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#but maybe if i’m bored someday
bepomepo33 · 7 months
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An unfinished lethal company drawing I was making. I dunno if I’ll ever actually finish so I’m just putting it here :p it’s been around a month and I just remembered its existence.
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k-issclub · 2 months
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Good to see you on my dash again
it’s nice to be a menace here again:)❤️
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goldensunset · 1 year
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the besties hath spoken and determined this is a good character design so i’ll share with the class
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fractallogic · 2 years
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You know, I haven’t fully wrapped my head around how I’m going to incorporate it, but I had a great idea for this grant proposal that’s making me very excited
Because I think. finally. I will be able to justify testing arabic-speaking children. I will get to find out what kinds of errors THEY make learning my arabiclike made-up language.
And plus I’m realizing that I like portland more than eugene, and oops, the two Islamic schools and the one Arabic-medium school are all in the portland area oh no I will have to spend so much time in portland if I get this grant oh well
…plus I just really want to be able to stay in one place for three more years, and let scone live in Oregon like he’s really wanted to for YEARS.
I love arabic and I love my pastry and I love how kids do language. I am very excited about this part of the project and I just. The likelihood of it happening is vanishingly low. But it’s more likely to get this grant than getting a TT job. So.
#a ~10% hit rate for grants sucks yes; but compared to the ~0.5% hit rate I’ve had for prof jobs…#also new PI maybe you can support me for a year like you suggested you might be able to in a lab manager-cum-postdoc kind of role#that would be great. I would do that too.#I will happily continue leaning on my network to keep me in academia#as full of toxic bullshit as it is. sigh.#it hurts to feel like I’m so full of promise and so good at what I do and for some reason everything is just arbitrary#maybe I get to do this study; maybe I get to HAVE A JOB#like even working with this PI; everyone before has been all ‘mmm idk that doesn’t sound like a good use of resources’#and so I was like oh okay this is never gonna happen that’s fine#but I’m talking to her one day (because when you get the chance to chat with the dept head you should!)#and she’s like ‘but wait why would it be not a good use of resources? I think this is potentially an interesting idea#so write me up a proposal and we’ll see if we can flesh it out some more!’#so even the answer of ‘sure!’ to ‘maybe I can do this study… maybe’ I’d foreign and strange#same thing for this hockey concussion etc stuff#like I say ‘this is my INCREDIBLE pie in the sky idea; maybe someday#…but seems unlikely’#and my current PI goes no yeah wait here are some things I’ve thought about in that direction#…and I happen to live next to retired NHL players… but it would be very weird of me to ask them so can’t do that right now; but future!!#and so I’m just walking around UO going ‘wait I really can just. do things? people are interested in my ideas?’#(please remember that at a formative time in my research upbringing my advisor called me boring and also that he might not pass me#and like. you get rejected from research jobs and TT jobs and grants and everything#so it’s no WONDER I’m like ‘ah yes my ideas are stupid and boring and why would anyone else be interested in them!’ like any academic is)#anyway it’s amazing how little we as academics ask for#and still get told lol no that’s very extravagant of you#because it’s supposed to be a ~vocation~ and a ~calling~ so we should live like monks#but you know what monks are actually respected members of society and have food and shelter and care provided to them#so yeah if you want me to be a monk of linguistics then you need to fucking treat me like one
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wolfstrong · 2 years
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Fighting the urge soooooo hard to watch zombie musical clips right before bed cuz I know that shit will be stuck in my head forever and I won’t be able to sleep
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Breakfast Time
My son’s stuck in a time loop again.
He thinks I don’t know, of course. He’s never told me that this happens to him (or that he can do this, possibly; I’m not sure which it is.) Maybe I’m a bad mother, if I haven’t proven myself worthy of that trust. But there is only so many times that one can watch their son trudge through a day with bored impatience, anticipating everything you say just a little too quickly and showing no surprise to even the most surprising event, and then come downstairs the next day disoriented but rejuvenated and with a new zest for life and a tendency to get blindsided by even the most predictable things, before one makes the obvious connection.
I don’t think he’s lived through this day too many times yet, because he’s not frustrated by my good morning joke but not surprised by the monster attack being announced on the news. He eats his toast makes polite conversation that sounds just a little too rote until his sister comes down, and he puts his toast down in that distinctive way that make her eyes widen in sudden realisation, a reaction I never would have noticed if I wasn’t looking for it. He told her about three time loops ago, I think, although it might’ve been earlier and I just never noticed the signal until then. I make sure to keep the smile on my face as I push a plate of toast towards her.
The thing on the news is some kind of flying beast, and my son’s eyes don’t leave the TV screen. I expect that calm, solid determination that I usually see in his expression on days like this, but instead he watches it only with a wary sort of calculation. I suppress a sigh – it looks like I won’t be remembering today, then.
The pair exchange glances and look to me. “Hey, mum, I figured we should go to school early. We’ve both got these big tests coming up and – ”
“Yes, fine, whatever. Go.” I know what you’re thinking – obviously they’re off to do something dangerous, and obviously they’re far too young for this sort of thing, and obviously I shouldn’t enable this, and I’m a terrible parent for letting them run off to maybe get themselves killed someday. But I put this to you:
How, exactly, do you expect me to stop them?
As my son heads for the door, though, I almost stop him. I consider, not for the first time, just telling him what I know, what I’ve figured out, and asking him to explain everything, to say where he’s going and what he plans to do about that thing and if his sister is involved and if they at least have help, to put my mind at ease. I don’t, though. Because, logically… I must have done that before, right? In at least one of the countless days that never happened. I must have gotten worried or angry or just fed up with this ridiculous charade and told him that he wasn’t as good at hiding as he thought he was. He has to know that I know, right? And yet, he still chooses to let it play out like this.
Or, perhaps, he told me once. That must have happened, right? I must have been there to help, to patch his wounds and dry his tears and listen to him confess his fears or his worries or his regrets about this big responsibility, about whatever he’s doing out there. He must have told me, at some point, at least once, in one of those nonexistent days. And afterwards, he chose not to tell the me that stuck around. Meaning that I must have given him some reason to keep this secret.
What did I do to him? What did I say to him? How bad a confidante must I have been, that he chooses instead to keep me in the dark?
They leave, they ‘go to school early’, and I start on the dishes. As I wash my daughter’s breakfast crumbs away, the plate slips from my fingers and shatters on the tiles at my feet. I sigh, and turn to get a broom.
Then stop. Pick up all the other dirty plates. And shatter them, one by one, on the tiles.
Then I leave the mess behind me, pull a full tub of rocky road ice cream out of the freezer, and resolve to spend the day eating junk and watching youtube videos. After all, it’s not like it’s going to matter tomorrow, right?
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devilishdelights · 2 years
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I swear some ppl spit out fully fledged art like three times a day. How
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drak3n · 10 months
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TATTOO ARTIST/PIERCER!CHOSO
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CONTENT WARNINGS: unestablished relationship, smut, public sex, mentions of body modifications, cunnilingus, implied blowjob at the end, choso has a prince albert-, tongue- and a vertical eyebrow piercing
sena’s note: i know there’s a lot of tattoo artist choso already but i folded — anywaysss up next is my man gojo 🖤
MINI-SERIES MASTERLIST
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➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who was very well-known for his talent despite being so young; who was always pretty gifted with his hands and used peoples’ skin like a canvas, gracing it with the prettiest designs, simple and small, or detailed and large
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who shared a studio with a few fellow tattoo artists and piercers, but had a goal of having his own studio someday
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who had just finished a 5h back piece on his last client and walked towards the front desk to retrieve his cigarettes and take a break, just for his hooded, brown eyes to set on you
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who saw you standing next to your friend and encouraging her to hand in her data sheet for her tattoo, and who watched as your friend was immediately guided into one of the rooms by a tattoo artist, just to leave you all by yourself
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who came back from smoking minutes later to see you sitting on one of the leather seats, flipping through pages of the shop’s magazine that showed many different designs of tattoos, and also piercings
“you want to get anything done?”
nearly flinching at the cold voice sounding a couple of feet away from you, your eyes met choso’s, who was leaning against the wall, revealing fully tattooed forearms through his loose-fitted t-shirt. he looked very… unique, to say the least.
“oh, no, i’m just waiting for a friend,” you smiled kindly, “she’s getting tattooed right now. think it’ll take some time.” you felt guilty that you stared at the man like he was some kind of alien. his features were just really captivating, the plethora of tattoos peeking out from his short sleeves and from the collar leaving little to the imagination that they continued even beneath that shirt.
his eyebrow tattoo shone under the light, but when he opened his mouth, your jaw nearly dropped at the sight of a tongue piercing.
you suddenly remembered what they said about guys with tongue piercings, and felt deeply ashamed about getting such thoughts about a hot stranger.
“come,” he invited you towards the room he usually worked in, “you’ll get bored here. you’ll get a piercing on the house.” he didn’t know why he offered that. maybe, just maybe it was because he didn’t want the other piercers and tattoo artists to charm you first.
at the end of the day, you left the studio with your freshly tattooed friend and a pierced nose.
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who hoped you’d walk in again, and whose shoulders nearly slumped in disappointment upon seeing your friend coming in by herself a few days later to get her tattoo checked, without your company
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who — totally on accident — saw that the studio had been tagged in multiple stories on instagram, one of which being yours, a spontaneous picture taken of your side profile that showcased the gem he had pierced into your cute nose
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who absolutely didn’t follow you after that, just to see mere minutes later that you did, and before he could stop himself, he followed you back
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who really wasn’t the best texter, which left you wondering if you should even try and talk to him at all; whose eyes went wide in surprise when you waltzed into the studio to get your thigh tattooed weeks later
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who showed you that same day how it felt to get eaten out by someone with a tongue piercing
“c—choso… fuck— what if someone—”
your hand clamped in front of your mouth to stifle a moan threatening to force itself out when the ball of metal on choso’s wet muscle bumped against your bundle of nerves. you were seated on the couch he’d previously tatted on, both of your bare legs thrown over his shoulders as he feasted on your delicious pussy.
“let them,” he spoke gruffly into your cunt as his tattooed hands dug into the underside of your thighs. he didn’t hide the smirk displaying on his lips at the way you drooled from the sensation of his piercing coolly gliding against your wet pussy lips.
“c’mon. use your words. i’ll let you cum if you do.”
“pleasepleaseplease let me cum… please choso.”
“cute. you want to feel what the piercing on my dick feels like?”
➩ TATTOO ARTIST!CHOSO who totally did make you beg on his thick dick adorned with a shiny prince albert piercing, and who couldn’t even be mad at you when you flashed him a tongue piercing you had gotten at another studio to surprise and make him see stars just like he’d done for you
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myouicieloz · 6 months
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Comatose
Ning Yizhuo x Reader
Synopsis: you and ning have been best friends ever since you could remember. but she’s been distant lately, and you can’t help but wonder where does she go to every single night.
Warnings: cnc (? maybe?). smut. nsfw.
Word count: 4.8k
Notes: I’m trying to get into darker themes for 2024. writing different prompts, challenging myself. I apologize if I it’s off putting. pls say something if it is!
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Ning Yizhuo was a good girl.
She never skipped classes, never talked back or raised her voice at elders, never missed a day of bible school, and never forgot to flicker the lights in her room whenever you were going to sleep.
Yet, she earned for more.
She was ambitious. Has always been, ever since she was a little girl. She’s had this feeling in her chest for ages, a clear warning that she was born in the wrong place: she didn’t belong in this small town, surrounded by rich fuckers that did nothing but label people and gossip all day. She was more than a close-knit community that lived off balls and charity events to make up for the fact that everyone who lived there were scrumptious, vile people. Those people did not represent herself at all.
Someday, she’d be truly free of the chains that tied her to this place.
For now, she was content enough with adjusting the helmet in her head, hopping on her bike to seek things that would make her forget about the life she lived, even if just for one night.
“And where is Mrs. Yizhuo once again, Y/n?” Your teacher’s voice echoed harshly from behind you, as you positioned your hands on the piano to start your lesson for the day.
“She’s sick, Mrs. Lee.” You straighten your posture, hoping to get more credibility. “She took many meds this morning. I think she’ll be sleeping all day to recover. I’m sorry.”
The teacher gives you a knowing look, but says nothing once you begin to practice the same songs over and over, until your fingers hurt from the repetitive movements.
You send Ningning several messages as soon as the woman looks away. She’s your best friend, of course you’d cover for her even without her asking for it. Although you don’t think she cares, anyway.
She’s been acting so different lately. Like somebody else; a different girl, different person. It was as if you didn’t know her at all.
You’ve been next-door neighbors ever since you could remember, always there for each other. That, along with the fact that your parents are part of a close-knit friend group that has been friends ever since high-school, made it easy for her to be your other half, your soulmate. Her house was right next to yours, and you’ve developed a habit of checking if her room had the lights on whenever you were anxious. Ning was your best friend, and you did everything together: from hanging out at each other’s houses to attending choir and piano lessons every single day.
That was until she changed. Suddenly, she was distant: disappearing out of nowhere, not answering any of your calls and texts all day and coming back dirty, sweaty and breathless — her hair stinking with smoke. The only thing you could rely on was the flickering of her bedroom lights, every single day when the clock hit your bedtime. You were rigid with your routine, and Ning knew that. She’s never missed it, and it comforted your heart, somehow. To know that deep inside, she was still your Ningning.
You often had to make up lies wherever you went, making up endless excuses for her absences, but at some point, it got unsustainable— she stopped showing up, without saying anything to anyone. Ning wore all black, with tight skirts and black stockings, and often had a bored look on her face, silently challenging anyone to come at her and say something.
No one ever did, obviously. People merely stared as she passed by, disdain etched on their faces.
You knew she hated living in a small city, although, you didn’t mind living so yourself. There was something comforting in knowing everyone, and oddly enough, you felt safe to feel there was always a pair of eyes watching out for you — not watching you, no. Well, people could do that, too: be excessively mean and controlling at times, but you know how to set your boundaries well. You played your part, being a former straight A student who was now attending the local university, with plans to join your step-father at the architecture company he owned, once you were done with your studies. You had been the perfect little debutant, and could always be found next to your friends or your parents at the charity events and lavish galas hosted by the community. You couldn’t say it wasn’t suffocating at times, but it wasn’t like you completely hated it.
Clearly, you were unable to say the same for Ningning. What had stirred this change inside of her? Your chest burned every time you thought about it, eager to know. You yearned to be a part of her life again, yet a small part of your brain was too afraid to ask her about it, knowing she’d answer you wholeheartedly.
You hated the change. You missed your best friend too much. You missed the old her.
The Ning who would flick her lights to let you know she was there, whenever it was time for you to go to sleep. The Ning who let you cry on her shoulder for hours at your grandfather’s funeral. The Ning who would attend the school games to see you cheer, who stood by your side when your dad left, and who washed all of your fears away when your mother remarried.
That was your soulmate; the Ningning who was always there for you. Not the reckless girl with a blank face who didn’t seem to care about a single thing.
Although, you were beginning to think you did not know her at all.
“Can I come?” You ask, trying to suppress a shiver as the wind blows cold against your body. It had certainly not been the best idea to wear a white, short dress with even tinier undershorts and boots in autumn, but you couldn’t think about anything else to put on.
With only a leather jacket to warm off your body, your eyeliner, smudged, dark makeup and heavy jewelry mirrored the girl standing in front of you, and you can’t help but smile.
You’d fit in well.
“Excuse me?” Ningning exclaims, frowning in disbelief.
“I want to come with you.” You repeat yourself, holding your own hands nervously. “You’ve changed, Ning. I’m not stupid… I just want to understand. Would you show it to me, please?”
You hate the way she’s looking at you, like she’s still deciding whether to allow yourself into her new world. You also hate the way your voice cracks, always vulnerable when it comes to her.
After minutes of staring, Ning decides to give you a chance. Shrugging, she leaves you alone on the sidewalk as she returns to her garage, shoving a helmet into your chest.
“Fine. But say anything funny, and I’ll leave you there alone. Got it?” You nod, trying not to feel hurt by her indifference towards you.
