nodding your head, the corners of your mouth twitch up and you feel the tugs on your heart. 

always so attentive he is afterwards. 

“i’m okay.” 

two more kisses he leaves on your skin before he gently lowers you. your hands brace onto the bed before you’re laying down. 

his body hovers over you. you hear the deep breath he takes and behind you, yukhei smiles blissfully. you smell so heavenly and inviting, all he wants is to cuddle you right now. his mouth rests next to your ear.

“i’m going to pull out, okay?” yukhei tells you softly. 

you nod again and with one arm still around you, he reaches down and tugs his cock out. you whimper at the missing stretch to your walls. he moves away from you and you make your tired body turn around. slowly you prop yourself on your elbow to watch him sit against the heels of his feet and pull the condom off. he hears the soft hum and looks at you staring at him and his cock. 

“that was nice,” you murmur with a pleased smile. 

yukhei shakes his head and quickly ties up the condom with a chuckle. “that was more than nice. it was amazing. you’re amazing.” 

your giggle is light and bashful but the satisfaction fills your chest and paints across your face. yukhei reaches over to grab a tissue on your bedside table. you watch as he wraps it up and stands, taking the foil wrapper still on the bed with him to drop into the mini trashcan in the bedroom. he turns and makes his way back to you. 

“do you need anything?” 

you shake your head. “just you,” you whisper loud enough for him to hear. 

the warmth spreads in his chest as yukhei climbs back into the bed and reaches for a pillow, laying down besides you. it doesn’t matter if you’re currently at the foot of the bed instead or that your bodies are a sticky mess. he wastes no moment in plopping his head on the pillow and raising his arm for you to curl into his side with a charmed grin. you rest your head on his shoulder and he presses you to him as if you aren’t almost stuck to him. his fingertips are soon grazing your skin. there’s a soft and long pucker of his mouth to your forehead that makes you look up with a tiny delighted beam. 

your hand settles on his chest, your short nails gently scratching him while you hum. “what time does your schedule start tomorrow?” 

“practice is at one.” yukhei lets out a breathless chuckle. “maybe we can have an early lunch… or a late breakfast together,” he quietly suggests with an boyish smile. 

he can’t remember the last time he had breakfast with you. there are the occasional lunches every now and then when he has a day off. there are the dinners whenever schedules end early enough. and then there are the late night dinners when he and you have missed each other for too long and you wait up just to eat with him. 

breakfast together is a rarity. 

his idea makes your stomach flip while you slowly bob your head. “breakfast sounds nice.” you softly brush your mouth at the end of his collarbone. 

it's quiet for a minute, the peacefulness enveloping you like his touch. one hand moves to rest on your thigh as you bring it over his. the other takes your hand on his chest and he brings it up. yukhei’s staring, entranced almost at your hand in his. you watch in silence as he threads his long fingers through yours and his thumb lightly caresses back and forth. once he finally stops, he presses kisses along your knuckles. 

you chew on the inside of your lip briefly. “what are you thinking about?” you whisper alongside his skin. 

the question is simple but it still causes you to feel a bit nervous. 

and yukhei contemplates his response for a moment because as easy as the question is, what he will say to you will mean so much.

“right now…” yukhei turns to face you. the corners of his mouth are coiled up and there’s a sparkling glimmer in his eyes. “i’m thinking about what we can eat for breakfast tomorrow.” his words bring an instant smile to your face and laugh into his ears. he leans closer to yours. “i’m thinking about how much i love you. i’m thinking about how much i’m in love with you.” his voice dips and it’s so deep and calming. “i’m thinking about how i am really happy and really excited to be here with you, start this with you.” he licks his lips and takes a slow deep breath. “and i am thinking about how much i don’t want to mess up.” 

you don’t miss the faintest crack in his words. you feel the immediate tugs on your heart. 

yukhei loves you and he doesn’t want to hold back from you. 

a brief smile comes out momentarily.

you shift, moving up the slightest to lay your head right besides his. you lean over, brushing the tip of your nose to his while his arm encircles your naked waist. yukhei lifts his hand up to cup your face affectionately. you clear your throat as a fond and tender beam appears before him.

“do you want to know what i’m thinking about?” you question quietly. 

he chuckles lowly and shakes his head slowly. “tell me.”

you softly hum. “i’m thinking about a  pre breakfast snack before the actual breakfast.” his sudden laugh is infectious as you give him a teasing smile and he recalls your desire on how to wake him up. “but there are eggs and ham in the refrigerator and i have the milk bread that you like....” the grocery trip with him will wait another day. “so we can have that if you like.” 

yukhei nods at the idea and smiles brightly. “is that all you’re thinking about then, babe?”

“no.” you shake your head. “because i’m also thinking about how much i love you. i’m also thinking about how much i’m in love with you.” the curve of his mouth widens. “i’m also thinking about how i am really happy and really excited to be here with you, start this with you.” you tip forward and rest your forehead to his. “and i am also thinking about how much i don’t want to mess up, either,” you finish honestly because you want him to know too.

soft and relieved chuckles about your confessions are rolling pass your lips and his. he slides finger under your chin to bring your mouth to his. it’s a sweet and chaste kiss that leaves you satisfied and him grateful. 

yukhei stares at you for a long minute before bobbing his head faintly. “let’s make a deal then.” he clears his throat in the quiet bedroom. “if there is a problem, i want you to talk to me.” there will be adjustments and some getting used to with living together he is sure. “but whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.” his tone is gentle yet strong. “even if schedules are hectic, even if i cannot be physically here at that moment, i want you to tell me. i want you to know i’m there for you. and if you think you need a moment to just think and collect your thoughts alone, tell me. i will still be there for you and i will wait until you are ready.” 

you nod slowly, hearing the heartfelt genuineness in his voice. he lets go of your face and you giggle lightly when he’s holding up his pinky in front of you.

so many qualities you admire about him and how he always makes an effort to do the best in every aspect of his life is one that you love the most about him. you clear your own throat and hold up you own pinky then next to his. yukhei immediately and cutely chuckles at the size difference and finds your gaze.

the smile gracing your face is affectionate and sincere and for only him.

“that’s the same for you, too, okay?” you whisper, watching him softly nod. “if you’re stressed or tired, i don’t want you to think it’s a burden when you walk through the door. tell me how i can help. whether it’s wanting me to sit or lay with you or you need some quiet… even if it’s just food you want, let me know.” he laughs shyly, loving how much you know him. “if it feels like you don’t have the space for something, be honest. this place is yours now, too.” a light kiss you press to his cheek. “and when you go away for schedules…” yukhei stares at you with wide eyes and a boyish smile. “as long as you leave me a sweater, i’m good, okay? so i want you can stop thinking about that too.” you end with a sweet twist of your lips.

your pinky shifts and you hook on his that curls down instantly. 

“i will leave you all the sweaters you want,” he murmurs as he closes the distance between your mouths.   

you melt into the kiss and him. breaths are heavy in between the slick sounds of saliva. his tongue sweeps across into your parted mouth. yukhei hugs you closer and you turn your body slightly for your chest to press against his. he lets go of your pinky, cradling your face as your fingertips grip onto his shoulders. after a minute he pulls away first with a dreamy beam as air flows into his lungs.

once he finally catches his breath, yukhei hums when you reach up to brush his hair. 

“it’s you and me, baby.” 

your movements stop and your face heats at the words he remembers from that night you had asked him to move in with you. you nod faintly in confirmation. 

“yeah, it’s you and me,” you whisper confidently.   

you bury your face into the crook of his neck. but it’s not quickly enough because he catches the smile you are trying to hide from him. yukhei laughs and  turns his head, kissing your temple once and twice before resting his mouth against your skin. 

it stays like this for a while and yukhei thinks he can get used to this every day. even if everything will not always be perfect, having you near him when it’s night and being next to you when it’s morning, is more and better than he can imagine for himself. 

yukhei grins. 

but right now he thinks it’s pretty perfect and he will enjoy you in his arms as he listens to your breaths. his fingertips draw circles on your soft skin while your eyelashes tickle his when they flutter shut. 

his heart is so full, he is certain the seams will burst.

he feels the sudden yawn from you. you do your best to cover it even though you are caged in his embrace. “you’re tired, baby?” yukhei laughs lightly. 

you hum softly. “a little,” you mumble into his neck. 

the day has been a lot. and how tired you are, even if a little, you are sure he is twice as tired. his first day off in weeks and he has not stopped at anything until now. you don’t know how he does it, how anyone in his position does it. you leave a few short puckers of your lips against his neck before you lift your head. 

“aren’t you?” you question while his hand comes up to hold your jaw and the pad of his thumb strokes your cheek. 

yukhei hums too. “a little.” 

a tender and serene smile appears before your eyes and you can’t stop yourself from kissing it. 

“i love you.” 

“i love you more.” 

you playfully roll your eyes that unexpectedly turn a bit glassy at his cheesy words and smile. taking a deep breath to calm your rapidly beating heart, you turn to look at the clock on your bedside table. you blink a handful of times to see the bright red numbers clearly.

it’s after midnight now. 

your attention returns to yukhei, chewing on the inside of your cheeks for a second before speaking. “your first official day has ended. did you like it?” your eyes glisten with the tears and love for him and that cheesy smile on his face grows into a lovestruck beam that the corner of his eyes crinkle. 

“it was better than i could have ever imagined it to be. i don’t think i’ve ever felt so welcomed before.” yukhei winks at you teasingly and you feel the heat creeping onto your cheeks. “but do you know what we should do now?”

you shake your head with a sugary chuckle, curious what he is going say. 

yukhei brings your face closer to his. noses touch and hearts beat slow and steady together. his mouth stops just centimeters away from yours. 

“i think we should go take a nice warm shower to clean up…” his voice is soothing and gentle and he playfully raises an eyebrow to see what you think. he lets out a breathless chuckle when you grin faintly and nod, wanting him to continue on. “then afterwards we can come back in here, into this comfy bed with these pretty pink sheets…” an infectious giggle escapes from you. “and go to sleep for my first official night here.” he brings his arms back around your waist and hugs you to him. his eyes glow and you feel his warmth and love radiating off of him. “and if you want, i’ll even hold you like this as you sleep. how does that sound to you?” 

you slowly bob your head again and then tilt it. “that sounds good,” you whisper, your face glowing. 

and yukhei gives you a quick yet sweet kiss to make the plan official.

you move off of him and push yourself up. he follows within seconds and you get off the bed and stand. your hand you hold out for him to take and he does. his hand is warm and strong and you chuckle and help him out of the bed. you expect for fingers to lace tightly together but they don’t. 

instead yukhei lets go to stand behind you, pulling you to him. your laugh is sugary and contagious because he’s laughing too. your back is pressed to his chest and his arms loop around your shoulders. slippers are forgo and bare feet slowly make their way out the bedroom and across the wooden floors.

it’s so much harder to walk with the extra weight attached to you, but you don’t mind. you reach up to grasp his arms and bend your head to press your mouth to his skin. you’re almost to your destination when your steps suddenly freeze.

“why are we stopping, babe?” yukhei chuckles and you turn your head to glance up at him. 

your heart skips a beat. “you’re going to smell like vanilla. is that okay?” 

you had remembered putting away an electric shaver for him. you had unpacked a bottle of hair gel. you had counted two combs. you had opened the new green toothbrush and placed it in his rinse glass next your pink toothbrush in your rinse glass. but there had been no shampoo, no conditioner and no body wash because he shares them at the dorm. 

and it takes a moment for yukhei to connect the dots before his chuckle turns into laughter. under the lights, the pink on the tip of his ears is apparent and his cheeks are flushed. he takes a deep breath and lets it out slow. with his smiling lips grazing yours, yukhei delightedly nods before kissing you softly.

“yeah, it’s definitely okay.”

then with a gentle nudge, your feet begin to move again. yukhei follows right behind you with the smile on his face spreading. he nuzzles against your warm cheek while his arms tighten around you. and within seconds wet and sweet puckers of his pillowy lips are pressing onto your skin. your laughter and squeals soon surround him. the pretty sounds seep into his heart and flow throughout the tiny apartment. 

vanilla he will smell like but home it already feels like.

[songbirdstyles]

backseat

summary: you hate it when harry teases you ... (most times.)

warnings: completely just smut, 18+ pls

You aren’t fond of many things.

You hate when the barista at your local coffee shop takes yours and Harry’s orders, giving you a dirty look that you pretend not to see. And you hate that, when Harry’s name is called to collect your drinks, his hot chai tea latte has a heart scribbled on it with sharpie, the words ‘made with love’ adorning the cardboard cup in cursive. He laughs when you roll your eyes at it, his arm around your waist, insisting that the barista doesn’t hold a candle to you and the stupid coffee doesn’t taste like it was made with love, anyway.

You hate when your shitty roommate brings guys home nearing midnight, and your room - previously silent - becomes full of their loud moans and the bed against your shared wall. You’ve talked to her and talked to her about keeping it quiet but she laughs and says she can’t control how good they make her feel and you hate it and you hate her. (Whenever you complain, Harry brings up how you can move in with him, eyes hopeful and glistening, but you’ve refused - for now. His flat is too lonely when he travels. You can’t stand to be there alone.)

You hate when rain washes out the snow just hours after the powder fell.

You hate when Harry has to work overtime at the studio.

You hate when your flat’s heating system inevitably breaks in the dead of winter.

But above all else, you fucking - fucking - hate when Harry teases you.

And he knows this. He isn’t stupid. He knows you like the back of his hand. When your voice rises an octave, you’re excited. When you squeeze his hand while walking down the street, you love him. When your voice trails off in the middle of a sentence, he has seconds before the waterworks start.

When you reach down to squeeze his wrist, stopping its slow trek up your exposed thigh during the middle of his very important work dinner, you’re begging him to stop. 

You turn your head to look at him slightly, eyes narrowing just a bit, and as his producer begins to speak he turns to look at you, too. You lock eyes and you hate how smug he looks, spreading his hand out over your thigh, fingers dangerously close to your damp panties. He’s such a little shit, knowing exactly what he’s doing to you, knows how difficult it is for you to stay still and silent and he hasn’t even touched you yet, not really. It’s only to come though, and as his hand slowly continues to creep up your thigh to push your dress up further you know it’s going to be a difficult dinner.

The appetizers haven’t even come yet.

Deft fingers push your underwear aside just so, dipping into your dripping hole and in the corner of your eye you see his dumb fucking smirk widen at just how wet and needy you are for him, even if you wanna act tough and angry, you need him. He denied you before you left the house - you’d begged for a quickie, we can be really fast, Harry, I need you so bad - and you didn’t know why. He was hard from seeing you in your dress, tight in the right places and dark red, but he was better at hiding it than you were. He told you no, no, not right now, we have to go you didn’t get it because you knew he was willing to be late to just about anything for a quickie.

Maybe you get it now.

Harry wanted you desperate, and desperate you are.

