#but yeah i wonder if anyones ever seen all three of them sitting together and pointed that out

[weewoo911]

You ever think about the fact that Eddie, Hen & Bobby have all canonically been shot? That’s crazy

[clarionglass]

yeah, we all knew this one was coming. 5395 words, if you're wondering exactly how bad the brain rot has set in ^^;

----- deja vu (sam reich!master cinematic universe, part 2)

Right from the beginning of Game Changer, Sam had had a small monitor in his dressing room where he could watch the show being recorded. He'd always appreciated it being there, but never quite understood the point of having it, if he was going to be on stage hosting the shows himself. 

When his doppelganger was hosting, though, being able to watch the show while hidden away was absolutely ideal. 

Since Escape the Greenroom, the pair had been less cautious about being seen in the building together. It was always more enjoyable to debrief immediately after a show, and besides, they had their secret weapon. The magic technology that kept anyone from thinking too hard about two Sams in the one place had turned out to be nothing more than a small lump of circuitry attached to a key on a loop of string, and whichever Sam wasn't on set at the time held onto it and watched the session from the dressing room. It was an extra precaution—hell, if everyone knew Sam was in the middle of a recording, why would they be going into his dressing room—but it was handy to have nonetheless. 

It didn't work if you knew what you were looking for, though, so when the door creaked open and his doppelganger walked in, pure glee painted across his face from ear to ear, he turned his megawatt smile on Sam straight away. 

Sam raised his eyebrows. “Good record, was it?”

“Oh, was it ever.”

“Well, great!” Sam replied. “You were pretty keen for this one, glad it lived up to expectations.”

As his double nodded with satisfaction, Sam's eyes flicked back to the monitor, now showing a view of backstage, and Trapp, Ify and Siobhan talking quietly to each other. 

Something felt off. They didn't seem distressed or anything bad, bad, but the energy between the three contestants was weirdly muted. As it was for everyone, actually. Josh, Zac, Brian—the general vibe backstage was sitting noticeably lower than usual, particularly with such big personalities in the room. 

“How'd the cast take it, though?” he asked. “They all look exhausted, was everything alright?”

His doppelganger flapped a hand dismissively. “Oh, they're fine. It was just a long record.”

“No longer than usual,” Sam said, with a brief glance down at his watch and a frown. “We had seven loops planned, right? And you definitely didn't get through all of them, you only did, what—”

“Five, yeah,” his double agreed, speaking with him. “For the episode, we ended up recording five.”

There was an odd tone in his voice as he said it, an emphasis on the specifics that was just a little too weighted. Sam grimaced. 

“I'm sensing there's a but coming.”

“Yeah,” his doppelganger admitted slowly, then grinned, a bright, twinkling expression of pure mischief. “We actually ran a lot more loops than that.”

“Wait,” Sam said, “wait. No, you didn't, I was watching the entire thing.”

“Come on,” his doppelganger shot back, a bite of impatience bleeding into his excitement. “You really think I'd fight to do the fake time loop episode and not throw in a real time loop or five?”

“Oh my god.” It was all Sam could say, and he really couldn't tell if he was impressed, or dumbfounded, or just really fucking worried. “Oh, my god. What did you do?”

The giddy delight shining in his double's eyes as his smile broadened even further, brilliant and infectious and only slightly predatory, did nothing to calm Sam's nerves. 

---

The first loop went well enough, and confusingly enough. Weird trivia, questions that clearly had an answer, but no way of working out what that answer was, cameos that didn’t seem to relate to anything—it was strange, but you knew that was what you were getting into when you signed up for Game Changer. Trapp, Ify and Siobhan knew that there was a solution to it, but they’d just have to work until they found it.

And then Sam pulled out that bizarre dance that he expected them all to join in on, and accidentally kicked Kevin’s camera out of his hands, and the three of them shuffled offstage for a two minute reset.

-

The second loop, the pieces were starting to fit into place. The trivia was a memory tester; the weird questions had answers that could only be worked out with knowledge gained in previous rounds; Zac’s—sorry, Grant’s—spaghetti was going to cause problems by way of Brian’s podium inspector; the list went on. 

This time, it was pretty clear that the kick wasn’t accidental. 

-

The third loop, everyone knew they were dealing with loops right from the start. 

-

“I think my watch battery is dead,” grumbled Ify on the t̷͖͗̅h̶̥̔͗i̴͉̞̊r̴̭͘d̵̢͔͌̈́ loop.

-

Loop aft̵̐͜e̷̘̓r̵̩͊ ḽ̵̞́o̷͉̬̼͈͘ö̸̖̠̭́̈̀p̶̡̣̖͂ ạ̸͌͘f̸̱̲͐͗t̶͈͐̇ẻ̶͇̮̄ř̷̤̗͝ ̷̹̌l̸͎͎̔̀̅̀̀̕ò̸̢̨̜͓̳̮̀̕o̶̮̕p̵̪̫̠̝̘̒͒͗̚ͅ, ad infinitum ad nauseam. 

-

A few loops in, Siobhan watched Brian get paler and paler as he examined the trio of podiums. And this time, he was actually taking the time to look at them properly, not just making an act of peering through that stupid little magnifying glass in order to justify a foregone conclusion. He was acting weird, even for him.

Still, he put a good face on it, declaring each one dirty in increasingly elaborate ways, just as he had every time before. Something had clearly rattled him, though, and it made her uneasy in turn.

“Sir? Excuse me, sir?” she said, just as she had the last few rounds, and smiled sweetly with a dollar bill folded in her palm. As Brian came over, she locked eyes with him, hoping the look was enough to convey her question.

“Camcorder, Jan ‘97,” he muttered as he took the money, and had given her the (bribed) point and hurried backstage before she could ask what he meant.

She knew the video he was referring to, it was one of his. Creepy, definitely, but very well-done, all about rewinding tape and rewriting time. And—yeah, man, duh. This was the time loop episode, apparently, so why state the obvious? And why so cryptically?

Unless… unless it was something to do with time loops that wasn’t to do with the format of the episode. 

How long had they been recording, anyway? All their phones were in the box backstage, Ify’s watch was dead, she wasn’t wearing one at all, and with her and Trapp on the outside podiums, there was no way she could ask him without making it look stunningly obvious. But it had been a while, for sure, and Sam wasn’t showing any of his usual signs of wanting to usher the recording session towards a natural conclusion.

If anything, he was looking wolfishly pleased with the way things were turning out. He'd even favoured Brian with a wider grin than usual, where Brian's own smile had been kind of watery. 

Another part of that video, Siobhan couldn't help but recall, was that sinister, looming silhouette.

-

Through more and more loops, and the brief interludes they were granted backstage, they’d worked out the rules, sort of. People weren’t affected by the loops resetting, they carried through pretty much as normal. Objects didn’t, though. Things on the set, like the ducks, the money in their envelopes, and the spaghetti stuck to their podiums, reset to the state they were at at the beginning of what they’d begun to call “Loop 3.0”. Things brought across the threshold of the set, like Zac/Grant’s plate of spaghetti, or Josh’s balloons, reset as soon as they crossed over that boundary.

Josh hadn’t had a good time when he realised that one. While the contestant cast and the cameo cast were kept separate backstage, the contestants had to assume that Brian would have told them everything he’d worked out. The next loop after Brian had given his hint to Siobhan, the contestants had to watch a very good character actor try to keep control of the creepy clown role while going through a moderate existential crisis. It was uncomfortable to watch, stuck at their podiums and unable to help. At least they could mutter a few words of encouragement each time they went up to pop a balloon, and the same with Zac and Brian each time they came by to mess up or inspect their podiums. 

It was good to have that connection, brief as it might have been. They might have been stuck, but at least they were in this fuckery together.

The crew, though, seemed to be immune from feeling the weirdness they were caught up in. Or—no. Not immune. Exempt. They weren’t trapped in the loop, they were part of it, moving along their set tracks like automata. It took the cast a while to work that one out, because Sam kept time perfectly, interacting with Ash when she brought out the contraption and the jar of beans as if they were having a normal, fluid conversation. But then Ify spotted that the camera operators were moving completely out of sync with the cast, and Trapp noticed that only Sam’s half of the interaction with Ash ever changed, and the illusion fell apart from there. The crew wouldn’t be a lifeline.

And speaking of Sam… Fuck, it was a hard one to swallow. He was their boss, their friend, and they’d all known him for years—hell, he’d come through for each of them multiple times. Until now, he had been pretty unequivocally a Good Guy. But it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the signs that Sam Reich was the puppeteer of this entire shitshow.

He was still pretending to not know what anyone meant when they expressed frustration with the loops, but the words were accompanied by a twinkle in his eye that said he knew exactly what was going on, and was staunchly refusing to help. He was delighting in their discomfort, even more so now the cast knew just how fucked they really were.

He looked like Sam, he sounded like Sam, every single mannerism was something that the cast knew intimately. But the personality driving his actions was wrong. Maybe this guy wasn’t Sam at all. Fuck, if they’d suddenly been catapulted into a reality where time loops were real, maybe so were evil clones, or brain-snatching parasites, or—no, the magician great-grandfather lore from Escape the Greenroom was still a stretch too far. But given the choice between believing that a weird sci-fi plotline was true, when another one was literally happening around them; or believing that their friend had secretly been some kind of torturer with access to sci-fi tech the entire time they’d known him—the decision wasn’t particularly hard. 

“We have to stop him from kicking the camera,” Trapp said quietly, as soon as they had all huddled backstage. “That’s what he’s going with as the trigger.”

“It could be another bluff,” Siobhan interjected glumly. “More fucking misdirection.”

Trapp shot her a look. “You got anything better you want to try?”

“I can get between him and Kevin if I’m quick,” Ify volunteered, the tallest among them by a good half a head, with a build to match.

“See what happens,” Trapp said. “But be careful, yeah? Don’t get yourself hurt.”

“So what’s the way to get out?” Siobhan asked, as Ify nodded his agreement. “There has to be something, I might start killing people if I let myself think this is actually completely random.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “Popping the right balloon? Or winning the video game?”

“Or unlocking that,” Ify suggested, nodding to the green chest that had been sitting on the table the entire time. 

“Yeah,” Siobhan and Trapp agreed together.

“Cool, so we try and—”

“Sorry, y’all, but I’m supposed to take your phones?” Kaylin interrupted, holding out the box as she always did. 

By virtue of podium order, Trapp, then Ify, then Siobhan noticed it as they walked on and gave their introductions. Something had changed.

The point totals on the podiums read 14, 9, 14. The points they’d ended with in Loop 3, not started with. They’d survived it. Time was moving.

-

“Sam, look over there!” Siobhan exclaimed as she entered, and dragged a couple of boxes onstage with her in no more subtle a way than she did the last time. 

Trapp got it, he really did. These loops had been… wearing, was probably the best word for it. “Sadistic” was a bit too harsh, particularly when nothing actually bad had been happening (and to be honest, he didn’t even want to risk thinking too badly of the person who seemed to be pulling all the strings in this scenario, in case he somehow noticed, and decided to turn the heat up), but… yeah. Wearing. So he understood why Siobhan might be trying to keep things the same. Making the group less fun for their host to play with.

The trivia rounds were chaos, as always, and passed in a jumble of noise that Trapp was only half focused on. A quiz show was still a quiz show, even if it had descended into some kind of weird time loop purgatory, and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to be first on the buzzer regardless. Maybe the points were the way to get out of this whole shitshow, who could say. But when Ify and Siobhan started to have their exact same argument over the equation question, complete with Ify’s triumphant twerking, Trapp felt his stomach rise into his throat, as if once again, the ground had been cut out from under him.

“Yeah, Solzhenitsyn,” Siobhan nodded in response to a question he hadn’t asked, and his blood went cold. 

Sam, or possibly ‘Sam’, looked him dead in the eye and winked. 

“Next up, there’s a little game I have just for Mike Trapp,” he said with a smirk.

Tinny music started up, and the bright colours of that infuriating video game popped up on the screen, but Trapp didn't care. There wasn't any point in pretending now. 

“You fucker,” he said, walking close to eyeball the host. “You mother fucker.”

‘Sam’ just wheezed with laughter, exactly as the real Sam Reich would when a contestant insulted him out of annoyance at the game, and for the briefest of moments, Trapp had his doubts. Everything about this man said Sam Reich, every tiny detail. Had he really been hiding this all along?

“You were doing great playing as a team,” ‘Sam’ said once he'd regained his composure, looking at Trapp with wide-eyed sincerity. “But that's not really the point of the game, now, is it?”

No. Sam, actual Sam, wouldn't do this to his friends.

“What have you done to them?”

“To them? Nothing,” whoever the fuck this was said brightly. “To the studio, though… Well, it would take too long to explain, and you wouldn’t understand most of it anyway. Let’s just say I can run this whole place like a VCR, and the only two people who wouldn’t be caught up in it right now are you and me, bud.”

“That’s fucked up,” Trapp said, as Ash, deaf and blind to their conversation, came out with the giant jar of beans. “That’s just fucked. Let them go.”

“Aw, but they’re probably having a better time than you are right now,” ‘Sam’ said, mock-serious. “They think time’s finally moving ahead for them, remember? And anyway, do you really want to be arguing with little old me when you’re wasting your one chance to earn points without any competition? It is an individual game, after all.”

Trapp’s eyebrows shot high. “Are you saying only one of us gets out of this? You sick fuck.”

‘Sam’ just shrugged and smiled, looking meaningfully at the empty podium. “Do you want to risk it? The choice is yours, Trapp, but time's a-ticking.” His smile flashed. “Or maybe it isn't.”

-

“Next up, there’s a little game I have just for Ify Nwadiwe,” ‘Sam’ announced.

Yeah, no shit. Ify wasn’t an idiot, even if his point total was sitting below his fellow contestants’. He’d been checking his not-actually-dead watch at the start of every loop, so he knew right from the off that even though their host had been gracious and let them pass through one gauntlet, it sure didn’t mean that the time fuckery had finished. 

This run, though, was looking extra screwed up. Siobhan arguing loudly with him about things he didn’t even say this time was the final confirmation. He was alone in this loop, just him and the guy who was running the show.

He knew that ‘Sam’ knew that he knew that he was the only person who wasn’t stuck. So he waited, staring flatly at the person who had taken over the host’s podium, watching to see what move he would make.

‘Sam’ just smiled. “Left or right?”

Alright, so that’s how he was going to play it. Yeah, no, absolutely not. 

“Nah, nah, nah,” Ify said instead of engaging, because it didn’t really matter. In his peripheral vision, the game kept scrolling through. “Fuck that. What’s the win condition? What do we need to do to get out of here?”

“Play the game,” ‘Sam’ replied.

“Shut the fuck up, man.” Ify shook his head, and ‘Sam’ chuckled like he’d told a good joke. “We’ve already done that, and it’s got us exactly fuckin nowhere. You put us in this thing for a reason, so there’s gotta be something you want to see happen.”

‘Sam’ blinked at him innocently. “Who says this isn’t exactly it?”

Ify took a deep breath. “Let me get this straight. You’re saying we’re in here, doing the same shit over and over again, until you feel like you’ve had enough?”

“In a nutshell,” ‘Sam’ beamed, “yes.”

“Fuck you, man,” Ify said, shifting his weight to lean more heavily on the podium. “Fuck you.”

“Noted,” ‘Sam’ said brightly. “But I wouldn’t spend too long being mad at me, because—” he broke off, giving the front of Ify’s podium a significant look, “—you’ve got quite a lot of ground to make up, in… well. Who can say how much time?”

“Fuck you,” Ify repeated, and ‘Sam’ just laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

-

Ify was taking too long to name a goddamn Keanu Reeves film, again, and Siobhan had had just about enough. So when he stalled, and stalled, and still came up with the same title he’d answered in the last round, grinning like he’d just got one over on her, she could have screamed.

And then she remembered where she was, and who was asking the questions, and her heart sank. They weren’t done yet, apparently, and this time she was completely on her own.

She playacted the rest of the argument, that and the equation question, and hated the fact that even to her own ears, she was sounding more and more shrill as she shouted, because yeah, it’s panic-inducing to continue a screaming match with someone who doesn’t even register that you’re there. Every word was another reminder that she was trapped.

And then the melodrama stopped, and ‘Sam’ smiled at her. “Next up, there’s a little game I have just—”

“—for Siobhan Thompson?” she finished with him, voice dripping with sarcastic surprise, just like she had in Loop 3.0. 

“That’s right!” ‘Sam’ said happily. “Now. Left, or right?”

“No,” Siobhan said.

The man in front of her raised his eyebrows. “No?”

“You’re not Sam, which means I’m not fucking playing. So, who are you?”

“Sam Reich,” he answered quickly, easily, naturally.

Siobhan frowned. “No. Bullshit. Who are you?”

“Sam Reich,” he repeated, sounding somehow even more sincere, and genuinely confused that Siobhan would be asking. Fuck that. She wouldn’t take it. Couldn’t take it.

“No. Bullshit. Try again! Who the fuck are you?”

This time, instead of doubling down, he paused. “Do you want to know a secret?”

After a moment, she nodded warily. He beckoned her close, and slowly, cautiously, she left her podium, walking up to this devil in the shape of a game-show host. Close enough to see his eyes properly, and how truly, deeply old they were.

“Even if I told you,” he stage-whispered, those ancient eyes sparkling with terrible glee, “it wouldn’t make a single bit of difference.”

-

“Did you just—”

“Yeah. And—”

“Yeah.”

The three of them were once again huddled backstage, debriefing. 

“So, are we allowed to do this?” Trapp asked quietly. “Because he seemed pretty against the idea of us working together.”

“Didn't say anything to me,” Ify shrugged. “And I don't see another way of getting out of this if we don't share stuff. And even then—sorry, but I think we're here til he wants to let us go.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah,” Ify said. “Because we got the game, we got the key, we opened the chest, and here we all are again, so I dunno what we have to do. I asked him point blank about the win condition, and—”

“He made it sound like the points, to me,” Trapp interrupted.

Ify nodded. “Me too. But he also pretty much said we're here because he's having fun. I don't think the points are it.”

“So we can lose, but we can't win.” Siobhan's voice was dull.

“C'mon, Siobhan,” Trapp said encouragingly. “We'll get out of it. We've gotta have hope.”

Siobhan just looked flatly at him.

“Look, there are silver linings, okay?” Trapp insisted. “Not many, sure, but enough to look for. Like, because it means our actual friend isn't fucking with us—this guy isn't Sam, that's for sure.”

“I'm not…” Siobhan started, and winced. “This is going to sound bad. But I'm not even sure he's human.”

Ify exhaled deeply.

“Don't give me that,” Siobhan snapped reflexively, and Ify raised his hands placatingly.

“I'm not saying I don't agree,” he said. “It checks out. But it's heavy going, that's all.”

Siobhan nodded, looking calmer. “He still wouldn't say who he is, but… I saw him. The real him, up close. And yeah, he's the spitting image of Sam, but… fuck. People don't look like that behind the eyes.”

“Jesus,” Trapp breathed.

She just nodded wordlessly in reply, and despite knowing that it was costing them valuable discussing time, all three lapsed into silence. What could you say to that sort of revelation?

“The microphone,” Ify said abruptly, and Trapp and Siobhan’s eyes both swung to him. “I mean, I’ve still been thinking about win conditions. Or at least how he’s controlling the loop, and how we can use that.”

“He said he can run it like a VCR,” Trapp added. “But I’m not sure how, I assumed it was something in his podium—”

“But he keeps drawing attention to the microphone,” Ify continued. “Every single goddamn loop.”

“So we break it,��� Siobhan said decisively. 

Trapp made a face. “Or steal it?”

“Whatever. Either way, we get it out of his control.”

“Sorry, y’all,” came a familiar voice, and they all had to stifle a groan. Planning time was over.  

The game started back up again, and—the point totals were as high as they remembered. The set was just as dirty. All promising signs. 

And then their host’s eyes turned to Siobhan after Ify’s successful run at the video game, and her stomach clenched. Even though the time loop continuing was the worst possible scenario, departures from his routine were never a positive thing.

He gave her an indulgent look. “But, Siobhan.” 

She was focused, she was prepared, she could handle whatever he threw at her. “Yes.”

“Because it is the last round of our game…”

Oh.

The buzzy little chiptune started up again, but to Siobhan, Trapp and Ify, it didn't mean a thing. The words “last round” rang in their ears sweeter than any music.

All of them knew it was probably false hope. Nonetheless, it was better than nothing. Something to cling to as they trod the motions of the remaining questions.

And then the cameo cast and all the crew came onstage when the wenis music played, and that certainly had a grand finale type feel to it; and Kevin didn’t get kicked in the face, no matter how much he was darting around in what had suddenly become a minefield of flailing limbs; and whatever it was that was wearing Sam Reich’s face led them all through more repetitions of the routine than usual, radiating manic joy the entire time.

“And stop!” he yelled as the music cut out, throwing his arms wide and looking around frantically as if the camera remaining intact had any fucking bearing on the time loop whatsoever. “Kevin, did we get that?”

The cameraman pulled open the now heavily duct-taped camera body, then looked up, scripted embarrassment mingling with scripted regret. “There’s no tape in the camera.”

And with that, their host turned away from him to look straight down the barrel of the main camera, favouring it with an open smile of pure, uncomplicated enjoyment; the sort of smile that invited you to share in it with him, no matter how strong the hatred that burned in your veins. “That brings us to the end of our show!” he announced happily. “Our winner tonight: Mike Trapp!”

“No-one’s a winner,” Trapp cut in, shaking his head. “No-one’s a winner here today.”

But even so, he was presented with a cool watch, and the confetti cannons went off, and they left the set for longer than two minutes and weren't called back at all, and finally, finally, they could let themselves believe it. 

The loop was broken. They were free. 

---

“What did I do?” Sam’s doppelganger repeated, pausing for a moment to think. “Oh, nothing awful.”

Normally, Sam would be content to let that slide. But just lately, he’d been getting a weird feeling from his doppelganger, and there was too much grey area between ‘something good’ and ‘nothing awful’ to be comfortable. “No, seriously.”

“We just ran the recording a few more times,” his double huffed, his smile fading—not quite impatient, but visibly put out, somehow, like he didn’t feel sufficiently appreciated. “Look at them, they’re fine.”

“I am looking at them,” Sam said. “And that’s why I’m asking. They’re my friends, I can tell when something isn’t right.”

His doppelganger hummed briefly, moving next to him to come and look at the monitor, and—just for a flash, less than a second—Sam felt the hair on the back of his neck rise when his double passed behind him. 

“Maybe you're right,” he said slowly, after watching the feed for a few seconds. “Okay, I'll fix it. I'll have a chat to them.”

Sam exhaled, relief washing over him. Of course there wasn't anything to be worried about.

“Thanks,” he said.

His double just smiled faintly and nodded, then left the room.

Sam turned back to the monitor, waiting for the moment a minute or so later when his double would appear in the frame. And sure enough, he did. The sound setup was only piped in from the stage, and even then it wasn’t the best quality, so Sam didn’t have a chance of hearing what was actually being said. But he watched as, without exception, every single cast member flinched when his doppelganger touched them lightly on the shoulder to get their attention. 

The conversations were quiet, with a gentle sort of intensity. His double seemed to be focused on making sure each person felt acknowledged—Sam couldn’t recall him breaking eye contact with anyone he was speaking to—and whatever he said, it seemed to work. One after another, he spoke to all the cast, contestants and cameos, leaving calm in his wake. And when he had talked to the last one, and everyone looked settled and genuinely at ease, he shot a look of pure satisfaction towards the backstage camera, and headed out of view.

“Thank you,” Sam said again when his doppelganger returned to their dressing room, and received a gracious nod in reply. “Just out of curiosity, though—what did you tell them? Because fuck, it worked like a charm!”

His double tilted his head, half-smiling. “Oh, you know. All the right things. That I was very sorry for anything that might have gone weird during the recording, that I wasn’t feeling like myself, that it’ll never happen again… Oh, yeah—and then I wiped their memories.”

Sam coughed. “You what?”

“Wiped their memories,” his double repeated matter-of-factly. “It was the simplest solution, really. Everyone stays in continuity, they’re blissfully free of any… more troubling memories, our cover isn’t blown—it’s perfect.”

“No, hang on, you can’t—”

“I can, and I did,” his doppelganger replied. “I fixed the problem—which you asked me to, I might add—and now everyone’s back to their regular happy selves. It’s a totally closed system. The only person who knows it happened at all is me. Oh, and you, of course.”

Sam frowned.

“Besides, this way, you don’t have to worry about having to work out the overtime for a time loop, because they’ve got no idea what the extra pay would even be for,” his double added breezily before he had a chance to say anything, then snapped serious. “And don’t look at me like that, Samuel Dalton Reich, because you were thinking about it. I know you.”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t deny it. The tiny part of his mind that was always in Dropout CEO mode had been grappling with the ethical and financial implications of a time loop and getting nowhere, and the relief of not having to deal with it was like a fist unclenching.

“See?” his doppelganger said, meeting his eyes with a pointed sort of kindness. “I know what I’m doing, Sam, I’ve been doing it for a very long time. And it’s better for everyone like this.”

“I don’t—” Sam started, faltering. On the one hand, there was something intuitively and viscerally horrifying about his friends having their memories wiped. But on the other… 

“If you don’t want to know,” his double said softly, and god, it gave Sam the shivers to hear his own voice used that way, “there is a way around it. I thought you’d rather be a part of everything that’s going on, but…”

His eyes caught and held on Sam’s like magnets, and—something had shifted behind them, something small, but with a seismic effect. He was pinned by that gaze, trapped, electrified; wholly unable to look away.

“I can do the same for you as I did for them.”

On the other hand… his double was right. It was kinder, probably, if they didn’t remember whatever they went through, and in that moment, he realised he couldn’t even begin to guess what that was. And… it was definitely easier.

“No,” he said, and when the word came out as a whisper, he cleared his throat and tried again. “No. It’s okay.”

His doppelganger blinked, and the spell was broken.

“Great!” he said brightly, back to his usual cheerful self, with all traces of that scary side—that dangerous side—folded neatly away. “You know, I really didn’t want to have to do that to you—you’ve been so much fun to work with, it would have been a shame to have it all come to nothing.”

And Sam, feeling like a marionette with its strings cut, hated the fact that he agreed. Even with everything that had happened lately, he couldn’t deny that the electricity that came from working with his doppelganger, the sizzle of pushing ideas just that bit past the boundaries and laughing uproariously at the result, was liberating. Exhilarating. Addictive, almost, a heart-racing excitement that sang in his blood.

Maybe the danger was part of the game. And as long as nobody came to any harm, he could keep playing.

“Just… promise me one thing, okay?” he started, and his double turned wide, patient eyes on him. “Promise me I won’t have to see anything like that again. There’s nothing we can do to change this now, but I can’t let it happen again, yeah? They’re my friends, and there’s a line.”

“Sure,” his doppelganger agreed. “You’re right. And I do like them, so—hm. I’ll treat them like I would my own friend.”

“Thanks,” Sam replied, finally letting the tension drain out of him. “That means a lot.”

His doppelganger just nodded in acknowledgement, then clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “C’mon. We’ve got more work to do.”

----- missed an installment of the sam reich!master cinematic universe?

original idea by @ace-whovian-neuroscientist: x

art by @northernfireart concept: x scissor sisters sketch: x sam and his doppelganger: x

writing by me (!) part one (escape the greenroom): x part two (deja vu): you are here!

[elizabethwritesmen]

The Devil Wears Lace

chapter 6 : October 28, 2023

pairing: simon “ghost” riley x reader

summary: it’s halloween and your treat is a visit from ghost but it turns into more of a trick when a new bartender gets a little too friendly with him. you do what you’ve got to do to keep his eyes on you and end up with more than you bargained for.

warnings: smut, oral (m and f receiving), degradation and praise, dancing on a bar, public nudity, reader gets harassed again, simon gets angry again, slut shaming and a lot of shit talking about the new bartender goes on in this chapter, i think that’s all but let me know if i missed anything!

series masterlist

October 28, 2023

The bar was having a Halloween party.

I didn’t want to go, I’d been working all day at my new job and was exhausted, but Sabrina insisted.

What was my new job, you might ask? Well, the previous May I’d graduated with a Masters in criminology. I wanted to seek higher education but was still deciding what and where. In the meantime, I was interning at a law office nearby. It paid shockingly well, they were a small practice but extremely successful and valued their employees a lot so they showed it by giving them a lot of money.

I didn’t have time to go pick out a costume, so Sabrina assured me she would get me one, much to my dismay. Due to this, I went there straight after work, bringing my makeup and stuff with me so I could just get ready at the bar like I had many times before.

She met me at the door with a bag and shoved it in my hands, giggling all the while, making me frown. What had she cooked up?

I was mortified when I opened the bag and found combat boots, the smallest black dress I had ever seen, and someone’s fatigue shirt. Whose? I don’t know. I wondered the same thing.

“I am so not wearing this. Somewhere is bound to be open, I’ll go see-“

“NO! You know good and well this is the best way to get these dumbass military boys to buy you drinks.”

“Who says I want these dumbass military boys to buy me drinks?”

“You do, trust me, you need a night of flirting with a bunch of men more than anyone else I know. Now get your sexy ass in the back and get ready!”

I sighed, rolling my eyes so hard I thought they would get stuck that way, and did as she told me, heading to the small room in the back that we usually changed and touched up makeup in. It had bad lighting but we’d placed lamps in front of the mirrors, and it had a small set of lockers for anyone who worked there to put valuables in, but they didn’t actually lock so I didn’t understand the purpose of them.

Once I managed to get everything on, I had to admit I looked good. Turned out the dress was basically just a nearly sheer lace slip, but it blended in perfectly with my black bra and thong, which made it feel just a tad bit more modest than it actually was. The combat boots actually paired well with it and the fatigue shirt. I already had gold jewelry on, and I just kept it, thinking it made the look even a little better. All that was left was to touch up my makeup and curls.

Once I stepped out into the bar area, leaving my clothes behind trusting nothing would happen to them, I was bombarded by Sabrina, Dylan, and the new bartender who’d taken my place. She was cute, honestly, tall and skinny with big dimples on her cheeks. I figured she was doing well, and she seemed nice.

“You look so good!” They told me, fawning over me. I laughed, waving them off, sitting at the bar and waiting for it to get busy. It always did on the night of the Halloween party, without fail.

The music was loud, and all of it was either dark and sexy or Halloween themed. Decorations were hung up, less in depth than I usually did. Sabrina always hated decorating and I guess the new girl did, too.

“Hey,” Sabrina sat next to me, “It feels like it’s been forever!”

“It’s been like, three days,” I deadpanned, brows furrowed and she laughed.

“Yeah, but we used to spend damn near every day together. It’s so lame here without you.”

“But you have that new girl, right? She seems nice, maybe you could be friends.”

She rolled her eyes and I got comfier in my seat, knowing she was about to tell me all about the drama. “She’s awful.”

“I gathered that from the eye roll, now spill!”

“Alright, so when she first got here, she acted like she was just really eager to learn. Then ‘eager to learn’ turned into ‘eager to feel up my husband every chance she got.’ Fucking slut.”

I gasped, leaning in farther, “She felt up Dylan?”

“Yes!” she sounded exasperated, “He was showing her how to make a couple drinks and she just got right up on his side and started rubbing his arms and his back!”

“That bitch,” I furrowed my brows.

“I know! So he told me to take over showing her the ropes, and I have, but I wanna just fuckin’ fire the stupid cunt. She’s an idiot anyway and she can’t do anything right!”

“Well then why hasn’t he fired her yet?”

“Because his dad is wrapped around her finger and doesn’t want him to.”

“That bitch!” I huffed, “Well if she touches him again I’ll beat her ass for you. I don’t work here anymore, I can’t get in trouble.”

“I know you will. Just tell me first so I can film it, we’ll pop some popcorn and have a movie night.”

I raised my drink and she clinked it with her own, taking a sip with me. I eyed the new girl, in awe that she could seem so nice but be such a snake.

Around 9, the place was full, and I was dancing with a few friends that had shown up. We were just jumping around on the floor, a few guys around us dancing with us. It was fun, more fun than I’d had in a while.

