#call me when the official instagram posts a picture of the two of them gazing into each others eyes with a click baity tag line

[cringefaildiaz]

listen yall buddie could never go canon and its just not fucking queer bait. even if there were nary another queer couple in sight on the show. there is just nothing about their interactions that demand romantic follow through, and nothing about ANY of their promo materials or social media postings that even IMPLY romantic follow through is coming

[imagintheworldaway]

Together

Anonymous asked: Hello! Can you do a Harryxfem! Reader where people see how Harry looks at the reader (calorie challenge- rematch (time stamp 27:17)) and the reader is so oblivious to Harry’s feeling for her because he broke up with his long-term ex last fall and she doesn’t want to read deep into it and just keeps telling people that they’re just friends even though everyone can see past the bull crap and keeps shipping them because they’re very similar and meant to be and after months of Harry pinning after her he tries to move on and go on dates (which fails but she doesn’t know that it’s not working out for him ) so she starts seeing someone and magically somehow end up together and become the “it” couple because of how blunt and honest they are. Sorry that was long! Hope you can write it thanks!

A/N Good gosh this is a long one. I hope you enjoy! Requests are open 

Sitting on the sofa next to Cal, snuggled in a mountain of blankets in Harrys apartment whilst the boys filmed a video was always fun. They were filming the 100,000 calorie challenge and it was JJ, Vik , Cal and Harrys turn to be eating the calories. We were sat watching JJ as he revealed he had absolutely failed the challenge to everyones surprise. The boys all started to complain as I giggled at the failure which was JJ right now. I felt a slight nudge on my side and Cal not so discreetly nodding towards Harry, I looked over at him and smiled but he averted his gaze from me and buried his head into the massive bear still complaining at JJ as it was revealed he had messed up the challenge even more by starting before the official time. 

After JJ’s little mess up they decided to make the fried mars bars, and I feel as though even saying it is cause for disaster. The boys were all crowded around the counter, just making a mess really, not much surprise there. I was happy in my own little world scrolling through instagram with the boys chatter in the background when I started to smell something burning and a mass amount of smoke from the boys. “Oh my god you idiots” I said matter of factly before grabbing the pan and holding it out the window, not wanting the apartment to stink of burnt mars bars as the guys tried to switch off the fire alarm. 

Once everything had calmed down I started to clean up as the boys ate the left over chocolates. “ you don’t have to clean up Y/N” Harry said to me as he bought over a plate to the sink. “Its ok I don’t mind, something to do at least” I smiled up at him. “You sure? I feel bad” he said scratching his shoulder and giving me an awkward smile. “I’m sure, go enjoy your food” I giggled pushing the boy away from me slightly. I finished up the washing as the boys chatted over their takeaways trying to figure out how many calories they were up to. I popped the remaining dishes in the dish washer and popped it on for the boys. 

Once they had finished Cal and I bid the boys goodbye and hoped in an Uber, we lived in the same apartment complex so it made sense that we shared rides just about everywhere. “Soooo” cal started tapping his his legs to the beat of the song that the Uber driver had popped on for us. i gave him a questioning glance as I sent my text to Harry, informing him I had popped the dish washer on and for him not to forget about it. “When are you two finally going to get together” Cal said peering over my shoulder and trying to take a peek at my texts with Harry. I just scoffed switching off my phone and turning my head to look at Cal. “Look he got out of a long term relationship not even six months ago, he just needs a friend right now, and that’s all I am, a friend, plus even if he hadn’t just gotten out of a relationship, well I don’t think he’d be interested in me anyway, like I said I’m just a friend” I shrugged to Cal giving him a half smile trying to cover the sadness which was evident on my face. “I don’t know Y/N if you ask me, or well any of the lads he looks at you like your a gift here gracing us all with your presence. like your some type of angel, he likes you, he really does, he’s just scared to ruin what you have” Cal stated as we hoped out the uber and made our ways into the lift. “Well I don’t want to sound rude, but I didn’t ask Cal, I don’t need my hopes being brought up just for it all to be speculation.” I stated matter of factly. “This is me, I’ll see you later yh?” I questioned Cal who just pursed his lips and nodded to me giving a small see ya. 

I really wasn’t trying to be rude but I had had my heartbroken so many times, and I don’t want to start getting my hopes up about Harry if it is just all speculation and some sort of narrative the lads were making up for themselves. I slumped down on my bed and posted a selfie on instagram asking people what they want to know about me. I wasn’t a huge YouTuber but I did have a large instagram following meaning the questions flooded in within an instant. There was the usual that I answered such as my favourite colour, what am I having for dinner, best place I had ever visited and so on. After a few more generic questions someone asked what my favourite picture was. I scrolled through my camera roll and found one of Harry and I at winter wonderland. we were both wearing Santa hats and he was giving me a piggy bag as I held onto a large teddy he had won me moments before. I captioned it ‘Christmas with my Bestfriend, look at how goofy he looks @wroetoshaw’ I giggled as I posted the pic remembering that day. it was a rare day off for the both of us and with Harrys break up still fresh I decided we should go to Winter Wonderland and just have fun. Which we did, it was one of my most treasured memories with him. He had taken his breakup so hard that I felt it was important that he had a friend around who could take the crying and emotions, someone to just cuddle with and forget about the world. And over the past few months I realised that my feelings for Harry had grown, but he was still hurting and there was no way that I was being any boys re-bound. 

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to blaring light through the blinds of my lounge. I groaned to myself before getting up and trudging to my bedroom to sort myself out. i looked at my phone and I had a few texts from Harry. I smiled as I read them. 

‘Thank you! Almost forgot, you are honestly the best Xx’

‘You alive???? Xx’

‘Good night Xx’

‘Like the insta pic’

I furrowed my eyebrows at the last text. It was sent only minutes after the goodnight text and it didn’t have any of the kisses we usually put on the end of our texts to each other. I also hadn’t got a good morning text from Harry, that was particularly strange because I have always gotten a Good morning and Good night text from him for the past few months with out fail. I just shrugged it off before replying, 

‘Haha no problem! I fell asleep as soon as I got home I’m sorry :( wanna meet up later? Xx’

I smiled at my reply before going to my bedroom and changing to look more presentable. I checked my phone and it was almost lunch meaning Cal was coming over to film a video with me. just as I re adjusted my hair for the a millionth time I heard a knock on the door signalling that cal was here. “Hello stranger” I smiled letting him into my apartment with the array of crisps and snacks he had in his arms. We were filming a British corner shop mukbang whilst answering twitter questions. As Cal settled himself in my studio I helped by opening the array of snacks and cans of drink that he had bought for us. “Hey really weird question but have you heard from Harry today?” I questioned trying not to sound so desperate as to the whereabouts of the boy. “Uh yh messaging me all morning, think he’s got something on tonight. He not told you?” Cal looked up from the array of junk raising his eyebrows at me as I just shook my head in disbelief that he was ignoring me. As we settled in our seats and I turned the camera on I sent Harry a quick text. 

‘Hey have I done something wrong?? :( Xx’ 

The video was going amazing. Cal and I just naturally bounced off of each other and the questions the fans were giving us were quite juicy. “Alright, alright, I’ve got one. Y/N has Harry asked you out yet or is he still being a melt? From @CalFreezy” I giggled at the question and raised my eyebrows at Cal. “These are meant to be from Fans” I retorted to Cal telling him off a little. “Yh Freezy is your biggest fan he’s always nattering on about you and talking about you moving in with them when Harry gets the guts” Cal defended himself causing me to burst out laughing. “Well we all know Harry and I are friends, I love him very much but that’s as deep as it goes” I replied to Cals previous question from Freezy, slight sadness barely evident in my voice. “Is that the only thing that goes deep” Cal stated before bursting out laughing at himself and falling back in his chair ultimately falling off of it causing me to laugh. “Well that’s it for today guys thank you for watching and thanks to this idiot for joining me” I smiled at the camera before shutting it off and helping Cal from the floor. 

“You really need to stop that you know? You can’t force anything to happen” I said matter of factly towards cal as he nibbled on some Pringles. “You see Y/N I’m actually Cal from the future and I’m just stating facts” he gave me a cheesy grin as I tutted at him and rolled my eyes. I was taken out of my trance by a text from my phone. “Alright ditch me for lover boy” Cal called after me. I opened my phone to see it was from Harry but it wasn’t what I was expecting. 

‘Hey Y/N, we shouldn’t hang out anymore it makes Belle uncomfortable.’ 

“Cal what the fuck is this” I shouted to my friend. I heard the thudding of his feet and turned around to show him the message I had just received. He furrowed his eyebrows. “Belle Belle Belle Oh Belle, her really?” Cal scrunched his nose up at me. “Ummm elaborate, who’s Belle?” I pressed for him to release more info to me. “Oh Harry went on a date with her like three weeks ago, looks like it worked out, well for them I guess” Cal shrugged piecing the different parts of the puzzle together for me. “Oh, wow, so he is just gonna drop me like that, like I’m, I’m nothing, like i wasn’t the one there for him when he was mourning over his last breakup. Well that’s a kick in the teeth” I said starting to sniffle, tears threatening to break their way out of my eyes and my mood instantly dropping to nothing. “Hey no don’t cry” Cal said engulfing me in a hug, which I gladly melted into. “If he couldn’t see what he had with you then that boy is more blind than we all thought.” Cal reassured me rubbing my back. “Plus your make up looks too nice to cry it off” Cal said catching a stray tear from my face and making me giggle a little. “Oh Cal why can’t we fall in love?” I questioned sniffing and straightening out my clothes. “Because that would be like fucking my sister and that’s weird” Cal stated making me giggle. 

I don’t think anyone could quite get their heads wrapped around the fact that Harry was with someone new, especially because that someone was not me. For the next month I got fans tweeting me asking if Harry and I had broken up or if he had gone crazy. I also got sorry looks from my friends. Always being placed in the furthest seat away from Harry, always given excuses as to why I couldn’t come to shoots. It sucked majorly. And the worst part about all of this is everyone felt like they had to tread on eggshells around me, as if I wasn’t a fully grown woman who could handle these situations. 

I knocked on Simons apartment door before he opened it replying to someone about something. “Oh Y/N you alright” he said quickly closing the door a little. “Yh Talia said I could pop round and grab my camera that she borrowed.” I said smiling at the lanky man. “Oh yh well um come in, just be careful yh” Simon nodded at me. I furrowed my eyebrows and just nodded at his comment following him through to the living room. And as soon as I saw the tall figure sat next to Harry with an unimpressed look on her face I realised why Simon gave me such a warning. “Heyyyy Y/N Is here” Ethan called standing up giving me a hug making me giggle a little. “Yh Talia knicked my camera again” I stated smiling at the girl who blushed a little realising she still hadn’t returned my device. “Oh so that’s Y/N” a snotty voice said causing everyone to quiet down and all eyes turning in her direction. “Yup, the one and only” I smiled back at her trying to be as nice as possible. “Belle right? Nice to meet you” I smiled back at her trying to make conversation in the silent room. I rocked back and forth on my heels for a while, Belle gave me a good look up and down, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips as if wanting to comment something. Before she could I saw Harry whisper something to her and she scoffed. “If I have an opinion I’m going to say it. And I have many about her” Belle said loud enough for everyone to hear whilst pointing at me. “Here I found it” Talia smiled at me handing me my camera before noticing the mood of the room. 

“Ok well, I will be off then, lovely to see you all and to meet you Belle” I stated the last part through gritted teeth before spinning around and making my way to the door. “Even worse from the back” I heard Belle try and whisper to I presume Harry. I stopped in my tracks and raised my eyebrows. The audacity of this girl, how dare she disrespect me in front of all my friends. I turned around to meet her eyes with a sickeningly sweet smile on my face. Before I could say anything though Talia butted in. “You know what, you do not talk to my friend like that, I have barely known you a month and I am so sick of you already, please leave before I do or say something I regret” she smiled at Belle joining me by my side and linking arms with me. Belle just looked around at everyone, with everyone just averting their gaze and waiting for something big to happen. All she did was huff, grabbing Harrys hand and storming out of the apartment with him. 

“Jesus Y/N what did you do to make him choose her, she’s like an angry controlling goblin” Ethan huffed as soon as we all heard the door close. “Hey, I got cut off a long time ago, ask him not me” I giggled before thanking Talia and leaving the apartment to go home. 

I was lounging around my apartment, Ethans words spiralling around my head. I decided tonight was for me. I popped on my favourite movie and rummaged through my freezer finding some ben and Jerrys and starting to scoff down the tub. This sofa must be super man or something because I had soon fallen asleep, I was only awoken by loud continuous knocking at my door. I regained my focus and gaged my surrounding before wrapping a blanket around myself and making my way to the door. As soon as I opened it I was pulled into a bone crushing hug. “I’m so fucking sorry, its you its always been you, I don’t know what I was thinking, I just needed someone to fill the void and she was ok for a week but I need you. You are all I need, all I want, please forgive me I love you” as much as I just wanted to melt into his arms I pulled my self back so that we were an arm lengths apart. “You best come in” I sighed. I finished the teas and made my way over to Harry, passing him his favourite mug of mine. I crossed my legs as we sat at opposite ends of the sofa in silence. 

“What about Belle?” I broke the silence, harry whipped his head up to look at me. “Look I’m so sorry she was a mistake and I should never have even given her shot. She’s so nasty and I could never forgive myself. This past month without you has felt like my heart was ripped in two. I’ve been so miserable and then when I saw you today I felt like I had been given a new chance at life. I get it if you hate me but I need you so bad and I cant live without you.” Harry opened his heart to me for the second time that evening. “You’re such a dummy Harry” I said with a sigh placing my mug on the coffee table. Harry looked at me as if he was broken by the words I just said. I just shook my head at him before leaning over and planting a soft kiss on his lips. The moment seemed to last forever. It was like in the movies when time slowed down and fireworks erupted around the couple who after all their trials and tribulations finally found each other. “I can’t help but love you Harry” I whispered only inches from his face as I pulled back for air, a sly grin on my face. Harrys arms snaked around my wait brining me into him for another soft kiss. i leant my head on his chest listening to his heart, thumping like it was going to break out and slap me in the face. “So what now” harry mumbled into my hair. I leant up so my eyes met his. “Well you will ask me on a date to a nice restaurant where we end up getting a little too drunk. Then we walk along the Thames, watching people walk by when at the perfect moment when the city goes silent you ask me to be your girlfriend and then we come back here and spend the night together. But with a little more physical activity than were used to” I grinned at him causing him to chuckle. “So you forgive me?” He said looking at me with pleading eyes. “God yes I forgive you, I could never be mad at you” I smiled at him. How could I? I did truly love him and it was as simple as that. 

After a few months, and the date Harry had promised, we told our friends and announced to our followers that we had finally decided to get together. apparently it was quite obvious as the boys had started taking bets as to when we would tell them about our new relationship. The fans seemed to love it as well, always receiving amazing and supportive comments on all of our posts and videos that we did together. Although we were young I think people saw how care free and happy we made each other. Most importantly how much we loved each other.

[mggssocks]

Followed- part 2

Not My Gif!

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid

Content Warnings: regular criminal minds stuff. (please let me know if i missed anything!)

Summary: Spencer makes an Instagram and stumbles across reader’s page.

Word Count: 2.2k +

A/N: Thank you so much for the love i have received on my last chapter!!! It means so much to me. Also i’m going to try to update chapters as much as i can but i’m graduating in a few weeks and i will have a lot going on. But again, thank you guys!!! xoxo

masterlist // part 1

Although he was only going off of a few hours of sleep, Spencer came to work with a pep in his step today. His interaction with this girl was very brief but he still got butterflies with the thought. He was early as usual so he made himself a cup of coffee and sat at his desk, settling in. He pulled out his phone and reread the text messages that the two of you shared. When he finished reading the short message thread, his thumb hovered over the letter G. He wanted to type “good morning” but he didn’t want to come off as too clingy or overbearing. That in fact was the last thing he wanted. 

“Hey Spence” he hears from behind him, causing him to jump and quickly lock his phone before shoving it into his coat pocket. 

“Hi” he turns around to see JJ and forms his mouth into a straight line. 

She eyes him weirdly. Something was up.

“Everything okay?” She asked. Knowing how Spencer was, she wasn’t expecting him to answer truthfully. Especially with him jumping startledly like he just did at a simple ‘hi’.

“No- yeah. Yeah I’m fine. What about you? Are you okay?” He asked to switch the conversation around. 

Yeah. Something was definitely up.

“I’m… fine?” She answers confused

He nods awkwardly. She was just about to ask him if he was sure that he was fine but everyone else started to walk in and she knew if he was being this secretive with her, he definitely wouldn’t want everyone else to be in his business. So she drops it… at least for now. 

Garcia speed walked into the bullpen with a file or two in her hand, not bothering to say anything to the team. She goes straight to the conference room.

“Looks like we have a case” Morgan declared as he walked past the desks and up the stairs. Everyone else followed.

“And from the looks of it, it’s bad,” says Emily. 

They settle in their seats as Garcia passes Spencer his case file while everyone else gets on their tablets.

“We’re going to Wichita, Kansas.” Hotch says as he was the last one to come into the conference room.

“This sicko stabs straight through the heart. They chop off as much hair as they can before shoving it in the victim’s mouths.” Garcia speaks, a little disturbed a little while avoiding her gaze from the screen.

“Four victims within one week. There’s no cooling off period at all” Morgan said, swiping through his tablet.

“Which is why we’re debriefing on the jet. Wheels up.”

——————

After the team debriefed on the jet, Garcia chimed in through the video chat.“Guys, A store owner just found another victim.” 

The team looks at one another. Hotch sighs momentarily before speaking.

“Alright, JJ, you and Reid to the M.E. Morgan and Rossi go to the latest crime scene and Prentiss and I will go and set up at the station.” 

Everyone nods their head at their temporary partners for confirmation.

————

“So on the first victim, the person hesitated.” The examiner spoke factually.

“-And on the other four he didn’t hesitate at all” spoke JJ, trying to get the bigger picture. 

“Exactly. Now with the new victim… I noticed something strange. “ She walked over to the newest victim from earlier that day and the agent and dr followed her.

She turned the woman’s head and revealed a cat-like scratch with three of them synchronized.

JJ and Spencer looked at each other. After they called the other team members to fill them in, they walked to the car in pure silence.

“So… this morning” says JJ, walking to the driver’s side.

Spencer gives her a questioning look as he takes the passenger seat.

“What about this morning?” He asked in a suspicious tone and avoided her gaze by looking out of the window.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, Spence, but I know something’s going on. Just tell me that it’s nothing bad.” She put her seatbelt on.

Spencer didn’t dare to give in “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

——————- 

After three days, they finally caught the unsub. The man was purely a sick and twisted psychopath. Jeffery Magnum. A 30 year old man who was severely abused as a child. His mother would make him eat the cat’s fur balls for dinner and when he refused, she would shave him bald. His mother died and that was the stressor that made him begin to kill.

As they boarded the plane, Morgan, Prentiss, and JJ sat together in the four seats. Rossi and Hotch sat together in the seats across from each other behind them. Spencer sat on the couch, far away from everyone. He wasn’t trying to distance himself. He just wanted to sit alone.

He pulled his phone out. He hasn’t thought much about that girl since he’s obviously been busy but now he was thinking about her. When he opened the app, he saw that she had posted a story. Before he watched her story, he clicked on her account and scrolled a little. She posted a lot of books and her cat too. Spencer really liked this one in particular.

26 likes

Yourinstagram I looked up from my book and seen this. thought it was a great photo op. 

View all 11 comments

He comes across a picture that really catches his attention.

11 likes

Yourinstagram okay just finished these two Jung books. He’s officially my favorite psychology/ prolific author. Freud’s got nothing on this guy.

View 1 comment

Spencer nodded his head approvingly. He swiped back to look at her Instagram story. 

He swiped up, thinking of a way to start a conversation. He just wanted to talk. About what? He doesn’t know.

spencerreid what’s tomorrow?

As expected, she didn’t respond right away. Instead of waiting for a response, Spencer picks up a book to occupy his attention. About 15 minutes later, his phone vibrates and an Instagram notification pops up. It catches the attention of JJ and she looks from the corner of her eye.

Spencer let’s 3 minutes pass by before responding because he didn’t want to seem too eager to talk to her. Although he definitely was.

yourinstagram nothing special! I’m a pastry chef so I’m just preparing them for the week! 

spencerreid Do you have some sort of bakery?

yourinstagram yup :)

Spencer didn’t know what to text back. So he started a new conversation with her.

spencerreid By the way I was looking at your page and seen that you read Carl Jung books.

yourinstagram you were stalking my page??

He started to panic. He didn’t mean it like a weirdo.

spencerreid I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to see what you were about, I guess.

yourinstagram relax haha I was kidding. And yes I do like Carl Jung books. What about you? Jung or Freud?

spencerreid I’m a fan of both, though I feel as if Jung was more open minded.

yourinstagram you, my friend, have great taste.

Although he knew “my friend” was just a term, Spencer couldn’t help but let a smile spread across his face. 

JJ notices and nudges Morgan who was listening to music. Prentiss notices JJ’s act and she gives her a questioning look. JJ nods her head towards Reid who was smiling at his phone. Emily who was sitting next to the window across from Morgan leaned over the seat to get a peek at Spencer.

She looks back to JJ. “What?”

“He’s been acting weird since before we left for this case. Like… secretive.”

Derek quirks an eyebrow. “You think he’s got something going on?” 

JJ shrugs.

“Hey” Emily says to Spencer.

He doesn’t necessarily jump but he was obviously startled. 

“What are you smiling about?” She asked. JJ and Derek watched as he fumbled over his words.

“I- uh-just- just a joke” Spencer cringed internally, because not even he, himself was buying it.

“What’s the joke?” Derek asked.

“It’s… nothing you would find amusing.” 

The three pretended to believe him and gave each other subtle glances before continuing what they were doing. Spencer turned back to his phone.

yourinstagram I’m y/n by the way. Just thought I’d formally introduce myself.

spencerreid I’m Spencer.

yourinstagram It’s nice to meet you, Spencer.

spencerreid It’s nice to meet you as well, Y/N.

After the jet landed, it was only 3:00 in the afternoon. Hotch gave them the rest of the day off so Spencer decided to head home and catch up on some sleep that he’s missed these past few days. 

He knew that it’d be terrible traffic on his way home. But since he stupidly decided to drive to work a few days ago, he couldn’t take the subway. He had to drive home. After about 10 minutes of sitting in his car calculating the fastest route home during traffic hours, he decides to take a way that he’s never taken before.

It would take him about thirty minutes but on his normal route during traffic hours, it would take him an hour and twenty. 

While driving, he catches a glimpse of a bakery and his stomach automatically growls. He decided that he’d stop by. Spencer walked into the shop and it wasn’t very busy. He looked over all of the options while waiting for someone to come to the counter.

A girl soon trails around dusting her hands off on her yellow apron. Her hair tied back in a ponytail.

“Hi. How can I help you?” She gives a kind smile.

“Uh- can I have two of the Danish pastries And a water?” He asked.

“Of course! Will that be all?” She puts some clear gloves on and makes her way over to the pastries.

“Yes” Spencer answers, digging through his satchel for his wallet.

She puts the treats in an apricot colored box, closed with a sticker with the name of the bakery. 

She puts the order in and looks back up at him “That’ll be $5.37!” 

He’s finally able to get a feel for his wallet and pulls out his card, handing it to her. She swipes it and hands it back over to him after it was approved along with his box and a reusable water bottle. He murmurs a thank you before leaving and heading to his apartment, enjoying the delicious danishes and finishing up some case files.

*******

“Seriously, Y/n. There’s so many relationship opportunities in Virginia. And you’re thinking about someone from a social media platform. You’ve never even seen them.” Your older sister lectures you as you close up the shop.

“Woah woah woah. I never said anything about a relationship with him. He’s nice but I’m not going to date someone over the internet. For all I know, he could be from England. I just said we both have an understandable love for Carl Jung in common.” You explained.

“Mom is worried about you. You’re thirty and you haven’t even found someone you’re interested in.” She lifts her eyebrow.

“She doesn’t need to worry about me. And every single woman doesn’t need to get married and settle down in their thirties.” you argue back

“She wants grandchildren, y/n. And not just from one of her kids.” 

“Look. I’m fine. You guys need to stop with the pressuring. I’m happy and I have all that I can ask for right now. When that time comes then it comes but for right now, i’m content” You shrug as you lock up all of the treats in the display cases.

She gives up the argument. And there is a weight of silence that fell between the two of you.

“Alright. Dave and the kids are expecting me so I'm going to get some pizza and head home.” she says, breaking the silence.

“Okay. Love you. Be safe. Bye” you say to her. 

After locking up the shop, you head home and when you open your door, you are greeted by your cat, Luna. After locking the door, you kneel down to properly greet your baby.

“Hey, girl” you pick her up and make your way to the kitchen, opening the fridge to see what options you had to eat for dinner.

You decided on some grilled cheese and tomato soup so that’s what you made.

*****

You throw the crust down on your plate, flipping the page of the book you were almost done with. You were curled up on the side of the couch with Luna sleeping by your feet. After finishing the last page, you were bored enough to go onto twitter and then instagram. 

As you make your way to his dm, you bite your lip, hesitant to say something. You didn’t often speak to people through social media. But he’s already texted first so the least you can do is text something first this time. You were uncertain, but you did it anyway.

yourinstagram hey

You mentally smack yourself as you look at the time. He’s probably already slee-

spencerreid Hi.

yourinstagram i was thinking….

spencerreid About?

yourinstagram I told you what i do for a living. I figured it’s only right that you told me what you do..

spencerreid I’m in the FBI. I’m a profiler.

yourinstagram that’s pretty impressive.

You didn’t know it but Spencer was blushing.

spencerreid Thank you.

yourinstagram you’re based in D.C right?

spencerreid That would be correct.

yourinstagram That’s funny.

spencereid Why is it funny?

yourinstagram because I live in D.C too.

[fridayfirefly]

Fairest of the Fair

Read Fairest of the Fair on AO3

Masterlist

Written for Maribat March Day 9 - Teen Titans

"We've got five hours until the fair closes. That's five hours of funnel cake, Ferris wheels, and rigged carnival games," announced Dick as they stepped out of the car in the parking lot of the Jump City Fair. It was a tradition for the Teen Titan team to visit the fair every year. At first, it had been an effort to humanize them to the citizens of Jump City, to show that they were more than just superheroes. Now, the reason that the team went every year was simply that it was fun.

"I can't wait to try everything." Marinette had been looking forward to the Jump City Fair all summer. It was her very first American fair, and Gar had promised that he would show her around, giving her the full fair experience.

"C'mon, I smell funnel cake." Gar grabbed Marinette's hand as they ran through the crowds.

Marinette laughed. "I was coming with you, you don't need to pull me along."

Gar let go of her hand and pouted. "We need to get there faster. Just think of all the funnel cake we're missing out on while we're standing around talking."

"We can still hurry. I just don't want to run into anyone." Marinette giggled as she followed Gar through the crowd. He wove in between the crowds of people like an expert, scampering right through the chaos of the fair crowds without disturbing a single person. Marinette found it a little more difficult - she was much less nimble than Gar, but every time she fell behind he waited for her to catch up.

"I followed the smell of funnel cake right to its source and here we are." Gar stopped in front of a food stand proclaiming itself to be All-American Funnel Cake. "This is the best cuisine America has to offer."

"Of course. Everyone knows that the greatest American delicacies are carnival food. Who needs gourmet crêpes and macaroons when you can have funnel cake and corn dogs?" joked Marinette.

"Exactly. I'll order our food, you find us a seat."

Marinette strolled through the seating area, trying to find a bench that wasn't covered in syrup and melted ice cream. When she finally found a suitably clean chair, she collapsed into it. She was already sweating from the hot August sun beating down on her, and she couldn't wait to get her hands on something to drink.

"I got the funnel cake and lemonade," said Gar as he set them down on the table.

Marinette grabbed the cup of lemonade and took a long sip of it, savoring the chill. "It's so hot out here. How do you stand it?"

Gar shrugged. "It's all part of the fair experience. It's miserably hot in the day, but it still manages to get uncomfortably chilly once the sun goes down. That's why I brought a jacket."

Marinette shook her head. "If I were wearing a jacket right now, I would probably pass out from heatstroke. Your ability to withstand extreme heat must be one of your superpowers if you aren't even sweating."

"Stop talking about me and start talking about funnel cake," Gar whinged. "You came all the way to America just to try some."

Marinette laughed. "I came all the way to America to join the Teen Titans. The funnel cake is just a bonus." Taking a generous bite of the carnival food, Marinette proclaimed, "I like it."

"Yes!" Gar cheered. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and marked something down. "Step one: have Marinette try funnel cake. Complete."

"You have a list?"

"Your first-ever fair is an important occasion. I want to make sure you didn't miss out on anything."

Marinette smiled. "That's sweet of you. So what are we doing after this."

"After this, we play the rigged carnival games. Then we ride one of the many spinning rides. Then we'll get roasted cinnamon almonds. Then we check out some of the art competitions. Last but not least, we ride the Ferris wheel as the sun sets. Then we meet up at the car with the rest of the Titans to watch the fireworks and go home after."

"That all sounds like fun to me." Marinette finished her lemonade and funnel cake, then turned to Gar. "Ready to go lose at some carnival game?"

"I was born ready." Garfield grabbed Marinette's hand and led her to the carnival game. There was a hoop toss game, a game where you popped water balloons using oversized darts, a game of knocking down coke bottles with baseballs, something vaguely resembling ski-ball.

"Which one should I pick?" asked Marinette.

"They're all varying degrees of impossible, so just pick the game with the best prizes."

Marinette scanned the rows of colorful stuffed animals until she saw the one she wanted, on a shelf beside the ski-ball tracks. "I want the green kitten," she exclaimed, pointing.

"Why?" Gar sounded amused by her enthusiasm.

"It reminds me of you," Marinette admitted.

Gar smiled. "Okay, I'll help you win. We'll win it together."

Ski-ball was harder than Marinette remembered. After twenty minutes and twenty dollars, she and Gar still hadn't managed to get all ten ski-balls into their respective holes.

"Face it, Gar, we just aren't good enough to win."

Gar shook his head. "I'm not leaving until I win you that kitten. One more set of ski-balls." He handed a five-dollar bill to the game attendant. "Do you want the first ball?"

"Sure, but this is the last time we play. I'm not letting you spend all of our food money on this ridiculously impossible game." Marinette grabbed the first four balls off of the counter and gently rolled each one of them up into the first hole, and Gar successfully rolled the next four balls - the first eight were easy. It was the ninth and tenth ball that they failed on. "I'll take nine." Marinette brought her arm back, then swung it forward and released the ninth fall. It landed perfectly into the ninth hole. "It's all on you, Gar."

He narrowed his eyes, plucking the ball off of the counter. This was the closest they had gotten to winning. He swung the ball forward, tracking the arc with his eyes until it... landed right in the final hole.

"You did it!" Marinette cheered, grabbing Gar's hand and lifting it up in the air. "Winner!"

"Here's your green cat." The game attendant handed the stuffed toy to Marinette, who clutched it against her chest.

"I love it! I'm naming him Milo and keeping him forever."

"Alright, now that you've won your first rigged carnival game, you and Milo need to pick out one of the many rides here to try it." Gar pulled a map of the fairground out of his pocket and started pointing out rides. "I recommend the Merry-Go-Round, the Tilt-A-Whirl, and the Paratrooper."

"Which one is closest?"

"The Tilt-A-Whirl is just to the left and around the corner."

Marinette grabbed Gar's hand and pulled him along. "Let's go!"

Together they ran through crowds of people, darting around people and out of the way to avoid bumping into anyone. They made it to the Tilt-A-While and rode until Marinette got so dizzy she couldn't walk in a straight line and Gar laughed so hard his face turned red. Then Gar and Marinette made their way to the Merry-Go-Round, where they rode it a couple of times. Then they met up with Dick and Kori and got more carnival snacks with their friends.

"Say cheese!" instructed Marinette as she paused to take a picture of her friends for the official Teen Titans Instagram account.

Kori grinned and pulled Dick closer to her. Gar reached for the camera in Marinette's hands. "Turn the camera around and make it a selfie."

Marinette did as instructed, moving her own head in front of the camera and grinning as she took the picture. She quickly typed a caption. Enjoying cinnamon glazed almonds (Beast Boy's favorite) and butterbeer at the fair. Hope everyone's having a great day in Jump City! "And... post!"

Marinette sat down to enjoy the snacks, Gar slipping his hand into Marinette's. "Try the cinnamon almonds first, they're delicious."

"They'd better be," teased Marinette. "You've been hyping them up all week."

"I could write poems about these almonds, they're so good. And I know I could probably get them any day of the year, but I only ever get them when we go to the fair so that they never lose their appeal."

Marinette popped a handful in her mouth and hummed in appreciation. "Oh, these are good. I'm going to have to get a recipe for these, so I can make homemade cinnamon almonds."

Gar's eyes lit up. "Homemade cinnamon almonds. That might be the best combination of words I've ever heard in my life."

Marinette playfully narrowed her eyes. "What about 'I love you.'"

Gar's eyes widened. "Um, third-best combination then. Right after when you told me, 'I love you', and when I told you, 'I love you.'"

"Good save. The execution could use some work though. I give it an eight out of ten," joked Dick.

"I'll be generous, and give it an eight point five," added Kori.

"Hey, only I get to tease him," protested Marinette as she gazed at Gar lovingly. "Now feed me more almonds."

Marinette ate another serving of almonds and drank two glasses of butterbeer before Dick and Kori decided to separate from them and find the trapeze tent. Gar got his list back out, checked off the activities they had already completed, and announced, "Now it's time for more rides. Paratroopers, here we come!"

Just a few minutes later, Marinette was pressed against Gar's side as their cart swung through the air. "This is nice," said Marinette. "The Jump City Fair gets the Ladybug stamp of approval."

"Just wait until you see the fireworks. The grand finale is amazing. You'll love it," promised Gar.

"I bet I will." Marinette rested her head on Gar's shoulder as she watched the world spin around them.

When they got off the ride, Marinette and Gar walked hand-in-hand to the art competition tents, where paintings were hanging all around the tents.

"Look at this one!" Gar pointed to a painting of the Teen Titans in action, fighting the H.I.V.E. Five in the streets of downtown Jump City. "This one has my vote!" Gar called out.

"Shush," said Marinette with a laugh. "You're biased."

"Nope. No bias here. Just pointing out what is objectively the best painting he's ever seen."

"Oh really. If you're such an impartial judge, tell me why it's objectively the best painting."

"Because you're in it, Buginette." Gar grinned at her, pointing at Ladybug in the picture, fighting Jinx with her yoyo.

Marinette laughed. "You're so cheesy."

"To be fair, you did walk right into that one," Gar defended himself as they left the art tent. "If you're going to leave yourself vulnerable to compliments, I'm going to take that opportunity to compliment you."

"Oh, look at the sunset!" exclaimed Marinette as she saw the yellow, pink, and orange sky.

Gar slipped his hand into Marinette's. "It doesn't hold a candle to you."

Marinette got onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You're too sweet. Now let's go ride that Ferris wheel."

Gar and Marinette walked to the Ferris wheel hand in hand, getting into a car and riding it all the way to the top, where they could see the sunset reflecting off of the ocean.

"You were right, it does get cold," said Marinette with a shiver.