He pumps one finger into you and your nails dig into his wrist, giving up on trying to get him to stop - it’s no use. You’re not even sure you want him to anymore, now that he’s begun - and his thumb presses into your clit, rubbing a slow circle on your sensitive nub and you gnaw on your bottom lip to stop from whimpering.

“Are you okay, love?” your boyfriend asks with faux concern, leaning his head towards you with furrowed brows. To anyone else, he looks like a devoted lover, worried about how you look distressed, your face hot and breathing uneven. But he flicks his thumb against your clit and you drop your hand to his thigh, squeezing the material of his pants between your fingers. “You don’t look so good.”

A second finger, pumping in and out at a rapid speed and his thumb is still firm at your clit, and you’re happy that the bustle of the other people in the restaurant and his manager’s voice is drowning out the wet noises that you can just barely hear. “Harry.”

“Yes, love?”

“P-please.”

“Please, what?”

You can’t tell him to stop. And if you really wanted him to, all you’d have to do is murmur red and he’d extract his fingers so fast you could fool yourself into thinking they were never there. But he’s got you going now, curling his fingers inside of you to hit your g spot and you bring your arm up to your mouth, coughing into your elbow to muffle the moan that just nearly erupted. All you want is for him to bring you there, bring you to the high you’re chasing, and your pussy clenches around his digits at the thought.

“Please,” you begin, and then you swallow your whine as he speeds up his thumb on your clit, hard fast circles making you lose your mind. “Please, I have to -”

You’re speaking so quietly he can barely hear you, leaning in so your mouth is right by his ear. “I have to cum,” you murmur, squeezing around his fingers again to nail the point home. “Please.”

As if you’d said the safeword his fingers stop, freezing deep inside of you, and you feel your face heat up even more. And then he pulls his fingers out, wiping your slickness all over your thighs and if you weren’t about to cry over the emptiness you’d wrinkle your nose at that. His napkin is in his lap. But then he pulls his head away from yours, flashing you a sickeningly sweet smile, and then pushes his seat out.

“Unfortunately,” Harry begins, cutting off his manager’s monologue about negotiating more tour dates in America, and all eyes at the table flash up to him, “Y/N isn’t feeling too hot right now. Been coming down with something the past few days, poor thing. We’re gonna head out.”

The relief you feel almost overwhelms you, and you’re sure you look the part of his slightly sick girlfriend, overwhelmed with everything that’s happened in just the past few minutes. Even being edged doesn’t matter as much because you know he’s gonna give it to you - at home? In the car? You don’t know but it doesn’t matter. Harry was finally taking fucking pity on you after ignoring you at home and you could dance on the table at the thought of it.

You stand up, casting an apologetic smile to Jeff but he doesn’t seem to mind - it isn’t as though Harry contributed too much to the discussion at hand. He was mostly there just for the principle of it all. Your hand slips into his and you squeeze it once, then twice, then three times, and even if he knows you hate being teased, he knows you love the reward you get when you put up with it.

So the pair of you bid your goodbyes. It’s a short affair and then you’re walking out of the restaurant, maneuvering your way between tables and the host helps you put on your jacket. Then you reach and grab a mint from the small basket on the counter and turn to wave again at the table the pair of you have just abandoned, and then you’re walking out to the valet.

For a moment the two of you walk in silence - he flashes his ticket to the valet and hands him a couple bills as tip - and then he pulls your body into his and you wait for the car in a brief second of silence. His nose buries itself in your hair, smelling your sweet shampoo (he uses it sometimes, because the scent is positively magnificent, but it loses its appeal when he smells it on anything but you.) His arms wrap around your waist, lips against your cheek. His body being so close to yours, is doing things to you in your overly sensitive state, still desperate for his touch after he edged you, but you appreciate his hands on you nonetheless. An open mouthed kiss lands against your cheek, and he mumbles, “You’re so good, you know that?”

You hum softly in response. “I know.”

A snort. “Don’t get cocky with me, angel.”

You spin around, then, resting your hands on his shoulder and leaning up to press a kiss to his puckered lips. “M’not cocky, but I was being awfully patient in there, even when you were being so mean to me.”

“I wasn’t mean -”

“Yes, you were, teasing me like that.”

“You should feel lucky I’m letting you cum at all tonight, the way you were so needy before.” Harry presses his lips to your nose, and you remain blissfully silent, appreciating his kisses. “But I’ll let you cum, honey. Don’t worry.”

“It’s mean to edge me in front of everyone. I was gonna go into the bathroom and take care of myself there.”

His hand, resting on your hip, tightens. “You would never.”

“Mmm.”

The car pulls up, then - Harry opens your car door like the true gentleman he is then walks around the opposite side to climb into the driver’s seat, and you’ve barely buckled your seatbelt before he’s taking off.

The radio plays softly in the car as you kick your heels off, resting your feet up on the dashboard. Harry hums along to the song playing - some 80s song - and for a couple of minutes you don’t talk. You watch the lights pass by your car, a drizzle starting to splash against the car windows, and you reach in and press the button for your seat heater.

Neither of you speak until you feel the car park, and when you peak outside you don’t recognize where you are - an empty parking lot of some bowling alley, the sign on the window screaming CLOSED in blue and red lights. The rain is already beginning to pick up, tiny droplets slamming against the windshield, and the radio still drones on.

You turn to look at your boyfriend, hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white. “What are we-”

The sentence never manages to reach a conclusion before he’s leaning forward, slotting your lips together so desperately that your teeth clash and his hand wraps around your throat, squeezing just hard enough to make your soft moans breathy and desperate, and he swallows every noise you make. Your hands go to the back of his head, squeezing his curls, tugging on them just the way you know he likes and he grunts softly. One hand moves to your waist and then to your ass, tugging your dress up around your hips so he can smack his hand down on your ass, the noise echoing throughout the car, and you cry out into his mouth.

You pull your mouth from his, gasping and sucking in the air you’re lacking as he moves his lips to your neck, sucking a dark purple mark into the skin underneath your jaw. He loves the way the color sprouts up, how it’ll darken and then lighten and then he can do it all over again so everyone fucking knows who you belong to. You’re all his.

“Backseat,” he groans against your neck, tongue licking a stripe down to your collarbone and then you’re trying to maneuver to the backseat but it’s difficult. The two of you are embarrassingly unwilling to let go of each other, and eventually, when you push yourself into the back and he follows suit, your hands and lips roam each other’s bodies like you’d been separated for years and not less than 30 seconds.

A moan pushes its way through your throat, erupting in the car as he grips your lacy thong in his fist, dipping his fingers down to your pussy just to feel how wet you are for him. Your arousal drips onto his fingers and he chuckles lowly, gathering more of the fabric in his hand and then ripping the cheap panties off of you - he loves doing that, loves taking the remaining scraps of arousal soaked fabric and shoving them into his pocket with the redundant promise to buy you as many pairs as days of the year.

“Fuck, fuck,” you breath, arching your back up into him as you shift to lie down completely on the backseat. Your legs bend slightly and it’s surely not the most comfortable position to be in but you’d never dream of complaining. There’s something so much hotter about fucking in his car, in a parking lot that’s abandoned but - still - in public, about the danger of getting caught that sends a gush of arousal straight to your cunt. 

Your hand reaches for the front of his trousers, deftly undoing the button and pulling down the zipper. He’s hard as a fucking rock, hot and heavy in your hand, precum already dripping from his tip. If he hadn’t gotten you so worked up before he’d want to bury his face in between your folds to get you ready for him but you both know that isn’t needed. You’re dripping and desperate and he reaches down to grip your wrist in one hand, using the other to line himself up with your entrance, and he sheathes himself inside of you without more than a breath of hesitation.

Both of his large hands go up to your cheeks, gripping your face and then he leans down, licking from your jawline to your lips as he pulls out of you and slams back in, swallowing every choked up cry you release as he devours your mouth. Your leg wraps around his waist, heel pressing into his bum, partially covered by his trousers that he’d halfheartedly tugged down. Harry grunts desperately, one hand moving up to press against the cold window, and he raises his body above yours to piston his hips harder and deeper into yours.

“So - fucking - tight around my cock,” He loves talking dirty even when he’s so desperate he can hardly get the words out, and your clit throbs with his words. Your hand sneaks down to where he’s pumping in and out of you, rubbing the small nub desperately, aching for the relief you were denied so many times. “Always so tight for me.” He wraps his arm around the headrest, moving his other hand to grip your cheeks, smushing them together and forcing you to look up at him. “Who’s fucking you like this, huh? Who’s making you feel this good?”

Your eyes roll back into your head, fingers stuttering in their rhythm on your clit. “Y-you, always you, fuck!”

“Say my fucking name. Who’s making you feel this good?”

“Harry! Harry, oh my - oh my god -”

And he smirks, face bright red as his hips slam against yours. “That’s what I thought,” and then he shoves two of his fingers in your mouth, forcing it open, and then he spits down onto your face, the saliva landing on your tongue and around your lips. His thumb moves to collect it from your chin, forcing it into your mouth and you swallow greedily - you love when he does this, love the taste of him, and you stick your tongue back out for more.

He shakes his head, hand moving back down to your throat. “G-greedy baby - fuck.”

You clench around him desperately, pussy fluttering on his cock, and you don’t have time to tell him before you’re cumming - juices overflow around his dick, and he throws his head back with an uncharacteristically high pitched cry before he’s burying himself inside of you to the hilt, bottoming out for the last time, hips firm against yours. The warmth of him cumming in you, his grunts as he does, the way his grip on your throat loosens - it’s like fucking heaven. You could stay like this forever and never complain once.

“Oh my god,” you breathe when he finishes, pulling out flopping down on top of you. You giggle softly, shifting so some of his weight is on the car seat and not just your body. “Fuck.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t hmm me,” you tangle your fingers in his hair, grinning when he barks out a quiet laugh. “Never been fucked so good in my life, I reckon.” You take in a shaky breath, resting your forehead on his shoulder.

He shakes his head, sitting up and tugging his trousers up over his cock, zipping them up and fastening the button. When he runs his fingers through his hair a few times he almost looks as though nothing happened- but you’re sure the same can’t be said for you.

“Get back in your seat,” he tells you, and you sit up, leaning against the car door. “Can’t have the best fuck of your life be in the backseat of my car, now can I?”

[mammonshuman92]

- Sapphire -

(Mammon x MC)

| part two | part three |

NOTE: F!MC

It’s here, in the endless sapphire pools, that I could get lost swimming, forever. The sheer power that they hold over me is otherworldly, and to be honest, quite unfair.

“MC! Are you listening?” Satan was looking at you with slight irritation, closing his book. The two of you have been studying for an upcoming test in the common room since you got home from RAD.

You jumped a little, abruptly interrupted from your daydream.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry. I guess I zoned out.” You replied sheepishly. You sat up in your chair, looking at your textbooks trying to regain some kind of memory of what you and Satan had been studying, but it was no use. As of late, there was only ever one thing on your mind. Well, one demon anyway.

“It appears that your mind is elsewhere. Maybe we should take a break and pick it back up after dinner?” he suggested.

You checked the time on your D.D.D., and jumped up from where you sat. Satan looked at you, shocked by your sudden rash behavior.

“Oh, umm.. I can’t tonight, I have a....thing. Tomorrow though?” You rushed around gathering your books and notes into a disorderly pile. Satan looked at you suspiciously. What has gotten into her? He thought.

“Alright. Are you actually going to be present? More than just physically, I mean.”

“Yes, yes. I’m really sorry. Thanks!” You yelled over your shoulder as you ran from the room.

As you rounded the corner of the hallway, you ran right smack into something, sending you and all your books and papers flying. 

Great.

“Oof!” 

That thing you smacked into? Yeah, that was Mammon. You both landed on your butts with a *thud*

“What the Hell are ya runnin’ for?!” He griped, confused as to what had just happened. When he noticed who had run into him and his attitude changed. “MC? What are ya doin'?”

“I’m sorry, Mammon! I didn’t mean to run into you, I’m just in a hurry.” You quickly explained, trying to gather all your papers, again. He grabbed the small bit of papers near him and handed them to you.

“In a hurry for what?” he asked curiously, cocking his head to the side a little.

Shit! He can’t know where I’m going! I need to make an excuse and fast!

“Oh, umm.. I, uh, I-I’m going shopping with Asmo! Yeah.” That should work. He ususally follows you everywhere, especially shopping but once it comes to shopping with you and Asmo? Yeah, he’d rather sit that one out. Although, I’m sure he’ll complain that you’re not hanging out with him anyway.

You quickly grabbed the last bit of papers and took off toward your room without another word to Mammon.

“It’s movie night, ya know?!” He called after you.

“I’m sorry! I’ll make it up to you, I promise!” You yelled hastily, before quickly shutting your door.

“Hmph. Guess I’ll just do movie night by myself then” He pouted, sticking out his bottom lip a little like a small child.

As he turned to go to his room, something caught his eye. 

A piece of paper the two of you had missed. He picked it up and looked it over. 

It’s for sure MC’s handwriting. Is it song lyrics or somethin’?

He shrugged and shoved it into his pocket.

--

“I don’t have time to change, so my RAD uniform will just have to do. I just need to grab my bag, then I can go. Ugh! I’m gonna be late!” You said aloud while darting around your room.

I’m pretty nervous. I’ve never read any of the stuff I write in front of anyone, much less a crowd or people. Maybe I won’t choke since none of the brothers will be there. Could you imagine reading what you wrote in front of HIM?

*Shiver.* No thanks. Pretty sure I would spontaneously combust.

You grab your things and hurriedly rush out of your room. Hopefully I get out of here without being seen. I’m not sure how many lies I can come up with.

As you made your way down the staircase, someone came through the front door.. Dammit! It’s Asmo.

After a quick discussion, you were able to slip away from him.

Checking your D.D.D. for the time, you quickened your pace. “If I hurry I can make it there before the first reading.”

--

Mammon laid sprawled out on the couch in the common room, scrolling through Devilgram. He sighed heavily. “I’m so bored.”

He heard someone talking just outside the doorway.

Is that Asmo?

He went to investigate only to find Asmo walking down the hall with an arm full of shopping bags.

“You guys are back already?” Mammon questioned him. 

“Pardon?” Asmo asked, visibly confused.

“You and MC only left like an hour ago and you’re already back? Are ya sick?”

“Mammon what are going on about? I left to go shopping right after school.”

Huh? She ...lied?

“MC told me she was goin’ shopping with ya and left in a hurry earlier. If she ain’t with you, where’d she go?”

“Maybe she has a date.” Asmo shrugged and headed toward his room. Mammon stood there motionless and shocked like he’d been slapped in the face.

A date? The thought clawed it’s way around his brain. He felt a pang in his chest.

He’s always with her. To and from RAD, after school, through dinner, and until bed. Always together. They’re best friends.

So how did she manage to meet some other demon without him noticing? He started to get antsy and decided to go look for evidence in her room.