I didn’t even notice they’d shown up until one of my friends started talking about the sexy guy in the mask. I furrowed my eyebrows, hope sparking in my chest as I looked around and saw him at the bar, the new girl in front of him, leaned over, giving him a front row seat to her tits. I nearly fumed, excusing myself and briskly making my way over.

I stood behind him for a second, trying to catch a hint of their conversation. It didn’t seem like he was giving her much from what I could tell, and she seemed to be getting more and more desperate for his attention by the second.

“Ghost,” I cleared my throat from behind him.

“I was wondering how long it’d take you to realize I was here.” He spoke without even turning around. The new girl made her way to the other side of the bar, giving him a moment alone.

“Maybe I was waiting for you to come to me.”

“You looked like you were having fun, didn’t want to disturb you.”

“I was,” I sighed, “Are you gonna look at me? Or are you gonna keep staring at her tits?”

He chuckled, turning around fully to face me in his seat. My breath hitched, I didn’t expect him to do that.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he patronized me, “You wanted my attention now you got it.”

I took a few steps closer to him, “Just a little sad. See, you’re supposed to be looking at me.”

“Well, I’m looking at you now,” his voice was low and dark and his hands settled on my hips, pulling me a little closer, “What’re you wanting, huh? A compliment? Want me to tell you how good you look in this little piece of fabric you call a dress?” I nodded frantically, biting my lips and his eyes followed the motion, “You haven’t earned it.”

I gasped, eyes widening and he laughed again, this time fuller. His hands tightened on my hips as he lifted me into the stool beside him, gesturing new girl over and ordering me and Malibu Pineapple. I caught the dirty look she sent me, but I didn’t have a fuck to give. My brain was short circuiting over the way he just.. lifted me into the chair, and the way he remembered what I wanted to drink.

“Thank you,” I offered him a smile, taking a sip.

“Probably not the first free drink you’ve gotten tonight.”

“No, it’s not. But it’s my favorite free drink I’ve gotten tonight.”

“Suck up.”

“I would, if you’d just give me the chance,” I winked and the whites of his eyes showed a little more for a second as he widened them.

“You’re impossible.”

“Then why do you keep coming back for more?”

My hands were on his thighs then, both of us facing each other in our chairs, and I let my hands roam slightly but not to anywhere too scandalous.

“Guess what the fuck that bitch just did!” Sabrina’s voice broke the trance, and I looked at her expectantly, “She said you cockblocked her and started whining about you. Like I’m gonna choose her side over yours, be fuckin’ for real for a second!”

I raised my eyebrows, “Cockblocked, huh? Sounds like new girl wants you bad, Ghost.” He grunted in response, lifting his mask to take a sip of his whiskey. “Don’t moan and groan at me, you were the one undressing her with your eyes. Want me to get her number for you? Maybe you can take her home.”

Sabrina looked at a loss for words, and her eyebrows were raised in concern but she saw her way out of the situation. Smart choice.

“Sweetheart, stop.” His voice was a command. Deep and final. But I just couldn’t leave well enough alone.

“Oh, honey, I’m just getting started,” With that, I was up and across the bar, dancing with my friends again and trying to ignore him. A few guys came up to me, one wrapping his arm around me and trying to grind on me but I pushed him away a little with a laugh.

“You can buy me a drink, but you can’t touch,” I teased, but my face went dark and his hand landed a smack on my ass.

“If you didn’t wanna be touched, why’d you wear this?” he asked me, leaning his head down for a kiss that I dodged, elbowing him hard in his chest.

“My outfit isn’t a free pass to touch me, you stupid fuck.”

“At least I’m not a stupid slut,” he slapped my ass again, but this time I was ready for him. I grabbed his arm and twisted hard, wrenching it around behind him. Once I had him where I wanted him, I kicked the back of his knee and sent him to the floor, me standing over him and holding him hostage there.

“You want a broken arm? Because you’re sure asking for one.” My tone was angry, forceful, more assertive than I could ever remember it being.

“Fuck, get off of me,” he growled, trying to pull away but I twisted harder and he let out a gasp.

“Get the fuck out of the bar, and don’t come back until you can learn to keep your hands to yourself,” I growled at him, letting him go just to kick him in the back and send him all the way to the floor in a heap. He turned over and laid there, staring up at me.

“That’s not your choice to make,” he smirked, still cocky after what had just happened and I raised a brow.

“No, it’s mine, and I agree with her. Get out.” Dylan’s voice was like a lifeline as he grabbed the guy by the shirt and pushed him out of the doors. I breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone. “Good job, killer,” he high fived me and I grinned, “If you didn’t have that fancy new job I’d ask you to be the new security guard.”

I giggled as he walked away, trying to come down from the adrenaline of everything. The bustle around me made it hard, though, so I walked outside, holding myself tight to battle the cold. I heard the door open and shut behind me and imagined it was Sabrina, but I knew I was wrong when he walked towards me, his heavy footsteps giving him away.

“You alright?” he asked me, and I turned around slowly, nodding.

“I’m fine.”

“That was pretty impressive, what you did in there. Maybe you can take care of yourself.”

“I’ve told you that a million times but you had to see it to believe it, huh,” I chuckled but my words were venom, staring down at my feet.

“You gonna tell me why you’re acting like this?” he changed the subject.

I responded with a quick, “No.” He looked frustrated, speechless almost.

“You can just tell me you’re jealous. It’s obvious enough.”

“Jealous? Of what? Sally McSlutface laying her boobs out on the bar like a personal menu for you? Yeah, I’m green with envy, let me tell you,” my tone was biting, sarcasm laced in every word, pure hate dripping from me when I talked about her. Maybe she hadn’t done anything to deserve it. Maybe Ghost wasn’t mine and I had no claim to him. Maybe he could talk to whoever the hell he wanted and look at whatever the hell he wanted.

He breathed out a laugh, staring at the sky hopelessly, begging for the patience he needed to deal with me. “You are green.” His eyes snapped back down to me. “Whose shirt you got on, anyway? One of these soldiers that comes in here and hits on you? What’d you have to do for it?”

“I didn’t do anything for it, asshole, I don’t know whose it is.”

“Right, that makes sense,” his tone was patronizing again and it set me on fire, anger building inside of me.

“You’re gonna get mad about me wearing someone else’s fatigues when you’re in there eyeing up that dumb bitch like she’s fucking candy or something? You fucking asshole.”

“I’m not mad, baby, you’re the only one that’s mad,” but he sure sounded mad, and I didn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth. I didn’t even dwell on the word baby.

“I’m not mad!” I yelled, then tried to calm myself down, “You know what? Go fuck her. See how much I care. I have my own plans for the night.”

I attempted to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “Don’t do anything stupid just because you’re throwing a fit like a fucking brat.”

“Wanna see how much of a brat I am?” I couldn’t tell whether my words were foreboding or inviting. “Come back inside.”

I shook away from him and stormed into the bar, beelining it to Sabrina and Dylan.

“Remember two years ago when I danced on the bar for Halloween?”

“Yeah,” they both nodded.

“I’m doing it again. Put on the song.”

Their eyebrows were raised but they nodded, and Dylan went to the stereo system to get it going.

“You good?”

“I’m fine. I’m taking your advice and moving on. Or showing him what he’s missing. Whatever, I don’t give a fuck. Plus it’ll make that new girl mad.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” she grinned, “Get your fine ass up there and show them who’s boss!”

I grinned back as the familiar tune began. I made my way onto the bar and some of the guys there noticed and began to gather around. Right at that moment, Ghost walked back inside and the second his eyes found me, he looked homicidal.

I began swaying my hips to the beat, winking at him and increasing my movement with every lyric.

Heaven help me, the devil wears lace and she can’t be tamed.

If I were wealthy, spend every last dime just to hear her say my name.

I flipped my hair around, slipping the big shirt off and throwing it to Sabrina who was watching from behind the bar with a huge smile on her face. She handed me a bottle, one of the cheapest liquors they had as the chorus hit.

So light me in flames

Just as hot as you need

Let me see the good girl you wanted to be

I turned my back to the group of people gawking and cheering, bending over and reaching between my spread out legs to pour two shots worth of liquid into one of the guy’s mouths, which brought on more cheers.

My eyes caught his as I turned back around and felt myself up, hands sliding from my chest to my thighs, squeezing the fat there as my motions got sharper with every beat.

All of my praise, only from me

I can be the one who can set you free

He made his way over to the bar and I grinned, turning my back again and doing a small spin, hanging on to the rail at the top of the bar for support then shimmying down, surely flashing some people but I wasn’t concerned.

Fall from your grace

Turn up the heat

I feel I’m going down, hands gripping the sheets

I sat sideways on the bar, leaning back on my arms and arching tightly with my head thrown back, then turned over and raised my hips, arms stretched in front of me and ass on display and he snapped. He ripped his jacket off and threw it over me, hauling me off the bar and outside. The people there seemed dumbstruck, and I barely heard the end of the chorus before the door shut.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he growled, setting me down in front of him.

“Do I have to think about everything I do before I do it?”

He let out a sharp laugh, “You are the most danger prone girl I have ever known. Yes, you have to think about dumbass decisions before you make them.”

“All I did was dance on a bar,” I rolled my eyes, pulling his jacket tighter around me in the cold.

“Yeah, right, that’s all you did. Now everyone in there has seen your ass, you feel good about that?”

I set my jaw, letting it tick as I thought over my answer. “You’re talking to me like I’m some kind of whore. Maybe I just wanted your attention.”

“You have that already. Give me a real reason.”

“Maybe I just wanted the attention you gave her.”

“What attention? You’re so fucking delusional. I didn’t even look at her. I don’t give a fuck about her. I came here for you. My team came here for you, and they’re in there having the time of their lives because they got more of you than they bargained for. There’s only one girl that I want to drive me up the fucking wall, and it’s not her!” he was yelling, seething really, his tone harsh and cutting deep but then I let his words settle in along with the feeling of stupidity.

“Ghost, I-“

“Fuck, don’t call me that, my name is Simon,” his voice was still raised and it’s like he didn’t even realize what he’d said until it was out, and we were both taken harshly aback.

I let my mouth drop open a little, taking one step closer to him.

“Simon,” I tried it out and I liked the way it felt rolling off my tongue. I think he liked it too, judging by the way his face softened and his eyes darkened. “Forgive me,” I implored, getting further into his personal space. Crowding him out, really, until my perfume must’ve been suffocating him, thinly veiled by the jacket he’d thrown over me. He didn’t answer. “Forgive me,” I repeated, urgently this time. “Want me to get on my knees and beg? I will. Not for anyone else, but for you, I’ll do it.” He just kept staring at me as I rambled on, “I was jealous, Simon. So jealous, can’t help it with the way she was looking at you. Had me so angry-“

He cut me off, yanking his mask up to his nose and grabbing my throat, pulling me to him and kissing me. I yelped, shocked by the impact, but it only took me seconds to fall into a rhythm, melting where I stood and whimpering for more.

“Such a little slut, begging for me like this and I haven’t even touched you,” he groaned, pulling away to kiss down my neck. I let out a shaky moan, arching into him as his mouth drifted lower.

“Fuck, Simon, please,” I whined, and he laughed.

“I should’ve told you my name a long time ago,” he mused as he brought his mouth back to mine, claiming it as his own. He backed me slowly into the wall, huge hands circling under my thighs and lifting until my legs were wrapped around him and I was caged in his arms.

I got more desperate, squeezing him closer and breaking the kiss to groan when he pressed into me. He was big. Big was an understatement.

“Don’t think that’s gonna fit,” I breathed out and he laughed, nuzzling into me.

“Not tonight it’s not.”

“What?” I was panicking, the need for him growing in me with every passing second.

“Not gonna take you for the first time after a fight like that, baby,” he kissed me again, “Gonna make you wait for it.”

“I’ve been waiting-“

“Don’t whine,” he shut me up, “Makes me want you too bad. Now come on, let’s go back in.”

I pouted as he set me on my feet, all turned on with nowhere to let it out. I followed him as he dragged me inside, pulling his mask down at the same time.

We garnered some stares as we walked in, hand in hand, people obviously knowing exactly what was going on. There were some surprised looks, I wasn’t exactly known for being seen with a man or even settling for a man at all. People were used to be flitting about, flirting but never enough to care.

“Everything okay?” Soap asked as we approached their table, where Sabrina and Dylan were already standing, chatting away.

“We’re just fine,” Simon nodded, and I stayed quiet, blush on my cheeks still, and my eyes might as well have had hearts in them as I gazed at him.

“You’ve got a little… bruise….” Sabrina muttered, grazing her thumb over a spot on my neck and I gasped, pulling the jacket up higher. Everyone laughed at that, and it looked like even Simon smirked but I couldn’t quite tell under the mask.

He pulled out a chair for me and one for himself right beside me and I sat down. They kept cracking their little jokes and I kept not saying much, too lost in thought. I wanted him and I wanted him bad.

I placed my hand on his thigh, rubbing slightly and making my way further and further up. He slapped it away but I just put it back, continuing my ascent. “If I leave, will you follow me?” I whispered the question in his ear, and he just looked at me, but the way his eyes grazed over me let me know he was on the hook. I smirked, pulling my hand away and fleeing to the back room.

The new girl came in behind me, her face twisted in blatant annoyance.

“You can’t be back here,” she spat.

“Yet somehow, I am,” I giggled, waving her away, “Anything else?”

“I thought you were nice when I first met you earlier, but you’re really just a bitch, huh?” I cocked a brow as she let those words slip.

“Do you want to find out just how much of a bitch I am?” I questioned, and she didn’t back down. “Get out. Now. Go ride a dick in the bathroom or something like you’ve been trying to all night.”

“I think I will, in fact I think I’ll go for that man in the mask,” she smirked and before I could even laugh, he came in.

“Fuck off,” he grunted, “This seat’s taken.”

I snorted and she just gawked.

“She isn’t even supposed to be in here!” she huffed.

“Go tattle on her, then,” he barked, and she jumped, making her way out of the room. Once we were alone, he closed the door, turning the lock behind him. I smirked, walking towards him slowly, slipping the jacket further and further off with every step until it was on the floor.

“Just gonna leave my jacket on the ground like that?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make up for it,” I winked, finally reaching him and placing my hands on his chest, balling them in the thin fabric of his shirt.

“Sweetheart,” he groaned, “You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“I don’t care, as long as I win,” I clicked my tongue, sinking slowly down to one knee, and then the other.

He let out a ragged breath as my hands slid down, tugging his belt until it was unbuckled and sliding out of the loops. Then I got his button and zipper undone, pulling down just enough to expose his boxers slightly.

“Aw, my poor Simon, you just wanted me to touch you, huh?” I cooed, pulling the boxers down enough to expose the tip. “I got you this turned on, baby?”

“Don’t forget your place,” he growled, but his actions were sweet as he brushed my hair back from my face lightly.

“I know my place,” I smiled, “On my knees with my mouth wrapped around you.”

He all but growled, hips bucking into my touch. When I raised a brow, he admitted, “Been a while.”

“For me, too,” I offered, hoping it would make him feel better, before pulling his boxers down further and exposing the entirety of him.

“Fuck,” I gasped, “You’re huge.”

“Gonna keep talking about it or put your mouth on it?”

I didn’t need any more encouragement, getting straight to work, starting with a stripe licked up the back and ending by sucking the tip into my mouth, twirling my tongue around it teasingly.

“Fuck, please,” he breathed out, hand pulling my hair tighter as I took more of him. I had to ease my way down to adjust my throat, but once I got as much as I could in, I started moving back and forth. He held me there until my eyes were teary and wet, my throat completely expanded, and I let him use me.

“Wanna see you,” he told me and I nodded as well as I could, humming around him and pulling my dress and bra down to expose myself, the air making my nipples hard as they’d ever been. I’m sure he had something to do with that, too. “So fucking - agh - perfect, so perfect for me, fuck please keep going,” he sounded broken, but not in the same way other men I’d been with did. He sounded needy, like he’d been waiting his whole life for that one moment and he never wanted it to end. I’d never felt that from anyone before, and I wanted more of it so I got greedier with him in my mouth, savoring the weight of him on my tongue.

“Fuck, y’gonna make me cum,” he gasped, squeezing my hair to pull me back a little as his hips stuttered. It was a sweet gesture, to keep from hurting me with his movements, and I moaned around him, which seemed to tumble him right over the edge. He groaned with one last thrust of his hips and pulled out just enough for me to open my mouth wide and stick out my tongue, letting him let go right there inside of it. He watched closely as he did so, enjoying every second, right to when I swallowed it all.

I grinned after he came down, pulling his boxers back up and doing his pants back up for him then standing and wiping my mouth gently.

“See you out there,” I winked as I began to walk past him, but he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back to him, picking me up and bringing me to the small bench in the corner. He laid me on it, pulling me to the edge and kneeling in front of me, eyes dark on me.

“What’re you doin’?” I asked, breath coming out quicker, heart racing.

“Showing you what your place is, since you’re a little confused,” his voice was rough as he hooked a finger in my panties, pulling them off of me swiftly, “It’s laid out with your legs spread wipe open just for me.”

I gasped, squirming under his gaze as he brought a finger down to swipe through my folds.

“Please,” I whimpered, and he chuckled.

“That’s it, what a good little slut, begging me to touch you. What do you want from me baby? Want my fingers in this little cunt?”

I nodded frantically, eyes wide and pleading, and he obliged, ripping his gloves off and slipping one finger in. I let out a broken moan as he went in and out, thinking it couldn’t possible get better but then it did as he slipped in two, fucking me with his digits, curling them around that spongy spot inside of me.

“Simon, I - fuck - please -!” he went a little faster, and I tried my best not to scream but it was so hard.

Then, all at once, he went away.

“What are you-“

“I’m not goin’ anywhere, calm down,” he shushed me and I relaxed, lying back and watching as he grabbed his jacket. He walked over to me, placing one of the sleeves over my eyes and tying it behind me, making a blindfold of sorts.

“What’s this for?” I asked, and I heard a bit of movement and something being set down before he grabbed my hands and lifted them to his face, laying them down there on bare skin.

I gasped, feeling around, greedy for more then I found it in his hair. I tugged lightly, loving how it felt in my fingers, and he groaned. Before I could even process his bare face, he’d leaned down and kissed me again, his fingers going back to where I needed him most and pushing back in. I rutted against him desperately as his tongue explored my mouth, then moved downwards. To my neck, then my chest, spending a little extra time there teasing me, then down my belly and to where his fingers were.

He circled his tongue around my clit and electricity shot through me as I let out a shriek, my legs falling over his shoulders and pulling him closer as my hand fisted in his hair. He lapped at me like a man starved, working harder for me than anyone ever had, coaxing me farther and farther open until I didn’t feel like I could even inhale. He noticed, pulling away just enough to rasp, “Breathe, baby. I’ve got you, just relax and let me make you cum.”

I moaned again, back arching as I began feeling that peak inside of me getting closer and closer. He could feel it too, so he sped up his movements and added another finger, tipping me over the edge and fucking me through it as I wailed. What felt like forever later, I collapsed in a heap, gasping for breath.

A minute later, he took the jacket off of my face and I pouted when I saw his mask was back on, as well as his gloves. I started to get up but he stopped me with a hand on my chest, laying me back down.

“Hold on,” he ordered and I did, watching him look around for a second before coming back with a little towel he’d found. He carefully cleaned me up, and I watched him in a daze, those dangerous feelings bubbling up in my chest once more. I was a goner for him, and suddenly the thought that he had to leave soon hit me and my eyes were getting hot.

“I’m gonna keep these,” he smirked as he pocketed my underwear, and I nodded, staring at the ceiling. He got quiet, taking note of my attitude change and furrowing his brows. “What’s wrong?” I didn’t answer and panic set in. “Was that not okay? Did you not want that? Fuck - I’m sorry, I-“

“No,” I shook my head, “I wanted it. It was good. Perfect, even. I just… I feel like I can’t tell you what’s wrong.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll laugh at me.”

“Promise I won’t.”

“You have to leave. I just feel…”

“Used?”

“No,” I placed my hand on his to quiet those thoughts in his head, sitting up carefully, pulling my dress back to somewhat modesty. “Sad.”

“Oh,” he said, seeming surprised. “You know, sweetheart, I’m not the kind of man you wanna care about.”

“It’s a little too late for that.”

“I’ll be back. I promise I will.”

“And if you can’t keep that promise?”

“I can.”

The tears fell then and he sat beside me, pulling me into his arms as I cried. “Shh,” he whispered, “It’s okay. I’ll be back. Just let it out.” His hand was rubbing circles on my back, easing some of the pain. I couldn’t believe how vulnerable I was being, but I felt completely wrecked and he hadn’t even fucked me, and now he had to leave. Of course I was vulnerable,

I stopped crying, pulling slightly away from him and wiping my face as best I could.

“We should go back out there. Try to have a good night.”

“Baby, I’ve already had a good night,” he chuckled and I let out a little giggle too.

“Okay, then let’s try to keep the good night going. Come on. There’s no telling what they’ve said about us by now.”

“Probably nothing that wasn’t true.”

“Yeah…” I mumbled, “We haven’t been too subtle, huh?”

“I think when you showed your ass to everybody in the bar, subtlety went out the window.”

“Probably,” I laughed, standing up and bringing him with me. He slipped the jacket back over my shoulders as we walked out.

“You don’t have underwear on, I’m doing damage control.”

Just as I expected, everyone picked on us, and the night was full of endless innuendos. I just stayed quiet and shy, gazing at Simon, and it almost seemed like he was gazing back. He kept either his arm around me or his hand on my leg for the whole rest of the night, seeming like he didn’t want to let me go.

Unfortunately, the time came that he had to, and we all parted ways and he walked me to my car, still holding me to his side.

“You gonna be ok?” he asked, hand cupping my cheek as I stared at him with those same heart eyes I had for him before.

“I think so,” I grinned and his eyes fell to my lips.

“I meant what I said,” he told me, “I’ll be back for you.”

“I’ll be waiting,” I hummed, pulling him a little closer until I was trapped between him and my car, but there was nowhere else I’d rather be.

He lifted his mask to his nose again and I smiled, knowing what was coming. His mouth fell down to mine, slower than before but just as intense. It was short and sweet, but memorable, and I chased him as he pulled away.

“Go home, sweetheart,” he mumbled, kissing me on the forehead before putting some distance between us. He started to pull his mask down but I stopped him, jumping on him one last time in a panic and kissing him with everything I had. It lasted longer and left us both breathless. When I finally stepped back, he just smiled at me, and I realized it was the first time I’d seen his real smile. It was the prettiest thing I’d ever had the luxury of seeing, and I pouted when he covered it up.

“Please stay safe,” I told him, finally letting his hand go and getting in my car.

[ashecampos]

Anyone but her 6

JANIS IMI-IKE X FEM READER

Warnings - swearing, mentions of anxiety. smut (my first time writing smut may I add), ptsd/past relationship trauma, y/n and Janis being idiots.

The POV switches between reader and Janis (I use — when I change the POV)

there will be more parts to this, make sure to reblog and comment and I will get the next few parts up as soon as I can, happy reading lovelies 🫶🏼

🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿

3rd person pov <3

“It’s been two weeks and all we have been able to achieve is getting them to kiss multiple times” Damien looks at Cady and Tessa. The three have been trying and failing to get Janis and y/n together for nearly three weeks, they scheme and plot but nothing seems to stick. “Hey they have plans later, y/n is excited, this might be the night if you catch my drift” Tessa wiggles her eyebrows while nudging the boy. He makes a shocked face, leaning closer to the girl “girl spill, what plans do they have?” He smacks the girls knees repeatedly, desperate for answers. “Well I couldn’t get too much info, buttt, they are having a little ‘movie night at Janis’ house’ and y/n is panicking about what to wear” Tessa smirks knowing her best friend’s little quirks all too well. She pulls out her phone and hands it to Damien, the chat with y/n open with a multitude of messages from the girl panicking. Laughing, Damien starts typing telling y/n that the group will come over after school to help. Cady sits on her phone ignoring the chaos, replying to chats from the plastics. Cady stares at a chat from Regina about how Aaron is annoying her and how she ‘wishes she was just a lesbian’ and how she should just get with a girl and how Aaron would be so jealous of it.

The bell rings, interrupting their conversation, they all stand up from their spots under the old oak tree. Saying their goodbyes, they all go to their last few classes.

———————————————————

This day has been one of the longest to ever exist. And it’s all because of her. I haven’t even told Damien or Cady yet, well that’s because I haven’t seen them yet today, I haven’t seen her today. Maybe she’s avoiding me, I doubt it though. Thankfully I have this class with all of them. One by one they all walk through the doors and get to their seats. Cady is first, followed by Tessa and Damien. My eyes linger on the door a second longer to see her walk through but to my surprise she isn’t here. My eyes shoot to Tessa looking for answers “where is y/n?” I turn to Tessa who is sat next to me. “track meet, did you forget? She told you this yesterday Janis” she looks at me like she could kill me for being so stupid. Shit her track meet. I was going to buy her flowers. Too late now I guess. “Oh yeah sorry” I say looking at my phone seeing a notification from y/n. I smile, grabbing everyone’s attention, Damien looks over my shoulder, him and Tessa making kissing noises, I swat them away before opening it.

The photo shows a few people sat on the grass with a time stamp on it, all of their backpack on the floor, Tessa looks over and speaks before the others can “they must’ve just finished, I wonder if they got to the next stage” she checks her phone and opens her text from y/n

Tessa stretches her arm over to show me what y/n sent to her, a photo of her, showing the ground with a little bit of text saying “home time” cute. I laugh a little. “God she’s cute” I blurt out before thinking against saying it, my hand quickly covers my mouth as a blush creeps its way to my cheeks. All three of them stop what they are doing to look at me. Silence. Damien and Tessa look at each other smirking, Damien opens his mouth to say something but before he can the teacher walks in, thank god for that.

The class goes by unbearably slow, I sit staring at the wall for the better part of the hour, praying what I said wouldn’t be brought up. Tessa and Damien kept sharing knowing looks with shit eating grins. Looking up at the clock I acknowledge that there is only 15 minutes left. I quickly go back to staring at the wall. That is until my thoughts are interrupted by my phone buzzing in my pocket. I grab my phone and open the notification seeing it’s y/n again. I open the chat and smile a little “hey pretty girl, can’t wait for tonight” I save the chat and reply “can’t wait, dress comfy” I turn my phone off and wait for class to end, my mind drifting back to her.

Once class ends, we all leave and stand outside of the school, Cady waiting for Regina to pick her up, me and Damien waiting on a bus, Tessa waiting for. I actually don’t know what she’s waiting for, normally y/n drives her. As if on que a bus pulls up, not mine and Damien’s but the school bus. And out comes the track and field team. Oh that’s why we were waiting here. Out walks y/n after everyone else. She says her goodbyes and congratulations to her team mates before jogging over. Time freezes in the time it takes for her to run over. She is clad in grey Nike shorts and an oversized hoodie, the schools logo on the front reading ‘north shore lions’ I smile a little at her before snapping myself out of my daydream. She jumps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist, a massive smile on her face. I pull her away a little to look at her properly “hey pretty lady” I say placing my hands around the back of her thighs to keep her up and as close to me as possible. She smiles down at me “we won” she says before hugging me closer “we won” she repeats as if to convince herself that this is real.

I put her down much to my dismay, and we all walk to the bus stop so we can all catch the bus. Tessa pouts at the fact y/n didn’t bring her car because she was busy being sporty instead of being at school. Y/n just laughs at her, reminding her that she does the same when it comes to rugby, which shuts the other girl up. We all continue our conversation on the bus, we reach my stop quickly and I decide to be bold, just as I stand up, the bus stops and I lean down, kissing y/n on the cheek before saying “see you later” and getting off of the bus quicker than ever. Behind me I hear Damien and Tessa whisper shouting at the girl for freezing up. I get in the house, saying hi to my dad and running to my room.

———

As soon as Janis gets off of the bus I let myself breathe. Tessa and Damien shouting at me for freezing up. It feels like my whole body deflates. I allow my shoulders to drop, my leg bopping up and down. But before they can notice it I place my backpack over my legs and look at them with a smile. “What the fuck am I meant to wear?” I say my voice raising a little, they both laugh before saying “girly” at the same time. I look at the both of them in disgust, making us all burst out in laughter. Tessa hits the button to let the driver know the next stop is ours, we all grab our bags and stand up, heading to the front of the bus. Once off we walk towards my house. Opening the door we are hit with the scent of brownies. My mom must be home. We enter the kitchen, my mom dancing in her apron, once she sees us her face lights up, she lets out a little shriek, coming over and hugging all of us one by one. We introduce Damien and she welcomes him with open arms. We talk and eat the brownies for around half an hour before she tells us to shoo. We run upstairs and throw our bags to the floor. I run and jump onto my bed “oh how I have missed you” I say dramatically making the other two laugh, they come over and sit down with me. Tessa looks over to me “go shower we will pick you a few outfits for tonight” she nudges my leg. I groan while getting myself up, I grab a towel from my closet and walk towards the door. “Please nothing too girly, my body can’t handle it” I say, Tessa grabs a pillow and reads herself to throw it. I quickly make my escape, shutting the door behind me.

—-

“Tessa she is not and I repeat NOT leaving this house in that” Damien points at a skirt and crop top combo that is more Tessa’s style than her friends “one she will quite literally freeze to death and two she would not be comfortable in that” he finishes before laying whag he’s picked on the bed. A Joan jett T-shirt with some black baggy jeans. Okay this is totally Y/N’s style but nooo, she’s having a date at Janis’ house for Christ sake” Tessa argues back and forth with the boy. “Okay how about we both grab a pair of pants and shirt then try style them together yeah?” He says, putting back the other clothes back where they found them.

Damien picks up a grey Chicago hoodie and a pair of plaid joggers. While Tessa picks a pair of green acid wash cargo pants and a cropped vest. They both look at what they have and Tessa snatches the hoodie, pointing at the boy “put the pants away this is perfect” she nearly screams as she places the outfit down “mh grab a pair of her airforces” she demands, the boy obliges grabbing some white ones to match the hoodie and vest, he brings them over placing them on the floor. They both stand there staring at the outfit they both picked before turning to eachother and high-fiving. Just then y/n walks in “aww look at you two, you didn’t murder eachother over an outfit” she says laughing, a towel wrapped around her body, her hair in a messy bun. “You’ll never guess who just walked in on me naked” y/n says looking embarrassed “what wait who” both Damien and Tessa say at the same time. “Regina, she came into the bathroom thinking Aaron was in the shower, she like just stood there staring at me before I shouted at her to leave” she says laughing “that’s messed up” Tessa says cringing at what her best friend had to go through.

——-

I have checked my phone at least twenty times in the past five minutes, Damien nor y/n has texted me. Which is weird. What’s even weirder is that Tessa has texted me. I open the message and see that she’s asking about what I have planned for the date, I reply telling her what my plan is and how I want to ask y/n to be my girlfriend, she takes a few seconds to reply, but eventually sends me a thumbs up emoji which I’ll take as a sign to be ahead with the plan.

Not even a minute later someone is knocking on the door, I run downstairs nearly tripping over air on the way, I open the door and look up to see her stood in my doorway, clad in cargos and a hoodie, she has a little eyeliner on, nothing else. I smile which makes her smile wider, taking the opportunity I grab her by the collar of her hoodie and pull her in for a hug. “Hey chica bonita” she says in a whisper, giving me major butterflies. I think for a second about what she even said before pulling away from the hug and slapping her shoulder playfully “hey Nuh huh no Spanish, you know im bad at it, what did you even say?” I blush a little which she laughs even harder at. She grabs my hand and I lead the way to the basement where I have laid out an impromptu cinema room, I have moved the sofas to make a makeshift bed with multiple pillows and blankets on it. She looks over, her eyes glistening, she’s smiling again, god I love to make her smile, it has to be one of the prettiest things in this universe.