"Here, take mine." Gar took off his jean jacket, laying it across Marinette's shoulders.

Marinette smiled. "How about we split the coat while we're up here. We'll just have to squeeze together." Marinette pressed herself up against Gar, moving the jacket so that it draped over both of their shoulders. Sighing softly, Marinette watched Gar with a smile on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Gar.

"I just don't want to forget this moment."

"I can fix that." Gar pulled his phone out of his pocket, started a video, and turned his camera around so they were both in frame. "How are you feeling, Buginette?"

Marinette kissed his cheek, then smiled for the camera. "Perfect."

"Jump City Fair is a success." Gar ended the video as the Ferris wheel started up again, moving them back down to the ground.

"Every day with you is a success."

The fireworks started as they walked back to the car, bright and colorful. Marinette slid her hand into Gar's gently rubbing circles with her thumb. She knew that he used to be scared of fireworks - still was, a little bit - as a result of his animal tendency. Gar flinched back as the boom of fireworks sounded above him.

"Focus on my voice," said Marinette. "I love you. I love you more than all the stars in the sky. I love you more than all the drops of water in the ocean. I love you forever."

Gar wrapped his arms around Marinette. "I know. I love you too."

@maribatmarch-2k21

[forevfangirlwrites]

I love your how to handle fame series and I totally get if you’re six of writing for this AU but if you aren’t I’d love one with them making the relationship official like Annabeth telling Percy he can post a picture of them for the first time or her telling him she wants to make it official and post on social media and Percy just being happy to tell the world that she’s his and vice versa

CONTINUATION OF: PART 9

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 , Part 7,  Part 8

If Percy ever decides to pick up the memoir business again, the entire thing could be about the past two days, which have downright been the weirdest, most surreal days of his whole life.

On second thought, maybe he wouldn’t be able to write it because he’s spent all weekend trying to compartmentalize it and it still feels like a blur.

Like one really long day.

And you’d think, given the magnitude of the events that had occurred, he’d remember it better.

CHB had been the first to report the news, courtesy of that lady shoving a mic in his face, but the interview had really sealed the deal. Zoe Nightshade is acclaimed for reporting facts not fiction in the celeb news world, so going on her show to talk about it had been the best way to get the right version of the story out there.

All he remembers about the set are the hot lights, the white couch (that he was immediately worried about ruining) and Annabeth by his side, holding his hand.

Overall, it had been good. The entire thing had been premeditated by Annabeth, who had started off the interview explaining how they wanted to go public on their own terms instead of someone else leaking it, but that they still wished to keep their personal lives private.

Percy had also kept to his premeditated script, saying he’s a barista from New York, and shifting the dialogue (as Annabeth called it) to their meeting.

After the interview Annabeth had given him a big hug and told him it was a success.

But then…..oh then, came The Notifications™.

As if he didn’t already spend too much time on his phone, he’s been glued to it all weekend.

“It’s going to be rough,” Annabeth had said with the same worried face that she had when the talk about going public had come up a month ago.

And Percy knows, right, he’s been in the service industry and knows how people can be jerks. He knows there’s going to be backlash.

Maybe that’s why Annabeth had rented a beach house far down the coast and been by his side constantly the past two days.

He glances over at her, leaning back on her comfy wicker chair with her feet propped, reading a book. As if she can tell he’s looking at her, she puts down her book and turns to face him.

“What’s up?’

Her long legs look golden in the sunlight filtering through the light curtains and she’s practically glowing with the beach air wafting through the open window.

Long story short, she looks beautiful.

Focusing his brain from the detour it took to admire her, he shakes his head.

“Nothing…just wondering how I got here.”

She picks up her cup of tea from the table beside her. “What do you mean?”

Leaning back against the headboard of the bed, he stares at the high planked ceiling.

“I don’t know…just everything. I mean for one, I’ve never seen so many pictures of myself…even my mom’s albums would have a tough time competing…actually, they might still win now that I think about it.”

Annabeth chuckles at that. And while it’s true his mom has an absurd amount of pictures, him and Annabeth have been plastered a fair amount on various articles and social media. He’d kept his Instagram private, but his Twitter hadn’t stopped blowing up.

“And I’ve never had this many people talk or…speculate about me.” He drops his gaze from the ceiling to once again land on her. “Like, it’s the most hate I’ve ever gotten…”

The inevitable comments on him being a gold digger, though expected, had been hard to see. It stung a little to think people thought he was anything other than hopelessly in love with his girlfriend.

But no one had been more pissed than Annabeth and it had taken kisses from him to distract her.

He sees the same anger and worry start to flare up now, her eyebrows already creasing together, and rushes to complete his thought.

“But it’s also the most support I’d gotten.”

Luckily, an overwhelming majority of Annabeth’s fans had been super supportive of them. One picture in particular, one of them standing at the red carpet staring into each other’s eyes, had gone viral and “Percabeth” (as people were dubbing them) had been number one on trending for a whole day.

So many people not only calling them cute, but also describing him as hot. Percy had almost laughed out loud when he’d first read comments gushing about how attractive he was. (Take that, Nancy Bobofit, who called him ugly in middle school.)

“It’s just really crazy I guess, I never expected this from my life.”

He really should write a memoir. Other people need to know how almost comically absurd his life is now. (It would start with riding the subway to school every day.)

Annabeth sits up in her chair, still wearing the frown from earlier.

“Do you regret it?”

She asks calmly enough, but he can see the worry behind her eyes and the fear creep into her tone. He slides off the bed and walks to her, sitting on the footstool she’d been propping her feet on a second ago.

“Not at all.”

Reaching for her hand, he raises it to her lips, keeping eye contact. She needs to know that he’d take it all if it means he gets to be with her.

The day after the interview, Annabeth had told him to pick out a picture of them to post on her Instagram. And though it had immediately become her most liked picture, it wasn’t just fan service. The smile on her face when she posted it had made Percy’s heart melt even more.

Because the truth is, despite everything, it feels so good to call her his in front of the whole world.

Annabeth smiles, pulling their intertwined hands close to her and resting her cheek against them.

“Good.”

His phone vibrates and he can’t help but look over. Annabeth smiles, amusedly. “Who is it?”

He reaches for the device, unlocking it with a swipe. “My mom.”

“What’s she saying?”

He smiles as he reads the text. “That her friends are blowing up about this.”

Annabeth chuckles. “Don’t worry, it’ll blow over soon.”

Almost automatically, he opens up Twitter. It’s become a bad habit over the past two days.  “Well, we have been trending for a while…”

His sentence veers off as he checks the trending tab. Number one this morning had been a kpop star whose birthday was today and “Percabeth” had been second.

But now number one was…Jogan Paul, who had apparently been caught in some money laundering scheme and become the center of all public outrage. Number two was still the kpop star and number three was #ultranatural.

“Percabeth” was nowhere to be found.

“You’re right…we’re not trending anymore, some other guy, Jogan did a—”

“Money laundering scheme?” Annabeth finishes and he looks up from his phone to see her smile over her tea.

“Yeah…everyone’s talking about him….and then it’s a k—”

“Kpop idol? Yeah, it’s P-Dawn’s birthday,” Annabeth finishes again.

Percy stares at her.

Annabeth, after posting the Instagram photo, hadn’t checked her phone almost all weekend, letting him look at everything going on.

So how could she know all this? He’s pretty sure she hasn’t checked her phone in hours, instead working her way though her book.

“Yeah…” he continues, still confused. “So we’re not trending anymore. This Jogan guy really messed stuff up…”

Annabeth shrugs, still smiling. “That’s how it goes, people move on from things quickly.”

He nods. He knows this. And personally he’s glad that they’re not the main topic of conversation now. It feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He puts down his phone with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s fortunate that this guy messed up, really took the eyes off of us.”

Of course, not all the eyes. Annabeth’s fans will still talk about it, but now the media has something juicer to report on.

“Yeah, fortunate,” Annabeth repeats, lifting her cup again to take a sip, but she can’t hide her smile.

Something about this feels…

“Did you know about this?”

Annabeth just takes a sip of her tea.

Peering over the cup, she replies sweetly, “Did you know the season finale of Ultranatural is on tonight?”

And that’s all the answer he needs.

(So he naturally responds by picking her up and tossing her in bed, letting her laughs bounce off the high ceilings as he wraps her in a hug, thinking that there needs to be a whole chapter in his memoir about just how smart his girlfriend is.)

A/N: As I said in the beginning, this is the continuation to the last chapter in the how to handle fame series. Thank you for sending in the prompt! It’s been a popular one and I had a whole storyline for it (though I did include the insta pic :)

When I came up with this plotline I just couldn’t get the idea out of my head that Annabeth would totally mastermind the entire thing and make sure that their relationship didn’t get too much heat.

Plus, let’s be real, news moves fast, and their relationship, while a big thing, isn’t the only thing going on the world for people to talk about. And stories that spark outrage blow up more than two people dating, so I tried to keep this as realistic as I could.

Part of the reason it’s taken so long for this is because I truly wasn’t sure the best way to tackle this whole thing while still staying true to reality as best I could. So when I thought of the Annabeth planning out this whole thing I thought it was fun and cute and went for it. I mean this entire series has taken off in a way I had truly never imagined.

A lot of people had requested the whole going public thing and how it would play out, so I really hope you guys liked this! (And thank you anon for sending in the prompt I used to post this :)

(Also a lot of references to things that have happened semi-recently so lmk if you’ve figured them out, not that they’re that hard lol)

[ladyreapermc]

Rules of Engagement 1/? (Henry x OFC)

Summary: Henry and Em have been friends for almost ten years and involved in a casual affair for just as long. The rules were simple: no romantic attachment and their friends and family couldn’t know. Easy enough to do right? However, when new complications emerge, Henry and Em will need to navigate this relationship of theirs, if they can even call it that. Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 |  Chapter 04  | Chapter 5  | Chapter 06

Author’s Notes: Here it is. My first official series for Henners. I’m strangely nervous, because it’s sort of my baby and I have been putting lots of work on it for a couple of months now. So I would really, really appreciate feedback if you could take some time to do it.

Wordcount: 4815

Warnings: alcohol consumption; smut (oral; dirty talk; penetration)

Chapter 01: Casual Affair

It was by pure chance that when Emeline’s flight coming from Istambul had technical difficulties while on air, they stopped in Budapest of all places. However, it was straight bad luck that what was supposed to be just a quick stop turned into an allnighter due to more serious engine problems, with her new flight being scheduled for the next morning.

She considered just getting herself a hotel but it was nearly ten p.m. she was exhausted and Em really didn’t want to deal with finding a half-decent place to crash when she could just call Henry. That was what friends were for right?

Henry came, of course. That was the kind of person he was. Kind and helpful. Dependable. He hugged her tight, since they hadn’t seen each other since Clara and Todd’s baby had been born, before taking her carryon like the perfect gentleman and ushering Em into the rental car he had been using during his stay.

During the drive, he talked in an excited tone about the series and all the work he had to do. Em could only smile at the huge grin on his lips and the glint of excitement in his blue eyes. It was quite something to see Henry this happy and engaged with a project. Em was truly glad for him, but she was also tired, never being one to sleep on airplanes, so her contributions to the conversations were just hmms and nods every now and then, not that Henry seemed to mind.

“Did you eat?” Henry asked once he parked at the driveway of the cute white house and its perfectly maintained lawn that had been his home for the last couple of months.

“Airport food? Please!” she pulled a face, making Henry laugh as he led the way through the stone pathway.

“You’re such a food snob,” he commented, pausing by the front door, and Em was already smiling because she could hear Kal’s whines through the door.

“I’m not. I just have good taste.” Em dropped to her knees to pet and greet Kal which shot out the second Henry opened the door.

She had always loved dogs but never had a chance to have one for herself. At first, her father didn’t allow it, but once she moved out Em didn’t really have the space to keep one so she channeled all her dog mom tendencies towards Kal.

“Sometimes I think you’re only friends with me so you can see Kal regularly,” Henry teased once she let go of the dog long enough to step inside and Em smirked at him.

“You are not wrong, Cavill,” she said, her gaze traveling over the tasteful décor of the house, but her focus was instantly drawn to the kitchen and as soon as she shook off her coat on Henry’s waiting hands, she made a beeline to the room, in Em’s opinion the most important part of any house. “I love your kitchen.” She ran her hands over the wooden countertops and light blue cabinets.

“Technically, it’s not mine,” he chuckled, moving towards the fridge. “I have aubergine lasagna leftovers. Want some?”

“That sounds disgusting,” Em said with a grimace. “But it will do.”

She settled at the isle with the heated lasagna, once again listening to Henry babble about the project and his castmates and how things were going in the set. Some of it she had already heard since they texted every day, but Em enjoyed listening to Henry and actually missed his deep baritone voice.

It made her glad that she chose to do this, instead of staying at some crappy motel by herself, awake most of the night since Em had a hard time sleeping in other beds that weren’t hers. At least here she had Henry and she missed him.

“So how was Istambul?” he asked, bringing her plate to the sink, refusing to let her clean up herself.

“It was amazing,” Em sighed, chin resting on her hand as she watched Henry’s back unseeingly. She was actually thinking back on her journey, in which she had spent a week exploring the city and the sights, completely by herself just like she preferred.

Now, with her belly full, it was her time to babble about everything she saw and experienced while there. Em knew Henry had seen the pictures and stories on her Instagram. He liked everything she posted during the week, but there something about the way he was watching her, the focused look in his dazzling blue eyes like she was telling him the most interesting story in the world, that just made Em keep going, even as Henry finished the dished and they moved to get more comfortable in the couch.

“It does sound like you had fun,” he smiled at her, body turned her way on the couch, head resting on his palm as he listened, his other hand holding his glass of wine. “But don’t you miss having someone to share the experience?

“Sometimes,” Em shrugged, sipping her wine, she was in her third glass by now and she really ought to slow down, her mind was already getting a little foggy.

She had been doing these travels since she turned eighteen. First, she had her best friend Clara as her companion, but as they got older, Em started doing by herself since Clara couldn’t. One or two boyfriends in her time had offered to come along once, but it felt wrong to taint the memories of those trips with someone that might not be with her for the long run.

“But it’s nice too, you know? To have my own thing, without anyone else,” she scratched Kal behind the ears, just like he liked it, smiling at the way he rested his head on her knee to keep being petted. “Thanks again for letting me stay.”

“Anytime,” Henry replied with a smile, his own eyes clouded with alcohol.

They had been talking for hours, one and a half bottles of wine gone in the process. Enough alcohol to make Em’s mind wander as she took in Henry’s impressive physique, the stupid amount of muscles he built up for the series stretching his blue button-down. His dark hair falling in messy curls over his forehead, just like she Em liked it and the blush of alcohol making his cheeks even sharper.

Fighting the allure of the man before her, Em shifted her gaze down to Kal, but it was like he could pick up that something was about to happen, because pulled away from her touch, trouting out the back door, leaving her with only one option now.

Henry’s palm was warm and rough against her jaw as he tilted Em’s face back towards him, his eyes searching for her consent before his lips landed on hers in a soft kiss that gradually grew heated as their mutual need for each other was set alight.

Em sighed against his lips, giving in to the urge that had been brewing from the second she dialed his number. She inched closer, fisting his shirt, licking into his mouth and chasing the taste of wine on his tongue as Henry let his fingers wander down her torso, sneaking under her blouse to touch skin.

“Bedroom,” she mumbled against his lips. “Last time on the couch was a mess.”

“Yeah,” Henry chuckled getting to his feet and leading the way backward, his mouth never leaving hers, his touch getting bolder as their kisses because more desperate.

“This is the last time we do this,” Em declared, fingers undoing the buttons of his shirt or at least trying to. The amount of alcohol she consumed was enough to leave her a little uncoordinated. Henry was doing only slightly better.

“You’ve said that the last five times.”

Em could feel his smirk as his mouth descended over her jaw, pressing sucking kisses on her neck. He loved to leave marks all over her. No matter how many times Em asked him not to, Henry would just ignore it. It was as if he knew she secretly loved to watch herself in the mirror in the following week and be reminded of how amazing the sex had been.

“I mean it this time,” Em said, finally undoing his shirt and pushing it down his shoulders, exposing Henry’s chiseled chest to her wandering hands.

“I think you said that too, last couple of times,” Henry pointed out, shaking his shirt to the floor and pulling hers over her head, leaving Em standing there in only jeans. “Just admit it: you love how I fuck you.”

“Like you don’t enjoy it too,” she said, pushing him towards the bed, and Henry fell back with a bounce and a chuckle.

“Oh, I definitely enjoy it,” he declared, that same smug smirk in place as she undid his pants. “Never said otherwise. Never been in denial either. You’re the one…” He trailed off with a groan when Em freed his hard cock, giving a couple of quick tugs before running her tongue over the underside vein.

Em didn’t want to think about the fact that Henry was absolutely right. She had always been the one to often have second thoughts about this casual affair the two of them had been keeping for years, but not because she didn’t like Henry. It was quite the opposite, Em liked Henry a little too much, but knew it just wouldn’t work, not when he was always all over the world shooting his movies and tv shows, while mostly she stayed in London due to her own work.

And they were both too career-driven and unwilling to concede to the other. If even as just friends, she and Henry were frequently bumping heads, Em could only imagine how terrible they would be as a couple.

She still remembered that fateful night that Clara dragged her to a sport’s bar of all places because she wanted Em to officially meet Todd. She had been at one of his rugby matches earlier that week but ended up leaving before being introduced. In hindsight, Em should have known something was up because of the way Clara made such a big deal about this meeting and fussed over her outfit

“You can’t wear jeans and t-shirt!” she complained, digging though her friend’s wardrobe as Em just huffed a breath and laid back in bed.

“Why not? I’m meeting your boyfriend. What I’m wearing doesn’t matter.”

She had just baked and decorated 150 cupcakes for a children's birthday party. She was exhausted and the last thing she wanted to do was going out, but Clara invoked the best friend rule, so Em was stuck.

“What if there’s a cute guy there?” Clara asked, coming out with a tight, black dress that Em hadn’t worn in 3 years and it definitely wouldn’t fit her now since she gained more than a couple of pounds. She really needed to do some spring cleaning in that closet.

“If a cute guy is hanging in a sport’s bar, big chances he’s a douche, and I already filled my douche quota for the year,” she replied as Clara dove back into the closet. “Besides, I don’t have time for relationships.”

And Em really didn’t. She has just invested all her savings in opening her dream bakery. No way she would be getting distracted by guys while she was trying to get her business off the ground.

“There’s always time for relationships!” Clara declared, coming out of the closet, this time holding one of Em’s favorite sweater dresses. “You never know when true love is gonna knock on your door.”

“Tell it to come by later,” she joked, grabbing the dress and walking into the bathroom to change. It would be a lost cause to argue with Clara. Her friend was a lawyer and could talk her ear off, so Em might as well just get this over with.

She put on the dress and the heels and the makeup Clara pushed her way before she was finally deemed worthy of stepping out of the flat for the bar. At arrival, they found Todd already in his third beer and accompanied by his friend Henry.

Todd and Clara played innocent, pretending to be surprised that the other decided to bring a friend too but Em knew right away this was an ambush. And if Henry’s eye roll was anything to go by, he knew it too. It was their friends' not so subtle attempt to set them up.

Em had to give it to Clara though, Henry was a handsome man but maybe too handsome. She was a run of the mill kind of girl. Not unattractive, mind you. She did pretty well dating wise, especially when she put an effort like tonight, but never with guys that looked like Henry.

He was all dark, curly hair, blue eyes with just a tiny fleck of brown. Perfect features and the kind of chiseled physique that his hoodie didn’t manage to hide completely. He also looked kind of familiar, but Em couldn’t place him right away in her memory.

As they talked, she kept staring at him with a thoughtful frown, trying to come up with subtle questions that could enlighten her of where she knew Henry from because the longer Em talker to him, and she couldn’t help but notice that Todd and Clara kept finding excuses to leave the table so she and Henry could be alone, stronger that familiarity became.

“So how did you meet Todd again?” Em asked, sipping on her drink, which was too sweet but she didn’t mind.

“We went to school together and still play rugby from time to time,” Henry replied, cradling his pint of Guinness. He had shifted on the booth so his back was to the corner and he could properly look at Em. “How about you and Clara?”

“We grew up together. Neighbors all our lives,” she replied, popping a chip in her mouth. “Clara dragged me to one of Todd’s matches on Sunday. Did I see you there?”

“Umm, no.” Henry smiled indulgently. “Just got back yesterday. I was out of town for work.”

She only hummed in response, trying to think back on anything that could have put her and Henry in the same place and explain this feeling of familiarity.

“The Tudors.”

“What?” She asked in confusion at Henry’s random comment.

“You’re trying to figure out from where you know me,” he pointed out with a smirk and Em felt her cheeks heating up. “I mean, I did some other stuff too, a couple of very bad horror movies but that was my biggest role, so you might know me from there.”

It was like a lightbulb finally switched in her brain and she finally managed to place him in her memory.

“Oh my God, you did that weird-ass movie with the nazi vampire zombie! The one with Fassbender and the guy from Prison Break.” Em exclaimed a little too loudly, but Henry only chuckled. “That movie was terrible.”

“Yes,” he nodded, ducking his head a little, and was that a blush? “And seriously? That’s where you know me from?”

“I like crappy horror movies, ok?” Em shrugged with a grin.

“Clearly.” Henry laughed too.

And just like that, conversation flowed easily between them. Henry was a fun guy, surprisingly dorky, and a huge geek for videogames and the fantasy genre. It was nice to talk to someone that seemed to appreciate Lord of the Rings as much as Em did and she didn’t even notice when Todd and Clara slipped out without a word, obviously thinking their job was done.

Maybe if Henry was someone else, not an actor or that hot, they could have been right but as it was, Em didn’t see things going beyond a cool friendship.

That was what she thought at least until Henry walked her home, like a perfect gentleman, making her laugh with so many stupid jokes her sides were aching and she felt like she hadn’t smiled this much in days.

“You didn’t need to walk me all the way to my door,” She commented, turning to face him, her back leaning against the frame. Even in her heels, she needed to tilt her head up to look at him.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Henry snorted. “You can barely stand on those.”

He wasn’t wrong, but it was more because her feet were sore from the constricted space than from the amount of alcohol she consumed, though that definitely played a factor on Em turning her head just when Henry leaned closer to lay a goodbye kiss on her cheek, making his lips land on hers instead.

They just stared at each other until Henry closed the distance again, his mouth returning to hers for a harder, much hotter kiss that had Em pressed against the door. His hands found their way under the hem of her dress; hers to his hair, pulling him even closer, desperation clawing inside her gut because it had been a while for her.

That was only the first of the one-night stands with Henry. Back then, Em thought it would be the only one, but as years passed, whenever the two of them found themselves single and in need of release, they would get together, no strings attached, no commitment, just a purely physical thing that none of their mutual friends knew about.

Her attention snapped back to the present when Henry tugged on her hair until she let his cock out of her mouth with a pop, crawling on top of him to meet his lips for a messy kiss.

“Where did you go just now?” he asked, panting. His hands working on the buttons of her jeans to push them off. “Your mind was so far away.”

Strangely enough, this casual affair they shared made her friendship with Henry stronger because once you’ve seen a person naked and on one of their most vulnerable moments, it could be so easy to open up to them.

“Just thinking about when we met,” Em replied, sucking on his lower lip and Henry let out a weird wheezing sound that it was half a groan, half a laugh.

“That’s was a good night,” he said, rolling them until Em was lying on her back and he was on top of her. His blue eyes, despite being clouded by lust, were still so intense and seemed to be able to look straight into her soul. “But I want you here, in the present with me.”

Henry met her lips so softly and with so much affection that her breath caught in her throat, hand tightening on the sheets beneath her as his mouth descended over her body, kissing and sucking and biting. Lingering over all her pleasure spots and lavishing them with attention.

This was why Em needed to put an end to this thing with Henry. Lately, every time the two of them ended in bed together, it was getting harder and harder to keep the doors closed against the growing feelings in her heart.

To keep herself from not letting the love she felt for her friend Henry to be contaminated by the lust that ignited in her body whenever the two of them fucked, turning this into something else that would definitely end with her heart broken.

“I can hear you thinking,” Henry chided, biting her lower belly and making Em jolt and giggle.

“Sorry, sorry,” she looked down at him with a smile. “Just too much in my head tonight.”

“Let’s see if I can make you relax.”

He smirked at her, his mouth moving lower, planting soft kisses over your hipbones, tongue tracing the waistline on her panties, and anticipation started building in her center. Em wanted to press your legs together to find some kind of friction, but Henry was kneeling between them, his strong hands keeping them open; thumbs rubbing circles on the sensitive inner skin of her thighs and she couldn’t focus on anything else even if she wanted to.

His mouth finally moved lower, tongue teasing her folds through the lace of her panties and she gasped and tried to thrust up but Henry kept her down before hooking his fingers on her panties and pulling them down, exposing her wet cunt to his warm breath and she shivered in expectation.

Henry seemed to be keen on driving her crazy because he was taking it so very slow, kissing and nipping her mound on his way down until finally, his tongue flickered against her clit. Only the briefest of touch but it was enough to make Em buck and moan, her hands coming to his hair and fingers digging in his scalp.

“Stop teasing,” she asked, making Henry chuckle against her and a groan ripped from Em’s throat at the sweet vibrations. “Hen… please.”

“That’s better,” he replied, rewarding her with a broad stroke of his tongue over her slit before he sucked hard on her clit. Her eyes rolled back and she raised her hips to try to get more of it.

Fortunately, Henry seemed to be done teasing because he moved things along, licking and sucking and even nipping very, very gently on her clit, while two of his thick fingers moved in and out of her drenched slit. Every outer motion he crooked his fingers up, hitting right in that spot to make Em see stars.

It was easy to get lost in sensations whenever she was with Henry. He knew her body like the back of his hand and made sure to keep her completely engaged. He kept his eyes on her face, reading her expressions to make sure she was enjoying herself but also because he knew Em loved the sight of him like this, his mouth on her cunt, his eyes dark with his desire for her.

He also made sure to hum and grunt for her, so she could hear how much he loved her taste and smell. Whenever his mouth wasn’t busy, he would also whisper the filthiest things in her ear, because he knew it turned her on.

His free hand roamed her body, touching and kneading her breasts, pinching the nipples to make Em arch and mewl, sending bolts of pleasure that seemed to gather on her core, coiling into a knot of ecstasy that made her writhe and shake. Her body tense with arousal, toes curling and thighs quivering as her orgasm approached like a rushing wave.

Henry also knew exactly when she was close to the edge. Em never needed to let him know and he would always redouble his effort, suck her clit harder, finger her faster, until that knot finally snapped and she arched against his mouth, her release soaking his fingers and chin.

Her body felt weightless like she was floating. Her muscles spasmed with the aftershocks of her pleasure and her mind, always running, was for once pleasantly blank as Em grinned wide, enjoying her high.

She barely noticed when Henry pressed one final kiss to her clit before he crawled on top of her again, meeting her lips and letting Em taste herself. It was one of the things that turned him on, to have her lick her juices from his mouth and chin, letting her tongue running over the rough skin of his stubbled jaw, chasing every last drop and Em felt his cock twitching in response against her hip.

“Fuck me, Hen,” she gasped against his cheek before her lips moved to his ear, nipping the lobe to make him groan. “I wanna feel you deep inside me.”

With her brain still swimming in endorphins, She barely noticed Henry getting up and moving to the bathroom. She only registered the curse he let out as he came back to the room with an empty box.

“Do you have some?”

She gave Henry a look, propped in her elbows. Em was a little too old to go around with condoms in her purse. She kept them on her toiletry bag which was in her suitcase, still at the airport.

“Shit! I really wanted to fuck you tonight.” He dropped the box on the ground, combing his fingers through his hair before climbing on top of Em, his kiss searing and stealing her breath away.

She moaned against his mouth, fingers digging on his shoulders. It had been a while for her and Em shared Henry’s frustration. She wanted to feel him inside her, filling and stretching her in that perfect way only Henry could do.

“Do it,” she declared, meeting his confused gaze. “It’s fine, I have an IUD and it’s not like I’ve been with anyone else in the last four months.”

“Me either,” Henry replied, his forehead resting against hers. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, smirking at him. “Fuck me, Henners.” He groaned and glared, making her chuckle. He hated the nickname and Em knew it.

“I’m gonna make you regret that.”

He flashed her a mischievous smirk, reaching between the two of them to guide his cock to her slit, pushing inside in one rough stroke and Em cursed and clawed at his back, the sudden intrusion with just that edge of pain made her clench tighter against him and Henry grunted against her ear, pulling her legs around his waist.

“Fuck, Henry!” she hissed breathlessly, slapping his shoulder blade, which felt more like hitting a brick wall. “A little warning would be nice.”

“You love it,” he smirked down at her and nipped at her bottom lip before grinding his hips against hers, making Em moan. “No point in pretending otherwise.”

His movements started slow and deliberate. Henry’s goal was to drive her crazy all over again because he loved to see Em lose control and he loved to gloat over the fact that he was the only guy that ever managed to make her cum more than once on the same night.

Taking her hands in his and pinning above her head, Henry started to add some more strength to his movements, pulling almost all the way out before slamming back in, making Em mewl at how deep he was going.  His mouth on her neck, and collarbone returning to the task of marking her as his, even if the two of them weren’t like that.

Her hips raised as best as she could to meet his movements and welcome him in. Her walls clenching tight as if refusing to let him go and every time, it made Henry grunt and suck harder on her skin before he soothed the spot with his tongue. She arched closer, seeking more as he licked a path from the hollow of her throat to her chin, lapping at the sweat gathering in her skin before his lips met hers again.

Soon, all Em knew was the way their bodies moved in tandem, meeting each other in search of pleasure. Henry praised and whispered dirty things in her ear, while her fingers entwined with his and her heels dug on the small of his back, urging him to move faster, harder, give her everything she craved for.

The knot of pleasure started to form in her core once again, growing and expanding as she could feel every single ridge of Henry’s thick cock filling her up, his pelvic bone slapping her clit at each thrust. She knew he was close too, his motions losing its controlled rhythm, becoming wilder, messy. His grunts turning throatier, his words filthier.

“God, I love your cunt. The way it squeezes me so tight,” he mumbled against Em’s mouth, his breath coming in short pants. “It feels even better without that fucking latex. Shit! I wanna fill you up with my cum. Do you want that? Can I cum inside you?”

“Yeah.” Em nodded, too far gone to form a reply more elaborate than that.

“I wanna see it trickling down your pussy.” Henry’s grin was absolutely filthy and she cried out as his words brought forth her second orgasm of the night.

“Oh fuck, yes!” He grunted his grin widening, his hips snapping harder against hers, dragging out the ripples of pleasure shaking her body. “Just like that! Yeah. Fuck! I’m gonna…”

His words hung in the air as Henry stilled above her, muffling his growl against her shoulder as he spilled inside her and she could feel his cock pulsing against her quivering walls and Em never felt more complete before.

In the back of her mind, a treacherous thought broke free and she couldn’t help but think that she could definitely get used to this. Having Henry every night, without barriers, without anything in the way. Just the two of them. Like it was meant to be.

x(tbc)x     Chapter 02

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[maggotzombie]

LIEBE LIESE: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴠɪ - 𝒰𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒

→ CHAPTERS LIST — CHAPTER V: BOYFRIEND MATERIAL WORD COUNT: 3,8k TW: Alcohol, swearing, so much fluff. A/N: GUYS! I’M FINALLY BACK! Posting a new chapter of this fic makes it official. I’m so happy I’m able to update it, you have no idea. Also, so many great plots came into my mind while I was in this forced hiatus. Things will spice up hehehe Okay, now I’ll let you guys read it! :D HEADS UP: Dialogue between “[  ]” is in German.

“SO… THE girl,” Nik starts casually as if he wants nothing.

Oh, yeah... Very smooth, Niki. Very smooth.

He and Simon share a glance when Henry does not reply, eyes fixed on the TV.

“Henry,” Nik calls.

“Yeah?” He replies without prying his eyes off the flat screen, mildly paying attention to his brother.

“The girl,” His brother repeats.

“Hm,” Henry hums, sipping on his bear. “Who?”

“The one you’re seeing,” Simon quips in.

Now they have the actor’s full attention, but he plays it off by keeping his gaze on the TV.

“Woman,” He says, licking his lips. Giving the fact that he has actually dated girls, he feels the need to point it out. “She’s a woman,” He explains.

His brothers share another knowing look.

“So, you’re seeing someone,” Nik remarks with a grin.

Henry hasn’t said anything about Liese to any of his brothers yet. He mentioned, briefly, that he was taking someone out for dinner but that was it. And now interrogation starts, as it seems.

“What’s her name again?” Simon asks.

“I’ve never said her name,” The actor muses, finally looking over at his brothers.

Their interrogation confidence falters slightly as the tactic fails.

“Does she have white hair?” Charlotte inquires all of the sudden, coming from outside.

The man frowns, looking at her. “Yes,” He confirms. “How do you know?”

Charlie calmly reaches down on the back of his shirt. The long white hair strand is a stark contrast to the black fabric and she picks it up gently, bringing it to Henry’s eyesight. Just then he realizes that is the shirt he borrowed her after they’ve met (aka the night he ripped her dress open).

“She has a nice perfume, too,” The woman adds, getting a water bottle from the fridge and walking back out of the door.

With the most confusing expression, Henry pulls the collar up to his nose and sniffs it. Surely enough, there’s a whiff of Liese’s perfume on the fabric – giving the fact that she washed and kept the shirt with her clothes before giving it back to him. Nevertheless, it’s impressive that Charlie could pick that at all.

“How the heck did she smell that?” Henry asks, confused.

Nik and Simon shrug, both of them also impressed by Charlie’s heightened sense. “What’s her name, Henry?” His older brother now asks, joining the conversation.

“Liese,” He replies without any mystery.

“That doesn’t sound British?” Piers says.

“Yeah, her family is German,” The actor explains.

“Oh,” Nik smirks suggestively at Simon and Henry rolls his eyes.

Some cheers come from the TV but it’s long forgotten by now.

“And how old is this woman of yours?” Simon teases and the actor gives him a look, meaning he doesn’t appreciate the joke.

“She’s not mine,” He clarifies. “And, I don’t know…” Henry frowns and nips on his bottom lip thoughtfully. “But she’s a doctor. So, I’m guessing about my age.”

Eyebrows shot up in surprise. “A doctor, huh?” Nik muses.

“Yup. Pediatrician and A&E doctor,” The actor nods.

“She’s a woman, after all,” Simon grants, making a face.

“Are you sure she’s real?” Nik plays along.

Henry flips them off, something he rarely does, which makes all three of them laugh in amusement.

“Seriously,” Nik starts as he stops laughing.

“She is real,” The actor emphasizes.

“Right, Hollywood star,” He shakes his head. “Do you have any photos of her? We need visual confirmation,” Nik says.

A grin spreads on his lips. “I do, actually,” He says, fishing his phone from his pocket. “Just a few, though.”

Simon snatches the phone from his hands and Nik and Piers gather around him to look at it. They quickly locate the woman in a figure-hugging red dress with a generous cleavage amongst random photos and videos of Kal.

“This is her?” Nik looks back at Henry, not believing his eyes. “Wow.”

“Damn, she’s gorgeous,” Simon says, sliding from a smiling photo to one which she gives Henry a much seductive look.

