#character* COMPLETELY but um.. yeah.. even putting that aside though i could not make myself watch that now.

[mxbitters]

hhhhhhh it’s so weird being transmasc and attracted to men because like how do you even explain that Yes you are attracted to men but even before you came out it was always like.  exclusively in a gay way 

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

weird, m | ksj

pairing(s): seokjin x reader

summary: Your roommate and best friend, Kim Seokjin, forgot to double-check the autofill information and shipped his package from the online sex shop with your name on it. Naturally, this ends with you tying him up and sucking his dick, and him tying you up with you riding him like a wild animal. Wait, what?

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; friends with benefits; crack (sorry, I can't be serious for more than two seconds when writing Seokjin); yes, reader usually fucks younger dudes XD; smut (fem reader, D/s dynamics (both switches), bondage, m-receiving oral, thigh riding, cowgirl, spanking); non-idol!BTS - just two best friends fucking for sexual exploration, don't mind them

technically a prequel to love roulette, m | myg yes, this is the explanation to that mysterious package, but is it really an explanation or rather an excuse to fuck WWH, you decide

--

“Seokjin, can I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

When Kim Seokjin looked at you, it was a bit like looking into the eyes someone much younger than you even though he wasn’t. He had that youth about him, the ‘here’s-to-never-growing-up’ sparkle in his large brown eyes, complete with parted lips in a small ‘o’ and, alright, yes, his Nintendo Switch in his hands.

“A long time ago, I asked you which way you think you lean, more dominant or more submissive, no?”

His handsome face flushed pink, slowly scooting away from you.

“Er… yeah, I remember…”

“What?”

“Huh?”

You poked him and he squeaked, slapping a hand over his side even though he was wearing a brown sweatshirt. Seokjin was always cold, even during the summer.

Your best friend was an odd character.

You chuckled. “Why are you being so awkward? I thought we were over this phase.”

Well, he should be. You had known Seokjin since elementary school and seen him, er, date was a strong word for what you both were doing in middle and high school, more like being bumbling messes and walking in on each other bonking classmates, but, hey, what mattered is that you both got better at it over the years.

It being sex.

Not romance.

You both still had only sketchy ideas about what romance was supposed to be.

“We are,” your best friend coughed, clearing his throat for absolutely no reason. “We are, I just…”

“Used my name for purchasing goods from an online sex shop?”

He choked and nearly flung his Switch. You caught it, swiftly placing it on the coffee table as you procured the cardboard box from behind your back, already open, address and name circled in thick black permanent marker on the rather inconspicuous package.

“W-What, that’s absurd, why would I ever–?”

You hummed pleasantly, sweeping the box away from his lanky limbs and his flailing hands. For someone who didn’t purchase goods from an online sex shop, he sure was interested in getting the box. He tumbled into your lap, and quickly scrambled back, black hair suddenly fluffed and wild from the movement.

“Something tells me you didn’t check the autocomplete form before clicking submit.”

You saw Seokjin choke on air.

He jerked away from you and fumbled with his phone beside him. You peeked over his broad shoulder and saw that he was scrolling through his emails like a madman, except Seokjin had a bad habit of never deleting any. He had maybe fifteen thousand unread emails to sort though.

“You don’t have to check. I am sure I didn’t order red cotton bondage rope and a leather flogger.”

Seokjin whipped his head around, face redder than a tomato, looking halfway between fainting and screaming.

You raised an eyebrow. “Is it for you or a mysterious imaginary girl that you’re dating?”

Now your best friend seemed to be contemplating holding his own breath until he passed out to avoid your questioning.

“I-It’s not for me!”

“Oooh, then who? You’re not an internet hookup kind of guy though… unless she was dumb enough to put her full name as her username, then she’s too airheaded to be a catfish–”

Seokjin flapped his hands, smacking you in your pajama-covered chest, sputtering. “No one! There’s no one! I just…!”

You caught one of his wrists, raising an eyebrow.

“Just?”

He froze.

Silence.

“… Seokjin?”

You left go of his hand. It stayed there, frozen in the air.

Ah, it seemed as if his soul left his body.

Rest in peace Kim Seokjin. You were the handsomest best friend one could ask for.

You prodded him in the side again and Seokjin doubled over, trying to cover his face with the large sleeves of his sweatshirt, long legs in black sweatpants curling up as if he could cocoon himself away from the conversation.

“Seokjin, you can be interested in whatever you want,” you snickered, placing the package next to his fetal positioned body. “I simply thought it was funny that you accidentally used my name. Although I wouldn’t use that flogger on a real person, only for posing in pictures. In any case, have fun being freaky by yourself and not for some mysterious woman you refuse to tell me about.”