——

How did she even know I love movies. Oh wait Tessa, goddamit tessa. I look at the basement that has been converted into a cinema room, led lights brighten the room in a red haze, a projector screens Netflix on the wall, the couches are pushed together to make a bed, blankets and pillows thrown all over the makeshift bed. I look back at Janis and smile before tackling her to the couch in a hug “omg this is soo pretty j” I shriek. She holds onto my waist and makes sure I land on top of her so she takes the blunt of the fall, I look down at her and she is already staring at me, a smirk plastered on her face. We both slowly inch closer until we are inches away, she makes the first move, lifting up a little so we are kissing, kissing turns into making out, I don’t know about her but I could do this forever. That is until we both run out of air and have to pull away. Breathing heavily and faces red we both stare at each-other. We are both pulled out of our trances when her phone starts ringing, both of us groan before looking over at her phone, we see that it’s Cady so I get off of her and we both sit cuddled into each other as she answers the FaceTime. “Hi Kaddy” she says, her husky voice rings through the room and it’s all I can focus on. I lay my head on her chest as she talks to Cady, she plays with my hair until Cady says “wait are you with y/n right now?” I look up at her and roll my eyes, tonight is all we have been talking about to her this week. “Yeah wanna say hi?” Janis asks her, Cady must’ve said yes because the phone was then lowered so Cady could see my face. “Hey caids” I say smiling, the girl waves, saying hi, she takes a few seconds looking at her phone with a puzzled expression before blurting out “oh my god im totally ruining you guys’ date night aren’t I?” She covers her mouth “I meant movie night frick” she continues to stumble her words, I look up at Janis and laugh, she smiles at me and grabs the phone “yes Kaddy you are in fact disturbing our very important date night” Janis says sarcastically “wait omg you guys are finally da-“ Cady starts to talk but is interrupted by Janis “right we are gonna go now bye” she hangs up abruptly, blushing intensely because of what Cady nearly said before she interrupted. I draw stars onto her band T-shirt with my index finger as we sit in silence for what seems like forever until she randomly blurts out. “Teach me how to dance?” I look up at her with a puzzled expression before laughing. “Sorry, Tessa told me you are a really good dancer and I just thought it would be cool to learn, y’know in preparation for the spring fling dance” she rambles on and on about why she randomly asked to dance. I roll my eyes and stand up, she whines a little until I grab her hands and pull her up with me. “How do I work your very weird projector?” I lean against the sofa a little as she hands me a remote, I quickly open Spotify and play the first song that comes up. Which happened to be ‘Looking at me’ Sabrina Carpenter, I look back to her with a confused face and laugh “how very gay of you” I wheeze out making her step closer to me, trapping me between the sofa and her body. She grabs my waist and stares at me “teach me” she replies. I blush and take her being smaller as a chance to take control, moving so we are both stood in the middle of the room. I place her hands on my waist, moving mine so they are laid over her shoulders. “okay follow the beat” I say while swaying my hips to the rhythm. She tries to mimic my actions but fails, a groan escapes her lips and she places her head in the crook of my neck, admitting defeat. “I have two left feet” she mumbles. I allow myself a second to think before tapping my hands on her shoulders “turn around” I say while spinning her so her back is against my front “this okay?” I ask before putting my hands on her waist, she nods so I continue, I make her hips move with the beat, singing along with the song.

——

⚠️ SMUT WARNING ⚠️

(THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING, I will put another one when it’s done so just skip until you see this emoji 😇)

——-

She places her small hands on my hips and starts moving them along with the beat of the song, not long after we are dancing, she is singing, never would I have thought dancing to a pop song would actually be fun until now. I turn on her arms and wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her closer, I look down at her lips for a brief moment, forgetting whatever we were doing. “Hey look your dancing” she says earning a smirk from me. I walk us back over to the sofa bed, pushing her down onto it, I follow after her, landing on top this time, the remote ends up falling off of the bed, turning the projector off, leaving the room a dark red colour. I look back down to stare at her, she’s looking at my lips, so I take the opportunity to kiss her again. She leans into the kiss, smiling into it before pulling away, using her teeth the drag my bottom lip with her. Oh my god I can’t with this girl. I open my eyes and clutch onto her hoodie “this off now” I say lowly. I lift her up so we are both sat looking at each other, she happily obliges and throws the hoodie off along with the vest under it, leaving her in a bra and her jeans. I let out a puff of air I didn’t know I was holding in. I have seen her in bikinis, sports bras but it always manages to take my breath away. Every goddam time.

I push her back down, my hands finding their way to her waist again, gripping onto her tighter than ever. I trail my hands up and down her torso, biting my lip before making eye contact with her. “This okay?” I ask wanting to make sure whag was about to happen is consensual and that the feelings I have aren’t just one sided. She nods slowly, a blush creeping onto her cheeks again. I make quick work of unclasping her bra before taking a second to saviour this moment. I then start aggressively kissing her with purpose, with one hand I play with the belt loop of her jeans, the other I slowly slide up until I am gently playing with her breast, I stroke my thumb over her hardened nipple earning a moan from her, I take this as a sign to go further, I trail wet kisses down from her lips to her jawline, then to her neck, I suck on parts of her neck, leaving multiple marks all over her, I quickly move to her collar bone leaving more until I am face to face with the waistline of her jeans, I look up again asking for permission before going ahead and throwing them to the floor with the rest of her clothes, her underwear then follows quickly being forgotten about.

——-

All of my clothes are long gone and on the floor, I am naked in my longtime crush’s basement.

She grips onto my thigh while her fingers. Her magical fingers are dipping in and out of my vagina at an ungodly rate, my breath shortens, my moans getting louder “j-Janis please im so close..fuck”I breathe out, my knuckles turning white with how hard I am gripping into the soft blanket on the sofa. She starts to use her tongue to circle my clit, drawing me closer to my climax, I try to clench my thighs together but she is quicker than me and pushes them apart again, she moves her face a little “cum for me pretty girl” she mumbles against my clit, the vibrations sending me over the edge.

….

😇SMUT OVER😇

….

She comes back up, kissing me while picking me up, thank god for there being a bathroom in the basement because if not mine and her relationship would be very obvious to her family. She carries me to the bathroom and sits me on the counter. Grabbing a damp towel and cleaning me up. She gives me a few more pecks before we go back to the sofa, she wraps me in a blanket and kisses my forehead. “Wait here yeah?” She says while running up the basement stairs and going somewhere else.

I rest my head one of the many pillows, getting comfortable. My eyes start to close, until I see her stood in front of me. I smile widely, she is holding a pair of dark green plaid pyjama bottoms and a smashing pumpkins band tee. I try to keep my eyes open as she gently gets me dressed into her clothes. That’s when I realise she is also in comfy clothes, I smile and wrap my arms around her. We end up wrapped in blankets and falling asleep with not a care in the world for anyone else but the two of us.

Heyyyyy lovers, if this part does not scream ‘A SINGLE LESBIAN WROTE THIS’ then I don’t know what does. I hope you enjoyed this, not too much obviously jk jk, see you in the next chapter😙

[age-of-greta]

The Sun

The Sun presents a feeling of optimism and fulfillment. It represents the dawn which follows the darkest of nights.

Author’s note: hi!! Welcome back to The Sun! Sorry it’s been a while, life is busy and I try to write when I can. I hope you enjoy this ~spicy~ chapter

Pairing: Josh x reader & Jake x reader

Warnings: cursing, alcohol consumption, smutttttttt, minors DNI

Word count: 8.3k

PART 3:

“I’m actually so depressed that you’re leaving me for a week.” You groaned, as you plopped down on his bed.

“I know. I’m not sure how you’re going to survive without me.” Josh said, throwing a pair of socks into his bag.

You huffed and folded your arms. Josh was about to leave you for a whole entire week. Well, really just five days, but close enough. He was going to meet with a vocal coach to prepare him for the sound of their new album. You were really bummed about it. You and Josh had spent virtually everyday together for weeks. He was your best friend and the thought of him leaving to go to LA made you feel sick. You wondered if he would be going to lavish parties with other people in the industry. Would he meet other people? Other girls? That’s completely normal worries to have about your best friend, right?

“What time is your flight tomorrow again?” You ask, picking at the ends of your hair.

“8:45 am.”

“And we’re still getting breakfast before I take you to the airport?”

Josh chuckles. “I hope so.”

“Okay.” You respond.

Josh closes his bag and sits down next to you. “I wish I didn’t have to go either. But it’s only a few days and I’ll call you as much as I can.”

You smile at him. “I know. I’m being such a baby about this.”

He smiles back and places his hand on your knee. “I think it’s sweet.”

Your eyes meet his and you feel a strange feeling brewing.

“Hey Josh, do you need this?”

You remove your eyes and see Jake standing in the doorway holding a neck pillow. He makes a face when sees you and Josh.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks.” Josh responds, getting up and grabbing the pillow from Jake.

“Didn’t know you were here Sug.” Jake says, crossing his arms.

You nod. “I’m taking Josh to the airport in the morning.”

Jake bites his lip. “Hm, okay.”

He glances you over once more before heading back down the hallway.

“Alright, I think I’m finally packed.” Josh throws all of his bags by the door and turns back to you. “Wanna order Chinese?”

“Oh yes please. I’m starving.” You say dramatically.

“Okay. You mind asking everyone else if they want anything? I’m going to throw all of this in the car and make a phone call real quick.”

You salute him. “Yes sir. Can do.”

Josh drags his bags down the stairs while you wonder around the halls looking for the other three.

“Danny?” You knock on his door. No response. “Sam?” You yell down the hallway. Nothing. You huff heading downstairs, but it’s also a ghost town. Finally, you open the back door and see Jake sitting by the fire pit reading. You glance around, still not seeing anyone else before deciding to head over and approach him. “Um, hey have you seen Sam or Danny?”

Jake glances up at you and slides his sunglasses off his nose. “They’re gone.”

“Oh.” You state. “Josh and I are ordering Chinese food and we wanted to see if anyone else wanted anything.”

He closes his book and turns to face you. “You can sit, you know.”

You glance down at the chair next to Jake and decide to take a seat. “What are you reading?”

Jake grins at you. “The Hobbit.”

You let out a laugh. “Again?!”

He nods his head. “Yeah. It’s one of the greatest novels of all time.”

“You and your Tolkien.” You huff. “It is one of the best books I’ve ever read though.”

Jake looks at you incredulously. “You read it?”

You nod. “And The Lord of the Rings trilogy.”

“When?”

You shrug. “Not super long ago.”

You didn’t want to tell him you had read all of those novels to try and feel closer to him. But once you started reading them, you had actually enjoyed them quite a bit.

“You’re full of surprises Sugar. Always keeping me on my toes.” Jake says, still smiling largely at you.

Josh walks outside and sits next to you. “So what’s the verdict?”

You clear your throat. “Sam and Danny aren’t here.”

Josh raises his eyebrows. “Oh lovely. Jake, what do you want?”

Jake stretches out a little. His shirt rises ever so slightly and reveals a small sliver of his stomach. You try not to look but fail. “I’m good.”

Josh makes a face at him. “You love Chinese food.”

Jake shrugs. “I’ll be out later.”

“Mhm.” Josh nods. “Holly or Katie?”

Jake shoots his twin a foul look.

Josh throws his hands up then faces you. “Okay. Wanna go get this order started.”

“Yep.” You say coolly, getting up to follow Josh.

As you walk away you glance back at Jake. He’s looking at you, like he wants to say something. But he doesn’t say anything, so neither do you.

**

“This is so freaking good.” You say, plopping chopsticks full of noodles into your mouth.

Josh smiles at you while chewing. “I told you. I have the best recommendations.”

You were both sprawled out on his bed watching an old western film that you had never seen before, but Josh definitely had.

“Josh?” You say, timidly turning towards him.

He glances over to you. “Hm?”

You purse your lips in contemplation before speaking. “I really have enjoyed spending so much time with you. You’re my best friend.”

He bites back what appears to be the beginning of a grimace before smiling back softly at you. “I have too. I love you, you know.”

You grin at him. “I know.”

He bites his lip. “Do you?”

You stare at him and give him a soft smile. Unsure as to where he might be going with this. Josh lets out a bated breath and reaches close to your face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. For some reason your heart is pounding. It’s getting louder, but it’s not your heart. You jolt when you realize someone is beating on Josh’s door.

“Oh what the fuck.” He mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He groans and opens the door to see Sam standing there. “What?” Josh bites.

Sam furrows his brows at Josh and then glances over to you. “Sorry to disturb you… I just wanted to come by and wish you well on your travels before I went out tonight. If I’m successful, I won’t be home this evening.”

Sam gives Josh a wink and Josh clears his throat. “Yes, well thank you Sam. Good luck to you as well.”

He grins at his brother and shifts his eyes to you. “Will we be seeing you at all this week?”

You shrug. “I’m not sure. I’ve got a busy work week ahead and I really need to hang some shelves in my bathroom.”

“I told you I’ll do that for you when I get back. You're not the greatest at making things level.” Josh pokes.

Sam fake gasps and nudges his brother. “What a gentleman. If you get bored after work or are looking for trouble, you know where to find us.” Sam says with a wink.

You huff a laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, I don't want to hold you guys up any longer. Good luck Josh. Love you guys!” Then Sam is waltzing away to get into God knows what.

Josh closes his door and lets out a chuckle. “He’s going to be the death of me one day.”

You shake your head. “He loves you.”

He smiles at you. “He’s a little shit.”

“Can’t argue with you there.” You say, smiling back at him.

Josh rejoins you on the bed, picking up his container of rice and scooting ever so closer to you than he was before.

After you both had finished eating you had cleaned up and longued about before getting ready for bed. You grabbed your micellar water and doused it on a cotton pad to remove your mascara. You smiled when you glanced at the place it had lived in Josh’s bathroom. In fact, you had a whole shelf full of your small toiletries that you needed when you stayed over. After completing a quick version of your nightly routine you slid in bed next to Josh, adjusting your pillow just how you liked it.

“I need to get you softer pillows for when you stay over huh?” Josh laughs.

“I don’t know how you sleep on these flat things.” You say, fluffing up the pillow.

“Believe it or not, sleeping on flatter pillows is better for singers. It helps even out the breath in your sleep, leaving better airflow for your vocal chords.”

You make a slightly surprised face at him. “Wait, really?”

He turns and smirks at you. “I have no idea. I just made all of that up. Flat pillows are better though.”

You playfully smacked his chest, leaving your hand there. “Josh! I totally bought that. I think I would believe anything you said to me. That’s a dangerous quality to have. You should start a cult.”

He scooted closer to you. “Yeah? Would you be a member?”

You grinned at him. “Oh, I’d be your biggest fan. Give me that Kool-Aid, no questions asked.”

He snickered at that. “Good to know. Loyalty is of utmost importance when embarking on such a journey.”

You absentmindedly fidgeted with his necklaces. “Loyalty is everything. But I would need to know what my leader thinks the meaning of life is?”

He puts his arm out while you nuzzle yourself into it. This was somewhat of a new position. But you two were best friends, so testing the waters was platonic of course. This is what you told yourself as you took in his scent in an anything but innocent way. “The meaning of life?”

Josh pondered for a minute, lightly tracing circles on your arm. “To be happy and to be with people you love. Where there is love, we must live on. Where there is not love, we must provide it.”

You fluttered your eyes closed, feeling sleep sinking in. “I like that. You’re very poetic.”

He turns his head towards you and places a small kiss on your forehead. “Goodnight sleepy girl.”

**

You groggily woke up the next morning at an ungodly hour. Josh still had his arm lightly across you. You gently lifted it up, smiling at his soft snores and scooted out underneath him. You quietly crept to the bathroom doing a small routine before slinking down the stairs. You wanted to make Josh some coffee and surprise him with cooked breakfast before he headed off this morning. You tried to remain quiet through the house, not wanting to disturb anyone. Then you remembered you were probably the only two here. That wasn’t the case when you turned the corner and saw Jake sitting at the kitchen island. He was in a pair of very worn navy sweatpants with a steaming cup of coffee sitting next to the same book from earlier. He had made significant progress through the pages since you last saw him. It was early. Did he just make it back from whatever he did last night? You tried not to make any sound, but your heart sunk when you realized the sweatpants he was wearing were a gift from you.

“Morning.” You said lightly as you entered the kitchen.

Jake glanced up at you, almost surprised to see you. “Good morning.”

You began to clink around with the mugs, trying to act entirely normal.

“Sleep well?” Jake asked from behind you.

You nod your head, placing two stone mugs on the counter. “I did. How was your… night?”

Jake shrugged. “Got a lot of work done in the studio. Then came back and crashed.”

The studio. He was there. Not at someone else’s house. That made you feel relieved and it ate you alive simultaneously that you even cared.

“I don’t remember you being an early riser.” You poked, pressing buttons on the fancy coffee machine.

He half smiled at you. “I’m full of surprises too Sug.”

You met his eyes and couldn’t help but grin back at him. “I’ve changed a bit.” He offers, in a quieter tone, his expression too serious to read.

You swallow hard, trying to figure out what to say. Trying to figure out just what he meant.

Your thoughts are plundered by the soft padding of Josh making his way into the kitchen. “Morning.” He says through a long stretch and yawn. He eyes Jake. “Why are you up?”

“Wanted to get a jump start on my day I suppose.” Jake responds to his twin, rather flatly.

Josh turns to you and smiles. “Is that my coffee?”

You let out a small laugh and nod.

“You’re my absolute favorite person, you know that?” Josh gushes as he heads over to you and wraps you in a hug while grabbing his coffee.

You giggle at him. “So sappy Joshy.”

He plants a kiss on your head dramatically. “Ah, just for you.”

Jake clears his throat.

You're transported back to reality for a moment and realize how cozy you and Josh are. To you, this felt normal. Natural even. But you could see how it might look to Jake.

“Anyway, I had planned on making you breakfast before your big trip. But it appears you only have Ritz crackers and margarita mix.”

Josh laughs. “Now that is a meal. Don’t sweat it, let me go get everything ready and we’ll stop somewhere before you drop me off.”

Josh grabs his mug and darts off towards the stairs, leaving you and Jake in silence. You take a few sips of your coffee, leaning against the countertops. Jake has resumed reading his book while absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the counter. You had come to learn this was something he did when he had a particular riff stuck in his head.

Finally, you broke the silence. “Better go get ready.”

He glanced over at you. “Sure.”

You couldn’t help but notice the bite in his tone.

**

It was too early for any normal breakfast place to be open so you and Josh settled at a Dunkin Donuts close to the airport.

“Pink frosted sprinkled donuts are my spirit animal I think.” You joked, biting into your sweet treat.

Josh smiled at you. “That donut is an embodiment of you.”

“Philosophical Joshua. I have a confession though…”

He raises an eyebrow at you. “Do tell.”

“Pink frosted sprinkle donut. Right? But what’s the flavor? It doesn’t taste like artificial strawberry or like medicine, bubblegum or cotton candy. The taste is simply… pink.”

Josh cackles and claps at your revelation. “Oh my god. You finally get it now babe.”

Babe? That was new. It made a warmness flutter in your chest.

You tried not to sound bashful. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Josh smiled at you as he licked chocolate frosting from his thumb and sighed. “We should head over soon.”

You frowned. “You’re probably right.”

He grins. “That’s typically the case.”

You fake roll your eyes. “Can it.”

You put your car in reverse and drive the short distance to the drop off at the airport. Josh is lightly humming to a Joe Cocker song that had come on shuffle. Somehow during the short ride his hand found it’s way on yours. You tried not to think too much on it, but it felt nice. What the fuck was happening to you?

The bustle of the airport was still chaotic even at this ungodly hour.

“Fuck.” Josh muttered.

“Hey, be safe okay? Keep me updated on when you land and all that.” You say.

“Yes ma’am. Thank you for taking me. I really appreciate everything.”

You softly smile at him. “Of course.”

“Well.” He groans. “Better go before that whistle starts blowing.”.

He leans over and grips you in a tight hug before grabbing his carry-on and opening the door.

“It’s not really a goodbye. Just a farewell for now.” Josh offers with a bright smile, standing at the door.

“Okay people move along!” One of the traffic officers yell accompanied by a whistle.

“See? Told ya. These fuckin whistles.” Josh scoffs.

You laugh at him. “Be safe! Come back in one piece please.”

He winks at you. “I’ll try.”

**

A dreadfully boring Wednesday had rolled around. The week had already been long, you had been in the office the past three days. It was now nearing dark and you were so excited to throw some frozen orange chicken in the air fryer and make a lazy version of stirfry as soon as you had gotten home. Traffic had been brutal and you were on the final stretch, finally making that turn towards your townhome. You parked your car and grabbed your work tote, thankful that you only had one more day to work this week until you had three days off. Subsequently, you were so excited to see Josh again. You two had kept in touch of course calling and texting, but you were both also busy. You unlocked your door and kicked your black heels off at the door. You threw your tote bag and baby blue blazer down on the table. You know you shouldn’t cook dinner in your work attire, but your stomach is too empty for you to care. You tied an apron around your waist, trying to hide the white bodysuit and baby blue slacks from any stains. Then you got to work taking out your frozen vegetables and putting them in the skillet with oil. You put on a Dire Straits album and swayed around your kitchen as you let your mind wander. It was liberating doing such a mundane task after a long day. A knock at your door disrupted your thoughts. You made at face and glanced at your phone. No texts from anyone and you weren’t expecting company. You wiped your hand on a dish towel and felt ready to let whoever was on the other side of that door that they needed to go. But when you opened the door you were taken aback slightly. It was Jake. He had a toolbox on hand.

“Good evening Sugar.” He smirked.

You furrowed your brows at him. “Jake, what are you doing?”

He shrugged. “Sam had mentioned something about some bathroom shelves.”

You pursed your lips together. “I can hang them.”

He laughed and stepped by you into your house. “As if. Come on let me do this for you Sugs. Friends remember?”

You huffed a little. “Okay. Well, um I’m cooking dinner. Orange chicken stirfry. Would you like some?”

He smiled at you. “Absolutely. Nice place you got here. Want to direct me to where you would like these shelves?”

**

You had lit a scented candle. Why? You don’t know. For some reason you were nervous. You could hear Jake with a drill in your bathroom as you anxiously tapped your fingers as you plated the food. You took two plates and sat it on your kitchen table, then grabbed two wine glasses and your favorite bottle of moscato. You placed everything down, took your apron off, and smoothed your hair before heading towards your bathroom. He was just finishing hanging the first shelf. His brows pinched up in concentration, while he had a drill bit hanging out of his mouth. He had always been a perfectionist.

“Looks good.” You say, standing in the doorway crossing your arms.

He pops the drill bit out of his mouth and turns to give you a smile. “Yeah?”

You nod. “Dinner’s ready.”

You turn back heading towards the kitchen and hear Jake picking up. He joins you just a few minutes after and takes a seat across from you while you scroll on your phone.

“Oh Sug, this smells great.” He says with a smirk.

You place your phone down and force a laugh. “Thanks. Most of it is frozen though. I rarely have time to cook anything else. Wine?”

“Please.” He says, tipping his glass towards you.

You uncork the bottle and pour the chilled wine half way full in each glass.

“It’s my favorite. Not too sweet, not too bitter.”

Jake swirls the wine around in the glass and brings it to his nose before taking a sip. “Wow okay, yeah. You have good taste.”

You shrug and try to act like that’s not a huge compliment coming from him as you poke around your plate with your fork.

“So, tell me all about you. What’s new?” Jake asks, taking a bite of food.

You hum. “Nothing too exciting. I work a lot. I occasionally go out and I enjoy going to the park to read.”

“Enthralling stuff there honey. But let’s cut the boring shit here. That’s not us. What’s really been going on? Have you dated anyone seriously since me?”

You can’t help but smile at his bluntness. “No, not seriously anyway. Have you?”

“No.” He responds with a grin.

You take a sip of your wine. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

He raises an eyebrow at you but keeps that grin on his face. “How come?”

“Well Jake, you’re not exactly relationship material.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Maybe not for most. But I was for you.”

You felt your cheeks grow pink. Fuck. Why did he affect you like this? Play it cool. “Right.”

“Despite everything. I always thought about you. Wondered about how you were, what you were doing, who you were with. Sometimes I would think I would look out into the crowd at a show and see you there.” He admitted, flicking his gaze towards the table as he talked.

The wine had made you feel warm inside, at least you told yourself that was the reason. “I’ve been fine. Building my career, working on myself, loving myself.” You paused, finding those honey brown eyes. “But of course I had thought about you too. From time to time.”

He smiled at your acknowledgment. “Well hot damn. After all of this time, look at us huh? Who would’ve thought we’d end up here?”

You shook your head and laughed. “Not me.”

After you two had wrapped up dinner and finished the whole entire bottle of wine you had changed into lounge clothes and migrated to your couch, spending hours talking and giggling. At some point Jake’s hand found its way to rest on your calf as you sat criss cross facing him while he leaned towards you.

“So moral of the story, that’s why Sam no longer drinks kombucha before shows.”

You giggled at his stories as he tried to fill you in on every major detail that had happened since you two had last been together.

“God you really have lived an adventure huh?” You ask, twisting the ends of your hair.

He nods. “And I hope it’s only getting started. It’s been so surreal and being here in Nashville makes me want to stay. There’s so many different people and the weather. Oh the weather.”

You nod your head. “That’s what did it for me. I don’t think I would survive a full Michigan winter again.”

He placed his hand on your hip and began to tickle you. “Nope. You’re too warm blooded now.”

You leaned back in a fit of laughter. “Jake! Stopppp!”

He continued and leaned over you. “Mhm I know all your spots Sugar.”

He finally stops and you brush your hair out of your face. He’s essentially on top of you, in between your legs. “You’re such a little shit. You know that?” You say lightheartedly.

He leans closer to you, the tip of his hair tickling your collarbones. “Now that’s not nice to say darlin. Do I need to remind you how sweet I can be too?”

Your heart is thumping in your chest as you two make fierce eye contact with each other. The wine has you feeling giddy. But, you’re saved by the bell as your phone begins to ring loudly on the coffee table. It jolts you from your thoughts and your position. You reach over and grab your phone seeing “Josh” pop up on your screen along with a silly picture of you two.

“One sec.” You say to Jake, who clearly seems disappointed. You run to your room and close the door.

“Hello?”

His chipper voice rings back at you. “Hey there, pretty lady. It’s been an insanely busy day, I’ve just now got a five minute break to have my own thoughts. What have you been up to today?”

You clear your throat, trying not to sound as flustered as you feel. “Oh you know, same old same old. Just a long day of working. I made stir fry for dinner.”

He sighs into the phone. “Now that sounds good. I’ve been living mostly on takeout and party foods.”

You huff a laugh. “Party foods? Oh poor you.”

He returns your laugh. “I know it’s rough out here. Hey listen they’re about to call back for me. It was good to hear your voice. I’ll give you a call tomorrow?”

“You better. Have fun, be safe.”

You collected yourself and cleared your throat before heading back into your living area. You found Jake in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner.

“Everything okay?” He asked, rinsing a plate.

“Mhm. Yeah yeah, just checking in. Hey you don’t have to clean up. I can do it.” You offer, stepping in to help.

He shakes his head. “No, I got it. I’m going to finish up and I’ll be out of your hair. I know you have work tomorrow.”

You nod, trying to decipher if you were relieved or disappointed.

“Care if I come back by tomorrow to put that other shelf in?” He asks with a soft smile.

“Sure. I can make dinner again.”

And you did. He had come over again Thursday night, installed your shelf, and you two had made pizzas together. A flood of nostalgia flooded you as you two had rolled the dough out. Jake put a dab of flour on your cheek and you returned the favor with pizza sauce. This was a date you two had before, but this time there was no arguing. In fact, the night had gone quite pleasantly. You had watched a movie and Jake went home after. He kept his hands, mostly to himself- which surprised you. You had woken up on Friday morning in a haze. The past two days had felt surreal with Jake. Part of you had believed maybe you had hallucinated the whole thing, but when you saw how perfectly your shelves were hung you smiled to yourself. Josh would be home Sunday morning, but all you could think about is if Jake would try to come by again. You checked your phone. Nothing but a Snapchat from Josh. In the past two days you had unblocked Jake and even shared a text or two. You decided to try and push him out of your mind and switched it up today, going for a hot yoga class. This was a little further of a drive than your pilates studio, but the drive cleared your mind. After yoga you felt energized and grabbed a coffee to get you through the rest of the day. You decided to stop at a shopping plaza to treat yourself. While gandering at all the pretty little things you felt your phone vibrating in your purse.

Jake.

Your heartbeat picked up and you felt a rush go through you as you answered.

“Good morning Sugar. Do you have any plans later?”

You decided to play it cool. “Nothing too concrete. Why?”

“Great. I’ll pick you up later. Before you ask, wear whatever you want. You look good in anything. I’m about to head to the studio, but be ready by 8.”

You glanced at the black lacy matching set you had in your hands. This would do.

**

7:58. You stared at the clock on your wall, tapping your fingers absentmindedly on your couch as you waited for Jake. You felt unusually nervous, as if you hadn’t been on a date with him before. Was this a date? Who in the hell knew. Your feelings were scattered everywhere. But the one thing you knew was that Jake had sunk his claws right into you again. Everything inside of you was screaming no while also simultaneously screaming yes. You had decided on a casual little orange dress that complimented your tan perfectly with platform sandals and gold jewelry. You put loose curls in your hair and did an ample amount of makeup. You felt summery and pretty. You hoped Jake would think so as well.

A knock on your door at 8 pm sharp jolted you from your thoughts.

“Hello gorgeous.” Jake said, stepping in and handed you a small bouquet of red roses.

“Do friends buy each other flowers?” You ask, trying to play off that this was the first time he had ever gotten you flowers.

He smirked at you. “They can. Ready to go?”

You two had ended up at a stylish little cocktail garden across town. Jake had reserved a table on the rooftop, pretty hidden from the rest of the crowd. You both selected different specialty cocktails and ordered a quite large charcuterie board.

“This place is cute.” You said sipping your drink and surveying your surroundings.

He flashed you a smile. “I thought you might think so. Very ‘Nashville.’”

You laugh. “Jake, baby, not every place with neon signs is distinctly Nashville.”

You feel your blood run cold as you just realized you had let that word slip out. Fuck these drinks were strong.

Of course he had noticed it too and bit down on his straw giving you a sly smile with those eyes. “Sure, but the fake flowers on the wall and shitty country music makes it feel that way.”

You hold your hands up in defense. “Hey I know you love your dingy little hole in the walls. But time and place for everything. At least enjoy the oxygen that isn’t littered with cigarette smoke.”

He raises an eyebrow at you. “Since when is cigarette smoke a problem for you?”

You grab your straw and perhaps suggestively take a sip while locking eyes with him. “Time and place for everything Jake.”

When the charcuterie board arrived you both had picked at the selections while continuing to drink. You giggled and laughed and then giggled some more. You were smitten with him yet again. You weren’t dumb, you knew it wouldn’t last. The hell would come. But for now, you allowed yourself to keep your head in the clouds.

“I don’t think I can drive Sugs. Care if we Uber back?” Jake asks, finishing off drink number-hell you had lost count.

“That’s a smart idea. Gonna go to the bathroom before we leave.” You slightly slurred.

The walk to the bathroom proved a little off-kilter. You were on the cusp of tipsy and your brain was swirling with bad decisions.

You glanced at yourself in the mirror, lightly rolling on lipgloss and fluffing your hair before making your way back out. Jake had already taken care of the tab and was waiting for you out front.

“Uber should be here in about 15 minutes.”

You nodded and followed him into a crowded elevator. You two had to squeeze in, which meant you were pressed into each other. Jake glanced down at you with a certain look in his eye that made your mouth water. His hand snaked around your waist, his fingers pressing into your hip. A spot that he knew would rile you up. You bit your lip and held your breath. You didn’t dare breathe again until you were at the bottom.

“That elevator was pretty cramped huh?” You played, stepping outside of the building.

He shrugged, matching your walking pace up the sidewalk. “I didn’t mind it.”

You lightly shoved him. “I’m sure you didn’t.”

He smirked at you. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.”

You shoved him again, slightly harder. “Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?”

He signed. “You’re done Sugs.” He scooped you up and tickled at your side.

“Jake!” You giggled out through laughter. “Put me down! Jake I swear!”

He continued. “Or what Sugs?”

“Jacob Thomas!”

He laughed. “Okay fine. Fine. No need for government names.”

He placed you down and you braced up against the concrete wall and you fixed your hair that had gone wild. “You don’t play fair.”

He stepped up closer to you and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. “There. Perfect as always.”

His eyes searched for yours, his gaze intensely switching to your lips. Fuck it. You pushed yourself up on your tiptoes and kissed him, hard. There was zero protest from him as his hands immediately found your waist. Warmth flooded your senses and you felt entirely weightless. You lightly bit his bottom lip which caused a small groan to leave his mouth.