“Is that all of it?” Nik seems disappointed when Kal shows up at the screen again. “Didn’t even have the time to properly access her.”

Piers chuckles. “Knock it off, you two,” He says before looking at Henry. “She’s beautiful, brother.”

“Beautiful? She’s hotter than all of his exes!” Nik declares.

A scowl sets on his face as he takes his phone back. “What are you boys up to?” Kiri comes into the house with the other spouses following behind.

“Still picking on poor Henry?” Charlie inquires.

“The woman he’s dating is amazing,” Nik says to the women, making a gesture to imply Liese’s boobs.

“Oooh,” Victoria says excitedly before Henry could correct his brother. “Show us the photos.”

Once again, a crowd gathers around Henry’s phone to gawk at Liese. And not only the wives, but also his brothers to take a second look at the doctor.

“Only these?” Kiri scoffs after looking at the four photos. “Are you kidding me, Henry?”

“Right?” Nik nods at his sister-in-law.

“I only took her out once, okay? And I didn’t want to spend the entire date on my phone!” The actor tries to defend himself.

“Is she nice?” Charlie asks.

The silly smile is on his face before he can stop it. “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing,” He nods.

“How do you spell ‘Liese’?” Simon asks with furrowed brows while Kiri, Niki, and Vicky look over his shoulders.

Henry’s smile faints. “What are you doing?” He asks suspiciously.

“Trying to find her Instagram,” Nik replies.

“It shouldn’t be hard with her name,” Vicky chimes in, and Kiri nods.

“I don’t know about that,” Henry narrows his eyes. “There’s a lot of people on Instagram…”

“Found it,” Simon interrupts him. “She’s ‘Liese Hartmann’ with an ‘e’ and double ‘n’, right?” He asks just to confirm but the woman in the profile picture is definitely her.

Nik chuckles slightly. “Totally German.”

“What?” The actor frowns, moving to look at his brother’s phone as well. Sure enough, it’s Liese’s profile. “Yeah, that’s her.”

With the confirmation, Simon clicks on her profile and the group of nine adults all gather around the phone screen that has become way too small. There was nothing too revealing nor pretentious – not even a bikini photo sipping on a glass of champagne in a boat. It’s actually the other way around.

There are a lot of children; both from the association and her nieces and nephews. The doctor is either wearing her scrubs or casual clothes, surrounded by said kids, friends, and family. There are a few selfies then and there and some pets. Overall, just what Henry expected to see from knowing her, even if very little.

“She’s thirty-three,” Simon says, tapping on a photo.

Liese has a birthday hat on and she’s holding a cake, blowing the number thirty-three candle on it. Henry knows it was taken in the association given the background, the kids surrounding the doctor once again, and her scrubs.

“That was last year,” Kiri points out the date.

“Well,” His brother shrugs. “I’ll take it.”

“And she’s really pretty,” Vicky remarks.

“Works a lot, though,” Nik says.

Henry shakes his head. “Alright. Are you done?” He asks them.

“She seems good with kids,” Charlie says but her comment doesn’t have the teasing tone like the others.

“Yeah. Are any of these hers?” Vicky looks back at Henry.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “No, most of them are her patients.”

“Even the blonde ones?” Simon asks. “Some of them look a lot like her. Like this little girl,” He shows a photo.

“They’re her nieces and nephews,” Henry replies with a sigh.

“Are you sure?”

“Have you met any of them yet?”

The questions are asked at the same time and the actor frowns, glaring at them.

“Alright. Enough of this,” He shakes his head, taking the last swing of his beer.

“You’re leaving?” Nik asks with a cheeky grin and his wife nudges him to stop.

“Yeah, I have some things to do,” He says, taking Kal’s lead. “Kal!” Henry calls.

“No, Henry, don’t go! I promise they’ll stop,” Charlie says, nudging his brother again to act like a grownup but Nik’s smirk is set to annoy.

“Yes, they’re done,” Piers’ smile turns into a stern look directed towards his brothers and wives, including his own.

“Thanks, sis,” The actor kisses her cheek. “But I do need to go,” He says.

Kal comes into the house trotting with the kids following behind. “Uncle Henry is leaving?” Grace asks with unruly hair for running after the dogs.

“Yeah, he’s gonna see his girlfriend,” Simon replies, picking his daughter up in his arms.

Oh, how badly Henry wants to punch him right now. But the smack he gets from Victoria is satisfying. It looks like she’s okay teasing Henry around the adults, but not in front of the kids.

“Uncle Henry has a girlfriend?” Willian asks with a weird expression.

“Lucy?” Thomas adds, beside his brother.

“NO,” The actor emphasizes quite quickly. “I don’t have a girlfriend,” He says, latching Kal’s lead into his collar. “Uncle Simon is joking.”

“What’s a girlfriend?” Harry asks, frowning in confusion as he looks at his father.

“It’s when…” Thomas starts to explain but Henry cuts him off.

“Nothing you should worry about, mate,” He says, grabbing the boy’s head and leaving a kiss on top of it. “Now give Kal and Uncle Henry a hug because we’re leaving.”

-

After working in the morning, Liese tries to relax and take a nap. But she’s too tired and with a head full to just lay in bed to wait for sleep to come.

Instead, she tries to chill out by studying. Unconventional, but what’s new to the silver-haired doctor.

Just as she’s reviewing her notes from a paper about a study on leukemia treatment, her phone starts to ring. She reaches out to the coffee table and retrieves the device.

A smile tugs on her lips at Henry’s name on the screen.

“Hey,” She smiles at him, answering the FaceTime call.

“Hello, gorgeous,” The actor greets her with his handsome smile. “I didn’t know you wore glasses,” He tilts his head adorably.

“Only for reading when my eyes decide they had enough,” The woman chuckles.

“What are you up to?” Henry asks, biting his bottom lip slightly.

“Studying a bit,” She replies and she can tell she just crushed his plans.

“Oh,” He utters.

Liese chuckles slightly. “Why?”

“Nothing,” The man shakes his head quickly. “Kal and I were just wondering if you wanted to go to the dog park with us. But you’re busy, so it’s okay.”

She laughs with mirth. “Well, tell Kal I’ll be honored to go to the dog park with him,” She says.

Henry’s smile returns to his face. “But what about your studies?” He frowns.

“It’s not like I have a test or something like that,” The woman replies, abandoning the paper on the coffee table. “I’m a doctor, love. I’ll always have to study something,” She explains.

“Okay,” He says hesitantly. “I just don’t want to get in your way.”

“You won’t,” Liese guarantees, walking towards her room. “Can I sleepover?”

“You don’t have to ask. I’ll pick you up in a few,” Henry replies.

She frowns. “Nonsense. The dog park is your neighborhood. I won’t let you drive all the way down to Brixton just to pick me up.”

“But I want to! I don’t like making you take the Tube every time you come to see me,” The man tries.

“You don’t make me, I chose to,” Liese explains. “But I’ll take an Uber if that’ll bring you peace.”

He makes a face. “It doesn’t. It actually makes me more uneasy. Just let me pick you up, please? I swear it’s nothing…” He insists.

“[No! Stop insisting! I might cave if you continue to do this adorable pout,]” The woman replies in German unconsciously.

Henry’s response is a delicious laugh. “Okay, okay,” He says. “I think I might have pissed you off right now but I hope you didn’t just cuss me.”

She chuckles, realizing the switch of the languages. “You didn’t piss me off and I didn’t cuss you,” She clarifies. “But I’ll hang up to get ready because I think Kal might get upset if I make him wait too much.”

“Oh, yes. We don’t want that,” He shakes his head and glances over Kal. “Actually, he’s already too excited. Look.”

The man turns the phone to the dog so they can see each other. A big smile takes over Liese’s face as she sees the large bear sitting expectantly in front of his owner.

“Hey, Kal! How are you doing buddy?” Liese asks and his tail starts wagging immediately at the sound of her voice. “Do you wanna go to the park?”

The well-known question makes the dog stand up in all fours and bark on the phone. Then he tries to sniff and lick the device which makes the woman laugh.

“Alright, buddy. I’ll be right there,” She says to Kal and then Henry turns the phone back to him.

“Wait! I have to ask one little thing,” He says.

Liese nods, biting her lip in concentration. “Shoot.”

“Can I go and pick you up?” A smirk grows on his lips slowly and a laugh reverberates through his chest as she rolls her eyes and ends the call without answering him.

-

“I’m just around the corner,” The woman says immediately after picking up the call.

“So, you’ll be at the door when I get there?” Henry asks.

“Probably,” She replies.

“Okay, then,” He says. “I’m walking towards the door.”

Liese chuckles in amusement as the Uber driver stops in front of Henry’s mews house. She mouths a ‘thank you’ through the rear-view mirror and steps out of the car. When the actor opens the front door, the phone glued to his ear, he makes good use of his quick reflexes to grab the giggly woman jumping to his arms.

His hands keep a strong grip on her things and he chuckles at the pleasant “surprise”. With her arms around his neck, the woman kisses his neck softly before untangling herself from him to give some attention to Kal, who’s barking like crazy. As usual, she greets the excited dog in German without sparing compliments.

Henry closes the front door and puts his phone down, looking back at the gorgeous woman peppering his dog’s face with kisses.

“I had an idea!” Liese says, straighten up to her feet. “How about we make a picnic?” She suggests excitedly.

“A picnic?” He frowns. “Baby, it’s cold outside,” He points out.

Then he realizes: while he’s wearing a T-shirt and warm sweatpants, the doctor is wearing a tank top and shorts.

“Aren’t you cold?” The man asks.

“No, I’m fine,” She shrugs off. “But I guess you’re right,” Liese nods, sounding very disappointed.

“You’re so German,” He says, shaking his head and walking towards her. “If you want to, we can have a picnic.”

Her face lights up in excitement. “Really?” She asks, looking up at him.

“Really,” Henry nods again, smiling at her.

He laughs with mirth when she, once again, jumps to his arms. “[You’re the best,]” She says in German but the actor has a good idea of what it means. “What do you have here?”

Liese moves away from him to check his kitchen, but he grabs her arm before she can go any further. “Hold on,” He says.

The woman looks back at him and he pulls her back. He reaches out to her face and seals their lips together. A small giggle escapes Liese’s mouth when she opens it to let Henry’s tongue get into it. She feels warm and tingly from the kiss and she glues her body to Henry’s, fitting perfectly to his strong and tall build.

“Hey, you,” She says quietly against his lips when they break the kiss.

“This is a proper hello,” Henry pecks her lips.

“I like it,” The woman agrees, clasping her arms around his neck and pulling for another kiss.

The second kiss doesn’t last long as Kal jumps on them, whining. Liese laughs, looking down at the bear. The man groans slightly before looking at Kal too.

“You’re supposed to help me out, pal,” He says.

“He is,” The woman says. “Why do you think I came all the way here from Brixton?” She teases.

“Oh, yeah? You can sleep with him today,” Henry squeezes her waist.

“I will. He sleeps in your bed, anyway,” She winks at him.

“Fuck, that’s right,” He laughs and Liese steals another kiss from him, but Kal paws them. “Alright, buddy.”

Liese orders the man to go get ready while she prepares something for their picnic. She organizes everything she can find into plastic containers and Henry finds a bag to put the food into and a thick blanket. An overly excited Kal gets into his leash and they finally walk out of the house.

The actor doesn’t let Liese carry the bag, so she walks with Kal.

"Did you go to work today?” The man asks casually.

“Yeah, but just for a little bit. One of my kids isn’t doing great, I went to check on him,” Liese replies.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” He sends her a sympathetic look. “Is everything going to be okay?”

She sighs and Kal looks at her worryingly, picking up the shift in her humor. “I don’t know,” The doctor shakes her head. “This disease is really hard to figure out. The immune system can start functioning again or... I don’t know,” She shakes her head again. “How about you? How was your morning?” Liese changes the subject, smiling at him.

Henry doesn’t press on the subject, instead, he smiles as well. “It was good, I had lunch at Nik’s.”

“This sounds nice,” She says, smiling wider. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah, I was having a good time until they started teasing me,” He shrugs off.

“Oh?” Liese looks at him, puzzled.

“Yeah,” Henry scratches his beard in thought. “They’re asking me about you and they’ve found your Instagram profile which I haven’t even seen before,” The man says.

“Really?” She grins at him. “What did they say of me?”

Henry smiles. “I believe the words used were ‘gorgeous” and ‘hot’.”

The woman frowns. “Which photo did they see to call me hot?”

“I may have shown a few from our date?” He replies with a face.

Liese’s eyes widen. “With that dress?” He nods. “Oh my God, Henry! No! They must think I’m such a pretentious posh!” She says, mortified.

He laughs. “Look at you! Speaking British!” He teases.

The woman whines and tries to push him, but Henry doesn’t budge an inch. “I’m serious!”

“You’re great, love. They don’t think that of you,” The man reassures her.

“How do you know that?” She asks with a pout.

Fuck. That’s so adorable. She’s so adorable. I’m so falling for her, Henry thinks.

“They’ve stalked your Instagram,” He starts. “They’re probably doing it again. You’re not posh at all. You’re thoughtful, you care for your patients, and you’re lovely,” The man places an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close.

Liese smiles, looking up at him lovingly. “And gorgeous and hot?” She raises an eyebrow jokingly.

“Well, that’s obvious,” He says.

The woman laughs and leaves a kiss in the corner of his jaw, which gives Henry goosebumps.

At the dog park, they set up their picnic blanket under a tree and Liese leaves the man there to play with Kal. The overly excited dog forgets his size and ends up knocking the doctor on her ass.

Henry quickly gets up, worried about her. “Kal!” He calls with a stern voice. “Are you okay?” He asks, reaching out a hand for Liese.

She giggles in response. “Yeah. I’m okay,” She takes his hand and the actor quickly pulls her up.

With a frown, he looks at his dog. “That wasn’t nice, Kal,” He chides.

“Ah, don’t scold him,” The woman says, dusting off her backside. “He’s just too excited and forgot his size,” She defends the dog, petting his head fondly. “Right, buddy?”

“You’re going to spoil my dog, aren’t you?” Henry asks, watching Kal trots beside her as she walks towards their picnic blanket.

“I’m most definitely will,” Liese nods, sitting down and looking up at him. “Wow, what a sight from down here,” She immediately says.

The actor chuckles and shakes his head, taking a seat by her side.

“Say,” She starts. “What would happen if I were to kiss the famous Superman actor, Henry Cavill, right now?” She teases.

His mouth waters and his pupils dilate immediately. “Guess we’re going to find out,” He says.

Biting her lip, Liese gets closer to him and places a hand on his cheek fondly. The kiss is short and sweet, after all, he’s in the public eye and, although the park is empty, you’ll never know if a paparazzi is lurking around.

The woman keeps her promise to spoil Kal as she gives him all the belly rubs he wants. Henry is mortified when the bear, not so kindly, pushes him away from Liese and takes his place. She simply laughs it off and kisses his pout.

After an hour or so in the park, they decide to head home. The doctor finally feels the tiredness catching up to her but she refuses to yawn while Henry excitedly tells her about a match he's gonna watch at his favorite pub next Friday with some friends.

“So, I was thinking,” Henry starts not even fifteen minutes after they got back to his place. “I know it’s too soon, but we could go out for dinner,” He suggests. “It doesn’t have to be in a fancy place, though,” Henry adds, walking from the kitchen to his living room, where Liese is. “What do you think?”

He stops talking at the sight of the sleeping beauty snuggling with Kal on the sofa.

“I guess we’re gonna order in, then,” The man whispers, grabbing the overthrown blanket on the backrest of the sofa and covering her. “You’re supposed to help me get the girl, not steal her from me, mate,” He says, patting Kal’s head.

-

HENRY CAVILL GETS COZY AND PACKS ON PDA WITH A HOT STRANGER

The 34-year-old Superman actor was seen out and about this afternoon with a mysterious white-haired woman and his dog. The couple shared a hug and a few kisses on a lovely picnic at the park.

While we do not have more information on the lucky lady, we know our beloved British Superman is back on the dating scene. Back in February, Cavill ended his relationship with stuntwoman Lucy Cork after almost a year together.

Check out the photos from the romantic picnic here.

* * *

— CHAPTER VII: BADDEST BITCH

[oikawa-tuwu]

🍬 Halloween Candy 🍬

Pairing: Gn!Reader x Tendou Satori

Rating: T

Synopsis: Tendou watches you make Halloween candy and thinks about love and the joys Halloween. Post-time skip, established relationship. (1.8k words)

Warnings: One swear, mentions of past bullying, dealing with insecurity things

(A/N: lol remember when I said I was going on hiatus?? Yeah so I was making hard candy last night and was literally slaughtered in the middle of boiling the sugar when I remembered that Tendou is a chocolatier so my lonely, Halloween-loving, and candy making self wrote this self indulgent thing. Enjoy, but its kind of a mess D: )

-

Tendou Satori’s favorite holiday is, without a doubt, Halloween.

There’s nothing quite like the buzz in the air of a brisk October 31st, children in costumes, ready to consume ungodly amounts of sugar, teenagers giggling as they leave a haunted house, only to turn right around with more cash in hand. Even adults get into the festivities, using the holiday as an excuse to drink copious amount of booze.

Its indulgent and its creepy and Tendou loves it with all of his heart.

In the past, if someone were to ask him why he liked Halloween so much, he'd just laugh and say he had a sweet tooth, because really, he didn't know how to articulate the joy that he gets from costumes. He could remember, as a kid, gleefully skipping down the aisles of a shop, flipping through the mass produced costumes on the rack until he found the perfect one.

The ones that came with masks were always a plus, too.

He supposes, looking back on it, Halloween was his favorite holiday because it was the one day where being “creepy” benefited him. It was on-brand, in-season, like the pecan pies that sit neglected in the summer months before being sold out by mid-November. And even if his hair or his gaze or his height was still terrifying, it was easier to hide behind a Batman mask. Perhaps it wasn’t a healthy way of coping, but somewhere along the way, he’d learned. He’d grown, and shifted, and costumes weren’t his favorite part of Halloween anymore.

No. This is his favorite part of Halloween. The build up to the day in question, preparing for the hordes of children coming to his apartment door, and you, standing in his kitchen, holding a candy thermometer.

It had been your idea at first, to make the candy at home and give it to the trick or treaters, rather than just handing out store bought. Of course, getting homemade candy from a stranger is usually a red-flag for parents, but not if said stranger is a somewhat C-list celebrity chocolatier, as you so kindly put it.

And it was true. There was some hesitation at first, but after a moment of putting together his face, the name on his apartment door, and the clearly professional design on the bags, parents were much more willing to accept the treats. Now, it’s a tradition of the apartment complex, and last year, he ran out of candy by 7 PM.

“You need to make more next year,” you had said, with a sort of confident finality that made him laugh. “Don’t you feel bad for the kids who got there just a little late?”

Did he feel bad?

Now that was an interesting question.

The thing was, he had been that kid. He’d gotten the short straw in life and it had been up to him to make something of it, even when others decided to cut the straw even shorter just for fun.

With an amused glint in his eye, he watches as you lean down, narrowing your eyes to read the fine print of instructions on your phone.

The kitchen is a mess, there’s no way around it, and although he’s deemed you proficient enough to be trusted with his equipment based on your past attempts at culinary efforts, he can tell you feel out of your league as you stir the molten sugar. Your cheeks are flushed from the heat and he’s certain there’s a few more hairs sticking out of place than there were ten minutes ago. Still, you square your shoulders and crack your knuckles as you read the temperatures, one oven mitt armored hand bracing the handle of the pot, and he idly thinks that the apron is officially his favorite piece of clothing on you.

Apparently, you didn't hear the door open and close, because your eyes are still trained on the soon-to-be caramel, and you let out a frustrated, "Why won't this sugar caramelize already?"

"It's stubborn like that."

He always expects you to jump at his voice. Somehow, you never do. Instead, your eyes flick up to him where he hovers in the entry-way, the barest of a smile gracing your lips.

"Welcome home," you say, pulling your eyes away from him to peek at the candy thermometer's temperature. "I feel like this sugar has been at 240° for way too long, is that normal?"

Tendou clicks his tongue, daring to venture further into the candy coated mess. "You have to be patient."

"Funny, coming from you," you smirk, but he notices the way the tension in your shoulders relax, and deep down, he knows he doesn't have the fight to even try to feel offended.

Still, he scoffs and leans against the counter next to you and puts the effort into looking offended, one hand fingering through the petals of the dying roses in a vase. "I'll have you know, I'm a very patient person."

You just give him a look. That look, specifically, with the skeptical eyebrow and wry tilt in the corner of your mouth. The look that always managed to see right through him, reaching in and sorting through each and every memory and quirk and thought and yet still managed to say I love you at the end of the night with a genuine smile.

Tendou knows you. He knows you, understands you, memorized the posture of your sleep deprivation, the quick bite of your words when you wait too long to eat dinner, the strange laugh that, to be honest, sounds more like a car backfiring, when a joke catches you particularly off your guard.

But also, on a much deeper level, he didn't understand you at all.

Why had you chosen him? Was it for the same reason you brought those half-dead roses home, saying, with a self-conscious flush, that they looked sad, dying all alone in the shop.

Was he those flowers? Bruised and beat-up and something to take pity on?

"You're too quiet," you muse, and Tendou realizes that he had been too quiet for much too long, the only sounds coming from the boiling sugar and the soft music playing over a speaker in the corner. "What's wrong?"

He doesn't know how to phrase his insecurities out loud like that, doesn't know if he even should, so instead, he asks, "Am I the roses?"

For a moment, you're silent, and he can see the way you're processing his words, toying with them until you figure out whatever metaphor or inside joke he's referencing. "I would say you're more of a lily guy, if that's what you're asking."

His next question is more blunt. "Why do you like me?"

This one surprises you. He can tell from the way you blink, just once, but also the slight curvature of your eyebrows. He wonders how long it's been since this expression was used in reaction to him.

"I don't understand," you say, finally. "Love and attraction are virtually indescribable emotions that poets and writers spend their lives trying to capture. I don't know why, exactly, but I do know that I enjoy being around you. You make me laugh, and my heart feels happy when I see you walk through that door. Isn't that enough?"

It should be, but Tendou has bad impulse control, and he can't stop the next words from falling out.

"But I'm weird."

The word weird sounds trivial. Weird is the word that girls who dye their hair and listen to indie music and post cryptic pictures on Instagram call themselves, not him. Maybe freak would have been a better word.

"And I don't like the sound of my laugh. We've all got insecurities, things that the rest of the world doesn't like about us so they force us to not like it about us. I know my voice is fine and there's nothing particularly ugly or abnormal about it when I giggle, but I can't help from hating it."

"I like your laugh," he says, and by speaking it aloud, he knows it's true, like whispering a spell that only makes him fall more in love.

"Exactly. And I like you. Weird bits and all. Keeps things interesting."

And just like that, it's gone. It shouldn't be this easy, to dismiss his fears like that, just a few confident words and a smile and suddenly years of his childhood and upbringing are null in comparison to you.

The sugar boils.

As he watches, you leave the almost-caramel on the stove to search for the pan to put it in to cool, already greased and ready for the molten sugar. It's a significantly bigger pan than last year.

When you notice his gaze, you say, "I wasn't joking about making more this year."

Tendou grins.

In high school, Ushijima briefly had a girlfriend. A cheerleader, if Tendou was remembering correctly. He wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't, he didn't pay much attention to her. But, one day, he walked past the gym and found the two of them. Ushijima was teaching her how to serve. Now, Tendou knew Ushijima was a strange person. The only thing he cared about was volleyball and his comically stoic, social ineptitude is what bonded them in the first place, but still, Tendou remembered thinking that bringing your date on your day off to play volleyball was really weird.

But, he supposed, now he understood, as one of your hands reached over to clasp his, the other, still stirring the sugar. He understood before that want, no, the need to share a passion with the one you love.

He squeezes your hand. Absent-mindedly, you squeeze back. And then he squeezes back and you squeeze back and back and forth and back and forth, until you realize the temperature hit the blessed 340° and now you're swearing like it's a prayer, oven mitt hand clasping the pot handle and pouring and hoping it didn't actually burn and-

-

The candies last until 8 PM this year.

He watches you hand the last one over to a kid dressed like some vaguely tropey children's superhero, watches that soft smile slowly warning whatever chill leeches in from the open door.

A wave and a nod to the child's mother later, you slowly shut the door, grin lingering still moments later. You turn to him, that determined gleam in your eye, and say, "We're making more next year."

Tendou laughs. "Fuck no."

But then you smile again, and he knows he can't say no, and, internally, he's already working on a timeline to get all the candy ready by the 31st.

And for some reason, the only thing he can think of is the we in your statement, and it cuts right into his heart faster than a knife as you pull him close and the words just seem to slip out faster than a well-greased cake pan.

-

"I love you."

-

"I love you too."

-

(A/N: Happy Halloween, nerds. Nowwww back to hiatus)

[golchaworld]

I’m Just Too Scared to Lose (And I Know You Are Too) | C. YJ

➳ pairing: campus player!yeonjun x female reader

➳ genre: college!au, angst

➳ word count: ~5.2k

➳ warnings: non-descriptive depictions of sex, cursing, bi!yeonjun (not a warning but just in case), partially set in a nursing home

➳ summary: you hate that your mind stays wrapped around a lover who doesn’t love you.

A/N: And we’re back w this fic! I’m actually super excited to have this finished. I hope y’all enjoy pt. 2 as much as you enjoyed pt. 1! Title once again is from “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” by KYLE. As always feel free to leave comments and/or feedback. My ask box is always open :)

Part One

Yeonjun’s hand presses firmly into your thigh, keeping it hitched around his waist.  His other arm is propped near your head, caging you in between him and the bed.  His bicep bulges with the effort of keeping himself up, but he doesn’t pay it any mind.

A warm forehead is pressed against yours, the sweat from both of your bodies mingling on your faces.  At this point there’s no more kisses, just bites and whines crossing the small space in between your bodies.

Yeonjun releases a groan, his hips stuttering against yours when you clench around him.  He sneaks a hand between your bodies, rubbing slow circles on your sex that have your eyes rolling back.  After this much time together, he knows exactly how to bring you to your release, every single time.

You tip over the edge with a shout of Yeonjun’s name, subsequently bringing him over the edge as well. He groans deeply into your mouth, capturing your lips in a bruising kiss. He doesn’t pull away until you’ve both come down from your highs. 

Instead of pulling out, Yeonjun stills inside you, forehead still pressed against yours. He’s searching your gaze, his own eyes glassy. The hand that rested on your core traces a path up the side of your body, smoothing over your every curve. 

“I’m going to miss this,” he whispers, as if afraid to scare you off.  I love you.

Your heart crumbles to dust inside your rib cage. 

“I’m going to miss this too.”  You can’t help the slight crack in your voice.  I love you too.

It’s then that Yeonjun pulls out, going through the motions of cleaning you both up as much as possible. When he finally settles back into bed with you, your eyes are drifting shut. Yeonjun just chuckles, pulling you into his chest and placing a sickeningly tender kiss on your temple. 

.        .        .

That was the last time you saw Choi Yeonjun before winter break, and you tell yourself it’s for the better. 

You had told yourself that you were just going over to his dorm to say goodbye, maybe give him a hug. But like always, Yeonjun was irresistible. All he had to do was flash the smirk and you were putty in his hands. 

Just the way he liked it. 

Now you just stare at the ceiling of your childhood bedroom, wondering how Yeonjun has managed to plague your thoughts even now. He lingers around your thoughts like a morning fog, unable to be cleared up, no matter the amount of sunshine. 

It scares you. But more than that, it hurts. It hurts that you won’t see him for a whole month.  It hurts that your mind is so wrapped around someone who isn’t even sparing you a single thought. It hurts that your mind is wrapped around a lover who doesn’t love you.  

Before you had met Yeonjun, you were looking forward to winter break. You were looking forward to being with your family and celebrating the winter holidays. You loved the cold weather contrasted by the warmth of the fireplace and family laughter. 

Now that Yeonjun’s in the picture, everything feels too warm and all too cold at the same time. You want nothing more to get back to campus and be in his dorm again. Your sheets feel like sandpaper on your skin where his sheets feel like silk. Your comforter doesn’t smell like him. Your ceiling doesn’t have those hairline cracks like his does. 

God, he’s not even your boyfriend. 

You try whispering the word out into the emptiness of your bedroom. Boyfriend. It dies on your tongue. Boyfriend. It tastes too bitter. Boyfriend. It doesn’t feel real. 

Because it isn’t real. You hate that you have to keep reminding yourself of it, but at the very least it keeps you humble. Yeonjun isn’t your boyfriend. He’s your friend, you guess. He’s someone who you work with and see around on campus and have sex with sometimes. Bile rises in your throat, leaving a nasty taste in your mouth. 

You don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself, seeing as your dad’s voice rings out throughout the house. He’s calling you for dinner, but you’re not hungry. As much as you want to stay in bed, though, you force yourself to your feet. 

If you can’t be with the one you want to be with, you might as well drown yourself in family. Hopefully, it will make you forget. 

But of course, it doesn’t.

The days pass excruciatingly slowly, no matter how packed they are.  Every family dinner begins to blend together in a whirlwind of too much food and forced laughter.  You feel bad, because your family deserves more from you, but you just can’t bring yourself to move past the ache in the center of your chest.

You ring in the New Year staring at your phone, hoping for a text, a snapchat, something.  It’s pitiful.  Your family counts down with the Ball dropping, yelling and cheering as the New Year arrives.  You just sigh before cheering along with your family.  By the end of the night, you have a headache.

Yeonjun posts on instagram on January 5th, a week before you return back to campus.  It’s a selfie, with him and another boy, both smiling too widely at the camera.  The boy is gorgeous, you have to admit, with round eyes, a sharp nose, and full lips.  But what takes you by surprise is how happy Yeonjun looks.

‘Missed my bb Gyu,’ the caption reads.

Your phone ends up on the floor while you end up face down in your bed, groaning deeply.  Even with your eyes closed, you see green.  Of course Yeonjun is doing fine.  Why wouldn’t he be?

Why aren’t you?

.        .        .

It takes all of your reserve not to go straight to Yeonjun’s dorm when you arrive back on campus.  Instead you calmly return to your own, taking your time unpacking as a means of distracting yourself.  It’s still over all too quickly, and you find yourself checking your phone nervously.  You only have one unread message, but it makes your stomach drop anyways.

‘You back on campus?’

Within a minute, you have your coat and shoes on, checking if you have your dorm key before heading out the door.

Yeonjun’s room is just like how you left it, and you don’t know why you expected it to change in the month you’ve been gone.  You don’t have much time to register any differences before Yeonjun is sweeping you into a deep kiss, pressing your back into the door.  You can’t help but smile at Yeonjun’s eagerness, relieved that you’ve been wanted, at least in some way, over the past month.

Almost no words are exchanged as the two of you go through the motions.  You speak with your bodies instead.  You dig your nails into his back, hard.  I missed you.  Yeonjun bruises your hips with the force of his grip.  I missed you, too.

Your climax has you seeing white, static filling your ears.  Yeonjun seems to go through the same, clutching your body close, nothing but heavy pants leaving his mouth.  It’s not until afterwards, when you’re pulling your clothes back on, when Yeonjun decides to speak.

“It was weird,” he begins.  “Not seeing you for so long.”

You chuckle bitterly.  “I’m sure you had plenty of opportunities to get your dick wet while you were home.”

“I did.”  And there goes the smirk.  “But that’s not what I meant.”

You just roll your eyes, sure that he’s unable to see you.  You try to tie your shoes quickly, needing to leave, but not really knowing why.  The coat you had on when you came in is lost somewhere on the other side of the room, and you rush to look for it.

“Dude, why are you in such a rush?”  Yeonjun questions from his position on the bed.

“You did not just call me ‘dude’ after we just fucked.”

There’s your coat.  You pull it over your shoulders, not caring about how hot it suddenly makes you.

“I’m sorry,”  Yeonjun’s eyebrows hold a deep furrow.  “It’s just...you’re being weird.  You’re normally not so quick to leave.  Plus, I haven’t seen you in forever.  Don’t you want to stay?”

You just shake your head, hand already on the door handle.  “No, it’s okay.  I just have an early class tomorrow.  But I’ll see you at work, okay?”

Yeonjun nods slowly, but you don’t stay long enough to see it.  He sighs when you practically slam the door behind you.  Then it hits him, like a bullet through his right lung.

Tomorrow is Sunday.

.        .        .

One thing you’re actually excited about is getting back to your research position.  You missed the warmth of the nursing home, the busy days, your patients.  As annoying as you found the job in the beginning, you have grown to love it.  You just resent the fact that so much of that has to do with Yeonjun.

Soobin is the first to greet you on the Monday afternoon of your return.  He pulls you into a bear hug, almost knocking you over with his weight.  Hyunjin does the same, albeit much more gently, before asking you a slew of questions about your winter break.  Both of them listen intensely as you tell white lies about the amount of fun you had.

Hyunjin brags about the amount of choreography he made over the break, while Soobin recounts all of the interesting places he napped.  You just roll your eyes, perplexed about how these two could ever be friends.

Before you know it, it’s 10 minutes to your first interview of the day, and you’re quickly excusing yourself.  You scramble to the breakroom, aiming to put the snack that you brought into the refrigerator.  The breakroom is more lively than usual, filled with volunteers catching up with each other before their official shifts start at 1pm.  The sheer amount of mint scrubs in one place is enough to have you uneasy, but when you catch a pair of familiar eyes, your stomach flutters.  

Yeonjun shoots you a soft smile, accompanied with a wave.  His hair is shaggy and soft, ears void of any piercings, and no colored contacts to alter his appearance.  He looks so incredibly soft, and you hate him for it.  You hate how effortly beautiful he is.  You hate how it’s his effortless beauty that made you fall for him.

You wave back, placing your lunchbox in the refrigerator.  Yeonjun’s eyes follow you around the room until you leave, headed to your office.  Once you leave the room, he sighs, turning back to Yeji and Changbin to listen to their stories.

Inside your office, your heart threatens to leap out of your chest.  Every surface is tainted with memories of Yeonjun.  It’s not suffocating, but still omnipresent.  The remnants of him linger like an itch under your skin, a constant reminder of your biggest problem at the moment.

You’re able to disregard it, though, once you begin your actual work.  The interviews fly by in a flurry of misunderstandings and patients dozing off, but by the time it’s all over, you have a smile on your face.  Seeing the residents of the home is easily your favorite part of the job, making you never want to leave when you’re supposed to.

At around 6:30, however, you choose to head back to your dorm, needing to complete some homework for your classes the following day.  You gather up your belongings in your office before heading out.  You stop in your tracks, however, when you see a figure leaning against the wall adjacent to your office door.

“Yeonjun?”

The boy looks disheveled, like he always does after a shift.  His hair is now a tad frizzy, name tag askew.  You would chuckle, if not for the look in his eyes.

“Do you have a moment?”  He questions.  “I think we should talk a little.”

For a moment, you’re quiet, not knowing if you’re ready to have whatever conversation that Yeonjun has planned.  But you eventually nod, opening your office door further to let the boy in.

He makes himself comfortable on one of the small armchairs in the corner of the room, leaving you no choice but to sit opposite him.  While you slip off your coat, he leans forward, propping his elbows on his knees before sighing deeply.  He’s nervous.  The realization alone has you shifting uncomfortably in your seat.