After a few clumsy attempts, you manage to hop in on her fancy bicycle, hands trapped tightly on her thin waist. You often spied on Ning going out with a dark motorbike you were sure her parents hadn’t bought her. However, as the two of you go at full speed through the night, you feel like you understand her a little better: it’s so freeing, to just ride on the freeway as the wind messes up your hair. You laugh, hugging her tighter, the only thought crippling your mind being over how beautiful the moon looked in the cloudless night, alone in all its glory.
Before you register, Ningning parks her bike carefully. If not for the fact that the place was absolutely crowded, you wouldn’t be able to tell this was the place she’s been sneaking out too frequently. It’s simple: just many cars parked in a circle, occupying the large freeway as people stand against them like ants. You guess someone must’ve blocked the way so no unwanted cars would drive by, but that was a lucky guess.
Nevertheless, you’re struck by a sudden heat wave — being surrounded by a fairly large, energetic crowd was enough for you to feel your face getting warmer, much to your liking. The atmosphere was lively, electricity hanging in the air almost palpably. It was as if everyone were anticipating, waiting for something, and you were nearly sure Ning was involved in that.
“There.” She motions to the right area of the crowd, waving at someone unknown to you. “Let’s go.”
You try to act cool as she grabs your hand to guide you through the crowd, failing terribly. The truth is, it’s been months since she’s talked to you, touched you properly. Perhaps you missed Ningning much more than you could admit, judging by the serotonin boost you’d gotten by a mere touch from her.
Ning stops in front of a black Dodge, where three girls stand with bored looks. They’re all wearing black and red, in some sort of subtle color coordination. You notice Ning’s outfit follows the theme, too, her crimson crop top standing out from her black pants and leather jacket.
“You’re late, Ningning.” Giselle says, not bothering to look at you as she chews on her gum, hands brushing her hair ever so flawlessly. She’s beautiful — they all are, and there’s something in the way they pose; as if they’re royalty around the place.
“Hello to you too, Gigi.” Ning answers her, not affected by her dismissal in the slightest. Your best friend gestures to the other girls, then, giving your hand a squeeze. Even though it wasn’t needed anymore, she was still holding on to you. “Those are Karina and Winter.” They bow slightly, acknowledging your presence. “Girls, this is Y/n”.
The trio share a knowing look at the mention of your name. As if a spell had been cast upon them, the girls are all over you, swirling, giggling and speaking all at once.
“It was about time we met you, Y/n”. Winter giggles, resting her head on Karina’s shoulder.
“Right?” Giselle shakes her head, suddenly interested in the conversation, with her condescending tone. “Took Ningning long enough to bring you to the Underworld.”
The Underworld. The name alone is enough for you to shiver, shrinking under your oversized jacket. Like a reflex, you turn to your best friend, brows furrowed and mind seeking for answers. “The Underworld?”
As soon as she opens her mouth to explain, she’s dragged away by Karina, who sighs. “Tell her all about it later, Ningning. Giselle was right, you really are late, and we have to enroll you in today’s race right now.”
Ning stares at Winter with a serious look, waiting until the bob-haired girl nods to leave. “Take care of her while I’m gone.” Shooting you an apologetic look, Ning follows Karina to the heart of the crowd, not at all uncomfortable as you lose her amidst the sea of unknown faces.
You’ve been warned about such places before, ones where people go to lose themselves and do things they shouldn’t. Even though it’s dark, you’re able to see what every group is occupying themselves with, always good to notice details in a crowd. Some drinking, smoking, others doing drugs that were too explicit for such an open space. Many people acted borderline pornographic, too, engaged in heavy make out sessions and touching places that had you looking away, too embarrassed to lurk.
“I’ll go breathe some air.” You tell Winter, who’s now sitting on the hood of the car, furiously typing on a computer as big as her head. She must’ve grabbed it from the passenger’s seat while you were busy looking around, horrified.
You expect her to protest, specially since Ning had been clear in her words, but the small girl doesn’t even look at you for more than three seconds before answering, still heavily focused on the screen that lights her face. “Okay.”
Before she’s even finished, you turn around and dodge people as best as you can, barging towards the woods located on the edge of the road without hesitation. You walk until the lively event is just a faint noise, crippling your ears like a bug on a hot, sticky day.
Now, being able to breathe the cold air properly and free from the demons of the night, you try to understand your best friend. Ning has always been a free spirit, independent and strong-willed. But, while her wild nature did stir up some trouble in your community, she’s always been welcomed and loved. That’s how a family worked, right? You might fight, but you also sort things out, eventually.
The sound of dry leafs being stepped on startles you, but you’re soon at ease once you see Ningning’s silhouette coming out of the darkness. She sits by your side, both looking at the moon instead of facing each other.
She must be afraid too, you reckon. Of you judging her choices, turning your back on her like her family did, the moment she changed her attitude.
Well, you did judge, but you’d never leave her alone. You love her too much to do so, even if you couldn’t quite understand her ulterior motives.
Ning looks beautiful under the moonlight, her long hair shiny as she plays with her own fingers, hesitant to speak up. Her hair is one of the last things she’s kept true to herself after this sudden change. You let your hands run through, reminiscing the times when, not matter how impatient, she’d let you comb and style it.
Such memories must’ve been going through her mind, too, in a reassurance of the bond you shared. Gathering courage, she turned her face to you, smiling faintly.
“Ilegal fights and street races. That’s what we do here in the underworld, that’s what it’s about.” Ning keeps you from interrupting her, already aware of what you’re going to ask. “I’ve seen people do some darker shit, yeah, like drugs and stuff, but the girls and I stay far away from that. It’s not something you can deal with without falling into a hole, you know. And I’m not trying to dig myself a grave or anything.”
You breathe in deeply, acknowledging everything she’s said. It’s like you’re walking on thin ice: one phrase worded wrongly, and she’d shut herself off from you for good.
So you choose the safest route. “And… the girls? You, hm, you all race?”
Ning relaxes instantly at your words. Her shoulders fall off, glad you didn’t start screaming at her or try to brainwash her guts. She expected a far worse reaction.
Shaking her head, her tone is a little more excited as she answers. “I’m the only racer of the group. Giselle fixes the mechanics, Winter does the stats, and Karina handles the bets and closes off the deals. They are my girls, Y/n. My family.”
You stand up, unconsciously walking around in little circles as you try to think of the right words to not scare off your best friend. The truth is, this whole Underworld thing was not only scary — it terrified you to know Ning had found herself in such a place. She needs to think through all of this situation, and realize she’s losing herself badly, walking into a path set for destruction. She needs help, and she so desperately needs to come to her true senses. You have to save Ning from herself, and you’d do just that.
“We’ll take you back.” The words come out without you really thinking them through, not at all as careful as you wish to be. You turn around completely to face Ning, only to find her already staring, her big eyes as cloudy as ever. “We know you’re sorry, Ning, it’s ok. Just… let us go back, then it will all be just like before.”
She lifts her brows and takes a few steps towards you, not stopping until you’re trapped, back hitting the trunk of a tree.
“I’m not sorry for what I’ve done, Y/n.” She’s angry, and you hate seeing her mad. Specially at you. Ning never got mad at you. “I’m sorry that we were born in this shitty ass town with so many rich fuckers, and I’m sorry that stupid community has brainwashed you so much they can control you as they please. I apologize for being distant because I know it hurts you, but besides that, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
She’s breathless from speaking with such fervor, both of her hands placed on each of your sides so you have no way of escaping.
And even though you gulp, you force your body to not have any fear. It’s Ningning: your best friend, your soulmate. She’d never hurt you.
She’d never.
“Ning.” You look down, failing to hide the tremor in your voice. “Ning, let me go.”
Something in her eyes shift the moment she noticed the fear in your voice. Her pupils are wide blown, and her smile is just wrong, staring at you from head to toe. Suddenly, you’re hyper aware of the wind messing with your very short dress, and how hot you feel, despite the cool weather.
Somehow, you get the feeling she’s thinking the same thing, too. Time stops as her eyes fall to your lips, and she’s on top of you in a blink. Kissing, tugging, licking… Ning’s desperation is something you can taste, and it’s written all over. This kiss is not like the sweet, chaste experiences you’ve had before. Ning kisses you like a woman starved, taking until there’s no air left, and your lungs are burning, claiming for relief.
Her kiss is venomous, so sinful you fear what you’d do if you experience it again.
“W-what the fuck, Ning! Why’d you do that?” You manage to say, crossing your arms over your chest to try to get some distance between you. “This wrong, Ning. This isn’t y—”
“Did they send you here?” She ignores your words completely, hands assaulting your body as you try to move against her. “Is that it? Are they that fucking desperate, really?”
Perhaps you’re weak, or maybe she’s been putting some work in the gym, but the truth is she doesn’t move an inch, no matter how much try to pull her away. If anything, it only brings her closer to you, that wicked smirk still on her face.
“What? They… no! Of course not. I came because I want to understand you.” Her accusations hurt, even though you know she’s not entirely wrong.
The truth is, Ning’s too smart for her own good.
Surprisingly, her fingers are delicate as they brush one of your shoulders, playing with your dress sleeve before letting it slide midway, enough for it to expose yourself to the dark night. You shiver, not only due to the winds that cause your nipples to harden, but also because of the girl who stares at you like she’s gone mad. She’s salivating, and you watch her every breath until she lowers her head and latches her mouth onto one of your boobs, her teeth teasingly picking on your nipples.
It’s as if you’ve been electrocuted. Your back arches, and you try even harder to let go of the hand that’s keeping yours clasped together so tightly it hurts, but you can’t set yourself free. Did her touches always feel like that? So wrong, yet so… good, you look forward to more?
“Stop, p-please. Ning, my b-boyfriend…” It’s all you’re able to mutter, choosing to keep your mouth shut. You’re too afraid of the sounds that might come out of your lips if you continue speaking.
You’ve never felt like this before. This tingling sensation, erupting to all your body — specially to your core. The warmth that eloped your body like you were too close to the sun. It felt good, Ning’s touches are so good you itch with need.
It’s no surprise you’ve touched yourself before. You were no saint, either. However, it has never felt anything close to that. You would never be able to mimic Ning’s hands, cupping your breasts, pinching your waist, forcefully opening your legs to keep her knee seated between them… all while still trapping you, the burning sensation in your hands serving as a lively reminder of the situation you were currently in.
“Your boyfriend, yes. That fucking idiot.” Ning’s hands go straight to the hem of your shorts, forcing them down. “He’s never touched you like that, right Y/n? Surely, you’d tell me. I’m your best friend, after all.”
Tears start to cloud your vision as her hands pull down your shorts, fingers going all the way under your dress to find the bare skin of your abdomen. She scratches it slightly, even though you find yourself still struggling vigorously against her touches.
“Ning, you don’t know what you’re doing. I’m sorry, please s-stop…” Ning huffs, annoyed by your attempts to get her off you.
“No, Y/n. I know exactly what I’m doing.” She laughs as her teeth scratch your shoulder, and then she bites. It’s so unexpected you scream, ashamed to admit that her harsh touches are the reason your insides are embarrassingly wet. “I bet you’ve touched yourself thinking of me, too. God, Y/n. You act like you’re this good little example to others, but I know you better than anyone. You’re such a dirty, hungry whore.”
Ning’s wet mouth leaves a trail of saliva on your skin as you stop moving against her chest. Instead, you let your head rest on the corner of her neck, biting your mouth so hard you feel the metallic taste of blood in your tongue. Ning notices it, too — her eyes have never stopped observing you attentively, not from the moment she’s met you for the first time. Grabbing your neck possessively, she pulls you in for another hungry, aggressive kiss, her tongue forcing its way over your mouth until your taste was all hers to delight herself with, too.
Without an alibi to hide your pleasure, you moan against her lips, chest moving rapidly with the adrenaline. You feel her smile, too.
This doesn't seem right, in any way. Your best friend, forcing you to surrender against her wishes and talking to you like you were nothing… it is all wrong, deeply wrong.
But why is she making you feel so alive? Why is the burning sensation that expands over every inch of your skin so addicting?
If it’s so wrong, why does it feel so good?
“Does he touch you like this?” Ning asks with a sultry tone, as her fingers toy with your folds. The anticipation drives you insane, only intensifying your arousal. You gasp at the sensation of her fingers in your cunt, hovering and so close to where you need her. Your silence irritates her, clearly. “Answer me, whore.”
Her hands, God — her hands leave your cunt so quickly and reach out for your throat, squeezing on your pulse point with such precision you nearly cum on the spot. You feel lightheaded, unable to think about anything but how alive Ning makes you feel. In fact, it’s her touches that ground you again, reminding you of what is happening.
She kisses your jaw, her tone dripping with fake-sweetness as she murmurs. “Tell me what I already know, Y/n. Say it.”
With that, you’re aware of your current situation: Ning’s getting inside your head, distracting you with pleasure until you’re dumbed down enough to surrender to her wishes.
When did she become so evil?
“Stop— touching me.” You say, turning your head away from her. Still, you can’t help but obey, even though your voice is barely audible as you add. “You know the answer, already.”
Ning’s hand slides through your body, taking her time to grope, scratch and pinch as she pleases until she’s cupping your cunt again, her motion too sweet for the harsh way she’s been acting towards you. Two of her fingers go to your slit, taking all the air from your longs as she shoves them in and out slowly, savoring the sensation both for herself and for you. And you’re wet— so much her fingers slide easily, despite your lack of experience. It’s as though time had stopped: the animals have stopped making noises, the wind has stopped humming and all the people at the street have quieted. All you can hear is Ning’s breathing, just as erratic as you, and the lewd sounds coming out from your cunt.
It feels so good, you wonder how you've lived all this time without Ningning touching you like that. Like you were a secret gemstone she was more than ready to unravel.
“If you want me to stop touching you, then why are you so fucking wet?” She asks, cocky as you whimper under her. Your legs feel like jelly, and suddenly you’re so glad for the tree you’re relying on, and Ning’s leg between your thighs, forcing them open. “No, Y/n. You know damn well what you want. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.” Her following words are what break you. As your thumb meets your clit, she adds, “You’re as rotten as me, filthy girl. I just choose not to run from myself anymore.”
You want to deny it. There’s nothing more you want than to pull Ning back and scream at her face, talking about how insufferable she’s become and how much of an asshole she was. But your brain has long been turned into mush, focused on only one thing: gathering the crippling sensation that was forming in your lower abdomen and let it explode, turning it into a mind-blowing wave of pleasure. It’s all you’ve ever wanted: to cum. Nothing else really matters.
You don’t even recognize yourself, clinging onto Ning as if your life depended on it. Her skilled fingers don’t stop their motion on your slit as her thumb applies more pressure to your clit, circling it harshly, so fast it makes your eyes roll to the back of your skull with pleasure. It feels unlike anything you’ve ever felt before: every inch of your body boils, and you’ve never wanted so bad to just explode.
Faint screams fill the background, with Ning’s name being called repeatedly, surely from the girls looking for her. However, you don’t pay them any mind. The only sounds coming out of your mouth are loud, sinful moans — the most beautiful melody to Ning’s ears.
“N-ning…” You whine, carving your nails onto your best friend’s skin. Sweat gathers in your forehead as you feel your orgasm close, but you’re too stubborn to say anything to her.
Ning knows you well, though. Your muscles tense, and you cum as she keeps her strokes hard and fast, just what you need to explode into waves of pleasure. It hits so good you scream, legs shaking as she holds you as if you weight nothing, keeping you from falling onto the dust. White dots dance around your vision, fireworks exploding inside you as the orgasm washes through your body, in rhythmic waves of pleasure.
It was borderline addicting.
“Ningning! There you are, fucker. We’ve been looking for ages.” Karina’s body appears from the darkness, her impeccable frame easy to distinguish from anything else. You’re so fucked out it takes you a few seconds to register her presence. By then, Ning has already covered you, adjusting your dress back on with precise movements. “Don’t be irresponsible just because of some pussy! You’re up in five, come on.”