“Now who’s not playing fair?” He growled into your ear as his fingers found that spot on your hip.

The intense session was interrupted by Jake’s phone buzzing. He cleared his throat. “Uber’s here.”

You nodded and took his hand as he led you into the car. Neither one of you spoke the whole entire ride home. Jake kept his hand firmly planted on your upper thigh while both of you took stolen glances at one another.

“Thanks.” Jake said, tossing a stack of bills at the driver.

He guided you up to the door, standing close as you fidgeted with your keys.

Finally, once inside and the door was closed. His lips were on yours again. His hands running wildly up and down your body, your hands in his hair as you two shuffled through your house. Somehow you two had made your way into the kitchen.

“Fuck, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this.” He panted in between kisses.

He backed you up against the counter, his eyes glaring into yours. Then his rough hands run under your thighs as he lifts you and places you on the counter. Neither one of you had dared to speak yet. Then Jake broke the silence.

“So pretty.” He spat, as his hands ran up under your dress.

You were impossibly turned on. Anticipation sat in your throat like a softball.

You bit your lip as his hands hooked around your panties. He pulled them down and scooted you closer to him. He bunched up your dress right to the very beginning of your thighs.

“So fucking pretty.” He stated again.

You squirmed under his touch as he raked his fingertips around your inner thighs.

“Jake, stop teasing.” You said, though it came out more as a beg.

He smiled at you, then craned his head down and kissed you on your sweetest spot.

A jolt ran through your body.

“So needy. My pretty girl, so needy for me.” He says with a smirk. “Let’s see how wet you are, Sugar.”

He takes one finger and slides it in between you, just grazing. You slightly buck your hips, desperate for some sort of friction. Desperate for that feeling that only Jake had given you.

“Whew, fuck Sugar.” Jake says, taking that same finger and popping it in his mouth. “So sweet, just like I remember. So wet for me.”

You huff out at him. You’re beyond ready to beg, but he can’t have that satisfaction. You have to play the game right back. “As if you’re not about to bulge out of your pants right now. Face it Jake, you’ve never had better.”

He grips your thighs. “You’re right about that. You drive me crazy Sugar. Especially when that pretty mouth says such filthy things.”

“Jake.” You say looking down at him, batting your eyelashes. “Can you just shut up and fuck me?”

His mouth falls open slightly at that and he stares up at you completely enamored.

You use this as an opportunity to tease him. You slide back and open your legs a little more.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” You say with as much sex in your voice that you could muster.

Jake takes in a deep breath and then a devilish smirk appears on his face. “No.” He starts. “But it’s about to.”

He licks a stripe up your thigh whilst holding eye contact with you. Then, he smiles before burying his face in between your legs.

You arch your back and tilt your head backwards as soft moans escape your lips. Jake shimmys your dress up even further, then slides his fingers into you.

“Fuck.” You whined, which only egged him on further.

“Yeah come on baby. Give me all of those pretty little sounds.” He begged.

His fingers worked expertly with his mouth. Like he had your body etched into his mind and he knew how to make you unraveled. Just as you were right there, white hot- he stopped. You unclenched your eyes and looked down at him in shock. He smirked back up at you and lightly bit your thigh.

“Come on Sugs. What’s the rush? Let’s take this to your room.”

You scoffed at him, hopping off the counter and pulling your panties back up. You were bewildered, but you knew him edging you was a sick little kink of his. You followed him into your bedroom where your lips connected once more. You unbuttoned his shirt while he kicked off his shoes. You pushed him back onto the bed where he raised up on his elbows and watched you intently. You slowly began to pull at the sleeves on your dress and dropped it to the floor, leaving you just in the black lacy little number you had just bought.

“God damn.” Jake barely whispered as he watched you with full blown lust.

“Oh this little thing?” You teased running your hands over the lace.

He swallowed hard. “Fuck. You are so fucking hot. I- Get over here please.”

You laughed. “I thought there was no rush?”

You turned around walking towards your dresser, giving him a nice show of your plump ass.

“Oh my god.” He all but groaned. You could sense him twitching over there, just itching to get his hands on you.

You struck a match and lit a small candle. “That’s better isn’t it?”

He nodded.

You walked over to him, slowly. His eyes were trained on you. You straddled his lap and his hands immediately found your hips, the whole entire time you stared into each other’s eyes. So much unspoken. So much unsaid. He leaned in and kissed you with fervor. His hands immediately gripping at the flesh of your ass. You were the first to slip out your tongue, but were met eagerly with his. You worked quickly to undo his belt and pants. He managed to shimmy them off while never breaking the kiss. You both leaned by entirely, you slowly grinded down onto his boxers causing him to almost lose it right there. You would start and get him worked up, then stop. Playing his own game right back at him. This earned you a swift smack on your ass. “You little tease.”

You sat up, fully shifting your lower half on top of him. “What’s wrong Jakey? Can dish it out but can’t take it?”

He let out a laugh. “We gonna play these games all night or are you going to let me fuck you? I can ruin that pretty makeup by having you in tears, begging me to let you come. Or I can fuck you so hard you won’t be able to think straight. Both are equally intriguing to me. Your choice baby.”

You tilted your head to the side. “Still think you’re up for the task? Can you even make me come, Jake?”

In a swift motion he flipped you over, him now on top of you. He pinned your hands above your head, holding them there. “Such a little brat. I could think of a better way to put that mouth to use. Looks like you chose the hard way.”

Excitement bubbled in your chest. No one ever got you this worked up, it was only him.

He released your hands and ripped your panties off of you. He pulled the fabric apart until it ripped.

“Jake!”

He didn’t flinch. “I’ll buy you one hundred more of these, especially if I can take them off of you like this.”

He grabbed your hands again, tying them up in the now ripped lace fabric. He slides down next to you, his fingers finding your center to begin work. After a few seconds you’re already squirming.

“Thought you were clever huh Sug? Asking me if I still can make you come?”

You flutter your eyes closed, trying to recenter yourself. Jake slapped your core. “Eh uh. Eyes on me.”

You pry your eyes open to watch him, trying your best to act like you weren’t on fire inside.

He kissed below your navel, making your shutter. “Did you miss me?”

You refused to answer that.

“Mhm I think you did. Do you touch yourself and think of me?” He asked, in a sickeningly sweet voice as he continued his descent.

“No.” You say, calmly.

He nips at your thigh. “It’s okay if you do. Sometimes I find myself thinking of you, late at night.”

You huffed as he continued to tease you.

“Not as sweet as the real thing though.” He made contact making an obscene slurping sound that made you twitch.

Then he stopped again coming back up to kiss you.

“Taste that? That’s you. My sweet girl.”

“You’ve made your point. Just fucking touch me.” You all but whined.

He chuckled at you. “So demanding.”

He unties your hands while freeing himself from his boxers. Then he flips you around and spreads your knees wider. You arch your back, silently begging for him to enter you.

“Fuck. Now there’s a view I would never get tired of.”

He slides himself all around you, still trying to tease you, but you could tell he was faultering. Slowly, he sunk into you. A moan left both of your mouths. He took his time but finally pushed himself all the way in.

“Ah fuck. Fuck baby.” He cooed.

He reached down and pulled you up, so you were flushed with him. Then reached down and rubbed at your bundles of nerves, sending you almost right over the edge.

“Jake- fuck don’t stop.” You whined.

He bit at your jaw. “Who fucks you like this? Who is the only person who will ever fuck you like this?”

“You! It’s you.” You barely spit out.

That warmness spread all over your body and you were about to explode. You squeezed him with everything you had.

“That’s right. You’re such a good girl Sugar. Fuck.” He grunted.

“Jake I’m- I’m.”

He removed his hand. “I know. I wanna see your face when you come for me.”

He unclasped your bra, tossing it to the side and flipped you over on your back.

“Fucking gorgeous.”

His hands massaged your breasts before lightly biting at your hardened nipples.

You were now in the home stretch, both of you struggling to hold on. Jake hooked your leg up over his shoulder and started to pound into you.

You could see the sweat beginning to trickle on him as his hair stuck to his face and neck. He guided your hand down to your sweet spot and guided you. “Almost there baby. Eyes on me.”

You locked eyes with him and that’s all it took. That wave came crashing down, completely washing you away with it. Jake was right behind you and you could feel him release into you. You gripped his shoulders while his mouth found yours, swallowing all of your sounds.

“Shit.” Jake groaned, rolling off of you. Both of you absolutely spent. Sweat, sex, and panting still filled the air. You reached over and grabbed a pack of American Spirits from your bedside table, they were old but necessary. You flicked a lighter and lit it while Jake looked at you with a smirk.

You shrugged and met his eyes. “Time and place for everything. Remember?”

**

Light filtered in through your blinds the next morning gently waking you. You turned to your side. Empty. Should have figured. Fuck, you were sore. You groaned as you stretched out making your way to the bathroom. You jumped in the shower to wash off the smell of sex and nicotine then brushed your teeth. You couldn’t tell if you were slightly hungover or slightly sad. Of course he left, that’s what he does. Coffee. You needed coffee badly. You tossed a giant band tee on and some cotton underwear and combed through your hair before padding out into your living room. Also empty. The refrigerator was embarrassingly barren. Leftover pizza, expired creamer, and strawberries. You needed to go to the grocery store, badly. You snickered at the thought of Josh seeing your refrigerator like this. He would playfully scold you and force you to Publix. You missed him. A loud noise crashed through your apartment and you jolted out of your thoughts.

“Jake? What the fuck! You scared me!” You clutched your chest.

Jake had bounded through the door with a coffee carrier and brown paper bags. A sight you never thought you would see.

“Don’t look so surprised to see me Sugs. Did you think I would have just up and left.” He asked with a smirk.

You can’t help but let out a small laugh. “Well yeah.”

He shakes his head at you. “I stole your keys so I could let myself back in. Had to Uber to get my car and then I got us breakfast. Hope you like breakfast burritos and coffee that’s a little too sweet.”

A smile twisted up on your lips. That was thoughtful?

“I do. Thank you.” You say, walking over to the counter to grab a coffee. You took a sip, it wasn’t your normal complicated vanilla latte. But it would do.

You both had plopped down at your table, somewhere you had found yourselves often the past few days and ate breakfast together.

“So, Danny and I have a meeting today. Some sort of podcast thing, but I’ll be free after. Care to go out again?” Jake asks, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

You bite your lip. “Josh comes back tomorrow.”

He shakes his head. “Uh huh.”

“Jake, he can’t know- about any of this really. He would freak out.” You say cautiously.

He gives you a sly smile. “S’okay Sugar. I’ll be your dirty little secret.”

You tap his arm. “I’m serious.”

He sighs at you and holds up a hand. “Fine. Scout’s honor.”

“Then yes, we can go out again tonight. But it can’t be a repeat of last night, I have to pick him up from the airport and do not want to be hungover.” You say, standing your ground.

Jake shrugs. “I dunno, maybe it could just be a little bit of a repeat from last night.”

You crack a smile and shake your head at him. What in the hell had you gotten yourself into again.

**

“I am so happy to see you!” Josh says, climbing into your car and squeezing your shoulders with a hug.

You smile at him. “I missed you too. I can’t wait to hear about all of your adventures.”

He huffs. “I have so many to share. Can I run by my place and shower and then come over? I am craving a home cooked meal so badly.”

You click your blink and laugh. “Well yes, but I don’t have much to cook. You would be appalled at the state of my refrigerator right now.”

“Hey, you have to take care of yourself. Change of plans; I’ll call in Chinese tonight and pick it up on my way over. First thing in the morning we are going grocery shopping.” He says in a caring tone.

“Deal.” You agree.

After dropping Josh off you had decided to tidy up a bit before he came over. You had already done a sweep of your house, making sure there were no remnants of Jake lying around anywhere. You had spent last night together again in a similar fashion to the night before. The last thing you wanted was for Josh to know that.

“These egg rolls are fresh today.” Josh said, stepping into your house.

“Oh I can tell it smells good.” You took the bags from Josh and placed them on the counter.

“Can you turn on that documentary we were watching last week? I’ll be right back, my bladder is about to explode.”

You chuckled and set out all of the food on your coffee table then started searching for whatever you two had previously watched. Once it was queued up you grabbed and extra blanket and waited for Josh. A few moments later he came walking into your living room.

“Shelves?”

You turned around and made a face at him. “What?”

He pointed behind him. “You hung your bathroom shelves?”

Fuck.

“Oh-uh yeah. It wasn’t too hard actually.” You tried to say as nonchalantly as possible.

He made a face at you. “Where did you get the tools?”

You shrugged. “I borrowed them from a neighbor. Come on, I'm starving and this food is going to get cold!”

He chewed on his cheek and eventually joined you on the couch. You hated lying to him, but the alternative would be worse.

That night you two had ended up asleep on the couch. You were wrapped in Josh’s arms, but his twin was the one occupying your mind.

***

Thank you for reading!!! <3

[mrs-steve-harrington]

Throwing some fic recs into the mix since I keep seeing the posts from others and wanting to join in. Below, you'll find 10 fics that I'm excited to recommend, in no particular order!

get a clue! by @monsterhunting [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

This is a delightful Valentine's Day fic featuring oblivious Steve, which is one of my favorite kinds of Steve! The pining is real, but the fic is lighthearted, not lingering on the angst of it all, but rather focusing on the positives. Steve's friendship and back and forth with Robin is great, but his interactions with Nancy and Jonathan are even better. It's a great time!

Don't Make Me by @idridian [Halloween Ends, Corey/Allyson/Michael]

You do not understand how badly I needed a fic like this after finally seeing Halloween Ends for the first time. That movie took over my whole brain for a hot minute and I was worried there would be nothing out there to sink my teeth into afterwards. But this fic. This fic was there to give me everything that I needed after the movie. "Allyson Corruption Arc" might be my favorite tag ever. It goes without saying, but there's a darkness to this fic that wraps around you while reading it. The relationship with Allyson and Corey is EVERYTHING! I just. This fic is beautiful and I love it!

To Run The Dog by @pterawaters [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

I love me some fic where Stancy crush hard on Jonathan and want to date him together. This is a really lovely AU where Steve and Nancy are married and keep seeing Jonathan running by their house with his dog. The way they want so badly to interact with him, and the friendship that ends up developing once they get the chance, is wonderful. The characters still feel like themselves despite not having gone through the same things as they do in the show, and it's just. Really enjoyable to read!

my body's aching and my time is at hand by whateverislovely [Criminal Minds, Reid-centric]

Gosh, this fic hits me right in the feels. There's something about sitting with a character who is feeling so low and feels like they can't talk to anyone (even though they know deep down that they could but it FEELS like they can't). Spencer desperately needs someone to see that he's struggling, but it's hard when there's so much going on at the same time. I don't even know what all to say, this fic just really gave me the angst and hurt/comfort (emotional and physical) that I revel in.

The Babysitter by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stancy, Dusteve, uhh... more]

A fic inspired by my favorite horror comedy movie ever? With Steve as the titular babysitter? But not evil? AND it's A/B/O?? Yeah there are many, many reasons I love this fic. The descriptions of Steve feel like they came right out of the movie in a way that made them so easy to see in my head. But it changes enough about the story that it doesn't feel at all like a straight up rehash of what you've already seen. AND it combines some of my favorite ships, with a Steve who is just the best ever. I freaking LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH!!

close my fist around something delicate by inlovewithnight [Ted Lasso, Keeley/Roy/Jamie]

All that I wanted for these three was for them to realize that they have feelings for each other. That they can make a relationship work, if they just try. And dammit, this fic delivers! While also adding in some great angst and hurt/comfort (physical and emotional). I didn't realize quite how much I wanted to see Jamie hurting and being stood up for/protected by the people who care about him, but boy did I! This fic is really lovely, it sucked me in and didn't let me go until I finished reading.

Both Hands Holding on to the Wire by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stobin]

This was one hell of a gift to get in a smut exchange, holy moly! It focuses really well on Robin's confusion over the thoughts she starts having about Steve after accidentally walking in on him changing. The whole concept is handled respectfully, taking the weight of it all very seriously. Robin and Steve's friendship is so good, the way they can just BE with each other. It's got the angst I adore, a Steve who is an absolute sweetheart, and a Robin who is so much more like her season 4 self than season 3 (which is a huge plus for me personally).

The Hourglass by @pterawaters [Fargo s5, Dot & Gator, Dot/Wayne/Gator]

A shorter fic here, but no less wonderful! It's exactly what I needed after finishing the latest season of Fargo. Getting to see where their lives might have gone, if Dot had been able to take Gator with her when she ran away. If he had wanted to go. It gets me emotional every time I think about it. I love love love this fic!

Wednesday by @stevethehousewife [Stranger Things, Stoncy]

I will recommend this fic forever and for always. It has everything: hurt Steve! Time loops! Season 3 Steve being thrown back to the worst day of his life and forced to relive it over and over until he gets it right (hint, it's the Halloween party in s2). I fucking love this fic! I've lost count of how many times I've reread it, but it might rival the number of time loops Steve lives through (okay maybe not quite that many, but you get my point). It shows Steve a side of Jonathan he didn't get to see the first time around. It gives him the closure he probably didn't realize he needed. I just. Adore this story!!

An Oath Broken, An Oath Kept by @urisarang [Love Between Fairy and Devil, Chang Heng/Dongfang Qingcang]

This fic is so mean in the best way! Both of them are so hurt, physically and emotionally. And then Chang Heng is forced to hurt DFQC even more, which only makes it that much BETTER. It was the perfect gift to receive for the Flash Made Them Do It exchange. I laugh every time I see the a/n (the word count minimum was 300 words. The word count on this fic is... a lot more than that). And it's just as fun to reread now as it was to read it the first time around. I want to draw hearts around it!

[stealingyourbones]

*hands you an emu skull* an idea

Small au? Promt? Idk, but brain dead + Dami at rich kid summer camp. The absolute chaos these three would rain down soon the camp, especially if Danny couldn't have his legal name changed yet and so he was forced to be in a girls cabin.

Some things I have worked out already are that the Waynes are important enough to give the boys private 'cabins' that are made for two people normally so Danny would probably be invited by Tim to bunk with him.

After a week or so Danny is probably head over heals for Tim and absolutely goes full on flirt mode, Tim is very flustered and had no idea what to think about the cute boy who sleeps in the same cabin as him that flirts with him constantly.

Dami rocks the shit out of anyone who deadnames/misgenders Danny, Danny has no idea.

Eventually Danny sneaks out to stargaze and Tim sees and they end up falling asleep on the cabin roof.

Also there was a canoeing trip and the three got paired together and they kept tipping over constantly.

- Icarus

Ty for the skull Homie. Icarus this is just wonderful.

I’m a very big camping person myself. I love the outdoors and going to overnight summer camps was a big part of my childhood. I’m gonna go on a lil ramble for a tad but I promise there’s a point to it.

One of my favorite camping trips ever was when we had to canoe roughly… It was either two or seven miles of river. Genuinely can’t remember which. Either way it was meant to take four and a half hours total to canoe. It took us two. Reason being was because it started raining a half hour into our canoeing. Fifteen minutes later it started thundering. Lightning could be seen in the distance. What you’re SUPPOSED to do is immediately get to the shoreline and wait for the rain to stop. Yeah that didn’t happen. The rain was forecasted to last the entire rest of the day and there nearest camping site was our current destination.

And so we paddled. We laughed and sang Disney and Christmas songs in the middle of summer at the top of our lungs. We all were soaked to the bone and yet we were having the time of our lives as thunder boomed overhead. We paddled our asses off but we eventually got to the camping site. Like at the moment being cold and wet and staying in a tin boat while lightning flashed across the sky wasn’t very fun, but in hindsight? That was the most memorable experience I’ve ever had during an overnight summer camp.

———

I need there to be a similar situation for Tim and Danny. Just something that’s like “oh this fucking sucks.” But they make the best out of their situation. They go sailing on a 420 and suddenly the wind dies directly in the middle of the river they’re on/really far away from shore? They just sit and wait and happily chat until their Camp Councelor tows them back with their motorboat.

The girl cabin issue is honestly a pretty big problem. A lot of girls will go immediately “yeah. Fuck that.” And immediately find a different solution for Danny. Tim offering his cabin cause there are extra bunks would have the camp staff would no question put Danny in there if they’re still part of the same camping group.

Idk those are my two cents from going to camps a lot as a kid

[somedaylazysomeday]

Target Acquired - Part Three

To your horror, you have to ask Jango Fett for a favor.

Jango Fett x fem!bounty hunter!reader

Rating: Mature. Minors DNI.

Word Count: 4,200

Warnings: Favors, bargaining, discussions of sex and kink throughout, references to cultural appropriation and religious backgrounds, references to BDSM and related dynamics.

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

No sooner had you claimed a small booth at the back of the Coruscanti cantina than your guest walked through the door. You waffled about whether to wave him over, but you didn’t have much of a choice. He spotted you easily, the dark slit of his visor intent and menacing as he approached, shouldering his way through the crowd. 

If there was ever a time you didn’t want Jango Fett to be punctual, this was it. And yet, now that you could use a few extra minutes to put together the way you would phrase your request, he was sitting across from you. The silver of his armor gleamed, and his helmet created a deep and hollow thud as he rested it at his elbow on the surface of the table.

Stars, he might even be a few minutes early.

“Stare all you like,” he told you, running a hand over his dark, close-cropped curls. “I know I only get more handsome every time you see me.”

You snorted. “Just wondering if you were taken over by some kind of personality-altering parasite. You’re never on time.” 

“You’ve got my interest,” he said with half a shrug. You would have been flattered if you thought he was actually interested in you rather than the message you had sent him. Sure enough, his dark eyes glinted when he leaned in close to you. “It’s not often anyone has the nerve to ask me for a favor.”

Yeah, that hadn’t been your best idea. But you were desperate… as much as you didn’t want him to know that. It was infuriating that he had seen through your casual invitation, but the glinting intelligence was part of the reason that you needed him. 

“I… suppose it could be considered a favor,” you agreed, begrudging as it was.

“I don’t see how you could consider it anything else,” Jango countered. “Tell me, princess: what do you need from me?” 

“I could use your help with a bounty.” 

He leaned back, dark brows shooting upward. “Really. A bounty.” 

His skepticism made you feel a little better. “Yeah, unfortunately. I’d rather not split the credits with you, but… needs must. So, will you help me out?”

“Kark that,” he said flippantly, signaling for a drink. The bartender apparently knew what Jango wanted or was willing to take a blind guess, since he immediately fetched a clean glass. “We both know I’m gonna need a lot more information before I agree to anything. Get talking.”

You sighed. This was exactly why you hadn’t wanted to bring him into things. Unfortunately, you needed someone who could take care of himself if things went wrong, and there was no one better at that than Jango. And any bounty hunter worth their armor was constantly on alert for the risk of being double-crossed. 

A server droid had delivered Jango’s drink by the time you were finally ready to speak. Even then, you took a healthy swallow from your own glass before you did.

“Don’t laugh.” 

It hadn’t been the strongest opening, as evidenced by the fact that he was already grinning before you had finished the two-word sentence. You frowned at him, rolling your eyes for good measure. “Good job.” 

“If you don’t want me to laugh, you shouldn’t be telling jokes,” he said. “Go on, then. Tell me the funny story about why you need my help and I’ll try not to laugh.” 

“This was a bad idea,” you muttered. 

“Probably,” Jango agreed cheerfully. “But now I’m interested. You don’t ever ask for help with bounties. You don’t even like to work with a partner. Now you decide you need help? None of your bounties are even challenging.” 

All of your current bounties were Tier One, known for extreme rage and prone to fits of violence. They killed any hunters who tried to bring them in. Tier Ones were your specialty, as Jango knew, but he got first pick of the new contracts. He always chose the most dangerous of the Tier Ones, all with the highest possible bounties. 

You made a face. He was clearly trying to goad you and you longed to walk away… but you really only had one idea of how to track your bounty, and you would need Jango’s help for it. 

“Are you going to listen?” you demanded. “Or do you want to drown in your curiosity when I walk out of here?” 

Jango motioned for you to continue, failing to hide his grin behind the rim of his glass. He wasn’t trying very hard.

“I’m tracking one of my bounties,” you said, jumping into things before the conversation could devolve even further. “I found them here on Coruscant.” 

He grimaced and you nodded. Everyone knew how bad it sucked to have a bounty come to Coruscant. Anyone could disappear in a ecumenopolis of a trillion people from every planet in the galaxy. 

Of course, Coruscant was highly monitored with facial recognition, scanner droids, and undercover police, but there was still a risk that someone would go to ground long enough to have a surgeon change their appearance. In that case, you were utterly screwed unless the bounty happened to have a biometric tracking chip. And since most planets in the Republic considered tracking chips to be a privacy violation, chances of that were slim.

“Anyway, I found them, but I can’t get to them.” You sighed, letting your frustration bleed through. “The only place they go unprotected is a kink club in the Industrial Sector. A place called The Edge.”

“Sounds like you have a good lead on things,” Jango admitted. “What help do you need from me?” 

“I have a way into The Edge.” You rubbed your temples, partially to ease a headache and partially as a way of avoiding his gaze during the next part of your explanation. “They’re hosting  a kink event tomorrow night - BDSM specifically. I need to get inside, but I was warned that I should bring someone I trust, in case they want… proof that I’m active in the lifestyle.” 

“Is that something they’re going to check?” The skepticism was thick in his voice. 

“Apparently, the club has had a few issues with would-be spectators in the past.” You eyed him steadily. “What do you think?” 

“Let me get this straight,” Jango mused, a smirk clear on his face. “You need me to come to The Edge with you to get your bounty, but not because you need my skills as a hunter. No, you only need me with you so you don’t have to fuck someone you don’t know to prove you’re not lying about why you’re there.”

You hated the way that sounded, but it was regretfully accurate. “Yes.” 

Jango’s lips curved with a lascivious smirk as his gaze ran up and down your body. “Well, princess, why didn’t you ask me sooner? I’ll come along and hold your leash.” 

Abruptly, your opinion of the situation shifted. You chuckled - a slow, purring sound. “I think you misunderstood me, Fett. I need to track my bounty. If you agree to help me… I’ll be holding your leash.”

He jerked back like you had hit him, eyes widening in shock. “You-?”

“I would be playing the dominant in the relationship,” you reiterated. “I need freedom to move around the club without being questioned or paid attention to. If I have someone that I need to step away and ‘punish’, that allows me to go anywhere I need to. I can find my bounty and get out of there.” 

“So you want me to act like a submissive?” Jango snorted, but it wasn’t his usual cockiness. “Sweetheart, we both know that you make a better submissive than I do.” 

“No, I don’t,” you insisted stubbornly. “Besides, this is acting. Like I said, I just need you there to help me blend in. And, if necessary, to interact with so no one gets suspicious.” 

“I don’t think I can help you blend in,” Jango said, gesturing toward his own face. “I’m well-known as a bounty hunter. Even if no one else recognizes me, there’s a chance your bounty will. Which one are you hunting here?”

You pursed your lips. It was frowned upon to ask for the name of someone else’s bounty. You had the contract, so it wasn’t like Jango was going to take your prize, but it was still an unspoken rule you were hesitant to break. 

Eventually, you decided that it would be better for him to know what he was getting into… and why this was so important for you. “Zamnist Gusin.”

The low whistle he let out told you that he understood the gravity of the situation. Gusin was an infamous Falleen, known for using their pheromones as a weapon. They romanced multiple beings and convinced them to be utterly loyal only to their new favorite criminal. Every moment you spent not capturing Gusin, they were working to build an army. 

“Maybe you do have a challenging bounty.” Jango’s fingers tangled together on the table in front of him. That was often a telltale sign that he was deep in thought. “Even if no one else recognizes me, Gusin definitely will. I’ve hunted them before. Just barely caught them before one of their followers tore my head off.” 

“I’ll have a mask for you,” you told him quickly. Maybe this wasn’t as much of a long shot as you had thought it would be. “We’ll both be wearing one. It’s normal for people to conceal their identities at things like this.”

Jango hummed. “And what kind of ‘interaction’ do you think we’ll need to have to prove that we belong there?” 

Your shoulders tensed. That was the question you had been dreading. “As little as we can get away with.” 

This look was significantly less friendly than the last time you had been vague. “More.” 

“I’m not really sure. It’ll depend on the situation.” You sat back against the high back of the booth. “It might be something simple, like a spanking. Or it might be more complex. But there are good odds that we’ll have to perform some vaguely sexual act in front of a bunch of strangers. I won’t lie about that. Are you willing to help, or should I look for someone else?” 

“Before tomorrow night? I might be your only option.” As you watched, a smirk started growing on his face. 

“Thinking of how I’ll manage to convince someone else?” you asked waspishly. 

“No. I’ll help you, sweetheart.” Something in his tone warned you not to relax just yet. Sure enough, smugness dripped from his voice as he added, “I’m just thinking of all the ways you’re gonna have to make this up to me.” 

“Let’s start talking terms, then,” you proposed, setting your jaw. “I have a lot of work to do if we’re going to get into The Edge tomorrow night.” 

—

The following night found Jango Fett climbing onboard your ship, the Enchantress. You had agreed that it would be best to start the night there. You could park close to The Edge, minimizing how much time you were walking the streets before putting your masks on. The more attention you could avoid, the better. 

“Nice,” Jango said, gesturing around. He had been aboard the Enchantress before. Many times, in fact. Since he clearly wasn’t talking about the elegant architecture of your fast little ship, you figured he must have been referring to the mess. 

“Shut up, Fett,” you ordered. “Some of us have to work for our bounties.” 

His brows arched. “Are you implying I don’t work for mine, princess?” 

“Getting into character for tonight. And speaking of…” You handed him the mask you had found, along with a bag of clothing. “We’ll dress here. I have cloaks for us to wear between here and The Edge.” 

“Are you karking serious,” Jango asked flatly, still staring down at the mask in his hands.

You had thought the mask - made to look like a Mandalorian helmet - had been a nice touch. Clever, but nothing that would stand out. Jango seemed to disagree, if you were to judge from the scowl on his face.

“You don’t like it?” 

“You took a symbol of my people and their warrior traditions and turned it into a mask used to hide a face during a secret sex event.” You couldn't quite tell what attitude Jango was going for with his explanation, but he didn't sound thrilled. 

“I didn't mean to offend you,” you said carefully. 

He watched you, stare unreadable. “I don't think you understand Mandalorian beliefs about honor, marriage, and when sexuality is appropriate.” 

That made you laugh, though you tried to stifle it quickly. “I'm sorry, are you saying that you having problems with this because you object to sex before marriage?” 

“I'm not against this,” Jango said, looking conflicted. “I'm just trying to figure out if you were being ironic.” 

“Total mistake,” you insisted, raising your hands innocently. “Want to switch masks?” 

Jango glanced from you to the mask you were holding up. Your mask was far more simplistic, a plain black that covered your eyes and nose with raised geometric designs running along the border. 

“That one would leave my mouth accessible.” 

You squinted at him, but his expression was steady and sincere. “I don't understand you, Fett.” 

He shrugged and you handed him the plain geometric mask. It was easier than trying to wade through the rest of the conversation. 

There was going to be enough chaos when he saw the outfit you had chosen for him.

—

“You're lucky we docked so close,” he grumbled. “If I die from exposure, I'll come back to kill you.” 

You hummed noncommittally, too focused on your own outfit and how odd it felt. 

“If anyone finds out about this, I’m tripling my terms.” 

His terms had been, frankly, exorbitant, but you had been desperate enough to pay them anyway. Tripling them would ruin you… especially since he had demanded things far more precious than money. 

“Who’s going to find out about this?” you asked, trying to calm him down. “We’ll be at a private event in disguise. If anyone does recognize us, we have instant blackmail material.” 

“And that will help when our reputations are ruined?” His voice was tight with irritation at his own rhetorical question. “Especially since I have more at stake here, and we both know it.” 

“Are you going to be able to do this?” you demanded, losing your temper enough to wheel around in the middle of the sidewalk. “Because, if you can’t, I’ll figure it out myself. But I need you to decide now. I can’t have you get in there and panic.” 

Jango narrowed his eyes at you. “I never panic.”