“Are we, like,”  Yeonjun swallows thickly.  “Are we okay?  Ever since break, you’ve been weird.”

You scoff.  “You’ve only seen me once since break.  How would you know I’ve been weird?”

“Only seeing you once in a week and a half is weird.  Did something happen?”

Yeonjun’s eyes are clouded over when he looks at you, a contrast to the sharp, piercing gaze he normally has on you.  You hate that he looks so closed, especially here.  He is always soft and open in the nursing home, and you hate that you have ruined that for him.

“Nothing happened, Yeonjun.  I’ve just been busy.”

“But this is your first day back at work!”  

You can tell Yeonjun doesn’t mean to raise his voice, but it escapes him anyways.  As soon as he realizes, he runs a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated groan.  Your heart swoops at the way a few strands of hair stick out at odd angles. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes.  “I didn’t come here to yell at you.  I’m just...worried, I guess.  It almost feels like you’ve been avoiding me.”

“I clearly haven’t been avoiding you if we had sex the day we both got back to campus.”

Yeonjun rolls his eyes.  “That wasn’t what I meant, and you know it.”

You simultaneously cross your arms across your chest as you cross your legs.  “I don’t know, Yeonjun.  I don’t know what you’re talking about.  We started all of this to just have fun.  Are you saying you’re not having fun anymore?”

Yeonjun’s jaw drops in disbelief.  “Is that seriously what this still is to you?  Just having fun?”

You furrow your eyebrows, not understanding what the boy across from you is getting at.  It doesn’t sound like the Yeonjun you know.  The Yeonjun you know would run the opposite way of something more.  He wouldn’t complain about not seeing a hook up after a while.  He would just move on to the next one.

So you’re confused why this Yeonjun sounds so hung up.  Why is this Yeonjun so hurt?

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

You find yourself reaching to take back the words the minute they leave your mouth, but your efforts are futile.  Yeonjun just stares at you.  While his eyes were once clouded over, now they are icy.  His stare holds an astounding clarity, causing a shiver to run up your spine.

“You’re right,”  Yeonjun bites out.  “It shouldn’t be anything more.  Let’s just stick to having fun.  That’s what we do best, right?”

You don’t get a chance to redeem yourself before the boy is standing, swiftly exiting your office, and shutting the door harshly behind himself.  Instantly, you deflate.

What the hell just happened?

.        .        .

The next time you see Yeonjun, he’s littered with hickies.  None of them were left by you.

Yeonjun leaves the first party of the semester with a busty girl named Eunha, not even sparing you a glance on his way out.

You see Yeonjun flirting with a boy in the library a few days later.  He never meets your eyes, even when he catches you staring.

Yeonjun barely greets you when he sees you in the nursing home.  He just gives you a small nod, one that passes for cordiality, but you know he’s being stiff.

Yeonjun never comes to remind you that your shift is over, or that you haven’t eaten.  You find yourself routinely missing dinner as a result.

.        .        .

Three weeks after your last conversation with Yeonjun, the nursing home is decorated with warm shades of red and pink to commemorate the upcoming Valentine’s Day.  It’s a little overkill, the way they ask you to put up a string of origami hearts on your office door.  Even the volunteers have begun to put heart stickers on their nametags.

Mint green and red is a terrible color combination.

Honestly, the whole ordeal makes you a bit queasy.  There’s something so off-putting about having to celebrate a holiday when you feel like utter shit.  It’s even worse to celebrate a holiday of love when your feelings are a mess--an unfixable mess, at that.

When you check out at the end of your shift on an odd Wednesday, Soobin cocks his head cutely, making the heart headband he wears shift slightly.

“You’re leaving pretty early today,” he comments.  “Everything alright?”

You sigh, not even knowing where to begin.  “I’m just really tired.”

Soobin nods, eyes flickering between you and the computer screen in front of him.  The checkout process is always more complicated than it needs to be, and you find yourself leaning against the front desk in the meantime.

Soobin begins to say something, but is cut off when a figure sidles up next to you.  A quick glance in your peripheral vision has you knowing exactly who it is, and you resent the fact that Hyunjin went home early.  

“Hey Yeonjun,”  Soobin beams.  “Do you need to be checked out too?”

“I can wait.  You can finish up with Y/N first.”

Yeonjun’s voice sounds smaller than usual.  It has a soft rasp to it, a result of evident exhaustion.  Even though you don’t let yourself look, you know Yeonjun’s hair is frizzy.  You wonder if his name tag is upside down like it usually is at this time.

It’s impossible not to be hyper aware of his presence.  The slight heat he radiates from his body is comforting, felt every time his shoulder ever-so-slightly brushes against yours.  It would be so easy for him to slide an arm around your waist.  It would be easy for him to touch you ever so slightly.  It would be easy for him to whisper in your ear and tell you that he misses you.

But he doesn’t.

You want to initiate it, to be the first to look, touch, talk, but something holds you back.  It’s evident that you’re the last of Yeonjun’s concerns, so maybe you should just let it go.  Maybe you should just hold your head up high and try your hardest not to cross paths with him again.  But something is wrong with that.  Something feels so wrong about letting go.

“Alright, Y/N,”  Soobin’s voice rings out.  “You’re all set.  See you tomorrow.”

You smile, albeit a little forced, while waving to the boy behind the desk.  You don’t spare a glance to the figure on your right before exiting the nursing home.

It’s only when you feel the cold air on your face do you let out the breath you didn’t know you were holding.  You find yourself breathing deeply, attempting to calm yourself, but it’s no use.  Tears quickly form in your eyes, welling up until they overflow with the slight breath of wind.

You keep moving, though, walking to the bus stop with tears flowing down your cheeks.  You know that you must look like a mess, hyperventilating as you walk, with trails of makeup sliding down your face.  But you can’t find it in yourself to care.

You can’t even think, let alone bring yourself to wipe at your eyes.  You just feel.  You feel the harsh air on your face, feel your lungs working at maximum capacity, feel your heart clench in pain.

It takes 142 seconds for the bus to come (you count).  You don’t hesitate to get on, breathing having slowed down.  The tears keep coming, though, seemingly unwilling to stop.  When you see your reflection in the bus window, you let out a bitter chuckle.  You look awful.

You settle into your seat, taking a chance to lean your head against the adjacent window.  The glass is cool on your face, a contrast to your heated cheeks.  Taking a deep breath, you let your shoulders sag, ridding your body of the tension it carried while crying.

It feels so unlike you to cry without warning.  You’ve never really allowed yourself to break down like that in public, and as much as you’d like to pretend you don’t know why, you know Yeonjun has something to do with it.

The short bus ride to campus is spent with you looking out of the window, trying to find a way to calm your tears.  Eventually, they cease, but the ache in your core is still there.  Hurt pulses throughout your abdomen, rising up your throat and spreading throughout your head.  You need an Advil.

When you finally make it to your dorm, you sigh, feeling blessed that you have a single, and no roommate there to bother you.  You toe off your work heels at the door, hanging your coat on a hook next to the light switch.  Your bag drops from your hand with a small thud, its contents rattling with the force of its fall.

With your dress still on, makeup trails covering your face, and your phone in your hand, you flop down face first on the bed.  You’re content to fall asleep like this, not caring about the possible acne you’ll have when you wake up in the morning or the discomfort of your dress.  Even if your phone is dead in the morning, it doesn’t matter, because you feel as though if you don’t go to sleep, you’re going to lose your mind.

Just as you feel the tendrils of sleep wrap around your body, your phone buzzes in your hand.  You groan into the mattress, kicking at it like a toddler throwing a tantrum.  When you finally turn to look at the text message, your heart skips a beat.

‘I saw you crying,’ Yeonjun’s text reads.

You scoff, not even wanting to reply.  Just as you’re about to turn the phone back over, though, it buzzes again.  Yeonjun’s second text forces a shuddering breath out of you.

‘Let’s talk.  My dorm after work on Friday?’

You don’t answer.

.        .        .

Yeonjun looks surprised when you show up at his door on Friday night.  He’s still in his scrubs, hair unkempt.  His pouty lips form a small ‘o’ that reflects his emotions perfectly.  In all honesty, you’re just as surprised.

“I didn’t think you would come,” Yeonjun breathes out.

You nod, side stepping the boy to enter the small dorm room.  “Neither did I.”

Yeonjun closes the door behind you, watching you trek further into his room.  Making yourself comfortable on his desk chair, you look at him expectedly.  It takes all of your resolve not to outwardly coo at the furrow in between his eyebrows.

“So, um, how have you been?”

You scoff, baffled at his question. “You called me all the way here to ask me how I’ve been?”

“Is it such a sin to care about how you’ve been doing?” Yeonjun looks at you with equal amounts of disbelief. 

“I just don’t understand why. Why do you care?”

Yeonjun’s mind screams at him to just spit it out, to confess. He wants nothing more than to tell you how he feels, but something’s wrong. Something about you feels wrong, and it’s the first time Yeonjun has ever found himself admitting that. 

Eventually, the boy sighs, dropping down to sit on his bed. “Can you just answer the question? Have you been alright? Soobin told me your hours have been really irregular.”

Your gaze drops down to the hands you have folded in your lap. “I’ve just been having trouble keeping track of time recently.”

The way Yeonjun looks at you has your stomach churning.  It’s evident that he’s pondering something, tripping over words in his head to arrive at a question that he can’t ask.  His eyes are clear and sharp, but not exactly icy.  He’s uncomfortable, but your presence isn’t unwanted.

It’s not long before Yeonjun sighs, running a hand through his already messy hair.  “Y/N, what the hell are we doing?”

You instantly deflate at the question.  “I don’t know.”

And truly, you don’t know.  You don’t know how you and Yeonjun have gone from being strangers to friends to lovers and back to strangers in the span of six months.  You don’t know why you can’t move on.  You don’t know why you didn’t just keep your distance like you promised yourself to do freshman year.

Yeonjun’s face melts into a subtle frown, pouty lips turning downwards as silence lingers between you two.  The clarity in his eyes is momentarily clouded over, but it returns just as quickly as it left.  He shifts on the bed, pulling his knees into his chest.

“Honestly, Yeojun,” you start, voice surprisingly strong.  “I don’t even know what went wrong.  Things were fine, and then we left for break.  When we came back, everything was different.”

Yeonjun’s eyes glimmer with something wet.  Fear?  Hope?  “What was different?”  He asks softly.

“That’s what I don’t know.”  You sigh frustratedly.  “You kept trying to talk and I just kept wondering what there was to talk about.”

“Things felt different, but you didn’t have anything to say?”

Yeonjun’s voice has an annoyed lilt to it that takes you aback.  It wasn’t often that Yeonjun got angry, and it was almost never at you.  You can see now that maybe he has had reason to be.  Maybe Yeonjun is angry with you.  The thought alone scares you.

“Are you saying that it’s my fault for wanting to communicate?”

Your eyes widen in disbelief.  “I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault, Yeonjun.  I’m just saying it was a lot and it was confusing and I didn’t understand.  Why are you getting mad?”

“I’m not mad!”  Yeonjun all but yells.  “I just spent so long thinking that I was crazy for thinking that things were different, but you noticed it too.  Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Anger bubbles up within your core, flushing your cheeks.  There’s heat behind Yeonjun’s gaze, leaving you no choice but to match it with your own.

“I didn’t say anything because I was confused!  I just fucking said that.”  And then it hits you.  “Wait, you thought things were different too?”

Color instantly rises to Yeonjun’s cheeks, and you recognize it as embarrassment rather than anger.  He raises a hand to scratch at the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Of course I did.”

And then there’s silence.  You can hear the sounds of chatter from the hallways.  Somewhere from down the hall, someone flushes a toilet.  A bed creaks next door.  Yeonjun isn’t looking at you, but you’re looking right at him.

You laugh.  You can’t help the rising feeling, and eventually you let full-bellied laughter bubble out of your throat.  It’s too loud for the room, jarring in fact.  Yeonjun’s gaze snaps directly to you, a strong furrow taking hold in between his eyebrows.

“Is that funny to you?”  Even though there’s heat behind Yeonjun’s words, it’s evident that he’s more confused than anything.

“This is hilarious.”  You continue to laugh, forcing out your words between breaths.  “Yeonjun, we’re both idiots.”

“What do you mean?” “If you felt like things were different, and I felt like things were different, then things were different!”

Yeonjun looks at you like you sprouted another head.  “What does that even mean?”

Eventually your laughter subsides, allowing you to look at Yeonjun clearly.  He’s still confused, made obvious by the furrow he still holds between his brows.  His pout is deep, and you want to kiss him so badly, but you stay glued to your seat.

“If I’m not mistaken, it means that neither of us wanted to ‘just have fun’ anymore, right?”

Yeonjun shakes his head ‘no’ adorably.

“Then the only thing we have to figure out is what we want.”  You take a breath.  “It’s okay that you don’t want more from me.  We can call this whole thing off, if you want.  I know you don’t do ‘feelings’ or commitment, and you have plenty of people lined up behind me.  I don’t want to get in the way of you pursuing other people.  I won’t take it personally that you don’t want to do this anymore.”

Yeonjun’s jaw drops in disbelief.  “You think I don’t want to do this anymore?”

You nod understandingly.  “I get it.  Maybe you think I got too attached or something, but it’s okay.  We can stop and you can keep doing whatever you want.”

“Y/N, that’s not--”

“It’s okay.”  You cut the boy off, leaving him floundering for words.  “You don’t have to explain.  I don’t want to damage your reputation by assuming some sort of exclusivity or anything.  What started out as ‘just having fun’ got too complicated.  That’s fine.  Let’s just stop.”

“What if I don’t want to stop?”

Yeonjun’s response takes you by surprise.  His eyes are clear and hard set in your direction, the furrow between his brows gone.  His arms are crossed over his chest in a way that’s meant to be assertive, but comes off as insecure.  Yeonjun cocks his head slightly.

“What if the reason I don’t want to have fun is because I want something more?  What if I want exclusivity?”

Your eyes go wide as Yeonjun stands from the bed. 

“Why are you assuming you know that I don’t want this?  That I don’t want you?”

Once again you laugh, this time managing no more than a nervous chuckle.  “Yeonjun, that’s not funny.”

Yeonjun squats in front of you, lowering himself so that you have to look down to meet his eyes.  “I’m not joking.”

“But you don’t--you’re not--you don’t do relationships!”

And it’s true.  The Yeonjun you know doesn’t waste time on exclusivity.  You remember at the end of freshman year when a boy in your economics class, Wooyoung, was crying in the campus Starbucks for four hours straight.  You later heard it was because he and Yeonjun had been sleeping together for some time, but when Wooyoung asked for more, Yeonjun broke his heart.

Clearly, this isn’t that Yeonjun.  You can tell by the way he looks at you.  It’s something akin to  him in the nursing home.  There’s a certain level of fear in his gaze, but there’s also warmth.  There’s care.  Yeonjun cares.  He cares.

It surprises you when Yeonjun’s lips turn up into a small smile.  “Trust me, I also thought I didn’t do relationships.”  He grabs one of your hands, cradling it in between both of his.  “But I think I want to try.  With you.  If that’s what you want too.”

You find yourself unable to do nothing but nod dumbly, still trying to process the boy’s words.  Yeonjun chuckles, standing up from his squat, still cradling your hand gently.

“Is that a yes?”

You let yourself meet his gaze, craning your neck to look up at him.  It’s all openness, eyes a clear and warm brown, slightly glossy at the corners.  You take inventory of his messy hair, his askew name tag that’s decorated with red and pink hearts, and you know.  You know.

“Yes.”

[nayutai]

Bad Boy Bakery

↠ Pairing Yeosang x Female OC

↠ Genre fluffy dirty angst

↠ Word Count 11.806

↠ Warnings infidelity (kinda sorta), mutual pining, unprotected sex, oral (f receiving), foul language, crude jokes, fingering, tattooed yeosang, mentions of criminal activity

↠ Summary Yeosang has a storied past and most of it is documented at the local police station. That’s the past though. These days he’s too busy running a semi-successful bakery with his best friends. After securing an order for the engagement party of well-known socialite Ivy Maxwell, he thinks his business might finally be taking off. He may have bitten off more than he could chew though.

It’s decided. Yeosang is going back to jail. Why he thought hiring the seven other misfits he used to run with to work in his bakery was a good idea he’ll never know. Bad Boy Bakery was supposed to be his way to get his life back on the right track and all these heathens do is test him every single day. He does a quick mental calculation of how much money is stashed around his house and he’s positive he’s got enough to post bail for a simple assault charge, but then again they might try to make an example of him considering his impressive arrest record. With the way he’s being tested at this moment though, he’s willing to spend every penny if it means he gets to beat Mingi into oblivion.

“Mingi, I swear to God if you fuck up another batch of egg whites I’m going to shove that whisk in your ear and beat your brains.” He glares at the clumsy giant vigorously whisking a bowl full of egg whites that already look like they’re begging for mercy. They have to have a full dessert spread ready for an engagement party that’s taking place in less than six hours and Mingi has ruined more eggs than Yeosang is even comfortable counting.

“Man, shut up. I did three years upstate. My arms are too damn strong for this which is exactly why I told your dumb ass to do it.” Everybody groans out loud at having to hear that exact phrase for what has to be the millionth time.

“That was over a year ago and you haven’t lifted anything heavier than a bag of flour ever since. Give it a rest.” Wooyoung garners a round of hearty laughter at his dig, looking quite pleased with himself at successfully bashing his friend.

“I make up for it by jacking off five times a day instead of four now so my point still stands.”

“I hope you wash your hands just as much.” The group of tattooed bakers loudly express their disgust when Mingi gives them nothing but a devious grin in response. Mingi, on the other hand, is phased by neither his friends’ disgust not Yeosang’s bristling anger as he dumps his third attempt at the egg whites into the garbage. So much for third time’s the charm.

Yep, Yeosang is going back to jail. 

Ivy is resigned as she carefully sweeps her brush across both of her cheekbones. The glittery gold of the highlight powder left in its wake perfectly complements the rich sepia tone of her skin. She’s just as precise in the application of her lipstick. Slowly, but surely, painting her lips a deep purple. She sighs as she gives herself a final once over in her vanity mirror. The inky black curls that normally adorn her head like a crown have been forced into straightened submission indicative of her mother’s urge to impress the crowd of people that Ivy can already hear beginning to gather downstairs. Her left hands feels uncomfortably heavy as it has ever since this nightmare first began.

As if sensing her procrastination, Ivy’s mother Yvette comes striding into her daughter’s bedroom. It’s easy to tell how much she’s enjoying playing her mother of the bride role. She hasn’t stopped smiling since Ivy’s engagement to her long-time “boyfriend” was officially announced last month. Needless to say, she’s the only one finding any joy in this situation.

“Ivy, sweetie, hurry up and come downstairs. Everyone is waiting to see you.”

“Yeah, right.” Ivy scoffs in response. “They just want to see this.” Yvette frowns at the way Ivy glares in disdain at the stunning ring adorning her finger.

“Ivy Elaine Peters, you better get it to together right now. Keeping this family business afloat requires sacrifice and its your turn now stop moping and get your narrow ass downstairs.” Her mother disappears back out the door before Ivy can get in a word of her own. Not that it would have mattered. Her fate has been sealed for the past twenty four years.

She slips her feet into the black patent leather pumps still sitting pretty in the box on her canopy bed. The red soled beauties are sure to provide more status than comfort, but such is life. Ivy gives herself one final pep talk, smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles in her slip dress. She looks more like a fashionable mourner than a blushing bride but this is her silent protest. She’ll make her damn sacrifice but she’ll dig her heels in wherever she can.

Ivy quickly spots her fiancee Seokjin cracking jokes with a few of her cousins near the front door. He beams at her when he catches her eye across the room, breaking away to come greet her. Not for the first time, Ivy wonders why she couldn’t just fall in love with him to make this whole process easier. Their families have known each other longer than they’ve both been alive so they grew up as best friends. Plus, Seokjin is genuinely a great guy. He’s charismatic, kind, and attractive to the point of unfairness. She has no doubt that he’d make a fantastic husband for someone. She just wishes that she wasn’t that someone. The only positive is that Seokjin feels the exact same way. He loves Ivy to pieces in the most platonic way possible. She’s quite possibly the last person he would ever consider marrying, but business is business and this is a merger that must be made.

“You look absolutely stunning, Vee.” She smiles gratefully at his compliment as he bends slightly to kiss her on the cheek. A camera flashes somewhere off to her right so she makes sure to play her happiness up for the photographer. With the combined notoriety of their families, any pictures taken tonight are sure to be all over the local and regional news outlets by morning.

“I could say the same about you, Jinnie.” The tips of his ears turn red as they always do whenever anyone compliments him. Ivy giggles playfully when he ducks the hand reaching up to tweak on of them like she always does, choosing instead to square up like he’s ready for a fight. Oh, Jin, ever the entertainer. The numerous peals of laughter that erupt around the couple as they take turns jabbing at each other like children tells her that their antics are paying off.

The two imposters spend the night putting on one hell of a show. Anyone would be hard pressed to find someone that didn’t think they’re madly in love with one another. Their parents couldn’t be more ecstatic about this outcome if they tried. 

Everyone is seated at the lavishly decorated tables set up in the backyard as an army of waiters replaces empty entree plates with various cakes and tarts that look almost too delectable to eat. The cheesecake placed in front of Ivy looks nearly too beautiful to eat. Topped with fresh berries and drizzled in what smells like some sort of hazelnut sauce. She wishes she hadn’t left her cellphone upstairs so that she could take a quick picture of it for her instagram. When she finally gets over her reluctance, she take a small bite. A borderline pornographic moan escapes her lips, catching Jin way off guard.

“What the hell wa-” Ivy cuts him off by shoving a forkful of the cheesecake into his open mouth. He groans in pleased delight, attempting to go in with his own fork for another bite, but she quickly slaps his hand away.

“Let me taste yours. Bite for a bite.” She pretends not to notice him sneaking another bite of her cheesecake while she tastes the chocolate tart in front of him. A hint of red chili lends a kick that perfectly rounds out the sweetness of the chocolate and the fresh whipped cream the dessert is topped in.

“I don’t know what bakery they used but we need to get them to do the cake for the wedding.” Jin declares as he practically inhales the chocolate tart. He signals the waiter to bring them two more for them to try while Ivy hums in agreement at his side. She makes a mental note to ask her mother who was hired to do the desserts tomorrow as she happily digs into the coconut cream cake being set in front of her.

Yeosang stares in awe at the payment he’s just received for the engagement party they’d done three days ago. His bakery has been faring better than most businesses do in their first year but the deposit currently pending with the bank is going to go a long way in making sure it stays that way. They had even sent two grand more than the $1,800 that the contract had stipulated. Yeosang had called immediately to make sure it wasn’t an accounting error because the last thing he wants is to be accused of stealing, but he’d been informed by the woman who had arranged the deal that her employers had been so satisfied with the food they wanted to “tip” him. Rich people are different.

He leaves his small office to clean up a little while it’s slow. He had let everyone else go early since there were no big orders to work on and Tuesdays are notorious dead zones. The bell above the door tinkles lightly as he cleans some wayward chocolate curls out of one of the display cases, cursing to himself because he’d told Seonghwa that he put too many but of course no one listens to him. Doesn’t matter that he signs those lazy bastards’ pay checks every week.

“Hello, how can I help you?” The young woman before him fidgets with the tie on her wrap dress inadvertently drawing Yesoang’s gaze to the womanly curves she possesses. The emerald green of the fabric highlights the warm undertones of her skin in a way that should definitely be illegal.

“My mother’s assistant told me that you did the desserts for my engagement party last night.” Yeosang curses mentally as he finally takes notice of the skating rink sitting on her left ring finger. He misses most of what she says next but tunes back in just in time to hear her ask if he’s available to do her wedding cake as well.

“What’s the date?” He questions, all business now that more money is on the table.

“September 9th. It’s going to be at the old vineyard across town.” 

Yeosang nods in acknowledgment. He pencils her in and schedules a day in two weeks for her to come back with her fiancee to do a tasting and make final selections for the other desserts they’d like to have. Ivy is turning to leave when she catches sight of a full-sized version of the cheesecake she’d fallen in love with at the party.

“How much is that cheesecake?” 

Yeosang follows her outstretched index finger to the hazelnut berry cheesecake that he’d come up with. It had taken him ages to perfect but hasn’t really taken off like he thought it would. Nevertheless, he makes sure to put one in the display case every day and he’s glad that he did.

“It’s $6 per slice. Did you want one?”

“How much for the whole thing?” Yeosang notices that she has yet to take her eyes off of the dessert.

“I’ll do $35 for you, beautiful.” For a second, he thinks that he may have overstepped his boundaries but she simply reaches into her bra to pull out a flashy, black card. The credit limit on that thing would probably pay off the loan on his storefront and then some. 

He tries not to focus on how warm it is when she places it into his outstretched hand. He could’ve sworn that she intentionally let her fingers graze his own in a less than professional way. Yeosang shakes the thought away as that can only lead to trouble. He packs her cheesecake up while she signs the credit card receipt.

“Have a great day,” Yeosang pauses to look at the signature line of the receipt. “…Ivy.”

“Right back at you.” She winks at him playfully and sashays outside to her car. Yeosang’s eyes are trained on her until she’s seated in her seated in the black Audi he’s just now noticing was parked across the street.

Ivy calls Jin the second she steers her car back onto the road, waiting patiently for him to answer. She’s practically vibrating from the few minutes she’d spent with…fuck she’d forgotten to get his name but there is plenty of time for that. One thing she’s sure she’ll never forget is how hot he is. Ivy would’ve never guessed that she’d be attracted to someone with quite so many tattoos but on him they had looked like priceless works of art worthy of being placed in the Louvre.

“Hey, Vee, what’s up?”

“Two things. One, the bakery that did the desserts for the engagement party agreed to do the wedding.” Ivy curses at a slow driver that cuts her off at an intersection, losing her train of thought for a second.

“And the second thing?” Jin presses. 

“Oh, I’m going to fuck the owner.” A thrill shoots through as she imagines those tattooed hands roaming every inch of her skin. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat as her body reacts to her impure thoughts. 

“Absolutely love that for you. What’s his name?” Of course he asks her the one question that she doesn’t know the answer to. She rolls her eyes skyward as Jin starts talking shit when he realizes that she didn’t ask her new crush his name.

“I hate you.” She pouts as she turns onto her street. “We have a tasting scheduled for the 17th so I’ll ask him then. I’m almost home so I’ll text you later.”

“Smell ya later.” Oh what she’d give to flip him off right now. 

The smile on her face when Ivy walks inside her parents’ house is genuine despite the fact that she’s spent all day doing wedding preparations which normally leaves her in a foul mood. Her high spirits don’t go unnoticed by her mother who is in the backyard pruning her orchids.

“What’s got you so happy?”

“The bakery that did the desserts for the engagement party agreed to do the wedding too. Also,” Ivy lifts the box holding God’s favorite cheesecake in the air. “he gave me a deal on the cheesecake that we liked.”

“Are you serious? He said that he was booked up the entire week of your wedding.” Ivy is a bit taken aback as he had specifically told her that he would be available, but she shrugs it off.

“Maybe he had a cancellation. Do want some cheesecake? This is your only offer because I fully plan to eat the whole thing right now.” Her mother tosses her pruning shears back into the box she keeps them in and follows Ivy into the kitchen where they make quick work of the heavenly dessert.

“Yeosang you fucking dumbass. How are we supposed to do a wedding and an anniversary party in the same damn day? Explain it to me.” Yeosang almost flinches when Yunho yells at him. He can’t think of a time the man has ever raised his voice before now and he’s known him since they were three. Not one to accept disrespect, Yeosang would normally react with anger of his own but even he has to admit that thinking with his dick has put them all in a bind. A socialite wedding and an anniversary party with a guest list longer than his body on the same day is going to take a miracle to pull off. 

“Listen these rich people gave us two grand more than they were supposed to as a fucking tip. If they had asked me to get ass naked and let people eat pineapple rings off my dick I would’ve said yes.”

“She had big tits didn’t she?” Jongho typically stays out of their petty arguments but he knows bullshit when he hears it.

“Yes, but,” The room erupts into a cacophony of groans as they all simultaneously throw the closest object at hand Yeosang’s hand. Luckily for him he’s always been quick on his feet. “What’s done is done you fuckwads so get over it and start mixing. We still have orders to fill.”

All eight of them are covered in flour from their frantic baking when they hear the bell jingling up front. Hongjoong happens to be the only one able to immediately stop what he’s doing so he washes his hands and goes to attend to the customer. Yeosang nearly falls backwards off of his stool when he hears the voice of the woman that had put them in such a bind. Wooyoung and San exchange curious glances before they wipes their hands on the front of their aprons and head up front as well. Yeosang feels like his stomach is going to fall out of his ass as one by one they all abandon their posts. 

“Satan, why are you doing this to me?”

There’s no reason for him to stay in the back like a coward so he follows suit, wiping his hands and going to the front counter as well. They’re all squished together behind the counter trying to get as close to her as possible. Yeosang shoulders his way between Jongho and Seonghwa and he finally understands why they all look like lovestruck school boys. He finds himself looking just as dopey as his friends when she turns that megawatt smile on him. She’s dressed a lot more casually today in a pair of jeans that had to have been painted on and a plain white baby tee. The little jewel glittering in her belly button looks like its winking at him and he has the overwhelming urge to flick it with his tongue. 

“Another cheesecake?” He nods his head towards the box cradled in her hands. She looks sheepish at being caught out. Yeosang thinks it’s cute.

“In my defense, it’s tasty as hell.”

“Just make sure you tell everyone where you got it.” He winks at her playfully which was an incredibly bad idea. She sinks her teeth into her plump lower lip and he knows immediately that despite the massive rock on her finger he would still make a move on her. Time to leave before he does something stupid.

“Alright you lazy sacks of shit, back to work.” They protest just as he’d expected but he pushes them all back towards the kitchen, rolling his eyes as they try to resist him.

“Hey, wait!” Yeosang shouldn’t have turned around. He should’ve kept going as if he hadn’t even heard her, but no, he just has to have manners. She’s propped herself up against the counter that makes her breasts nearly pop out of the scoop neck line of her shirt. “What’s your name?”

“Yeosang.” She repeats it back to him, testing it out on her tongue. Her voice curls around the syllables lusciously and he could die right where he stood. At this point, he’s convinced that she’s made it her life’s mission to ruin him.

Ivy is quick to call Jin when she gets back to her car which seems to be the norm every time she goes to the bakery. She knows that he’s going to make fun of her for being so excited, but she can’t exactly tell her other friends about the hot, tattooed bakery owner that she plans to screw so she’ll suffer the consequences. At least now she actually knows his name so he can’t hold that over her head anymore.

The 17th has finally rolled around which means Ivy has another opportunity to draw Yeosang into her trap. Jin currently sits cross-legged on the bed in his guest room where Ivy had spent the previous night as she models her potential outfit for the day. The yellow slip dress has potential, but Jin isn’t totally impressed. He sends her back into the closet to try on one of her other options. She reappears in a fiery orange tank top tucked into a pair of lightly distressed white jeans.

“Your ass looks great in the jeans so that’s a definite yes, but I’m not really feeling this shirt.” Jin comments as Ivy does a slow turn in front of him. He crosses the room to his closet to help her go through the clothes she’d brought with her to see what her other options are. He eventually helps her settle on a simple black tank top that perfectly molds to the curves of a figure.

“Alright let’s go eat some cake and hopefully get your cakes smashed.” Jin remarks as he herds Ivy towards the door. 

When they arrive at the bakery, Yeosang has just finished putting out the tasting plates that he’d prepared. Jin is too focused on the fact that he gets to eat cake before lunch without anyone scolding him for it to notice the way that Yeosang’s face falls when he sees him walking in with Ivy. She doesn’t miss it though. Nevertheless, he reaches out to introduce himself.

“Yeosang. Nice to meet you.” Jin reciprocates his greeting before pulling out a chair for Ivy to sit down in. 

Things are all business from there on as Yeosang slides the first cake towards them and Ivy has never been more disappointed in her entire life. Gone is the Yeosang that called her beautiful and responded well to her flirting. She blames Jin. 

“So this first one is a spiced vanilla cake with a raspberry cream cheese frosting with a little orange zest.” Ivy is so focused on the way Yeosang’s lips are moving that Jin has to elbow her to bring her back to reality. She sheepishly accepts the fork that she hadn’t realized was being presented to her to taste the masterpiece in front of her. 

As they talk about what they like and don’t like about the cake, Yeosang hands them each a scoring cards to rank their favorites. Regardless of the way she feels about him on a personal level, Ivy has to admit that Yeosang is incredibly good at what he does. He was able to take her obsession with his cheesecake and come up with such interesting cake options. She’d been slightly concerned that he hand’t asked for her likes or dislikes in terms of taste, but as they move from cake to cake she realizes that he didn’t need to. Everything tastes amazing. It’s no surprise that each cake receives the highest score possible on their scoring cards. Deciding which one to go with is going to be hell.

“If you don’t let me have the spiced vanilla one we tried first I am calling off this engagement and marrying Yeosang instead of you.” Ivy stands corrected. Yeosang chuckles lowly at Jin’s enthusiasm and the throaty sound sends a shiver down her spine. It’s unfair just how effortlessly attractive he is.

“Okay folks, let’s talk decorations.” Yeosang reaches to his right, pulling a sketch pad from the empty chair next to him. His hand loosely grips a pencil as he waits for Ivy and Jin to throw some ideas at him. Ivy would prefer to throw herself at him instead, but someone how she manages to focus her brain on cake design.

Both Ivy and Jin agree on the fact that they want something simple, but beyond that they have clue what they want. Yeosang busts out a quick sketch of a three tier cake with fondant branches bearing dogwood flowers climbing the height of it. When he presents the rough drawing to them, Ivy immediately falls in love. Thankfully, Jin agrees because she was prepared to fight him over this. They spend a little while longer picking out other desserts for people who don’t want or can’t have cake, but all too soon Yeosang is watching the happy couple disappear from his shop. 

The six months until the wedding seem to blend together. Business has picked up significantly in the previous weeks which has been good for Yeosang in more ways than one. The extra cashflow has allowed him to get ahead on some bills while also giving everybody a bit of a raise. According to Seonghwa, who is primarily in charge of the front counter since accidentally slicing his hand open, a lot of the new customers have been big names in the community that are connected to Ivy or her family in one way or another. The woman in question often stops in for a cheesecake. She always asks to speak to Yeosang, claiming to have questions about the wedding though he gets the feeling that she really just wants to talk to him. Every day it gets harder and harder to resist her flirtatious advances. He refuses to be a casual fling for some bored rich girl no matter how much his dick begs him to. Especially one with rapidly approaching nuptials.

Yeosang has never been a very spiritual person, but when he gets the call that the anniversary party he’d scheduled Ivy’s wedding over had been cancelled due to the wife having the flu, he knows that some divine being is looking out for him. He had planned to do his best, but with only one more week left to prepare he was still very unsure of how he was going to pull off two events of that scale in one day. The husband Johnathan Tooney, current district attorney in the next county over, sounds shocked on the phone when he offers them a full refund despite the fact that his contracts states that customers are only entitled to a fifty percent refund of any money paid if the event is cancelled the week of. Most of his customers pay half upfront and the remaining half afterwards, but they had chosen to pay for everything up front. Something Yeosang had greatly appreciated as it was a $2,600 job. Ultimately, Mr. Tooney tells him not to as they intend to reschedule the party as soon as his wife is feeling better and would still like for him to provide the desserts they’d contracted for.