You don’t miss the way Karina’s eyes stare at your body, not an ounce of shame in her pretty face. However, you don’t feel ashamed to have her attention on you. If anything, you can feel your face blushing, your body slowly feeling hot again.
Lust is a dangerous thing, indeed.
Ning doesn’t miss Karina’s cue either, judging by the way she scoffs. Dismissing her with an annoyed tone, Ning mutters, “I said I was coming.” She gestures to the trees and the wild bushes, then. “You can lead the way.”
Karina laughs, not missing her last opportunity to address you, as she turns around and waves. “Bye, Y/n. I hope you’re around more often.”
You giggle, too, amazed by how she camouflages herself so easily, lost amidst the night and the forest.
Still, the girl in front of you captures all of your attention. Like always, she’s already staring, her brown hair messy from your making out.
“This is the real world, Y/n. I’m not going back.” She says, not leaving any space for discussion. You know that tone too well; Ning’s already made her choice, and it wasn’t the one you wanted her to pick. With big, sad eyes, she adds, “I wish you would free yourself, too.”
Her delicate tone breaks your heart. Deep down, you know she means it. Ning’s following what she believes in, and she wishes she could share her world with you, too.
She walks away without looking back, sure of who she was and what she wanted for her future.
With a heavy sigh, you follow her towards the highway once again.
You’d follow her through it all.
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aestheticaltcow · 4 months
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Proposal Gone Wrong
Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto x Reader
Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Carmy definitely didn't see this one coming.
No warnings, just fluff :)
The Bear Masterlist
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“Hello?” you said, answering your phone. “Hey girlie, could you come in at about 7ish instead of 5:30? I don’t wanna rush your nails.” your brow furrowed at your nail tech's words. “What do you mean come in at 7ish? My appointment isn’t for like two more weeks.” “Oh, I thought that yummy chef of yours told you… he booked and prepaid for a full set.” you hummed in acknowledgment. “Okay…I’ll come in at 7ish. You want a coffee?” “That’s why you’re my favorite client, babes.” 
You slipped your phone into your pocket and returned to the front counter. "Is everything okay?” your coworker Dev asked as you sat in front of your computer. You shrugged, “I guess Carmy booked a nail appointment for me. So sweet, right?” 
Dev bit her lip to suppress a squeal, “He’s gonna propose to you, girl!” you scoffed at her reaction. There was no way Carmy was going to propose to you. Sure, the two of you had talked about getting married and buying a house, maybe havin’ a kid or two someday, but that was the caveat ‘someday.’ There was no confirmed timeline. It was just sweet post-sex pillow talk. 
~
“Yea-yeah, I’m askin’ her. Can you steer her toward gettin’ somethin’ less… unique?” Carmy watched his words. You were known to get more interesting nails, claiming that your boring work clothes needed some fun. Carmy listened to your nail tech chortle on the other end of the phone and mentioned something about ‘clown nails’ but agreed to steer you toward something more minimalist. He grinned and said bye before hanging up the phone and texting her a picture of a 2-carat platinum pear-shaped diamond ring. Carmy stared at the small velvet box in his hand and imagined the ring adorning your finger. He closed the box and put it into his open desk drawer before quickly exiting the office to do his prep work for the evening’s dinner service. 
Natalie slipped her jacket off as she walked into the kitchen from the back alley. “Bear. I’m here!” she yelled as she beelined to the office to get started on the paperwork Carmy had asked her help on. “Yo!” Carmy yelled without looking up from his station. 
Before Natalie could sit at the desk, her phone started ringing. “Hello?” she answered. She held her phone to her ear with her shoulder as she reached for the laptop in the middle of the disorganized chaos Carmy called a desk. “Is Carmy going to propose to me?” 
Natalie held her breath as she quickly thought of a believable lie: " Uh—not to my knowledge.” You didn’t believe her answer for a second. “Natalie, is he proposing to me?” you asked again more assertively. Natalie sighed as she leaned back in the office chair, “Y/N, I can’t answer that question.” she heard you groan through the phone, “I need to know. I don’t need to know when or how- is he going to propose to me?” 
“Yes.”
~
It was nearing midnight when Carmy returned to your shared apartment. You were asleep on the couch with an open book on your chest. Carmy grinned and crept over making sure not to wake you. He leaned over the back of the couch and kissed your forehead softly. “Baby. Let’s get you to bed.” Carmy whispered as he squeezed your bicep. You stirred in your sleep and mumbled something Carmy couldn’t make out. “Baby, com’on, you know I can’t sleep without ya,” he grumbled and peppered your cheek in kisses. You let out a sleepy groan and rolled onto your side to escape his affection. Carmy chuckled as he walked around the couch. He took your book and dog-eared the page you’d been on before placing it on the coffee table. As he scooped you into his arms, you instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck and snuggled into the crook of his neck. Carmy smiled when he noticed your freshly manicured nails. He couldn’t wait to see the ring he’d bought you adorn your left hand.
Carmy woke up before his alarm went off the next morning. He watched the rise and fall of your chest as you peacefully slept beside him. He grinned and kissed your forehead before getting his phone off his bedside table. He turned his alarm off before responding to a text from Syd. You started to stir beside him as he hit send. Carmy put his phone down and pulled you onto his chest, he wrapped his arms around your waist as you mumbled a ‘Good morning’ sleepily. He smiled and kissed your head before lazily rubbing your waist.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” you questioned Carmy as he handed you a cup of coffee. He shook his head and leaned against the counter before drinking from his coffee cup. “Sugar helped out with paperwork last night, and it’s Syd’s ship tonight.” he casually explained as you narrowed your gaze at him. 
“You’re taking a Saturday off?” you asked in disbelief, “You never take Saturday off.” 
Carmy shrugged, “Takin’ my girl out on a date tonight.” 
“What’s the occasion?” you questioned as you watched Carmy step forward. He shook his head. “No occasion. I just wanna take you out,” he said softly as he placed his hands on your hips. You looked up at him after your conversation with Natalie last night; tonight had to be the night he was asking. You swallowed as he kissed your temple. 
“You wanna go out tonight, right?” Carmy asked as you put your mug down on the table behind you. You moved your arms around his neck and stared at him with a soft smile as you nodded. “Good. I have to run a couple errands, but I’ll be back soon.” 
~
Tonight had to be the night. Natalie had confessed to Carmy wanting to propose. He paid for you to get your nails done. Took a Saturday night off of the restaurant. You sighed as you put your eyeshadow brush down. You wanted to marry Carmy; you really did. The idea of him asking sent you into a realm of anxiety you’d never experienced before. His specific brand of neuroticism was… unique. He was a perfectionist. You’d seen him scrub the grout on the kitchen floor with a toothbrush enough times to know that. 
How the hell was he going to propose to you? 
He probably planned everything down to the most minuscule detail, and if anything went wrong, he’d start spiraling and questioning the entire relationship. “Relax. Relax. Relax. Everything is going to be okay. It’ll work out. Carmy and I will get married in the South of France and then honeymoon in Greece. I’ll get pregnant in September and have the baby in June… it’ll all work out. Just relax.” you said with a deep breath. “Just finish getting ready.”
After retrieving the ring from The Bear and picking up a bouquet of peonies, Carmy felt more confident in his plan. He’d made a reservation at La Baquet, the restaurant he’d taken you on your first date, and it would be the perfect place to wine and dine before going to an indoor botanical garden that was doing some intricate light show he’d read about online. You would say ‘yes’; he was confident you would. As he walked into your apartment building that evening, he had a pep in his step.
“Hey baby, I’m back,” Carmy called as he walked into the apartment. He walked through the living room and into the master bedroom to see you pulling on a pair of fitted trousers; he admired how they hugged your hips. You smiled at him before gushing over the bouquet in his arms, “You got me flowers? They’re beautiful.” 
Carmy shrugged nonchalantly, “Not as beautiful as you…” Carmy’s attempted flirting made you giggle. “Smooth one Berzatto. Very smooth.” you took the flowers from his arms and kissed his cheek before exiting the bedroom to get a vase from the kitchen. Carmy couldn’t help but check your ass out as you walked away. He shook his head and changed his shirt before pulling his infamous grey sweater over his head. 
“Ready to go?” Carmy asked as he joined you in the kitchen. You nodded, “Let me grab my bag, and we can head out.” 
~
“What the fuck…” Carmy trailed off as he stopped his car a little down the road from La Baquet. The Chicago Fire Department surrounded the restaurant, “Did it burn down?” you questioned, looking between him and where the restaurant had been in disbelief. Carmy scoffed exhaustedly, “Shit.” 
“We can go somewhere else?” you suggested. As he put the car back into gear, Carmy mumbled something about a new pizza place not too far away. While it may not have been the farm-to-table French food that brought the two of you together, it was impossible not to enjoy eating pizza in the car with Carmy on a Saturday night.
“I found this place online, you’re gonna- the fuck?” Carmy scoffed as the two of you walked up to the botanical garden. There was a group of people yelling at the overwhelmed information attendant. Carmy dropped your hand and managed to get to the front of the group, “Yo calm the fuck down.” he yelled at the group as he gestured for everyone to step back. Carmy turned to face the information attendant, “Are you okay?” she shook her head in response. Carmy nodded, “Take a deep breath. Tell me what’s goin’ on.” he tried to be as calm as possible. 
“It’s my first day—we’re understaffed, and the event organizers didn’t plan for this many people to come for the light show, and we’re shutting down. You can get a ticket refund on the website,” she stuttered as she explained the situation. Carmy frowned but nodded, “Okay… this would happen…” He chuckled as he flashed the attendant a sympathetic smile, “You got this.” 
Carmy came back to you, clearly disappointed in his conversation with the attendant. “Is everything okay?” you asked; he shook his head.
“Everythin’ is goin’ wrong tonight. Just disappointed, I guess.” Carmy shrugged and put an arm around your shoulders as you returned to the car. You wrapped an arm around his waist, “Well, I still had fun, Bear. Now, the real question… do you wanna get ice cream from that place by your old apartment and then go home and let me put these pretty nails to use?” you asked looking up at him through your eyelashes.
“Of course, baby.” 
~
“I’m thinkin' brown butter chocolate. What bout you?” you asked Carmy as you scanned the tubs of ice cream displayed in the freezer case before you two. 
“Are you sure, baby? It’s pretty close to the peanut butter,” he asked, concerned. “I’ll tell them about my nut allergy like I do every time. It’ll be fine.” your nonchalant tone regarding your allergy always annoyed Carmy. He watched the ice cream scooper change their gloves and rinse the scooper twice before packaging your order. It was never enough in his eyes. 
“You know what, I always like your order better.” you laughed as you took another bite of Carmy’s ice cream. He rolled his eyes and scooted closer to you on the bench, “Have as much as you want, baby.” Carmy mumbled as he kissed your temple.
This wasn’t the night he’d planned. Carmy felt out of control but felt like this was the moment. With his free hand, he reached for the box that had been burning a hole in his pocket all night. “Tonight didn’t go as planned, and maybe it’s a sign, but uh…” Carmy started as he pulled the box from his pocket. “I love you so much, baby. Will you-” Carmy cut himself off when you started coughing. “Baby? Are you okay?” He put the box back in his pocket before shifting in his seat to look at you. You clutched your chest as you wheezed and coughed more intensely. “Epipen! Where’s your EpiPen?!”
~
“Carmy?” you asked, your voice muffled by an oxygen mask. You looked around your curtained-off bed and pushed yourself with your elbows. “Carmy?” you asked again as you pulled at the oxygen mask. The curtain opened, and you saw relief wash over Carmy’s face as he looked at you in the bed. “You scared the shit out of me, baby.” Carmy playfully scolded as he sat on the edge of the hospital bed. You shrugged, “Gotta keep you on your toes.” you struggled to get out as the oxygen mask now dangled around your neck. “We’re never goin’ back to that ice cream parlor. They don’t know shit bout cross-contamination.” Carmy scoffed as he rubbed at the back of his neck.
“This’ll be a fun story to tell our kids, though.” You laughed as you lovingly looked at Carmy sitting on the edge of your bed. “The night Daddy proposed to me, I ended up going into anaphylaxis.” Carmy chuckled and was about to say something before you cut him off: “Yes, I would love to marry you, Carmy.”
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demonmoonsupreme · 3 months
Text
Ugh. I have to say it. I’ve been holding it back because I know how much fandom hates this plot point so much. And like maybe it’s because I enjoy angst, or because characters coming in a vacuum sealed ‘morally upstanding’ package is just not realistic or enjoyable to me.
But Gwen should not have been ‘bewitched’ to cheat on Arthur with Lancelot. For one, it just sets another horrible precedence of magic use within the narrative. And two: it’s boring as hell. Oh, and also apparently Gwen was only allowed screen time in later seasons when her autonomy was nowhere to be seen. So three. Three reasons why I find it dumb as hell. And one that last front? Yeah, I think she should have willingly had an affair with Lancelot. I know, I Know. Cheating bad. Cheating make evil wrong person. Or whatever twitterinas are saying.
But hear me out (or don’t). How did Gwen feel after Lancelot died after she made him promise to return Arthur to her alive? Did she feel that she had unwittingly sentenced him to death? Her first true love; the man she looked for in other men. (Maybe we’d know how she felt if the writers didn’t have her going off like a broken record and just keep repeating what a great king Artie would someday be). I wish we had seen her grief, I wish she had been given time to mourn (as we know she never is in a series that kills every family member she has). And then Lancelot returns. She realizes she stills loves him, she feels guilty and blames herself thinking she had a part in his death. She thinks she asked him to sacrifice himself. And she wonders if she made the right choice. Lancelot and Arthur are there before her, and her wedding is in two days, and it’s all so sudden and the window of opportunity is about to be closed for the rest of her life; and she wonders if she’s chosen the right man. Gwen wonders if she’s been given a second chance, can she amend her previous choices. Does she want to amend them. Yes, this storyline opens her up to all sorts of criticisms. Fandom would condemn her a slut, she would join the ranks of women who can’t just make up their damn mind. Someone would declare it’s anti-feminist, because women aren’t allowed to be portrayed with “bad” qualities and when they are it just sets us all back.
But…it would be so much more nuanced than the plot they gave us. It would give Gwen the opportunity to make the choice because in the past it had been robbed from her (Lancelot leaving when he realized that Arthur loved Gwen, and Lancelot dying the first time). It would grant her autonomy over her own sexuality and choice of partner(s). Unlike the male protagonists in this show, Gwen is never actually given a real chance to morally grapple with anything, especially her own actions. She just is a good person who never does anything wrong, can be a bad-ass if it’s required, and falls into the straight and narrow path of ideal womanhood when she gets a boyfriend in a position of extreme power.
I know I’m barely making sense, but she just could have been written so much better. She could have been treated like a real person in the writers room, but she wasn’t.
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daechwitatamic · 4 months
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Vice;Grip || chapter 4 || chs
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(banner by @itaeewon)
Vice;Grip (masterpost) NSFW - minors DNI Genre: angst smut fluff, fuckbuddies!au Summary: Make it not hurt, you could have asked him. Or, at least, make it hurt in a way I choose.  A/N: infinite thank you's to @sailoryooons and @eoieopda for beta-ing!!
//
Warnings: Frequent depictions of depression, depressive episodes, panic attacks, and substance abuse (alcohol, weed, and pills referenced). PLEASE know that these characters’ relationships with drugs and alcohol are not healthy and should not be emulated. If these topics are triggering to you, please consider sitting this one out.
Section Specific Warnings: language, recreational drinking, depiction of a panic attack, there is a quick moment where you can infer that reader thinks vernon might be actively su*cidal but that is not the case and this is not outright stated, nip stim, dirty talk, piv sex, reader has a high fever but no specific illness is mentioned, a (verbal) fight with some yelling
wc: 6700
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Playlist: you can call me in the middle of the night / you can leave before i wake up in the morning / and it could feel so wrong / but i'll still hold on
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5 months ago
Five texts went unanswered.
I’m sorry.
I was so fucked up, I wasn’t saying what I meant.