“Then you’re just whining because you know it irritates me?” You scoffed. “You know what I think, Fett? I think you’re panicking because you think you’ll realize how much you love having someone else boss you around.” 

“Princess, what makes you think you’re the first one I’ve let be in charge of me?” 

“Then you knew what you were getting into when I asked you and you know even better now.” You folded your arms. “Can you do this or not?”

“I said I would help you and I will,” Jango said grumpily. “But I don’t like this.” 

“Maybe you should take a break from worrying about your precious reputation,” you suggested, exasperated. “If you lean into the opportunity of no one knowing who you are, you might actually enjoy the chance to let go and explore a new side of yourself.” 

Jango frowned, but didn’t seem to have a response for that. You rolled your eyes and kept walking. When he followed, you couldn’t say you weren’t relieved, but you were starting to worry that you’d pressured him into this. Hopefully, you could get in and out of The Edge without anyone questioning your place there. 

When you and Jango stepped inside the doors of The Edge, you had already put on your masks. The reception desk was empty, but a small sign directed everyone there for ‘the gathering’ toward the fifth floor. There wasn’t anyone to greet you at the fifth floor, either, but another sign invited you to place any outerwear in a closet. You both stripped off your outer cloaks. 

You had picked out Jango’s outfit, but your mouth still went dry to see him in it. He wore only a set of black boxer-briefs on his lower half, but his torso was encased in a series of black leather straps. The straps connected at intervals, building into something that wasn’t quite a vest. The whole rig was studded with the occasional durasteel hook or buckle - purely decorative, but they looked good. The straps managed to give the look of tactical gear, but showing far more skin. A pair of black boots completed his outfit. 

He looked perfect - dangerous and deadly, but so vulnerable and touchable. You had a sudden surge of understanding for men who liked seeing leather-dressed women wearing weapons. You supposed there was something universally compelling about the combination of sex and violence. 

Your own outfit was far less impressive. High-waisted black shorts made of a stiff, shiny material, boots with a bit of a heel, and a black halter top under the corset that wrapped around your waist. Bracers guarded your forearms and the mask covered your face, but you felt far more exposed than usual. The clothing was a strong, cliched reference to the typical dominatrix wear, but you hadn’t been willing to put too much thought into the aesthetics of an outfit that you would wear once and never again. 

And you felt hot in it, so there was that. 

When you had finished eyeing Jango up again, a new person had appeared in the room. She was a human woman, remarkably quiet on her feet. She smiled as you startled. “Are you here for the gathering?”

“Y-yes,” you confirmed, fighting not to look over at Jango for confirmation. “Yes, we are.”

“We’ll see,” she said mysteriously. “Follow me.” 

You did, sparing a single glance back at Jango. His eyes seemed remarkably bright against the matte darkness of his mask, and he gave a slight nod. The human woman led you both down a hallway and into another room. 

You were focused on picturing the building’s layout and memorizing your escape route, and didn’t immediately notice your surroundings. Dangerous. 

There was a large, throne-like chair at the head of the room, currently occupied by a female Iktotchi. She was dressed… well, not dissimilarly to you. She wore the outfit better, the pale brown of her skin contrasting against the darkness of her clothing and the stark white of the horns that ran down either side of her face. 

She grinned at you, showing off a gorgeous bone structure. “Welcome, friends. I am Telde, current queen of the court. All are welcome to play here, but I must insist on getting an introduction before you go off to enjoy yourselves. Who are you?” 

Telde hadn’t asked for full names - or even real names - but you already had aliases prepared. “I am Kirne. This is-” 

“Ah,” Telde interrupted, holding up a gloved hand. “Everyone must speak for themselves in this court, Kirne. At least, until mouths are occupied with other things. Who are you?” 

The question was clearly directed at Jango, and you had a moment of guilt that you hadn’t briefed him on his temporary identity. “Mellac.”

There hadn’t been any hesitation, and you had a surge of gratitude that he was such an excellent liar. 

“Kirne, Mellac, welcome to my court.” Telde inclined her head, her horns turning the movement even more graceful than it had been. “I will let you have full reign of the rooms in a moment. But first, what may we expect of you today? Do you intend to play together? Are you separate? Are you looking for a third?” 

“I am Mellac’s Mistress,” you said, doing your best to sound powerful and sexy. “He has earned the reward of a night out. I am the only one who may touch him, and he is the only one who may touch me.” 

Telde watched you for a moment, as if waiting for more. “And will you allow others to watch you touch each other?” 

“That depends,” you mused slowly. When Telde lifted one brow, you smiled. She wouldn’t be able to see it behind your mask, but you were willing to bet that she would hear it. “It depends how good my Mellac manages to be tonight.” 

Telde gave an appreciative laugh, waving at the human woman. The woman pulled aside a curtain behind her to reveal a heavy-looking door. “Others will be curious about you both. If you feel anyone has taken liberties where they should not, I ask that you come to me with your complaints instead of settling issues yourself. Agreed?” 

“Agreed,” you said. Jango nodded beside you. 

With a wide smile, Telde nodded to the woman. “Enjoy the court Kirne, Mellac. You are both most welcome here.” 

The nameless woman opened the doors behind her, revealing a large room filled with dimmed lights, pieces of furniture you had no name for, and the sound of a lot of people enjoying themselves. You gave a slight bow to Telde, nodded your thanks at the woman, and crossed into the room. 

You studied the room with a bounty hunter’s eye, pushing aside your own fascination and mild discomfort while you did. The room was large, but not entirely self-contained. You could see at least a few places where small, sparsely lit corridors seemed to open off of the room, and a laughing throuple moving down one as you watched. 

Most importantly, you didn’t see Zamnist Gusin anywhere. 

“What do we have here?” a male voice purred, and you braced for the inevitable eye-fucking that came with an outfit like the one you were wearing. 

To your surprise, you weren’t the one being eyed up. Jango stood straight and proud, chin lifted to stare the other man in the face. The man wasn’t the only one looking Jango’s way, and a few others drifted over to stand around you both.

“I am Kirne. This is my submissive, Mellac,” you said. “We’re here to take in the sights. Perhaps find some… inspiration.” 

“Have you thought about a nice paddling?” one woman asked, giving Jango’s ass an appreciative look. “Perfect for disciplining an unruly submissive.” 

“Mellac is very well-behaved,” you explained. “We’re here as a reward for him.” 

Jango sneered at the woman, the expression visible thanks to the short mask he had opted for. “My Mistress doesn’t favor mindless pain.” 

The man scoffed. “Show me a dominant who avoids pain and I’ll show you a misbehaving submissive. Especially you, little one. You definitely need a strong hand.” 

Jango visibly bristled at being called ‘little one’. He was roughly average height for a human male, but working among so many species who were taller and stronger had left him with a chip on his shoulder.

His shoulders went back, the muscles of his arms coiled with barely restrained violence. “You want to see a strong hand?” 

You saw his hand curl into a fist and rushed to put yourself between them. “Mellac! I didn’t give you permission to speak, and especially not to another dominant. No matter how much he should keep his opinions to himself.” 

The man scoffed. “You should take my comm frequency. That way, when both of you realize that he needs more than a soft-hearted woman, he can find a dominant that’s a better fit.” 

“I have everything I need right here,” Jango retorted, blatantly squeezing your ass. 

“Mellac,” you hissed, your voice low and whip-like. Jango flinched - a convincing piece of acting, you had to admit. “We’re finding a place to punish you. First, for speaking out of turn. Second, touching without permission. And third… we’ve been working on your need for attention. Picking a fight won’t meet that need, and now, neither will I.” 

Jango gave a wordless whine that made things low in your body clench. “Yes, Mistress.” 

You looked at the crowd. “Where can we be alone? Unobserved. This one likes being watched, and I don’t want him having that need met tonight. Not when he’s misbehaved so badly.” 

“Well…” one of the other crowd members said slowly. “All of the rooms are occupied, but there are a few hallways.” 

“Yeah,” another agreed. “Drox won’t be leaving their room anytime soon, so the hallway outside of that one should be fairly private.” 

It took effort to look unaffected by that. ‘Drox’ was one of the aliases Gusin was known to use. Carefully, so you wouldn’t betray yourself, you nodded. “That sounds perfect. Which hallway leads to Drox’s room?”

---

Author's Note - Obviously, there will be a second (spicy) part tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

[timaeusterrored]

(I’m writing this now to get it out of my SYSTEM)

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worked up over a meeting.” Kerry stated, leaning against the wall while he fixed his bracelets into place.

“Yeah well, this isn’t a meeting with executives. This..” Vex leaned closer to the mirror. “Is a meeting with your ex wife.” She said, looking at him through the mirror. He was smiling at her, shaking his head.

“You said you wanted to meet her one day.” Kerry came over to help zip up her dress and ran his hands over her hips. “She won’t bite… not unless you ask.” Kerry laughed when he was swatted away.

“Don’t be an asshole.” Vex huffed, fixing her hair once more before deciding she was as ready as she’d ever be.

Vex watched as Kerry went to go greet his ex wife, the meeting was civil enough. Cheek kisses and a how are you? But it all seemed so natural. And holy shit she was gorgeous.

“And you must be Vex, it’s very nice to hear Ker has someone setting him in stone now.” Louise shook her hand and smiled, Kerry leading the ladies back in. Vex desperately wishes she could tell literally anyone that she was currently in bisexual heaven.

The three talked, Louise asking Vex questions over wine and Vex answering honestly. She was surprised to find out Kerry was dating an ex-Arasaka worker, because that went against everything the rocker believed in. He just shrugged and said people change. Vex felt there was a hidden meaning in that.

They ended up going out to dinner that night, a fancy place with privacy for the ex couple to enjoy dinner without the media hounding them. The conversation continued while Louise told the story of how the two had met and had two kids, and Vex wondered if she could bring up Victoria now or maybe wait until her and Louise were closer. She still got antsy about it.

By the end of the night, the three were full and happy, joking like old friends. Vex always did make friends easier than her brother ever had. She was getting ready for bed when the sound of the guest room door closed and Kerry walked into the bedroom.

“That wasn’t terrible was it?” He asked, already knowing Vex would say no. The woman just rolled her eyes, cleaning off her makeup.

“What do I see in you again?”

“God if I knew the answer to that.” He bent down and kissed her cheek, starting to get undressed.

“You never told me you were married to a model.” Vex hummed.

“Her picture is at the Villa, I thought that was proof enough!” Kerry stated, sitting down to take his boots off. “There’s more context to that, I can feel it-“ he looked up at her, eyebrows raised.

“In the years I’ve known Louise, I don’t know if she’s into women, or threesomes.” Kerry stated, making Vex’s face hot.

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You didn’t have too, sweetheart. It was all over your face.” Kerry grinned, kicking his boots off.

Vex groaned and covered her face, making her partner laugh again. “I was just letting you know. Not that she hasn’t changed since our split.” He hummed, laying back on the bed.

Vex came and laid on top of him, his arms coming around her. She hadn’t been thinking that until Kerry had said something. But now she was. Why the fuck would he even suggest it?! That was his ex wife, they split for a reason. She wouldn’t force them back together.

[aria-raven]

OC-tober, Day 5: Opportunity

I should give a bit of explanation for this one. You see, in the story that Jade, Pan, and Neo are from, there's a time skip, and during this, they're kept apart. They're able to see each other again eventually, but being separated is hard for all three of them.

Neo had been standing by the shore for a long time. Long enough that it was beginning to get concerning. He wouldn’t speak or pay any mind to the world around him. All he did was stand there, looking up at the sky. The sky had grown dark, and the moon was shining down on the water, bathing everything in a pale light. But somehow Jade and Pan knew he wasn’t waiting for the moon. 

At first, they’d been willing to let him be alone with his thoughts. Now they weren’t sure what to do. He didn’t seem to notice that it was growing colder, or the water lapping at his shoes. They couldn’t let him stand there all night. Marina had gone to join him at some point, staring up at him with huge eyes, but she returned after a while. If he wouldn’t even acknowledge his wolf, then he must’ve had something big on his mind. Perhaps something that he didn’t want to talk about. Jade and Pan looked at each other, silently debating their next move. They knew what the other was thinking, without either of them having to say anything.

Finally, they made a decision. Jade started walking first, with Pan not far behind her. They walked slowly, giving Neo time to hear them. Even so, he didn’t notice until they were almost standing on either side of him. He glanced between them, his expression unreadable. “Are you wondering why I’m just standing out here?” he asked. Not waiting for a response, he told them “I was remembering the times I used to sit up all night, waiting for the comet.”

Jade sighed, not quite meaning to. “I did the same thing. I’d spend all year waiting for that one night. Then, when the night finally came-” She couldn’t go on, but they knew. 

“It’s funny that we’re on a beach right now, because I used to wait by the beach too,” Pan remarked. “Celosia and I would stay there one night a year, all night. Didn’t we, girl?” He glanced over at his wolf, who lifted her head up expectantly. “Yep, we sat there for hours. Every year I’d get my hopes up, only to be disappointed.”

Shaking his head a bit, Neo admitted “I started to think I would never see you guys again. But I couldn’t bring myself to give up. If there was a chance, even a slight one, then I didn’t want to miss it.”

“And it paid off in the end,” Jade said, smiling. “The weird thing is, seeing the comet again shouldn’t have made us happy. It meant the universe was in danger again.”

“But it also meant we could see each other,” Pan replied with a grin of his own. “Though I do see what you mean.”

Neo’s lips twitched for a second. It was clear that something was still bothering him. He looked at Jade, his eyes wide and intense. “You said that we weren’t going to let anyone separate us again. No matter what they say, they’re not keeping us apart this time. Do you think that’s possible?”

Jade knew he wanted the truth. Her stomach tightened as she spoke. “I don’t know how we’re going to do it. Even if they let us be together, I’m not sure if we’ll ever be able to go back to our homes.” She swallowed hard. “But you know me, both of you. I don’t make promises I can’t keep. We’ll find a way, no matter what it takes.”

With those words hanging in the air, Pan and Neo looked at each other for a few minutes. Once again, a silent conversation was taking place. Finally, Neo managed a real smile. “Yeah.” He looked up at the sky, just in time to see a streak of light flash cut across the darkness. “Was that a shooting star?”

Jade gasped, pointing up. “Yeah, I think it was.” It was gone in half a second, but they had all seen it.

“Whoa.” Pan leaned back a bit, watching the sky intently. “Well, it’s not as impressive as a comet, but maybe it means something?”

They fell silent, trying to decide if he was right. But there was one thing they knew for sure. Whatever happened, they weren’t going to give anyone the chance to separate them again.

[wild-stray-renegade]

Gathering

A dysfunctional family gathers around for a Granny-level dinner. Word Count: 2453 TW: None

Dude, you’re more family to me than my own family is.” I let my shoulders drop as I sighed and looked over at Luca from atop my high-rise throne. My legs loosely swung back and forth with no control as I was just short enough not to reach the kitchen stool below them. He pointed to my chest with a snort. A drop of chocolate chip cookie dough—my favorite, Gran knew me so well—was sitting on my chest as if it was trying to tattle on me for my sweet snack. 

In my defense, Granny Prickett did give me the spatula to lick when she was done mixin' the dough, plus Luca and Mavry got to lick the spoons so I wasn’t the only one that ate the raw cookie dough. It didn't matter as long as no one told Momma Bird though.

I swiped it off with my finger and glanced back over at my brother, sneaking it into my mouth before I continued our conversation. “You can relate more than anyone else here; y’all are the only siblings I’ve ever known. Granted, you have three years of a lead on me but still.”

Luca’s gaze shot down to the tiled floor. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.” His gaze made its way over to meet Mavry’s as if he was begging them for the words to say in response, while they just shrugged in response. “Mavry not as much, but they can sympathize at least.” 

He was adopted by Granny Prickett and Momma Bird like I was, but he was in a vastly different scenario. Mine was more tame whereas Mav told me he had lost everything in a forest fire when he was younger, including his blood family. Mavry found him nearby covered in burns and ash, complete with a big ol' serving of trauma cooked up by the whole incident. They spared me the gory details as they said they didn’t wanna “traumatize” me as well, but I think it was really they didn’t want to think about that night. Said neither of them would ever forget that moment as it formed the sibling-like bond they shared. 

I’m honestly jealous of their bond. I don’t think I could have anything like they have and it sucks. I see the crazy acts they manage to pull off, all of the things they can do when they put their minds together and yet—  

The sound of cracking eggs shook me from my thoughts as Gran broke two eggs into a large mixing bowl, then tossed the shells into the compost bin. “Little Feather, something you will learn as you grow to be like your siblings is that family isn’t just limited to what's in our veins or even on our birth certificate. We all are family to one another here and only three of us are by blood.” She peered over the rim of her glasses as she smiled, the expression adding to her welcoming appearance. “Just because you weren’t born into our last name like Little Raven was doesn’t mean you aren’t part of the family, and sometimes the family you create is the family you need to grow and learn to fly.”

Momma Bird walked into the kitchen as her furrowed brow shadowed her eyes. Her curly hair bounced behind her in a rhythmic pattern, every bounce matching her own footsteps. “Have any of you seen my knittin’ pack? I can’t seem to find it an’ I want to work on Charlotte’s tiger stuffie. I must’ve sat it down somewhere last time I used it.” Her eyes scanned the room in a determined search for the small pouch as we all turned their heads to look for it to no avail.

“Oh gods; like all of your other things Mama? I swear, sometimes I wonder how you still have a mountain of things in your room when you leave everything lying around everywhere else in the cabin, not to mention how much of it is consumed by the void." Mav jeered as they pushed themself off of the wall to help look. “Here, lemme help. It has to be around here somewhere; unless one of the littles stole it and bolted like they did with your last one.”

I couldn’t help but look over at Luca as we both snickered. They weren’t wrong one bit. A bell-like laugh echoed through the hall from the playroom as the noises of the two younger children suddenly became more obvious to me. Rudy’s laugh rang out clear as day, her cadences comparable to that of a songbird on a sweet summer’s day. Kini’s was more tense and lower in pitch; the register lower overall. They were both brought in from the after school system as they had nowhere to turn to as well; Kini had an emotionally abusive single mother that neglected her while Rudy’s father physically abused them. Since being brought to the cabin however, they’ve matured exponentially in all aspects.

Momma Bird slouched with a resigned sigh. “I’ll go look in their toy box again...if it’s in there I’mma lock it up though. You can stay here, little raven, keep Granny Prickett and the little ones company. ” With that and a swish of her skirt, she swayed out of the kitchen as Luca scoffed in offense.

“Hey! I’m not "little"! I’m older than Mav is! This is blasphemy— treason of the highest order!” His voice transitioned to his dramatic, theatrical tones as it carried through the room. He bit back a laugh as a grin started to break through his offended frown. He pouted with a hmph and crossed his arms, looking away and peeking to see if anyone was paying attention. Mavry smacked their forehead with their hand while I fought back a giggle fit, Luca proceeding to ‘stew’ as he rolled their eyes. 

Mav proceeded to cross their arms to hug their sides with a smug look plastered on their face. “Careful, brother. You don’t want to show you care too much now.”

 A scoff answered in response as Luca’s head whipped back around to look at them. “Hey! I can show I care! That’s not illegal!” 

The two teens started to playfully fight as I shook my head with a chuckle. Breaking my gaze from the rather amusing fight in front of me, I looked down and noticed the stack of mail resting on the counter. On top was a letter from the elementary school that Rudy and Kini attended. Half unfolded, I could make out the first half of the letter.

 The school was closing? Why? What could've brought this on? “Hey Gran?” She looked over to me and tilted her head. “Yes, little one?”

I looked at the note, picking it up and glancing at her.. “How long have we known about the school closing? What’s gonna happen to Rudy and Kini?”

She sighed in response. “We’re…going to try and adopt them legally. At least Rudy.”

“Oh.” I looked back down at the text. They’ve only been here a year and they’re already being adopted? They adopted Luca and Mav was born here. It’s been four years and they haven’t even considered adopting me…

"Little Feather?" Gran's voice broke through my thoughts as she mixed the dough for the rolls. "What has you lost in the storm?"

I twisted back towards her and flashed a grin. "Oh, nothing! Just was thinkin' about stuff is all. Y’know, with finals comin’ up an’ everything. I’m okay though.”

This decision was a mistake however; Gran was one of the best lie detectors of the century. Nothing could make it past her. 

"Mhm. Okay but what's going through that little stormlock of yours? I can see it in your eyes, you're not slick." 

Luca's cackling echoed around the kitchen as they kept arguing.  I looked at the floor, unable to make eye contact with her in fear.“I’m…" How do I word this without coming off as childish or weak? C'mon Koda, you're fifteen now, think! "I've always been… cautious, I guess you could say? of showing I care too much or showing if I’ve been affected by something— I’ve always been told I’m weak for it or it’s always gotten me into some serious trouble. Is that…true?”

Granny set the dough down slowly as she looked over to me. She cleared her throat quietly; however it was enough to snag my attention and lock eyes with me. “Being strong doesn’t mean never asking for help, little feather; nor does it mean you should hide what you’re truly feeling behind a mask of false emotions— despite you always wearing some form of animal mask."

 She pointed at the bluebird that I was currently wearing. It covered only the top half of my face and I could still clearly see through it (and vice versa) so no one mentioned anything about it. I was wearing a fox one the previous week but it needed some glue on one of the ears so it had to retire for a little while as it was repaired. 

Granny continued. “Strong is admitting you’re in need of help and accepting it. Overcoming those boundaries and becoming a better person due to things that get in your way helps you grow as a person.”

She dried off her hands on the red plaid kitchen towel hanging on the stove. As she reached for the spices, she continued. “A lot of people hear ‘strong’ and immediately think about physical strength; a valid type of strength but it’s not the only type of strength to exist.” She paused to relish in the scent of the cinnamon, sweet spice and the orange peel, the combination of the scents relaxing to her. “Mmm, comfortin’...anywho, where was I? Oh! Yeah!” Her eyes lit up as she recalled where her train of thought was originally going, a quiet laugh dancing around the room as windchimes on a late summer day. “Strength isn’t about how much physical weight you can carry or how much force you can physically push back against. The smallest, skinniest twig that could barely carry a bag o’ beans could be carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, however all we see is the beans he carries. We don’t see what hidden pain, turmoils, struggles or burdens our fellow friends carry— so how would we know what strength truly is?”

I nodded, my shadowed eyes hidden behind the mask. I wasn't sure how to exactly respond to that; frankly I've never had any parental figure give me a talk like this; even when she’s given her speeches it was to someone else. I can definitely see why the character in the movies feels so awkward in these situations now. "I never ask for help because I'm not sure I know…how to. I’ve always kept to myself— you remember how I was when you found me?"

Granny nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. You seemed so disconnected that day outside the schoolhouse with Mav and Luca." As if on cue, Mav's cackling broke through their conversation as the two playfought in the corner. 

I shook my head with a snirk. "Dorks. But anyways." I cleared my throat quietly; I needed to get this ball down somehow. "I was afraid of showing any sort of emotion because I felt I was…broken." My voice decided to quit with the end of the sentence, my energy slowly starting to tank as I began to overthink everything that I've done; everything I've accomplished to get to this point before realizing that it wasn’t a lot. The wheels in my head began to spiral as they kicked into overdrive before I was softly jolted from my trance by a soft touch on my shoulder. I panicked, bewildered eyes met with a pair of sunset golden eyes, the familiar sense of belonging and care giving me something to focus on as she spoke.

"Hey, hey, focus on me, little one. It's okay to feel broken. It's okay to take time to heal. We all are wounded at some point in our lives- it's a matter of how we take those attacks, bandage them up and let them heal so we can grow from them." She gently pulled me into her embrace as I gripped onto her to ground myself, my breathing slowly leveling out. I could feel her head move to look at the now-quiet Luca and Mav beside us. “I’m proud of you. All three of you. You’ve all come so far in your lives and who you are. I’ve watched you grow from, well, Little Raven I’ve known since you were born. Little Hawk, I’ve known since you were but a young child and Little Feather I’ve known since you were just a wee baby.” She laughed softly. “I’m surprised you all haven’t caused issues yet but here we are!" Her giggles rumbled throughout her body in a comforting manner. I begrudgingly pulled away once she was done and smiled weakly at her, her smiling back.

"With all of that being said, who wants to help Ol' Gran carry the food out to the table?”

We all nodded in excitement and each grabbed a dish (or three in Luca's case) to carry out to the table; Momma Bird had already set it up earlier with the tablecloth and plates so the dishes had their places already set up and ready to go. The food was placed and a shrill whistle followed, summoning everyone to the table quickly as a horde descended upon the room. 

Mavry slid into their worn out seat with grace while Luca flopped into his, the wood creaking in complaint. I hopped up onto my tower of pillows so that I could actually reach the table because, despite only being three years younger than Mavry, I'm a lot shorter than the other two. Rudy and Kini were helped into their chairs and Momma Bird took her seat at the other side of the table. The smells of the feast wafted around the room— soft buttered rolls, dark tan roast turkey, light yellow mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables of all kinds, Gran's infamous five-cheese macaroni and cheese and the multitude of fresh pies, cookies and pudding was splayed in front of the group.

Granny Prickett looked around at everyone with the warmest smile on her jolly face. The sight of her family together brought a smile on her face and warmed her heart more than words could express. I wanted to capture this moment and relive it forever; a common feeling that I experience every year during the holidays and I'm sure she was feeling it tenfold. 

“Okay children, who’s hungry?”

[thehoshispecial]

CHAT GPT FANFIC

Daria, Charlie, and Jude were walking across the NCTU campus when they bumped into their favorite NCT member, Jaemin.

"Hey guys!" Jaemin greeted them with a big smile.

"Jaemin!" Daria exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I go to school here too," Jaemin reminded her with a laugh.

Charlie spoke up. "Hey, have you seen Yuta around? I need to talk to him about our project."

"He's probably in the library," Jaemin said. "I'm actually headed there myself. Want to walk together?"

As they walked towards the library, they ran into more NCT members, including Mark and Haechan.

"Hey guys!" Haechan greeted them. "What's up?"

"Just heading to the library," Jude said. "We have a project due next week."

"Oh, same here!" Mark said. "We should all work together."

The group made their way to the library and found a table to work at. As they pulled out their textbooks and laptops, they started to chat and joke around.

Daria turned to Jaemin. "So, how's your dance practice going?"

Jaemin sighed. "It's tough, but we're making progress. Renjun's been really helpful."

Charlie chimed in. "I heard the upcoming concert is going to be amazing."

Haechan nodded. "Yeah, we're really excited for it. We've been practicing nonstop."

As they worked on their projects, they couldn't help but admire the NCT members. They were talented, kind, and incredibly good-looking.

Jude looked up from their laptop. "Hey, can I ask you guys something?"

"Sure, what's up?" Mark asked.

"Do you ever get tired of people only liking you because you're famous?" Jude asked. "Like, do you ever feel like you can't trust anyone?"

The NCT members exchanged a glance. "Yeah, sometimes," Haechan admitted. "It can be hard to know who's genuine and who's not."

"But at the end of the day, we have each other," Jaemin said, placing a hand on Jude's shoulder. "And that's what matters."

The group worked on their projects for a few more hours before packing up to leave. As they said their goodbyes, Daria felt a pang in her chest.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, noticing her sad expression.

"I don't know," Daria admitted. "I just feel like we're so different from them. They're famous and talented, and we're just...normal."

Jude nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I feel like we're never going to be able to understand what they go through."

Charlie put a hand on both of their shoulders. "But that doesn't mean we can't be friends. We have different experiences, but that's what makes our friendship so special."

The three friends walked back to their dorms, feeling grateful for the amazing friends they had made at NCTU. And who knows, maybe their friendship could turn into something more.

One day, as they were all sitting in the campus cafe, Daria found herself drawn to Jaehyun. She loved his gentle personality, his love for books, and his caring nature. But as much as she tried to hide her feelings, she couldn't help but feel a sense of longing every time they were together.

"Hey, Daria, do you want to come to the library with me later? I need someone to help me with some research," Jaehyun asked, smiling at her.

Daria's heart skipped a beat. "Sure, I'd love to."

As they walked to the library together, Daria felt a flutter in her stomach. Was Jaehyun just being friendly, or did he feel the same way she did? She tried to shake off the thought, knowing that it was just wishful thinking.

But as they sat side by side at the library table, their heads bent over the books, Daria couldn't help but steal glances at Jaehyun. His sharp jawline, his captivating eyes, and his warm smile made her heart race.

They worked in silence for a while until Jaehyun looked up and caught her eye. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you something," he said, his voice low.

Daria felt her pulse quicken. "What is it?"

Jaehyun took a deep breath. "I know we've been friends for a while now, but I was wondering if...maybe...you'd like to go on a date with me?"

Daria's heart felt like it stopped for a moment. This was it. Her chance to finally be with Jaehyun. But at the same time, she felt a pang of fear. What if this ruined their friendship?

"I would love to," she said, feeling a sense of relief and excitement.

As they left the library together, Daria felt like she was walking on air. She couldn't wait to see where this would lead. But at the same time, she couldn't help but worry about the consequences of taking their relationship to the next level. Would they be able to handle the angst and drama that came with dating within a close friend group? Only time would tell.

As Daria walked back to her dorm, her mind raced with thoughts of Jaehyun. She couldn't wait to tell her best friends, Jude and Charlie, about the news. She was sure they would be thrilled for her.

When she got back to her room, she found Jude sitting on her bed, scrolling through her phone. "Hey, what's up?" Jude asked, looking up at her.

Daria's face lit up. "You won't believe what just happened. Jaehyun asked me out on a date!"

Jude squealed and hugged her. "Oh my gosh, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you."

Charlie walked into the room just then and raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

Daria beamed. "Jaehyun asked me out on a date!"

Charlie's face broke into a grin. "That's awesome. I'm happy for you, Daria."

The three friends spent the next hour talking about the upcoming date and speculating on what it could mean for their tight-knit friend group. They all agreed that they would support Daria no matter what.

The next few days were a whirlwind of emotions for Daria. She couldn't stop thinking about Jaehyun and what their relationship could become. But at the same time, she felt a sense of unease. She didn't want to mess up their friendship or make things awkward between them.

Meanwhile, Jude and Charlie were dealing with their own drama. Charlie had been secretly crushing on one of the NCT members, Haechan, for a while now. He didn't know how to tell him, especially since they were all such good friends. Jude was going through a tough time too. They had recently broken up with their partner and were struggling to cope with the aftermath.

Despite their individual struggles, the three friends continued to support each other through everything. They spent their days attending classes, hanging out with the NCT members, and helping each other navigate the ups and downs of college life.

As the date with Jaehyun approached, Daria felt a mix of excitement and nerves. She didn't know what to expect or how things would change between her and Jaehyun after the date. But she was determined to enjoy the moment and see where things went.

On the day of the date, Jaehyun arrived at Daria's dorm, looking handsome in a black button-down shirt and jeans. Daria felt her heart race as she took in his appearance.

As they walked to the restaurant, Jaehyun kept the conversation light and easy, cracking jokes and making Daria laugh. They talked about their favorite books, movies, and music, and Daria felt like they had never run out of things to say.

The dinner was a success. They talked and laughed over a delicious meal, and Daria felt herself falling harder for Jaehyun with each passing moment. As they left the restaurant and walked back to campus, Jaehyun took her hand in his, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I had a great time tonight," he said, his voice low.

Daria looked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Me too."

Jaehyun leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. Daria felt like she was floating on air as they parted.

The next few weeks were a blur of happiness and uncertainty for Daria. She and Jaehyun were officially dating, and everything seemed perfect. But at the same time, she couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that things were about to change.

Meanwhile, Charlie was still struggling with his feelings for Haechan, and Jude was dealing with their own issues. They felt like they were drifting apart from their friends, and

it was getting harder for them to be happy for Daria when they were going through their own struggles.

One day, Charlie decided to confide in Daria about his crush on Haechan. He was nervous about telling her, but he knew he could trust her with anything.

"Daria, I have to tell you something," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I have feelings for Haechan. I don't know what to do about it."

Daria looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Charlie. That must be really hard for you."

"I just don't know how to tell him," Charlie said, shaking his head. "I don't want to ruin our friendship or make things awkward."

Daria put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand. It's a tough situation. But you deserve to be happy, and if telling him is what it takes, then you should do it."