The guys are all equally relieved when Yeosang delivers the news of the anniversary party’s cancellation. Things are smooth sailing from there as they throw all of their focus and energy into making sure that everything will be ready for the wedding next weekend. Not surprisingly, Ivy doesn’t make an appearance in the bakery that week, but what is surprising is that Yeosang finds himself actually missing her presence. Despite his avoidance of all her flirting, he actually likes talking to Ivy whenever she comes in. She may be a bored rich girl but her mind is just as captivating as the rest of her.

On the day of the ceremony, Yeosang is uncharacteristically antsy. He’s not sure what it is but he can’t seem to sit still no matter what he does. He’s itching to get this day over with so Mingi can buy him the beer he owes him. Wooyoung scolds him for being distracted when he almost drops one of the cake tiers on his way to load it into one of the delivery vans. No one has to vocalize just how disastrous that would’ve been because they all know but missing an opportunity to call people out on their shit is just not in Wooyoung’s nature.

“Look, I know you’re feeling some type of way because your crush is marrying a pretty boy that’s not you but I’m going to need you to at least pretend that you still want to get paid for this job.” Yeosang nods in acknowledgment because while he doesn’t like being yelled at like a child even he knows that he’s got to get his shit together and quickly. 

“Notice how he didn’t deny his crush on cheesecake girl though.” San pipes up as he hops into the drivers seat of the van. Everyone snickers, switching to full on laughter when Yeosang flips them all off.

Thankfully, the reception goes off without a hitch. The wait staff helps set up the extensive dessert table to save on time and it comes out just as Yeosang had envisioned it. He snaps a few pictures for the bakery’s website before they leave venue. Ivy and Jin had extended invitations to Yeosang and his staff to stay for the reception, but they’d all politely declined. They’re on their way out of the service entrance when one of the girls on the wait staff runs out with two giant paper bags in her hands. Apparently, Ivy had included enough meals in her catering package to feed the vendors that would be in the building on her big day which coincidentally included Yeosang and his gang of merry bakers. They’re all taken aback by the thoughtfulness of the gesture as Yeosang accepts the bags from the staff member who quickly runs back inside the dining hall.

“Cheesecake girl is a fucking saint.” Mingi hardly ever garners emphatic agreement from the rest of his friend group but today is one of those rare occasions.

Business continues as normal following the wedding. Product is flying out of the display case. Catering orders are still coming in left and right. Ivy still stops in once a week for a cheesecake and to flirt with Yeosang. The guys still tease him for his crush on said married woman. Everything is normal.

Until it’s not.

Jin looks like freshly printed money when he strolls into Bad Boy Bakery for the first time since the cake tasting all those months ago. The silver band on his ring finger glitters even in the fluorescent lighting. Yeosang is finishing up his closing routine when he hears the bell and emerges from his office.

“Seokjin?” The manila folder clasped in the other man’s hands makes Yeosang nervous. The last time someone in a suit approached him with a manila folder he was being presented with a plea deal and ended up doing ten months in jail for assault and grand larceny.

“We need to talk. I’ll wait for you to finish up.” Jin takes a seat at an empty table and hums to himself as he waits for Yeosang to join him.

He doesn’t have to wait long for the young business owner to emerge from his office with his keys and a denim jacket in hand. The mischievous smile on Jin’s face makes him uneasy, but he’s no bitch. Yeosang steels his nerves and schools his facial expression into one of bland indifference. He arches an eyebrow when Jin slides the folder across the table and produces a pen from the breast pocket of his suit jacket. The folder may as well be a poisonous spider with the way Yeosang refuses to touch it. 

“Whatever you think it is, I promise it’s not that.” Yeosang stares Jin down for a few seconds, looking for anything at all that would suggest he should end this whole interaction right now. He doesn’t find it.

With a resigned sigh, Yeosang flips through the contents of an envelope. He shoots Jin a look when he realizes that he’s currently skimming over a nondisclosure agreement. It looks to be focused around Ivy and Jin’s marriage. The word arranged jumps out him a few times and his eyes nearly bug out of his head. The agreement is vague on the finer details but Yeosang is comfortable enough with what he’s read to quickly scrawl his name at the bottom of the last page. Jin signs his name as witness and neatly tucks everything back into the manila folder.

“Now that we have that out of the way.” Jin relaxes back into the chair and fiddles with his wedding band. “Ivy likes you. She’ll never admit that because she’s stubborn but she likes you and wants you fold her like a towel.”

“Wait, wait, wait, are you saying that your wife wants to have sex with me? How are you okay with this?” Yeosang has always loved forbidden fruit but ruining relationships was the old him. He doesn’t know what to do with this information. Furthermore, he can’t imagine being married to someone like Ivy and being okay with her sleeping with someone else.

“That’s where the NDA comes in.” Yeosang sits in stunned silence as Jin gives him the true behind the scenes story about he and Ivy’s marriage and it’s nothing like the best friends to lovers trope that they’ve fed to society. Well, he guesses the best friend part is true, but they’ve definitely never been anything close to lovers and never will be. They’re simply holding up their end of a decades-old business deal. According to Jin, he and Ivy have already devised a plan to be divorced in a year.

“So,” Yeosang is a bit unsure on how to proceed. This is uncharted territory. “what exactly are you saying to me?”

“Stop feeling bad about wanting to fuck Ivy and just do it. She’s driving me insane at home talking about how hot you are all the time and I can’t take it anymore. She’s out of cheesecake so she’ll be in here within the next couple of days so make your move. Discreetly.” 

Yeosang lays in bed that night still shocked at everything he’s learned today. His mind and body have been at war over what he believes to be right and what his body craves. He’d love nothing more than to worship Ivy from head to toe and before today it had been a pipe dream. Now that he’s been given the green light, he’s still conflicted. It feels too good to be true. But he plans to take full advantage of all the good that comes his way until shit decides to hit the fan.

Ivy gives herself a final once over in the mirror. Her outfit is simple. Just a black bodycon dress paired with a denim jacket and her red converse. According to Jin, she should look like she’s making an effort but not too much of one. She’s hoping that this will do the trick as she grabs for her keys and purse, stuffing her phone into the latter as she waits for the elevator to reach the ground floor. 

She wants to call Jin for some last minute encouragement on the way over, but he’s being a boring businessman today and is in the middle of a meeting. Ivy is totally on her own and she’s panicking. Hopefully, Yeosang finds her nervousness cute enough to overlook the awkwardness.

When Ivy enters the bakery, one of Yeosang’s friends is manning the counter. A gentle giant with a kind smile. She remembers that his name also starts with a Y like Yeosang’s but she can’t put her finger on exactly what it is.

“Hey, cheesecake girl!” Ivy rolls her eyes humorously at the nickname the other guys in the bakery have given her. She can’t help that the damned cheesecake tastes as good as it does. Before the wedding, she’d had to up her trips to the gym from zero to one just to make sure she’d  still be able to fit into her dress on her wedding day.

Her heart drops a little when she scans the display case but sees no sign of the dessert that her soul craves. Yunho laughs are disappointment before disappearing into the kitchen. He returns with a box, smiling at the way her eyes light up. 

“Yeosang is with the other guys on a job, but he said you’d be in today so he boxed it up before he left.” He slides the box across the glass countertop into her waiting hands. Ivy digs in her purse for her card to pay for the cheesecake, but Yunho is quick to stop her.

“This one’s on the house. Boss’ orders.” Ivy is a bit taken aback. Hand frozen in her purse. Yeosang makes sure that she always pays a discount rate for her cheesecake, but she’s never gotten one for free before. 

“Oh…okay. Well, have a good day.” 

It isn’t until she gets back to Jin’s place — well she guesses it’s her place now too — that she realizes why Yeosang had decided to pre-package her cheesecake this time. A phone number is scrawled on the inside of the lid with a quick message from Yeosang asking her to call him. She squeals as frantically scrambles to pull her phone from the recesses of her bag. Yunho had told her that Yeosang was out on a job so she texts him instead of calling so as not to disturb him. 

She is happily digging her fork into a second piece of cheesecake when Ivy randomly recalls something weird that Jin had said this morning when he left for work. She was still half asleep and barely human, but now here she sits at the dining room table replaying the strange sentence that her brain had decided to finally comprehend.

Don’t forget to call the baker.

Ivy hadn’t been in the right headspace to question it then, but now that the puzzle pieces are clicking into place, it’s becoming painfully obvious that Jin had something to do with the reason she’s anxiously checking her phone every five minutes. The part of her that wants to chase him with a butter sock is overridden by the much larger part that wants to thank him profusely for whatever it is that he did. Unlike Jin, Ivy doesn’t have a harem of men, women, and others lined up to satisfy her needs whenever he’s feeling inclined. 

She’s three episodes into a Cold Justice marathon when her phone rings, scaring the living daylights out of her. It’s Yeosang. Ivy’s eyes widen comically as she freaks out over what to do. She chugs the rum and coke she’d been nursing and picks up the call.

“Hello?” She cringes at how apprehensive she sounds even to her own ears.

“Hello, Ivy.” He sounds tired which has given his voice a gravelly edge to it that’s making her blood sing. “I saw your message and thought it would just be easier to call you.”

Ivy isn’t surprised in the slightest when Yeosang tells her about Jin’s visit to the bakery the night before. That’s a typical Jin move to jump the chain of command to accomplish a job. Yeosang doesn’t seem to bothered by the strangeness of it all. He seems more relieved that his guilt for lusting after a taken woman has been absolved if anything.

“This is a first for me so I’m not exactly sure what to do.” Yeosang trails off. He’s out of his element here. It goes without saying that there will be no romantic dinners at expensive restaurants or long walks to the beach.

“This is a first for me too, but you’re a hot baker that laughs at my stupid jokes and I like that.” His throaty laugh in response makes her chest swell with pride at 

“I still want to take you on a date though so I guess your place or mine?”

Yeosang is sweating bullets as he punches in the elevator code for the penthouse suite in the swanky high rise at the address Ivy had given him. In his Michael Jackson t-shirt, ripped jeans, and sneakers, he knows that he sticks out like a sore thumb, but thankfully no one in the lobby had vocalized that to his face. He adjusts his duffel bag on his shoulder as the elevator smoothly ascends to the top floor. He’s been ecstatic when Ivy had told him that she wanted him to come spend the weekend with her since Jin would be out of town on business. This is going to be the first time that he’s seen her in person since they agreed to their little arrangement and he’s nervous to say the least.

The doors silently reveal a posh sitting area as well a lacquered black door adorned with a silver “P”. Yeosang grins at the door mat just outside the door. It depicts a crudely drawn cat with both middle fingers upturned and the words “fuck off” written in a speech bubble. It looks just as out of place as he does and for whatever reason it makes him feel more at ease. He reaches out to press the doorbell but the door is yanked open before he even gets the chance.

“Jesus Christ you scared me!” If his hands weren’t full of groceries, Yeosang would’ve clutched at his rapidly beating heart. Ivy chuckles, pointing to a little black dot above the door.

“We have cameras.” 

She grabs for a few of the bags in his hands, but he twists and turns to block her efforts. Their childish antics continue until Yeosang has finally had enough. He crouches down until he’s able to wrap his arms around her thighs, delighting in her squeal when he successfully lifts her from the ground. Ivy swats at his shoulders, but the brute simply crosses the threshold, kicking the door shut with his foot before walking deeper into her home. This first “date” is off to a great start.

“So what’s on the agenda for today, Mr. Kang?” Ivy drums on the marble countertop enthusiastically as she watches Yeosang unpack the groceries he’d brought with him. 

“As much as I love a good paying customer, It’s time for you to learn how to make this cheesecake yourself.”

“You better hope I suck at it or I’ll put you out of business.”

“I don’t mind a little competition.” Yeosang smiles deviously. “Especially when the rivals look as pretty as you.”

Ivy feels her cheeks heat up in the face of such flirtation and she’s never been more thankful for the fact that her darker complexion hides the evidence of it. She’s come to know him well enough to know that he would definitely rib her for that.

As it turns out, Ivy is a natural born baker. Yeosang’s heart swells in his chest as he watches her sway her hips to the music she’d turned on as she stirs the berry compote on the stove. His chest bumps against her back as he steps up behind her and he swears he sees her shiver. He rests his head on her shoulder, covering his hand with hers and slows down the speed of her stirring.

“You have to be gentle with the berries, love.” At the sound of his voice so close to her ear, Ivy’s insides turn to goo. 

“Maybe I don’t want to be gentle.” Her words hit him square in the chest and he wants to respond in so many ways, but he settles for a chaste kiss on her temple. He’d briefly contemplated taking it slow with her, but they’ve been dancing around each other for nearly seven months at this point and there’s no point in prolonging the inevitable. The wanton desire is mutual on both sides but he wants to hear her beg. Wants her desperate and needy for him.

He eventually removes his hand from hers, choosing to instead hold onto her hips as he continues to coach her through the next steps. She’s so focused on keeping her berries from sticking that Yeosang is able to catch her off guard when he slips his hands inside her tank top to rest them against her bare skin. The gasp she lets out makes him smile deviously. His hands drift up from her lower stomach until his thumbs are brushing the lacy cups of her bra. It’s Yeosang’s turn to be caught off guard when she presses her ass firmly against his front. The way she subsequently swivels her hips is nearly his undoing, but Yeosang has a game plan and he intends to see it through.

“You’re a naughty girl, Ivy.” He lowers a hand to tug on the elastic waistband of the tiny shorts she’s wearing, letting it snap back in place. She hisses at the sting but, if the way her head lolls back onto his shoulder is any indication, she loved it. Yeosang slides his hand lower as if he’s going to cup her over her shorts only to completely remove himself from her.

He busies himself with other things around the kitchen but he can feel her glare on him the entire time. She grumbles something under her breath that sounds suspiciously like the words “teasing asshole” but he choose to ignore it. For now. 

Ivy is visibly on edge as she waits for Yeosang to touch her again, but he doesn’t make a single move to do so. He simply dances around her in the kitchen as they finish up their cheesecake preparation. It has to cool once they take it out of the oven so they migrate to the living room while they wait. The episode of Bones that Ivy been watching before he’d arrived is still paused on the tv so she restarts it and settles in next to Yeosang on the couch. She lets out a girlish squeal when he hauls her into his lap instead. He spreads her legs so that they straddle both of his, letting out a content sigh as he rests his chin on her shoulder. Arms wrapped securely around her waist. 

He waits until she’s engrossed in the episode. Certain that he’s going to keep his hands to himself. If he’d been able to see her face, he would’ve been able to see the devious grin as she devised a plan of her own. Ivy shifts her legs around until both of her feet are planted on the floor between Yeosang’s. She swivels her hips in the cradle of his lap, snickering at the groan he lets out. Two can play this teasing game. She grabs both of his hands in her own and lifts them to her breasts. Yeosang just lets them linger there. This is her show now and he wants to see her directing skills firsthand. 

With her physical encouragement, he pinches her erect nipples through the thin layers of her shirt and bra. The breathy sigh in response to his touch gives him a high that he can quickly see himself becoming addicted to. She ups the ante by dislodging his hands to remove her shirt and bra. She places his hands back on her chest, sighing once more at the feel of him kneading her breasts without any hindrances. Yeosang licks and sucks at the column of her neck. He’s careful not to leave any marks which he’s sure she’ll be appreciative of later. Her needs grows and grows until she’s craving more than what he’s giving her.

“Yeosang,” The way she half moans his name sounds like the sweetest melody. “Touch me.”

“I am touching you, baby girl.” She grunts in frustration. Looks like she’ll have to take matters into her own hands once more. 

Yeosang is shocked when Ivy suddenly rises to her feet. He’s more than confused as he watches her disappear down a hallway off to the right of the living room. His breath catches in his throat when her shorts suddenly fly back into view followed closely by a pair of panties that match the bra on the floor by his right foot. He nearly falls over in his haste to catch up to her. He finds her in the bedroom that she’d pointed out as hers when she’d given him a quick tour earlier. She’s reclined amongst the mountain of pillows circling her swollen clit with her middle finger as she fondles one of her breasts. Her mouth is slightly ajar from the pleasure and he swears that he’s never seen a sight more breathtaking. Yeosang swallows, trying to get his wits about him when she speaks and breaks him out of his daze. 

“Clothes off, babe.” His limbs are a blur as he rushes to follow her instructions. With every inch of skin he reveals, Ivy finds herself falling deeper and deeper into his trap. 

She’d seen the tattoos that covered his arms and the back of his right hand, but the Hebrew script running down his side is new to her and she makes a mental note to ask him what it says later. Right now she wants nothing more than for him to hold her down with his weight and make her his. Yeosang’s eyes are practically glued to her center so shiny from her arousal. He licks his lips at the thought of how good she probably tastes and the mere idea of having her on his tongue nearly consumes him.

Yeosang tugs on his hardened cock as he slowly walks towards the oversized bed. She’s mesmerized by the appendage standing proud between his legs. It’s not over long but he can barely get his own fist around it so she knows that the stretch will be phenomenal when he finally gets inside. He grabs her by both ankles and pulls her into the center of the bed so that she’s flat on her back. She squirms in anticipation as he crawls over her. Lips and hands caressing every inch of her skin that they can reach. She moans deep in her throat when he finally covers her lips with his own in their first ever kiss. Her fingers find purchase in his hair, holding him to her as they ravage each other. Each exhale from her lips traded for his.

Ivy is brought back to the task at hand when a needy thrust of Yeosang’s hips has the engorged head of his erection pressing against her clit. She bites down on his bottom lip at the sudden onslaught of pleasure, rolling her hips up to get more of the addictive friction.

“Gotta taste you. Want you to cum in my mouth.” Yeosang’s words don’t match up with his actions as he continues to peck her lips over and over again. Eager to discover if his tongue is just as talented as his hands, Ivy pulls away to gently push at his head until he gets the message.

The first swipe of his tongue on her soaked flesh is purely self-indulgent. He’s thrilled to discover that she tastes just as sweet as he thought she would. Like the nectar of a fresh honeydew. He sucks her clit into his mouth, biting down on it gently before swirling his tongue around it to soothe the ache. Her eyes roll into the back of her head and she can’t decide if she wants to run from or towards his mouth. She doesn’t get the chance to decide as Yeosang anchors her squirming hips to the bed with one of his arms. 

He teases her entrance with a single finger, smirking at the filthy curses falling from her lips as she begs him to make her cum. He gives her clit a particularly harsh suck as he sinks his finger in deep. Her breathing starts coming in quick pants when he adds a second finger and then a third. When she starts folding in on herself, he pulls his fingers from her dripping hole. Her suddenly empty hole clenches around nothing as she complains about being denied the orgasm she was dancing on the edge of.

Her complaints die on her tongue when she takes in the sight of Yeosang walking on his knees towards her. Ivy sits up and meets him halfway. She can taste herself on his tongue as their lips meet for the second time and it has a fresh tidal wave of arousal all but gushing from her. His waning self-control is evident in the way he turns her around to face her headboard, pushing on her shoulders until she’s face down in in the sheets.

She whimpers at the heavy smack he rains down on her ass. He groans at the way it bounces before he grips both cheeks in his hands, pulling them apart to get a proper view of her waiting entrance. Part of him wants to tease her some more, but he doesn’t have it in him to wait one more minute. She nearly sobs at the satisfying stretch of him sinking into her eager flesh in one smooth thrust. He grinds his hips against her ass, relishing in the way her walls are hugging him so tightly. She clenches around him, trying to draw him back in as he eases his hips back only to roughly thrust his length back into her. He repeats that action a few more times to open her up before finally breaking loose. 

All forms of speech beyond broken curse words and his name are lost to Ivy as Yeosang demolishes her. His pace builds till it’s almost frantic. It feels like his length is vibrating within her and she can feel her orgasm approaching quickly. She tries to warn him, but he is already well aware. He slows his hips down to a gentle roll and the change in pace has her seeing stars as he can now expertly target that sensitive spot deep within her. He reaches underneath her to rub circles in her clit and she’s lost. Black dots dance around across her vision as the pleasure threatens to completely drag her under. His hips never stop moving as he fucks her through it. The erratic clenching of her inner walls soon proves to be too much for him. He pulls out of her wet heat just in time to release his seed onto her back.

Ivy collapses onto her stomach. Exhausted beyond measure. Yeosang falls next to her breathing just as hard. He’s not going to lie and pretend that he hasn’t dived into more than his fair share of pussy, but that was easily the best sex he’s ever had. He can barely breathe but that doesn’t stop him from leaning over to press his lips against hers once more. Their chests are still heaving when they separate, choosing instead to lean his forehead against hers. 

“I can’t feel my legs.” She whispers on a breathless laugh. 

“Good thing I’m the king of aftercare.” He pecks her lips once more before crossing the room to her en suite bathroom to get a warm towel to clean her up with. By the time he returns, she’s fast asleep much to his surprise. Normally, Yeosang likes to end his trysts with a massage, but she’s sleeping so peacefully. He cleans up his mess before sliding back into the bed next to her as he pulls a spare blanket over them. 

Yeosang awakens the next morning to an empty bed and the smell of coffee brewing. A shower is definitely in order before he seeks out Ms. Ivy. He walks into the kitchen a little while later to find her cooking breakfast in his t-shirt. It’s so domestic that for a moment he forgets that she’s legally spoken for until her wedding ring catches the sunlight from the picture windows.

“Morning.��� He whispers into her ear. She jumps at the sound, obviously not realizing that he was awake yet. She relaxes against him when he wraps his arms around her midsection.

“Good morning, handsome. I’m almost done if you wanna grab some plates.” Yeosang preens at the compliment, kissing her cheek an obnoxious amount of times before grabbing plates and some silverware.

The sound of their forks clinking against their plates as they eat fills the pleasant silence as the two adults make faces across the table at each other like children. Yeosang can’t remember the last time he was this comfortable with a woman he was seeing. For the millionth time since he woke up this morning, he finds himself resenting the fact that she’s married. 

“I can feel you staring.” Yeosang doesn’t bother looking up see Ivy’s facial expression at being caught as he rinses the last breakfast dish to put in the drying rack. “Spit it out before I get old and feeble.”

“What does the tattoo on your side say?” He looks up at her then, searching her face. Ivy is beginning to feel that she shouldn’t have said anything the longer Yeosang remains silent. He drys his hands on a towel, walking towards Ivy where she sits sprawled across one of the cushy armchairs in the living room. He lifts her only to set her back down in his lap.

“May you rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush along the way, and from all manner of punishments that assemble to come to earth.” Yeosang absentmindedly strokes his fingers back and forth across Ivy’s bare thigh. “It’s part of a Hebrew prayer of protection that my mom made me get when she realized that her scolding was falling on deaf ears.”

Ivy can’t help but giggle as Yeosang enthusiastically re-enacts his mother’s words all those years ago. She’s seen the articles in the local magazines. They all tell the same story of a young street kid that found his calling and turned his life around, but words on a piece of paper doesn’t capture the nuance of who Kang Yeosang is. He doesn’t shy away from who he was. He embraces it with open arms. She listens intently as he tells the story that will never be found in any magazine. The story of how he successfully graduated from small-time dealing to running guns, drugs, and the occasional fine artifact when he was only twenty three.

“Would you do it differently if you had the chance?” Ivy picks at the hem of the Thriller he’d been wearing the day before as she awaits his answer. She’s admittedly shocked when he he gives an emphatic no. 

“It wasn’t exactly something I could put on my resume, but it set this part of my life into motion.” She leans her head into the crook of his neck. Lulled into comfortable security by the vibration of his vocal cords. “I learned how to run a business. Granted, it was illegal, but I baked my first cake in jail which is what ultimately led to me opening the bakery and then meeting you.” 

Time is a forgotten concept as they sit in the armchair sharing embarrassing childhood stories and fleeting kisses when they just can’t help themselves. That’s how Jin finds them. Giggling like teenagers that have finally earned closed door privileges. Yeosang freezes when he notices Jin’s still unsure how to act around him. Ivy on the other hand is excited to welcome her best friend back home. 

“Jinnie!” She hops up to give him a quick hug and peck on the cheek before returning to her perch on Yeosang’s lap. Awkwardness is radiating off of the man beneath her in near tangible waves. He visibly relaxes when Ivy buries her fingers in the hair at the back of his head to scratch at his scalp.

“I missed you too, Vee. Good to see you again, Mr. Kang.” Jin winks conspiratorially at Yeosang as he cracks open the bottle of water he’d snagged from the refrigerator. “Take good care of my wife.” He adds as a parting shot on his way down the hall to his bedroom which sends Ivy into a fit of curses. Yeosang finds himself cracking a smile at the sound of Jin’s laughter somewhere down the hall.

It’s not the most conventional situation by any means, but Yeosang feels like he can make this work. He glances down at the grumbling woman in his arms. Yeah, he can definitely make this work.

Yeosang is elbow deep in bread dough for a new recipe he’s working on when he hears his phone ringing where he’d left it on the charger in his bedroom. He’s supposed to be heading to Ivy’s later tonight and he’s hoping to have her taste test his new bread when he gets there, meaning he can have no interruptions so he lets his phone go to voicemail. His phone rings again, but this time the song it plays catches his attention. The Alina Baraz song he’d set for Ivy’s ringtone drifts down the hallway. He instantly cracks a smile at the thought of the woman on the other end of that phone call. Passing up an opportunity to hear her voice is beyond Yeosang’s capabilities so he extracts himself from the dough, making a mad dash for the ringing device.

“Hey, babe.” She sniffles in his ear and all of his sense are suddenly on high alert. In all of the months since they started dating he can’t recall her crying. Ever. She’s just too happy. His mind runs through a myriad of horrible possibilities like film cuts. “Ivy, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“I need you.” Yeosang has absolutely no idea what’s going on but his heart feels like it’s being ripped in two at the sound of her crying. He pulls his phone away from his ear when it pings. He has to swallow to keep himself together when he sees that Ivy has sent him her location. 

“I’m on my way, baby. I’m coming.”

The other cars on the road look like blurs as Yeosang weaves between and around them at break neck speed. The hospital that Ivy is at is supposed to be a twenty seven minute drive according to google maps, but Yeosang is parking his mustang exactly sixteen minutes later. He’s honestly surprised that he wasn’t pulled over on the way, but his euphoric disbelief is short-lived as he dashes towards the front doors of the hospital. 

“Can I help you?” The woman manning the front looks at Yeosang with a barely concealed air of distaste. He follows her eyes to his tattooed arms on display in the short sleeved shirt he’s wearing. He’s still pretty much covered in flour from his bread making and he can tell that she doesn’t think much of him. Normally, he would make an attempt to assuage people like her and show that tattoos don’t make the man, but he doesn’t have time for that.

“I’m looking for Ivy Kim.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not we have someone here by that name.”

“Listen, lady if you-” Yeosang is on the verge of falling into the trap of the old wench’s bias when he hears his name being called. He turns his head to see Jin waving him over from where he’s holding the elevator doors open. He flips the old lady off, delighting in her scandalized gasp as he jogs towards the bay of elevators.

Now that he’s closer, Yeosang notices the cuts and bruises that litter his friend’s face. He looks like he’s been beat pretty good, but he brushes off any questions about what happened. Yeosang is on the verge of choking on his nerves as he follows Jin off of the elevator to room 437.

“I’m going to get some coffee. You guys need to talk.” Jin claps Yeosang on the shoulder once as he goes back the way they came. 

He’d risked life and limb to get here, but now he’s afraid to take one more step. He has no idea what’s going on, but he can feel it in his bones that nothing will be the same once he steps through this door. Yeosang’s phone vibrates just then with a notification from the Nike app about some stuff he left in his cart. The little nike swoosh on his phone screen feels like a divine sign for him to stop being such a pussy and go in the room. 

Seeing Ivy curled into a ball in the middle of the hospital bed is nearly his undoing. The tears steadily streaming down her face catch the light from the hallway when she turns her head to see who it is. A sob racks her figure as she reaches for him. Yeosang shuts the door, plunging the room back into darkness as he rushes to her side. He’s not used to her looking this fragile and it’s killing him. He kicks his shoes off and climbs into the bed next to her, careful not to jostle the IV needle in her arm. She leans into his touch as he brushes her hair away from her face. The fabric of his shirt is no match for the barrage of tears that Ivy dumps on it. He lets her cry until she has nothing left. For a moment he thinks that she’s fallen asleep, but she whispers something against the skin of his neck. Her voice is so low that he can’t make it out even with her lips being mere inches from his hair.

“You’ve gotta speak up for me, love.” This time when she speaks, he hears her loud and clear.

“I lost our baby.” 

He can hear her saying something about a car accident and blood, but her words don’t register in his brain. Yeosang feels like the ground has opened up beneath him, but he’s not falling. Simply hovering, drifting in the void. He hadn’t even known she was pregnant and that’s definitely something Ivy would have told him so he’s guessing that she didn’t know either. Visions of a tiny child with her doe-like eyes and his nose flash across his minds eye. Yeosang has never given much thought to being a father, but knowing that he’d created a child with Ivy only for them to be ripped away like this is tearing him apart. He holds her impossibly close, trying to anchor himself to reality. Tears are flowing down his own face as he attempts to process what they’ve lost. 

“This is all my fault.” The guilt in her voice is nearly palpable. Yeosang cups her face in his hands to force her to look him in the eye. 

“You did nothing wrong, Ivy. Get that thought out of you head right now, do you hear me?” Ivy nods her head slowly but Yeosang is not naive. No matter what he says, it’s going to take a while before she actually believes the truth in his words. 

Jin hates to interrupt them. He loathes it, but life is cruel and Ivy’s parents just texted him that they just parked their car and are on their way inside. His feet feel heavy as he treks back down the hallway. He pokes his head into the dark room and winces at the muffled sound of them crying together. 

“I’m so sorry guys, but Ivy’s parents are on their way up.” Yeosang gets the urge to laugh despite the fact that absolutely nothing is funny. This is just adding insult to injury.

Ivy clings to him like a koala when he tries to stand and he’s got half a mind to say fuck the consequences and stay. That wouldn’t be fair to Jin though. He harbors no ill will towards the man even though he’s living the life he wants so for his sake, he extricates himself from Ivy’s grasp to put his shoes on. Her bottom lip quivers dangerously as he leans down to softly kiss her forehead. Jin pulls Yeosang into a hug before he can walk past him and it takes a herculean effort for Yeosang to keep it together. His heart aches with every step he takes towards the exit stairs. It feels like someone is taking a jackhammer to his chest.

He leans his head back against the headrest when he finally reaches his car. A pained yell bursts from his throat before he can even think of trying to stop it. His horn beeps erratically as he pounds at his steering wheel in anger. Yeosang has been through hell in his twenty six years on Earth and yet, he can’t recall a time when he’s ever felt this much mental anguish and despair. Part of him wishes that he’d never stopped slinging coke and running the streets because he’d have never met Ivy and thus would’ve never experienced this. He hates that thought the second it materializes.

The shrill ringing of an old school phone that Yunho had insisted on having as his ringtone breaks through his misery. Yeosang has no desire to utter a word to anyone other than Ivy but Yunho is a persistent bastard. He’ll just keep calling until he gets an answer. He clears his throat and hopes that his childhood best friend is having an off day with those damn spidey senses of is.

“Hello?”

“Dude, have you been crying? No wonder my spirit is unsettled. The fuck is going on?” So much for eluding Yunho’s questions. Yeosang huffs out a shaky breath. He’s not even sure he’s even fully grasped what’s going on himself. He can hear the sound of keys jingling on Yunho’s end.

“Listen, I’m gonna go buy an obnoxious amount of alcohol and then I’m coming over to you place. See you in twenty.” Yunho doesn’t wait for a response, hanging up the phone with a sense of finality. 

True to his word, Yunho’s car is parked in front of his building when Yeosang makes it home. His car is empty, so he’s guessing that he must have used his key and gone inside already. He’s not surprised to find Yunho nursing a beer on his couch as he scrolls through something on his phone. His eyes widen slightly as he takes in Yeosang’s haggard appearance. He knows he looks like shit so Yunho’s reaction isn’t unexpected.

It’s nearly three in the morning when they finally crash. Yunho is passed out in the guest room but sleep evades him despite the multiple beers swirling through his system. If he was sober, he probably wouldn’t make this decision, but he’s far from it so he reaches for his phone to FaceTime Ivy. The second her face replaces his on the screen, Yeosang immediately feels like he can breathe again. He’d been avoiding the feeling before now, but after everything that’s happened in the last twenty four hours? He’s tired of beating around the bush.

“I love you, Ivy.” The smile that spreads across her tired face brings Yeosang so much joy. There’s no telling how long it’s been since she’s graced the world with one of her radiant smiles. He takes it as a victory that he was the one to bring that out of her. 

“I love you too, Yeosang.”

[mikauzoran]

Adrienette: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Twenty-Six

Read it on AO3: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...lazily.

“I have an idea,” Marinette announced as they sat at the kitchen table staring down at the chessboard between them.

“I should hope so;” Adrien snickered, “otherwise, I’m going to checkmate you in two moves.”

“No.” She looked up. “I meant…about your father.”

Adrien quirked an eyebrow, puzzled. “Ohime-sama, I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a bit more specific. Are we talking about how my father is controlling or how he’s too busy to be bothered with me or the fact that he doesn’t want us to go public about our relationship or that he’s too hung up on my mom still to admit that he has feelings for Nathalie or—”

“—About his opposition to us publicly dating,” she cut him off before he could really get started. “I can see his points about people accusing me of gold-digging and trying to get an advantage in the fashion industry, and I know that he’s right that it will be a lot of unwanted attention for me and I’ll probably get hate mail from your fans and people will invade my privacy and all that, but…I also know how important it is to you for us to be official so we can attend events as a couple and go on over-the-top romantic dates and get some of your rabid admirers to simmer down.”

“So what are you thinking?” he prompted, head tipping to the side in curiosity.

Her mouth stretched into an impish smirk. “We force his hand.”

He went owl-eyed at the thought of getting Gabriel Agreste to do anything he didn’t want to do. “Oh? And how are we going to accomplish that?”

“We get the media to declare us a couple. It’s not our fault if people see us out together and make assumptions,” she reasoned innocently.

A wide grin spread across Adrien’s lips. “Like that time we went to see my mom’s movie together.”

“Only not in my pyjamas this time,” Marinette groaned, remembering the months of humiliation she’d suffered through as a young teen.

“Your pyjamas were adorable,” he assured. “I saved those pictures of us, you know.”

She lost her train of thought as she gaped at him. “You did?”

“Mmhm.” He nodded with an embarrassed smile, cheeks warming. “I mean, it was really a big deal that you ditched your plans with the girls to help me get to the theatre to see the movie. It meant a lot to me, and I enjoyed running around Paris with you. That day was full of good memories, so I wanted a souvenir…. And…I mean…as previously discussed, I think I’ve always been a little bit in love with you, even if I didn’t know it, so…”

He looked up and shrugged, the picture of cherubic wholesomeness.

“You are the most precious,” Marinette cooed, leaning forward to kiss him and knocking over the chess pieces in the process.

When they pulled back, they looked down at the carnage of pawns, rooks, knights, and bishops.

“Well, I mean…you were going to checkmate me in two moves anyway,” Marinette reasoned. “Let’s just say that you won.”