He looked everywhere. All over her desk and dresser, he couldn’t find a single shred of information on this mystery demon. Feeling defeated, he flopped across her bed with a groan.

Am I not good enough? I mean, she already spends all her time with me, what’s she need someone else for?

Thoughts of MC being with someone romantically ...intimately, started flooding his mind. He tried to shake it, but they just kept coming. The pain in his chest got worse.

He’s always been fond of her. In the beginning, when she was still new, he acted like it was such a burden to watch over her, but he secretly enjoyed it. There was just something about her. As hard as he tried to fight it, he found himself developing a sweet spot for the human. She’s always so nice and sticks up for him when it comes to his brothers. She always seems happy to see him and is down for whatever crazy money making schemes he can come up with. Before she got here, it had been a long time since he had felt this happy. He’s pretty sure he’s never laughed so much in his entire existence than when he’s with her.

As much as he tries to convince himself that he doesn’t care about the human, he doesn’t want to go back to life without her. Truth is, he cares about her. A lot.

All the thinking was starting to depress him.

He decided to get up and go to his own room and sulk for the rest of the night. Maybe he could stop by Lucifer’s study and sneak off with a bottle of Demonus. 

As he made his way to the door, he noticed something. The little calendar on your desk had a date circled in red. He picked it up to get a closer look. The date circled was today.

“Coffee shop, 6pm”

Boom. Re-con was successful! He found out where your date was!

He put the calendar back on your desk and checked the time. Crap! It’s almost 7.

He bolted from the room. If he had any chance of seeing what kind of punk lesser demon you were on a date with, he needed to hurry.

--

“This has to be it. She only goes to one coffee shop.” Mammon whispered to himself as he tried to peak inside the front window of the establishment. He couldn’t see you anywhere from where he was and decided to go inside and sit at a table in the very back. Maybe she won’t notice me. He thought. 

He scanned the room, but still couldn’t see you anywhere. Maybe she went to the bathroom?

As he kept scanning the room, the lights started to dim and everyone focused their attention to a small stage with a lone microphone at the back of the shop.

Huh?

A light shined on the stage and a man stepped up to the microphone.

“Thank you all for coming, we have a great turn out tonight. Without any further adieu, let’s get open mic night started!” The crowd applauded and the man walked off stage.

"Open mic night? I didn’t know she liked this kinda stuff.” Mammon said quietly to himself.

Maybe that’s why she’s on a date. He probably noticed all the stuff I didn’t. Mammon sat back in his chair, arms crossed across his chest, pouting. She’d never wanna be with an idiot like me anyway.

--

A couple people read poems, one girl sang, and a few people played instruments. Still no sign of MC.

Maybe she does know a different coffee shop. He started to fidget in his seat, mentally kicking himself. You shoulda told her, ya idiot!

How could he though? He is one of the seven rulers of the underworld. How is he supposed to tell a human that she makes his life so much better? That your laugh is like music and his favorite smell is that of your shampoo? That when you fall asleep next to him on the couch on movie night it’s the best night of his week? 

“Our final act of the night is new to the stage and a little nervous, so go easy on her.” said the emcee. The audience started to applaud as the man walked off stage.

Mammon scooted his chair out and stood to leave. She obviously wasn’t here and he needed a drink.

He was making his way to the door, when he heard it. 

That voice. MC?

He turned to see you standing on the stage, spotlight shining on you. He listened as you spoke.

Is that ...a poem? The words sounded very familiar, like he had heard them very recently. Then it clicked. 

He fished the piece of paper out of his pocket. The poem you were reciting on stage was the same thing written on the paper he found in the hallway.

She wrote this?

He looked up at where you stood on the stage. You hadn’t noticed him so he made his way back to his seat. As he watched you, he started paying attention to the words you were saying. You spoke so softly.

“It’s here, in the endless sapphire pools, that I could get lost swimming, forever. 

Gold flecks, warm like sunshine, adorn the precious gems he dare call an iris.

The sheer power that they hold over me is otherworldly, and to be honest, quite unfair.”

So there really is someone. He thought. There was a stinging feeling in his chest. You don’t talk like that unless love is involved.

“Warm skin, the color of caramel, electricity felt in the slightest of touches.

Hair born of the winter, soft as the Heavens from where it once reigned.

Completely enamored by this creature, I would also happily fall from grace.”

Hair born of winter? Fall from grace? Tan skin?

Wait. That sounds like..

Realization hit him like a truck.

“..It’s about me..” He whispered, barely audible even to himself.

His chest felt like it was going to explode. His stomach so full of butterflies he felt nauseous.

He couldn’t believe it..

| part two |

[fanficsandthings]

Through the Years, Ch. 3

A George Weasley Fanfiction

A George Weasley x Slytherin reader story. Each chapter shares events in one year of George and reader’s life together.

Word Count: 3k

Year 1, Year 2

Year 3: Redheads 

The snow fell heavily as you looked out the shop window, and it occurred to you that they would be rounding up all the students soon. They would want you to get back to the castle before the weather got too out of hand. Looking around Zonko’s one more time, you left the shop with the items you had bought and started to look for the twins.  Honestly, you were surprised that they hadn’t immediately beelined it to the joke shop, but maybe they were off thinking about their own little inventions. Fred had started to dabble in making potions he shouldn’t be messing with, and George was happy to learn right along with him, no matter how disastrous things could turn out. A couple weeks ago at breakfast you were sitting at the Slytherin table, having an idle conversation with Adrian Pucey about the latest quidditch match, when Lee Jordan walked in, the whole of Gryffindor turning their heads to look at him.

Adrian leaned across the table to whisper to you. “I heard the entire Gryffindor tower woke up in the middle of the night last night because there was an explosion in the third year boys’ dorm.” Your head went into your hands, and you let out a small grumble. “It was the Weasleys, wasn’t it?” “From what I heard, yes,” Adrien said to you, your forehead now resting on the table as you stared down at your lap. “They’ve been getting in a lot of trouble recently.” You slowly raised your head to look over to where Lee was now sitting at the Gryffindor table, the twins nowhere in sight. “They’ve been on a prank kick lately. Excuse me; I may need to make sure they aren't dead.” You got up from your seat and made your way over to Lee, who you noticed had lost a few inches of his hair overnight. “Hey, Jordan!” He turned to look at you. “Have a rough night?” He let out a laugh and said “No, I just woke up with my hair on fire is all. You can thank your boyfriends for that.” Ignoring his comment, you pressed him further. “What’d they do this time?” “I’m not sure exactly, but it involved standing over my bed in a very creepy fashion. And a loud explosion. And then fire. And then going to the infirmary,” Lee explained. “They’re still there?” you asked him. He nodded. “And I’m assuming it’s not too bad since no one seems to be in a huge panic.” “Just a couple burns that’ll take a day to heal fully,” he said. “Thanks, Lee,” you said, starting out of the great hall towards the infirmary. You entered the infirmary, your eyes finding Fred and George. They seemed to be the only ones in the room, sitting upright in parallel beds as they enjoyed a meal that must have been brought to them. They looked relatively normal besides the fact that Fred was missing half of his right eyebrow, a faint red burn mark making its way from just beside his right eye up into his hairline. George looked perfectly fine. and You thought maybe he had made it out of this incident unscathed, and he was just giving Fred company in the hospital wing. He must have caught a glimpse of you out of the corner of his eye, because he suddenly stopped his conversation with Fred and waved his hand at you, telling you to come join them. That’s when you saw the bandage on his left hand, wrapped around his palm and halfway up his arm. “I saw Lee Jordan a few minutes ago. What antics did you two get up to last night?” you asked the both of them, sitting on the edge of George’s bed. You reached over to his plate and attempted to sneak some food off it, but he smacked your hand away before you could. “Hey!” George gave you a glare, pulling his plate farther from you. “We’re the injured ones here. Get your own breakfast.” “You wouldn’t be injured if you didn’t try ridiculous stunts at two in the morning,” you informed them, looking between George’s hand and Fred’s face. “Now seriously, what were you trying to do to poor Lee?” “We were only testing out a potion,” Fred started to explain. “We thought we had it correct.” “Well, unless it’s a potion that causes explosions, I would say you’re very far from perfecting it,” you said, laughing at them. “It was meant to change the color of his hair,” George told you, now offering some of the food on his plate. You gladly accepted it. Fred continued on explaining. “We wanna make something that has a permanent effect, unless magically reversed.” “We know Zonko’s has a product that’ll change your hair color, but it’s only for a matter of minutes,” George told you. “We’d like to go for a more dramatic effect than that.” While the twins were talking, you absentmindedly studied the bandages around George’s palm and wrist. They were fresh, having been changed recently. You wondered what his injury looked like underneath. You feared it was worse than Fred’s, seeing as his warranted no bandages. You knew that by now, Madam Pomfrey had healed them as best she could, and they would be perfectly fine by this time tomorrow, but you still worried. “Try boxed hair dye next time.” you stated absentmindedly, your hand moving closer to George's on it's own accord. “What?” they both asked at the same time, looking at you in confusion. You snapped out of your thoughts, moving your hand back to your side. “You’ll have to be sneakier about it, and it’ll take longer and be 100% harder than using magical means, but it works,” you said, continuing your speech without really giving them an explanation. “You could put it in someone’s shampoo. Now, that’d be funny. Imagine Malfoy coming out of the shower with bright pink hair.” You let out a loud laugh, mostly to yourself, as Fred and George still had no clue what you were going on about. “Would you like to explain ‘boxed hair dye’ a little further?” Fred asked you. You looked between them, confused. A circuit in your brain connected after a few seconds. “Right, right, right. Muggle stuff. It’s literally just a dye that you put in your hair to change the color. Comes in a little box with instructions. Some of it stains your hair, and some of it washes out after a couple showers, so you’ll definitely want one that’s known to stain.” “Could you get us some?” they both asked. “I could ask my parents to mail me some, maybe.” You pondered this thought for a moment. “I think I have a better idea though. I’ll get back to you on that thought in a few weeks. I should get going, classes start soon.” You got up to leave, but turned around quickly. Glancing between their injuries real quick, you settled your eyes on George’s hand. “Please no more injuries. You worry me.” You turned back and hurried out the door, hoping not to be late to your morning class. “She was looking at you when she said that, George,” Fred teased his brother with a wink. George half heartedly threw a pillow at his brother. “She was talking to both of us.” “But she was looking at you,” Fred said, picking up the pillow and throwing it back. —————— Now, stepping outside Zonko’s, the wind was harsh, so you wrapped your scarf tighter around your face. You wanted to make a quick stop at Honeydukes before heading back to the castle. From down the street, you spotted Fred and George leaving the sweets shop. They started to walk in your direction, and you were about to scoot past them when they grabbed onto both of your arms and pulled you to the side.   “What’re you two doing?!” you scolded them as they dragged you into an alley. “I wanna go to Honeydukes real quick.” “No need for that,” Fred said as he let go of your arm. George pulled a small brown bag out of his coat pocket. He held it out towards you. “We bought you your favorites.” You took the bag apprehensively and looked inside. Everything seemed to be fine with the sweets inside. You looked between the two of them. “Why?” The twins spoke at the same time, but completely different sentences this time. “Because we’re such good friends,” is what George said. “Think of it as a sort of bribe,” is what Fred said. You narrowed your eyes at George, staring at him as you asked, “What sort of bribe?” You turned your head towards Fred for an answer. “It’s been weeks since you said you had an idea for our hair color predicament, and we haven’t heard a thing about it,” Fred explained to you. You rolled your eyes at them. “Be patient, boys.” You pulled the bag from Zonko’s out of your pocket and took a small vile out of it. Opening the vile, you drank it and watched the twins as your hair slowly turned to a bright ruby red color. “Now we’re all red heads, huh.” They both let out a small laugh, and Fred said, “We told you we already know about Zonkos, but we want something more permanent.” “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time,” You said, handing the rest of the bag over to George. “There’s five more bottles in there. Use them to deconstruct the formula. You don’t always have to start from scratch, you know. You’re both smart enough to find a way to make that permanent.” As soon as the last word was out of your mouth, Fred scooped you up into a tight hug, lifting your feet off the ground. “You’re smarter than the both of us combined. I can’t believe that we didn’t think about that. Why work harder when you can use other peoples’ successes to further your own?” “If that’s what you want to take from that, then sure.” You laughed as Fred sat you back on the ground. You looked around Fred’s shoulder at George, who was examining one of the viles. “Think you can figure it out, Georgie?” He looked up at you smiling, partly because he liked it when you called him that, and partly because this idea was absolutely brilliant. “Definitely.” “Good. Now we should get going before we get caught in a blizzard,” you said, looking up at the sky. The snow fell heavily, easy to see against the dark backdrop of the buildings you were standing between. You reached and grabbed Fred’s hand, ready to pull him with you through the crowd. You stepped close to George to grab his hand too, but you stopped short when you remembered that hand was the one that had been burned. It had been weeks ago, and you knew it was completely healed by now. There wasn’t even a scar; it was like it had never even happened. Still, you were worried that you might hurt him if you grabbed it too hard. It was an irrational fear, but you couldn’t help it. You quickly grabbed his other hand, hoping he hadn’t noticed your hesitation. You pulled them both behind you, and you were just about to step out of the alley when you stopped suddenly, the twins almost running into you. You could see little footprints in the snow. Pawprints, leading to a small crate at the edge of the alleyway. Following the small prints, you could see the tip of an orange tail sticking out of the crate. You let go of the twins hands, and slowly walked over to the crate, careful not to startle the creature. The twins looked between each other, confused, but they quietly walked up behind you anyway. Making little clicking sounds with your tongue, you urged the creature to look at you. It’s tail disappeared fully into the crate, and you were disappointed for a moment before you saw two orange ears pop up, and then you could see the creature's whole face. It seemed to be just a common house cat. You bent down to be eye-level with the cat, pulling the twins down with you, hoping not to scare it away. You slowly raised your hand up, leveling it a few inches from it’s face. “Come here, sweetie,” you urged it. “What’re you doing out in the cold all by yourself.” It stretched it’s neck out to sniff your hand carefully. After a moment, you felt comfortable enough to try to scratch behind it’s ear. It let you, and you slowly let out the breath you were holding. Fred and George hadn’t moved at all behind you, and you were thankful for their stillness. The cat hopped out of the crate and made it’s way to rub against your leg. “Aren’t you the sweetest thing,” you said down to it. The cat moved from you and rubbed it’s head on the top of George’s shoe. You smiled softly at the two of them. “I think it likes you, George.” He just smiled back at you as he scratched the stop of the cat’s head. “I think we should take it back to the castle,” you said suddenly. “What?” Fred asked you. “This could be somebody in town’s pet.” “Look at it,” you said, gesturing vaguely to the animal. “It’s very skinny, it doesn’t have a collar. I say it’s a stray. What do you think, George?” “Hmmm?” George looked up at you from the cat. “Why does my opinion matter?” “You’re the tiebreaker,” you told him. He thought about it for a minute. “Mum doesn’t really like cats.” You frowned at him. “Well, it wouldn’t be your cat. It’d be our cat. And I’d be more than willing to bring it home with me on holidays.” George was still bent down, and the cat now had both of it’s front legs on top of one of his knees. “Then I say go for it. It is pretty cute.” You let out a laugh of pure happiness. You bent down fast, careful not to scare the cat away. Hugging George from the side, you squeezed him as tight as you could, almost losing your balance. George felt you both falling and put one hand on the ground fast enough to catch you. “I could kiss you right now, George Weasley. I’m so happy.” You looked from him to the cat in front of the two of you. You watched it as it scratched it’s ear with it’s back leg. You didn’t even notice George freeze completely solid underneath your arms as you said those words. You did kiss him. Quickly on his cheek. He barely even noticed it, but afterwards his entire face lit up almost as bright as your current hair color. As you let go of the hug, George did fully lose his balance, falling completely into the snow. You unwrapped your green and grey scarf from around your neck and slowly approached the cat with it. You were careful when you picked it up, examining it quickly before you brought it close to your chest. You wrapped it loosely in your scarf, hoping to keep it warm. You knew that as soon as you left this alley, the wind would be much worse “It’s a girl,” you told Fred and George as you turned back to them. Fred was currently in the process of helping his brother off the ground. “I think we should name her Minnie.” “Minnie?” George asked as he wiped some snow off his legs. “After McGonagall,” you explained to them. They both laughed at that and agreed. Minnie it was. You quickly handed her to Fred and brought a disposable camera out of your coat pocket. “I wanna remember this moment exactly.” The twins huddled together as you stood in front of them, and Fred held Minnie to the side of you. You took a quick picture, hoping it would look good when you got it developed over the holiday. You slipped the camera back in your pocket and grabbed Minnie back from Fred. “She looks good in Slytherin colors, don’t you think?” you asked, admiring her wrapped in your scarf. You looked at the scarves the twins were wearing. “Much better than that ugly red.” You laughed and dodged out of the way as Fred tried to hit you on the arm. You stepped out of the alley and suddenly felt the wind harshly on your face. Your hair whipped around; you could see that the red had already faded from it. You shivered and pulled Minnie as close to you as you could, pushing your face down into your jacket. Suddenly, there was a flash of red in front of your eyes, and you turned to see George wrapping his scarf around your neck as you walked. You wanted to object, but you felt warm and fuzzy, and you didn’t want that feeling to leave you. “You look pretty cute in that ugly red,” George whispered as he pulled away from you. Knowing your cheeks were now burning the same color as the scarf, you buried your face into it, hoping to conceal the blush. You chose to ignore him, instead looking down at Minnie, who was basically asleep in your arms. You took in a deep breath, taking in the scent of the Gryffindor scarf you now wore. This was honestly the happiest you had ever felt in your life. George fell behind you to walk in step with his brother. “I told you I could flirt back.” Fred grinned at his twin. “Well done, George. Well done.”