Charlie nodded, looking thoughtful. "Thanks, Daria. I appreciate your advice."

Meanwhile, Jude was dealing with their own issues. They were still struggling to cope with their breakup and were feeling increasingly isolated from their friends. They didn't know how to reach out for help, and they felt like no one would understand what they were going through.

One day, they decided to talk to Daria about their feelings. They knew she would listen and try to help them, even though she was going through her own challenges.

"Daria, can I talk to you about something?" Jude said, their voice quiet.

"Of course," Daria said, looking concerned.

Jude took a deep breath. "I'm still struggling with the breakup. I feel like I'm drowning, and I don't know how to get help."

Daria put an arm around them. "I'm so sorry, Jude. That must be really hard for you."

"I just feel like I'm all alone," Jude said, their voice trembling. "I don't know what to do."

Daria held them tighter. "You're not alone, Jude. You have me and Charlie and all of our friends. And there are resources on campus that can help you too. We'll get through this together."

Jude nodded, tears streaming down their face. "Thank you, Daria. I don't know what I'd do without you."

As Charlie continued to pursue his passion for music, he found himself spending more and more time with Haechan, who had become his bandmate and close friend. They would spend long hours in the practice room, perfecting their sound and experimenting with new techniques.

But as Charlie and Haechan's friendship deepened, Charlie couldn't help but feel a growing sense of confusion and attraction. He had always considered himself straight, but something about Haechan's easy laughter and gentle touch made him feel things he couldn't quite explain.

He tried to push the feelings aside, focusing on his music and trying not to make things awkward between them. But it seemed like Haechan could sense something was different, and he started to act a little more flirtatious than usual.

One day, after a particularly grueling practice session, Haechan invited Charlie back to his dorm to hang out. They sat on the couch, watching a movie and chatting idly. As the night wore on, Charlie found himself leaning closer and closer to Haechan, their legs touching and their eyes locked.

Before he knew what he was doing, Charlie had leaned in and pressed his lips to Haechan's. It was soft and sweet, a gentle exploration that left them both breathless.

Haechan pulled back, looking at Charlie with a mix of surprise and desire. "Charlie, what are you doing?" he asked, his voice low.

"I don't know," Charlie admitted, his heart racing. "I just...I can't stop thinking about you."

Charlie had been struggling with his sexuality for a while now. He had always known that he was attracted to men, but he had never been able to fully come to terms with it. He was afraid of what his friends and family would think, and he didn't know how to reconcile his feelings with his conservative upbringing.

But now, as he sat on the couch with Haechan, he knew that he couldn't keep denying who he was. He had to be true to himself, even if it meant risking everything.

"I'm gay," he said, the words tumbling out before he could think.

Haechan's eyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled softly. "I know," he said, reaching out to take Charlie's hand. "And it's okay. You don't have to be afraid."

Charlie felt a weight lift off his shoulders as he realized that Haechan accepted him for who he was. He leaned in for another kiss, this time more confident and sure of himself.

As they explored their newfound connection, Charlie couldn't help but feel grateful for the friends who had supported him all along. Daria and Jude had always been there for him, even when he couldn't articulate what was going on inside of him. And now, with Haechan by his side, he knew that he had everything he needed to be happy.

Jude had been feeling down ever since their breakup with their ex-boyfriend. They had tried to move on and keep busy, but their heart just wasn't in it. Daria and Charlie had been supportive, but they didn't quite understand the depth of Jude's sadness.

One day, while walking through the campus quad, Jude ran into Doyoung, one of the NCT members they had met through their friends. Doyoung had always been kind and easy to talk to, but they had never really had a chance to get to know each other one-on-one.

As they chatted, Jude found themselves opening up to Doyoung about everything they had been going through. To their surprise, Doyoung listened attentively and offered words of comfort and encouragement.

Over the next few weeks, Jude and Doyoung started spending more time together. They would grab lunch in the cafeteria, study together in the library, and even go on walks around campus.

As Jude spent more time with Doyoung, they began to realize just how much they enjoyed his company. They loved the way he made them laugh, the way he always seemed to know just what to say, and the way he looked at them with those warm, brown eyes.

One night, while they were walking back to their dorm after a late study session, Jude turned to Doyoung and said, "Do you ever feel like we're the only two people in the world?"

Doyoung smiled softly. "Sometimes, yes. When I'm with you, everything else seems to fade away."

Jude felt their heart skip a beat. They wanted to tell Doyoung how they felt, but they were afraid of ruining their friendship. "Doyoung, there's something I need to tell you."

Doyoung stopped walking and turned to face Jude. "What is it?"

"I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I feel like I have a connection with you," Jude said, their heart pounding in their chest. "I really like you, Doyoung."

Doyoung's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure. "Jude, I like you too. You make me happy and I feel like we have a strong connection too. I want to see where this goes, if you do too."

Jude felt a sense of relief wash over them. They had been afraid that Doyoung would reject them, but his words gave them hope. "Yes, I do," they said, a smile spreading across their face.

Over the next few weeks, Jude and Doyoung's relationship blossomed. They spent every moment they could together, talking about their hopes and dreams, their favorite books and movies, and their families.

One day, while they were lying in the grass, watching the clouds float by, Doyoung turned to Jude and said, "Jude, I want you to know that I care about you deeply. I want to be with you, and I want to make you happy."

Jude felt tears prick at the corners of their eyes. "Doyoung, I care about you too. You make me happier than I ever thought was possible."

As they gazed into each other's eyes, they knew that they had found something special. They had both been through their own struggles, but now they had each other to lean on. And for Jude, that was the most important thing of all.

As they continued to gaze into each other's eyes, the tension between them grew. Without another word, they both leaned in and their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.

It was unlike anything Jude had ever felt before. Doyoung's lips were warm and soft, and they fit perfectly with Jude's. They felt a rush of emotion as they deepened the kiss, their hands finding their way to each other's faces.

As they pulled away, they both looked at each other, a smile spreading across their faces. They knew that they had found something special and they were excited to explore their feelings for each other further.

Jude felt a sense of relief and happiness wash over them. They had finally found someone who understood them and made them feel loved. And they knew that with Doyoung by their side, they could face anything that cam

The three couples were excited to attend the frat party hosted by Jackson Wang. As they walked in, they could feel the energy in the air. The music was loud and the drinks were flowing. They made their way to the main area where Jackson greeted them.

"Welcome, welcome! I'm so glad you guys could make it. Drinks are on me!" Jackson said, handing them each a drink.

The three couples spent the next few hours dancing, laughing, and having fun with their friends. Jackson was the perfect host, and the party was a huge success.

As the night went on, they found themselves playing spin the bottle with some new friends they had made. The game was getting intense, and everyone was starting to feel a little tipsy.

As the bottle spun, Doyoung couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when it landed on someone other than Jude. He tried to push the feeling aside, but it lingered.

Jaehyun and Daria had landed on each other several times, and their kisses were becoming more and more passionate with each turn. Charlie watched, a little jealous that he didn't have someone to kiss. But Haechan noticed and pulled him aside.

"Hey, don't be jealous. You've got me," Haechan said, giving Charlie a kiss on the cheek.

Charlie smiled, feeling grateful for Haechan's words. "Thanks, I needed that."

As the game came to an end, the couples found themselves in a quieter corner of the party, trying to catch their breath.

"I don't like how close you were getting with that other guy," Doyoung said to Jude, his voice slightly slurred from the alcohol.

"It was just a game, Doyoung. You have nothing to worry about," Jude replied, trying to reassure him.

Meanwhile, Jaehyun and Daria were still wrapped up in each other, not even noticing Charlie and Haechan's cute moment.

Haechan noticed that Charlie was feeling left out and decided to take matters into his own hands. "Hey, let's play our own game," he whispered to Charlie, before grabbing a bottle and spinning it.

The bottle landed on Charlie, and Haechan grinned. "Looks like I get to kiss you again," he said, before leaning in for a passionate kiss.

The other couples noticed and couldn't help but smile at the sight of the happy couple.

As the night went on, the party continued to get wilder. Jackson had hired a DJ who played all the latest hits, and everyone was dancing like there was no tomorrow.

Charlie and Haechan found themselves dancing together, their bodies pressed close. Charlie couldn't help but feel grateful for having such an amazing boyfriend. Haechan noticed the look on Charlie's face and smiled.

"I love you," Haechan said, his eyes locking with Charlie's.

"I love you too," Charlie replied, his heart racing.

Jude and Sicheng were also lost in the moment, dancing together with their eyes closed. Sicheng had a way of making Jude forget about all their problems, and for a moment, everything felt perfect.

Doyoung and Jisung, on the other hand, were having a heated argument. Doyoung was still upset about the game of spin the bottle and couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Why can't you just trust me?" Jude said, his voice rising.

"I do trust you, but I don't trust that other guy," Doyoung replied, his fists clenched.

Before things could escalate any further, Jaehyun stepped in. "Hey, let's all just calm down. We're here to have fun, remember?"

Daria nodded in agreement, "Jaehyun's right. Let's just forget about all the drama and enjoy ourselves."

The group took a deep breath and tried to let go of their issues. They spent the rest of the night dancing, laughing, and creating memories that they would never forget.

As the night drew to a close, Doyoung felt a growing sense of unease. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong between him and Jude. He had tried to forget about it and enjoy the party, but the nagging feeling wouldn't go away.

Jude noticed the change in Doyoung's demeanor and tried to talk to him. "Hey, are you okay?" Jude asked, placing a hand on Doyoung's shoulder.

Doyoung shrugged it off, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Jude frowned, "No, you're not. Something's been bothering you all night. Talk to me."

Doyoung hesitated for a moment before finally blurting out, "I don't like the way that guy was looking at you during the game of spin the bottle. I don't trust him."

Jude was taken aback, "What? That's ridiculous. He's just a friend."

Doyoung shook his head, "I don't care. I don't like the way he was looking at you. I don't want you around him."

Jude was hurt by Doyoung's lack of trust, "You can't just tell me who I can and can't be friends with. That's not fair."

Doyoung's anger flared up, "Well, it's not fair that you're always hanging around with him and making me feel like I'm second best."

Jude was about to respond when they were interrupted by a loud crash. They turned to see Charlie stumbling over a table, his face flushed from too much alcohol. Haechan was trying to steady him, but it was clear that Charlie was beyond help.

Doyoung and Jude rushed over to help, and together they managed to get Charlie to his feet. But the damage was already done. The mood had been shattered, and the group was left feeling tense and uneasy.

As they made their way out of the party, Doyoung and Jude walked in silence. They both knew that something had shifted between them, and they weren't sure how to fix it.

The group walked in silence, with Charlie leaning heavily on Haechan for support. Daria and Jaehyun walked ahead, deep in conversation, while Doyoung and Jude trailed behind.

Doyoung finally broke the silence, "Jude, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across as controlling. I just...I care about you a lot."

Jude sighed, "I know you do. But you have to trust me. I'm not interested in anyone else. You're the only one I want."

Doyoung nodded, "I know. I trust you. It's just that...I don't want to lose you."

Jude smiled, "You won't lose me. I promise."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, lost in their own thoughts. As they approached their dorm building, Charlie suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.

Haechan rushed over to him, "Charlie, are you okay?"

Charlie groaned in pain, clutching his ankle. "I think I twisted my ankle," he said through gritted teeth.

Doyoung and Jude helped Haechan carry Charlie to his room, where they laid him down on his bed. Haechan tended to his ankle while the others watched anxiously.

As Haechan finished wrapping Charlie's ankle, he turned to the others. "I think he'll be okay, but he needs to rest. We should let him sleep."

Daria nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I think it's time we all call it a night. It's been a long one."

The group said their goodnights and dispersed, with Doyoung and Jude walking back to their own room. They were both still thinking about the argument they had earlier, but they didn't have the energy to discuss it further.

As they got ready for bed, Doyoung turned to Jude. "I'm sorry about earlier. I don't want us to fight. I just get jealous sometimes."

Jude smiled, "I know. But you have nothing to worry about. You're the only one for me."

Doyoung leaned in and kissed Jude, the tension between them finally dissipating. They spent the rest of the night wrapped up in each other's arms, their love for each other stronger than ever.

Meanwhile, Haechan stayed behind in Charlie's room to make sure he was comfortable. Charlie's ankle was feeling a little better, but he was still in pain.

Haechan sat down on the edge of the bed and took Charlie's hand. "I'm sorry you got hurt," he said softly.

Charlie smiled weakly, "It's not your fault. I just have weak ankles, I guess."

Haechan chuckled, "Well, I'll just have to be your personal ankle protector from now on."

Charlie blushed, "You don't have to do that."

Haechan leaned in and kissed him gently, "I want to. I want to take care of you, Charlie."

Charlie's heart swelled with love for Haechan. He had never felt so safe and loved before.

As they cuddled in bed, Charlie couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy thinking about Daria and Jaehyun. They seemed so happy together, and Charlie wondered if he and Haechan would ever be that happy.

Haechan must have sensed Charlie's thoughts because he spoke up, "You know I love you, right?"

Charlie nodded, "Yeah, I know. I just...I don't know. I guess I'm just feeling a little insecure."

Haechan cupped Charlie's cheek, "You don't have to be. You're the only one for me, Charlie. I love you more than anything."

Charlie's eyes filled with tears, "I love you too, Haechan."

They kissed again, their love for each other overpowering any insecurities or doubts they had. They fell asleep in each other's arms, feeling grateful for the love they shared.

The next morning, Charlie woke up to find Haechan already awake, making breakfast in the kitchen. As Charlie hobbled over on his crutches, Haechan turned and smiled at him.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Haechan said.

Charlie smiled back, "Morning. What are you making?"

Haechan gestured to the stove, "Pancakes. Your favorite."

Charlie's heart swelled with love for Haechan once again. He knew he had nothing to worry about. As long as he had Haechan by his side, he would always be happy.

After breakfast, Charlie and Haechan decided to take a walk around campus. They strolled hand in hand, enjoying the beautiful weather and the scenery.

As they walked, Charlie's thoughts drifted back to the party the night before. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about his jealousy towards Daria and Jaehyun.

"Hey, Haechan," he said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Do you ever get jealous?"

Haechan raised an eyebrow, "Jealous? Of what?"

"I don't know," Charlie shrugged. "Of other couples, I guess. Like Daria and Jaehyun, for example. They seem so happy together."

Haechan stopped walking and turned to face Charlie, "Charlie, don't ever compare us to anyone else. We have our own unique love story. And just because Daria and Jaehyun seem happy together, doesn't mean they don't have their own struggles and insecurities."

Charlie nodded, feeling comforted by Haechan's words. He knew Haechan was right, but sometimes it was hard not to compare their relationship to others.

As they continued their walk, they stumbled upon Jude sitting alone on a bench, looking sad and lost. Charlie and Haechan rushed over to see what was wrong.

"Jude, what's going on?" Charlie asked, putting a hand on their shoulder.

Jude looked up at them with tears in their eyes, "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Haechan sat down next to them, "Come on, you can tell us. We're your friends."

Jude let out a deep sigh, "I just...I miss him. I miss him so much."

Charlie and Haechan exchanged a knowing look. They both knew who Jude was talking about - their ex-partner.

"I know it's hard," Charlie said softly. "But you'll get through it. You're strong, Jude. And you have us. We're here for you."

Jude nodded, wiping away their tears. "Thanks, guys. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Haechan smiled, "That's what friends are for."

As they walked back to their dorms, Charlie couldn't help but feel grateful for the love and support he had in his life. He knew that no matter what happened, he had Haechan and Jude by his side, and that was all he needed to be happy.

After talking with Haechan and Charlie, Jude had a newfound appreciation for the love that they shared. Even though Jude's relationship with Mingyu had ended, seeing how happy Charlie and Haechan were together gave Jude hope that they would find love again one day.

The next few days were spent studying for midterms, but Jude couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. They had been feeling more and more distant from Doyoung, and it was starting to worry them. Jude decided to take matters into their own hands and texted Doyoung, asking to meet up.

They met at a local café, and Doyoung seemed just as nervous as Jude was. "I know things have been weird between us lately," Doyoung started, fidgeting with the sugar packets on the table.

Jude nodded, taking a sip of their coffee. "Yeah, I've noticed it too. I just wanted to check in and see what's been going on."

Doyoung sighed, looking down at the table. "I don't know, Jude. I feel like we're drifting apart. And I don't want to hurt you, but I think maybe we should take a break."

Jude's heart sank at the words. "A break? What does that even mean?"

Doyoung looked up at Jude, his eyes full of pain. "I just need some time to figure things out. With school and everything, I feel like I'm drowning, and I don't want to drag you down with me."

Jude felt tears prick at the corners of their eyes. "So that's it? You're just giving up on us?"

Doyoung shook his head quickly. "No, no, it's not like that at all. I still care about you, Jude. But maybe we need some time apart to figure out what we really want."

Jude sighed, feeling a sense of finality in Doyoung's words. "I understand. I just wish things could be different."

Doyoung reached across the table, taking Jude's hand in his. "I'm sorry, Jude. I really am. I hope we can still be friends."

Jude forced a small smile, feeling their heart break a little more at the loss of their relationship with Doyoung. "Yeah, of course. Friends."

As Jude walked back to their dorm room, they couldn't help but think of Mingyu and the way their relationship had ended in a similar fashion. It was like history was repeating itself, and Jude didn't know if they could handle another heartbreak.

Jude was feeling incredibly low after their breakup with Doyoung. They had been trying to keep busy, but it seemed like everything reminded them of their ex. The thought of going out to a party seemed like a terrible idea, but they knew that they needed a distraction from their heartbreak.

Jude arrived at the party and immediately made their way to the bar. They ordered a drink and downed it in one gulp, hoping to numb their pain. They ordered another, and then another.

As the night wore on, Jude found themselves getting increasingly drunk. They stumbled around the party, not really knowing what they were doing or who they were talking to.

At one point, Jude found themselves sitting on a couch, feeling completely lost. They didn't want to go home, but they didn't want to be at the party anymore either. They were about to get up and leave when someone sat down next to them.

It was Charlie.

"Hey," Charlie said, looking at Jude with concern. "Are you okay?"

Jude shook their head, "No, I'm not okay. I just needed to get out of my head for a while."

Charlie put a hand on Jude's shoulder, "I get it. Breakups are tough. Do you want to talk about it?"

Jude sighed, "I don't even know where to start. It just hurts so much."

Charlie nodded, "I know. But sometimes it helps to talk about it. Maybe we can take your mind off things for a bit. You want to dance?"

Jude hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. They followed Charlie to the dance floor, feeling a bit more alive than they had in hours. They moved to the beat of the music, not caring who was watching.

As they danced, Jude caught the eye of someone across the room. It was Jaehyun, Daria's boyfriend. Jude didn't know what to do - they knew they shouldn't be flirting with someone who was in a relationship, but they couldn't help the attraction they felt towards him.

Jude tried to push the thought out of their head and continue dancing, but Jaehyun kept looking at them. Eventually, he made his way over to Jude and Charlie.

"Hey guys," Jaehyun said, smiling at them. "Mind if I join in?"

Charlie looked at Jude, who shrugged. "Sure, the more the merrier."

The three of them danced together, but as the night wore on, Jude started to feel more and more attracted to Jaehyun. They knew it was wrong, but they couldn't help themselves.

As the party started to wind down, Jude found themselves alone with Jaehyun. They were about to say goodbye when Jaehyun leaned in and kissed them.

Jude was taken aback at first, but then they found themselves kissing him back. It was like nothing else mattered - not their breakup with Doyoung, not the fact that Jaehyun was in a relationship with Daria. All that mattered was the present moment.

But as soon as the kiss was over, Jude's sense of guilt and confusion came rushing back. They pulled away from Jaehyun and looked at him, their heart racing.

"I...I can't do this," Jude said, shaking their head. "I'm sorry, Jaehyun. I can't be with you while you're still with Daria."

Jaehyun looked disappointed, but he nodded, "I understand. I'm sorry, Jude. I shouldn't have kissed you."

With that, he walked away, leaving Jude standing there alone. Jude didn't know what to think or feel. They knew they shouldn't have kissed Jaehyun, but at the same time, it felt like a release from their pain. They sighed and made their way out of the party, feeling more confused than ever before.

The next day, Jude woke up feeling groggy and tired. They knew they had to face the consequences of their actions from the previous night, but they didn't want to deal with it.

As Jude got dressed and ready for the day, their phone rang. It was Charlie.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Charlie asked.

Jude groaned, "Not great. I think I might still be a little drunk from last night."

Charlie chuckled, "Yeah, I figured as much. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something. Can we meet up later?"

Jude hesitated, but then nodded. "Sure. Where do you want to meet?"

"How about at the park near our old high school? It's a nice day out and we can talk without any distractions," Charlie suggested.

Jude agreed and hung up the phone. They knew that meeting with Charlie would be difficult, but they also knew that they needed to face the consequences of their actions.

When Jude arrived at the park, they saw Charlie sitting on a bench, looking pensive. Jude walked up to him and sat down next to him.

Charlie turned to Jude and said, "I know what happened last night, Jude. I saw you and Jaehyun kiss."

Jude felt their stomach drop. They knew that this was going to be a difficult conversation.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't mean for it to happen. I was just so drunk and upset," Jude said, feeling ashamed.

Charlie sighed, "I know, Jude. But you have to understand how much this hurts me. I thought you were my friend and that you had my back. But now I don't know what to think."

Jude looked down at their hands, feeling guilty. "I understand if you don't want to be friends anymore, Charlie. I messed up and I don't blame you for being angry."

Charlie shook his head, "No, Jude. I don't want to lose our friendship. But I need you to understand that what you did was wrong. You need to make it right with Daria and Jaehyun, and you need to start taking responsibility for your actions."

Jude nodded, feeling relieved that Charlie wasn't completely cutting them off. "I will, Charlie. I promise. I just need some time to figure things out."

Charlie gave Jude a small smile, "I know you will, Jude. You're a good person, but you need to start acting like one. And if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."

With that, Charlie got up from the bench and walked away, leaving Jude alone with their thoughts.

After Jude's breakup with Doyoung, Daria had been trying her best to console her best friend. She had been a great support system for Jude and made sure to spend as much time as possible with her.

However, lately, Daria had noticed that Jaehyun had been acting strange around her. She brushed it off, thinking that she was just imagining things. But as days went by, Jaehyun's behavior continued to make her feel uneasy.

One day, Daria decided to confront Jaehyun about it. "Is there something you're not telling me, Jaehyun? You've been acting weird around me lately," Daria asked him.

Jaehyun hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up. "I'm sorry, Daria. I've been feeling guilty lately. I kissed someone else."

Daria's eyes widened in shock. "What? Who?"

Jaehyun took a deep breath before speaking again. "It was Jude. We were both drunk at a party, and it just happened."

Daria's heart sank as she processed the news. She couldn't believe that her best friend had kissed her boyfriend behind her back. "How could you, Jaehyun? You know how much Jude means to me, and you still did it," Daria said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It was a mistake, and it will never happen again," Jaehyun replied, remorseful.

Daria took a moment to compose herself before speaking again. "I need some time to think about this, Jaehyun. I can't just forgive you like that," she said before walking away.

The following days were tough for Daria. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between Jude and Jaehyun. She was hurt and angry, and she didn't know how to move forward.

Eventually, Daria decided to talk to Jude about what had happened. "Why did you kiss Jaehyun, Jude? You know how much he means to me," Daria asked, trying her best to keep her emotions in check.

Jude took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm sorry, Daria. I was drunk, and it just happened. I never meant to hurt you."

Daria sighed, feeling conflicted. She wanted to forgive her best friend, but at the same time, she was hurt by what had happened. "I need some time to think about this, Jude. Please give me some space," she said before walking away.

Daria felt heartbroken and betrayed when she found out about Jaehyun's kiss with Jude. She had trusted Jaehyun and believed that he was loyal to her. She didn't know how to face him after what had happened.

The next day, Daria and Jaehyun met at the university cafeteria. Daria could feel the tension between them as they awkwardly sat across from each other.

Jaehyun broke the silence, "Daria, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just so drunk and-"

Daria interrupted him, "Stop. Just stop. I don't want to hear your excuses. How could you do this to me, Jaehyun? I thought you loved me."

Jaehyun pleaded, "I do love you, Daria. You have to believe me. I made a mistake and I regret it so much. Please forgive me."

Daria shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know if I can forgive you, Jaehyun. I need some time to think."

Jaehyun nodded, "I understand. I'll give you all the time you need. Just know that I'll do anything to make it up to you."

With that, Jaehyun got up from the table and walked away, leaving Daria alone with her thoughts.

Daria couldn't believe what had happened. She felt like her world was falling apart. She couldn't imagine a future without Jaehyun, but at the same time, she didn't know if she could trust him again.

Meanwhile, Jude was still hurting from their breakup with Doyoung. They tried their best to move on, but their thoughts kept drifting back to the good times they had shared with Doyoung.

Jude decided to go out with their friends to take their mind off things. They went to a bar and drank their sorrows away. As the night went on, Jude started to feel more and more numb.

Suddenly, Jude felt a hand on their shoulder. They turned around and saw a familiar face - it was Doyoung.

Jude couldn't believe their eyes. "Doyoung, what are you doing here?" they asked.

"I heard you were out with friends, so I thought I'd come by and say hi," Doyoung replied.

Jude felt a mix of emotions - anger, hurt, and confusion. They didn't know what to say to Doyoung.

Doyoung noticed the tension and tried to break the ice. "Do you want to dance?" he asked, gesturing towards the dance floor.

Jude hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. They walked towards the dance floor, and as they started to dance, Jude felt a rush of feelings come back.

Before they knew it, Jude and Doyoung were kissing. It was like nothing had changed between them - they still had a strong connection.

But as soon as the kiss was over, Jude came back to reality. They knew that getting back together with Doyoung would only lead to more pain.

Jude pulled away from Doyoung and said, "I can't do this, Doyoung. We can't just pretend like nothing happened. It's over between us."

Doyoung looked hurt, but he nodded. "I understand. I just had to try."

With that, Doyoung left the bar, leaving Jude standing there alone.

Jude felt like they had lost everything - Doyoung, their friends, and even their sense of self.

They had to start by accepting that things between them and Doyoung were truly over.

As they walked out of the bar, Jude saw Daria sitting on a bench nearby. She looked up at Jude with tears in her eyes.

Jude felt guilty for what had happened between them and Jaehyun. They knew that they had caused Daria pain, and they didn't know how to make it right.

"Daria, I'm so sorry," Jude said, tears streaming down their own face. "I never meant to hurt you. Please forgive me."

Daria looked up at Jude, and for a moment, there was silence between them. Then she spoke, her voice shaking with emotion.

"I don't know if I can forgive you, Jude. You hurt me so much. But I want to try. I want to believe that we can move past this."

Jude nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope. They knew that they still had a lot of work to do to regain Daria's trust, but they were willing to try.

As they sat together on the bench, Jude realized that even though they had lost something precious with Doyoung, they still had something to hold onto - their friendship with Daria. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough to start rebuilding their shattered heart.

Days passed since the incident at the party, and things were different. Jude tried to avoid Jaehyun as much as possible, but it was hard to forget the kiss. They were still heartbroken over Doyoung, but they couldn't deny the feelings they had for Jaehyun.

One day, as Jude was walking through campus, they spotted Doyoung. They froze for a moment, not knowing what to do. But then they took a deep breath and walked over to him.

"Doyoung, can we talk?" Jude asked, their voice shaking.

Doyoung looked at Jude with a mixture of confusion and sadness. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Jude. It's still too soon."

Jude nodded, "I know, but I need to say something. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did, for hurting you. I know I can't take back what happened, but I just wanted to apologize."

Doyoung looked at Jude, his expression softening. "Thank you, Jude. I appreciate it. But we both know that we can't go back to how things were. It's better if we just move on and try to be friends, if we can."

Jude nodded, feeling a sense of sadness wash over them. They knew Doyoung was right, but it still hurt to hear.

As they parted ways, Jude couldn't help but think about what could have been. But at the same time, they knew that it was time to move on and start a new chapter in their life.

Later that day, Jude received a text from Charlie. They met up at a nearby coffee shop, and Charlie had a serious expression on their face.

"Jude, I need to tell you something," Charlie said, their voice low.

Jude tensed up, fearing the worst. "What is it?"

Charlie took a deep breath, "I talked to Haechan, and we both agree that we need to tell you the truth. At the party, it wasn't your fault. Jaehyun made the first move. We saw it happen."

Jude's heart sank. They had thought that they were to blame for what happened with Jaehyun, but now they knew the truth.

"Thank you for telling me," Jude said, feeling a sense of relief wash over them.

Charlie nodded, "Of course. We just wanted you to know that it wasn't your fault. You deserve better than that."

As Jude left the coffee shop, they couldn't help but feel a sense of bittersweetness. They had made mistakes, but they had also learned from them. And maybe, just maybe, they could start to move forward with their life.

Years had passed since their college days, and Charlie, Jude, and Daria had gone their separate ways. They kept in touch, but their lives had taken different paths. Charlie and Haechan had gotten married, and they were happily living together, working on their music and building their future. Daria had found love in the arms of a K-pop idol, who had swept her off her feet and taken her to Korea to be with him.

Jude had never found love again, despite trying. They had dated a few people, but nothing had ever felt right. They had thrown themselves into their work, becoming a successful writer and editor, but they still felt a sense of emptiness inside.

As they sat alone in their apartment, looking out the window at the city below, Jude couldn't help but think about their past. They thought about Doyoung, about Jaehyun, and about the love that they had lost. They wondered if they would ever find it again.

But as they sat there, lost in thought, they realized that maybe they already had. Maybe the love they were searching for wasn't a person, but a passion. Their writing had always been a constant in their life, something that had brought them joy and fulfillment. Maybe that was enough.

Jude smiled to themselves, feeling a sense of peace wash over them. They knew that life wasn't always easy, and sometimes love didn't work out the way we wanted it to. But they had learned that there were other things in life that could bring us just as much happiness and fulfillment.

And so, as the sun set over the city, Jude raised their glass to the memories of their past and to the future that lay ahead. A bittersweet ending, but one filled with hope and the promise of new beginnings.

[sparrowofthedawnsworld]

A Beautiful Riff - Jake Kiszka, Part 2

Jake and Sam Kiszka X Reader

A/N: First of all… I had to take breaks, because I kept getting hot while writing this lol. I wasn’t originally gonna do a part two, but I had this idea and had to write it out. I’ve never seen anything like this, soo yeah haha. I’m so sorry if the ending seems rushed! We are expecting severe weather tonight where I live (gotta love the south) and I wanted to get this out for y’all, before the chaos ensues.

And again, I do my best to check for errors in my stories, but I do miss them sometimes. Part ONE || Part THREE

Anyways! Enjoy, gresties!

WARNINGS: 18+ minors DNI! This story does involve Sam just a little bit, but NOT really in a threesome way. mentions of guitar!kink, bass!kink?

••••

“She… what?” Sam asked in disbelief. “She rode your guitar…?”

“Yep. I caught her doing it..” Jake mused. Sam’s cheeks tinted pink at the thought of his brothers girlfriend- his best friend, getting off on a guitar. “Don’t kill me… But that’s hot.” Sam spoke honestly.

Jake nudged his brother, but laughing lightly at the confession.

“She’s mine, Sam, watch it.” Jake warned, only half playfully.

“Well, you’re the one who decided to tell your little brother about my best friends secret kinks.” Sam pointed, in seriousness. “Anyone on this planet would find that hot.”

“That’s fair.” Jake sighed, smiling softly as the flashbacks replayed in his head for the millionth time.

“You know… I’ve always wanted to know if a girl could get off by sitting on an amp…. a bass amp.” Sam wondered aloud.

Jake looked over at his brother in shock.

“How the fuck did you even think of that?” Jake questioned.

“Come on, Jake. Bass amps vibrate like crazy… Think about it.” Sam pointed out, as if it was the most obvious thing.

“You really think it would be enough to be pleasurable though?” Jake asked, still not fully believing.

Sam smirked to himself, patting his brother on the shoulder. “Only one way to find out.” He stood up, turning to walk back into their hotel room.

Jake stood up abruptly, cutting him off. “Oh no, you are NOT using my girlfriend for your little kinky experiment.” Jake said firmly, standing in the way of the door.