Adrien pursed his lips, deliberating for a moment before deciding, “That’s fair. So what’s your grand plan to get the media to declare us dating?”

“Well…” Marinette quickly set the chess pieces back up in their starting positions and got out her phone. “Take a selfie with me.”

“O…kay.” He shrugged and did what she asked, smiling brightly and wrapping an arm around her, head tipping in towards hers, even though he wasn’t sure what this had to do with the plan.

Marinette quickly uploaded the picture to her Instagram and added the caption, “Hanging out with my good friend @adrienagrestebrand”.

She turned to him and smiled toothily. “We play innocent, but if enough pictures of us in couple-like situations start circulating online, people will talk. If enough people talk, it will eventually become something your father will have to publicly address. Maybe he’ll go on the record as saying that we’re not a couple, but if pictures of us acting like a couple keep popping up, no one will believe him, and we win.”

Adrien’s eyes went as wide as his smile as he shook his head and beamed at his ingenious girlfriend. “You are the most clever, amazing person ever. This is wonderful, Marinette!”

“I’m glad you approve,” she chuckled, looking pleased with herself. “I know it’s been bothering you this past month, us still being a secret and not able to publicly date, so…I’ve been trying to come up with a solution.”

He took her hands in his and gave them a squeeze, staring into her eyes with pure adoration. “Ohime-sama, you are the best. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

A hint of concern came into his gaze, turning his exhilarated expression into a worried frown. “…Are you sure you want to do this, though?” he inquired tentatively, not wanting to dissuade her but knowing that he had to be honest. “My father does have a point about people who are going to invade your privacy and send you death threats and call you an opportunist gold digger. Life in the public eye kind of sucks, and I don’t want you diving into this for my sake thinking that it’s going to be okay because it’s not, Marinette. Dating me and dealing with all of that is going to be awful and scary and—”

“—It’s not dating you that’s going to be bad,” she quickly corrected. “Dealing with your fans and the media is what’s going to be awful. Dating you is a dream come true, Adrien, and definitely worth whatever I have to put up with.”

“Oh,” he breathed, stunned by the certainty of her response.

“I’m sure about this,” she insisted with a dazzling smile. “You are one of the few things in my life I’ve always been sure about.”

“Oh,” he repeated, his face hurting he was smiling so hard.

She leaned in to give his cheek a kiss. “I’m going to work with our friends to make this happen. We’ll hit it really hard throughout the week, and, then, next Saturday we’ll strike the finishing blow. You’re free for the day until your interview with Nadja in the evening, right?”

He blinked at her curiously. “Yeah. Why?”

 The following day, Marinette kidnapped Adrien to take Jagged Stone’s crocodile Fang out for a walk around the Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques. They took photos cuddling Fang on one of the blue benches with the tower in the background and Fang licking their faces and them laughing together and posted them on their Instagrams with tags talking about how fun it was spending time with such a good friend.

Jagged took some pictures and posted them on social media too, and the general public got plenty of shots of Adrien Agreste and a girl who looked somewhat familiar even if they couldn’t place her walking a famous crocodile.

Monday, Alya just so happened to take some pictures of Chat Noir for the Ladyblog that captured Marinette and Adrien having a picnic in the Place des Vosges in the background.

That same day, Adrien’s Instagram featured photos of the macarons from the picnic and a shoutout to Tom and Sabine’s.

Tuesday, Marinette and Adrien posted photos of their Chemistry study session along with captions about how learning was more fun with a friend.

Wednesday, Chloé posted photos of her newest Queen Bee-inspired manicure with the Pont des Arts as the background.

Clearly, between Chloé’s thumb and index finger, Adrien and Marinette could be seen standing at the railing of the bridge, laughing and smiling at something one or the other had said.

Thursday, Kitty Section updated their website to include new pictures in their photo gallery. One didn’t have to look all that closely to spot Marinette and Adrien in the background.

He had his arms around her as they stood at the keyboard and he positioned her hands to show her how to play the instrument.

Jagged Stone and Clara Rossignol included links to the Kitty Section site in Twitter posts.

Friday, an anonymous source sent a picture of Adrien and Marinette sitting on the school steps, holding hands to the president of Adrien’s fanclub, and “#Who is Adrien’s New Girlfriend?!” started trending.

 On Saturday, Adrien met Marinette at the Trocadero for the grand finale.

“So, what’s the plan, Boss?” he greeted as she came trotting up to him.

“I’m finally going to take you on that ridiculously romantic date you’ve always wanted,” she informed as she touched her cheek to his for the usual air kisses to either side of his face.

“You’re going to what now?” He stared at her in amazement, afraid to believe that the day had actually come.

Just then, a pedicab pulled up to the curb, and Marinette smirked. “Our ride’s here.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped. “We’re going on a romantic rickshaw bicycle ride?”

She laughed fondly at the excitement on his face and nodded. “Yep. Come take a selfie and post it on your Instagram with a caption about how you’re spending the day with one of your best friends and you’re so glad that we’re friends and all that.”

Adrien happily acquiesced.

Their pedicab took them down along the Seine and past the Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries, and the Louvre on their way to the Pont des Arts.

Adrien took a few more shots for his Instagram en route, including several with his arm around Marinette’s shoulders, their faces close together to fit in the frame.

“You know,” Marinette chuckled as she snuggled up to Adrien, “I’ve had this romantic bike ride scenario planned out for years now.”

“What?” he laughed incredulously. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” She gave his arm a light smack. “I seriously have. Remember my ridiculous crush on you?”

“I still can’t believe you liked me,” Adrien snickered, shaking his head in awe. “I could have had you this whole time if I weren’t such an oblivious dimwit.”

“Be nice,” Marinette scolded.

“No,” Adrien pouted. “I’m seriously angry at myself. If I had gotten a clue back then, I could have had the most awesome girlfriend on the face of the planet. Instead, I spent my youth feeling like an unlovable screwup. I will never forgive myself,” he snorted, only half joking.

Marinette leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his jaw. “You’re very lovable and definitely not a screwup,” she whispered, hoping their cyclist-driver was concentrating on the road and the music playing through his earbuds rather than their conversation.

“Tell me about this romantic bicycle ride scheme fourteen-year-old Marinette came up with,” Adrien entreated. “That will cheer me up and make me forget what a loser I am. I love fourteen-year-old Marinette’s schemes. They’re brilliant. Marino is my favourite so far.”

Marinette cringed. “Fourteen-year-old Marinette’s schemes were horrendous, shameful failures…but if it’ll make you feel better… The plan was for Alya, Rose, Juleka, Mylène, and Alix to help me make it so that your bodyguard couldn’t park where he was supposed to pick you up after a photoshoot.”

Adrien arched an eyebrow and gave her a devious smile. “And then you were going to lie in wait for me to sweep me off my feet with a romantic rickshaw bicycle ride?”

Marinette nodded, shrugging hopelessly. “We were going to ride to the Pont des Arts to get soulmate ice cream from André, and Alix was going to throw rose petals to create the right atmosphere.”

“I would have loved that,” Adrien whispered, touched that she had put so much thought and effort into a surprise for him.

Marinette shook her head. “You would have had fun, but you wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as you do now. You didn’t see me in a romantic light back then, so it just would have been a memorable outing with a friend.”

Adrien reached down and slipped his hand into hers. “You have no idea how special all those times spent hanging out with you were to me. I grew up bored and lonely, so your friendship really was—is—a precious gift. Things don’t have to be seen in a romantic light to be meaningful…and it would have really meant a lot to take a bike ride and get ice cream with you.”

“Oh,” she breathed softly, admiring the soft glow he seemed to emit. She nodded, feeling like she understood better now.

“So what happened with the scheme?” He pulled her attention back to the present. “Why didn’t I get my romantic rickshaw ride and André’s ice cream?”

Marinette sighed. “Oh. I don’t know. Maybe the plan was a little too overly complicated. There was some miscommunication. Things didn’t play out the way I’d planned. There was an akuma attack. You know. The usual.”

Adrien winced. “Ouch. I’m sorry. That really sucks, especially when you put so much effort into planning everything.”

“Oh, it gets worse,” Marinette groaned. “I ran into you after the akuma attack, and you offered to give me a ride…and I told you no because I was going to get couscous.”

He stared at her openmouthed. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” she grumbled bitterly.

He tried not to laugh but ultimately failed. “I don’t remember this at all.”

“Thank God for small mercies,” she mumbled. “I hated myself for days after that.”

“You really couldn’t talk to me at all, could you?” he snickered, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.

“Nope,” she sighed. “Mere proximity to you made my verbal eloquence plummet. It’s a wonder you didn’t think I was some insane weirdo from all the stuff I said to you.”

He shrugged, pulling her in closer and nuzzling her hair. “I thought I made you nervous because you respected my father’s work. Sure, you seemed a little quirky, but I didn’t really know how people were supposed to behave because I hadn’t been around people my age before. I saw you act normal around other people, so I knew it was a problem with me or something. The Marinette I saw interacting with other people was really cool and selfless and brave. I admired you and wanted us to be better friends.”

Marinette blew out a long breath, shaking her head. “Oh, my sweet, sweet bean. You’re too precious. Too pure for this earth…. Thank you for being you.”

“Right back at you.” He gave her an affectionate squeeze.

 The pedicab stopped and let them off at the Pont des Arts so that they could get André’s sweetheart ice cream and take a selfie with it and the love locks secured to the bridge railing and light posts.

Adrien captioned the photo, “There’s nothing better than sharing ice cream with a friend”.

Marinette giggle-snorted. “Yep. Nothing romantic going on here. Just platonic friends who happen to enjoy sharing ice cream intended for couples on the most romantic bridge in the City of Love.”

“I actually think the Pont Alexandre III is the most romantic bridge in Paris, especially at night when it’s all lit up,” Adrien remarked. “The footbridges over the Canal Saint-Martin are really quaint and romantic too.”

Marinette hummed in thought, mentally storing Adrien’s feedback for use at a later date.

“We should get a picture of us feeding ice cream to one another,” Adrien snickered, going to sit on one of the benches. “Do you think that would be laying it on a little thick?”

“No, that’s perfect,” she assured, joining him. “Here. Say ‘ah’.”

It was then that they noticed the passersby documenting the romantic moment and sharing it online for them.

“Want to go someplace more private?” he suggested.

She shook her head. “It’s okay. They’re not hurting anything, and the whole point is to be visible.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. “So long as you’re okay with the attention.”

She smiled, lightly touching his hand. “Thanks, Adrien.”

He returned the smile with a wink. “Any time, Ohime-sama.”

After they finished their ice cream, they headed to the Pont Neuf station and took the Métro, getting off at Jussieu.

They walked hand-in-hand to the Jardin des Plantes, stopping to look in shop windows and browse through the boxes of old books on the tables outside of shops.

When they got to the park, they strolled leisurely, admiring the autumn foliage and enjoying one another’s company.

“I wish our cat were here,” Marinette sighed with a wistful smile as she looked up at the changing leaves.

“Nyan-chan would like today’s date,” Adrien affirmed, giving her hand a squeeze. “He’d be happy to know you’re missing him even though you’re with someone as magnificent and funny as me.”

Marinette broke out in a laugh.

“Did I mention my charming personality?” Adrien added with an eyebrow waggle.

“Are you jealous, Beau Gosse?” she snickered, bumping his shoulder with her own.

“Why would I be?” Adrien pouted. “It’s not like the woman I love is thinking about other men when she’s with me or anything.”

Marinette shook her head, still laughing. “You can whine to your cat boyfriend about it tonight when he comes over for snuggling.”

“Oh, believe me. I will,” he snorted. “Hey. What do you think of a picture of us holding hands? Maybe just a picture of our clasped hands? Is that too heavy-handed?”

Marinette groaned. “You’re just as bad as Chat Noir with puns.”

 Their next and final stop was across the street from the Jardin des Plantes at the restaurant attached to the Grande Mosquée de Paris where they ordered vegetable couscous to share along with the restaurant’s famed mint tea and a sampler platter of their savory desserts.

“I think this is the best couscous I’ve ever had,” Marinette moaned happily, shoveling another spoonful into her mouth.

Adrien laughed into his napkin, snapping a picture of her for his own private consumption. “Nino did say that they have really legit food here. He said that his mom’s home cooking is better but that this place tastes like the food he eats when visiting family in Morocco.”

Marinette hummed appreciatively through her full mouth, and Adrien shook his head. “I’m going to post a picture of you pigging out and gush about how radiant my good friend Marinette is while enjoying a good meal.”

She glared at him, her narrowed eyes threatening bodily harm.

“I’m sorry, but you are so cute when you’re stuffing your face. Like a chipmunk,” he defended himself.

Marinette swallowed and replied. “Wow. Way to make a girl feel unsexy, Agreste.”

Adrien winced. “Sorry. I was just playing. You’re adorable, Marinette. Did I ruin everything?”

With a sigh, Marinette got up and went to sit on the bench seat beside him, fishing out her phone. “Smile, Bishi,” she teased, using Chat Noir’s nickname for Adrien, her voice husky in his ear.

Her free hand slipped down to give his knee a squeeze, and the resulting picture showed Marinette smiling puckishly at the camera while Adrien was captured in the middle of his turn to look at her with a flustered expression.

“I like the face you’re making,” she chuckled as she reviewed the photo. “You look like I just made some obscene suggestion and you’re equal parts horrified and intrigued.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun pushing my buttons.” Adrien sighed, shaking his head with a fond smile.

They took another picture, one with them both smiling innocently even though Marinette was practically sitting in Adrien’s lap. They included a few pictures of the food and made sure to rave about how good it was and what a nice time they were having together as friends.

 Adrien had barely walked in the door when Nathalie descended upon him.

“Your father isn’t pleased,” she reported blandly, the hint of a grin hovering in the corner of her mouth. “Did you have fun today? You and Miss Dupain-Cheng look very happy together.”

Adrien beamed. “I did. And we are. Thank you, Nathalie.”

A smile flickered across Nathalie’s lips, there one second and gone the next, replaced by her usual impassive expression. “Back to business. Your father isn’t pleased.”

“Where is my father anyway?” Adrien sighed, glancing at the atelier door.

“London,” she supplied. “He had to leave this morning to attend to the closing of a deal in person.”

“He didn’t even say goodbye,” Adrien grumbled, heading for his room to change for the interview with Nadja scheduled that evening.

Nathalie followed to pick out a suitable outfit.

“It was a last-minute trip,” she offered, pretending that that was a sufficient excuse, that this wasn’t just the latest installment in the trend of Gabriel floating in and out of Adrien’s life without stopping to actually be a part of it.

“Oh. I see,” Adrien replied disinterestedly, pretending that it didn’t hurt to be so insignificant.

Nathalie pursed her lips. “…What was your favourite thing that you did today?”

Adrien’s smile came back as he launched into a recap of the pedicab ride and how much it meant to him that Marinette had been planning romantic surprises for him all along.

Nathalie conveniently forgot to bring up the fact that Gabriel wanted to talk to Adrien before the interview. She later apologized profusely to Gabriel for letting it slip her mind. She told him that they’d been in too much of a rush to get Adrien to the studio and get him through hair and makeup.

All the way there, she kept Adrien talking about his eventful day, distracting him from the reality that was his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father.

  “So…Adrien,” Nadja purred toward the end of the interview. “Judging from your Instagram, you had an eventful date today.”

Adrien made his eyes go wide, pretending to be surprised at her word choice.

“Tell us all about your girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she prompted, leaning forward in her seat.

Adrien blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Oh, that wasn’t a date. Marinette and I were just hanging out. She’s a good friend; we’re not officially dating.”

Nadja’s perfectly waxed eyebrow inched up, and she shot him a look of clear disbelief. “I don’t mean to imply that you’re lying, Adrien, but we have some candids from your outing.”

Behind them, a slideshow of all the soft looks Adrien had directed Marinette’s way that day began to play.

“Do you look at all your friends with such a gooey, lovesick expression?” she challenged.

Adrien laughed and shook his head. “You misunderstand me. I said that Marinette and I aren’t officially a couple. I never said I wasn’t head over heels in love with her.”

Nadja’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes lit up.

Adrien could practically see her getting ready to pounce on the scoop he’d just served her.

Nadja turned to the camera. “You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen: Paris’s most eligible bachelor, Adrien Agreste, in love!” She whipped back around to Adrien. “Tell us all about her. What do you like about Marinette? What about her made you fall in love?”

He averted his gaze, smiling bashfully. “Well…I mean…we’ve been friends since I started school, and Marinette has always been…just…wonderful. Everything about her is wonderful. She’s smart, funny, selfless, thoughtful, clever, a good leader… I’ve admired her for a long time. …And, obviously, she’s gorgeous, but, if you’ve got functioning eyes, you can tell that much on your own. It’s her personality that really made me fall for her, her compassion, her enthusiasm, her kindness. I think I’ve been a little bit in love with her from the very beginning; it just took me a while to realize that the way I felt about her wasn’t just admiration and friendship.”

“Have you told her how you feel?” Nadja pressed.

Adrien nodded. “In the spring…but she was seeing someone else at the time.”

Nadja winced. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” Adrien chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Ouch is right.”

“But what about now?” she prompted. “The way you phrased that she was seeing someone else in the spring sort of implied that she’s free now. Why aren’t you two dating?”

Adrien frowned, his face flipping through a series of conflicted expressions, making it seem as if he were reluctant to answer. “…Well…my father doesn’t think it’s a good idea.”

Nadja’s eyes narrowed. “Your father won’t let you date the woman you love?”

Adrien waved his hands hastily, trying to correct her. “No, no! It’s not like that. My father hasn’t forbidden me from dating her or anything. It’s just…he’s concerned. Marinette has always wanted to be a fashion designer, and she’s a fan of my father’s work, so Father is afraid of what people might say about her for dating me. Marinette is extremely talented, and Father doesn’t want her talent discounted or questioned because people think she’s receiving preferential treatment or using me to advance her career. He’s concerned that overzealous fans might invade her privacy or start sending her hate mail or something crazy like that,” Adrien explained.

Nadja nodded, letting Adrien continue of his own volition, not wanting to interrupt.

“My father cares about me a lot. He’s very protective of me, so…he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Marinette and me to date, and I can see his reasoning. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to Marinette because of me…but…at the same time…” He sighed and looked away.

“At the same time?” Nadja encouraged gently.

Adrien shook his head and shrugged. “The past few years have been really hard for my family…since my mother disappeared, I mean. My parents were soulmates, so I know Mother’s disappearance was a huge blow to Father. I know it’s been really hard raising me without her. I remind him of her, so it’s difficult for him to be around me sometimes.”

Nadja frowned, heart aching as she thought of her own child.

“I understand, of course,” Adrien stressed. “But even though I understand, it’s still hard. …And Father’s always so busy with work. His company is important to him. He’s really passionate about designing, and I’m happy that he still has something he loves that much, even though Mother is gone…but I’m alone a lot,” he sighed, looking down at his hands.

“That must be rough for you,” Nadja whispered.

Adrien nodded. “It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re lonely…” He looked up and gave her and the viewers a weak smile. “…but I have a lot of really great friends like Marinette now that I attend public schooling. Their friendship helps a lot…. I still would like to try dating, though,” he added sheepishly. “I’ve always dreamed of finding the kind of love that my parents have.”

Nadja gave a little “Aww”, smiling wide because she knew that her viewership would be eating this up.

“I think Marinette might be the one for me,” Adrien confided, and then his expression turned sad with a hint of longing. “…But I know that my father knows best and that he only wants what’s best for me. Maybe there will come a day when Marinette and I can be together, but I can’t ask her to wait for me, so…”

He gave a helpless shrug.

 They had scarcely made it home when Gabriel called to give Adrien a dressing down, faulting Adrien for coming across as childish, naïve, whiney, and ungrateful.

Adrien took the chastisement with a bowed head and muttered apologies.

He retired to his room for the night where he showered, changed, and headed out to give Alya an interview with Chat Noir.

“Adrien is the sweetest human being I have ever met,” Chat insisted into Alya’s phone camera. “He’s letting his father control his life, and that’s not okay. He’ll be an adult in six months. He should be free to make his own decisions. If he loves Marinette, he shouldn’t have to have his father’s permission to date her.”

“Ladybug said nearly the same thing,” Alya snickered.

Chat blinked dumbly for a beat or two. “She did? You talked to Ladybug about this?”

Alya nodded, still filming. “She left about fifteen minutes before you got here. I had just posted her video on my blog when you arrived. Ladybug is a staunch supporter of Adrienette.”

“…I did not know that,” Chat chuckled, cheeks heating up in pleasure and embarrassment at the thought of his first love adamantly shipping him and his girlfriend.

 By the next morning, #Let Adrienette Date was already trending, and Gabriel was getting strongly worded emails about his interfering with the course of true love.

A protest spontaneously manifested outside the Agreste Mansion.

Adrien’s fanclub mobilized to do anything and everything to ensure that their prince got his happy ending, even if they weren’t entirely certain that Marinette was worthy of him.

Marinette got her first death threat, but the threat was concerning if she ever broke Adrien’s heart and not about her dating him in the first place, so she took cold comfort in that.

Gabriel returned from London Tuesday morning to be met with the madness that was an unstoppable force hell bent on seeing his son in a relationship with the woman he loved.

Gabriel persevered.

Adrien played innocent.

Adrien was grounded.

Chat Noir and Ladybug spoke out about the unfairness of the grounding and Gabriel’s attempts to keep Adrienette apart.

The mob was incensed.

Gabriel stock plummeted.

 On Saturday night, Adrien posted a picture on his Instagram of him leisurely kissing Marinette on her living room couch. The caption read, “Look who’s un-grounded and hanging out with his GIRLFRIEND! Thank you all so much for your love and support. #Adrienette #True Love Wins”.

[kpophours]

Love Me Again (M)

➵ SF9: Dawon x fem. reader / one shot, college AU / angst, fluff, smut / REQUESTED

➵ warnings: explicit mentions of sex (handcuffing, oral: receiving, slight breath play, orgasm denial), mentions of drinking/alcohol, slight cursing

➵ word count: 4.7k

The music is blasting, the air feels stuffy and hot and there are just way too many people surrounding you right now.

You don’t even know what you’re doing here.

You’d much rather be in your dorm, preferably with some ice cream, a bottle of your favorite wine and a cheesy romance movie. But no, your best friend Julie simply had to drag you out of your cozy little cavern, just so you could chaperone her to a frat party.

You’ve never been a fan of frat parties.

Okay, that’s actually a lie, you had always kind of enjoyed them - but that had been before everything happened.

And with everything, you mean Dawon.

Your ex-... boyfriend? Or more like… Your ex-fling.

Or whatever.

“Labels” are out nowadays, right? At least that’s what Dawon used to tell you whenever you asked if you two were “official”.

Well, whatever he was to you, he is definitely the one who broke your heart into a thousand pieces. The one you’re still thinking about - day and night - and the one you blame for the three pounds you’ve gained so far, all thanks to the increasing amount of ice cream you’ve been consuming these last few days. 

You had met Dawon at a frat party as well - he had been your opponent during your third round of beer pong on that fateful night. He had joked around with his friends, saying that he’d definitely defeat you as you were already looking a bit cross eyed (all thanks to the four shots of tequila you had drowned while Julie cheered you on a few minutes earlier). Dawon had been more than surprised by your accurate aim - and even more so, when you had defeated him in the span of mere minutes. You’d been the star of the evening and - like a true gentleman - he had congratulated you on your success. Later that night, he had asked you to dance and in the early morning hours, he had kissed you under the stars on the porch of his fraternity.

It had been the beginning of your... relationship - one with many highs and lows. One that ended just two weeks ago, because of … Well. Because of what, exactly? You’re not even sure anymore. You had argued, probably about his inability to (really) commit to you and the relationship; you had both screamed at each other and in the end, Dawon had left.

Just like that.

He had literally left the next day - for a project, where he and a group of other junior researchers got to experiment with some crazy chemicals in a far away city.

He hadn’t even said goodbye. He hadn’t even called or texted.

The last thing he had said was “It seems you’re better off without me, then.”

And that had been it.

… to be fair, you had been too proud to call or text him, too. After three days of silence, you had finally blocked his number and begun to wallow in self-pity.

Until tonight, when Julie had finally decided to drag you out and distract you from your misery and the prospect of dying as a lonely old hag with too many cats (or dogs, you don’t really have a preference).

And here you are now - freshly showered (it had been “more than necessary”, as Julie had oh so politely told you) and clad in something else than a baggy (aka Dawon’s) shirt and sweatpants, which had been your attire these past few days.

You deeply sigh, nipping on the beer in your hand, looking around the place. You know a few people - there’s Zuho from the music department, showing some people cute pictures of his cat on his phone, and you’re pretty sure you see your old research partner Jaeyoon grinding against a slightly intoxicated Suzie, which whom you share one of your psych classes. Everyone seems to have an amazing time, the beer pong table is full, the dance floor is even fuller and the alcohol supply gets emptier by the minute.

You desperately cling to your red cup, the only thing holding you together right now - because Julie has long abandoned you to dance with her long-time crush Youngbin. You shoot him a dark look - not because you don’t like Youngbin, but because he’s the sole reason Julie wanted to come here in the first place. “Today is the night I will kiss Kim Youngbin!”, she had proclaimed in a grave manner earlier this night, before drowning a shot of crystal clear vodka as a way of gaining some courage. Apparently, it did have the desired effect - because you almost do a double take when you see her press her lips against his. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem opposed at all and you quickly look away, not wanting to see their make-out session in the middle of the dance floor.

You really want to leave, especially now that Julie has finally fulfilled her night’s mission… But then again, you don’t want to leave her behind. Youngbin seems to be very nice and caring, but you never know nowadays. You’d definitely never abandon your friend without getting her okay first. And even then, you’ll definitely keep your phone beside your bed to immediately answer her call, should anything… happen.

You have just drowned the last bits of your drink and are contemplating if you should get another one, when Julie makes her way over to you, Youngbin’s hand securely in hers. He sports a soft, loving smile and can’t keep his eyes off her. Apparently Julie wasn’t the only one waiting for this to happen. Your best friend slings one arm around your neck, pressing a wet smooch against your cheek and making you hiss in disgust. “I’ll leave with Youngbin now. Should we take you home? Youngbin’s lives pretty close to your dorm.”, she offers, smiling brightly, but you quickly shake your head. You really don’t want to keep them from… whatever they’re planning to do. That would be a very awkward walk back home. “Nah, it’s okay. I’ll stay for a bit.”, you lie smoothly, lips stretching into a fake smile. Julie gazes at you for a few seconds, but her intoxicated mind doesn’t find anything to be amiss. “Well, okay then. Text me when you’re home, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow.” With that, she hugs you close and - with one last look - leaves you behind, Youngbin trailing behind her.

You wait for a few minutes, shuffling from one foot to the other, before you follow them out of the door - they’re thankfully long gone by now. You’re almost out of the door when you hear it - the familiar laugh.

Immediately, your insides freeze - no, your whole body freezes. Mind hazy, hands shaking, you turn towards the source of the noise. There, you see him.

Dawon.

You hadn’t known he’d be back by now - you thought he wouldn’t be back until Tuesday. Maybe the experiments didn’t take as much time as anticipated.

Either way, he’s here.

And he’s not alone.

A pretty girl around your age sits on his lap, both her arms around his neck while his linger on her waist. She giggles at something he says, pushing her long hair back and exposing her décolleté for him to ogle at.

You swear, you feel your heart splinter again.

One look is all it takes for you to realize that you’re so not over him.

Not even close.

Not even a bit.

You feel tears spring to your eyes and whirl around, almost blindly making your way towards the kitchen, shoving people out of the way to get to the desired object - the alcohol. You fill your cup, drowning it in a few seconds, ignoring the horrified expression on Hwiyoung’s face who was just about to fill his own cup. You fill your cup a second time and empty that one as well. While you aim for your third fill, Hwiyoung clears his throat. “I… don’t want to overstep, but… are you okay?”

You throw him a dark look and he recoils a bit. He’s younger than you, not by much but by enough for him to know not to ask you again and to just let you be. You take your cup and leave the kitchen and Hwi’s judgy expression behind, making your way towards a different part of the house, far away from Dawon. You won’t be able to leave without passing him again, so you decide to stay for a bit longer.

Suzie - without Jaeyoon, this time - sits on one of the big sofas, mindlessly scrolling through her Instagram feed. You sit down beside her and she smiles at you, pocketing her phone. “Y/N! I didn’t think you’d actually come tonight. How are you? I haven’t seen you in what feels like… forever.”

You smile at her, maybe a bit strained, and shrug. It’s true, you’ve been absent from your shared class last week, simply not having the strength to get up after crying for the better part of the night (Dawon had posted a selfie on Instagram that evening, something you’d only gotten to know about thanks to Julie, as you had already unfollowed him by then). “Yeah, I was sick.”, you lie and take another sip of your beer, almost spilling some of the liquid over yourself.

Maybe you should slow down a bit.

“Lovesick, huh?”

Your head whips around and you stare at Suzie, who sports a somewhat pitiful expression. You just sigh. “Is it that obvious?”, you murmur, gaze sliding towards the front door where you saw Dawon earlier. Suzie just shrugs. “Well, it’s not like I didn’t know about you and Dawon being a thing, you know? You were kind of obvious about it.”

You grimace. While you’ve never been an official couple, there had been some… drunk make-out sessions at parties, you can’t deny that, even if you’re cringing about that right now. “Yeah well. It’s over.”, you simply answer and take another sip of beer.

“Men are idiots and don’t deserve us.”, Suzie states, clinking her cup against yours and taking a solidary sip as well. You smile at her and nod. “You’re very right about that. He also seems to have moved on already - at least that’s what it looked like.”, you explain, trying to keep the pain out of your voice (and failing, apparently). 

“He has?! What a fucking idiot, I’m gonna go over there and tell him that his behavior is unacceptable and then, I will spill all my beer over him and-”

You shush her rambling by pressing your hand over her mouth, giggling at her antics. “Thanks Suzie.”, you just say and smile in earnest this time. She immediately softens. “We girls need to stick together.”, she says gently and you nod. “We sure do. Speaking of men… What’s going on with you and Jaeyoon?” You lean closer, your voice almost secretive. She immediately blushes and ruffles her hair. “I… I like him.”, she shyly confesses and you smile. “I saw that. I think he likes you, too. You looked quite… cozy earlier on the dance floor.” You grin and she laughs, a tad embarrassed. “Uhm yeah, he had to rescue some new pledge - Chani, I think? Apparently he and Rowoon were playing flunky ball against some guys from another frat and… uh - it didn’t end well for them. He’s helping them take a shower now.”

You laugh and shake your head. “Well, I will immediately disappear when he comes back. Wouldn’t want to disturb you guys.” Suzie shoves you playfully, but smiles nevertheless, the blush still prominent on her cheeks. Suddenly, she freezes, her eyes following someone behind you. Reflexively, you turn around as well and see what she’s looking at: Dawon, dancing with the girl from earlier.

… they look… comfortable, to say the least.

Immediately, you stiffen, heart pounding fast against your rib cage, blood rushing to your head. “That’s it.”, you say grimly and get up, ignoring Suzie’s surprised yelp and her attempt at grabbing your hand. You storm onto the dance floor - not before emptying your cup and throwing it somewhere behind you - and begin to dance. It doesn’t take long for some guy to show up behind you, his hands on your hips and him grinding against you. You don’t really care, after all, that’s basically what you wanted to happen. As subtle as possible, you move towards Dawon and his new girl. You don’t know if he’s already seen you tonight, but now you want to make sure he does - and that he sees he’s not the only one that has moved on already.

You finally turn around to face the guy you’ve been dancing with for the first time and almost yelp in surprise when you see that it’s Jaebum, a guy you’ve known for a few semesters now - all thanks to some mutual friends. He grins, damp hair sticking to his forehead, his nose ring catching the light. He seems to be slightly drunk as well, but right now, you don’t really care about that. You smile up at him and press yourself even closer to his body. He only raises one eyebrow, continuing to move to the beat of the music. When you look over his shoulder, you accidentally lock eyes with Dawon. His gaze is dark and his expression tight. Something almost predatory enters his gaze, when he sees you. You quickly look away again, but the damage is done.

Suddenly, you don’t really feel like dancing anymore, heart and head hurting. You excuse yourself from Jaebum by faking to have to pee, hurriedly making your way through the sweaty bodies of the other people on the dance floor. The bathroom downstairs is occupied, but you know the house well enough to make your way upstairs to the second bathroom.

Inside, you take a few minutes to gather your thoughts. You wash both arms with cold water, pinch your cheeks and drink a bit of tap water to help you clear your head. Then, you take a deep breath and close your eyes.

It’s time to go home now. You don’t want to see Dawon anymore. You don’t want to think about him anymore. You just want to forget him.

… truthfully though, you want nothing more than to be back in his arms again. To kiss him, to laugh at his stupid jokes and idiotic antics, to have him tickle you and squish your cheeks.

You feel tears spring to your eyes and desperately try to suppress them. Suddenly, there’s an almost aggressive knock on the bathroom door and you jump.

You take another deep, slightly shaky breath and open the door.

You startle, hand still on the doorknob, freezing in place.

Dawon leans against the doorframe, hair messy, eyes dark, restlessly gnawing on his lower lip. For a few seconds, you just stare at each other. Then, you slowly lower your hand and clear your throat. “Hi. And bye.” With that, you try to shove past him, but before you can reach the staircase, he gently grabs your hand, holding you back and turning you around. He searches your face for a few seconds and then - before you can say or do anything - his lips are on yours.

You gasp in surprise and he immediately slips his tongue inside your mouth, walking you backwards and pressing you against the wall, hands gripping your hips in an almost bruising manner. But you don’t even mind, kissing him back just as aggressively, just as feverishly. One of his hands wanders, grabbing your thigh and hiking one leg up and around his slender hips. He grinds against your core, semi pressing into you and you moan into his mouth, fisting both hands into his strands of dark hair, tugging on them and making him growl. He breaks away, just to press open mouthed kisses on your neck, harshly sucking on it and bruising the skin.

“You danced with fucking Im Jaebum. Right. In. Front. Of. Me.”, he says in between kisses, finally pulling away from your neck just to dive back into kissing you senseless. “It’s not like you were any better.”, you gasp when you pull back, throwing him a dark look. He smirks. “Jealous?” You instantly buck your hips to press into his now hard on and grin triumphantly, when his smile instantly dies on his lips. He narrows his eyes at you. “Bedroom, now.” With that, he grabs your hand and pulls you with him along the corridor and towards his room, locking the door behind him and almost throwing you on top of the bed, chest heaving while he hungrily stares at you. You almost whimper, pressing your thighs together, need pooling between your legs.

He’s always had that power over you - one look and you’re gone, already a mess.

He crosses his arms over his chest, jaw ticking while he looks at you. “Okay. I’m gonna make this short. You still remember our safe word?”

You immediately nod, anticipation rising in you.

He smiles, pleased. “Good. Use it, if you need to.” With that, he walks to his dresser and pulls out some ropes, before turning around to you again.

“Strip.”

You let out a small whimper at his tone, but immediately follow his instructions. You lay back on his bed again, completely naked now. He carefully binds you to his bed, making sure the ropes aren’t too tight around your wrists. “You’re okay?”, he murmurs, when he notices your erratic breathing, but you simply nod. He grins. “Excited?”, he asks, raising one eyebrow in a cocky manner. You scowl at him, deciding not to answer him. His lips twitch at your defiance, but he lets it slide.