[crystxlclear]

sudden desire

chapter nine: how to run from the mess you’ve made!

part ten of sudden desire

synopsis: marcus meets the parents.

word count: you’re crying. this is long. this is so damn long. this is 12.2k words and you’re crying.

warnings: mentions of pregnancy, mentions of periods, alcohol consumption, strong language, angst, the briefest and barely noticeable references to sexy times

author’s note: i have nothing to say except jesus christ it’s so long (also i got hit with that text block limit, so couldn’t even add a gif???? don’t think anything got deleted but i can’t be sure! hopefully we’re okay!) also not beta’d because it’s so long and i’m lazy

“My parents are in town and they want to meet you.”

She breaks it to him over coffee in the early morning. It’s become practice for him to wake before her - her apartment or his, any day, any time - and have a mug of coffee waiting for her whenever she drags herself from the bed, seemingly too sprightly for 7:30, to greet him. It’s become their ritual, over the weeks, stealing moments over sunrise and coffee. Quiet mornings where caffeine and the quiet hum of the city lull them away from the precipice of dreamy delirium. Coraline hides herself behind the familiar mug like he hasn’t seen every part of her soul stripped bare. 

Judging by the look on Marcus’ face, it would have seemed as if Coraline had just told him one of them was dying. The colour has drained from his cheeks, pale, ghost-white and wide-eyed. He coughs, trying to play off his shock and utter bewilderment, and hide the way his jaw drops a little at the notion. “Erm... what?” His eyebrows raise in that almost playful, questioning way, like, reclining back on the sofa and trying to seem nonchalant about the entire situation, attempting to pull at some of his usually-cool demeanour to cover his worry. 

He knows Coraline can read him far too well to fall for it.

“I said-” There’s a small smirk that curves the corner of her lips. She can’t help it. “-my parents are in town-” Coraline leans forward and places her half-drunk mug of coffee on the cluttered coffee table. “-and they want to meet you.”

“They want to meet me? Why not Loren? You’ve known her longer.”

“They’ve known Loren for years and she dated my brother. You, on the other hand, they’ve never met.” Coraline chuckles and cocks her head to the side. She raises an eyebrow at him when his expression remains dumbfounded; or shocked or bewildered. Whatever it is, he looks like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. It’s unusual seeing him like this, without his usual air of confidence and poise. “Besides, you’re my best friend, dumbass.”

“I am?” There’s a swell of pride in his expression, now; it flickers there for a moment, before the uncertainty creeps back in. 

“Of course you are!” She tilts her head. Her hair falls over her shoulder, brushing against her collarbone and the skin of her shoulder where her sleep shirt has slipped down. “You already know that.”

He watches her for a moment. Warm eyes capture her gaze and she can’t tear herself away from him as he searches for something behind her eyes; she’s not sure what he’s looking for, and she’s not sure if she even offers up the answers. “Do they know about-” He motions between the two of them. He can’t find the right words to describe whatever it is between them. He’s not even sure there is a word to describe it. “-the agreement?”

“The baby stuff?” She questions, though she already knows what he means. Sometimes she has to remind herself, out loud, to assure herself that it’s not some kind of strange dream. “No, no. I don’t even know where to start with that.”

“What happens when you do get pregnant?”

“If I get pregnant-” she insists. She’s learnt not to get her hopes up; she’s part of a fickle industry, inevitable disappointment is familiar enough to her, now. “As far as they’re concerned, it was an accident. A very happy, not-entirely-accidental-or-unwelcome accident. That’s all they need to know.”

He exhales sharply and runs his hand over the stubble that covers his jaw. “And if they hate me?”

Coraline has to stifle a laugh against her coffee mug. Her lipstick leaves a half-moon of red against the ceramic. She’s sure she looks ridiculous; half dressed up, makeup done in only half an hour, in the dim morning light of her bedroom, hair still a tangled, pillow-tousled mess and in her pyjamas - or solely Marcus’ shirt and her underwear - from the night before. Still, when she’d entered the kitchen in search of caffeine, he’d looked at her like she was the most beautiful sight he’d ever laid eyes on. Sometimes, he makes her believe that she is. “Are you scared?” She smirks, wiggling her eyebrows. His expression is wavering and it just makes her grin even wider. “Like they could ever hate you.” She thinks that might be the most ridiculous thing he’s ever said. Besides, she’s pretty sure her father would like anyone who made Coraline happy. And, God knows, Marcus makes her the happiest she’s ever been. “You’re pretty damn great, aren’t you?”

He hums out a laugh at her reply. “I try.”

“Look, if they don’t like you- but they will, I guarantee they will- then that’s their loss, and it won’t change my mind about how much I adore you.” She almost cringes at her choice of words; perhaps saying that you adored your best friend - your best friend who you were committed to having a child with, wasn’t the most articulate of choices. Adore was spared for lovers, which they definitely were not. “But, if you really don’t want to meet them, that’s fine. I’m not going to force you. But I just think that- maybe- it would be nice if they knew you before- well, y’know-”

“And you would introduce me as…?”

“Marcus, stop deflecting.” She prods him in the side and his face breaks out into a great beaming smile. “My best friend, hopeful future father of my child, Agent Marcus James Pike.” She clarifies, half-jokingly, with amusement in her voice.

“I’m not sure how well that would go over, Cora.”

She raises her eyebrows quickly then drops them with a resigned sigh. “Best to leave out the baby stuff for now, huh?” 

Her father is her oldest friend. They’ve always been close, a true daddy’s girl since she was two-years-old. He was so damn supportive of her dreams, the one who believed in her all those years ago when it seemed like no one else did. He’s part of the industry; behind the scenes, more into the music that soundtracked her performances than being in front of the camera, and preferring to stick around in not-so-sunny Michigan than move his entire family to California, where the highest demand was. Rather than persuading her against acting, pushing her away from the fickle world that was Hollywood, he wanted her to succeed. He never gave her a leg up or helped, just watched in adoration as she carved her own path.

But this, this was one thing she wasn’t entirely sure he would support. Maybe, if they were lucky, they’d catch him in a good mood. Maybe they’d be able to bring him around to the idea. 

She figured, however, that it was better just to call it all an accident and pretend that a pregnancy wasn’t meant to happen.

“Can you help me with the food? I can’t cook.”

“You can’t cook?” 

Coraline hits him on the arm with the back of her hand, lightly, pouting at him as he chuckles at her half-hearted fake offence. “Shut up, Pike.” Her hand clasps over her heart. “Oh, I’m wounded, I’m wounded.”

He leans forward and drops a quick, fleeting kiss to her cheekbone. His plush lips barely brush gently over the bone yet it still sends coils of searing heat through her chest. A smile blooms across her lips like a flower unfurling its petals. “Sorry, Sunshine.” He grins again as he stands and maneuvers over towards the kitchen. “As much as I would love to watch your attempts at achieving culinary excellence, I’ve got to work all week,” he tells her as he drops his half-empty coffee mug into the sink. He checks the time on his watch - 8:35, just enough time to pull himself together and make it into work - and rolls down his pushed-up sleeves. 

“Take the day off today. Call in sick or something.” She pouts, peeking out over the sofa as he fixes his tie and tugs on his suit jacket. “Help me shop and then prep things and cook and-”

Marcus stops dead as he moves to pull on his suit jacket. “They’re coming today?”

“Did I not mention that?” She squeaks.

“It slipped your mind, Sunshine.”

Coraline sighs and slides back into the thick sofa cushions, letting them swallow her whole. “They’ll be here at six.”

He leans against the wooden kitchen counter, crossing his arms over his chest, and smiles at her with that soft smile that inspires so much comfort within her. “I’ll be here at five.”

“You will?” Her face lights up and she practically leaps from the couch. In Marcus’ eyes, she radiates sunshine. “I’m so, so sorry about this, it was all so last minute because my dad’s been ill, and they were meant to go to Daniel’s instead, but he has to work late and-”

“It’s no problem, Cora.”

She pauses, measuring his expression. “That’s a lie, but I appreciate the support and optimism.”

“Well, there has to be one optimist in this relationship.”

Relationship. Only a friendship.

“Thank you, again,” she exhales tightly, watching as he scoops up his briefcase and keys. After the first month, they’d had the foresight to leave their stuff at each other’s houses; there are three of Marcus’ shirts hung at the edge of her closet and a couple of Coraline’s dresses tucked inside his; spare toothbrushes by the bathroom sink, deodorant on the dresser, shampoo by the shower. There’s no need for a mad, early-morning dash across town, now. Just relaxed mornings with coffee that slowly lure them awake. Marcus is dressed and ready to go, looking as handsome as ever as he checks he’s ready, before he steps out for the day.

“Don’t worry about it,” he insists, flashing her a dazzling, heartstopping smile. He drops a second fleeting and breathless kiss to her cheekbone before sweeping out of the front door.

Thank God for Marcus Pike.

...

He’s far more relaxed than he’d expected when he steps into Coraline’s apartment. His feet are aching and his back is rigid and tight with the weight of the day’s workload, but the comfort of her apartment is indescribable. The air in D.C. had been uncharacteristically hot; the city was thick with the cloying humidity of late-spring, the kind that sticks your clothes to your skin with an uncomfortable insistency. But Coraline’s apartment is a breath of fresh air; the AC is cranked up to ten and he sinks into comfort the moment he steps over the threshold. Perhaps it’s the low hum of music, whispering and slow and crackling gently as the vinyl spins in it’s customary circles, or the homely smell of the citrus and cotton candles she burns. Or, perhaps, it’s just her and the way she hums along to the crooning melody of Jeff Buckley. He wouldn’t mind returning home to this every day. The sight of her, living her life enraptured in bliss, carefree and happy, for the eyes of everyone else.

He knows this record is her favourite - a mismatch of songs that seem to have no reason to be on the same record, but somehow seem so utterly Coraline that he can’t help but think of her any time one graces the radio - but that she only plays it when she’s anxious. It’s one of her tells. And he wonders how long it’s taken for her to relax, how long it’s been since the tense set of her shoulders had finally relaxed and she’d melted into the mindless swaying of her body.

“Welcome home, honey,” her lilting voice calls over the music, in a mock sultry voice. It’s tipped with a carefree giggle and, though he can’t see his face, he knows she’s struggling to smother a wide smile. “Have a good day at work?” She asks without turning to look at him. She’s paying far more attention to what’s in front of her, meticulously chopping vegetables like doing it wrong would spell the end of the world.

“It was fine. Lot of paperwork.” Marcus shrugs off his suit jacket, rolls up his sleeves to his elbows and meanders through towards the kitchen where Coraline is. “What are we making?”

“Erm- well- chicken, I guess?” She can feel the weight of his amused gaze upon her face. “Don’t look at me like that. I bought chicken, I just don’t know what to make with it.”

“One of these days, I’m going to teach you how to cook. Save you from living on takeout and cold food.”

“At least I eat vegetables. Things could be a lot worse.”

He glances over at her, skeptical, as he takes over, surveying the groceries Coraline has lined up along the countertop. She’d bought stuff blindly at the store; stuff she knew Marcus liked, knew her parents liked, knew her nephews would actually eat, and had somehow ended up with two full bags of groceries, half of which she has no idea how to cook. The other half, she has no clue whether Marcus has any use for. Hindsight was a wonderful thing and she’d wished she’d called him at the office to ask what the hell she needed to buy at the store. It’s useful, she assumed, because at least she’s prepared. But there’s definitely such a thing as being over prepared, and it’s almost embarrassing to see the result of her panic buying.

“Cooking’s pretty easy,” he explains, cherry-picking ingredients from the far-too-neatly and meticulously stacked pile and examining them. “Just try not to burn anything.” 

“Okay, okay, Gordon Ramsay. What are we eating for dinner?”

...

Coraline has no idea what he’s made. She knows what’s in it, but what they make, what they taste like together, she’s hopelessly clueless. She’d helped out as much as she could, chopping vegetables, tucking away the things he didn’t need, but he moved around the kitchen with practiced ease. He’s always proclaimed he isn’t a cook - at least, he’s never claimed to be a bad one, or, at least, not as terrible as Coraline seems to be - and they always tend to settle on takeout and quick breakfasts, whenever they’re together, but the way he’d navigated things seems second nature to him. Still, whatever he’s made, it smells good - amazing, in fact - as it cooks slowly in the oven beside them.