“Who said I was going to? You know how to play the bass.” Sam reminded, hinting that Jake could play it instead.

Jake eyed him for a moment, thinking the idea over.

“Fine.” Jake sighed. “But how are we gonna explain this shit to Y/N?” Jake glanced inside the sliding doors, eyes landing on you.

“I don’t know… I didn’t think I’d ever try this so…” Sam paused. “Let’s just explain it to her together?” Sam offered up as a solution.

“Don’t you think that’s a little weird?” Jake raised his eyebrows at him.

“It’s not like I’m the one doing it, Jake. I’m just lending the bass and amp.. And maybe watching.” He half joked, earning a smack to the back of his head.

“Absolutely not, Y/N is my girlfriend.” Jake shot.

“She was my best friend first.” Sam argued back without missing a beat.

“Fine… But we will never EVER speak of it again afterwards. Got it?” Jake shot him a stern look over his shoulder, turning to go back inside.

“Deal.”

<>

You were laying comfortably in your bed, wondering what was keeping Sam and Jake on the balcony for so long.

You were all back in Michigan, preparing for the second show of their tour. You wished you could get out and explore Grand Rapids with Jake, but due to limited time, you knew that wouldn’t happen.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by the sound of the sliding glass door. revealing a mischievous looking Jake… And Sam.

“What are you two getting into?” You asked cautiously.

“Well… We kinda had an idea.” Sam started off. “Babe, I was thinking… Since you’re bold enough to well.. ride my guitar-“

“Jake!” You screeched, cutting him off abruptly.

“Wait, wait! Let him finish.” Sam cut in. You crossed your arms over your chest, glaring between the two of them. “Go on.”

“Like I was saying… Since you’re bold enough to do that, I was hoping you could help me test a theory for Sam.” He finished explaining.

His eyes flickered over to Sam, who now was wearing a sly smile.

“What kind of theory?” You pried.

“I always thought it might be pleasurable for a girl to sit on my amp while I- or in this case, Jake- plays it. You know, because of the high vibrations.” Your jaw dropped in utter shock. “We were hoping you would try it. Only if you want to of course.” Sam added. You could feel heat begin to rush through your body at the idea.

“Babe, all you have to do is just sit on the amp and… see if it makes you feel good?” Jake still seemed skeptical, unsure if the vibrations would actually be enough.

“Since when do you play the bass, Jake?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Typically if you can play the guitar well, you can play the bass, too. Sometimes. At least in our case, we can both switch around.” Jake said, gesturing between himself and Sam.

You only nodded, getting lost in your thoughts.

“So what do you think?” Sam broke you away from your trance.

“Let me get this straight… You think the vibrations from your amp, are enough to make a girl orgasm? And you want ME to see if it would really work?” You blushed crimson as the words left your lips.

“Exactly.” Sam grinned wildly.

“Alright…” You sighed. “I’ll try it… Only because Jake is playing.”

Sam pumped the air like an excited child.

“Wait, when are we even supposed to do this? We only have a few hours until soundcheck.” Jake asked, pointing out their lack of free time.

Sam thought it over for a moment, glancing at he clock on the bedside table.

“If we leave soon, we can beat everyone else to the venue…” You shook your head vigorously.

“Absolutely not. What if someone walks in?!” You exclaimed.

“It’s only 12 o’clock! If we’re there by 1, no one’s gonna need the stage that early. I promise!” Sam assured you. “Jake?” You looked over to your boyfriend, who simply shrugged.

“He’s kinda right.” Jake agreed.

“This is insane…” You mumbled under your breath.

“Right!” Sam clapped his hands together. “I’m gonna go get ready.” He said, making his way to the door.

“Wear a dress, Y/N!” He called back into the room. You waited until the door closed to speak.

“Why a dress?” You asked, causing Jake to giggle to himself at your moment of innocence.

“Because then there’s no extra clothing to block the feeling.” Jake chuckled.

“Right…”

<>

The walk inside the venue made you feel sick. You felt as if it were you going out on that stage to perform tonight.

In a way, you kind of were giving a little show… But just for two people, instead of five thousand.

You could hear the faint sounds of the Built By Nations bass line, signaling that Sam was already there. You stomach erupted with nerves and you stopped dead in your tracks.

“Jake…” The tug at his hand, let him know you had stopped walking.

“What’s wrong, baby?” A concerned expression washed over his face.

“Nothing, I- I’m just nervous.” You managed to say.

Jake pulled you into his chest with a soft laugh. “You weren’t nervous when you rode my guitar.” He jested and you smacked at his chest.

“You weren’t watching me!” You defended.

“I did, too! You kept going when I told you to.” He smirked, pressing a light kiss to you forehead comfortingly.

“I can always tell Sam he can’t watch… but I bet it would spur you on even more if he did, wouldn’t it?” He asked lowly. You let out a shaky breath into his chest, your little bud of nerves throbbing at the mental picture of them both watching you.

“It’s okay if you want that.” Jake reassured. “It’s just for today.”

“Let him stay.” You breathed. Jake only nodded, taking your hand back in his and pulling you towards the entrance of the stage. You couldn’t deny Sam was attractive. Though you’d never dream of leaving Jake for him, the vision of both of them watching you made wetness begin to pool between your legs.

You both began walking again, a comfortable silence falling over the two of you. You were trying your best to keep your racing mind at ease.

“Finally. You guys take forever.” Sam complained.

“Now, Jake, everything is tuned up and ready to go. I’ve got the amp set on the volume I use during….” Sam’s voice faded out as you zoned out, barely playing attention to the two boys.

“Y/N,” Jake called. “Y/N?” He repeated a little louder.

“Earth to fucking Y/N!” Sam yelled, making you jump out of your daydream.

“Bite your lip any harder and you’re gonna have blood all over the stage.” Sam joked, gesturing to your face.

“Sorry. Was just thinking.” You apologized.

“It’s okay. Come on.” Sam said, offering his hand out for you, which you took.

“I want you to sit on this one right here.” Sam guided you to one of his amps.

You followed and sat yourself down on the cool surface, feeling goosebumps rise all over your body.

“Relax, Y/N. It’s just us…” Sam reassured gently. “You get comfortable and I’m gonna get Jake situated. Okay?” You smiled at him fondly. If there was one thing you knew about each of the Kiszkas’ and Danny, it was that they would always prioritize your comfort. They always went the extra mile to make sure you were okay, no matter what the situation.

“I’m okay, Sammy. I promise.” You gave him a small smile. He turned to walk back towards Jake, leaving you to situate yourself.

Making sure you weren’t sitting on it, like Jake had said, you laid the edges of your dress all around you. The deep blue fabric draped just slightly over the edge of the amplifier.

You looked up to see Jake pulling the strap of Sammy’s bass over his head. The ache between your legs returned at the sight of him alone. You could hardly contain yourself watching him play guitar, let alone picking up an instrument you didn’t even know he could play.

Jake turned to face you, a wicked smile taking over his face at the sight before him. He strutted over to you, possibly the most attractive you’ve ever seen him.

“Ready, angel?” He grinned.

You sucked in a labored breath, shifting in your spot, already desperate for some sort of friction.

Sam came into view and stood beside Jake, eyeing you carefully.

“I think she’s ready.” Jake teased, nudging his brother.

“I- Yeah, I’m ready..” You spoke, barely above a whisper.

Sam stepped away again and you watched him walk over to one of his pedals, hitting it with his foot. A noise rang through the arena, signaling he had taken the bass off mute.

“You should be unmuted! Just hit one of the strings to be sure!” Sam yelled to Jake from his spot.

Your eyes moved back to Jake quickly, heart pounding in anticipation. You gripped the sides of the amp tightly, watching his finger pluck a single string. You were prepared to feel the bass buzz through the speaker beneath you, but got nothing.

“Ah, shit!” Sam laughed, standing up from his place beside the Mellotron.

He jogged back to you, leaning over you and flipping a switch on the back of the amp.

“I must have turned this one off by accident.” Sam said, faking an apologetic tone, turning back to his brother. “Now try!”

Jake turned to you with a smirk, plucking the same string as before. The noise and vibration ran through the stage and amps, but most importantly- you.

You gasped with wide eyes, looking up at a very pleased looking Jake immediately.

“I think it works, huh angel?” He hit another note and the almost overbearing feeling returned. You squirmed in your spot, a soft whimper leaving your lips.

“Y-Yeah I think it does.” You gasped.

Jake turned to Sam, who was almost just as wide eyed as you were. Sam’s eyes flicked between you and Jake in surprise.

“What song should I play, Sam?” Jake enquired. Sam tore his eyes off of you and shifted them back to his brother, pondering his question for a few painfully long moments.

“Play… Lover, Leaver.” Sam answered finally. Your mind raced to remember the bass line of the song, in an attempt to prepare yourself.

Jake nodded at his brothers words, turning his attention back to the instrument in his hands. Jake glanced over at you, giving you a cheeky smile.

You watched as his fingers began moving across the strings with ease. You did your best to keep your eyes locked on him, but the intensity of the vibrations and the rhythm at which they hit your core, caused you to rapidly lose hold of your composure.

“Fuck-“ You muttered, head falling back in pure bliss.

He had hardly made it through the first chorus, before you started to feel the familiar knot tightening in the pit of your stomach.

Your eyes shot to Sam in disbelief. When your eyes landed on him, his face was flushed and his eyes seemed darker. You opened your mouth to call for Sam, but it was cut off by a high pitched moon.

Jake continued to play, now watching you intently as he began into the second verse.

You shuddered, gripping the edge of the amp so tightly it hurt.

The eyes of both boys on you, only edged you closer to your impending orgasm.

Jake walked towards you slowly, continuing to play effortlessly with a cocky look on his face. He knew you were close.

You shifted your position just slightly and the new angle only made you feel the vibrations even more. You wanted to warn Jake of your orgasm, but part of you knew he probably wouldn’t hear you.

“God- Jake-“ Your chest heaved rapidly, your body falling forward at the amount of pleasure you were feeling.

Sam took notice of this and rushed over to you, kneeling right in front of the speaker. He placed your hands on his shoulders, so you could brace yourself.

You knew Jake would probably be mad later for this, but that was the last thing you could manage to think about.

“I’ve got you, you can let go.” You heard Sam faintly say. You glanced up at Jake, who’s eyes were still fixed on you. He nodded his head, as if to also tell you it was okay to come. Your grip tightened around Sam’s shoulders and your eyes squeezed shut. “That’s it, Y/N. You’re so beautiful.” Sam’s words made your clit ache even more.

You panicked for a split second, wondering why his words had such an effect on you. But in fear of losing your orgasm, you shook the thought away- Just blaming it on your current state of intense pleasure.

“You’re doing so good.” Sam continued, egging you on.

Only a few more seconds passed until your orgasm was crashing over you.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” You moaned out. All the noises blurred out, along with your vision. The only thing keeping you grounded being Sam.

Suddenly, the sound of the bass was gone, along with the almost overstimulating vibrations.

“Are you okay??” Sam placed a hand on your cheek gently, beckoning you to look at him.

You smiled lazily through your post-orgasm haze and nodded.

“M’fine.” Was all you could get out.

Sam turned to look at his brother, who’s mouth hung slightly open in awe.

“I can’t believe that shit worked.” Jake breathed out, and slipped the bass strap over his head, sitting it back on it’s stand.

He was at your side in seconds, taking Sam’s spot in front of you.

“You did so good, angel.” Jake praised, running his hands along your thighs.

“I didn’t think it would feel that good..” You admitted, making Jake laugh lightly.

All of your heads snapped up at the sound of Josh’s voice echoing through the arena.

“You all are here early! What are you-“

You ignored Josh’s voice, looking at Jake in panic.

Jake immediately stood up, attempting to pull you with him. You wobbled even with his strong hold on you. He mumbled something incoherent, before bending down and lifting you up bridal style.

You settled in Jake’s arms after a few seconds, the warmth of his body soothing you.

You glanced down at the amp, mouth falling open upon seeing the wet mark left on top.

“Uhh, Jake-“ You tapped his chest.

“What’s wrong?” You pointed behind the two of you and he turned around carefully. He glanced around for a second, eventually landing on what you had pointed at.

“Oh.”

“This is an interesting scene… What have you guys been up to?” Josh questioned suspiciously, eyeing you and Jake especially hard.

“Actually… I don’t think I want the answer.” Josh waved it off, turning to walk backstage.

“No… You don’t.” Sam muttered.

“Sam… You might wanna clean this up.” Jake warned him, using you in his arms to gesture to the speaker.

Sam walked over, smiling proudly down at his amp and back to you.

“Shouldn’t we leave it for good luck though?“ Sam teased, earning a groan from Jake.

“Absolutely not.” Jake said, shaking his head. Sam gave a genuine laugh. “Was just Kidding, Jake.”

“Yeah, I bet you were.” Jake turned to walk backstage to his dressing room, still holding you tightly in his arms.

“Maybe he should leave it.” You giggled, wanting to tease Jake a little more.

“Only if it was on my amp.” You rolled your eyes at him.

“What?” He asked defensively.

“You don’t want me to be a good luck charm for both of you?” You asked in mock offense.

“Nope. Just mine.”

[wheelsup]

kissing lessons

summary: one of your classic movie nights with spencer turns into a learning opportunity

A/N: this is really fluffy, but the whole story centers around kissing. use your own judgement! i’d say it’s at worst 16+

category: spencer reid x gn!reader, fluff (with a bit of spice)  best friends to lovers (sorta)

warnings: just kissing, a brief implication at the end

word count: 3k

Occasionally, the team will spend an extra night in their hotel before heading home from a case. Be it due to poor weather conditions, or the fact that your case wrapped in the dead of night, the reasons for flying don’t ever matter. Because the majority of the times when you have to stay that extra night, you and Spencer have sleepovers.

The routine is pretty much the same. You’ll stock up on gas station snacks – sour peach rings for Spencer, salted microwave popcorn for you – and reconvene in one of your hotel rooms. Preferably, whichever of you got the better deal that week – a bigger tv, a room further away from the ice machine. And you’d rent the cheapest movie available on-demand, the options spanning from low-budget sci-fi to poorly written rom-coms. That night, the viewing fell under the latter category.

Spencer perched at the foot of your bed with both feet tucked under his legs, criss-cross style, while you laid against the headboard to watch. Every now and then, you tossed out your commentary and he’d ignore it. He always says you’re too critical of movies and you’re of the belief that he’s too forgiving.

“I don’t think they should end up together,” you mumbled, words slurring around your mouthful of popcorn. You pulled a face right as the movie approached the romantic climax, after spending the past ninety minutes actively rooting against the couple. Spencer ignored you, pretending to be engrossed in the movie to spite your disparagement of it. “They both suck.”

You groaned, slumped further against the pillows, and shoved your sock-clad toes under Spencer’s left thigh in a call for attention. He jumped at the intrusion, but ultimately, your efforts were futile.

And then the big kiss commenced, and your booing finally piqued his interest. “Gross! I feel bad for people who kiss like that.”

A small bell went off in his head and he took a curious glance at you over his shoulder.

“What do you mean?” he asked. He stopped chewing and the piece of candy in his mouth pushed out his cheek, giving him an adorably innocent look. His brows scrunched in the middle and his nose had a tiny crinkle in it, utterly confused.

You scoffed and matched his expression. “Are you serious?” You jerked your head in the direction of the television and Spencer whipped his head back, squinting. He couldn’t figure out what you were pointing out, what it was that was so obviously wrong to you. “Spencer, he’s swallowing her chin!”

Oh. He hadn’t noticed.

Feeling dumb, he muttered, “I thought that’s how you’re supposed to kiss…” It wasn’t the deepest confession to admit to you that he lacked some knowledge when it came to kissing, but he still refused to look at you as he said it.

“Spencer, please tell me you haven’t been kissing people like that.” You narrowed your eyes at the back of his head, sitting up straighter in bed. He shrugged and lowered his head, focusing on his snack as his fingers dug into the packet of gummy rings in his lap.

He popped another piece into his mouth, pretending to be occupied with eating so as to avoid your prying. “I dunno.”

It didn’t occur to you until that moment that Spencer might have learned everything he knows about kissing – among other things – solely through watching movies. How else could he look at that and think it’s normal? And you’re left wondering if he’s ever even practiced it with another living human. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it, but unfortunately, that only heightened your interest. You had to know.

“Have you ever kissed anyone before?” You kept your voice low, your tone implying that you were ready to exchange this secret with him. You wouldn’t judge him if he admitted he hadn’t.

He scoffed loudly, and though you couldn’t see his face, you’re positive he rolled his eyes too. “Yeah, of course.” Then quietly, he added on, “But it was only like… for four seconds.”

You nodded thoughtfully, considering how this new piece of information adjusted your existing view of Spencer. For some reason, you couldn’t tell if you actually expected him to be experienced or not.

He didn’t exactly scream that he’d… gotten around, for lack of better words, but you’re still surprised to learn that he’s barely done it at all. You supposed he was objectively cute, that maybe you could see it if he weren’t your best friend. And yeah, he’s a little awkward, but he’s smart and kind, so he has three great things going for him, and you’re surprised more people haven’t swooped him up yet.

Your lips curled down in thought, brows raised in curiosity. “And was it good?” It was a genuine enough question, because you’ve never really thought about Spencer Reid and kissing in the same sentence before. As it turned out, there was a lot of missing information relating to those two things.

“I don’t know! I didn’t get, like, a feedback form,” he grunted, angling his shoulder even further away from you. If you could’ve seen him, you’d notice his face boiling and turning red with heat. All this inquiring made him think harder about his … talents … than he’s ever had to before, and he’s not a fan.

You were prepared to do some more digging when the slump in his back made you feel a tinge of guilt. It was your fault he looked so defeated. You pressed too hard, disregarding his boundaries just because you wanted to know more. And now, he was wondering if there was something wrong with him, because you wouldn’t leave it alone.

He barely noticed as you swung your feet from under his thigh and rocked onto your knees, leaning forward to nudge his shoulder with your palm. It hauled his attention out of his thoughts and back into the room. You wanted to apologize, but instead you settled with “I’m sure you’re fine, Spence.”

He nodded unconvincingly. By the glow of the screen, you could see he was still gnawing on the inside of his cheek, focusing his eyes as he played with a loose hangnail on one of his fingers. It made you feel even worse. “Are you actually worried about it?” you asked, laden with concern.

“What if I am bad at it?” He whispered, like saying it too loud would make it true. “And that’s why it’s only happened once?”

A large exhale puffed out of your nose as you weighed your options.

You could go back to your original plan and apologize for setting him down this path of doubt. But that wouldn’t do anything to stop him from worrying, anyway. You could tell him there’s no correlation between the way he kisses and how frequently it’s happened; that you’re sure the reason isn’t because he’s bad. But you don’t know that for sure.

So, fuck it, you thought, grabbing a fistful of his pajama shirt and tugging him closer to you roughly, pressing your lips onto his.

This way, you’d at least have an informed opinion to be able to tell him if he was good or bad.

His lips were softer than you expected – not that you’d thought about them often, they’re just impossibly softer than they look – and invitingly warm. But they were completely stiff.

You could tell he was trying to kiss you back by the way his mouth ferociously moved over yours. He was trying to be a passionate, engaged partner, but he forgot about the aspect of tenderness.

His lips felt like two solid objects just sliding around on your face. They didn’t move in any sort of accordance with yours. There was no push and pull, your lips didn’t mesh perfectly together to form a solitary unit as they moved in unison.

It felt more like his lips were your opponent, putting up an attack and defense play against the actions of your own.

You pulled away, resisting a giggle at his bewildered face. “You’re not so terrible,” you swipe the corner of your mouth, smudged with Spencer’s flavored chapstick, “But it could use some work.”

He was at a loss for words, mouth gaping open as his eyes darted around the room and all over you. Maybe he’d find an explanation for what just happened carved into the walls somewhere or written across your forehead.

What happened was that you kissed him. And he was a little bit bad. Simple as that.

“I-I wasn’t ready!” he stammered, chucking up his hands defensively. He’d process the fact that he’d just made out with his best friend at a later time, right now the bigger concern was the slight cringed look on your face. He sulked and folded his arms.“What was so bad about it?”

“Well,” you scratched the back of your ear, trying to gauge if he’d react well to getting some advice, “my first tip would be to relax your lips.”

“Okay, I can do that.”

“And don’t think too hard. You should react to what’s happening in the moment, not worrying about what your next move is gonna be.” You could see the gears turning in his head as he tried to envision what that would play out like in a real situation. “You wanna try again?” you offered, figuring he’d learn much faster if he was more hands-on about it.

He nodded, and you leaned in close, waiting for him to go for it. His heart quickened under the pressure of performance, eyes screwing shut as he closed the gap. His mouth smashed into yours as he dove in hard. It was toeing on the side of too harsh, but you let that one slide in hopes it was just a byproduct of his nerves.

You had to tap his knee to remind him to relax, and he loosened some of the tension he had in his lips. He slotted his between yours, allowing them to be pliable to your movements and remembering to react, not plan.

He moved his mouth leisurely against yours, trying to match your pressure and pacing. They actually started moving in time with yours at some point. The kiss took on a shape of its own as he started getting out of his head, letting himself enjoy the kiss for what it was in that exact moment.

It was already better than before. Leaps and bounds better. But then he tried to deepen it, building on its intensity but adding more… something into it. You couldn’t even tell what it was he was trying to do.

“Okay, second tip…” you inhaled sharply, pushing him off of you with a palm against his chest. Whatever it was, it needed to stop. “You kinda do this thing like… where you’re blowing air into my mouth?” You scrunched your nose, punctuating your dislike. “That feels weird. Don’t do that. If anything, do the opposite.”

“I’m supposed to suck the air out of your mouth?” His face contorted, voice already slightly exasperated. He barely understood what the air thing was that you claimed he did. He didn’t realize in the process of trying to add pressure to the kiss, he was just forcibly blowing against your mouth.

“Not literally, no.” You laughed a little, rubbing your palm in a comforting pattern on his chest.”But you can use your lips to suck on mine, or my tongue… just nothing involving the exchange of breath. We’re not in CPR training.”

He eased up a little with your joke, adjusting to your advice he gave it another try. After a few moments, he latched onto your bottom lip with his own, sucking it softly into his mouth. “Yeah, like that,” you mumbled against him, voice pitching high in encouragement. He sucked on it with a little more greed, holding it for a second, then eased up, varying the pressure of his movements just like you did before.

You made a mental note to praise him for that at a later time, deciding to instead part your lips to see if he’d venture into further experimentation.

He caught on quickly. He parted them further, prodding his tongue against them as you opened to allow him entry. Just as you started to really enjoy it, he ran his tongue over the inside of your mouth, moving it fast and roughly like he was a washing machine.

“Stop,” you grimaced, tearing away quickly. You had to swipe your hand over your mouth to get rid of the excess saliva that really shouldn’t have been an issue in the first place, given how brief the frenching was. “Your tongue is way too aggressive.”

Overwhelmed, he tilted his head to the ceiling and let out a frustrated grunt, slapping his hands down to the top of his thighs.

There were too many factors to worry about. He had no idea how you looked at him with a straight face and told him not to think too much when there were a million things he needed to remember all at once; he needed to vary his moves to keep it interesting, but make sure he’s not ruining the flow by changing things up too much, and to be gentle but not timid.

All of this was second nature to you, but it was brand new to Spencer. Could you really blame him for not getting the hang of it right away? You decided to stop your list of critiques short for this round to spare him. He’d get there eventually, but not if he felt discouraged too soon.

“I don’t see why people like it in the first place,” he huffed, his head returning to it’s normal posture. In Spencer’s eyes, there truly wasn’t any appeal to kissing with tongue; it looked sloppy and unnecessary, and as you’d just confirmed, it actually was.

You thought about his statement for a second. There’s a certain allure to it, and you didn’t know how to describe it to him. So instead you cupped his cheeks in both your palms and slid your mouth over his again. As his jaw slacked its tension, you slowly pushed your tongue past his lips and gently pressed it against his own before swirling them together.

You sighed softly into his mouth, running your fingers through his hair and tugging carefully at the ends. He made a small noise against you, something like a whimper, and you swallowed the vibrations of it. As you retreated, you captured his bottom lip between your teeth and gave it a light, teasing tug. You soothed it again with your lips before releasing it, a proud giggle forming in your chest as Spencer chased after your lips as you broke apart.

“That’s why.” You smirked at the dazed look on his face. His eyelids remained closed longer than necessary, still feeling the ghost of your mouth on his and a tingle where your fingers were in his hair.

“Oh.” His voice came out meek as he slowly came back to reality, brows wrinkling up his forehead as he opened his eyes.

He put both his palms down on the mattress, one laying flat on either side of you, and dove forward to resume the kiss right where you left it. A surprised squeak left you as his mouth collided with yours with an insatiable hunger. You brought one hand back to his hair, and he was a goner.

He unfolded his legs from under himself and shuffled onto his knees, following his hands until he practically crawled into your lap. Each of his legs hooked onto either side of your thighs as he hovered over your lap, leaning his body entirely into yours.

The physics of it didn’t hold up; he’s taller than you are, and his chest was too heavy for you to carry. The balance was off center and it sent you tumbling back onto the mattress, bringing him down with you until his chest laid on yours.

It was the perfect force – the weight of him on top of you. He tasted like peach candy and sour sugar, and you found yourself craving more of it.

You shuffled higher up the mattress, giving him space to stretch out his body as he followed yours. One of his hands found your waist, gripping tightly, while he placed the other on the mattress beside your head, using it to steady himself. Sliding your legs out from under him, you wrapped them on the outside of his hips, using them to pull him closer down to you.

It only broke off in moments when both of you absolutely needed to get air, gasping as you pulled apart for brief reprieve before colliding again. He followed every word of your advice, getting better with each passing second until he exceeded expectations by leaps and bounds.

Your fingers weaved through his hair, passionately tugging the wavy strands to angle him against you and igniting his nerves under your touch. A soft moan leaves him and you’re encouraged to tighten your grip on them. His hips bucked reactively at the sensation, and he quickly pulled back, a slight embarrassment creeping up his cheeks. He got too carried away.

You took in his flushed face and swollen, kiss-bruised lips. They’d turned a shade of red brighter than you’ve ever seen them, and it was all you could do not to dive for them again as his tongue sweeped over them, soothing the burning heat you’d left on them.

Before he could apologize for his eagerness, you nudged your nose against his, your smile skimming against his lips. “So what else don’t you know how to do?”

☆

☆

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[kaghoeyama]

three of cups.

featuring: eren jaeger, armin arlert, afab reader.

word count: 5.5k

summary: you, eren and armin have been best friends for ages. there’s always been an underlying tension between the three of you, until that tension finally snaps.

content warning: smut, college au, post-timeskip characters, alcohol consumption (characters are tipsy but not inebriated), threesome, mlm, mutual pining, voyeurism, thigh riding, fingering (f receiving), slight edging, use of good boy/good girl, masturbation, cumplay

a/n: uhh so i was horny and this happened. pls be kind this is like my first fanfic ever (also english is not my first language so if you spot any mistakes feel free to let me know).

update: so apparently tumblr took out a whole ass paragraph after the “keep reading” and then repeated two different paragraphs twice?? i’ve seen people trying to fix this by adding asterisks so i’m doing the same. sorry about that lol.

18+ CONTENT - MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

So loud, you think.

You can almost feel the room vibrate with beat of the music, your steps naturally adapting to the rhythm as you make your way through a crowd of college students in various states of dishevelment. A smile comes to your lips. The whole place smells of alcohol and sweat and the floor is sticky, but you can’t bring yourself to be annoyed at the chaos; the year had been brutal for a lot of you and with finals finally behind you, no one was gonna miss the chance to loosen up and just have fun, yourself included. Which was exactly what brought you to make this little trip across the room, eyes fixed on your objective.

*

*

*

He’s leaning against the wall, his golden hair making it easier for you to spot him in the crowded room. His eyes are trained on his phone as he mindless scrolls down with his thumb, so you’re not too surprised when he doesn’t notice you straight away, even when you’re standing right in front of him.

You take a moment to take in his delicate features, his skin turned to porcelain by the bright light coming from his phone; the alcohol makes you bold enough to trail a hand up his arm and rest on his cheek, successfully shifting his attention to you. His face relaxes in a smile when he sees you, but his eyebrows are still raised in surprise at your sudden closeness; he opens his mouth to greet you but you’re quicker,  “Armin, would you please let me kiss you?”, your gaze keeping him pinned against the wall.

“I- what?” 

You relish in the way his breath catches in his throat, and you certainly don’t miss the flush that comes to his face or the way his eyes drop to your lips. 

“It’s for a dare… please?” your answer comes so innocent to his ears and he tries not to think at how pretty your plea sounded, even prettier than he’d fantasized so many times now.

 “I- I mean, yeah, sure” he stammers; you chuckle when close the distance between you, his pretty blue eyes still confused as you press your lips against his. 

The kiss comes out of the blue for him, yet you don’t miss the way his hands instinctively grip your waist as he pulls you closer to him. You hum into the kiss, your body suddenly so warm as he moves his lips against yours; he’s so pliant, all you had to do was ask and now he’s all over you, his grip keeping you flush against his body. Your fingers slip between his golden locks and when you lightly tug at them his hold grows tighter, his lips parting with a low moan. You swear you hear him whimper as you slip your tongue past his lips, taking control of the kiss as you explore his mouth, warm and wet and oh his hands are gripping your ass now, and you moan into the kiss as you feel his erection poking at your hip.

 “The dare said ‘kiss’ but if you two wanna get a room…” Sasha’s loud voice somehow reaches you from across the room and you pull back from the kiss, a string of spit connecting still connecting your mouths. He’s panting, mouth still parted, and you can’t help but stare at his pink lips, slightly puffed and still shiny from the kiss.

��Without thinking you brush a thumb against his lower lip, “so pretty” you murmur. 

Armin swallows around nothing, and when your eyes meet his pupils are all blown out, pleading, almost begging you to close the distance once again. Fuck he looks so flustered, heat pooling between your legs as you wonder how he’d look if you took his cock in your mouth, if you could make him so lost in pleasure that his smart little brain couldn’t form any coherent thoughts.

 You feel his arm around your shoulders before you see him, his usual scent of soap and lemon shampoo now mixed with a hint of smoke. You rest your head against his shoulder, your body craving physical contact after the kiss you’d shared with the blond. “Hi ’ren” you murmur against his shirt, dazed eyes looking up at him and then shifting to Armin. Your kiss was enough to make his brain fuzzy but now, with Eren’s arm wrapped around him and his body so close, he felt completely overwhelmed.

Eren pressed a kiss over your hair and pulled you and Armin even closer. “You shouldn’t keep all the fun to yourselves, don’t you know that sharing is caring?” he whispered, loud enough for both of you to hear through the music.

You can’t believe that cheesy line sent a shiver through your body. You figure it’s because of Eren.

“Maybe we should make use of that tequila bottle in our dorm room, what do you say Armin?” he adds, the blond choking out a soft affirmation. You doubt your sober self would have done that, but you were tipsy enough not to care when you took both their hands, interlacing your fingers with their own, a teasing smile gracing your lips. “Then what are we waiting for?”

 You feel strangely calm as you walk down the hallway. It’s definitely quieter than the party, and your attention is quickly drawn from one dorm room to another, where you catch glimpses of people smoking and drinking to the sound of at least ten different playlists.

Again, you smile. For the third year now you’re witnessing how your otherwise rigorous and law abiding campus turns into a huge frat party in the weekend after finals. You don’t know if it’s the warm weather or the fact most common spaces are surprisingly clean by monday that makes everyone look the other way, either way you’re thankful. You close your eyes for a moment as you walk, slightly overwhelmed by the music and the loud chatter and the drink you had at the party, your brain lost in a pleasant buzz.

 A light squeeze to your hand brings you back to earth. Your head turns to your left, eyes slowly opening to meet a pair of blue ones. 

“Are you okay?” Armin asks softly, the tiniest hint of concern slipping past his lips. You wait a beat before addressing his question, choosing to look at him instead. You note that his cheeks are almost as pink as his lips, and that his blue t-shirt makes his eyes sparkle; you ignore how your stomach flips when you realize he’d been holding your hand since you’d left the party. 

“I’m great,” you say as you shift closer to him “I’m in a good mood actually.”