You stood up, about to leave and give your best friend some space. You shouldn’t go too far teasing him after all.

“What do you mean?”

You stopped, looking back. Seokjin’s large brown eyes were peeking out of his splayed fingers, shifting awkwardly when you made eye contact. He cleared his throat. He was doing that a lot for someone who seemed perfectly healthy ten minutes ago, shrieking at himself for missing the ledge in his game and dying.

It had seemed like a good time to interrupt and embarrass him so you could save your eardrums.

He coughed and pointed to the box. “About the… um… whip… thingmabob…”

You cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t it obvious?”

You marched over and opened the box, making Seokjin jolt and cover his red ears instinctively, but you ignored him, pulling out the black pleather flogger you had already unwrapped from the plastic – purely from thinking it was your own package, by the way, no other reason, surely not because you were mildly curious about what your best friend was into, nope – and you slapped the short three tails into your hand, wincing.

“This kind of cheap material is too plastic-like. If you use this on bare skin and hit too hard, you’re going to cut someone and I know you’re squeamish around blood, unless you secretly have a blood fetish too and have been a really good actor all this time–”

“How do you know that?”

You blinked at his question.

“What?”

Seokjin sat up, giving you a confused pout. “Why do you know something like that?”

Now it was your turn to shift your eyes around.

“Uh…”

Er… how to tell your best friend that the younger guy you were casually fucking for the past couple of weeks was, ah, rather knowledgeable about certain things, was, um, interested in teaching, uh, yeah, teaching…

Seokjin squinted at you suspiciously. “Is it that idol trainee that was here two nights ago when I was out drinking with Hose–”

You waved your hands very quickly, tossing the flog aside carelessly and slapping your thigh to silence Seokjin and his far too invasive questions. “Look. I just don’t want you to hurt anybody on accident, okay? Your rope choice was good though. You should always use an organic material for shibari, cotton, hemp, linen if you’re rich, but you’re a cheapskate, so–”

Your best friend narrowed his eyes into slits. “How much younger is that guy compared to you again? Hm? And what was his name? Ye–”

You slapped a hand over Seokjin’s mouth, smiling sweetly and dangerously, reaching into the box and pulling out the red cotton rope.

“I know a lot of knots now and I can tie a noose just for you, Seokjinnie.”

Your best friend, rightfully so, looked terrified.

“Now. Let’s talk about you, okay? Okay.”

You removed your hand and held onto the rope.

Seokjin gulped, but then shook his head vigorously, frowning. “What did you call it?” He was already moving past your death threat. Smart man.

“Call what?”

“Shi-something?”

“Shibari? Japanese rope tying?” You lifted the cotton cord in your hand. “Is that not what this is for?”

Seokjin blinked very rapidly.

You blinked back at him. Then it dawned onto you. “The diamond-y rope patterns where they’re all tied up and stuff.”

“Ah! Yeah! That!”

“You want that done to you?”

Seokjin jerked to one side. “What? No! To someone else. Maybe. No. What?”

You slowly placed the rope on his lap and scooted away.

“Uh… huh. Okay. Enjoy.”

“Wait,” he blurted.

“What?”

“CanIpracticeonyou?”

“Can you WHAT?” you echoed shrilly.

“Right, yeah, okay, never mind–”

-

“Seokjin.”

Your best friend choked on his own toothbrush and threw himself into the bathroom wall, colliding into the towel bar and howling in pain while simultaneously hacking up a lung.

“I’ve decided I am going to teach you some simple knots to prevent me from having to pick your naked ass up from the police station or hospital,” you said calmly as Seokjin half-died on the floor tangled in your mint green and his navy-blue bath towels. “And because I don’t want to have to cut some poor girl off your bedframe because you’ve blacked out running onto your door trying to find me.”

“I’ve never–” he wheezed.

“But you will if I don’t take precautions,” you cut in, grabbing your purple toothbrush and putting toothpaste on it as Seokjin attempted to collect himself off the ground. “Like that one time you ran into the window when that wasp was in the apartment.”

“That was a fucking wasp, you freaked out too!”

You started brushing your teeth. “Yeah, but I didn’t knock myself out and wake up with a fat bump on my forehead. That was you,” you gargled.

“Ack…”

“Anyway, I know a few things and I figured I would do a good deed and enlighten you.”

“Who taught you? Was it Ye–”

You jabbed Seokjin forcefully in the ribs and he immediately shut up because he choked on his toothbrush again.

-

“Why do you have scissors?”

“For cutting the rope.”

“Yeah, but why are they so big?”