Coraline sits atop the counter, legs swinging idly in front of her. She sips at her glass of merlot, restraining herself, wishing she could just down the damn thing and pour another, and another, and another. “Hmm, liquid courage,” she hums as she takes a sip of the crimson liquid. It’s more to herself than to Marcus, though he seems to hear and chuckle to himself, rolling his pushed-up shirt sleeves back down over his wrists and retying his tie that had been neatly folded over the back of a barstool since he came in. 

She feels a little guilty for drinking, though she’d just finished her period, their efforts of trying for a baby seemingly unsuccessful. But the cramps in her stomach are still overwhelming and her eyelids still feel endlessly heavy. Wine seems to be the best - and the only - solution to her situation. Wine and ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. “Want some?” She offers out the half-empty bottle for him when he notices her watching her, settling his tie against the hollow of his throat, neat and proper. 

“I’m good for now.” He refuses, crossing his arms over his chest. His shirt pulls over his back and shoulders when he moves and the curve of his muscles are visible beneath the white cotton of his shirt. “I’d rather be sober when I meet your parents.” 

He’d laughed earlier, laughed at him being so strung up over meeting them. That it wasn’t as if they were getting married, and they were his soon-to-be-in-laws. They weren’t the bearers of brutal bad news or the rulers of Coraline’s life, either. And he knows her well enough that she’s sure she’ll never forget him because her parents don’t like him. And that, if they don’t like him, it isn’t entirely the end of the world. At least, that’s what he’d told her. But it would be the end of the world, to him; she means the world to him, more than she even realises, and they would be the grandparents of their child, after all. They’d be important to them and to Coraline and, if they were anything like Marcus’ parents, they’d love that baby more than the air that they breathed, more than anything else in the world, and more than they ever thought possible. He’s an only child and the bearer of all that love and adoration they had to offer for so long. And he has no doubt that Coraline’s parents feel the same way about her.

“They’ll love you, Marcus,” she insists. Coraline sets her wineglass down beside her on the countertop and leans forward, hands braced either side of her thighs as she glares at him over the rim of her glasses. She wears them whenever she’s stressed; she rubs her eyes a lot - something about fidgeting and idle hands, an unconscious distraction - and contact lenses don’t tend to fare too well when the days drag on and the night arrives. She’s had sore eyes by 6pm far too many times. “You don’t have to worry about it. Just be the same brilliant man you always are and I’m sure you’ll all be best friends in no time.”

He snorts out a breathy laugh through his nose. “Maybe you’ll be bumped down to second place.”

“Hey!” She jabs a finger in his direction playfully and tilts her head, cocking an eyebrow as he smirks at her. “Don’t even joke about that.”

“No one could ever replace you, Sunshine.” His smirk melts into a fond smile, the kind that practically melts her whenever she sees the way his warm eyes revere her, as if she’s a long-thought-lost painting he’s laying eyes on for the first time. She’s quite fond of the way he makes her feel as if she actually means something in the world.

“They better not.” She fakes a pointed glare in his direction. “Good luck getting rid of me now.” She grins, beaming.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he insists, pushing off the counter opposite her to check the time on the oven. He settles back against the counter again, beside her this time. An embarrassing groan almost slips from her lips, involuntarily and likely painfully loud, when she smells his cologne. It blooms out in front of him when he moves, that gentle and familiar scent that she could recognise a mile away. It’s warm spice mixes with the soft scent of his shampoo and Coraline feels the last trickles of anxiety bleed from her as she takes it in. It relieves the terrible tension that holds stoic and unwavering in her shoulders.

“Used to play this song with my band.” He snaps her from her reverie with another revelation, the warmth of his voice only serving to help the winding down of the tension within her. At least with him here, things feel fine again. She’s sure that things will be fine. But she isn’t entirely sure her parents liked Scott too much - not right for her, too unenthusiastic and seemingly full of himself - but Marcus? Marcus is the opposite. There’s no reason why they won’t like him; he’s sweet and kind and considerate and wonderful, cares about her and everything that she does, cares about her happiness and sits to listen without complaint to all her problems and fears. He asks her how her day has been, unprompted. Her dad has only ever wanted that for her, even if this was only in the form of a friend, not in a lover.

“You did?” She raises an eyebrow. Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears plays quietly over the speakers. She doesn’t know what kind of music she’d expected Marcus to make in college, but somehow this isn’t it. When he’d told her about the short-lived tongue piercing and his self-proclaimed ‘punk’ phase, she’d pictured the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, not this soft pop rock that soundtracked her teenage years. It’s a sight she longs to see. now; she can’t imagine anything but sweet, gentlemanly Marcus and his suits, when the edgiest she’d seen him dress being a leather jacket and jeans on his days off.

Marcus has never been one to shy away from that part of his life - he jokes about it all more than she does, the edgy phase of college rebellion, those first years away from home - but she’s yet to see photographic evidence of such escapades. Every time she asks, pleads, eve, batting her eyelashes and smiling as sweetly as she can muster, his cheeks flush and he ducks his head, and brushes off her request with a joke or a second, more appealing suggestion. He has no reason to be embarrassed, though; he’s seen the worst of her, even her ‘goth’ phase in high school, which was really nothing more than her wearing black lipstick everyday for a couple of months. There’s a playful glint in her eyes as she reminds him of the lack of proof. “I’m still waiting on those videos, y’know.”

“I have to prepare before I show you them.”

“Oh, please. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You’ve seen that old horror movie I was in,” she reminds him. The horror movie in question, which ended in her soaked in blood and limping around with an axe trailing behind her, was not the cinematic masterpiece the director hoped it would be. It’s a shame, really, because Coraline watches far too many horror films in her spare time, even the cheesy ones that it’s fun to poke fun at. She’d at least like to be in a good one.

She reaches down to pour herself a second, probably unwise and ill-thought-out glass of wine. Some nights, it only takes a couple of glasses before she’s tipsy and talking shit she can’t seem to control. Marcus sideeyes her, cocking an eyebrow in silent question, but he doesn’t seem to stop her. He doesn’t blame her, and he’ll steal away the wine the second he notices the tell-tale blush of intoxication that blooms across her cheeks.

“I’m not worried about being embarrassed,” he remarks, “I’m worried about you having your mind blown. Have to think of a way to lessen the blow.”

“Oh, is that so?” She chuckles, tipping her head back against the kitchen cupboard behind her head. “Well, I look forward to having my mind blown.” Her face lights up in realisation; her head snaps towards Marcus and she grins. “Can you still play?”

“Oh, yeah. Maybe I’ll show you sometime.” He hums. “

“I’m not worried about being embarrassed. I’m worried about you having your mind blown. Have to think of a way to lessen the blow.”

“Is that so?” She chuckles, tipping her head back against the kitchen cupboard behind her head. “Well, I look forward to it.” Her face lights up in realisation; her head snaps towards Marcus and she grins. “Can you still play?”

“Oh, yeah. Maybe I’ll show you sometime.” He hums. 

There’s a moment of pleasant silence when the music fills the sweet air. The song lulls to a close and the next begins, slow and melodic and easy. It’s one of Coraline’s favourites - Songbird by Fleetwood Mac - and her eyes pull closed as she listens to the mellow chorus of the piano. It tangles with the silence, dancing between the quiet, empty moments. “I love this song.” She sighs, eyes slipping closed.

“Dance with me.”

Coraline snorts out a jolt of laughter. “What?”

“Dance with me, Sunshine,” he repeats.

“Why?” She giggles. Her eyes are still closed as she hums along quietly to the lyrics.

“Because-” She feels him push away from the counter and settle in front of her. One hand curves around her knee, his thumb brushing short, small circles to the inside. “-it’ll take your mind off things,” he insists. 

Coraline cracks an eye open. He’s inches from her, brown eyes almost irresistible, so difficult to refuse when he looks at her like this. The candlelight flickers and turns his irises to pools of amber and gold. “I can’t dance.”

“I’ll teach you.” He states simply. 

She searches his expression for an ulterior motive. Not that she expects there to be one; there never is with Marcus. He never expects anything back in return for favours or good deeds, is just content with his acts of kindness as long as they make someone smile. He holds his hand out for her in expectation.

She takes it.

“Fine. But only one song.”

His face lights up. Like sunshine. “That’s all I want.”

His hands are gentle when they curve around her waist. He holds her close so gently, fingers pressing soft into the plush flesh of her hips, feather-light. Her heart almost stops when she feels his breath against her neck and she can’t help the sharp inhale that rips through her chest. She hopes he doesn’t hear, but she doesn’t think she’ll be that lucky. Her arms slip around his neck; she wants to hold him close, impossibly close, until the cold that always seems to plague her and all of her fear floats away, until they simply don’t exist anymore. 

“What do I do?” She whispers.

“You’ve never been slow dancing before?” He raises his eyebrows in surprise. 

“I did at my wedding but-” She chews on her lip as she ducks her head. His hands hold her hips a little tighter. “-I don’t think his heart was really in it.

Marcus watches her until she finally lifts her head again. Deft fingers the brush the brunette stands of her hair back from her forehead, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. The intoxicating scent of his cologne consumes her again; it’s rich and brilliant and she really isn’t sure why today, of all days, it’s inspiring some kind of wonderful delirium inside her. She figures it’s the alcohol, already too much before her parents arrived, just like she’d feared.

“Well, that’s his loss, Sunshine. Everyone should slow dance at least once in their life.”

He starts to sway along to the music, steady, in time to the dreamlike rhythm of Fleetwood Mac. She tries her best to follow his movements but she still feels like, somehow, she’s doing it wrong. She’s never been a good dancer, even despite the ballet lessons her mom had signed her up for when she was young, but it turns out she’s even worse than she’d thought. She’s not sure how she’s possibly able to get something as simple as slow dancing wrong. Her feet just don’t work in time with the rest of her body.

“Like this?” Her voice is small, almost a squeak.

Marcus’ hand slides into the small of her back, gently pushing her hips closer into him. It’s easier like this, with him closer, to keep in time with his movements. “Just like that.” He whispers against her ear. “You’ve got it.”

She can feel her heart beating at a mile a minute. It’s hammering right behind her ribcage and she’s sure that Marcus is close enough to feel its rapid thumping against his own chest. Still, she melts into his embrace and their movements become second nature. It’s lovely and it’s comfortable and, he’s right, it does take her mind off of her anxious jitters. The sporadic flickers of the candlelight illuminate the contours of his face when she finally drags her eyes up from their feet - she’d been watching their measured movements so she doesn’t put a foot wrong - and they highlight the fondness in his expression. 

“What?” She murmurs quietly, through the melodic silence. He doesn’t answer; his gaze maps out every curve of her face.

The intoxicating scent of his cologne consumes her; it’s rich and brilliant and she isn’t sure why today, of all days, it’s inspiring some kind of wonderful delirium inside her. She figures it’s the alcohol, already too much before her parents have even arrived, just like she’d feared. She fights against the fluttering of her own eyelids. 

“I like this dress,” he whispers, running his fingers over the soft silk material of her summer dress. He holds the strap between his thumb and forefinger and smiles. She’s pretty sure that this is his veiled attempt at trying to distract them both away from their fixed stares. “Is it new?” The soft pad of his thumb brushes against her collarbone; she has half the mind to pull away, step back from where he’s pressed flush against her, but every single shred of rational thought leaves her whenever he gets close enough. Coraline has to keep reminding herself that this isn’t how you’re meant to feel about your best friend, and she can usually manage to push those thoughts aside and remind herself how he feels about her; that he sees her as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

She can only nod, words catching in her throat. It feels as if every inch of her body is closing in on itself, wrapping itself in thick tension that claws relentlessly from inside her chest. “Bought it last week.” She shakes her head clear the best that she can. Goddamn alcohol. Her throat is screaming out for water. Marcus continues running the thin strap of her dress though his fingers, digits unintentionally brushing against her skin. It’s entirely innocent, and he means nothing by it. She isn’t even sure he realises what he’s doing; his gaze is firmly set on her again, brown eyes almost transfixed by her bottle green stare. 

Coraline swallows through the thick lump that labours her breathing. “I-”

She has to admit that she’s more than a little relieved when there’s an insistent knock on the door. Half an hour earlier than there’s meant to be.

Coraline takes advantage of the distraction and untagles herself from Marcus’ featherlight grip, right as the song ends and bleeds into the next, feeling utterly pathetic for the feeling that has poured over her. “Buckle up!” She tries to sound enthusiastic, clapping her hands together, but it almost certainly falls flat. Marcus watches her as she drifts towards the door, like she’s floating on air, despite the awkward shuffling of her feet against the hardwood floors. She turns to flash him a sunshine smile as she reaches for the doorknob - a smile that calms his endlessly restless soul - before she pulls open her front door with an exaggerated grin to let her parents in.

“Dad!” Her sweet voice rings out in joy at the sight of her father, looking surprisingly healthy now and, finally, back on his feet. She’s been calling him everyday, since he’d first been in hospital, months and months of phone calls just to check that he was still okay. She’s immeasurably relieved to see him okay, and smiling back at her.

“Corrie.” He returns her grin - their resemblance is startling when they smile, Marcus notes - and they’re hugging each other tightly. They haven’t seen each other in six months, her parents too busy to visit her and Daniel in D.C. Marcus knows it’s difficult for Coraline, given how close she is to her dad - and her mom, too - and how long she’d battled with herself all those years ago before she’d even moved to California. “Oh, I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” she insists as he releases her from his embrace, and she moves to greet her mom with an equally bright smile. “I missed you both, so much.”

The whole time Marcus is standing there, unsure what to do with his hands. He feels like a teenager again. With that near-debilitating awkwardness that came with meeting his first girlfriend’s parents all those years ago, it’s not too different, now. Sure, he’s much more confident than he was then and he’d grown into himself, much more practiced in meeting new people, talking to people. Hell, part of his job even included intimidating suspects, on occasion. But he feels as if he’d been reduced to the same love-sick, acne-ridden teen, sure that the girl he’d been dating for a week was the one for him. 

(They’d broken up two weeks later). 

“Marcus-” Her voice calling him - always like a song when she calls his name - lures him back to reality. “-this is my dad, Robert, and my mom, Celine. But- but you already know that.” She tells him so much about her childhood, high school, growing up, everything, that she’s sure it seems like he already knows them. He can tell she’s flustered and hiding it behind a vibrant smile. “-mom, dad, this is Marcus.”

“Marcus!” Robert grins at him and his resemblance to his daughter is even more apparent, beyond their smile; the same eyes, the same little creases at the corners when their faces light up, even down to the way their noses jut out a little at the ends, curving upwards, ever-so-slightly. “Glad to see Corrie hasn’t scared you away, yet.” He jibes lightheartedly. 