Call me so I can explain.
I’m really sorry.
Please, Vernon.
Each time, they delivered, but no response came. You thought you might feel better if he told you to go away. The silence felt too open, like nothing was settled. Like maybe you just hadn’t said the right thing yet. Like maybe you could - or should - keep trying.
Four weeks passed; you tried not to let it drown you, tried to tread above the rising water of the situation. You swam through guilt, your own anger, guilt again. The knowledge of what had upset him nibbled at your toes like fish you couldn’t see in the murky depths. You tried to pretend it wasn’t there, that it was only seaweed underfoot.
You tried to reason with yourself; you hadn’t done anything that bad. He’d been upset because you’d implied he’d get bored of you someday - even though of course he would - and he thought… you didn’t know, he thought that was an attack on his character?
(You knew that wasn’t why he was mad.)
Or, because you’d implied that he would leave, when you were the one who’d gone silent before? That was valid, you thought. You had been the one to make him chase, when your grey days swallowed you up.
(You knew that wasn’t the whole truth, either.)
You kicked at the fish, kept swimming on.
Three times, you found yourself on the brink of coming clean to Chan. The first time, it had almost escaped from your mouth, prompted by nothing but your own need to hear someone absolve you; you wanted to tell Chan I think I hurt him, so he could say, it doesn’t sound like it’s your fault.
Chan didn’t lie to you, though, even when you wanted him to. He wouldn’t tell you it wasn’t your fault, because it was. So, you tucked the words back in, zipped them up safely.
The next time, he’d asked - “You still… with that guy?” He’d made a vague hand motion that must have meant still seeing, or still sleeping with.
I messed it up again.
I think I liked him too much.
“It’s been like a month,” you said lightly, like it was no big deal. “We’ve been busy.”
His sideways look was scalding. Chan didn’t lie to you; Chan was used to you lying to him, knew all the signs.
He let it go anyway.
Maybe he knew those signs, too. Maybe he knew without you telling him that you’d let the bunny rabbit instincts win - that you’d hid, scared, the second your fragile, broken brain told you to.
The third time, you almost told him all of it, even that it was Vernon. Chan was having dinner at your apartment, helping you clean up after, when his phone buzzed on the table.
“Hey, hyung,” he’d answered, tilting his head to grip the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he ran water in the sink and started rinsing the plates. “Yeah, I’m in. I don’t know, probably in like twenty minutes? Fifteen if I make all the green lights.”
You listened absently as you picked up the rest of the table - napkins in the trash, utensils tight in one hand, now-empty wine glasses in the other.
“Oh,” Chan said, surprised. “Vernon, too? Nice. Should I stop for beer since there’ll be more of us?”
You dropped a wine glass. Chan helped you sweep, and then you ran the vacuum cleaner. Still, you kept finding errant pieces of glass for days. You carried them carefully to the garbage.
It felt fitting, that hearing his name had caused this.
Twice, you called and left voicemails.
Two days after the argument, you’d called on your lunch break. It had rang six times and then his voicemail picked up.
“Vernon… listen, I know I pissed you off. I’d really like the chance to explain myself when I’m not… you know. I didn’t say it how I meant it. Text me. Or call me, whichever.”
After the four weeks crept by and the rest of your texts went unanswered as well, you tried again.
It took almost a whole bottle of wine by yourself to work up the courage, and you hoped he wouldn’t hear the slur in your voice when you told him, “I don’t know why I’m even calling. It’s been a month. I hate that this is just… unresolved. I hate making people mad. I want to know that you know I’m sorry. I want to know that… well. I just… wish we were talking again. I don’t… I don’t know why I’m calling.”
You sat at the stool by your easel for the first time in years, tested your balance, tucked one foot underneath the way you used to. Your hands shook a little as you mixed a purple so dark it was probably actually just black. You covered the canvas, the color of nine at night in the summertime, and stared at it, watching it dry.
When you could, you switched brushes, used a rounder texture to form something that might pass as clouds along the mottled sky. Then, you painted a full moon; it cracked like an egg.
You liked this, you followed the idea, paintbrush hurrying to chase the inspiration, whites and yellows coloring in whatever it was that might leak from the moon like marrow.
The bottom half of the canvas became a moving, living ocean; the blues were eight at night in the summertime but they looked good together with the hour after. You finished with the moon’s reflective path, a jagged yellow streak that dipped and bobbed through the waves.
You walked to the bathroom and washed your brushes, leaving them somewhere to dry where the cat couldn’t mess with them. Then you went back to the canvas, staring at it from a few feet away, your hands on your hips.
You’d done it - you’d painted something you didn’t want to burn.
One painting, one tiny step back towards the life you’d lost - that you’d let yourself lose, that you’d definitively pushed away.
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4 months ago
It rained for three days. You lit lamps during the day, suddenly craved soups even though it was the height of spring and the weather had been consistently warm for weeks. The rain just called for it.
It called for you to sleep, too, luring you into bed with a steady patter against the windows. You slept early, and deeply, the cat curled up near your head. The rain beat against the windows like a metronome, helped your heart rate steady, helped your thoughts slow and settle.
You slept deeply, the sounds of the rain pulling you under, and when you were startled awake a few hours in, it was with no concept of where or who you were.
Your phone was still vibrating, jarring; you scrambled to grab it from the nightstand and the cat scrambled out of the room.
Your mom, you thought wildly. Or Chan.
What else could it be, but an emergency? No one else called at three in the morning. Someone used to, but only on the weekend, and that person hadn’t answered you in over a month.
“H’lo?” you mumbled, eyes too blurry to see the screen. You closed them, pressed the phone tighter to your ear to hear better.
No one spoke, but you could hear breathing - ragged and unsteady.
“Hello?” you repeated, more clearly, starting to wake up a bit, starting to worry. You rubbed at your eyes, then pulled the phone away so you could see the name on the screen.
Of course it was him.
“Vernon?” you asked, like you didn’t believe the word on the screen, but you were met with only silence - even his breathing went quiet for a second, like hearing his name had caused him to hold it. Like he suddenly wasn’t sure he wanted you to know he was there.
You said his name again, like a question, and it sounded like maybe he tried to speak but the noise - choked and quick - faded quickly. Your heart started to race, and certainty settled into your bones: something was wrong.
“Hey,” you said, a little sharply, like maybe he needed to snap out of it. “Are you okay?”
Finally, a word. “Dunno,” he managed, his voice thick.
“I’m coming there,” you said, already throwing the blankets off your legs and staggering to your closet to pull at some sweatpants. “Don’t leave, okay?”
“No,” he protested, but the way he gasped the breath after it cemented what you already knew - he needed you.
Or, he needed someone, and you were someone, and you would have to do.
“I’m on my way. Stay there, okay? Wait for me.” You were hopping on one foot as you said this, pulling clothes and shoes on, frantically reaching around in the dark for things like deodorant and car keys.
When he didn’t answer, you stopped moving, stopped trying to find your things. When you spoke again, your voice came out softer, a gentle plea instead of sharp instruction. “Hansol,” you said, quiet. “Wait for me. Okay?”
He ended the call without promising.
You stayed tucked into the building’s doorframe until you saw the Uber pull up; the rain was coming down in sheets, and you had to run to the car, splashing through still water until you could slide into the backseat. Your feet were soaked.
You spent the first five minutes of the ride wiping rain out of your eyes and trying to wring out the ends of your sleeves; the fabric clung to your hands, wet and cold. Outside the car, the rain water ran down the windows and the windshield wipers ran on the fastest setting.
im on my way, okay?
[ ]
vernon you’re scaring me
When the car pulled to a stop, you jumped out as soon as it was safe, bolting through the rain a second time and letting yourself into the building with the code you knew by heart. You took the stairs two at a time, heart flying. You were at once both scared to death of what you’d find when you got there, and refusing to put the specific fear to words, refusing to consider that it could be an option.
“Where are you?” you called, as soon as you got his door open. The apartment was mostly unlit, but for the light above the sink, and a dim light from the direction of his bedroom. “Vernon?”
You were met with silence and you almost choked on your heart as it climbed up your throat. You slipped off your shoes and made your way inside, heading for his bedroom.
You almost threw up with relief when you found him sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands. The light you saw came from his bathroom - the door was closed almost completely, but light spilled out through the crack.
“What’s wrong, what’s happening?” you asked, inching closer. His hands were clenched into fists and bent back at an angle, veins raised along his tensed forearms. His breath went in raspy and came out in huffs, too quick to be productive.
You were pretty sure you knew what this was. You knelt in front of him, ran your hands over his tensed-up arms once, and then nudged under his chin gently with your forefinger, urging him to lift up and look at you.
He let you, his eyes faraway.
“Panic attack?” you guessed quietly. He nodded once, trying to tuck his chin back down, to look away and hide from the shame of this moment being witnessed - being recognized.
“If I put on my breathing app, will you do it?” you asked.
The sound he made was almost like a laugh. “I’ll try,” he muttered.
You opened your phone and set the app up, placing it on the bed beside him, the light from the screen tinting him pink. You heard the familiar, soothing voice begin to recite the directions, and you rocked back on your heels.
“I’m going to your kitchen real quick,” you told him, putting your hands on his knees to push yourself to standing. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll do the breathing with you in a sec.”
You shivered once as you stood with his fridge open; you’d been in his kitchen plenty of times, but never really perused on your own. Your gaze moved over beer and energy drinks, finally landing on juice. You slapped the bottle on the counter and rummaged in the closest cabinets until you found a glass.
Returning to his bedroom, you could hear your breathing app intoning hold… two… three… four… exhale slowly… two… three… four. It was hard to tell if Vernon was following - his head was still tucked, but his hands clenched and unclenched, like he was trying to return circulation after they’d fallen asleep.
You waited patiently until the breathing cycle ended, then nudged the glass into his hand. When he took it, you sat gently next to him, watching silently until he drank some.
“Where are you at?” you asked, and then started to explain what you meant.
Vernon interrupted; he’d understood the first time.
He usually did.
“Better,” he said, then added, “Not, like, better. But, better. Still buzzing.”
You knew the feeling - you tended to get buzzing in your legs first, then hands, and then it would crawl up your arms and into your chest if you didn’t shake it. When the attack receded, you usually felt it leave your chest first and then work its way slowly back down your arms.
“What usually helps?” you asked. “Is the breathing cycle better, or grounding?”
“Grounding, probably,” he said.
“Start by drinking some juice,” you instructed. “Then, can you tell me five things you see?”
“It’s dark,” he grumbled, but he brought the glass to his lips as requested. You rolled your eyes at his sass and walked over to turn on the lamp he kept on his desk. It cast the room in yellow, all the raindrops on the window suddenly catching the light.
“Now do it,” you said, coming back to sit by him again.
You heard him take a breath. He was better already - hands unclenched now, breathing still a bit quick but not raspy or gasped. “It feels silly to do out loud.”
“I’ll do it, too,” you said. “I see your laptop, your lamp, your cell phone, your dresser, and your very old and embarrassing Blink-182 poster. Literally, Vernon, is it 2003?”
He laughed, closing his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re roasting me right now,” he said, voice still a little thin and breathy.
“Five things you see,” you reminded him firmly.
He huffed in mild irritation. “Hamper,” he recited, finally. “Shoes. Empty Red Bull can.”
You laughed.
“Cologne bottle,” he finished, then looked up at you. “Girl who came out at three in the morning, in the rain, after a month of not speaking, because she was worried about me.”
You spluttered. “I was not.”
He knocked his shoulder into yours playfully. “I have it in writing.”
You let out an indignant breath. “I should have let you suffer alone,” you muttered.
“I’m glad you didn’t,” he admitted, then dutifully drank some more juice.
“Okay,” you said, remembering what you were doing. “Four things you can hear.”
He sighed. “Bossy girl,” he listed, and you whacked at his knee. “Rain. Aircon. Traffic outside.”
You finished the exercise together.
“Now how is it?” you asked, reaching to take his empty glass.
He flexed his hands in front of him. “Buzzing’s down to my hands,” he reported. “Think I’m past the worst.”
“How do you feel, otherwise?”
He grimaced. “Exhausted, honestly.”
You looked at the clock - it was after 4:30 in the morning, almost time for sunrise to begin.
“You should try and sleep more,” you said, starting to rise.
“Stay?” he asked, and you thought you heard a note of, well, panic in it. Like he was scared to be alone again.
Something inside you screamed and beat its fists against your insides, furious and terrified as it felt you melt into goo at his request. Something inside you knew that you were walking into a building on fire. But there was no way you’d stay outside, not now, not if he was in there.
“Of course,” you said, as if it was obvious, as if you stayed over all the time - as if this weren’t, in fact, a first.
He seemed to take in your appearance for the first time, the still-drying patches on your clothes, the goosebumps on your damp skin. “You’re cold,” he said, frowning, like you should have led with that as soon as you came in, handled your needs first.
“I’m okay,” you denied, but he rolled his eyes and leaned over the other side of his bed, coming up with a rumpled black hoodie.
“I promise it’s clean,” he said, a little sheepishly, and you pulled off your damp tshirt and tugged the hoodie over your head, instantly warmer and surrounded by his smell. He left for the bathroom, and when you heard the sink run and the telltale buzzing from his electric toothbrush, you got up and turned his lamp back off. When he emerged, you were under the blankets, huddled warm and cozy inside his hoodie.
When he climbed into bed, you draped yourself over him, a leg over his legs, an arm over his torso, your face pressing against his t-shirt. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders, pulling you in, and you lay in silence for a while, listening to the rain, awash in relief that he was okay - that you two were okay, that he’d let you back in even after you’d fucked it up.
Just as you were starting to drift a little, you felt his chest move under you, and he said, quietly, “I’m sorry for making you come out in the storm. In the middle of the night, too.”
“Don’t,” you said, shaking your head but not lifting it up to look at him. Your words carried out into the dark of the room. “You can call me. You can call me when you need me. I don’t care if it’s late. I don’t care if it’s… a hurricane, or whatever.”
It was too honest. It was too close to the truth. You shivered in the dark again, and you felt him hold you tighter for a second, as if to chase the chill away.
He let the moment go, didn’t chase it down and shine a light on it. But you know he heard you - you think, probably, he heard the whole thing, all the parts you didn’t say.
You waited in silence again, let the moment go, let the rain wash this away, too. Then, you ventured, “I’m sorry for what I said to you, last month. Really.”
You felt him nod above you. “I know. It’s… it’s okay.”
Is it? you wondered. But you didn’t push it - because you were scared that his forgiveness was fragile and might shatter if pressed, because you’d already admitted something you weren’t sure you’d meant to tonight, because saying anything seemed wrong while you were between his arms with the rain serenading you both from outside.
You drifted off; you woke up with his hands on your skin beneath his hoodie. You sighed, eyes still closed, as he refamiliarized himself with your body. You breathed in deeply when his fingers brushed up your stomach and found your breasts, teased over your nipples so lightly that it almost tickled, made you shudder in place.
You felt his lips at the nape of your neck, and that made you shiver, too. He pressed kisses along the tops of your shoulder as he teased one peak and then the other, finally giving in to your tiny, needy noises and rolling both buds between firm fingers. You moaned, long, feeling it pulled from deep within you until he let go, soothing over the spots with warm palms.
“Missed that sound,” he murmured against your back, and you pressed back against him desperately, suddenly sure that if he wasn’t inside you this instant you would completely lose it. You reached backwards, grabbing at his hips, trying to pull him closer.
“Need you,” you whined, hating it but knowing it was true anyway, the need larger than the embarrassment. You could feel him pressing against your ass, too many layers between you, and you shifted against him, hoping to spur him into action.
He hummed, pleased, and slid a clever hand back down over your stomach and past the waistbands of your sweats and panties, groaning low in his throat when he found arousal pooling between your legs. He barely bothered to work you open, likely feeling the same desperation you were after the time apart. You felt him shimmy out of his shorts, then his hands back on your skin as he peeled away your bottoms as well.