 You catch Eren’s eyes leaving you as he turns his head forward and keeps walking in front of you. You let your gaze travel from his head – you loved that half bun he kept his hair in more than you should – to his broad shoulders, entranced by the way his black t-shirt stretches over his muscular back.

You must have missed the part where he stopped in front of the dorm room, because you end up bumping against that back. 

“You’re completely out of it” Eren teases with a grin. 

“No, I’m not” you retort, “as I said, I’m in a good mood.”

 The look he gives you is playful. “You call it good mood, I call it being drunk.”

 “I had literally just one drink, there’s no way anyone could get drunk from that.”

 “Depends on how strong the drink is.”

 “Will you shut up?”

 You’re still bickering as you enter the room, Armin rolling his eyes at the two of you with a fond smile. Once Eren shuts the door though, you all fall quiet.

 The only light came from the blue led Armin had put on his side of the room, casting a glow over your faces that was almost ethereal. There’s a weird tension, a nervous feeling gripping your stomach and making you tingle with anticipation. You’d been alone with them in that very room more times than you could count, cramming for tests, watching a movie or simply hanging out, but tonight something was different. You sit next to Armin on his bed, eyebrows knitting together as you quickly try to analyse that feeling.

 The three of you had been friends for ages, since you all attended the same elementary school and lived down the same street. You had bonded with Armin first, his quiet and intelligent personality matching well with yours. You remember fondly the warm afternoons in his backyard, grass tickling your skin as he showed you his new ocean life books and you rambled about ancient Egypt, Greek myths or whatever you were fixating on at the moment.

 Eren on the other hand – at first you couldn’t stand him. You only knew him as ‘Armin’s other friend’, but he was such a loud and hot headed kid, you’d always found his attitude too off-putting to even start a conversation, and you were pretty sure he didn’t like you either. After some pushing from Armin though, you’d actually tried to get to know each other; much to your surprise, you found out you had a lot of interests in common. Eventually, you’d even come to admire how passionate he got about the things he cared about, how strong his ideals were, and with time his impulsivity left room to a much more calculated approach.

 After all these years, the three of you were still as thick as thieves; you’d become so comfortable around each other that people always assumed you were either dating one of them. You’d always brush it off with a laugh, but now you wonder if it’s normal for friends to behave like that around each other. It was the little things at first; lingering touches, wondering eyes, teasing comments. Then Eren’s hands all over you every time you wore a pretty dress, or Armin’s obvious erection that time you and Eren were messing around at the pool; even your friends had noticed how close you were – and never missed a chance to tease you about it.

This is stupid, you conclude. They’re your oldest and closest friends, you won’t allow your attraction to them – at least you’re admitting it’s there – to make things weird.

 You move to get the tequila you know they keep hidden in the closet; maybe that will shake the awkwardness away. You take a long sip before handing the bottle to the blond, alcohol still burning in your throat as you lay on your back, head resting on his lap.

 You feel him still beneath you; when you look at him, his flustered expression is clear despite the dim lit room – before you can catch yourself, you wonder if he’s still hard from before.

 Eren looks at the both of you on Armin’s bed. You’ve closed your eyes and your head is lightly nodding along with some music coming from the hallway, the beat muffled by the closed door. He watches Armin, a fond smile dancing on his lips as he can almost hear the mental pep talk the blond gives himself before raising a hand to play with your hair. You hum at that, eyes slowly opening as you turn your head towards him.

 “Eren, come closer” you say, stretching out an arm as if to reach him.

 “And why would I do that” he answers with a playful smile on his lips.

 You raise your eyebrow, smiling back to him. “If you insist on staying over there, I guess Armin and I are really gonna keep all the fun to ourselves, isn’t that right Armin.” You say lightly, rising from his lap to lay against his side, your body wrapping around his arm; his hand ends up between your closed thighs and somehow you manage not purr in his ear as you rest your head on his shoulder, both of you now facing Eren. 

When Armin speaks, you don’t miss how his playful tone hides a hint of malice, eyes fixed on the brunette, “oh I’m sure he wouldn’t mind just watching if we were actually having fun.”

Eren laughs at that, his voice dropping lower. 

“True” he admits calmly, as if the thought hadn’t brought him to several orgasms through the years, “but right now I think I’d rather join.” 

And he does, sitting close to your other side.

You wish that type of exchange wasn’t as common as it was between the three of you. You also wish it didn’t send a wave of arousal trough your body every single time.

You watch him as he leans toward you to grab the bottle from Armin’s hand, taking a sip of the amber liquor. Your eyes follow a drop of alcohol at the corner of his mouth, unconsciously tightening your hold on the blond as Eren’s tongue comes out to bring the drop past his lips.

In that moment, Armin decides he’s had enough. He’s way too turned on to let all this teasing slide; if the three of you really are as attracted to each other as he thinks, this was the time he was gonna do something about it. So when he speaks, he does with a purpose.

 “Is it weird that I’ve kissed both my best friends?” his question sounds so innocent, he even lets out a calculated chuckle to feign embarrassment.

Eren tilts his head toward him, throwing him a curious glance “You still remember that? Must have been one hell of a kiss huh” he smirks. 

Armin knows he’s teasing, and that he clearly remembers too, but he can’t help the pink blush that colours his cheeks as his thoughts rush back to that night.

 It happened first semester of junior year, after Sasha’s ‘small’ housewarming party had quickly turned into a full blown party. As the music got louder and more and more people filled the tiny flat, Jean, all tipsy and bright eyed, had gathered all of you in Sasha’s room to play spin the bottle – most of you had booed him, but you’d followed him anyway.

 After watching you awkwardly peck Connie on the lips and Mikasa blush violently as Sasha took her face between her hands and gave her a loud smooch, it was his turn to play. He gave the bottle a spin and almost choked on his spit when it landed on Eren. He remembers everyone cheering as he tried to stop his face from flushing red, looking everywhere but at Eren; that’s how his eyes landed on you, quiet where your friends were loud, your eyes focused on him in a way that was almost daring.

He followed your gaze as it moved towards Eren, finally making eye contact with the boy. His attempts look composed failed miserably when Eren, a lazy smirk spreading on his lips, beckoned him with his hand to move closer.

 “I- uh we don’t have to…” he choked out.

 Eren’s smirk grew wider, “It’s just a game Armin, what are you scared of?”

 Armin couldn’t tell if his tone was soft or mocking, either way he felt as he had something to prove now.

He stood on his knees and crawled on the floor as Eren mirrored him, ignoring the way his stomach flipped as they met in the middle of the circle, so close he could feel his breath over his lips.

“What’s taking so long?” Jean said from somewhere behind him, “it’s not like you haven’t done this before” he teased.

Armin wanted to turn back and state that no, they had not actually done that before – he’d probably sound way more disappointed than he should – but before he could even open his mouth he felt a hand on his cheek; his eyes flickered back to Eren’s green ones, only to find them trained on his lips as the brunette sealed the gap between them.

Eren’s lips felt so impossibly soft again his, he tasted like vodka and something sweet he couldn’t recognise and Armin couldn’t really thing about anything as he lost himself in the kiss. The hand on his cheek moved through his hair and Eren pulled slightly, just enough to make Armin gasp against his lips, taking the chance to slide his tongue against his lower lip and into his mouth. Armin broke the kiss at that, a whimper leaving his lips because he wanted, needed more, but the feelings building up inside him – and the arousal making his pants tighter – were sending him in a slight panic.

He barely registered his friends’ loud noises as he sat back on his spot, but he didn’t miss the way Eren winked at him and licked his lips, green eyes boring into his blue ones. Armin struggled to act like his normal self rather than some teenager who had just kissed his long time crush. He desperately tried to focus on something, anything but Eren and his stupid lips and stupid grin and stupidly pretty eyes right in front of him, and that’s how his eyes found you again.

 You had watched the whole scene with an interest you hoped went unnoticed by your friends. You sure hoped Mikasa, sat right next to you, had missed the way your breath hitched in your throat as you watched the blond gasp under Eren’s grip, heat coursing through your body and pooling between your legs. When Armin’s blue eyes found you, flustered, with half lidded eyes and teeth sunk in your bottom lip, you’d lowered your head in shame.

 Eren rests his head again the wall and closes his eyes, as to enhance the memory.

It had been over a year ago, yet he remembered Armin’s sweet lips against his, the small noises he unconsciously let out going straight to his groin.

 He remembered your face, eyes glossy with desire as you watched them part, flustered almost as much as Armin, as if you’d been the one kissing him instead, and oh had he wanted to kiss you. Had it been just the three of you in that room, he would have grabbed your face and bruised those pretty lips, forcing Armin’s sweet taste in your mouth.

 He’d long given up the guilt that came with fantasising about his closest friends, any uncomfortable feeling quickly replaced by pleasure every time he wrapped his hand around his cock. At first it was just one of you under him, on top of him; soon enough he’d started picturing both of you on your knees, eyes bright and pleading, pink tongue hanging out of your mouths as you wait for him to paint your pretty faces with his cum.

“So who’s the best kisser?” you ask, your warm breath against Armin’s ear making him shiver.

 “I can’t- You both… I’m not gonna answer that.” Armin manages to sound flustered when he answers.

 Eren looks at him. “I would” he states nonchalantly, “but I don’t have all the materials to make my choice.” His tone drops to a low murmur, green eyes slowly shifting to you.

 Armin tries to hold back a smile, both of you reacting exactly as he anticipated.

 Your heart is hammering in your chest, it’s beat so loud you’re sure both of the boys can hear it; when you speak, you desperately try to keep your voice steady.

“Then god forbid you make an uniformed decision.”

 Eren is straight up grinning at this point; he grabs your wrists and tugs you closer, pulling you on his lap. You balance yourself on his shoulders as his hands graze your bare thighs up and down, your skirt bunching up to your hips and barely covering your panties.

 When your eyes meet, you’re shocked at how softly he’s looking at you. “I’ve been waiting a while for this” he murmurs, his voice almost a whisper, and you swear you can feel him stroking your cheek before burying his hands your hair and drawing you closer. He’s so warm all pressed up against you, so sweet when his lips ghost against yours before finally kissing you.

You’re slow to respond at first, too lost in how right it feels to have him so close and all over you, but you’re quick to part your lips for him, his tongue sliding against yours; he tastes of alcohol and you get drunk on it, a small moan leaving your throat and getting lost in the kiss. You whimper as you feel him groping your ass and push you even closer. He’s kissing you like a man starved, devouring you, the intensity making you feel light headed. You break apart from the kiss with a sigh, head falling on his shoulder, barely registering what you’re doing as you lightly grind against his hardening cock.

Eren groans as he tugs your hair so that you can look at him, his dark pupils swallowing up almost any trace of green. 

“So needy… how many times have you thought about this?” he asks, a teasing smile on his lips as his fingers play with the hem of your skirt. 

You look away from him, cheeks heating up; you don’t want to admit how many times you’ve cummed on your fingers with their names on your lips, but you don’t think you have a choice.

 His head dips lower to press an open mouth kiss to the column of your throat, “Answer baby, there’s no need to be shy; we’re all friends here.”

 You suck in your breath, voice embarrassingly shaky “so- so many times, w- with both of you” you confess.

 Armin groans at your words, a curse slipping past his lips. “We- we could have done this so long ago” he mumbles, eyes fixed on you as he palms himself through his jeans. You feel so hot under his gaze, so wanted, you never want his eyes to leave your body.

Eren steals your attention by sucking a purple mark at the base of your neck; you bite back a moan as he licks at the bruise, heat pooling in your panties. he clicks his tongue in disapproval.

 “This won’t do” he says softly against the shell of your ear “how can Armin hear all your pretty noises if you hold them back?”

 Before you can choke out an apology, his lips go back on your neck, finding that sweet spot below your ear that makes you whimper. You’re trembling as he sucks another bruise on your skin and this time you don’t hold back, soft moans leaving your lips as your hands grips his hair, tugging it loose and fawning all over his shoulders.

 Eren pulls back, admiring his work as you try to steady your breath. 

“Good girl” he murmurs, “let us hear you.”

 You shudder at his words. You don’t think you’ve ever been so turned on in your life, and he’s barely put his mouth on you. You can feel wet slick gathering in your panties and you shift to straddle one of his thighs, grinding hard to relieve the tension as your head falls back, a loud moan leaving your lips.

Two strings of low curses reach your ears, and you barely register Armin slipping a hand under his pants as Eren pulls you down on him again, the knee you have trapped between his legs pressing against his hard cock.

 “Fuck, baby you wanna cum like that? Riding my thigh?” he pants, slightly bouncing his leg up to meet your movements, successfully drawing another moan out of your lips.

He brings a hand your face, almost reverent as his thumb grazes your lower lip, just like you’d done with Armin barely an hour ago. Your tongue darts out and licks the tip of his thumb before wrapping your lips around it, sucking slightly as you nod, eager.

Eren parts his lips, eyes glued to your mouth. He can’t believe he finally has you – both of you – as he wants you, as he’s pictured so many times; he wonders if he’ll come undone in his pants like a teenager, as you add pressure on his throbbing cock with each grind of your hips. He slips his finger from your warm lips, rushing his hands under your skirt to take off your panties.

 When you finally readjust yourself on his thick thigh, you almost sob at the feeling of your bare, sensitive cunt against the rough material of his pants. Before you can resume your movements, he lifts up the piece of fabric, dangling it in front of your face.

 “Look at this” he murmurs, “completely soaked” his voice trailing off as an idea suddenly forms in his mind. 

He turns to Armin, and fuck, he feels his cock twitch at the sight. The blond is laying against the headboard, legs spread apart; he has a hand wrapped tight at the base of his hard, leaking cock, his pretty face all scrunched up in pleasure. 

Armin’s cheeks heat up when he notices Eren’s eyes on him, but it doesn’t stop him from slowly stroking his cock, trying to delay his orgasm as much as possible.

“’Min, you think you could use these?” Eren asks, dark eyes dropping between the blond’s legs. Armin’s eyes widen at the request, his brain shutting down for a moment as he looks at the drenched panties in his hand. 

“What? I- I-…” he looks at you, dazed, half lidded eyes boring into his blue ones as you rub slowly on eren’s thigh. “Y- yes please” he chokes out, shame reddening the tip of his ears.

 “So polite… what a good boy” Eren purrs, his deep voice making Armin twitch in his own hand. 

He takes the panties, the beads of your arousal thick on the side your cunt was, and he wraps the fabric around his cock. You watch with wide eyes, struggling to believe that sweet innocent Armin would ever give you such a lewd sight; you’re itching to lean over and kiss, lick, bite every inch of his body, but Eren’s grip on your waist keeps you in place.

Armin moans loudly as your slick smears all over his shaft. He keeps rubbing at himself with your panties trapped between his hand and his cock and how the fuck is this already topping every sexual experience I’ve ever had he manages to think. His eyes trail up and down your body, Eren’s body, and he doesn’t even notice how much his strokes speed up, hips bucking desperately into his own hand.

“Slow down baby or you’ll miss all the fun” Eren’s voice is as soft as the hand he puts on his leg to appease him. “If you behave, y/n will let you cum on her, right?” he says, sneaking a hand between your legs and sliding two fingers between your dripping folds.

 “Ah- ye- yes Armin, wherever you want” you squeak, arching your back as Eren slips his fingers inside you. You feel inebriated as he slowly starts pumping, his fingertips massaging your walls, so slowly you want to cry. You wail when his fingers curl over your sweet spot, a hand gripping your waist to stop you from fucking yourself against his hand.

“Please ‘Ren, oh god, please, faster” you sob, high pitched moans slipping past your lips before you even realise it.

Instead of listening to you, Eren pulls his fingers out and slides them up to your clit, collecting your slick; you whimper when he retracts his hand from your cunt, pressing down on his thigh once again to get more friction. When your clit brushes against a wrinkle in his pants your eyes roll inside your head, orgasm so close you can taste it, but apparently Eren has other plans.

 “Not yet baby, hold it for a bit longer, will you?” he purrs close to your ear, his mouth peppering wet kisses on your neck.

“Please a-ah Eren I c-can’t-” your words come out as broken sobs but you’ve long stopped caring, your brain filled with nothing but pleasure.

When Eren looks at your face you look absolutely wrecked, sweat shining on your forehead and cheeks red from the strain, chest heaving as quick pants come out of your parted lips. “

Armin, come here.” He says, hungry eyes still locked on yours. The blond obeys and shuffles closer to the two of you, your panties forgotten on the bed.

“You’ve been so good I think you deserve a reward” he says, as he pushes the glistening fingers he’d just pulled out of your cunt straight into Armin’s pretty mouth. 

The blond moans at your taste, both hands coming to grab Eren’s wrist and push his fingers further in his mouth, choking slightly when they hit the back of his throat. Eren watches him in a trance, mesmerised by his blown eyes and the drop of spit that dribbles from the corner of his mouth. He wants to fucking ruin him. But not yet.

He takes his hand from the blond’s grasp – the whimper that leaves his mouth almost makes him cum on the spot. Eren lifts you from his lap, ignoring your pout as he places you right beside Armin.

 “Sit still for me” he says as he slowly palms his cock before unbuttoning his pants and sliding them down with his boxers. You hear Armin suck in his breath as Eren’s hard cock slaps against his stomach, your own eyes widening at the sight; in length he almost matches the blonde, but the girth is just… fuck. Even dwarfed by his huge hand it’s almost intimidating, a thick vein reaching his pink leaking tip.

Eren takes his time as he pumps himself, eyes fixed on both of you; he drinks in your pretty, desperate faces, hands clutching the bedsheets as you try not to squirm under his gaze.

“Where do you wanna cum ’Min?” Eren’s question snaps him off a stupor, eyes leaving his groin to settle on your face.

You’re surprised Armin can blush more than he already is as he stutters that he wants to cum on you tits. You smirk as you quickly take off your top and unhook your bra, lust clouding you senses as you lay on the bed, head towards Eren as you motion Armin to straddle your waist. His eyes flicker to Eren and you miss the brunette’s nod before Armin comes on top of you, knees straddling your thighs.

Armin can’t believe just how fucking pretty you look under him, naked except for that cute pleated skirt you’re somehow still wearing. His hand trails up your stomach to squeeze your tits, fingers playing with your nipples as he pumps himself faster.

You feel Eren’s hand cradle your face, “touch yourself” he says, and you do just that.

With your skirt bunched up at your waist and your fingers quickly circling your clit, Armin doesn’t stand a chance; he leans forward, a hand planted on the bed as he cums on your tits with loud moan and your name on his lips, warm liquid painting your heaving chest. 

You watch the blond leaning back against the headboard, desperately trying to catch his breath; you lock eyes with him, toungue wetting your lips as you bring a hand up to play with the mess he made on you, getting high on the look of pure defeat on his face as you take your cum coated fingers back to your clit.

 “Oh fuck” Eren can’t believe how wrecked his own voice sounds “who would have thought you two would be such dirty sluts” he pants, his hand sliding faster and faster against his cock.

 You moan at his words “’Ren p-please can- can I-”

 “Cum.” He orders, and you obey right away.

The sounds that leave your lips are nothing short of pornographic, your body shaking and twitching in pleasure, mouth agape and head thrown back as white lights explode behind your eyelids, any coherent thought wiped out of your brain. Eren chokes out a curse at the sight, soft, high pitched groans echoing in the room until he finally cums with a broken moan, the liquid coating his hand and making a mess on his clothes.

It takes a while before any of you even attempts to move; silence falls in the room once again, except for your labored pants mixed with the music still playing in the hallway.

 Eren is the first to get up and head for the bathroom. By the time you’ve all taken a shower and settled back on Armin’s bed, no one has still said a word. You feel anxiety settle low in your stomach, its grip speeding up your heartbeats.

Did you ruin everything? Is this the end of your friendship? 

 “So who’s the best kisser?”

 Armin’s voice comes out tired and rough, but it puts a halt to the doubts swirling in your mind.

 The breathy chuckle leaving Eren’s mouth sends a wave of relief through your body; “I’m sorry ’Min but y/n is definitely winning this one.” You smile as you feel his hand ghosting over your spine.

 “Yeah, figured.”

The blond curls up against you and you’re still smiling. 

The bed is way too small for the three of you and the night breeze coming from the window does little to cool you down, but you’ve never been better, a warm feeling spreading from where your bodies connect with each other.

 As slumber takes you, you hope they’re still gonna be there when you wake up.

[plus-size-reader]

Cute

Void/Stiles Stilinski x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 2939 words

Warnings: none

Summary: The reader finally gets up the courage to tell Stiles about her feelings for him but Stiles isn’t really himself at the time. 

—————————————————————————————————

You should have seen this coming.

Of course Stiles was never going to go for a girl like you. All your lives he had been absolutely obsessed with Lydia Martin and lord knows you looked nothing like her. You were never going to look anything like her, but it was easy to ignore when it was just her.

Stiles had always liked her, drooling over her in math class and talking about her every chance he got but you both knew he had about as much of a chance with her as you did with him.

It wasn’t going to happen.

...but now he had Malia.

She was just as thin and gorgeous as Lydia was, but she was actually into him. She wanted to go out with him and there was nothing stopping them from going for it, why would there be?

It wasn’t like Stiles had any clue that you had been in love with him since middle school or that you were actively more and more in love with him as time went on.

He didn’t know you thought about him as much as he thought about them, or beat yourself up because you were never going to be a size three like Lydia was.

You adored him, but he was never going to see that.

It made you feel so empty, like the last seven years didn’t mean anything to him which wasn’t even close to true. You knew that both Scott and Stiles cared a lot for you, like they cared for each other but it wasn’t enough.

You wanted Stiles to daydream about you, to see you, because you were right in front of him. You would have done anything for him, and did, but for some reason, it was still like you didn’t exist.

It was getting old.

Really old, and the more you thought about it, the more the reality of the situation upset you. You had been there for Stiles all his life.

You were right by his side when his mom got sick, and beat up Jackson Whittemore once in the eighth grade for calling him a geek, but none of that seemed to matter to him.

Stiles still couldn’t see you.

“You’ve been staring at them for thirty minutes” Scott hummed, shaking you out of your thoughts with a bump to your shoulder with his own. You were searching for anything that could explain the strange occurrences around here as of late, but there was nothing.

It wasn’t your fault watching Stiles canoodle with his new girlfriend was more entertaining than looking through some dusty old book.

“I have not” you sighed, shooting him an almost defensive look as you glanced back down at the book in question. Had he been anyone else you may have pretended to have your shit together, but Scott knew better.

He knew the two of you better than anyone else in the world, and even if he wasn’t the true alpha, which he also happened to be, it wasn’t hard to see what was going on.

You clearly liked him, in a way that wasn’t just platonic like your relationship was. You had never gotten so shook up when Scott was seeing a girl, he would have noticed.

“It’s okay, I get it” he tried, hoping that you weren’t going to try and shut him out over this again. Scott had tried to have this conversation with you a few times already, and it never worked out the way he wanted.

You always got cagey and didn’t want to talk about it.

“No you don’t, Scott. You’ve dated every girl you ever had a crush on, because you’re you” you grumbled, poking him in the abs as aggressively as you could without hurting him to prove your point.

He didn’t ever have to worry about the things you did.

Not only was Scott one of the sweetest and most brave men you’d ever known, but he also couldn’t have been in better shape if he wanted to. He looked like one of those perfectly sculpted men in the movies, with six pack abs and chiseled muscles.

It wasn’t like he constantly had to live with the knowledge that the person he loved most in this world didn’t love him back because he wasn’t good enough. You knew that Stiles didn’t feel the same way about you because you weren’t as skinny as you could have been, or as pretty as the others were.

At this point, you doubted he even saw you as a girl at all because you were just his best friend, and that was it. That was what you’d always been and considering how oblivious he was to the feelings you had for him, it wasn’t surprising.

You weren’t even on his radar in that way.

“First of all, ow! Second of all, you’re super cute, why wouldn’t he be into you?” Scott wondered, that same supportive, loving tone that was always in his voice making itself known to you. He really did believe that, not that it made you feel better.

Cute.

That was all you were ever going to be.

Puppies were cute, and everyone loved them but no one was actively dreaming of taking their favorite puppy out on a date or dreaming about a puppy out loud to their friends. You didn’t date someone just because they were cute, which was the whole problem.

You didn’t want to be cute.

You wanted to be beautiful, to be hot, to be drop dead gorgeous in the way that Lydia was, and it killed you every day that you weren’t.

“Thanks Scott, but I don’t think cute is gonna cut it” you decided, closing the book in front of you as a way of closing this conversation before getting up and heading out of the library.

It didn’t make any sense to Scott.

It was clear to him that you and Stiles had something that could very well be a great relationship but you kept getting in your own way and it wasn’t like Stiles knew what he was doing. 

Some days, Scott worried he’d leave his head at home if it wasn’t attached.

“Hey Y/N, think about it” he called, catching the way you turned around to look at him before heading out to the parking lot.

There was no way Stiles was going to come to the conclusion that you cared about him as anything more than a friend on his own, and until you got that push to do it yourself, it wasn’t going to happen.

He just had to wait for one or both of you to take that chance.

~

Scott had a point.

Of course he did, Scott usually had a point as much as you hated to admit it. You were super cute, and while it might not have been enough, there really weren’t that many reasons why Stiles wouldn’t be into you.

Now, all you had to do was figure out what you were going to do about it, before all desire to do so left your body completely if it hadn’t already. 

You had only been trying to sike yourself up about this for the past hour in the rear view mirror and it just wasn’t happening.

You felt like an idiot.

Here you were, sitting across the street from Stiles’ house like a creep, without a single idea of what you were actually going to say to him if you ever made it to his front door. It didn’t make any sense, this was a guy you’d known since you were a kid.

You had never had a problem saying anything to him or doing whatever you wanted, but now, the idea of even looking him in the face was enough to make you want to be sick. It was hardly fair but you had done this to yourself after all.

It was perfectly fine before, even if you were unhappy. No one else had to know that you had feelings for him and you could just suffer in silence but now that you had Scott in your corner, it was hard not to want to try.

Surely your shared best friend was the best authority on whether or not there was anything between you and Stiles. If anyone was going to know anything, it was the true alpha, after all. 

That was like, his whole thing.

“You can do this. You’ve fought monsters, this is just Stiles” you reminded yourself, before pushing the mirror away completely, getting out of the car before you could buckle back up and drive home. It was now or never, and whatever happens, happens.

You couldn’t worry about it now.

“Hey Stiles, are you feeling better?” you hummed, the words barely registering under your breath as you tried to figure out what you wanted to say. You’d had this nightmare a million times over but you’d never actually considered doing it on your own.

Now that you were, the words just weren’t coming to you like they should have been.

“I just had something I wanted to run by you” you tried, testing out how that would sound before immediately scrapping it. That sounded like you were making some kind of business proposal and you certainly weren’t.

It had to be perfect.

Not that you had time to actually nail down what you wanted to say before you found yourself at his front door, already having knocked out of habit. Again, you briefly considered sprinting back to your car before it opened but you couldn’t make your feet move.

You knew that you had to do this.

“Hey Stiles, I was hoping we could talk” the words left your lips before you could police them, as soon as the door opened. You knew that it was hardly the smoothest you could have been but at this point, there was nothing between the two of you to soften the blow.

You just had to get this over with. If he accepted your feelings, he accepted them but if he didn’t, there was nothing you could do to change that either.

Naturally, those words freaked Stiles out a little because he assumed something terrible had happened but you didn’t seem as panicked as you should have been if someone was dying. This was a little more than your usual high strung but not by much.

“Yeah for sure, are you okay?” he allowed, moving away from the doorframe to let you in before closing the door behind you both. His dad was working late again, so it would just be the two of you but that had never been a problem before.

Especially lately, you and Stiles had killed time on several nights when Scott was busy with the pack or on date night. It wasn’t strange for you to be alone together, normally but there was a strange air about it today.

You just couldn’t tell if it was coming from him or you.

You knew that Stiles had been having a little trouble sleeping lately, and the nightmares were driving him crazy but the pack was going to handle it. 

The pack always took care of those kinds of things and you both knew Scott wasn’t going to let anything happen to him.

All he had to do was wait it out and try to relax in the meantime.

…And of course, you were having a hard time being your calm and collected self as you tried to figure out the best way to go about this whole thing.

It wasn’t every day you confessed your feelings to your best friend after all.

“I’m alright, I just have something I want to talk to you about is all” you shrugged, sitting down on the couch. This was a lot harder to do than you could have ever thought, and it just seemed like it wasn’t going anywhere.

There was only so much stalling you could do before you had to tell him the truth.

“Okay, I guess I’m just gonna put it all out there,” you sighed, your hands falling on your thighs. This was your last chance to walk away and no one would ever have to know what it was you were hiding, and that almost seemed like the right thing to do.

Though, the way he was looking at you took that all away.

You knew that if you ever had a chance at being with him in the way you wanted, you had to be able to tell him how you felt, at the very least.

Here goes nothing.

“I’m in love-with you” you allowed, exhaling as if you’d been holding that in your lungs all this time, which you pretty much had. You had no idea how this was supposed to feel, but you were pretty confident it wasn’t like this.

He didn’t even say anything at first.

All you could see was Stiles rubbing his temple out of the corner of your eye, his eyes screwed shut. It was hardly the reaction you had been expecting but at that moment, it didn’t even matter. You knew what he’d been going through, and it worried you.

It always worried you, especially knowing about his mom and all the stress he’d been under lately. 

Needless to say, you were more than happy to forget about everything you’d just said in favor of making sure he was alright, especially if your words had upset him.

If he didn’t feel the same, you would have happily moved on as if this moment had never happened. It would be easier than having to swallow that rejection.

You didn’t know if you could handle that after all this.

You had been hiding your feelings for Stiles all this time, and now that you said it out loud, you hoped you’d feel better but you just didn’t. This whole thing was really starting to seem like a mistake, and you didn’t even know everything yet.

Neither did Stiles.

In reality, he was more than thrilled at your confession but something was wrong. He felt like he wasn’t in control, like he wasn’t even in his own body anymore. It didn’t make any sense but he had never had a feeling like this before.

Stiles was vulnerable.

Before this moment, the Nogitsune hadn’t been able to break through to the surface but you provided the crack in his armor that it needed to escape. It was perfect, at least for the void, it certainly wasn't going to be pleasant for you.

After all, it had been a long time since it had seen the light of day and it was hungry, hungry and wearing your little lover boy like a cheap Halloween costume. Of course it was going to use that against you, void would be an idiot not to.

Your love for the boy made you little more than an exposed nerve, one that the Nogitsune could poke and prod at all it pleased until it was satisfied.

...and it certainly intended to.

All at once, there was a huge change in the room between the two of you, and more specifically, in Stiles. 

There was a cold, darkness to him that you had never seen which you didn’t even realize was there until he started laughing, a deep chuckle leaving his throat.

You weren’t ready for it, but what you were less ready for was what happened when he spoke.

“Did you really think I could ever feel like that, for you? We both know that’s a little crazy” he scoffed, an almost mocking tone that didn’t sound like Stiles at all. It shocked you, in all honesty, but not for the reason you may have thought.

Deep down, you knew that Stiles wouldn’t be interested in you but you never could have imagined him being so aggressive and cruel in his rejection of you.

He’d never spoken to anyone like that before, especially not you.

“I just-” you tried, but he stopped you before you could even try to get through this whole thing with any dignity at all. For the Nogitsune, this was all fun and games, but for you, it was so much more than that.

This was quite possibly the worst moment of your life.

“You aren’t blind, you had to have known this wasn’t going to work out the way you wanted. I mean, look at you?”

Stiles was screaming, using everything he had to try and get through to you, to overpower whatever this thing in his head was, but he couldn’t make it happen. It was too much, too strong, and all he could do was sit back and let it happen.

He knew it was breaking your heart, he could see it in your face but no matter how hard he fought, there was nothing he could do to get back in control. He felt like he was locked in a cage in his own head, and someone else had the key.

He just didn't know who.

You sat there for a second more as you tried to process whatever it was that was happening right now before you felt tears pricking in the corner of your eyes, and decided that it was probably time to leave.

Staying here any longer was just going to make this worse. Besides, it wasn’t as if Stiles was in the mood to talk this out or even treat you like a person.

Clearly, Scott was wrong, being cute wasn’t enough to make someone care about you.