“That’s what she said.”

Seokjin narrowed his eyes. “I hate you.”

“Cool, now I’m gonna tie you up. Give me your hands.”

You unwound the end from the bolt and frowned, nudging his knee with yours. You were both sitting on his bed, him cross legged and you on your knees because he was wearing black sweatpants and you were wearing no pants, just your usual large lavender pajama shirt with a pattern of yellow stars.

“Take off your sweatshirt. It’ll get in the way.”

“But I’m cold.”

“You won’t be because apparently this shit turns you on,” you snickered.

“Shut up, it does not. It’s the other way around,” Seokjin grumbled, yanking his chocolate brown sweatshirt over his head.

You paused.

“I thought you were more sub.”

Seokjin froze, head half-out of his sweatshirt. You waited. He didn’t move. You waited some more. He coughed and chucked the article of clothing aside, yanking his white t-shirt down and smoothing his hair, not looking at you.

You waited.

He smoothed his hair for a full two minutes.

“Um, anyway–”

You planted a hand on his knee and Seokjin tried to chop your hand away, only for you to snatch his wrist, so his other hand came up to stop you, but you wound the end of the rope around his wrist and bounced off his mattress, pinning your knees on top of his knees and making him squeak as he tumbled back into his pillows, bringing you with him. You had to jerk your head out of the way to avoid collision.

“My nuts!”

“I didn’t hit your precious nuts, you numbsku–”

Hang on.

You locked eyes with Seokjin under you, who gawked back at you, absolutely terrified.

“… You are still a sub.”

Seokjin winced. “Ugh, it’s just… I’m getting older, alright? I can change my mind…”

You could get off him. You could let it be. You totally could.

But were you going to?

No.

You straddled his abdomen and brought his hands to his chest with a big grin. Seokjin’s eyes turned into giant brown saucers. He looked ready to pass out and not from your weight because you weren’t putting much weight on him.

“W-W-What are y-you d-doing?!” he shrieked.

You rapped him in the forehead. “Teaching. Pay attention. Hands up.”

“You aren’t taking your rings off?”

He was referring to the three silver rings you wore on a daily basis – an onyx stone on your left middle finger, a goat-head shaped ring on your right thumb, and a skull with a jester hat on your right ring finger.

You raised an eyebrow. “Why do I need to take them off?”

He lifted his hands and gave you an exaggerated shrug in between your thighs. Come to think of it, Seokjin had a rather broad chest so you had to spread your legs pretty wide to accommodate and hover over him.

Precarious.

“Ah, perfect.”

Your best friend yelped as you wrapped the rope around his wrists, leaving the end sticking out between them, first focusing on loosely binding. He tried to break away, but you harshly squeezed his sides with your thighs, narrowing your eyes.

“Stop squirming.”

He froze at your cold tone, shifting his eyes awkwardly.

“Watch. Now.”

His eyes immediately snapped to your hands.

“Wrists together.” You nudged them so the inner parts of the wrists were touching. “A little space in the center,” you added, looping out the end of the rope. “I’m just teaching you how I learned it, there are a few ways, but the details are important so you don’t prevent loss of circulation,” you added seriously, waiting for him to nod before continuing. “So, wind it around a couple times, but don’t overlap. Four or five?”

“But I can still get out.”

You glared at him. Seokjin shut up and jammed his plush pink lips together, shaking his head rapidly as if to say, who me? I wasn’t talking!

“Turn it ninety degrees like this,” you demonstrated. “And start going perpendicular to and in between the wrists to create the binding. Line up each coil side by side. Mind the starting end here. Then…” You reached for the scissors and snipped the excess away, dropping the rope and scissors beside you on the bed. “You tie it off on the outside. I use a square knot, so this end over this end, and then retie it the opposite way. Try to break free.”

Seokjin frowned at the red rope around his wrists, twisting it this way and that, squirming underneath your legs. You put your hands on your waist triumphantly, nodding to yourself in pride. You did a good job! It looked neat and it was inescapable without tightening on any blood vessels to cause any dangerous loss of circulation.

Hang on.

Seokjin froze.

You froze.

You both looked down.

You smacked him in the cheek.

“Ow!”

“What are you looking there for?!”

“Why did you hit me? Why do you always resort to violence?!” Seokjin accused, jabbing you underneath your breasts with his bound hands. “What is going on down there?”

“Nothing! Stop moving!”

“No!”

“You–”

You closed your thighs around Seokjin’s waist and sat down on him, causing him to gasp, wind knocked out of him as his diaphragm was pushed up into his lungs, struggling with the rope between his wrists and resorting to slamming them down on the bed above his head. You growled as you towered over him. He started yelling, as he always did.