“Hey!” Coraline calls out in protest as she hugs her mom, swaying side-to-side a little as they greet each other for the first time in months. 

“My darling,” she coos as she holds Coraline close. “I missed you more than you know.”

“I missed you too, mom.”

Robert reaches out to shake Marcus’ hand, with a glint in his eyes at his playful jab at Coraline, and he gratefully accepts. “Glad you could come tonight, I know it was very last minute.”

“It’s not a problem at all, Sir,” he insists. He turns to Coraline’s mom as she approaches with an outstretched hand. She’s never been one for the ‘one-kiss-on-each-cheek’ kind of greeting with anyone but her kids. “Ma’am.” He nods her head a little in both of their directions. His Texan accent comes out far stronger than usual when he greets them. She wonders if it’s a nervous tick he has; she’s never seen him nervous before, he’s never had a reason to be nervous around her, not really. 

“Call me Robert,” he insists. 

Coraline watches on fondly as the three of them — Marcus, and her mother and father —melt into conversation. It comes so easy to him, conversation. He’s a natural with people. She doesn’t know why either of them were ever worried about their meeting; Marcus is great, as always, but sometimes her parents seem to come on a little too strong after a while (she knows Kimmy had been more than a little intimidated by them when she’d first met them). 

They’re already laughing and joking, her father’s hand on his shoulder fondly, like they’ve known each other for longer than a couple of minutes. Maybe it seems like they have; Cora is always annoyingly aware of how much time she spends talking about each of them, especially Marcus, to the other that it wouldn’t be surprising if they could each fill a book with stories she’s recounted to them with delight and fondness. 

“So, Corrie-“ Her father claps her hands together and it almost startles her. She’s been gazing at the three of them chatting for so long that it almost seems weird. She’s glad that it draws her out of it and back to reality. “-what delights are you serving us tonight?” Amusement glints in his eyes. 

“Oh, I see how it is.” She quirks an eyebrow, tilts her head and grins. Her hair falls over her shoulder, a waterfall of waves that brush soft against the curve of her neck. “Tell me, dad, whenever will the wonders of 2001’s Christmas casserole grace our tables again?”

“She’s feisty tonight.” He chuckles, stepping forward to kiss his daughter on the head.

“Actually-” Coraline glances fondly over at Marcus. He and her mom are half in conversation, half watching Cora and her dad’s playful little jabs towards each other. “-Marcus cooked.”

“Oh, thank God. Celine, we don’t have to order in at the hotel tonight,” he calls back over her shoulder and his wife grins at him in amusement, then over at her daughter with such a palpable fondness that it practically radiates from her.

Coraline pokes her dad sharply in the arm with the tip of her nail. “Hey!” She protests, shuffling off into the kitchen, but she can never bring herself to be mad at him. And she can quip back just as easy. “Don’t be rude, we have guests.” 

Marcus’ heart almost stops when she throws a bright smile over her shoulder, curls bouncing against her shoulders and down her back. It lights up the room in its sunshine glory. Though her smile mirrors that of her mother and father, there’s something about hers that reaches her eyes and is utterly brilliant.

He’s sure that it’s the favourite of all the smiles he’s ever seen.

Coraline reaches up to draw the plates from the cabinets. She knows that they have more than enough time to spare before the food is ready, but if she doesn’t keep her hands busy, she worries that she’ll end up panicking again. She’s only just shaken the worries, she’d hate for them to return and for her thoughts to carry on their racing, at a mile a minute.

“How are you doing, kiddo?” Her father’s voice is low though it’s not like Marcus and her mom are listening; they’re laughing, the corners of his eyes wrinkled in that way that Coraline loves. She wouldn’t mind if either of them heard, though. She has nothing to hide.

“Better.” She sighs, a gentle blissful smile. She tries to stop herself from looking too manic, but she can feel a grin threatening to pull at her cheeks. “Much better, now.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” There’s relief in his eyes. It’s soft and endearing, and it seems as if a weight has been lifted from his shoulders when he sees her smile so dazzling, so genuine. His voice drops a little, almost to a whisper. “Marcus seems nice.” 

“He’s great, isn’t he?” She sighs. “He’s really great.”

...

Daniel, Kimmy and the kids arrive right on time. 

Not that they needed them there. 

Marcus Pike is a natural. If even half of him was even the slightest bit nervous when he’d stepped into her apartment that evening, she can’t tell.  

He’d eased his way into conversation with everyone around him, like he’d known them all for years. He’d answered all their questions without issue, made them laugh with his stories and laughed at their jokes, even those of her father’s that made Daniel and Coraline roll their eyes. 

Cora’s apartment isn’t small, but it’s barely big enough to hold all of them, and chaos reigns as Elliot and Finley race around the apartment, tailed closely by their Grandfather. It’s great to see how close they are, close for two boys who see their grandparents over FaceTime more than they do in person. Celine keeps telling him to slow down as she sits with a sleeping and incredibly content Piper in her arms - he’s just got out of hospital, and his lungs weren’t exactly up to scratch before then - but even she can’t help but smile as the boys giggle gleefully when he grabs them and hauls them into his arms.

They’re all still smiling when they sit down to eat, the boys bouncing in their seats just being around their grandparents for the first time in months. Coraline thinks their delight sets Marcus at ease more than he already is; it dissolves any awkward tension, the kind that comes as custom with any first meeting, that may be lingering in the air, and it’s as if everyone around the table are family or old friends, not unfamiliar with the man sat next to her, and, If it weren’t for the worry stirring in the pit of her stomach, making her feel so sick that she feels like she might just throw up all over the floor of her dining room, she’d be smiling just as wide, too. 

But every time her father sees Marcus smile at her or brush past her with the smallest of whispered and sincere apologies, and a large hand splayed gentle across her small of her back, she knows he’s just itching to ask her for every single little detail about their relationship; if they’re more than friends, if they’re together, if anything ever could come of their friendship beyond that. He means well and he just wants her to be happy. But she’s been warning him off asking with his eyes - even insisted in between one quiet moment when Marcus was using the bathroom that they were just that, very close friends and nothing more - but the notion of their agreement has been hanging heavy within her chest. It’s been weighing her down and anxiety has been churning wild inside her stomach. Even the wine isn’t helping; that age-old idiom of ‘liquid courage’ turning out to be a fallacy. If anything, it was only stirring the worry up into a veritable cyclone of terror.

Attention turns back to Coraline, eventually. They’ve drawn all they can from Marcus - what he does for work, where he lives and where he grew up - and Daniel and Kimmy - how the art gallery is going, how the kids are finding their new school (both far too distracted to answer for themselves), how they’re finding their new home now they have Piper - so that left Coraline and the extremely tender and previously untouched topic of her personal life. She knows there’s certain questions that they won’t ask out loud, at least, not with Marcus and the kids around, but she can feel the terrible urge to spill all her secrets growing stronger with each well-meaning but incredibly loaded question that they ask. She smiles through it, answers casually, but eventually the tether snaps and her words come tumbling out before she has a chance to stop them.

“We’re having a baby,” Coraline blurts out. “Me and Marcus,” she adds, like it isn’t obvious who she means. Her words are quick and jumbled but obvious enough that the room falls into a stunned, stifling silence. Everyone seems to drop their cutlery, a chorus of metal against porcelain, to stare at her. “Well- I mean- not yet, we’re- I’m not pregnant, yet- but, I-” She rambles. She’s well aware that her face is burning the brightest red, raspberry flushed across her cheekbones.

Marcus can tell that she’s been practically bursting at the seams since they’d sat down. She’d been shifting uncomfortably, feet bushing along the old rug beneath their feet, bumping haphazardly into his, and he could hear her hands brushing over the soft material of her dress awkwardly. She’s been smiling the entire time, laughing at every joke and embarrassing story her mom tells, though he can tell that smile was beginning to wear thin after a while. When attention turned to her and away from him and Daniel, Kimmy and the kids. The revelation had finally burst out but - despite the momentary look of relief that had flashed upon her expression - she looks even more tense at the reaction of her parents.

“You’re what?” Her father questions, eyebrows raising, words coming out in some sort of awkward splutter. His green eyes dart between the pair of them, sitting across from him, side-by-side and frozen like deers in headlights, Coraline can’t help but notice the way his smile had dropped, immediately, the moment the words had left her lips. His indecisive scowl was stark, in comparison to how he’d seemed before.

“I just-” Coraline takes in a sharp breath. The force of it almost hurts her lungs. “-we’re having a baby together and I don’t know when but we are and I just want you to love Marcus like I do because he’s my best friend and he actually wanted to do this for me- for us- and how often would you find someone who would agree to this kind of thing-”

“Cora, you’re rambling,” Daniel cuts in, voice soothing and low, willing to help her as she panics and panics and panics.

Marcus’ hand finds her underneath the table. She grasps his tight in both hands, tugging it into her lap and clinging to his digits for dear life. His thumb runs those slow, reassuring circles across her skin - the ones that are so gentle they’re but a tickle against the back of her hand - and she finds herself easing into his touch. “Breathe.” His voice is just as comforting as the circles he brushes into her skin.

Neither of her parents talk, just stare, stunned, and the entire table falls back into that awkward, thickened and suffocating silence. Elliot and Finley blink around at them all, confused and not entirely registering what Coraline had said, now what any of this meant. For two boys usually so rambunctious, loud and exuberant, their silence has come at the most uncomfortable of times. Daniel seems to be searching for the right words to say but nothing seems to come close to being the right thing to say in this situation. 

She’s not sure what anyone can say in this situation.

She should have stuck to the whole ‘accidental pregnancy’ excuse, instead.

“It’s just-” Coraline looks over at Marcus for reassurance, though even his warm eyes don’t seem to offer much in the way of comfort. “I want a baby. I really want a baby. Even before the divorce,” she continues, “I just- I want to be a mom and I want a family of my own, so bad. So, me and Marcus are trying.”

“But you’re not together?” Robert Meyer’s finger draws an invisible string between the pair of them. 

“I- no?” Her voice rises high and she sounds ridiculous. She knows that isn’t what he wants to hear. “He’s my best friend-” She clarifies, “-but we’re not together, not like that.”

Marcus has no clue what to say, every word dies heavy on his tongue and nothing seems right. Everything he can think to say would surely only serve to make this a thousand times worse than they already are. The exchange is happening so fast, too, that he wouldn’t even be able to get a word in, otherwise.

“Well, that sounds… lovely,” Celine proclaims and claps her hands together. Coraline is sure that she doesn’t mean to sound insincere, but it still comes out sounding that way. A little sarcastic, almost. If she didn’t know her mother, she would surely be offended, but at least she understands that it was never intended that way. 

But Marcus doesn’t know her well enough to know that.

“And what do you think about this?” Robert’s questioning turns to Daniel. His eyebrows raise and he glowers at him expectantly.

He takes a deep breath, takes in a sharp breath through his nose and leans back in his seat. He manages a smile despite the tension that has settled thick throughout the room. Coraline’s hand tightens around Marcus’ - almost enough to be painful, but he doesn’t care, at this point - when Daniel smiles at his father. “I think it’s a great idea.”

“You do?” 

Marcus hears Coraline sigh at the sound of her father’s incredulity. It’s a resigned sigh, one of those truly gut wrenching and downtrodden sighs that breaks his heart. “I should go,” Marcus leans into her to whisper. “I think I might be making things worse-”

“No, please,” Coraline insists, tugging her hand into her lap so that he can’t leave. He knows, maybe, he should, because her father probably hates him by now. But he’s not sure he could leave her. That, if he were to leave, he’d just end up coming straight back, staying by her side for as long as she needs, until she’s smiling again. 

He loves to see her smile.

“She’s great with kids, why is it an issue?” Daniel questions. 

“And she won’t be doing this alone, I’m in this for the long haul,” Marcus insists. He notices Celine smile at her out of the corner of his eye. Coraline’s hand squeezes his and her breathing levels out, just ever so slightly.

“I have thought about this, dad. I haven’t just rushed into it-”

“We should go.” 

“No, dad, wait, please-“

“I’m not sitting around listening to you try and justify your ridiculous decisions, Cora,” he snaps and she flinches. She’s not sure she’s ever heard him angry before; she’s always been one of those stereotypical ‘daddy’s girls’, could never do anything wrong in her life in his eyes, but now he’s looking at her with so much disappointment and dismay that she just wants to curl up into herself and cry until she’s so exhausted she falls asleep. She hates it, she hates this.

Though she can’t bring herself to regret the decision she’s made with Marcus.

“I could talk to him.” Marcus proposes. It’s quiet in her ear so that only she can here, but no one else is paying attention; Robert is talking to Celine, trying to keep his voice level as she reprimands him for raising his voice in front of ‘a guest’, and Daniel is talking to Kimmy, though he can’t hear what they’re talking about. Coraline leans back into him a little, feeling comfortable with the weight of his shoulder pressed against hers, sturdy and steady and present, but shakes her head in refusal.

He doesn’t want to put his foot in it. He wants them to like him. He wants Coraline to like him.

“I-”

“Dad, come on,” Daniel insists, “Let’s talk about this.”

“Did you know about this? Before tonight?” 

“Robert.”

“Yes, I knew. And I’ll support her. I don’t see what the big deal is-”

“Wow, it’s 8pm already?” He glances up at the clock that ticks monotonous and regular on the wall. He formulates his excuse to leave; Coraline can see it click, it’s obvious in his eyes. “Celine, we have to go,” Robert grumbles as he stands. “Thank you for the meal, Marcus. It was nice to meet you.” Her father may not sound overly sincere - his voice is stiff and his face is unreadable - but at least she knows that he’s polite enough not to take his frustrations out on Marcus. Cora knows, in his eyes, he’s done nothing wrong, and that Coraline is surely the only one he’s mad at because he cares about her and the decisions that she makes that might be terrible for her.

“Boys-” Kimmy turns to her sons. “-why don’t we go and watch some TV, huh?”

They both spring from their seats immediately, charging towards Coraline’s couch, so fast that it’s as if they’re running for their lives. She doesn’t think they were even paying attention to the conversation; when Coraline was younger, she’d never paid much attention to what her parents and family and their friends were saying around the dinner table, more interested in her brothers than their conversations. Finley and Elliot always seemed to be in their own little worlds, too, unless they had questions for someone. In which case, there was no way to get a word in without them shouting their enquiries over you. Thankfully for them all, they’d seemed more interested in whatever they’d been ferociously giggling about than Coraline and Marcus’ agreement, and their grandfather’s sudden and stoic disapproval. They’re probably too young to understand, anyway, beyond the notion of what a baby is. 

“Come on, dad. Don’t be ridiculous,” Daniel speaks up.

“Dad, please.” Coraline stands to face her father but her hands shake and she shuffles uncomfortably. She’s not sure what to say or how to say it, or how the hell to make him stop hating her. 