He’s still fully clothed, something you only just really notice. You whine and pull at your binds, but they hold firmly. “You’re still clothed.”, you finally say and he nods.

“You’ve always had an eye for details.”

You shoot him another dark look and he smiles, leaning towards you and pressing a gentle kiss against your lips. You immediately soften, relaxing against your shackles. “Do you know how many calls and messages I left you after our fight?”, he whispers against your lips and your eyes widen in surprise. “6 calls. And I lost count after the 13th message.”, he answers the question himself, one hand ghosting over your right nipple, pinching it slightly and making you moan. “I think it’s only fair that we use those numbers tonight.”

You gulp at that, pressing your legs together and shaking your head. “13 is too much, Dawon.”, you say almost inaudible and he grins. “But six isn’t.” And with that, he closes his lips over your nipple, sucking harshly. Your back bends upwards under his touch, a moan tearing from your lips. You grow slicker with every second, almost throbbing with need. He ignores your soft pleas and whines, taking his time.

When he’s finally satisfied, he gently blows onto your hardened, dark red nipples and grins almost wolfishly. Then, as if he has all the time in the world, he descends and settles between your legs. When he feels the wetness covering your thighs, he chuckles. “Oh baby, you really missed me, hm?”, he murmurs against your center, so close to where you want him the most. You don’t answer him, too lost in his touch. He slings both your legs over his broad shoulders to give him better access and licks one long stripe from your entrance to your clit. You gasp at the sensation, pulling on the ropes around your wrists. He looks up and locks eyes with yours, the corner of his lips curling into a small smirk. “They will hold, don’t even try.”, he says, voice dark, before he finally buries his face into your core and begins to suck on your clit, tongue flicking over your sensitive bud.

Moans and curses spill from your lips and you buck your hips, but he quickly moves one hand to hold them down. His other hand slips between your legs, one finger circling your entrance in a teasing manner, before he finally slides the first one inside. He groans against your core, lips glistening when he draws back. “God, you’re so tight, baby. I missed you so much.” Before you can reply anything, he’s continuing to lap through you, making you into a moaning mess. When he slips a second finger into you, everything becomes too much and you feel your high approaching, whole body tightening - but before you can snap, he pulls back, almost lazily continuing to pump his fingers into you.

You whine at the sudden loss of contact on your clit and he grins. “First down. Five more to go.”, he says darkly and you shake your head in a desperate manner. “What?! N-no, please. S-six is too much.”, you plead, not caring how pathetic you sound. He tilts his head, observing you for a few seconds. “You can always use the safe word, baby... If it gets too much.”, he reminds you and you bite your lip, closing your eyes for a few seconds. You’d never use the safe word for something as… trivial as orgasm denial. You’re too proud and stubborn for that - and he knows that. When you don’t answer, he chuckles. “Okay. Three denials, three orgasms, then.” And before you’re able to say anything, he dives back between your legs.

The second time he denies your orgasm is even more brutal and you whine and squirm underneath him, but he’s unyielding, licking through your folds without giving you what you really want. The third denial almost has you sobbing, a few tears actually rolling down your cheeks, but still, he doesn’t give in. He crawls over you, softly kissing you, making you taste yourself on his tongue. “You’re doing so well, baby. Almost there.”, he murmurs against your lips, finally descending again and reattaching his lips to your clit, entering you with three fingers this time. The stretch is almost too much and when he twists his finger to find your spot, you see stars, your orgasm ripping through you with an unknown force. You moan his name, whole body shaking with the aftershocks of your high. He gently kisses your clit, lapping up your release and finally seems to have had enough of you, settling on the bed beside you.

You’re breathing heavily, eyes half closed and hair a mess. He smiles at your blissed out state, gently brushing a few strands of hair out of your face. Then, he kisses you, long and deep. “Two more to go.”, he says when he draws back, almost making you whimper again. You’re still throbbing and feel exhaustion settling over you, but Dawon isn’t finished with you - no, he finally begins to rid himself of his clothes, pulling out a condom from his nightstand and rolling it over himself. He grins when he sees your admiring gaze, traveling from his broad shoulders over his chiseled chest and his abs towards his length. He slides between your legs, teasing you by slipping between your folds without entering you just yet.

“Stop teasing!”, you finally whine and he raises one eyebrow at your tone, swatting your thigh and making you clench around nothing. Then, with one powerful thrust, he fills you. You gasp at the sudden sensation and he groans when you clench around his length, sealing your mouth with his, tongues dancing with each other. When you begin to shift underneath him, he takes that as his signal to start moving inside you. He pulls almost all the way out before slamming his hips against yours again. You moan against him and he draws back, sitting back on his knees and sliding one of your legs over his shoulder while slinging the other one around his hips. He hits you hard and deep from that angle, instantly making you see stars. When his thumb lands on your clit to circle it again, you can’t suppress the moans spilling from your lips. Both your curses and moans as well as the slapping of skin against skin fill the bedroom, but you know the loud music from downstairs is masking all your noises.

It doesn’t take long for you to feel another high approaching, clenching around Dawon’s length and pulling on the bindings around your wrists, desperately wanting to finally touch him. He grins at your attempts and shakes his head. “Not yet, baby girl. You’ll have to come for me first.”, he says in between two hard thrusts and when he pinches your clit between his fingers, you tumble over the edge, his name leaving your lips as a hoarse yell.

When you slowly come down again, vision blurry and mind hazy, you feel rather than see him untying the ropes from around your wrists. Your arms fall down, blood finally flowing back into them. Dawon pulls out of you and flips you around, entering you from behind and pulling your back flush against his chest, one of his hand slipping between your legs while his other wraps around the base of your throat, using a bit of pressure - just enough to make you feel a bit breathless. His hips continue to snap against yours in an almost punishing rhythm  and your head falls back to rest on his shoulder.

He whispers into your ear, telling you how good you feel, how tight you are and how much he’s missed you and you almost sob when he coaxes the third orgasm from you, whole body trembling and only being held upright by his arms around you. He lets go of your throat to ease your erratic breathing, his thrusts getting more unsteady with every passing second until he finally spills into the condom, groaning and finally coming to a halt. He gently pulls out of you and stands up, discarding of the condom and turning around to look at you.

You’re completely fucked out, not able to move a single muscle. He grins and tilts his head, taking in the sight before gently covering you with his blanket. “I’ll be back in a second.”, he promises in a soft voice, pressing a quick kiss to your temple. Slipping on his boxer briefs, he leaves the room.

Exhaustion is washing over you, but you try and fight to stay awake, knowing you should definitely talk to him. A few minutes later, Dawon enters the room again, a bottle of water in one hand and a wet washcloth in the other. He gently cleans you and helps you drink a bit of the water, before he slips between the covers and pulls you to his chest, gently beginning to rub your back. You hum appreciatively, trying to think of a way to begin this conversation.

Before you can say anything though, Dawon beats you to it: “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I was so… childish. You didn’t deserve how I treated you. I should have agreed to be in a relationship with you a long time ago - not because that’s what you want, but because that’s what I want as well. I’ve been too scared to admit it out loud and thanks to that I… I almost lost you.” He inhales shakily, “I promise I will change that now - that is, if you still want me… If you’re willing to love me again… If you’re willing to take me back, I promise I will try to be the best boyfriend you could wish for.”

He looks nervous when you lean back to gaze up at him. He bites down on his lip, searching your face for an answer. Finally, you smile at him and his whole body relaxes. “Of course I still want you, silly. I… I love you.”, you answer softly and his eyes widens, before he breaks into a bright smile, leaning closer to kiss you deeply.

“I love you, too.”, he murmurs against your lips and you giggle, burying your head in his chest. He pulls you even closer, humming happily.

You fall asleep like this - wrapped in each other’s arms.

[masterlist] | [requests] 

[our-time-is-now]

May 23, 2019: Good Genes?

(previous play)

You can find more information about the authors, translators, content warning and additional information about the plays in the pinned post on our blog.

There will be mention of something called Schultüte in the play. If you want to know what that is, you can find out here

Thursday, 6:56 pm:

David: *he and Matteo are on their way to the house where Matteo’s mother lives and he’s really curious and a little nervous to meet her - because somehow it really is something official to be introduced as a boyfriend* *doesn't know where they have to go and simply walks next to Matteo* *at some point says* I really think we should have brought something... flowers or wine or something... *finds it a little strange to show up without anything*

Matteo: *shakes his head* Nonsense... my mother isn't like that... *grins at him* Besides, I'm bringing you, that is enough of a present... *turns into his old street and suddenly gets nervous, after all, when he sees the house* It's over there... *they stop in front of the door, but he doesn’t ring the doorbell, yet* *hesitates and asks* Are you ready?

David: *laughs at Matteo's answer and shrugs* If you say so... *looks in the direction Matteo points at and then at Matteo* *wonders when the last time was that he was here and how it must have been for him growing up here* *comments* It's nice here... *stops with him in front of the door and is a little confused that Matteo doesn’t immediately ring the doorbell* *tilts his head a little at his question and says* I am. Are you? *smiles at him encouragingly*

Matteo: *should have figured that David would see right through him* Well, yeah... what could go wrong, right? *immediately thinks of at least five things that could go wrong* *so quickly rings the bell* *the door opens relatively quickly and his mother beams at him: "You're already here! How nice"!* *briefly looks confused* Yes, it's seven... *sees his mother smile: "Yes, but you and punctual..."* *sees her smile and then looking at David: "And you must be David, how nice. Why don't you come in, come in"!*

David: *briefly squeezes Matteo’s hand because he has the feeling that Matteo somehow is a little nervous, after all, but lets go of it when Matteo rings the bell because he doesn’t know how much closeness in front of his mother is okay* *murmurs* I’m sure nothing will go wrong! *smiles when Matteo’s mother opens the door and thinks it’s nice that she really seems to be happy about seeing Matteo and him* *has to suppress a grin when he hears her comment about punctuality* *nods when Matteo’s mother addresses him* Yes, exactly. Thanks for the invitation! *steps into the hallway after Matteo and wonders whether they are supposed to take their shoes off* *waits to see what Matteo does* *in the meantime, hears his mother’s answer: “I’m so happy that it finally worked out! I’ve been trying for some time to convince Matteo to visit me, but I can’t really blame him for not visiting for so long…”* *only understands half of what she says but doesn’t ask, either* *hears her talk further and wonders if she might be similarly nervous as Matteo: “Why don’t you go into the living room… or would you rather go to the dining room? Whatever you want. Do you want something to drink”?*

Matteo: *steps into the hallway and toes off his shoes* *hears his mother and shakes his head* Mama… *really hopes that they won’t talk about the things that happened* *briefly holds her by the arm and looks at her* *says quietly* Everything’s all right… *sees her smile and really relax a little* We’ll go into the living room… or do you need help in the kitchen? *sees her immediately shake her head: “No, no… just make yourself at home, I’ll be there in a second…”* *sees her going to the kitchen* *then shows David the way to the living room* *remembers only now how many photos his mother puts up and hopes that there are no embarrassing ones*

David: *takes off his shoes when he sees that Matteo takes them off* *then watches the interaction between Matteo and his mother and is surprised and touched how soft Matteo treats her and how his mother reacts to it* *smiles slightly but can’t really place all of that* *remembers Matteo mentioning that she takes antidepressants and wonders why and what she was like without them* *gets pulled out of his thoughts and follows Matteo into the living room* *looks around and finds it really comfortable and tidy* *can see mementos everywhere and sees a lot of pictures on the walls* *steps closer to a wall with especially many photos and briefly grins in Matteo’s direction* If there’s an embarrassing photo somewhere that I’m not supposed to see, now is your chance to take it off. *says that because if it were him, at least for now, he’d only show Matteo very few pictures from his childhood – if any*

Matteo: *stops in the middle of the living room and takes a look to see if anything has changed* *can’t really find anything and sighs slightly* *hears David and steps beside him to look at the photos* *quickly looks at the wall with the pictures but then thinks that it’s silly* *shrugs* So what… if an embarrassing childhood picture scares you away… than that speaks against you more than against me. *grins and nudges him slightly before pointing at a photo* This was in Italy… we used to be there every summer… *then gets quiet when his mother comes in and turns around* *hears her say: “I took the ones of you naked in the bathtub off for the occasion…”* *laughs and shakes his head* Very thoughtful, thanks.

David: *grins slightly at Matteo's words and nods* True... but you won't get rid of me anytime soon! *looks at the photos - Matteo as a baby, a toddler, the obligatory one with a Schultüte...* *then follows Matteo's gaze and looks at the photo: Matteo at the beach with water wings cheekily grinning into the camera* *was just about to ask how old Matteo was when the picture was taken, when his mother comes in with beverages* *hears her words and laughs* *nods confirmatory at Matteo's thanks* Really considerate! My mother wouldn't think of something like that... *watches as Matteo's mother puts down the tray with the beverages on the coffee table and hears her say: "I brought water and cola for now. Or would you prefer beer"?* *immediately shakes his head* No, thanks! Cola is great! *sees how she smiles, how she sits down on the armchair and reach for the cola and a glass to pour him some: "And for you, Matteo? - Why don't you two sit down"!* *sits down on the sofa and takes another look around* *feels like he has to say something and says* Your living room is really cozy, Mrs. Florenzi! *takes the cola she hands him and thanks her* *hears her say: "Thank you! Most things here have their own story. I'm bad at letting go of memories..."* *sees her smile apologetically when she says that and smiles as well* That doesn't have to be a bad thing - as long as the memories are good, it's nice to always have them around you... *briefly wonders if Matteo should have told him a little more about his mother, after all* *is a little scared of putting his foot in his mouth*

Matteo: *sits down on the sofa next to David* I'll take cola, as well, thanks... *grins slightly when David is so polite and struggles a little with the small talk* *leans forward to take his glass and looks at his mother* Sometimes you can let go... if you have to... *sees her looking at him and apparently searching for something in his face* *smiles until she also smiles and then leans back again* By the way, David is an artist, Mama... he can draw really well... *sees his mother smile and look at David. "That's great. Do you prefer to draw objects or people"?* *smiles slightly to himself and hopes that he managed to get David out of his small talk-trip*

David: *sees how Matteo's mother also pours him some cola and some water for herself and then watches their nonverbal communication interested and confused* *blushes slightly at Matteo's words and sheepishly shakes his head* *murmurs* Well, it's more like a hobby... *looks at Matteo's mother and answers her question* Actually, everything I feel like... but mostly I do draw people... but sometimes also objects... *notices Matteo's mother listening interestedly: "And did you always like to draw? Do you maybe have photos of your drawings? I would really love to see some..."* *thinks for a moment and then shakes his head* *thinks the pictures on Instagram are a little gloomy and not very representable* *suggests* But I could take some photos for next time... *remembers her first question, briefly takes a sip of his cola and then answers* As a child I drew more - but also really persistently and complex. But I really started sketching when I was about 13, 14... that's when I really got engaged in it, looked at books and videos, tried to improve... *notices Matteo's mother still smiling and hears her say: "That is a really nice hobby. Calming, isn't it"?* *grins slightly and nods* Most times, it is...

Matteo: *is really pleased with himself when his plan works and the two really start a good conversation* *sips at his cola while his mother says: "Matteo was never that into art... right, Matteo? If you'd known, maybe you would have come to a museum with me, after all..."* *laughs and shakes his head* No, I probably still wouldn't have... *sees her smile and nod: "Worked out anyways, right? How did you meet, anyways? At a discotheque"?* *laughs* No one says discotheque, Mama... and no, we met at school... David changed schools a few months ago...

David: *grins slightly in Matteo's direction and has to think about the fact that Matteo is usually quite interested in looking at his drawings* *takes another sip of cola, puts his glass down, leans back on the sofa and follows the conversation* *then notices how Matteo's mother turns back to him: "Changing schools so shortly before Abi? That seems really exhausting. Did your family have to move? *gets a little nervous, but nods* Umm yes... unfortunately, it couldn't be avoided. And it wasn't that bad. I had to catch up a little in some subjects but in most courses, we were on a similar level at the old school! *sees Matteo's mother smile: "Well, then it's all right. And now you’re done, anyways"!* *notice her look between him and Matteo, smile and then ask: "And then you met and went on a date, old-school? Or how does that work nowadays"?!* *hears her laugh and has to grin a little, as well* *looks at Matteo and slightly tilts his head* Do we tell her the complicated or the uncomplicated version? *looks back at Matteo's mother* To be honest, it took several weeks... and I'm not completely innocent in the matter... *doesn't know in the slightest how to tell Matteo's mother about it without talking about the actual problem and looks helplessly and pleadingly back at Matteo*

Matteo: *should have figured that the typical “how did you get together” question would be asked* *didn’t’ figure it and now is a little unprepared* Um… something in the middle? *shakes his head when David says he’s not completely innocent* Me neither… I had… um… a girlfriend… when we met… when we got closer, I broke up with her… but of course that didn’t make trusting and such exactly easy… that’s why it went back and forth for a while.. *thinks that they can bend the truth a little and that it’s not a complete lie, either* But as you can see, it did work out in the end!

David: *is glad when Matteo takes over and simply nods at everything he says* *thinks that basically it’s not a lie and simply allows for a lot of freedom to interpret the back and forth-situation* *sees Matteo’s mother smiling and nodding at his final words: “And that’s what’s important, isn’t it? What’s important is that in the end you’re happy”!* *nods in agreement and smiles in Matteo’s direction* I agree… *then hears a phone alarm go off and looks back at Matteo’s mother, who reaches for her phone and turns off the alarm: “Oh, excuse me! I’ve got a casserole in the oven and it’s done now! I hope you’re hungry! Why don’t you sit down in the dining room”!* *looks after her when she disappears from the living room and then looks at Matteo* I’ll simply follow you blindly… *grins slightly and gets up*

Matteo: *looks after his mother* *grins at him and nods* Always a good idea… *gives him a quick kiss* *then says more quietly* I hope that was okay just now? *is happy when David nods and leads the way into the dining room* *sees how his mother has laid the table and suddenly feels a lump in his throat* *remembers the days where she didn’t manage to get out of bed at all, let alone take care of the household* *points at the side with two plates* I suppose, that’s us… *sits down with David*

David: *follows Matteo into the dining room where they put down all the glasses as well as the cola and the water bottle* *sits down next to Matteo and also takes a look around and finds it quite cozy here, as well* *looks at Matteo scrutinizingly* Everything okay? It’s going quite well, right? She really put in a lot of effort… *points his head toward the laid table and looks back at Matteo* *can’t really estimate how he is doing right now – one minute he seems pensive and dejected, the next soft and loving and as if he would feel comfortable* *wonders what’s going on inside of him but thinks that now is not the right moment talk about it*

Matteo: *quickly nods when David asks if everything’s all right* Yes… it’s… nice to see that she’s doing so well… *looks at David* Really… it’s good… it’s just that sometimes I still worry about her… but this, right now, is good… *then hears and sees his mother enter with the casserole: “I totally forgot to ask if you’re allergic to anything, David? Or if you don’t eat meat? I could quickly make something different…”*

David: *nods slowly when Matteo says that he sometimes still worries about her, but that it’s good right now* *briefly squeezes his hand under the table and smiles at him encouragingly* *will ask again later and leave it to Matteo to tell him or not* *looks up when he hears Matteo’s mother come in* *smiles at her questions and lifts his hands in defense* Oh, no, thanks! Everything is alright! I eat almost everything and I’m not allergic to anything! *sees Matteo’s mother smile: “Well then it’s all right”!* *leans slightly forward and looks at the casserole and comments* This looks delicious! Unfortunately, I can’t really cook well – Matteo or my sister mostly do that for me… *sees Matteo’s mother looking at her son lovingly: “Matteo liked to help me cook even when he was little. At some point it became uninteresting or uncool… But when I wasn’t doing so well, he still cooked for me quite often”!* *grins in Matteo’s direction* So you practiced even as a kid – no wonder you’re so good at it!

Matteo: *grins slightly when David says that he can’t cook* *would love to say that David is at least good at chopping but has already told enough fibs today* *sees his mother’s look and smiles back* *nods slowly* Yes, you taught me the basics… and throwing things into a pan isn’t that hard… *swallows a little when he thinks about all the things he tried to make his mother eat* *hears his mother: “I always loved your pasta the most”!* *laughs at that* Everyone says that…

David: *looks at Matteo mischievously* Well then there has to be some truth to that… *hears Matteo’s mother: “Let’s eat before everything gets cold”!* *notices her reach for his plate and hands it to her* Thanks! *takes the plate back and waits for her to also serve Matteo and herself* *was just about to reach for his cutlery to start, but then realizes that it’s oddly quiet* *wonders a little why Matteo and his mother don’t start to eat, but then realizes why…*

Matteo: *slightly nudges David with his elbow when he starts to reach for his cutlery and shakes his head* *sees his mother smile at David: “I always pray before I eat”.* *presses his lips together and looks down, but doesn’t fold his hands* *from the corner of his eyes he sees how David at least lowers his head, as well* *then hears his mother say a prayer of thanks and then hears her add: “...and today I’m especially thankful for Matteo and David’s company. Amen”.* *sighs barely audibly and then reaches for his cutlery* Well, then, enjoy… *digs in and therefore is busy and quiet for now*

David: *smiles back when he hears the explanation of Matteo’s mother and nods* *doesn’t really know anyone who prays before they eat but thinks it’s actually quite nice and doesn’t mind it* *only is a little unsure if he has to consider anything and peeks over at Matteo* *then does the same thing he does and also lowers his head* *listens to Matteo’s mother and has to smile again when she mentions him and Matteo* *looks up after the “Amen” and also reaches for his cutlery* *nods at Matteo’s words* Thanks! You, too! *tries the food and thinks it’s really good* *for a while they all eat in silence before Matteo’s mother breaks the silence: “And do you already know what you are going to do? Now that you’ve got your Abi”?*

Matteo: *shrugs one shoulder and drinks a sip first* Let’s just wait for the results, first… maybe I didn’t even pass… *sees his mother shake her head. “I don’t think so, you’re such a smart guy”.* *shrugs one shoulder again* But lazy. We’ll see… *hears his mother again: “But do you already have an idea of what you want to do if you pass”?* *sighs and shakes his head* Noo… *sees how his mother thinks, starts to speak, but then closes her mouth again, after all* What? I’ll find something… *sees his mother tilting her head: “Your father said…”* *interrupts her angrily* I don’t care. *sees his mother looking from him to David and back a little embarrassed: I know, I usually don’t care, either, but he is the one that pays…”* *shakes his head again* Yes, my child support… and that’s the least he can do… *realizes that he gets angry and shakes his head* Tell him I’ll find something and that he should stop whining to you about it!

David: *planned on letting Matteo answer first – his mother is more interested in Matteo’s plans after Abi than his own plans* *shakes his head when Matteo says that he might not have passed and determinedly says* Nonsense! *peeks over at Matteo when his mother continues nagging to make sure that he is still at least somewhat ok with not knowing what he wants to do in live and can’t really find any insecurities in his responses so far, which reassures him for now* *follows the conversation further and is astonished when Matteo gets so angry all of a sudden* *feels pretty uncomfortable because it seems to be about something really personal, a family matter, and he doesn’t really want to interfere with that* *sees how uncomfortable the dispute makes Matteo’s mother feel, but how she still answers her son: “He doesn’t whine about it to me – he just worries…” *peeks at Matteo, who is angry but seems to have the situation under control, and to his mother, who keeps looking apologetically at him and her son and obviously feels uncomfortable* *simply puts down his cutlery and thinks that it might be good to give them 5 minutes where he doesn’t interrupt* Umm… where’s the bathroom? *hopes that its okay for Matteo to leave him alone with this situation but figures that Matteo probably would have told him in advance if he needed or wanted support in that situation and that he might be embarrassed that the situation gets dragged out in front of him*

Matteo: *derisively says* Yeah right, he worries… maybe about his money… *sees his mother shake her head: “That’s not true and you know that”.* *looks up when David gets up* *can somehow understand that he wants to get out* Down the hallway, to the right next to the front door… *sees David leave the room and looks at his mother* I’m not letting myself get pressured by him, Mama… you know he has to give me money. *sees her shake her head: “But not as much as he gives you… but I don’t want to fight, Matteo, it’s about you… and about your plans”.* *nods slowly and sighs* Yeah, it’s okay… I’ll get a job until I know what I want to do, okay?

David: *gets up and leaves the dining room* *can still hear parts of the conversation when he is in the hallway but then disappears into the bathroom* *lingers there for quite some time and even sits down on the toilet seat for a while to give Matteo and his mother the time they need* *somehow feels a little snubbed because there seem to be so many things in Matteo’s family he doesn’t know about and that Matteo hasn’t told him* *tries to think about what Matteo has actually told him and realizes that it really hadn’t been much* *wonders why – whether he’s embarrassed or if he wants to put it behind him or if he already has put it behind him – and wonders how he should act about it now – whether he should ask Matteo or wait until he tells him on his own accord* *sighs quietly and absentmindedly washes his hands a second time before going back to the dining room*

Matteo: *gets his arm patted by his mother: “I’m so proud of you, Matteo, really, I am. You’ll find the right thing for you, I know that. And I am always on your side”.* *smiles slightly and nods* I know, Mama. *looks up when David comes back into the room and smiles automatically* *briefly nods at him to tell him that they are done with the topic* *when David sits down the conversation gets more innocuous* *David talks about his study-plans and Mama Florenzi gets the dessert, homemade tiramisu*

David: *returns Matteo’s smile and is glad that they seem to be done with the topic and that Matteo, as well as is mother, seem to be doing okay and that it gets more innocuous* *”… and until when do you have to apply for filmmaking”?, Matteo’s mother asks him while distributing the Tiramisu to small bowls* *takes it from her* Thanks… that depends on the university… for most of them until the beginning of June, so there’s not too much time… *tries a bite of Tiramisu and is surprised because it tastes so good* *moans a little to Matteo* You have to make that for me one day… *grins slightly but then gets asked by Matteo’s mother: “Did you already decide on a university”?* *shakes his head with a full mouth and answers once he has swallowed* Not really… there are a lot of good ones in Germany… and it also depends on where I get accepted. Berlin would of course be my preference…

Matteo: *eats his Tiramisu while the two are talking about universities* *already knows this stuff* *grins when David says that he has to make it for him one day* *shakes his head* I don’t know how to… and not as well as Mama, anyways… *continues eating* *then sees his mother smile: “This would be nice, then I’d have you both close-by”.* *has to grin because his mother knows him so well and already knows that he would go wherever David goes*

David: *peeks at Matteo when he hears the last words from his mother and has to grin, as well* *finds it somehow cute that she expects them /both/ to be close-by, that she expects that he and Matteo will stay together, even if she only just met him* *briefly looks at Matteo’s hand which is only a few centimeters away from his’ but doesn’t dare take it, because he doesn’t know if that would be okay for Matteo as he hasn’t been trying to get close all evening* *thinks it’s because it might be weird in front of his mother, but is looking forward to later and to more closeness* *eats the last bite of his Tiramisu and smiles at Matteo’s mother* That was really good! Thank you! *sees her also smile: “Why don’t you have some more! There’s enough left! You have to take the rest of it with you, anyways, I can’t eat that on my own”!* *grins and reaches for the bowl* Yes, I’d love to! *has the serving spoon in his hand and looks questioningly between Matteo and his mother* Anyone else?

Matteo: *laughs slightly when David asks if anyone wants more* *holds his bowl out to him* Do you have to ask? *hears his mother laughing and grins* What? *hears her say: “You eat and eat and don’t work out and you still don’t gain any weight. How do you do that”?* *grins and shrugs* Good genes? *sees his mother shake her head: “That I’d know…”*

David: *gives everyone some more Tiramisu and stays at the table for a while longer with Matteo and his mother* *laughs a lot, especially when a few stories from Matteo’s childhood are dug out, until Matteo says that it’s enough and that he now owes him three embarrassing stories from his own childhood* *Matteo and he leave shortly after nine – with a Tupperware box with the rest of the Tiramisu – and promise to visit her again soon* *is a little surprised when Matteo’s mother doesn’t only hug Matteo but also him* *walks away from her house together with Matteo and enjoys the movement and the fresh air after all the food* *looks at Matteo sideways with a smile* Everything okay?

Matteo: *enjoys the quiet and to only have David by his side* *smiles slightly at his question and nods* Yes… went quite well, didn’t it? *looks at him sideways* I mean, she likes you… that’s what’s important… *nudges him slightly and then reaches for his hand* Or what do you think?

David: *nods at his question* Yes, I think so, too. *laughs* Did you have any doubts about her liking me? Well, thanks a lot! *then gets serious again and entwines their fingers when Matteo finally reaches for his hand* *isn’t planning on letting go of it anytime soon* *thinks for a moment and then answers Matteo’s question* I think that it was a nice evening. In the beginning your mother seemed a bit tense and nervous, but by the end I think she really felt comfortable. *considers mentioning that he didn’t really understand many of the things they were talking about but leaves it for now*

Matteo: *laughs when he looks indignant* Hey, I have learned that not everyone has such an excellent taste as I do… *grins at him* *but then also gets serious again when David does* *nods at his perception* Yes, I thought so, too… I think she was very nervous… I think she also wanted you to like her… *ruffles his hair with his free hand and then looks back at David while they turn around a corner* And sorry that you felt like you had to go to the bathroom… I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable… but I get annoyed when I feel like she only repeats what he tells her…

David: *smiles and shrugs* I like her, as well. She’s really nice! *grins slightly and squeezes his fingers* And of course it’s also somehow important that mother in law and son in law like each other, isn’t it? *shakes his head at Matteo’s next words* I didn’t feel uncomfortable – well at least not too much. I just didn’t really understand what it was about. It felt more like your mother was uncomfortable to argue with you in front of me. *looks at Matteo sideways and hesitates* *gnaws at his bottom lip for a moment and asks* Maybe… well, if you want to, maybe you can tell me a little more about your parents one day? *tries to lighten up the question a little bit* Then next time I know when a situation gets hairy and when I have to disappear to the bathroom…

Matteo: *laughs slightly and throws his head back* Son in law, huh? I see… *then gets serious again* *nods slightly* Yes, I think it was… *briefly looks at him at his next question* *looks away again and bites his bottom lip* *isn’t used to talking about his parents* *if at all, only talked about it to Jonas, or maybe Hanna, and they basically experienced it first-hand* *but also thinks that David is right and that he should know about it* *somehow really wants David to know everything about him, that he becomes family* *notices an entrance to a tiny park and briefly points toward it* Let’s check if there is a bench? *notices David’s confused look* Then we can talk…

David: *gets slightly nervous when Matteo at first doesn’t answer his question and considers taking it back* *then looks confused when Matteo points at the park but then smiles when he understands and nods* Sure. (*quickly goes to the Kiosk at the other side of the street with Matteo and buys some cherry-beer for them*) *enters the park, which is only sparsely lit by street lamps on the street, together with Matteo and relatively quickly finds a nice bench* *sits down without letting go of Matteo’s hand and turns toward him in order to look at him* *stays quiet to give him time to sort his thoughts*

Matteo: *sits down on the bench with David and is glad that he doesn’t let go of his hand* *doesn’t really know where to begin and therefore takes a sip from his cherry-beer first* *then also looks at David and simply starts* My mother has depression. I think she always had… but as I child I didn’t really notice it… anyways… she always took care of me when I was little, that probably helped… but when I got older and didn’t need her as much… well, then it somehow got worse… sometimes she didn’t get up for days… only stayed in bed… my father and her argued… more and more… but it was more like he got frustrated and got louder and Mama only cried… *bites down on his lip and looks away* *then takes a deep breath and continues* At some point, my father said that she couldn’t be helped anymore… that he couldn’t do this anymore… told her he’d take me and go to Italy… *shakes his head and hmph-es slightly* I mean, can you imagine? He simply would have left her completely alone, he didn’t care at all… he just didn’t want to deal with her anymore… I told him to fuck off and that he’s a coward and an asshole and that I’ll stay here… the next day he was gone and that was it… *shrugs* I stayed with Mama, but it was… well, not easy… she had phases where she was doing really well and… *swallows hard and needs a moment* Well, I thought that’s it, we made it… and the next day she didn’t get up again… anyways, I told her that I couldn’t always look after her… that she needed help… well, and then Mia texted me that they were looking for a roommate… *shrugs slightly and takes another sip of beer* *doesn’t really know if the story actually ends there or if it was the thing David wanted to know, but doesn’t really have any more words right now* *so simply waits for his reaction and for his possible questions*

David: *smiles briefly in encouragement when Matteo starts talking but then gets serious and listens to him when he realizes what it’s about* *during some parts he squeezes his hand a little more and during some, he tenderly strokes over the back of his hand* *takes a sip of his cherry-beer every now and then* *thinks that it’s horrible to experience your mother like this and not able to help her* *frowns when Matteo talks about his father* *finds it unfathomable that he left Matteo alone with the situation – that his own wellbeing was more important to him than that of his child* *shakes his head slightly and has to swallow when he realizes what kind of responsibility he must have carried on his shoulders back then* *would love to give him a hug but doesn’t want to interrupt him while he talks* *scoots a little closer instead and wraps his other hand around the one he already has a hold of so that Matteo knows that he’s there for him* *nods when Matteo says that he can’t always look after his mother and is proud of him for being so courageous to take that step* *waits for a moment to see if he’ll say more but then takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair* Puh… *tries to sort his thoughts and thinks about what he should ask or say first* *eventually asks quietly* How old were you when your father went to Italy?

Matteo: *exhales the air he must have been holding and nods* “Puh” is quite accurate… *sighs slightly at his question* 17… four days from now it’ll be exactly a year… *shakes his head again slightly* I haven’t seen or talked to him since… he tried to call a few times at first, but he stopped at some point… Mama took care of the thing with the money…

David: *briefly presses his lips together at the information and wonders again how one can leave their 17-year-old child and his depressed mother* *finds it unfathomable but nods when Matteo says that it’s been a year and to what Matteo says after that* So he basically pays for your room in the flatshare? And your mother is still in contact with him? Or only for organizational stuff? *wonders if Matteo sometimes misses his father or if the events were so grave that you cannot forgive it, or only forgive it with a lot of effort and time*

Matteo: *nods slightly* Yes, he pays for the room and a little bit on top of that, and so does Mama… *shrugs* I don’t really know… I do think mainly for organizational stuff… the divorce isn’t finalized either… and until I turned 18 they still had joint custody… *takes another sip* Anyways, I think he can do the bit of money… that’s actually the least he could do… but I don’t wanna be dependent on him, either…

David: *nods at what Matteo says and also takes another sip* *shrugs and says* That’s not only the least he can do – basically he is obligated to pay for you as long as you haven’t finished your education… I think parents are obligated to pay even until you’re 27. Insofar… even if it feels bad to be dependent but actually you’re not really, because it’s not you who demands the money but the law does! *grimaces in frustration because he can understand that it sucks for Matteo to feel like he is dependent when his father acted so stupid* *takes another sip and then puts his beer down and takes Matteo’s hand in both of his hands again* And your mother? I mean she was doing quite well today. Is she doing therapy or something like that?