You kicked them off of your ankles and inhaled as you felt him slide along your slit, teasing at your entrance. He kept one hand up your hoodie, pressed against your chest to hold you tight against him, as he pushed into your heat one inch at a time. You heard yourself make a sound you couldn’t name, somewhere close to a whine, as you felt each bit of him rub against your walls as they struggled to adjust.
“Fuck,” he breathed, mouth close to your neck. “Tighter than I remember.”
He bottomed out and stilled, that one hand still holding you tight against his body. You closed your eyes and felt the moment: his heart beating against your back, your own pulse thundering through your limbs, your pussy pulsing around him as it adjusted and fluttered, his breath warm and steady on your skin, his hands soothing and grounding as they held you tight, the rain still falling steadily outside. You stayed still, eyes closed, as he caressed your hips, your lower belly, your thighs, as he pressed chaste and feather-light kisses along your shoulder.
Finally, he shifted, fucking into you in small movements, barely withdrawing at all before tilting his hips to push back in. You rocked back against him, silently begging for more.
He pulled out almost completely, and then slid back in; the sound you let out bordered on a sob, your nerves alight and sizzling as he began repeating the motion, each stroke slow and long, unhurried, burying himself as completely as he could. You floated like this, completely enveloped by him, still wearing his hoodie, as he took his time with you, until you couldn’t bear it anymore.
“More, Vernon,” you begged, “please.”
“As you wish,” he teased, and used his knee to move yours, bending your leg and hooking it up around his to open you up more, to give himself more room as he set a quicker, steady pace. Relieved, you matched his strokes, half-tempted to roll over so you could kiss him, but not wanting to lose even a second of the delicious feeling of him stretching you, of the friction that made your eyes want to roll back and your toes curl up.
It took you completely by surprise when he began pistoning into you, holding you in place by your waist, and a gasp flew from your mouth, morphing into a series of moans and cries as his hips battered at yours. Even more so when he grabbed at your thigh and tugged, rolling you onto your back and readjusting himself over you, slipping right back in as you wrapped your legs around him and tried to pull him closer.
His pace slowed only marginally as he grabbed at your hands and raised them above your head. Bent close over you, you finally got what you’d wanted the whole time - his lips finally found yours and you kissed hungrily as he fucked you deep. Above your head, you felt your fingers curl against his, lacing together. You squeezed his fingers tight when you came, his name slipping from your lips as your legs shook and your world went white. Vernon came with a cry, eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched as he emptied himself in your still-pulsing heat, and then collapsed next to you, both of you panting.
“Shower?” he asked, when he’d caught his breath.
You tilted your phone so you could see the time. “I should probably just go home,” you admitted. “I have work.” This realization hit you - you’d gotten maybe four and a half hours of sleep, and not even all at once. Thank god it was Friday and you only had one day to struggle through.
He nodded, understanding. After you dressed, he wandered after you like a shadow. “You around tomorrow night?” he asked, and you could hear the effort to sound off-handed.
“Yeah,” you said, eyes flicking to his for a second. “Yeah, I’ll be around.”
When your ride pulled up and you stepped outside, you shielded your eyes from how bright everything was in the early morning light after days of gloom and clouds. Around you, everything glistened and sparkled, still wet from the days of incessant rain, as if everything you could see had been washed clean.
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3 months ago
hi :]
what’s wrong with your face?
are you insulting my smiley?
again i ask you: is it 2003?
im gonna ignore that. come over?
can’t, sorry. i’m sick
whats wrong with u?
should i start listing?
ha ha. girl stuff?
vernon!!!!
lmao i mean if its not that i figured youd just tell me whats wrong
i have a fever, you ass
It was true - you’d carried your comforter from your bed to your couch that morning and had barely moved since. The cat was on top of your legs and you didn’t have the strength or energy to move him. Through the day, your fever had risen; you hadn’t helped things by refusing to get up, which meant you were probably dehydrated. As Vernon texted you, you took mental inventory of how badly everything on your body hurt - your limbs, your hips, everything ached. The pain in your head was sharp and bloody, and you felt like you were sweltering even though your feet were ice cold.
You felt too miserable to even watch a show; instead, you looked around your living room absently. You were pretty sure you were seeing colors off to the side, hazy swatches of red and blue.
Well, you thought dryly, that’s not good.
Then, your hallucinations took form, because the couch was dipping under you and someone was placing a cool hand against your head. You closed your eyes, leaning into the touch just because the coolness felt nice.
“You need to drink something,” someone told you.
“I had the lemonade,” you said.
There was a pause. “I don’t… think there’s lemonade here. Hey - wake up and look at me.”
You blinked, and looked towards the voice. The world’s most beautiful man looked down at you, frowning.
“Wow,” you heard yourself. “You’re so handsome. What are you here for?”
He laughed. “I’m here to take care of you,” he said. “I’m bringing you water, okay?”
You frowned. “I don’t want water. My throat hurts. I want juice.”
There was another pause, and then the voice came again, from further away. “I’ll bring you juice, but you need to drink water now.”
Then he was back, snapping in front of your face. “Hey, look at me again. This is serious. Have you taken any medicine? I don’t want to give you double of something and overdose you.”
“I don’t think I’ve left the couch today,” you told him honestly.
“Okay,” he said, and you didn’t remember him moving or leaving but he was somehow pressing pills into your hand, waiting for you to place them on your tongue before handing you a plastic cup full of water.
“Drink all of it,” he instructed.
“You’re too pretty to be so bossy,” you grumbled around the mouthful of pills.
He waited until you drained the cup. “I’m going to go to the store,” he told you. “Can you think of anything else you need besides juice?”
You didn’t remember if you answered him, or even him leaving. You think you slept. When you woke, someone was rummaging around your kitchen.
“Chan?” you called, blearily.
Instead, Vernon poked his head around the corner of your kitchen, a grocery store bag hanging off his arm.
“Hey,” he said. “How do you feel?”
You blinked at him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but what the fuck are you doing here?”
His smile widened. “Your fever must be down a little. You need anything? You still want juice?”
You just stared at him, bewildered. He finished putting away a few more things and then came back out to you, pressing a hand to your forehead.
“Definitely lower,” he said. “Do you have an actual thermometer? I couldn’t find it.”
“Yeah,” you said, still confused. “In my bathroom. Vernon, seriously, what’s going on?”
“Come on,” he said. “You should shower and put on clean pajamas and then maybe try to eat some of the soup I got.”
You shook your head. “I don’t think I can shower,” you admitted. “I don’t think I can stand up that long.”
He held out his hand. “I’ve got you. Just a quick rinse.”
He helped you off the couch and into the bathroom, where you sat on the closed toilet while he started the water and got it running warm, but not hot. You kept silent as he helped you undress, as he held your hand while you gingerly stepped over the bathtub’s lip, your legs aching.
“You okay?” he checked, once you were behind the shower curtain.
“Mhm.”
“Okay. I’m going in your room to get you clean clothes to put on.”
“Hurry.”
“I’m right outside. If you feel weird, just call me.”
You did okay, though, washing up and turning the water off on your own, reaching for the towel you kept on a hook. He came in when he heard the water change, and helped you dry off, his hands firm and his gaze gentle. Then he led you back to your bed, guiding you under the blankets.
“Do you think you could eat some soup?” he asked. “I bet you didn’t eat all day.”
You scrunched your nose. “You don’t have to cook for me.”
He shrugged. “It’s pre-made. I’ll heat some up.”
You tried to eat as much of the soup as you could, and then floated absently as Vernon cleaned up.
“Hey,” you said, struggling to sit up. “I don’t think I fed the cat tonight.”
“Tell me what to do,” he said, pushing on your shoulder to keep you from climbing out of bed.
“You can’t just- he’s particular - there’s a process -”
“Tell me the process, then,” Vernon said firmly.
Later, after he’d turned out all the lights, he came to the side of the bed and checked your temperature again - this time with your actual thermometer.
“I’m waking you up in three hours to take another fever-reducer,” he warned you, walking to set the thermometer down on your dresser.
“Okay,” you said, too tired to argue. You were already half-asleep as it was - you had no idea what time it was.
You barely registered it when he climbed into the bed next to you, just rolled over and buried your face in his chest, one arm reaching around his middle, already back under.
His alarm startled you both. You felt him pull away - you were sleeping in the same position, neither of you had moved - and then the alarm fell quiet.
“Medicine,” he said, starting to extract himself. You whined; you were comfy, and warm, and didn’t want him to leave.
“Don’t,” you whined. “Don’t leave.”
He laughed a little, a quiet huff of amusement. “I’m just going to the kitchen. Then I’ll be back.”
He watched you take another round of pills and drink half the water, leaving the glass on your nightstand. Then, as promised, he got right back in bed.
When you woke again, your bed was empty. And, impossibly, you felt both relief and disappointment. Then, from the living room, you heard a clatter and then a curse.
“Vernon?” you called.
Your bedroom door cracked open. Like a flash of lightning, the cat streaked into the room and under the bed.
“Sorry,” Vernon said from the doorway. “He was pissed that I wouldn’t let him in there with you. I wanted you to sleep. He was mutinying.”
You smiled despite yourself. “You didn’t go home?”
“Wanted to see how you were before I left,” he said. “You sound better. You look better, too - I mean, you looked really off yesterday. It was kind of scary.”
“I think I’m okay,” you said. “Okay enough that I can keep my fever down by myself. I shouldn’t have let it get that high yesterday, I should have stayed on top of it.”
He looked at you for a long time. Then, he clapped his hand against your doorframe, as if he’d made a decision. “Okay. I’ll go home, I guess. Just… let me know if it gets bad, okay? And eat something. I bought stuff for you yesterday - it’s all in the kitchen.”
“Thanks for doing that,” you said, a little sheepishly.
“It was nothing,” he promised.
After he left, you stayed in the bed, rolling onto your side so you could smell the blankets where he’d slept. It helped you feel safer, like you weren’t actually alone.
It occurred to you that you’d spent the night together twice in a row, now. The rules were breaking - the rules were changing.
Your head pounded, and so did your heart. Nothing had ever been this frightening in your life, you thought.
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2 months ago
Vernon saw you as sunshine - not like it was your demeanor, because that wasn’t true. More like - something he needed without realizing he needed it, something he realized he needed only in its absence. Something that made things better and brighter, something that could sometimes be too bright. Something that made the grey days feel greyer in a can you understand happiness if you never feel sadness kind of way.
He tipped your head back to kiss you, caught your bottom lip between his teeth, rolled his hips into yours, watched your hands clench into fists in his sheets.
He forgot himself a little; or maybe he just gave in to something he’d been holding back for months - maybe even a year. Something cracked, marrow slipped out of him, sluiced into the rocky ocean below.
After, he held you close, whispered, “Don’t go home. Stay. Jagi, stay here.”
And, he had to give you credit - you were at least honest. You at least told him your truth, in your own way.
“I can’t,” you said, and he knew you, knew how you meant it. He didn’t argue or call you back when you dressed, when you left again, just how you’d done things almost every time over the last two years.
He couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t want you, maybe even love you, and only have parts of you. It was too hard, it wasn’t fair. Two years, and he had nothing to show for it. Maybe he’d find someone, if he wasn’t spinning his wheels with you.
He saw you like sunshine. Something that was missed when it was gone. Something that couldn’t be forced to stay, something that didn’t come when it was called.
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1 month ago
You could tell that something was different. You’d been around Vernon plenty when he was low - this was different.
“You’re being weird tonight,” you observed.
His eyes cut sideways at you. He’d never looked at you like that - this was another clue. Then his face went flat again.
“I’m not,” he said, and you frowned.
“You are,” you insisted. “What’s going on? What’s the problem?”
“There’s no problem,” he said, tone hollow.
“I’m not playing this game with you, Vernon!” you said, temper flaring. “If there’s a problem, you’re going to have to use your words and tell me.”
“I said there’s no problem,” he repeated, cool and even. Something inside you snapped tight, painful. You could feel it all coming to a boil right before your eyes - the way the boundaries had been shifting, the way he’d called you jagi, the way he’d looked when you’d walked away. It terrified you, made you want to show your claws, and it was infuriating that he was icing you out when you were ready to draw blood.
“Vernon!” you cried. “I cannot deal with this little apathy game anymore! I need you to engage here. I need you to care about something, and not just give me this expressionless, emotionless -”
“Care about something?” he thundered, wheeling on you. It startled you into silence. “That’s bullshit. Because I have been caring about you way more than I should, for ages now, and look what fucking good it’s done for me.”
Stunned, you blinked at him. Your heart pounded painfully, and your thoughts felt staticky and unclear. You needed to get away from him; you needed to process this in silence.
Finally, you spoke, your voice coming out tiny. “I’m going home.”
Vernon rolled his eyes, slapped his hand down to grab at his phone. “I’ll take you.”
You shook your head. “I don’t want you to.”
He ignored this, picking up his keys. “I said I’ll take you. It’s fine.”
You shouldn’t have followed him to the car. You shouldn’t have assumed he’d be mad for a few weeks and then get over it again, just like you two had done more than once now.
He drove you in silence, his face coming in fragmented pieces as he passed under streetlights. You were watching him, silently, when he finally spoke again.
“I don’t want to do this anymore,” he said, still perfectly even.
Tears sprang to your eyes before you’d even processed the sentence, something inside you reacting before your brain really knew what you were reacting to.
“What?” you asked. “Why?”
You knew why.
He just kept driving.
“Pull over,” you demanded, suddenly furious, suddenly terrified, suddenly realizing you were losing him, right now, in real time.
He ignored you, didn’t even glance over at you.
“Vernon, I want to talk about this, pull over!” you cried, leaning forward in your seat, the seat belt tightening on your shoulder. “Pull over!”
Eventually, he listened, flicking on his turn signal and slowing as the car bumped off the pavement and onto the dirt shoulder.
“What?” he asked flatly, finally turning to face you.
“I asked why,” you said, heat laced through your voice.
He shook his head. “I’ve wasted two years with you -”
“Wasted?” you echoed, feeling the word like a punch to the gut. You felt like you couldn’t inhale.
“Well?” he asked, as if to say, well, wasn’t it?
“Fuck you, Vernon,” you spat.
“Fuck me is right!” he yelled, loud in the enclosed space of the sedan. “What are we doing? Just fucking, for eternity?”
You blinked at him. “You never asked me for anything else!”
“I tried,” he growled.
“Like hell you tried!”
“I did,” he asserted. “You ran, scared, every time.”
“Of course I was scared,” you snapped, because you couldn’t deny that one for a second. Your voice comes out choked. “I was right to be scared, and you know it!”
“Why?” he asked, the question falling between you, a landmine.
“Because,” you said seriously, the first tear finally falling. “This only ends one way.”
His jaw clenched, and he looked away from you, out the windshield again. Then, he clicked on his turn signal again, shifted the car back into drive, and pulled back onto the highway.
“Yeah,” he said flatly, as the car met even pavement again. “You’re making sure of that, aren’t you?”
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thank you so much for reading! one chapter left to go!
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notbecauseofvictories · 2 months
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Okay I’m not sure if this was you or not, but a really long time ago you (unless it was some other acc) posted the number of books you’ve read in a year (among those was Hench, I distinctly remember) and the number was a staggering amount in the hundreds? Not sure if this was you, but it left an impression on me, and I’m wondering how you managed to read so many books in a single year?
In my defense, that was 2021. Reading a truly absurd amount of books was definitely my way of coping with....2021.
However, I am still a substantial reader! I've re-read the whole Discworld series this year, plus I just finished Octavia Butler's Bloodchild and Wild Seed. My bookclubs just finished The Default World (a fun and unsettling send up, with Talented Mr. Ripley echoes) and Fantasticland (solid and interesting, but ironically I think I've read better horror on reddit). Previously, we read Bad Girls, which I deeply adored, since magical realism always finds me where I live.
Since then it's been mostly novellas---I think the last substantial book I read was Vintner's Luck, which I devoured on the plane back from Switzerland.
Anyway, the answer to "how do you read so much?" is "I love to read, I get bored easily, and news sites only update a few times a day." It's also worth noting that I haven't read that many books any year since---like I said, something was happening to me in 2021, and maybe someday I'll figure out what it was.