“I should probably be the one to leave.” Marcus pushes his chair back, gently, in resignation. “You can talk, then-” 

“Oh, don’t leave on my behalf, Marcus.” Robert claps his hand on Marcus’ shoulder like he’s an old friend. “It’s getting late. It’s time for us to leave, anyway.” He turns and smiles at his wife. He holds out his hand to help her up; she takes his hand but drops his hand to cross her arms and quirk an eyebrow at him sceptically. 

“Robert, I think that we should stay and talk about this, rather than running away.” 

He gives a long, sharp exhale of breath. “I can’t. Not tonight. I just- I need to think about this.”

“Dad- I’m sorry.”

“Goodnight, Dan-” He nods at his eldest son. “Goodnight, Coraline, Marcus.”

No Corrie. No nickname. Just Coraline. He hasn’t called her that in a long time. Her full name, when it comes from him, always spells trouble. She’s heard so many jokes about how she can do no wrong in her father’s eyes - it was the same case with her mother and her brothers - but she’d never really believed anyone when they’d said that. Until now. It’s glaringly obvious when he calls out her full name, without the bright smile and sparkle in his eyes. 

Her heart sinks to her stomach and she’s not sure that she’ll ever be able to pick it back up again. 

He’s gone in a hurry. He ruffles his grandson’s hair and bids farewell to Kimmy, all the usual smiles he hadn’t wasted on Coraline and Daniel aimed at them, instead, and heads for his shoes and jacket, and then the door, with such haste it’s as if there’s a fire in the building and he needs to find his way out. The smile he turns to give them all before he opens the front door is barely a whisper of his usual and there’s an ice cold bolt of terrifying lightning that shoots through her, only alleviated by Marcus’ hand on her back. 

“Are you okay?” His lips drop close to her ear. His breath stirs the hair by her neck and cheek, and she can feel the brush of his stubble against her neck and behind her ear. She’s so close that it feels strange when there are so many people around, even if it feels so normal for him to be beside her, like this. She shudders a little at the tickle. She can’t help it. It’s like she’s intoxicated, lost in that haze of worry and fear and the comfort of Marcus as he stands so close behind her.

“I don’t know,” Cora admits. Her voice trembles, even as she tries to keep it steady. Marcus wants to take her into his arms and hold her tight until she’s okay again. He knows he can’t do anything to fix this, but he’d be damned if he didn’t want to at least try. 

“My darling, Coraline.” Her mother’s voice comes soft and soothing and, as she hurries towards her daughter, Coraline has to step away from Marcus. It comes reluctantly, and the cold flash of worry that had spilt over her - like being doused in a bucket of ice - finds its way back to her skin. “He will be okay, I promise you. You will be okay,” she insists. Her delicate hand cups her jaw, thumb brushing over her face reassuringly. “Think this through, talk it over with Marcus, and I will talk to your father tonight. Do not worry, darling, we will sort this out.”

Coraline sniffles, wrinkles her nose and brushes the freshly-fallen tears away from her damp cheeks. She hadn’t even realised she was crying until her mom brushed them away. “Thanks, mom.” She smiles the best she can but it’s weak and pathetic. At least she knows that her mom won’t judge her for her shaky half-smile and watery eyes. She’d been there for all her high school heartbreaks and then her divorce over FaceTime, but she’d also seen her cry over Hot Cheetos and mud on her shirt. Her mom could never make her feel embarrassed for crying over anything.

“Now, come here.” Celine holds her daughter close, brushes her fingers through her hair as it drops over her forehead and kisses her temple, delicate. “You’ll always be my little girl, you know that?” She taps her nose, inspiring a smile. “Think this through, really think all of this through, okay? I will call you tomorrow. Take care of yourself, please.” 

Celine turns to Marcus and smiles a bright smile. “Thank you, Marcus. It was so lovely to meet you.”

“It was lovely to meet you, too, ma’am. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name in Cora’s stories.”

She smiles and squeezes his arm gently. “Please, call me Celine. I’m sorry for tonight, things aren’t usually so tense.”

“Don’t apologise,” he insists. “I’ll look out for her tonight.”

“I know you will.” Her smile is so genuine and sympathetic, thankful and relieved. “Goodnight, my darling.” She hums as she kisses Coraline’s forehead, with the intention of comfort. It seems to work; the rigid set of her shoulders gives way for just a moment, until she watches her leave with about as enthusiastic goodbye as she can muster for her grandkids; even Piper, who’d managed to sleep in her travel seat almost the entire time. Coraline sinks back into him the moment her mom’s figure disappears behind the front door.

She turns to him the moment the door clicks closed. She can’t seem to face looking him in the eyes. Her cheeks feel hot, bright red, and her eyes burn with a thousand unshed tears that she’d stoically been holding in until her mom had taken her in her arms and brushed a hand over her cheek. “I- I- fuck, Marcus- I’m so sorry. This is not how I wanted things to work out-”

“Hey, hey, hey-” She settles into his arms like she belongs there. His arms pull around her tight, keeping her close to his chest. Something about the measured, rhythmic set of his breathing helps to settle her running mind. “-you have nothing to apologise for, Sunshine.” 

She practically crumbles when he holds her. Her hands clutch at him tightly and she tries to stop her shoulders from shuddering. His hand runs up and down her back, fingers brushing delicate against the silk fabric of her dress, soothing the terrible cold that shoots through her at her father’s hostility and the aching weakness that tugs at her chest. He almost kisses the shell of her ear as he whispers his comforting words, but stops himself once he remembers they have an audience. 

Anyone else might misinterpret their actions as more than they are. As more than purely platonic. 

“You’re trembling,” Marcus whispers. He can feel her shoulders shaking against him. It comes and goes, as if she’s trying to hold it in. 

“I am?” She whispers but it’s muffled by his shirt. 

She can only tell that he nods when his chin brushes against the top of head a couple of times. 

“‘m sorry.”

Truth is, she’s freezing cold again. Has been since her father’s disapproval. She hasn’t felt a cold like it since her divorce, the night she and Scott had said their goodbyes for good, and she’d known that it was well and truly over. It had lingered upon her, like a taunting spectre. And it’s a chill that clings to her, holding on for dear life, with the ferocity of a blizzard, and just as unforgiving. His arms hold her close and inspire warmth within her, even for the few moments that he keeps her close. 

...

The night seemed to stretch on for longer than it surely was. Minutes turned into hours, darkness had consumed the streets and everyone had left Coraline’s apartment, save for Marcus and Daniel. 

Celine had texted Daniel to ask if everyone was okay once she and her husband had reached their hotel and delivered the reassuring news that Robert wasn’t really angry, just wasn’t sure where to place his emotions, in response to hearing his daughter was having a child with a man he’d only just met. He didn’t entirely blame him. He’s not sure he would be best pleased, either. Kimmy had left with the boys and Piper a little while later; the kids had somehow worn themselves out watching the TV, so they’d bundled them all down the stairs and into the car as best they could, as they grumbled and groaned out tired protests.

Daniel had stayed behind a little while to make sure that his sister was okay.

Marcus was an only child; he’d always wanted siblings growing up, but his parents never wanted more kids. He’d never felt lonely, when he was a kid - he had great friends, and his mom and dad were his heroes; he owed a lot to them for making him the man he was today - though he’d always wished he had someone to chase around the garden, to complain about the petty things his parents did that no one else would understand. To have someone to look out for, someone to look out for him. He wonders what it would feel like to have someone like that, someone always on his side. He’s always wanted a big family because he never wants his kids to miss out on something that they might want.

He thinks it gives her comfort to know that someone close to her actually supports her, rather than thinking it’s wrong that she’s even considering it. Even as she shuffles, trembling, into her bathroom, to try and wash away the chill, there’s no longer a ten tonne weight on her shoulders, bearing down angry on top of her. 

It won’t help, the hot water. Not in the long run, at least. A temporary solution to a persistent problem. 

She’s not sure she’ll ever be able to shake it.

“You think she’ll be okay?” Daniel questions as he leans back against the sofa, arms crossed tight over his chest, brows furrowed.

Marcus hums. There’s a wistful smile on his face. “I hope so.” He sighs and runs a hand over his jaw, shuffling awkwardly on his feet. “This is my fault.”

“It’s no one’s fault, Marcus. My dad just worries, but he’ll calm down sooner or later.” Daniel tells him. “Did she ever tell you about her first boyfriend?” Marcus vaguely remembers her mentioning him over takeout one night; Kevin or Kyle, some name like that. That they’d dated for barely two months and that he was an asshole, and she’d never really found him attractive. She’d never really given him a reason as to why she’d even dated him in the first place, though. Daniel continues at the sight of Marcus’ acknowledgement. “Our dad hated him. Wouldn’t even let him in the house, said he was trouble and would lead her astray. She was in her rebellious phase so, of course, stubborn as she is, she didn’t listen.”

“Huh, sounds like Cora.” It made a lot of sense. He’s surprised he never even put two and two together when she’d told him the first time.

“He was right though- guy was a total asshole.” He chuckles, short and indistinct. It still doesn’t seem like the time to be laughing, not with the weight of Coraline’s sorrow looming over them. “My dad got over it the next day. But Cora? Found her crying in her bedroom at 3am, worried he’d hate her for the rest of her life. But this- this seems bigger.” It’s like he’s struck down with the realisation. “Maybe she should sleep at ours tonight.” He wonders out loud.

“I’ll stay on the couch tonight, make sure she’s okay,” Marcus insists.

“Are you sure?” Daniel raises his eyebrows, surprised. And it almost surprises Marcus just how ready he is to sleep on the sofa, for Coraline’s sake - albeit, a very plush and snug sofa that he’d napped on before (and, ultimately, faced the butt of Coraline’s ‘old man’ jokes when he woke) - but then, when he really thinks about it, it’s not entirely a shock to anyone that he would be willing to do this. He’s done far more for her in the past. He’s not even sure just how far he’ll go just to make sure that Coraline is okay. Daniel glances back at the sofa he’s leant against and offers Marcus an out. “She can take the guest room at our place, it’s no problem.” 

Marcus shakes his head and smiles. He’s never been so sure of himself. “It’s fine, I’m here for her.”

Daniel tilts his head the same way Coraline does when she’s thinking. The corners of his mouth pick up. “I’m glad she has you.” He sighs and pushes himself up from the sofa. “Thank you for this, Marcus. I’m sorry you got caught up in all of this. We’re not usually so… argumentative.” He huffs out a laugh and holds his hand out for Marcus to shake.

He shakes his head. Families are hard, sometimes. He’s witnessed that himself, first hand. “It’s no problem,” he insists. Marcus reaches for the blanket Coraline keeps folded over the back of the couch, ready to tuck himself under when she’s okay, again. “She needs someone tonight.”

He smiles gratefully. “Well, I best get going. Kim won’t forgive me if she has to do bedtime alone.” He chuckles and reaches out to shake Marcus’ hand again. “Nice to see you again, Marcus. Sorry about all of this.”

He bids Daniel farewell and locks the door. He finishes the last of the washing up, tucking each plate and piece of cutlery away into their designated place, so familiar with Coraline’s kitchen that he doesn’t even need to ask anymore. 

He hears the shower shut off and, a little while later, the shuffling of slippered feet against the tiled floor. Coraline emerges from the bathroom with a towel wrapped tight around her frame, catching the drips of water that cascade down her back and shoulders, far too exhausted to care about him seeing her half-naked, wet-haired and fresh out of the shower. It makes her head spin to realise that he’s already seen more than that, anyway. The blush that creeps up at the thought almost burns her cheeks. She ducks into her bedroom and emerges a few seconds later in her stripey sleep shorts and a well-worn t-shirt with ‘Radiohead’ emblazoned across the chest. “You should get going,” she reminds him. Even her voice is exhausted and he wouldn’t be surprised if the second she tucked herself up in bed, she’d be asleep and dead to the world until morning.. “It’s getting late and I’m sure you have work early tomorrow.”

“I’m staying right here tonight.” He tells her. “If that’s okay?”

“You don’t have to,” she urges. “Not for me. I’m fine.”

“You shouldn’t have to be alone when you’re upset. I’m half of this, too”

There’s a beat of silence. It’s a lot heavier when it isn’t filled with quiet music. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice breaks when she speaks and he can tell that she’s close to tears again.

“Hey, hey-” He takes the few steps closer over to Coraline and takes her face in his hands. He tilts her head back a little, ever so gentle, and smiles at her. “-stop apologising. Not your fault.”

“I- fuck-” She tips her cheek into one of his hands and sinks into his embrace. She closes her eyes and the breath she takes is deep and rattling. “Dinner was great,” she whispers and they’re both grinning at the sudden burst of compliment she utters. 

“My mom’s recipe.”

“Yeah? I’ll have to thank her someday.”

His smile is blissful. “You want to meet her?”

Her head tilts back as she laughs, like it’s the most ridiculous thing in the world. “I need to meet the woman who raised such a wonderful human being. She must be pretty great.” She can’t help the yawn that crawls out of her mouth; she tries to smother it with her hands.

“You need to sleep.”

“Oh, pfft, I’m fine.” She brushes off his concern.

He raises his eyebrows and smirks. “Don’t make me call your mom.”

“Is that a threat?”

“As an FBI agent, I’m required to say no because threatening civilians is frowned upon.”

Coraline scoffs and rolls her eyes, and finally surrenders to Marcus’ suggestion. “Fine.”

Marcus trails her when she wanders into her bedroom. She sets herself down on the edge of her comforter and her shoulders slump again, sinking into herself. He can see that she’s exhausted, tears tearing away at the last saps of her energy, and the shower she’d had does nothing to lessen the puffiness that has settled beneath her eyes. The flush that decorates her cheeks whenever she’s embarrassed paints her eyes, now. 

“I’m sorry again,” she whispers, quiet. 

“Goodnight, Sunshine.” He turns to leave, feet stuttering across the floor and he pauses the moment she calls out for him again. It’s quiet, but in the silence of her apartment, he can’t help but hear her welcoming voice. 

“Marcus-” Her voice is thick in her throat and she struggles to find her words. They seem to die in her throat. “-will you stay?” She manages to ask, finally.

He nods, smooths back her dishevelled hair from her face and leans down to kiss her forehead, a sweet and simple gesture that she appreciates beyond belief. “I am. I’ll be on the couch if you need me.”

“No. Marcus.” She reaches for him. His arms, his wrist, his fingers. She finds purchase at his fingers and entwines the digits together. She’s peering up at him through her lashes, looking at him with expectation. “I mean- will you stay, please? Here- I need you here-” Coraline’s voice is small and quiet, timid and unsure. It’s a request that seems to terrify her, but all she wants is him to be here and to hold her, and to make her feel like things might actually be okay, even if right now she’s struggling to see how anything positive could come out of her dad - the first person to ever make her believe she could do anything she set her heart on - likely hating her, right now.

“Please don’t leave me,” she whispers as she presses her and Marcus’ clasped hands against her cheek. He feels the gentle curve of her nose brush against the inside of his wrist when she nuzzles herself closer into his touch. “Please.”