Matteo: *slowly nods at what David says* Yes, I know… but I don’t want him to bother my mother because of it… *shrugs* Let’s see what I can find… *holds onto David’s hands and enjoys the feeling of not being alone* *nods* Yes, she found a therapist she likes… she used to go to one my father found, but that one didn’t work for her… well and now she does both… I mean meds and talking therapy and it seems to work quite well... for now… *shrugs* At least from what I see and from what she tells me.

David: *keeps listening to Matteo and slowly nods at his words to tell him that he is listening* *automatically draws little circles on the back of Matteo’s hand with his thumb* *is happy to hear that his mother seems to be doing better* *quietly says* It’s really important to have a therapist that works for you – otherwise there’s no use and it can even lead to you feeling worse… I once changed therapists, as well… *sighs briefly and looks at Matteo lovingly* *hesitates for a moment and then says* I think it’s good that you moved into the flatshare. And that you told her that you can’t always look after her. That was brave… *then adds quietly and carefully* I think otherwise you would have fallen by the wayside at some point… *doesn’t know if Matteo wants to hear that and looks at him uncertain*

Matteo: *slightly nods to the therapist-thing* *any other day he probably would have asked David some questions but right now he’s too lost in thought thinking about his mother* Yes, I think changing was really good… *nods slowly when he says that it’s good that he moved out* Yes… Jonas said something similar… and we’re both doing better now… Mama and I… so… *looks at David and smiles slightly* It’s all good the way it is.

David: *smiles when Matteo says that he and his mother have been doing better since he moved out and is happy for him* *can’t really imagine what it means having to look after someone the way Matteo did* *returns his look and automatically has to smile a little more* *murmurs* That’s what’s important… *slowly releases one hand and tenderly runs it through his hair without breaking eye contact* *quietly says* Thanks for telling me! *lets his hand wander to his neck and carefully pulls his head toward him to give him a short kiss on the lips*

Matteo: *enjoys David being so close and affectionate* *thinks that it’s really crazy that everything feels so new and exciting but at the same time feels as if he had known David forever because he’s so familiar* *returns the kiss for a moment and then also smiles* Thanks for asking…

David: *left his hand at the back of Matteo’s neck but now lowers it and searches for his beer-bottle* *has to grin a little when Matteo thanks him and looks at him mischievously* Maybe I’m simply a nosy person! *nods convincingly but still lies* *takes another sip and empties his cherry-beer* *simply felt like something was off and wanted to make sure that Matteo was doing okay with the situation or if he could do something for him* *thinks it’s nice that Matteo trusts him like that, that he told him all of that and vows to support him with everything that might happen with his parents in the future so that he doesn’t have to feel alone with it anymore*

Matteo: *briefly laughs out loud when David says he’s a nosy person* Oh, really? I didn’t notice… I simply thought you were caring… and noticed that there was more… *looks at him and then gets serious again* Many people simply look away embarrassed when they hear something, or they tell me how sorry they are… but that doesn’t help anyone… hardly anyone asks what’s really happening… or happened… so thanks, I mean it…

David: *laughs quietly when Matteo laughs and briefly bumps his head against Matteo’s shoulder* Damn, you saw right through me… *gets serious again when Matteo does and returns his gaze* *listens to him and only now understands what he meant by thanking him* *smiles slightly and then simply says* You’re very welcome! *leans back on the bench and stares into the dark park* *thinks about Matteo’s words again and eventually says* I’m also sorry that you had to go through this, but you’re right: It doesn’t change anything and doesn’t help anyone… But… well… if there should be anything in the future… you’re no longer alone with it, okay?

Matteo: *looks at him when he leans back* *smiles slightly at his words and notices how his heart somehow starts to speed up, but at the same time quiets down* *leans back as well and puts his head on David’s shoulder* Thanks… you really are… wonderful. *laughs slightly and wraps his arm around his belly and kisses his cheek* So, Mister Schreibner, to my place or yours?

David: *immediately puts one arm around Matteo’s shoulder when he leans against him and has to smile at his words because no one ever referred to him as “wonderful”* *kisses Matteo on the forehead and wraps his other arm around him as well when Matteo puts his arm around his belly* *sighs quietly and happily* *has to grin slightly at his question because just like him, Matteo doesn’t even consider spending the night apart and realizes that it’s the many small things like that which make him so happy* *thinks* Hmmm… your place… we already spent last night at my place. I’m sure Hans already misses you… *briefly kisses his forehead again and then tries to get out of Matteo’s grasp and to get up*

(next play)

[writingformadderton]

To the moon and back

Ship: Madderton

Word Count: 2195

Summary: Taron is in a secret relationship with Richard. When Taron gets nominated for an Oscar they decide to make it public in the case he should win. But he doesn’t and Taron finds another way to make it official...

Additional Tags: FLUFF, soft, kissing, cheesy, secret relationship, stargazing

---

Taron has his arms wrapped around his boyfriend’s neck and kisses him softly. He feels his full and soft lips underneath his own and smiles into the kiss.

“What are you smiling at?” his lover asks and pulls back, looking at him with his deep blue ocean eyes.

“Just happy to have you.” He admits and kisses him again.

Taron isn’t lying. The last few months with Rich have been the best and happiest of his life. His heart is whole, and he feels safe around him. When they got together, he told Richard he doesn’t want to make it public immediately. Richard understood, it was Taron’s first relationship with a man and he didn’t want to rush things. But now five and a half months later he is sure, it was the right decision to be with Richard.

Rich looks at him adoringly and lets his eyes wander all over Taron’s face. He stares into the most beautiful, blueish green puppy eyes he has ever seen. He sees his soft lips and the adorable dimples that appear whenever he smiles. “I’m happy too.” He presses his lips onto Taron’s again but pulls back quickly when someone knocks at the door and comes inside.

“Taron, the interview starts in five minutes.”

“Thank you, I’ll be there in a minute.” He promises and the assistant closes the door to his room again. T sighs and pulls Rich closer again. “I’m sorry that we always have to hide.”

Richard shakes his head and presses a kiss onto his forehead. “You told me you want to keep it private int the beginning and I told you that’s okay to me. I don’t have to walk around and tell everyone we are a couple.” He states and smirks shortly. “Even though I would love to make them all jealous.” 

“Don’t make me blush before an interview.” he giggles, and his eyes light up, getting a beautiful bright green color.

“I love you, Taron. You can announce it as soon as you’re ready. I won’t push you into it, alright?” Rich asks and smiles at him reassuringly.

“Thanks, love.” T sighs relieved and leans his forehead against Richard collecting all his strength and calmness. “I think I have to go.”

Richard kisses him one last time. “Have fun.”

- 

“Taron, your fans are crazy about you, I mean, don’t let me start on the thirst tweet video.” The interviewer says and Taron chuckles thinking back to it. “But how is it working with relationships in your private life? Are you still single?”

Taron thinks for a short moment. “Let’s say I’m really happy with my current situation.” He answers and smirks a bit. Now he didn’t give them anything.

“No one you like?”

“No.” like was simply the wrong term for Taron. He loves Richard with all of his heart.

“Do you wanna have children one day?” he asks curiously taking some notes.

Taron fights the urge to roll his eyes, those questions were always the same. “I would love to, maybe one day.” He can imagine Richard smirking at that answer. They talked about that once before and Rich told him they could still adopt a child if they were ready.

“You’ve been spotted hanging out with your former costar Richard Madden quite often these last few months. Any comment on that?” he asks, and T tries to stay as relaxed as before.

“Isn’t that what people do when they mean something to each other?” he asks and smirks a bit. Again, he didn’t tell him anything.

 Richard races into the living room and excited and rushes straight over to Taron. “My beautiful baby!”

Taron looks up confused and already feels Richards lips on his, kissing him sweetly. “What is going on?” he asks amused and looks at him adoringly seeing how bright his blue eyes are shining.

“Guess who’s been nominated for the Oscars this year?” Rich asks and looks at him proudly.

T cheers as he jumps up and grabs his hands happily. “I knew they would nominate you!”

“What? NO!” Richard growls annoyed and lets go of his hands.

“I don’t get it.” Taron admits confused and looks up to him. Who was nominated then?

“You’re so dumb sometimes, it’s adorable.” he chuckles and places a kiss onto his lips as T pouts playfully. “It’s you, gorgeous.”

“No way.” Taron starts laughing and punches his arm playfully. “Good joke, love.” he shakes his head amused and walks over to the kitchen. “What do you want for dinner? We could cook but honestly we can order something as well-.” he stops when he sees Richard trying not to laugh. “What?!”

“Look at your phone, idiot.” Richard says laughing and Taron frowns. “Just do it.”

Taron takes out his phone and sees a notification from Instagram. He opens it and sees a post of Elton congratulating him on his nomination for the Oscars. T stares at his phone for a moment before his eyes widen and he looks up in complete shock. “You’re kidding me?”

“Just believe it, you dumbass.” Rich groans and walks over to him. “You’re gonna win an Oscar.”

Taron lets out a laugh and shakes his head putting his phone aside. “No, I won’t.” he laughs and pulls Rich in a hug. “Even though I love to see how excited you are about this.”

“I wonder why you aren’t.” Rich frowns and pulls him closer.

“Because I’m keeping my expectations low, so I won’t be disappointed. And I won’t win so.” Taron shrugs his shoulders and plays with Richards hair.

“Wanna bet?” Richard raises his eyebrows at him and T thinks for a moment before giving in. “What will you do when you win?”

“I’ll announce that we’re a couple thanking my boyfriend.” Taron says with a soft smile seeing Richards adoring look. “And when I lose, we’ll go and get some fried chicken.” he says, and Richard cracks up.

“That’s a win-win for you.” he protests.

“As if you would be against one of those two.” T raises his eyebrows at him and grins.

- 

A few months later Richard steps in the bathroom and sees Taron trying to close the buttons of his jacket. He smiles and walks over to him, replacing his hands with his own. “You’re nervous?” he asks compassionately.

“A bit.” T admits. He doesn’t think he will win but it was still nerve wrecking. It was his first nomination for a bloody Oscar. “At least I’m sitting next to you.”

“Yeah.” Rich says and fixes Taron’s tie. “The next time I’ll hold your hand will be when we walk down the red carpet.” He winks at him and T just giggles.

“Let’s see if I win today. The next event we have to attend is three weeks later.” Taron answers and kisses him lovingly.

 -

Taron claps as the name of one of his co-nominees gets called. If he’s totally honest with himself, he’s a bit disappointed, because he feels like he let Elton and Dexter down. But just getting a nomination was nice.

T looks over at Richard who has a small smile on his lips. “It’s alright.” Taron assures him and grabs his hand just shortly to squeeze it.

- 

A bit later they are home already again, avoiding as much time outside together as possible, because they always had to hide. Taron recognizes Richard being more disappointed about it than Taron himself, and he thinks he knows why. Richard gave him time and supported him with everything, but he wanted to make it official this night while bursting with pride at his boyfriend. “are you okay, Richie?” T asks softly as they step inside their shared apartment and Rich nods.

“I’m just a bit tired and I need a shower.” he answers and slides off his shoes. “I hope you’re not too disappointed about it.” he says and rubs his shoulder lovingly.

“It would have been amazing, but it wouldn’t have been my highlight of this year, Rich.” he wraps his arms around him and smiles up to him. “Moving in and being able to spend my time with you means so much more.”

Richards face softens and he nods. “You’re right.” he leans down and connects their lips to warm kiss. “We’ll get some fried chicken when we showered, alright?”

“Yes.” Taron answers and smiles at him. As soon as Richard is upstairs and he hears him turning on the shower, T plants himself at the sofa. He searches through his photo gallery on his phone once again and picks out one of Richard and him kissing each other happily. Taron always loved this picture and he knows exactly how to use it now.

 -

Richard sits on the sofa scrolling through his phone bored and hears Taron coming down the stairs. Taron steps inside with his phone in his hand and looks at him with a small smirk. “What?” he asks confused.

“Nothin’.” T says and hits the post button on his phone.

Richards phone vibrates as he gets a message, he looks at it confused when he sees T posted something. He clicks on the notification and frowns a bit while it loads the picture. Then he sees Taron’s favorite picture of them kissing and raises his eyebrows surprised. He reads the caption and his heart warms.

I didn’t win a bloody Oscar today, but honestly, I won something so special almost six months ago. I love you, Rich.

Rich looks up in awe and sees the soft smile on his boyfriends’ lips. He jumps up and pulls him into a tight and strong hug. “I love you.” he whispers and closes his eyes happily.

“I love you too.” Taron whispers back and smiles widely. Both of their phones vibrate and Taron pulls back with a sigh. They take them and mute them, focusing back on each other.

“Let’s get something to eat.” Rich winks at him and kisses him quickly.

 -

Taron giggles as Richard feeds him a piece of chicken and licks his fingers clean. It’s already dark outside but they enjoy the comfortable silence in their backyard. They decided to eat outside and Taron placed a big blanket onto the grass, Richard brought the food, two glasses and a bottle of wine with him.

Richard watches his boyfriend adoringly who’s wearing his jumper, and realizes once more how much he loved seeing Taron wearing his clothes.

Taron catches his gaze and raises his eyebrows questioning. “What?”

“You’re so beautiful, that’s all.” Rich admits and he’s glad it’s already dark outside so Taron can’t fully see how much he blushes.

“And you’re a softie.” T giggles and rolls his eyes playfully, trying to hide how much it made it him blush. Richard still made him blush with a simple compliment, his heart still races a bit when he sees this adoring soft look in his eyes and he still sinks so deep into those damn blue eyes.

“Says you.” Rich chuckles and reaches out for him to fondle over his cheek.

The Welsh sits opposite him and comes closer now, wanting to be close to him. Their legs touch through the sweatpants and it warms him perfectly. He takes a piece of chicken into his mouth halfway and raises his eyebrows at Rich who chuckles while rolling his eyes and takes the other half into his mouth. They both take a bite and kiss. T pulls back chuckling and chews happily on his chicken. “My two favorite things, lucky me.” he sighs.

“You really put fried chicken and me at the same stage?” Richard asks laughing and rubs his face amused.

“Maybe.” Taron says and grins at him. “But I’m still deciding on who tastes better.” he teases, and Richards jaw drops in surprise.

“Taron!” he squeaks and leans over to him tickling him. “You naughty -.” he gets cut off by Taron kissing him with trembling lips, trying to hold back his laughter.

They finish their meal teasing each other and sharing sweet words, getting cheesy. Taron was sure if someone would hear them, they would declare them as crazy and run for their life. They finish their wine and Richard puts everything aside, lying down on the blanket.

Taron lies down next to him and cuddles into him looking up into the sky. They enjoy the comfortable silence between them for a moment and watch the dark night sky, covered with all the stars. T sees a shooting star and points at it. “Make a wish.”

“I have everything I could wish for already.” Rich says softly and plants a kiss onto his temple.

“Right…Who needs a bloody Oscar anyways?” Taron answers and cuddles deep into his boyfriend who wraps his arms around him protectively.

“We don’t.” Rich just answers and feels Taron shifting next to him and sitting up.

“I love you more than anything else.” T whispers and leans down to him.

“I love you too, bubs.” The Scottish whispers back and plays with his fluffy hair. “To the moon and back.”

“To the moon and back it is.” Taron kisses him and settles down in his arms again. He was home.

 @taron-eggmcmuffin @anxiety-at-the-classroom @multicoloredchicken @primaba11erina @sarahegerton96 @naptitimadderton @maddertonmyheart @madderton-obsessed

[lnc2]

Shutterbug (1/?)

Chapter 1: something happens when everybody finds out

Summary: The word is out and the gossip is in: Ladybug’s got a man on her arm and it isn’t Chat Noir.  The hottest new couple to hit the Parisian spotlight? Ladybug and Adrien Agreste.

A/N: A commission from the wonderful @alienducky that grew out of control. Shout out to @overworkedunderwhelmed for helping me with the title.   It’s just what I was looking for.

AO3

This is a dream.  This has to be a dream.

Adrien watched in fascinated horror as his father and Nathalie outlined their plan of attack to the shell-shocked love of his life.  Ladybug’s arms were crossed around her stomach and her mouth hung open, just the slightest, frozen as Gabriel oh-so-casually requested– no, demanded – the superheroine’s cooperation.

“Are you okay with this?” He asked, voice low so as not to catch his clearly insane guardian’s attention.

Ladybug turned away from Gabriel and his runaway PR campaign.  She gave him a somewhat wobbly smile.

“Sure,” She squeaked. “Yup.  Tip-top. Totally fine!”

The too-perky words hung between them for a moment, suspended in horribly awkward time.  Adrien knew his partner too well to know she was anything but panicking.

“It’s okay,” He said, reaching out to gently touch her arm. “I’ll get you out of this.”

“No!” She said, too loud.  Red peeked out beneath her mask, dusting her nose and cheeks. She shook her head, tried again. “I mean– no.  Th-that’s okay. I’m kind of the reason you’re in this mess in the first place, right?”

That wasn’t entirely true, but Adrien wasn’t going to point out the embarrassingly obvious.  If she wanted to pretend he hadn’t made a total ass of himself to the press, well, who was he to stop her?

“Besides,” She said, shy smile peeking through her nerves. “There are worse ways to spend my time.”

“Heh,” Now it was his turn to blush. “Really? I mean, yeah. Ah.  Yeah.”

Gods strike him dead. 

He was barely in this and already making a fool of himself.

“Adrien,” His father snapped, drawing their attention back to the front of the room.  “Do pay attention. This is your scandal we’re dealing with.”

“Yes, father.” He murmured.

Scandal.

The word hung in the air like an accusation.  Unfair, really, and an exaggeration. There wasn’t anything particularly scandalous about what was happening.  It was more… sensational.

And it started, as these things usually do, with a rumor.

Some one anonymous person on the Internet or another asking the question: who should be dating Adrien Agreste?

Since the he’d ‘gone public’ on social media and started sharing more details about his personal life, speculation was rife over which if any of the girls featured on his instagram were worthy of his attention.

A ridiculous question really when, as he told his commenters, they were all just friends.  On the record, he wasn’t interested in anyone.

Off the record? Well, he was working on that.

Nevertheless, the rumors spiraled, as they usually do, from there.

Clara Nightingale was written off as too old, Chloe Bourgeois as too mean, and his school friends as too low-key.  It wasn’t until one inspiration-struck individual suggested Ladybug that the message boards lost their collective minds.

Video mashups of Ladybug’s press conferences, fan footage, and Agreste ads started making the rounds.  Doctored images of Ladybug and Adrien embracing, staring longingly into each other’s eyes, or even just standing near each other were rampant on sites like tumblr.  All and any of the little real interactions the two shared were shared and dissected and shared again.  One manic evening, after Audrey Bourgeois was akumatized and Ladybug was seen carrying the supermodel across the city, #ladrien started trending on Parisian twitter finally meriting the attention of major news outlets.

How all of this rumbling underbelly of Ladybug lore managed to miss him was a mystery.  But whether through school or modeling or whatever it was his father scheduled to max out his free time, Adrien didn’t hear about #buggreste or #ladrien or whatever the kids were calling it these days.

That is, he hadn’t, until his disastrous post-photoshoot run-in with Nadja Chamack.

“Adrien, a moment.” She said, accosting him just as he was about to enter his limo.  “Is it true that you and Ladybug are dating?”

The question, one right out of his deepest, most desperate dreams, stopped him cold.

The camera focused in on him, a journalist’s dream: eyes wide and bright, cheeks so, so red.

“I–” He nearly tripped over his feet as he turned to face the reporter and her camera. “Where did you hear that?”

“So it’s true?” She asked, forcing the microphone closer.

“She– I… Me?” He stammered, more flustered and starry-eyed by the minute.  Unfortunately for the viewers at home, Gabriel’s assistant Nathalie stepped in front of the camera blocking him from view.

“That will be all.”

But the damage was done.

What once was a dizzy-eyed fangirl’s daydream turned into the hottest gossip to hit Paris since the superheroes first stepped onto the scene.

By the time it officially hit the Ladyblog it was regarded by everyone not in the know as fact. Alya did her best, really, she did, to stem the tides. For the sake of #ladynoir (and her best friend) she had to try.  But when Monday rolled around and the contrite blogger finally managed to catch up with Marinette there really wasn’t much left to say.

“I’m so sorry, girl,” She said, throwing her arms around her friend. “No one will listen to reason.”

Marinette shrugged. “It’s okay, Alya.  It’s kind of funny when you think about it.”

“It’s ridiculous is what it is,” She said. “Ladybug and Chat Noir are already together.”

“I don’t know about that,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes. “But it is rather reckless.  If it is true, I mean.  Imagine the akumas.”

“I’m sure Adrien will be fine, M.  It’s just gossip. Everything will blow over in a few days.”

Things did not blow over. 

They blew up.

And Marinette could only blame herself.

It was unfair, really, for the reporters to corner her like they did.  Ladybug and Chat were mid bien joue when they descended, rabid dogs wild for the latest scoop.

“Ladybug, can you comment on the Adrien situation?”

“Um,” She said, leaning further into Chat’s side as they encircled her. “No?”

Another microphone was shoved in her face. “So you’re saying you’re not interested in him?”

“No. I– wait yes.  I mean no.  I mean–” She laughed, nervous.  “What was the question?”

It was a rambling mistake on her part, a Marinette-ism sneaking through the mask.  But it was so hard for her to think with the flashing bulbs and shouted questions and rolling cameras.  Her miraculous was beeping and Chat’s arm gripped her waist as he pulled her close.

“I believe that’s all the time Lady has for today.” Chat said, extending his baton and vaulting them up, up, upward until they reached the nearby rooftops.  “Catch you later!”

Her partner was good for things like that.  Unfortunately he couldn’t save her from her runaway mouth and the resulting headline carnage.

Bug Outted! Secret Romance with Adrien Agreste CONFIRMED!

Buggreste or Ladrien?  YOU Decide.

The Claws are OUT: Chat Noir and His Plan to Win Ladybug Back

The last one featured a picture of Chat Noir sneering at the camera as he pulled a flustered Ladybug out of the paparazzi’s line of fire.  For days afterwards the Internet was abuzz with the news that she was cheating on Adrien with her partner which resulted in at least one akumatization.

The whole thing was more than a little ridiculous.

For obvious reasons, Ladybug thought it best to avoid being seen anywhere near the Agreste estate, but after a swarm of reporters chased Adrien down at the school things seemed a little… desperate.

Gabriel Agreste was the one who called for the meeting.

A stern direction for Adrien to make the request on his friend’s “little blog” was enough to send the forums into a tizzy.  But it was the news footage of Ladybug swinging over the vaulted gates of the Agreste manor that really set them going.

All of which culminated in this moment:

Adrien and Ladybug, red-faced and more than a little mortified, staring down the ultimate PR campaign.

“So we’re agreed then,” Gabriel said, looking down his nose at the blushing teens. “The two of you will carry on this… relationship for a time before breaking it off.  The public fervor will die down and we can move on from this disaster.  Are we clear?”

Adrien cast a searching look towards Ladybug, everything he’d ever wanted since he was fifteen.  She met his gaze and gave him a tentative but nonetheless heartstopping smile. A small thrill shot down his spine as the reality of what they were agreeing to sunk in.

The opportunity to date Ladybug with his father’s blessing?

Hell fucking yes.

Adrien met Gabriel’s steely gaze with his own.

“Absolutely.”

[badwolfwrites-sometimes]

Drawn Together: Chapter 11

Featuring a special character ;))

In his thinking about what he should do with his life now, Feliciano managed to fall asleep. If only for a short while.

"Toni is coming over! Make yourself presentable!" Lovino burst into his room, screaming and attempting to put some fancy leather pants on himself.

Feliciano turned around to face his brother. He loves his brother so much he would die for him, but if he wakes him up one more time... Feliciano wasn't actually sure what he would do. Probably something mean and then apologise the second the deed is done.

He closed his eyes again, adjusting in his comfortable bed. "He's your boyfriend. If anyone should look presentable, it's you."

"Don't embarrass me, Feli." Finally, those pants found themselves on Lovino's legs. Damn, he needed to lose some weight. And try not to sit down. "Get ready and help me set the table. Midget is off somewhere." After saying that, Lovino made his way downstairs.

Feliciano reluctantly sat on his bed, hugging his pillow. He giggled at his brother's gay panic. No matter how much of a flirt they all were, finding themselves in a situation where romance was required left all three of them in a state of helplessness.

Then it dawned on Feliciano. He was the only one not in a relationship out of the three of them. Well, Romeo wasn't officially in a relationship, but the way he talked about that girl the other day makes it seem like being single wouldn't last a while for him. It left Feliciano with a bittersweet feeling in his stomach. The ones who believe in love the most are always the last ones to experience it.

He should really get up before he gets drowned in the feelings of forever alone. He could stay in pajamas though, it's only their Toni.

As he was leaving his room, in the corner of his eye he noticed his unfinished painting still standing. It was calling for him, but he wasn't ready for it yet.

"Oh, please don't tell me you're wearing that to dinner." Lovino commented as soon as he saw him. Feliciano was dressed in his red pajama pants with cats all over them and an old blue T-shirt he got from Grandpa. In other words, he was dressed in his favourite outfit.

"It's comfortable." Feliciano responded, earning an eyeroll from his brother. "Don't tell me you're afraid he might actually come to my room tonight and not yours cuz I'm more inviting."

Lovino threw a rag at his brother.

Feliciano only laughed. "Those pants do look hard to pull off."

Lovino gasped at the comment, but before he could hit Feliciano again, the door swung open. "Lovi~" Came a sweet, exotic voice which got Lovino all red in a matter of seconds.

Feliciano smirked, but Lovino didn't notice. In fact, Lovino seemed unable to move. That means Feliciano has to get Antonio.

"Hi, Toni! Lovi is having a meltdown in the kitchen and he needs all of your kisses." Feliciano popped a greeting to his friend, before he turned serious. "Did you get my texts?"

Antonio nodded, patting Feliciano's head and messing his hair up. "I'll take good care of him." He smiled.

Feliciano's mood returned back to normal after hearing that, continuing with his jokes. "I hope you don't mind me being in pajamas. Please don't try to sleep with me accidentally."

Antonio blushed, the soft shade of pink matching his green eyes and dark complexion. Feliciano could see the reason why his brother fell for him. He was beautiful, kind, loving and had a really nice butt. "Don't worry about it, Feli. My heart is only Lovino's." Antonio said.

"Good. Make sure it stays that way. And use protection." Feliciano laughed before walking back to the kitchen.

"Mamita told me the same thing!" Antonio giggled, walking over to Lovino who was still experiencing some troubles with moving and talking, and gave him a big kiss on his cheeks. "How are you, amo?"

Feliciano avoided directly staring at them, but he could pick out Lovino's smiles and nuzzles from the glasses he was holding in hands. As much as he was glad that his brother was feeling happy and safe to even be doing this in front of him, Feliciano still worried.

"I finished the book, you know." He said, setting the glasses at the table. "I really liked it, too."

Antonio and Lovino tore their gazes away from each other for a couple of seconds, noticing that everything was now set. "Book? Silence in Venice?" Antonio asked, sitting down next to Lovino.

"Yeah. I feel really bad for Alice. She got too much abuse from everyone and she didn't deserve it." Feliciano ranted.

Antonio shrugged, running circles on Lovino's shoulder. "I only know what Andy told me so I can't really say anything about that. He has a theory that she's pregnant or something by the end of the book. And the author gave some hints about a sequal so..."

"Oh, you're talking about that German book." Came from Lovino, who finally connected the dots. "Should I leave the table?"

Antonio made a weird face, like he had done something wrong. Feliciano could feel his blood beginning to boil, wanting to evaporate from his body. He had to keep it cool, a dinner is never a place for war. "No, it's fine. We're done anyway." He said.

"You know I hate them and you know why I hate them, so don't bring them up in front of me." Lovino huffed out angrily.

Feliciano didn't respond, he just quietly ate his dinner. Right now, all he wanted was his room and his peace. And not being a third wheel to his brother.

He finally slipped away from the table, under a bathroom excuse, when Antonio was too busy courting Lovino and Lovino was too busy flirting with him to notice. God, it felt so good to be free from their loveydoveyness. True, he loved romance, he could literally drown in romance, but sometimes he needed to be away from it to fully enjoy it again.

He sat in front of his painting, thinking back of his mistake. There were still chances to fix it, but did he really have to do it now? After the suffering he just went through with the book?

Then it dawned on him. He could fix the painting AND his broken heart. All he had to do was paint what broke him over the nasty brown colour. Hell, even that ugly brown looked so beautiful to him now that he had an idea.

Feliciano raced out of his room, squealing and jumping around, bursting with inspiration and ideas. He had to share them with someone. The one time he could really say that he was a genious was now.

Antonio and Lovino looked at him as he jumped all across the stairs. If Lovino was forced to admit it, he had never seen Feliciano this happy in his life.

He run up to them, hugging them both at the same time much to their confusion, mumbling something about how he got it. Feliciano then proceeded to kiss both of their foreheads, just as Romeo was entering the house.

To Romeo's distress and confusion, Feliciano jumped for him next, hugging him and kissing him the same way he did Antonio and Lovino. The oldest and the youngest brothers exchanged looks of pure confusion. Something weird got into Feliciano lately.

Then, like nothing happened, Feliciano stormed back to his room, leaving his brothers and Antonio in a what-the-hell-just-happened-here atmosphere.

Feliciano returned back to his chair, he already wasted enough of his inspiration time to hug and kiss his brothers, if he wasted more, he would lose the idea.

It took Feliciano several days to finish his work of art. That is several days of not eating or sleeping. He barely even drank anything and most of the time it was paint water. He couldn't even distinguish it from actual water because everything started to taste metalic like the paint. But it was a small price to pay for being an artist.

Feliciano was proud of his work. The ugly brown stripe was now replaced by a magnificant bridge, The Rialto bridge. On top of the bridge Feliciano added two people holding hands and pressing their foreheads together. One was a beautiful girl with red hair tied in two side braids which fell neatly down her green dress. The other was a boy dressed in black with slicked blond hair and a lovestruck expression on his face. Just as Feliciano imagined them.

He snapped a picture of his painting, posting it on his Instagram and Tumblr, before leaving his room for the first time in a while.

"He's alive!" Was the first thing welcoming Feliciano as he entered the kitchen. "We really thought you were dead." The same person, Romeo, commented.

Romeo was making lunch that day, quite an unusual activity for him, and Lovino was nowhere to be found. "He's at Toni's house if you need him." Romeo said, reading Feliciano like an open book. "And Nonno called, he'll be here by tomorrow night."

Well, that was exciting. "Really?" Feliciano asked, earning a nod from his brother. "Where do you think he's been travelling this time?"

"Probably anywhere but Greece." Romeo joked.

"That's rude to Uncle Heracles!" Feliciano giggled.

"Why do we even call him uncle? He's basically the same age as Lovi."

"No idea."

The conversation died. Romeo was too busy cooking his lunch to continue poking fun at their odd family relationship. Uncle Heracles was actually only half of an uncle to them, their grandmother's son after she divorced their grandfather. Even with the two remaining close friends, Feliciano and his brothers barely see their uncle.

But it wasn't the time to think about family drama.

Feliciano placed his arms on his brother's shoulders, an old habit which hadn't died even after Romeo outgrew him. "What are you making?"

"Eggs." Romeo answered.

"Yeah, I can see that." Feliciano giggled. "Wait, that's all you're gonna eat?"

"That's four eggs, Feli."

"That's not a lunch!" Feliciano was offended. "Move over, I'm gonna make you something proper."

Romeo stopped and stared at Feliciano. "I wanna eat eggs. And I wanna make my own lunch. So go away."

Before Feliciano could protest, Romeo wiggled his eyebrows in the direction of the door, clicking with his tongue. No point in fighting, Feliciano, just be a good dog and walk away.

He returned to his room, wondering if he should paint more or leave it to settle for a few days. Or he could check how his new painting was doing on the social media.

Feliciano opened his Instagram first, saw that he got a few likes and no comments so far. Tumblr was even worse. Well, he didn't expect much in the first place.

Then he got a WhatsApp notification. From an unknown number.

'Hey Feli! <3' 'I haven't heard from you in a while, how are you?' 'This is Elizabeta btw. From middle school.'

Oh. It was Lizzie.

Truth to be told, Feliciano had the unfortunate luck to get all the numbers from his middle school deleted in a broken phone accident. Good thing he kept his old number.

He added her back to his contacts and responded.

♡~Feli~♡: Heyy Lizzie ♡~Feli~♡: True long time no hear ♡~Feli~♡: Im fine how are you hows life in Hungary

Feliciano decided to browse around his phone, waiting for a reply.

Lizzie: Great actually XD Lizzie: I'm not really living in Hungary anymore Lizzie: I got married

♡~Feli~♡: Congratulations!! ♡~Feli~♡: Where do you live now

Lizzie: Germany Lizzie: Actually that's what I texted you for Lizzie: See I saw your latest art on Facebook Lizzie: From the book Silence in Venice Lizzie: And I showed it to my husband's cousin and he's really into it so I wanted to ask if you'd be okay if I gave him your number Lizzie: He wants to gush about his emotions to you

Feliciano blinked. There was too much going on right now. First of all, he posted his art on Facebook? Unlikely, but then again he is prone to forgetting about things when it comes to art. That's how he failed his Art History. Stupid Rembrant.

Second of all, he was not comfortable with that at all. Elizabeta having his number was alright and all, even if they haven't seen each other since forever, but a complete stranger... He'll have to pass on that.

♡~Feli~♡: Actually... ♡~Feli~♡: Id rather you dont do that ♡~Feli~♡: Im not really comfortable with that ♡~Feli~♡: He can message me on Insta tho ♡~Feli~♡: Or Tumblr

A couple of minutes passed.

Lizzie: Yeah no problem Lizzie: He doesn't have either but I'm gonna make him some Lizzie: What's your Tumblr username

♡~Feli~♡: Artisloveandlife

Lizzie: That sounds just like you :D

Feliciano wasn't sure if he was supposed to wait for something or go and do his own thing. He wasn't sure if he even had a thing to do in the first place.

Half an hour passed. Feliciano spent them on Youtube, watching random cat videos. They were cute, but he wasn't really into them at the moment. Then his phone buzzed, two notifications from Tumblr.

'lutzie71 has followed you.'

'fryingpansandyaoi has followed you.'

Moments later, he was hit with another message on WhatsApp.

Lizzie: Heh took me a while Lizzie: I'm fryingpansandyaoi and he's lutzie71 Lizzie: You might want to message him first he's really shy

How cute! Feliciano thought. Shy men were the best kind of men in his opinion.

♡~Feli~♡: Okay lol ♡~Feli~♡: You re still into yaoi omg ♡~Feli~♡: Some things never change hahah

Lizzie: Yeah...

♡~Feli~♡: You re not trying to set me up with him are you now

Lizzie: No I've grown out of that phase Lizzie: Just talk to him he's been staring at his phone without blinking for a few minutes now Lizzie: It's freaking me out

♡~Feli~♡: Aww thats adorable ♡~Feli~♡: I will text him now

And true to his word, Feliciano opened his Tumblr, followed back his new mutuals, and typed out his message to a potential new friend.

Artisloveandlife: Hello! Artisloveandlife: How are you? I'm Elizabeta's friend! Nice to meet you!

3 minutes passed before Feliciano got a response.

Lutzie71: Hello... Lutzie71: I really appreciate your artwork for my book. Lutzie71: I am Ludwig by the way.

It was at that moment that Feliciano knew... the tables are about to be flipped.