The answer to "how do you, anonymous internet commenter, read more?" is a bit trickier. So let's instead focus on the fact that each year, I took the time to talk about all the books I loved and why. That's much more interesting.
Books of 2020 | Books of 2021 | Books of 2022 | Books of 2023
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stanfanfiction · 1 year
Text
Taste of You - Ken x female reader - PART SIX
Feelingsss tiimmeee.
Please let me know how you like it!! Thanks as always for reading!
Warnings: 18+ ONLY / Ken and Barbie meet in the real world and feeliinnggss happen / fluff / angst / super sweet lovemaking / fingering / p! In v!
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For the third day in a row, you and Ken stood in line at the bubble tea shop.
“You know, you could probably apply for a job here. They’d probably give you all the free drinks you want,” you suggested.
Ken’s shuffled a little. “I, uh, maybe? I’ve only had one job before.”
“In Barbieland?”
“Mmmhmmm.”
“What was it?”
He placed his hands in his pockets. “It was, uh, Beach.”
“Beach?”
“Yeah.” He smiled sheepishly. “Like, you know how Barbies and Kens have titles?”
“Ooohhhhhh.” You cocked your head. “Just Beach Ken?”
“Basically.”
“What did Beach entail?”
“I just sorta stood there.”
“Just looking good on the beach?”
“Yeah,” he chuckled.
You smiled. “I could see that.”
“Oh my god, Ken??”
The two of you turned to the voice behind you and you blinked a couple times, taking in the woman who had spoken. Tall, blonde, bright faced, perfect smile.
“Ken! It is you!!”
Ken’s face rushed through a plethora of emotions in a split second before forcing a grin. “Barbie!”
You tried to intake this moment. Barbie, literal Barbie, stood in front of you, glowing with enthusiasm.
“I’m so glad you see you! How long have you been here?” She asked.
“Ah, yeah, like a couple months,” Ken said, hand fumbling with his pocket, trying to put on a cool exterior which only make it more obvious how insecure he was feeling in the moment.
Barbie turned to you. “Hi, I’m Barbara,” she said, “well, Barbie. Formerly, technically.” She stretched out her hand, and you shook it.
You were about to introduce yourself when Ken’s arm slipped around your waist. “This is y/n,” he said. “She’s my girlfriend.”
“Of course you are! You are so beautiful!” Barbie’s eyes shone.
“Oh, god thank you - YOU are so beautiful,” you said, slightly overwhelmed by her beauty and the bright energy radiating from her.
“So what are you doing here, Ken?” She asked.
“Like, at the boba tea store?”
“No, here. In the Real world,” she laughed, and he forced a chuckle.
“Oh, just, ya know, needed a change of scenery.” He shrugged, forced nonchalant, and you wanted to ask where on earth this sudden display of insecurity had come from but kept quiet, just watching their interaction happen. “I might work here, uh, someday.” He made a motion to the store around him.
“You’d be so good at that! You absolutely should.”
“And, What, uh, do you do?” he asked.
“Oh, I work at Mattel.”
“You..work at Mattel? The place that…made…you?” You said.
She nodded. “Oh yeah. It’s wild. I get to come up with ideas for new Barbies and Kens.”
“That’s…”
“Bizarre, I know,” she laughed. “But it’s amazing. I’m learning to trust my instincts better here, too! It’s so weird to question everything I think! That’s not something I had to deal with in Barbieland. I go to Ruth a lot to confirm that my ideas are good but she keeps telling me I just have to go with my gut. And it’s so weird sometimes because the building is literally full of men. Like who would have guessed men make decisions about what women want to be?”
You nodded. “I, I mean, yeah, I agree.”
“Ruth seems able to ignore it but -“
“Ruth is?”
“She created Barbie! Her ghost lives at the Mattel headquarters.”
“She…okay…”
“Ken hasn’t told you anything about any of this?”
You turned to Ken. “Not really. He always made the couple times he talked about Barbieland sound so boring.”
“Oh my gosh. Ken would, honestly.” Barbie playfully rolled her eyes.
Ken forced another chuckle. “Ahh, yes, I’ve been focusing on adjusting to here, ya know, the real world. So I haven’t said much…about…”
“Yeah, well now I feel like I’m gonna ask a lot about it because I realize that I have so very many questions,” You said, feeding off of Barbie’s playful vibes, hoping whatever was stressing Ken would fade. It didn’t work.
“Well, if he doesn’t tell you, I will.” Barbie grinned, then nodded towards the counter behind you, seeing you were next in line.
You both ordered and Barbie did too, handing her card to the cashier. “Drinks are on me today!”
You thanked her, still a little intimidated by this woman’s presence and energy, so effortless and flawless and…
“So how long have you two been together?” She asked.
“Almost two months,” Ken said proudly.
“Yeah, we kinda found each other pretty quickly.”
“I love that. I’m so happy you found someone, Ken.” Barbie squeezed his arm and you noticed he flexed his bicep a little, almost like an automatic response.
“And what do you do?” She asked you suddenly.
“I’m a student. I wanna actually become a professor of literature someday.”
“I LOVE that. I’m so behind on reading. Like, 50 years behind?” She laughed again. “You’ll have to give me important book recommendations.” She pulled a hot pink card out of her purse and handed it to you, “Barbara Handler” embossed in pearly white on it along with her job title and phone number. “Text me. Let’s do lunch sometime.”
You nodded, thanking her, and Ken’s eyes kept glancing back and forth between the two of you.
“It is so, so good to see you, Ken. I’m so happy you’re here and doing well. You two are adorable together.”
You smiled. “Thank you.”
Barbie reached around you to pick up her drink from the counter, popping a straw into it. “So fun running into you guys!! And, Ken, I hope you get to work here. I’ll come see you all the time!”
Ken gave a half nod, half smile, as if trying to decide between the two.
“I was so nice meeting you.” Barbie leaned in for a quick hug. Dear god, how did she smell so good?? “I’d stay to visit but I have to get to work. Bye!!” She waved with that perfect smile and disappeared out of the door.
Ken stared as if dumbfounded at the door as is closed behind her, and you picked up your drinks and nudged his into his hand. The cold cup helped bring him back to the moment and he glanced down, then over at you.
“Hey, what’s going on, Ken?” You asked softly.
He remained quiet for a moment before turning to you. “Can we go to the beach?”
Zoey was more than happy to lend you her car for the day when you asked and soon you and Ken were on your hour-long drive to the beach.
Ken wore a pair of pink and green swim shorts, one of the few outfits he had brought from Barbieland, and you wore a see-through pink coverup over the new pink bikini you had purchased the other day. Usually Ken would be all over you, probably forcing you to find a place to park so he could fuck you in the car, but today he remained quiet, staring ahead. His elbow leaned on the door underneath the window, chin resting on his hand. Twice he reached across to squeeze your hand but otherwise he kept to himself, his usual enthusiastic candor no where to be found.
“What are you wanting to do at the beach, love?” You asked.
“Just…I want to be there. I think I need to.”
“Okay.” You rested your hand on his leg and he laid his hand on top of yours for the remainder of the drive.
You knew of a little area that you used to frequent with your girlfriends awhile back when you wanted to drink and hang out in private, away from the busiest areas of the beach, and after you parked you offered Ken your hand to lead him along. You held the folded towels under your other arm and walked slowly, letting Ken’s set the walking pace.
“What was the beach like in Barbieland?” You pressed gently, seeing what might make him speak again.
He shrugged. “Pink. Plastic.”
“The sand was plastic?”
“Everything was plastic.”
You stopped walking and kicked off your sandals.
“Take off your shoes,” You smiled, and he did as you asked. You sunk your toes into the sand and watched as Ken did the same, experiencing the feel of it for the first time.
“How does it feel?”
He smiled a little. “Kinda nice? It’s hot and soft but rough as well.”
“It is.” You leaned down to sit on your heels. “How does it feel between your fingers?”
He reached down to pick up a handful and smiled bigger now, lost in the moment of feeling the material and watching it as it trailed back downward between his fingers. He looked up at you. “I like it.”
You held out your hand to him and stood up. “Walk with me.” You both strolled along the beach, stopping once to have Ken stand in the tide area with you, getting to feel how the water felt when it rushed onto the shore and over his feet and ankles.
“Why does it feel different than other water?” He asked.
“I guess because of the salt? I don’t know, actually. I guess I’ll have to google it later.”
You got to the area you had been headed for after a little while, and unrolled both of your towels to lay them down onto the sand. You crossed your legs as you sank down onto yours. You expected Ken to sit down on the one next to you but instead he sat behind you on yours, wrapping his arms around you, nesting his chin on your shoulder.
He let the senses of the moment settle in: the noises of the ocean, the seagulls that flew overhead, your breathing against his ear. The warmth of the day and the warmth of your skin, the scent of the salt water and seaweed blending in with the scent of your hair.
“So what’s going on, Ken?” You asked, reaching behind you to pet his hair.
You felt him bury his face in your neck, his grip tightening around you. You allowed him the silence he needed until you felt liquid on your skin and realized he was crying.
You tried to turn to look at him but he shook his head, still pressing his face into you.
“I just….I don’t think I know who I am.” He worked hard to keep his voice steady but you heard the heartbreak in his tone.
“What do you mean, sweet Ken?”
He sobbed a little. “I don’t know where I belong.”
Your hand stopped its petting and rested comfortingly on his hair. “Oh, Ken.”
“I’m supposed to know who I am, right?” He sniffed and you felt more tears against your skin.
“Not necessarily. At least not right now.”
“I had always wanted to be with Barbie when I was in Barbieland, but she never wanted me.”
“Okay,” you encouraged gently.
“Then I went a little crazy trying to make her want me, but it only upset her. She deserved to be upset, though. I just…so…she decided she needed to come live her life here, in this world, and she helped me understand that I didn’t need to have her to know who I was, even though her leaving made me still feel so…empty.”
You tried to turn again and this time he loosened his grip enough so you could turn your waist to look at him.
He kept his head low, looking down at the ground so you couldn’t see his face. “I came here hoping something might make sense. I felt like I couldn’t figure out who I was. I know I’m me, but I don’t know what I really want. Or who I even am.”
“That’s nothing to be ashamed of at all. A lot of people don’t know *who* they are, sometimes not for awhile. And often having a permanent understanding of that isn’t always the case, either. It’s not abnormal. People grow and change.”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid if Barbie knew that she’d be disappointed in me.”
“Why would she be?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Is it that maybe you’re disappointed in yourself, Ken?”
He raised his head a little now, looking up at you through wet lashes. “Maybe?” His voice cracked fully and he began sobbing, holding his face in his hands.
You placed your hands on either side of his face. “Ken, my love, can I see your face?”
He kept his face hidden, his shoulders shaking a little.
“Why are you feeling disappointed in yourself? You ever had a lot happen in a short amount of time. I’m not sure how quickly time works in Barbieland, but here, things can take a long time. A really long time, sometimes. And that’s normal.”
He pulled his hands away a little and you took the opportunity to pull them away from his face, his blue eyes oceans of emotion.
“Hey there, handsome. Now I can see you,” You cooed, and you got the tiniest glint of a smile from him.
He sniffed again. “I’m just worried.”
“About?”
“I’m so scared to lose you.” His voice cracked again. “I feel like I’ll stop breathing or something. And I feel like somehow that’s…wrong? Like I feel as though Barbie would say it is wrong.”
“Would Barbie say that? And even if she did, why would that matter, my sweet?”
Ken pondered this for a moment. “I’ve tried so hard to move on, and I have moved on, and it’s because you make me feel…insane things, y/n.” He exhaled those last words out as if doing so would nail them into you, that you’d understand without him having to explain further.
You nodded, cradling his face in your hands, and he automatically kissed your palm before nuzzling his face into it like always.
“You make me feel like I am someone,” he whispered, gulping before finishing his thought, “you make me feel whole.”
You leaned your forehead into his, and he lowered his eyes again, embracing the feeling of you close to him, watching as his tears dripped off his face and onto his lap.
“You are someone, Ken. And even if you don’t know exactly who that is yet, that’s okay. You’re someone to me.”
Ken sobbed and buried his face in your neck again, and you wrapped your arms around his neck, tracing little shapes into his back, something you had recently learned made him feel relaxed.
His breathed shuddered as he tried to regain control over his tears. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorr-“
“No, Ken, you don’t get to be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I don’t know where I belong without you.”
“You don’t have to,” You soothed. “I’m here, and I like feeling like I belong to you.”
He pulled back now, your eyes gazing into his as he searched you for any sign of dishonesty.
“You feel like you belong to me?” He breathed.
“I feel like we belong to each other.” You pushed some hair that had fallen into his face.
“Yeah?” A light breeze danced around the two of you, and you brushed away a fresh set of Ken’s tears that appeared when you nodded.
His crying felt less from a source of pain and more as a form of relief now, and you held him close to you and pressed kisses onto his hair as he experienced his release.
“I’ve felt so stressed for so long,” he revealed.
“About us?”
“Yes. That you’ll get tired of me, and I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He sat up a little straighter and you leaned forward to kiss him, and he noticed right away and closed the distance himself as he crashed his lips into yours. The saltiness from his tears mixed with the taste of him, and you kissed him harder, wanting him to feel how much you felt for him.
“I love you, Ken,” You told him earnestly. “I want to be with you, and I want you to want to be with me.”
“I want nothing more than to be with you,” he replied, his lips still pressing into yours with sweet kisses.
“You’ll figure out everything that you’re wanting to, I promise. It takes time. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Ken held you and sighed into your mouth, hand resting on the back of your head to keep your mouth against his, kissing you passionately.
“How can I make sure you feel loved?” You breathed in-between his kisses.
“Anything you do makes me feel loved.”
You leaned your full bodyweight into him, encouraging him to lay back on the towel. The sun had begun to set, and the sea breeze tickled your skin a little as it began to cool down outside.
You straddled Ken’s torso and leaned over to look into his eyes. He breathed deeply and rested his hands on yours that had placed themselves on his strong chest. You began kissing him down his neck and collarbone, then down his sternum and abs, taking your time once you neared his lower torso area and his muscles clenched at your touch as he let out a soft moan.
You tugged his shorts down enough to pull his member free and began slowly began pumping him as he hadn’t fully hardened yet, and one of his long arms reached to grip onto your wrist as it worked him up and down to hold onto you, his eyes closing.
“What would you like, Ken?”
“I just want to love on you.” He hardened fully then and began to sit up, but your hand pressed onto his chest and instead he propped himself up on his forearms.
“Why don’t I make love to you?” You asked, moving around so you could peel off your bikini bottoms and toss them aside.
Ken smiled, eyes red from crying but shining with love for you, and pulled you closer to him. “I would love that.” He reached for your cover-up that you hadn’t taken off all day and pulled it over your head.
You smiled and positioned yourself over his cock but he reached his hand underneath to rub between your folds. “Let me get you ready first.” He sat up more now so you could hold onto his shoulders as he pressed two fingers into you and you shuddered, Ken pressing his other hand into your lower back to help you balance. “Ride my fingers, y/n,” he whispered, his eyes not leaving yours as you slowly began moving around on them, moaning.
“That’s so good,” he praised as your hips moved around and his digits sunk in deeper. “Fuck my fingers, my beautiful girl.” He curled his knuckles a little when he was deep enough to hit your g-spot and you fell into him a little, Ken’s breathing picking up with yours as you whimpered against his gentle pleasuring of you.
“My beautiful girl,” he breathed, and your arms wrapped around his neck to hold him closer to you.
“Ken,” you moaned, “I wanna pleasure you.”
He kissed down your neck. “Soon.”
“Now, please,” you almost whined. “Please, Ken.”
“Mmmmm,” he moaned against your pulse point and relented, pulling his fingers from you, and you reached down to position his cock underneath you, slowly lowering yourself on him.
Ken choked out a loud moan and shuddered, gripping your waist.
“Lay down, my good boy,” you cooed. “Let me pleasure you.”