He moves to unlace their fingers and her hand drops into her lap. She’s about ready to cry, convinced that - after hearing her father’s reaction to their agreement - he’d been scared away, well and truly. She can feel the tears burning behind her eyes, threatening to spill over her lashes and down her face, and she’s sure she’d look utterly pathetic, with hot tears carving a scorching path down her cheeks. But his hand finds her cheek again, soft and tender and without the obstruction of her hand, this time. Brown eyes gaze down at her and warm her soul. His thumb brushes delicate over her cheekbone; she only realises she’s crying, then, when the rough pad of his thumb swipes wet across her skin. 

“I could never leave you.” His voice is low, smooth like honey. He leans down again, to press the most fleeting of kisses to her forehead, before he’s holding her close. Marcus lays her down beside him, chests pressed firm together. He can feel each shaky breath she exhales as her hands bunch into his shirt. She tugs him closer, somehow.

Coraline tilts her head up towards him. “Thank you,” she whispers, unbunching one fist from his shirt to reach up for this cheek, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. They spend a moment gazing at each other; merely a heartbeat that seems to stretch on for a lifetime. But, in reality, it doesn’t last long before she ducks her head again, presses her cheek against the soft cotton of his shirt - surely terribly uncomfortable to sleep in, though, at least he doesn’t have his tie on - and thanks God that he’s here, holding her so close and so gently. She’s not sure she could deal with this alone, without him here to hold her. She feels the lingering couple of kisses that he leaves against the top of her head.

Her breathing evens out and she settles comfortable against him, and her dreams have taken over before she can hear the ‘I love you’ that he can’t contain any longer. He’s never said that out loud, never even admitted to himself that maybe that’s how he feels. And he knows he’s in too deep, deeper than he ever thought he would be again, deeper than he ever thought he’d let himself get again, and he reconciles his feelings as he lets sleep and the gentle tangle of her limbs around his consume him.

[earthfire-75]

I don't know what to say about it,

When all you ears have turned away,

But now's the time to look and look again at what you see,

Is that the way it ought to stay?

Kashmir

Chapter Two, Part One:That’s the Way (Sleepwalking)

(Author’s notes: co-written with @nature-and-music and beta’ed by @lady-jane-revisited )

I woke up the next morning and got out of bed. It was then I realized that I was indeed in a bed, when I had fallen asleep on the couch. Robert must have moved me when he came up to the room. I shook my head and went back out into the main room to get my clothes, quietly and quickly getting dressed. Sure enough, there was Robert in my place on the couch. I took the room key once more and made a dash out to the hall. Unfortunately, I was stopped by Cole.

“Enjoy yourself?” He asked sarcastically. “Honestly, though, I figured you’d be coming out of Jimmy’s room. Since he found you and all. Such disloyalty.”

“Do you actually know what happened last night, or are you just talking out of your ass?”

“I know how things work around here, girl. More than you do. It would have been bad enough if you had been with Jimmy. But Robert? That just looks bad for you. Half the other roadies already think you're getting special treatment just because you’re a girl. Myself included. This? Just reinforces that assumption.”

“I’m sorry, should I have slept out in the hallway? You know what, I don’t have time to stand here and justify to you where I slept last night. I have things to do before I officially start my job this morning. If you’ll excuse me.”

I stepped forward, trying to walk past Cole, but he stuck his arm out to stop me from leaving. Thankfully, before he could say anything further, G came around the corner. Less fortunately, Rogina was right beside him. It seemed they had been talking, but stopped upon seeing the scene in front of them. Rogina came to my side, glaring up at Cole, but it was G who spoke.

“Is there something wrong?”

Cole immediately dropped his arm and straightened his posture. “I was just explaining to the newbie that employees don’t sleep with the band. Even if she is a girl.”

G’s eyes narrowed at Cole. “I wasn’t asking you.”

“And I was explaining that it’s none of his damn business and I got a couple of things to grab from the drug store across the way because I currently have no toiletries or anything to pack my stuff in.”

“You’re right, it isn’t any of his business. That being said, you were supposed to get everything you needed yesterday.”

“I know and that’s on me, but everything was so rushed yesterday. And I know it’s not going to be any less so today.”

G sighs but nods. “Five minutes. That’s all I can give you, my dear.”

“You’re just going to let her go?”

“Yes, and if you’re the reason she’s late coming back because you refuse to get out of her way, not only will you be picking up her slack, you can carry her things as well!” G boomed at him.

Rogina piped up beside me, “I’ll go with her, help her get what she needs so it goes faster.”

Cole just threw his hands up and stepped to the side. “Fine!”

Rogina roughly bumped her shoulder into Cole as she walked past him, glaring daggers at him before we headed to the elevator. We were silent for some time as we made our way to the drug store across the street.

Rogina grabbed a shopping basket, “Sorry that you had to go through with that Anj. Cole’s always been fucking prick that loves to cause trouble.” She tossed in hair brush, “If he or anyone gives you trouble, let me know.”

I smiled as I added in shampoo and conditioner bottles, “Thank you. I’ll be okay, I can handle him.”

Rogina sighed as she placed a tube of toothpaste in, “Well let me know if he does anything, okay?”

“I will. Come on, we better hurry.”

We had managed to grab what we could during those five minutes. Having her here was great, given the time crunch and that she could help me find the necessary items that I would need, plus a backpack to my belongings. She offered to help pay for some of the items, but I let her know that I could take care of it. Once we were done, we hurried back to the hotel and found everyone in the lobby. G and Bonzo were conversing with Cole, their arms were crossed as they stood before the bearded man.

Robert spotted us and walked over, “There you are, is everything alright?”

I nodded, “Yeah, I just needed to get a few things-”

“No I mean, I heard about what happened this morning. G told me. I’m sorry Anjelika,” he continued.

“Really, I’m okay Robert. Besides he can say and think whatever he wants to,” I assured him. “I doubt he’ll be much of a problem anyway.”

Robert’s eyebrows pulled together, “Even so-”

G’s voice bellowed, “Alright everyone, make sure that you have what you need! It’s time to head out!”

And with that, we all grabbed our stuff and made our way out to the buses.

Robert had been kind enough to already have my things with his, so I was able to quickly transfer it all to the backpack. He mentioned something about needing a bag for my dresses so they wouldn’t get all wrinkled, but I didn’t have time to respond, quickly closing up the backpack and getting on the roadies’ bus. At least the trip to the venue wasn’t all that long.

Once there we got out and started unpacking the equipment to take inside and set up while G took the bands to go talk with the venue owner and crew. The whole process took quite a few hours and we took a break for lunch before resuming. We finished about three hours before the show was to start and slowly, everyone else left the stage.

Alone at last, the other roadies, Cole included, left the stage after everything was set up, I went to pick up the acoustic and sat at one of the stools and began to play. I didn’t know it, but I was being watched by Robert and Jimmy at one side of the stage, Rogina on the other.

“Life detaches

Much less loved

A taste familiar

But watered down

And each day passes

Into the next

Like television

Flickering unseen”

“She sounds so sad,” Robert whispered to Jimmy.

“She sounds…lost,” Jimmy responded thoughtfully. “There’s something else, too. I get shivers whenever I hear her sing.”

“I breathe

But I don't often think about it

Anymore

It's become a habit

Those embers fragment

That fire was

Just a fracture

In the ice“

Bonzo came up behind Robert and Jimmy. “Hey, guys!” Robert and Jimmy shushed Bonzo at the same time.

“Okay…” he responded in a whisper. “But why are we watching Anjelika like a bunch of creeps and whispering about it?”

“Do you hear me?

Can you hear me?

Do you hear a voice from my side?

Sleepwalking“

“Because,” Robert whispered sadly, “I don’t think she would keep doing this if she knew she was being watched.”

“She’s turned down every opportunity to play in front of an audience, even as a backup. But, for me, it isn’t just that. I get the feeling she isn’t telling us everything.”

“And poetry

Fills an empty room

With science broken

And confused

And my desire...

Becomes a pacifier

I need to feel

Alive & awake”

“Everyone is allowed some secrets, Jimmy. You, of all people, should understand that,” Bonzo said pointedly.

Jimmy finally looked at Bonzo with a raised eyebrow. “You know something we don’t, don’t you?”

“Do you hear me?

Can you hear me?

Do you hear a voice from my side?

Sleepwalking”

“S’pose I do?”

“Care to share with the class?

“Not my story to tell, Jimbo,” Bonzo shrugged .

“Something aging

In the water

In the damage

To my soul

The wishing fire

Is still alive

And I think his heartbeat

Will not die

How can I give

Anymore of my life

Away…”

“Fine, keep her secrets too.” Jimmy walked away.

Robert and Bonzo sigh and shake their heads at their friend. Both of them know that Jimmy won’t let it go so easily. He never did.

“Do you hear me?

Can you hear me?

Do you hear a voice from my side?

Sleepwalking.”

“I just want her to be ok. No, more than that, really. I just…don’t know what to do.”

From her side of the stage, Rogina finally stepped out of the shadows toward me, a broad smile on her face. “That was beautiful, Anj. Robert’s right, you really should show off your talent.”

I smiled and ducked my head, given that my face was red. She had been nothing but good to me and for some reason, I had a harder time resisting her charms. Not that it was easy resisting Robert’s. Instead of answering her, I started to play again, something that might be more familiar to her. Tom Petty’s Breakdown, even taking on the singer's more southern dialect.

“It's alright if you love me

It's alright if you don't

I'm not afraid of you runnin' away, honey

I get the feeling you won't”

“There is no sense in pretending

Your eyes give you away

Something inside you is feeling like I do

We said all there is to say”

“Baby, breakdown, go ahead and give it to me

Breakdown, honey, take me through the night (baby, baby, breakdown)

Breakdown, now I'm standin' here, can't you see?

Breakdown, it's all right”

“It's all right

It's all right”

The next thing I knew, Rogina sang along with me as well. Her singing started out softly at first until she reached the chorus and her voice came out strong and powerful like a mountain. While I was familiar with Daltrey’s voice, to hear it before me was something else. As we continued, we found ourselves singing in such a lovely harmonious manner that the world around us seemed to have stopped.

The song came to a close, she placed a hand on my shoulder, “You have a great talent Anjelika.”

“Well compared to you, I seem like more of an amateur,” I joked.

“No Anj, your voice is lovely and so is your playing. That song you were singing before, I’ve never heard of it.”

I looked down for a moment, “Oh it’s just a little something that I’ve been working on.” I stood up from the stool and placed the guitar down, “I better get back to work.”

“Anj-”

I had already made my way off the other wing, only to see Robert, Bonzo, and Jimmy there. My face was flushing as I walked past them. I felt like such an idiot! What on earth was I thinking? The show was to start fairly soon and I had a job to complete. The ticks on the clock continued as everything from lighting, technical matters, clothing, and the instruments were put into place. The doors to the stadium opened and the fans made their way inside. The more dedicated fans were attempting to do what they could in order to get as close to the band members as possible. Security was already on the matter and they kept their composure as they desperately hoped to catch a glimpse of their idols.

I walked through the hallway with a black coffee in hand, hearing the echoes of varying conversations going on between roadies. I would offer a smile as I passed by, some would offer one back, others would give me a look of disdain. Cole was within my sights and so I kept my eyes facing forward. I kept my distance from him as I moved out of the way.

Cole blew a cloud of smoke in my direction, “On your way to give ol’ Plant a little ‘warm up session?”

I kept my back to him, “Why don’t you go do that yourself? Since you seem so keen on the idea.”

G walked over, “You two ladies fighting again?”

Cole answered back, “Actually I was just about to check on the boys.”

G raised a brow as he watched him walk away, “How are you doing Anjelika?”

“Well things seem to be going well for my first day.”

“Good. Now since this is your first night, I don’t expect you to know everything that happens. You might feel a little confused about how we do things at first, but you’ll learn pretty quickly.”

I nodded, “So how long do you think tonight’s show will be?”

G took out a cigar and lit it, “I reckon about three and half, four hours tops. I’ll have you out on the wings to help with instruments for right now. I want to see how you do tonight, then I’ll add more duties to your list.”

“Thank you Mr. Grant.”

I felt a gloved hand on my shoulder. Following the black leathered glove, I was greeted with the sight of Alice Cooper wearing a leather ensemble. His eyes and sides of his mouth were marked in his signature look.

“How do I look?” He asked

“Like a freak,” I answered with a smile.

“Why thank you,” he responded kindly with a genuine smile. “See you after the show.”

He and his fellow bandmates excitedly made their way down the hall, ready with their instruments in hand. They greeted the cheering crowd with the first notes and so the first act of the show began.

I gave all the support I could from the sidelines and adjusted guitars, restringing them when needed. His act lasted for a little under an hour and I gave him a hug in congratulations when he came off the stage. The Who were next and as Rogina passed me, I gave her a hug as well and a kiss on the cheek, despite my better judgment. “For luck.” I explained with darkened cheeks when she gave me a questioning look.

“Thank you,” she responded with a smile, then headed out onto the stage to join her bandmates. Halfway through their act, Rogina made some anecdote about life on the road and as a woman in rock music. She mentioned me, though not by name and dedicated the next song to a “special someone”, all the while looking at me and began to play ‘Love Ain't for Keeping’.

When their act was done and Rogina came off the stage, she came up to me and gave me a proper, if chaste, kiss before going back to the changing rooms. Then it was time for Zeppelin, the last act for the night. I hated how heartbroken Robert looked as he walked past me on his way to the stage. I had been so worried about getting my own heart broken…

“Wow, Anj…Rogina too? And poor Robert had no idea, did he?”

“Shut the fuck up, Cole,” I seethed.

“Or wha-“

I was beyond done with the man, if he could be called one, I whirled around and decked him, knocking him to the floor. Standing over him now, I took a fistful of his shirt and hauled him into a sitting position and got in his face. “You really need a lesson in minding your own fucking business. Do yourself a favor and keep Rogina’s name out of your mouth and the next time you decide to butt into my life outside of actual work, I’ll shove my foot so far up your ass, you’ll be eating my steel toe boots!” I hadn’t realized it, but my eyes were glowing as I spoke.

I stood back up to find G standing there, but he didn’t say anything to me, just gave me a nod and I went back to doing my job. G had security take Cole to another room to get looked at and bandaged up as his nose was bleeding a little.

I marched into the hallways, grabbed myself a beer, and found an isolated area to sit and cool down. The day hasn’t ended yet and Cole continues to be a nuisance. I had hoped that after today he would have gotten the message. I heard the sound of footsteps approaching and quite frankly I wasn’t in the mood to talk. At this point I didn’t care who came over, I was angry and I needed some time to be alone. Yet my ears perked up when I heard a familiar voice.

“Anjelika,” Rogina softly called. “Are you alright?”

She took a seat next to me, but I scooted away, keeping my eyes on my beer, “I’m fine.”

“I saw what happened from the changing room.”

I uttered under my breath, “So? It’s resolved, let it go.”