Ken almost collapsed back onto the towel, holding your hand in his as he watched you circle your hips slowly with him inside you, both of you moaning loudly at the sensation.
“Y/n,” he begged, “please, please move.”
“I’m getting to it,” you smiled, setting your free hand on his abs to steady yourself as you began bucking your hips. Ken’s head fell back and his body tensed as you slowly fucked him, wanting him to feel everything in soft, smooth motions.
His hands flew to grip your hips when you began fucking him up and down, and his hips flew up to meet yours a couple of times, making you cry out.
“Let me hold you,” Ken said, and you nodded as he sat up and wrapped your legs around his waist then held you as he fucked up into you.
You both held each other and moaned almost incoherently to each other, and your body felt like it was exploding in fireworks, every touch from Ken electric. Ken’s heart sang every time you made a noise when he thrust into you, when you gripped him, when you called his name, your touch like a healing potion.
You came unexpectedly, your climax hitting you hard and you stiffened, shivering as Ken held you tight and fucked you through it, then stared deeply into your eyes before kissing you while he rode out his own.
You sat intertwined, gasping into each other, the only other sound being the waves crashing behind you, the sun having set during your love-making.
You saw the reflection of the moon in Ken’s eyes as he brushed hair out of your face, and smiled. He smiled back.
“Whatever we go through, we’ll get through it together, okay?” You said, and Ken confirmed his response by pulling your lips into his one more time.
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neo404 · 6 months
Note
trans ftm dom nick bf smut? extra points if its rough degrading and filthy (if ur comfortable ofc if not i can give u more fluff prompts)
Eye roll.
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Summary: you have been teasing (bf) Nick, he has been busy all day editing and recording, so when Matt and Chris leave to get food at night, Nick desides to make you regret your desitions.
Tw: degradation, cursing.
Note: this IS nsfw, if you don’t like it just don’t read. It’s MY FIRST TIME WRITING NSFW so maybe its not that good.
Note 2: reader IS FTM, so afab body parts will be used to describe their body, but I didn’t got into many ditails. Also, reader wears a binder.
It’s 8 in the morning and I’m looking at the tshirts infront of me, I don’t wanna wear any of them, I look at myself in the mirror, maybe I can just spend the day like this, its not like anyone in the house will care, besides, we have all been good friends since we were kids. I grab my pants and put them on, I look good.
‘’Are you coming to eat or not?’’ my boyfriend Nick enters his room and looks at me up and down. ‘’And your shirt?’’
‘’Didn’t feel like wearing one right now.’’ He closes the door behind him and walks over, standing behind me and wraping his strong arms around me. ‘’Is that so?’’ he whispers in my ear with a low voice sending shivers down my spine.
‘’Yeah… something wrong?’’ he leans down, his head resting in my shoulder leaving kisses on it.
‘’Nothing, you just look so fucking hot and its breakfast time not turn me on time.’’ His hands start trailing from my waist to my hips pressing me against him. ‘’But we have to go now, or I won’t stop.’’ He gives me a kiss on the cheek and walks to the door.
--
After breakfast and talking for a while with the guys, I help Matt clean the table. Chris is in his room playing videogames and Nick on the leaving room editing their last car video.
‘’And that’s what I bought this weekend, I think I can make great outfits out of those things, don’t you think so?’’ Matt talks as he finishes cleaning the spilled juice.
‘’Yeah, those are great clothing items. I love thrifting.’’ I smile at him. ‘’We should go together someday.’’
‘’Yes, that would be so fun. I’ll be going to my room now, see you around.’’
‘’All right, bye Matty.’’ As he leaves to his room, I turn around to see Nick sitting in the couch with his headphones off and a frown on his face. I walk to him and sit by his side. ‘’everything all right?’’
‘’I don’t know, why don’t you ask Matty?’’ he raises one eyebrow and I let out a short laugh. ‘’What’s so funny?’’
‘’Are you really grumpy because I talked with Matt?’’ Nick doesn’t say anything, he just shrugs his shoulder and crosses his arms over his chest.
‘’Baby, come on, we are friends. Besides, I’m dating the most handsome guy on earth, there is no one I would rather spend my time with.’’ I say as I kiss his cheek and play with his hair. I grab him by the cheek and make him face me, kissing his lips with passion. He leans back, putting his laptop to the side and grabbing my waist firmly pulling me against him until I’m on top of him.
‘’You are mine.’’ He says between kisses.
‘’I know.’’ I murmur back and stand up with a grin on my face.
‘’What the fuck? Why are you standing up? Come here.’’ He seems confused and annoyed.
‘’No, you have to finish editing the video.’’ He lets out a groan and I give him a kiss on his forehead. ‘’You can do it.’’ I say and start walking to the kitchen to grab him a drink, I see him adjust himself in the couch trying to hide the bulge between his pants.
--
It’s night time, I’m sitting on Nicks lap as he answers e-mail about collabs and up coming photoshoots. I start to get bored of scrolling on my phone and looking at the screen of his laptop, so I start nibbling at his neck and jaw, I feel his body tense up.
‘’Stop that.’’ He says serious.
‘’I’m not doing anything.’’ I say ‘innocently’ and keep giving him kisses and bites.
‘’Behave. Or you’ll regret it.’’
‘’You are no fun Nick.’’ I roll my eyes and cross my arms.
‘’Don’t roll your eyes at me or I’ll make them roll all night.’’ He looks at me dead in the eyes, my cheeks are red and I look away from him. I was gonna say something but Chris and Matt’s voice sound from the front door.
‘’We going out for dinner, I think we’ll take a while.’’ Chris screams.
‘’All right, we’ll order food, take care.’’ Nick screams back.
‘’M’kay, bye.’’ The door shuts and the engine of the car starts rumbling.
‘’As I was saying.’’ Nick grabs my jaw with one hand and makes me look at him. ‘’Behave, or you’ll regret it.’’
‘’Whatever.’’ I mumble and roll my eyes at him again.
‘’Okay, that’s enough.’’ He shuts his laptop and carries me over his shoulder into his room throwing me into the bed. ‘’I have been waiting for this all day.’’ He says more to himself than to me and climbs into bed.
Nick is now on top of me, kissing me roughly. I feel his hands going up and down my waist and legs until he breaks the kiss to take off my pants and hoodie that he gave at some point in the day. He grabs my legs and opens them up.
‘’I swear, I’ll make you scream so hard the neighbors will know that you are a whore for my dick.’’ He whispers against my ear and start kissing my neck, leaving marks all over it, he starts trailing his kisses down my chest, ribs, stomach, until he reaches my boxers which he takes off quickly.
He begins kissing my thighs leaving bite marks all over them, he gives my clit a kiss and then he starts licking and kissing it. My back arches and my hips move uncontrollably against his tongue, my hand pushing and pulling him by the hair.
‘’Please, please.’’ the room is filled with my moans and sloppy noises.
‘’Please what, baby?’’ he murmurs between licks.
‘’Need you, need you inside.’’
‘’Aren’t you so fucking needy? Always wanting to be fucked and filled. Does my fucktoy want me inside of him?’’ He grins looking down at me, I nod eagerly. ‘’Come on doll, use your words, or you won’t get anything.’’
‘’Please, want you inside, need you inside.’’ I slur out, Nick grabs me by the chin and kisses me roughly before spanking my thigh.
‘’That’s it, that’s my slut.’’
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thats it, idk how to continue. again, this is my firts time writing smut or nsfw so its not the best. but i tried my best.
feel free to seend all the requests you want and ill try my best to do them as soon as i can.
take care and be kind.
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porcelainseashore · 9 months
Text
Teenage Headache Dreams (4)
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Series Masterlist
Pairing: High School! College! Leon Kennedy x Dancer! Fem! Reader
Summary: You’re a bored, but ambitious high school student who can’t wait to escape small town life and make it in the big city. You thought you had it all figured out, until you unwittingly befriend the resident golden boy, Leon. A series of events beginning from junior year to college until Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Warnings: 18+ Swearing, Recreational Drug Use, Eventual Smut, No (Y/N), Ambiguous/Open Ending
Content: High School AU, College AU, Pre-Resident Evil 2, Fluff, Romance, Cliche, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Lack of Communication
Author's Note: Things get heated in both senses of the word… I toned it down here, but the final chapter will go further 😉 I have to say this chapter was a bit of an unruly beast, but I hope it worked out in the end. Expect some angst and as usual, fluff.
AO3 Link
Chapter 4: Different Dreams
Since that wintry night in February which left you reeling from having kissed your best friend, you never found the opportunity to speak with him on where you both stood. Things just kept getting in the way: preparing for junior year finals, college admission tests, then summer placements and so on. To be fair, you weren’t exactly keen on confronting the question either, since you still weren’t sure whether you and Leon would be in the same place after graduating from high school. You had long since crossed the river of denial and you liked him a lot, but you were selfish. If you had to choose between a relationship with him and Tisch School of the Arts, the one college you had always dreamed of going to since you were young, you knew you’d pick the latter in a heartbeat. And that fucked you up. You couldn’t help but feel guilty each time he tried to broach the subject of “that night”, and when you brushed him off, he didn’t get upset or push it. He just waited patiently as ever, with a hopeful look in his eyes, that someday you’d be ready to talk. 
Maybe it was just better to remain as friends. That said, you were there for him as one. You supported him, teasing through the countless college possibilities he had swimming around in his mind, after he returned from the school’s career counselor. When the local police force had come round to give one of their recruitment talks, he seemed to have taken an interest in their work. In particular, their speech about directly interacting with and helping civilians in times of need really resonated with him. Although you were wary about cops in general, questioning the punishment system and incidences of police brutality, you encouraged him to follow what felt right to him.
As you sat together with him on his bed, littered with a bunch of police academy brochures that were sprawled across the covers, he went through the reasons that led him to make this choice, and you began to connect the dots. “Remember when you said that I’m a good person?”
“Yeah?” You perked up.
“Well, I just wondered how I could be more of that,” he explained.
Did he feel like he needed to prove himself, just so he could believe in it? You were dying to tell him that he didn’t have to do all of this. That he was perfect the way he was. But sometimes people just needed to go through the motions themselves. This was his journey to make, so you bit back your tongue and listened.
“I want to help regular people, like you and me. Protecting the innocent, changing their lives for the better…” He stared into space for a while before continuing. “And what about all the unsolved cases? Those families deserve closure.”
You realized that closure from the past was something he never had.
“I mean, I just want to make a difference somehow,” he reiterated.
“Hm, that sounds stupid, doesn’t it?” He remarked sheepishly, constantly glancing at you for your opinion.
“No… no, not at all.” You shook your head, reassuring him sincerely. “Well, you know I don’t have the best impression of cops,” you laughed. “But that will change, with you.”
“You think so?” A slight smile formed at the corners of his mouth.
You leaned back against the mattress on your forearms and confirmed. “Hell, Leon. If there’s such a thing as a model police officer, I think you’re gonna be that.”
“There isn’t a single bad bone in your body.” You winked. “Not vouching for the lame ones though.”
“Gee, thanks.” He was blushing now as he twiddled his thumbs.
“I take it that you’re gonna enjoy helping old ladies cross the road?” You couldn’t resist teasing him when he looked like that.
“Sure, you know you can call on me anytime.” He smirked.
You forgot he had a knack for winding you up. “Fuck you, Leon!”
“Oh yeah?” He challenged, although you could tell from his expression that he was only half-kidding.
That stopped you in your tracks, as a mental image of you and Leon in various intimate positions formed in your mind. You swallowed hard, feeling a burning sensation of arousal surging within. Despite that, you shrugged off those thoughts and picked up one of the brochures lying in the pile to distract yourself. “So, you’re gonna visit the open house?”
You heard what sounded like a disheartened sigh before he replied, “Yeah I’d like to.” He turned to face you expectantly. “It’d be nice, if uh, you came along?”
“They’re all pretty nearby,” he added, trying to sweeten the deal. As if you needed convincing.
You rolled your eyes, exclaiming, “Even if it was a gazillion miles away, I’d still be there.”
Echoing his previous sentiment at the time he had supported you at your performance, you mentioned naively, “That’s what friends are for, right?”
When you caught him wincing and tightening up at the word “friends”, you realized the blunder you had made, but it was too late.
He stood up silently and made his way over to his desk, busying himself with a stack of papers.
That hand-wringing sensation of guilt started to swell in your chest again. You opened your mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Finally, you got up to leave. “Just let me know when, ok?”
He nodded his head in acknowledgement, without turning around to see you off. You walked out of his room with your eyes downcast, trying to console yourself that it was for the best. The police academies he had singled out weren’t even remotely near New York. There was no way it would work out. No way.
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You accompanied Leon to the open houses that summer, as he got a good look around the various campuses, asking inquisitive questions and highlighting his athletic achievements, albeit rather humbly. After some nudging from you, he began to mention his academics too. You always held his intelligence in high regard, which you had noticed in class and during your study sessions, that were miraculously still going on despite his earlier reluctance. In your opinion, he would make a great detective, though he had tried to downplay it when you shared it with him.
In any case, you should’ve known that it never ends well when unresolved things are left to fester. So here you were, in your room this time, having the biggest argument you’ve ever encountered with Leon so far.
It all started when you were grabbing something quick from your shelf, before heading out with Leon for a walk along the surrounding forest trails, just so you could make the best use of the remaining summer days. He’d waited around the entrance to your room when something piqued his interest. Walking in, he pointed at a makeshift board lying by your bedside. “Jeez, what’s this? An evidence board or something?”
Whipping your head around, you laughed, “It’s to keep track of all the colleges I’m applying to, dumbass.”
Resting his fingers under his chin, he tilted his head and noted without hiding his disappointment, “They’re kinda far away.” 
“And this one.” He pointed to the red circle in the middle. “That’s your dream school, huh?” At least he remembered. Not like you hadn’t been going on about it for ages.
“Yeah, since I was little.” You nodded, taking a couple of steps closer, till you joined Leon at his side. A moment of doubt set in, as you shrugged and chewed your lip nervously. “I don’t know if I’m good enough.”
“You’re more than good enough,” he stated simply, in a tone deeper than usual. It reverberated across the room as he eyed you intently. 
“I’ve watched you-” He pulled you in close, wrapping an arm around your waist, which elicited a small gasp from your lips. “Perform.” His other hand trailed up to caress your cheek.
“Choreograph,” he continued, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Teach.” He smiled fondly at the memory of picking you up from class one day, as the little ballerinas you taught gathered around your legs quizzing, Miss, is that your boyfriend? 
Meanwhile, it felt like your brain was malfunctioning, as you stood frozen on the spot, losing yourself in the pool of his ocean blue eyes, while he issued you compliment after compliment, finally finishing with, “You’re incredibly talented.”
Stroking his thumb gently over your bottom lip, his gaze followed suit, transfixed by its outline. Checking for any signs of discomfort on your face but finding none, he leaned in, planting his mouth on yours, as an involuntary moan escaped from your throat. No matter how much you tried to fight it, your body would not lie. It craved his touch, and all at once, you threw out the barriers you had placed between yourself and Leon in the past few months.
Sliding your hands up his chest, you parted your lips slightly to allow his tongue to slip inside. The kisses grew hungrier and more urgent as you tasted each other, causing you to stumble backwards onto your bed with him laying on top of you. You were so glad your parents were out, as the door to your bedroom was wide open and both of you weren’t exactly keeping very quiet about things. He peppered kisses along your neck, as his hands roamed across your body. Then his lips traveled downwards to your chest and you tangled your hands tightly in his hair, cursing his name in pleasure under your breath.
There were countless thoughts running through your head, like how fast you and Leon were going, and how badly you wanted him, but something was screaming inside of you about how wrong all of this was. You were just friends, right? You shouldn’t be leading him on like this.
With whatever resolve you had left, you tore yourself away and pushed him off you, stammering, “I’m sorry, I can’t!” You were shaking uncontrollably as Leon regarded you with a mixture of worry and confusion, panting heavily through his swollen, red lips.
“Wha-? Are you ok? Did I hurt you?” The questions came out like rapid fire.
“I-I’m fine.” You looked down in embarrassment as you adjusted your clothes.
“Then, what’s wrong?” His brows were knitted in distress, wondering if he had unknowingly crossed your boundaries.
“I just don’t think this is such a good idea,” you offered hesitantly.
Running his hand through the mess you had made of his silky blonde hair, he sighed, “Why? What about that night?” There it was again.
You bit your lip apprehensively. “We never followed up on that.”
As his face contorted in anguish, you knew that your time of delaying the inevitable had run out, and he wasn’t going to let it go now. “It was like you never wanted me to bring it up.” He began to raise his voice, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “I gave you months… Months!”
“It’s… complicated,” you whispered.
“How?” He asked, bristling with irritation.
“Well, for starters, we’re gonna be living miles apart by the time we finish high school.”
“You don’t know that,” he countered, crossing his arms firmly, as if shielding himself from being let down again.
“What do you mean?” You blurted out in bewilderment.
By now, he had gotten up and paced around your room restlessly. “You could… I don’t know, go to one of the bigger cities around here. I heard Chicago’s got a pretty good-”
You felt a flash of annoyance as you cut him off instantly. “You know I’ve wanted to go to Tisch my whole life!”
“I don’t understand you!” He choked, shaking his head furiously. “You’d travel miles with me to the academies, but you can’t even think of doing this long distance?” 
He was grasping at straws to keep you, but you didn’t want to hurt him. You didn’t know if you were right for each other. In your mind, Leon was a bit of a homebody, judging by the college choices he had made. He needed someone who could provide him with stability and the white picket fence American dream. You couldn’t do that. You wanted to travel the world and live out new experiences.
As you hugged yourself wordlessly, unable to look at him, he softened, once again trying to reason things out. “I just thought… we mattered too.”
Your heart broke as he said that. You wanted nothing more than warmth and intimacy with him on this lazy Sunday, cuddling and trading affectionate kisses. But you couldn’t. “You do matter to me, Leon.”
“Then why do you keep pushing me away?” There was no more anger in his voice, only sadness.
He deserved an answer, and you would give him one. You just didn’t expect to be so inept at choosing how to express yourself. “We both have our own dreams,” you tried to explain. “They’ve just turned out to be very different.” 
The next line came out a lot harsher than you intended. “I can’t have someone holding me back. I’m sorry.”
Before regret could even sink in, Leon had started to take his leave, his expression turning colder than ice. “No, I’m sorry for even trying,” he commented bitterly. “I’ll stop wasting your time.”
“Leon!” You called out after him, but he paid no attention and continued to walk off. “It came out wrong,” you pleaded. “That’s not what I meant!”
The last thing you heard was your front door slamming shut.
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Over the next weeks when senior year started, you tried to reach out to Leon to no avail. He had become a distant shell of his former self. There was an air of aloofness each time you bumped into each other, as he pretended not to recognize you. All the notes you attempted to pass to him in class ended up crumpled and thrown into the bin without being read. You felt a stab to your gut every single time.
However, you were observant enough to make out the sting of hurt in his eyes when he thought you weren’t looking. You knew he was keeping you at an arm’s length to protect himself, but also partly to give you a taste of your own medicine, just like when you had foolishly dragged things on, hoping they would resolve themself without giving him an answer. Until it was too late. You hated him for being so immature and childish, but you held yourself responsible for starting it first.
Then, the rumors came. You saw him with that girl, Val?, again. They were doing the things you used to do together before the fallout. It made you sick to your stomach, but you said nothing. Maybe you deserved all of this, you thought.
“Lattes after class?” Kayla’s chirpy voice snapped you out of your reverie.
“Hm?” You weren’t really in the mood, but you tried your best to smile through it.
“They brought in the pumpkin spice ones early this season! Can you believe it?” She giggled excitedly, throwing her arm around your shoulder as she proceeded to whisper into your ear, “Come on, you and I need some girl-to-girl talk.”
As you made your way towards the cafe, you caught sight of Leon with his arm around Val on the other side of the street. Kayla wrinkled her nose at them, as she quickened her pace, pulling you along. “Smooth, real smooth, Kennedy,” she muttered under breath.
Whilst it was comforting to know you had someone who supported you through this - something which you didn’t expect, not least from Kayla - you were flung into the center of drama and gossip again. 
Clink. Kayla placed both cups of coffee on the table as she sat down, adjusting her mini skirt before turning to face you attentively. “Spill it.”
You shrugged, glancing around awkwardly.
She tried prompting you at first, “Did he break up with you?” No answer.
“He did something stupid.” No answer.
“Oh my god, he cheated on you, didn’t he?” She accused melodramatically, such that a couple of customers in the cafe glowered over in displeasure at the noise.
You slapped a palm against your forehead and cringed. “Kayla, please.”
“Oops, sorry.”
You sighed, deciding that perhaps it would do some good to open up a little, instead of keeping things to yourself all the time. “It was me. I fucked up, ok?”
“Bullshit,” she scoffed. “It always takes two to tango.” She checked out her manicured nails for a second before continuing, “And even if he was the sweet angel as you claim he is, he sure is fucking it up spectacularly now.”
You raised an eyebrow. Strong choice of words. “Look, we were never really together. I mean, we did some things-” You paused, swallowing anxiously. “-friends don’t usually do.” 
She gave you a knowing smirk, gesturing at you to continue.
“I told him…” At this, your voice cracked, “I didn’t want him, Kayla.” Your mouth quivered, as stray tears welled up in the corners of your eyes.
“Oh, babe,” she cooed. “But you do, don’t you?” She placed her hand over yours understandingly.
You weren’t used to crying, especially not out in the open like this. You pulled away from Kayla, wiping the tears away roughly with the back of your hand, as you straightened up and put on the same facade you always do. “It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s with Val-”
Immediately, Kayla scowled. “That girl has some nerve! I knew it,” she spat. “Always waiting in the sidelines to bag your man.”
“It’s not her fault!” You protested. As far as you were concerned, you and Leon hadn’t made any promises to each other. He was free to go out with whoever he wanted.
Kayla rolled her eyes, “I’m sure she couldn’t wait one hot minute.”
“If that’s the case, then Leon should’ve waited too, right?” You argued. If you had to go along with this warped way of reasoning with her, then so be it. 
“Fair enough,” she conceded, though you could tell that she wasn’t exactly happy about the outcome, and you wanted to put a stop to whatever mean girl prank she had up her sleeve. 
“I’m serious. Don’t,” you warned.
She threw up her hands in mock surrender. “Ok, Miss Party Pooper… I won’t do anything to her. I swear!”
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It took you a while to realize what Kayla’s actual plan of action was. In her typical fashion, it was loud, flashy and drew the attention of the whole school. It happened during lunch break in one of the weeks following your girl talk. You had seated yourself with the rest of the cheer team at the cafeteria, when you saw her slam her cutlery down on the table, snarling, “That’s it. I’ve had enough of this shit!”
The rest of the girls including you stared at her in shock, as she stormed up to where the other sports teams usually sat. She made a beeline for the blonde boy whom you’d been moping about for most of the term now, situating herself between him and his latest flame. You couldn’t hear what she was saying, but it made Val scurry off, before she and Leon entered into some sort of shouting match. You only managed to make out bits and pieces of it.
“What the fuck’s your problem?”
“Let me guess, the classy rebound-” Slow clap.
“Stay out of it-”
“You’re the one causing trouble!”
The next minute, she pointed at you, motioning to come over. Leon’s eyes grew dark, giving you a withering glare as you walked towards them with a mix of reluctance and unease. You despised being singled out like this, but you needed to put an end to running away from your problems.
Once you had made your way over, Kayla, who was seemingly pretty satisfied herself, barked out an order, “You two, just sort it out! It’s driving me insane.”
When she left the table and the curious onlookers - which meant literally everyone in the cafeteria - had decided to resume back to whatever they were doing, you uttered the first words to Leon in a long time, “Well, that was awkward.”
“You don’t say.”
“Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t know she would get like that,” you admitted.
He still held his guard up as he regarded you stoically. “So what did you want to talk about?”
You sighed, hoping you would do better this time. But there was just so much to say. Where to start? “I just wanted apologize for what I said that day,” you treaded cautiously. “I miss you, Leon.” You were getting glassy-eyed again, but you braved on. “And I still really care about you.”
His lips were pinched together as he considered your words. He had his reservations, but his hard gaze was slowly faltering. For a while, he didn’t respond. Just as you thought you had overstayed your welcome, he piped up almost inaudibly, “I care, too.”
You nodded in response and took your leave. You knew things would never be the same again, but this was enough for now.
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The atmosphere between you and Leon remained tense, but at least it was amicable now. Apparently, Val was out of the picture. Nothing happened, they went on a date or two and Leon called it off. Well, that was what was going through the rumor mill anyway.
Still, it killed you inside, as it felt like you had lost a lover and a best friend. When you received your acceptance letter in December from Tisch, you didn’t even know whether to celebrate or not. Moreover, the one person you would have celebrated with was hardly in your life anymore. Kayla pushed you to tell Leon regardless, and you started to think maybe you had the wrong impression of some of your schoolmates after all. They did seem to look out for you, in their own weird way. It was like reading Pride and Prejudice all over again.
That’s what brought you in front of Leon’s front door, as you rang the doorbell in anticipation. You flinched as the door opened. The corridor was bathed in a warm, golden glow as the light filtered through the doorway, partly blocked by Leon, who peered out at you curiously. “Hi.”
“Hi,” you called out timidly. God, it was like you were strangers again. “Um, can I come in?”
“S-sure.” He held the door open for you, as you took in your surroundings. It had been months since you’d last visited, but nothing much had changed.
“So… what can I do for you?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. You weren’t used to this formal way of addressing each other. It gave you goosebumps.
“I thought it was only right to let you know,” you started. Your hands were trembling as you held out a thick white envelope towards Leon. “I-I got in.”
He took the envelope in his hands, frowning as he opened it. As he glanced over the papers, a spark of recognition shone in his eyes. “Oh! Uh-” He looked like he was at a loss for words as a wave of conflicting emotions washed over him. “Congratulations! I guess.”
“Thanks.” You nipped at your lip lightly, wondering if your next question would be appropriate. “Can I have a hug?”
For a fleeting instant, he looked like a deer in the headlights, but then he got a hold of himself. “Y-yeah.”
It took both of you a good minute to navigate your way into an embrace, so much so you nearly laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. But once you were in each other’s arms, you relaxed, breathing in his familiar scent that you grew to love. “I missed this,” he sighed blissfully into your hair. You deepened the embrace, pulling him closer to you.
“I guess I should also tell you…” He pressed his lips to the side of your forehead as he spoke, “I’m heading to the police academy in Springfield.”
Your heart leapt out of joy and ached with melancholy at the same time. “That’s fantastic! I’m so proud of you, Leon.”
“Mm, you always know how to make me feel…” his words faded off as he broke away from your arms, but held your gaze, as if asking, “What now?”
Maybe this was your chance for the heart-to-heart that was long overdue. And you grabbed it with both hands.
“I was scared,” you started. “I didn’t know how it could work out with the distance, maybe even performing internationally…” After a brief pause, you revealed, “I thought you wanted the suburban dream.”
“When did I ever say that?” He blurted out, with a look of shock plastered across his face.
You flinched, realizing that he had a point. He never mentioned wanting that. These doubts you had appeared to stem from your own fears projected onto him. “I-I thought…” You trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
“You could’ve asked me,” he replied, seemingly perturbed from the misunderstanding that occurred between the two of you. “I really wished we talked about this.”
Your eyes dropped to the ground, as you felt a heavy weight in your chest. “I’m sorry, I just assumed it was the case.” At this, he grasped his forehead in his hands and sighed wearily.
This was all so stupid. But you needed to tell him exactly how you felt about him, especially after this wake-up call. “Leon, hear me out, please? When I lost you, I realized I was so caught up with running as far away as I could from this place, that I didn’t see how important being with you was to me.”
You forced down a lump in your throat as you continued, “You never held me back, I was wrong to say that.”
“I want you,” you confessed. “Always have.”
You felt completely exposed, as if every part of you was laid bare and open to scrutiny. “I just had to let you know, even if you don’t feel the same way about me anymore.”
As you folded your arms to brace yourself for what would come next, Leon reached out and caressed your hair comfortingly. “I-” he paused. “If this is about Val, I’m sorry I did that,” he apologized. “I was hurt, and it wasn’t fair to either of you.”
Placing his fingers under your chin, he lifted it to bring you within eye contact. “However, I need you to stop guessing what you think I might want,” he stated firmly. “I can make my own decisions, ok?”
As you nodded in agreement, his gaze softened, and he took you within his arms again, cradling your head against his chest. “And… you haven’t lost me, but I need some time.” He sighed. “This was all just-”
At that moment, you were interrupted by his mom, who’d made her way in from the living room. “Gosh, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
You and Leon let go of each other self-consciously, as she spontaneously invited you to dinner with the family that evening, which had just been freshly cooked and served out on the dining table. As you shared in the laughter and light-hearted conversations together, you couldn’t help but feel a sliver of hope about your future with the boy sitting beside you.
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Prom night was coming up. At least that was what Kayla kept reminding you. You still had a few months to prepare, but for her it was the most important social event of high school. No one had asked you out yet, and Kayla felt that wouldn’t do. Secretly, you wished Leon would have made a move by now, but maybe things were still too raw.
As you emptied out your locker, you felt a tap on your shoulder. Spinning around, you brushed up against one of the footballers you had hardly spoken with during your school years. He must have noticed the bemusement on your face, as he spoke first, “Wanna go to the prom with me?”
From afar, you heard a distant giggle and narrowed your eyes at the source. Kayla’s sly grin gave it away. She set the whole thing up. Why?
You glanced between her and the beefy guy in front of you. Clearly not your type. At all. “Uh…” you tried to stall, wondering how you were going to maneuver your way out of this situation.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the side, snaking an arm around your waist, causing you to yelp in surprise. “She’s coming with me.” You’d recognize that voice anywhere.
Hm, this was getting interesting. Talk about Mr Knight in Shining Armor to the rescue.
Leon turned to face you. “Am I right?”
“Y-yeah, I’d like-,” you paused to recollect yourself. “I’m going with you,” you confirmed with a hint of shyness.
The footballer backed off, raising his hands in the air as he excused himself clumsily. “Sorry man, my bad. I didn’t know she was taken.” Leon was giving him the stink eye all the way through.
“You trying to make me jealous, baby?”
Baby? You gulped. What the hell has gotten into him? You couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. But his arm was still resting on your waist with no intention of letting go anytime soon.
You saw Kayla shrug and dust her hands, before sashaying away. You had to hand it to her though. Fucking mastermind genius.
“Well, you never asked.”
“I did now,” he retorted smugly.
Ok, so you were back to bantering. Guess you could deal. But it still didn’t answer the question on where you stood with him. Had he finalized his thoughts since that talk you had?
“Leon,” you sighed. “Is this your way of saying you’d like to make things official?”
“Sorry about that. I was kinda put on the spot,” he admitted bashfully, as if he had been caught doing something wrong and now had a tail between his legs. 
“But yeah, I want to,” he professed. “Do you?” He stared at you, swallowing nervously. “I mean, would you like to be my, uh- girlfriend?”
You gave him a coy smile, copying one of his previous lines in response. “Sure, I suck at it. So why not?”
“Never know till you try.” He beamed in return, unable to conceal the sheer look of happiness on his face any longer. “Guess we can figure out the rest along the way.”
“Uh huh.” You glanced around, all of a sudden painfully aware that you both were having this conversation in full public view. Although the other students were pretending not to pay attention, you knew they had seen and overheard everything. 
A hot flush rose to your face. It didn’t seem to deter Leon as he tugged you closer with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. You had an inkling of what was about to unfold, but you chose to embrace it.
“Let’s give them a show, shall we?” He smirked, and with that, his lips collided into yours, as you made out against the lockers, oblivious to the world around you.
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