“Yah!”

You slapped your free hand over his mouth.

“Silence.”

He glared at you behind your palm, breathing hard. You sat on top of him, breathing just as hard. He was bigger, strong, yes, but not in the position of power and – being honest, after all – your best friend was never really out to fight you and win. He was more of a ‘I’m-going-to-be-stupidly-annoying-until-you-do-what-I-want’ type, which made him rather childish in some ways. You were more of the ‘I’m-gonna-beat-your-ass’ type.

In conclusion, it was a healthy friendship.

Seokjin started licking your palm and making crazy eyes at you.

Your eye twitched.

“Stop it.”

Unsurprisingly, he did not, in fact, stop it.

“I said, stop it.”

And you slid down, past the wet spot now on his t-shirt, planting your soaked panties on top of his crotch, grinding down, and, yup, Seokjin bucked and yelped, immediately stopping and seizing up as if he could hide the massive erection that you had been willing to ignore but he was being a little – nah, actually, an extra-large, supersized – shit and it was getting on your last nerve, so what better way to resolve a wordless argument (on his part, heh) then humping his hard-on?

You removed your hand and Seokjin had a brief moment to gasp your name before you slid the pads of your fingers onto his tongue, rubbing it roughly and making his eyes nearly bulge out of his head.

“I told you to stop, but you aren’t listening,” you snarled.

Seokjin whimpered, brown orbs glassy, pupils blown out.

You stilled.

Hold on a second.

You had a brief epiphany where you realized you were grinding on your best friend’s dick with him tied up and you were wetter than the Yellow Sea. This wasn’t some guy you picked up at the night market that won you that sleeping Pikachu at the claw machines, only to chat him up and end up with bed with a guy who was – ack, never mind his age – anyway, this was your best friend.

Kim Seokjin.

Oh shit, I’ve gone too far.

You let go, backing up. “S… Sorry, I–”

But then Seokjin’s plush lips closed around your fingers, sucking hard and you choked slightly, feeling his hips roll and the tip of his clothed erection hit your covered clit. He was glaring at you. You gasped as his teeth gently but firmly caught your two fingers. It did hurt, but only a little. Mostly it sent a rush of rather uncomfortable and mind-boggling arousal racing from your knuckles to your core, drenching your panties further.

“Don’t stop,” he mumbled around your fingers.

Don’t stop?

DON’T STOP?

His teeth let go, panting, staring into your eyes.

“Don’t make this weird,” Seokjin muttered, shifting his gaze. “Don’t make this weird, okay?”

His brown eyes flickered back to you. His bound hands were still over his head, black hair flaring out of his pillows, white t-shirt messed up, still trapped between your thighs. You paused, fingers slipping out of his lips, the pads trailing on his lower lip, turning it glossy with his saliva.

Your heart was racing fast.

He furrowed his dark brows and, for the first time, his serious expression made you think that perhaps, maybe, there was a side of him down there, the other side to the coin.

“I just…” Seokjin exhaled slowly, not looking away from you. “I trust you to do this. You’re capable and knowledgeable. I know you are. Word gets around with your, er, habits with younger guys…”

You felt your cheeks heat and you scratched your head awkwardly.

“Anyway, it’s fine if you wanna… er… get off. With me. Because I’m so handsome and all.”

You were thiiiiiiis close to leaving out of sheer embarrassment that instantly dissipated at Seokjin’s sudden unexpected self-compliment. Instead, your eye twitched and you squinted in annoyance.

Seokjin coughed, ears singeing bright red. “Unless you can’t, of course. Because it’s easy to fall in love with me, and that would be very bad considering I don’t want to marry you–”

“I don’t want to marry you either,” you snapped. “You’re ugly.”

Seokjin gasped dramatically, highly offended. “How dare you–!”

He abruptly sat up and you twisted back, only for his arms to swing over your head and sandwich you between his tied wrists and his chest, ramming you back onto his lap and his hard dick. You hissed and bit down your moan, not willing to admit it was mildly turning you on, because of course neither you or Seokjin hated each other – only in that classic way best friends hate and love each other at the same time – and, yeah, sure, you could admit Seokjin was handsome and cute and fun to be around, but he wasn’t the one, not that you knew what the one was supposed to feel like or knew if you would ever feel such an intense, romantic love, but you had this strange idea that the one for you would be someone who could understand you on a different level, and you didn’t have that with Seokjin even if you did talk all the time. You were quite sure the feeling was mutual and now, looking into his brown eyes with a scowl, you saw that the feeling was indeed mutual.

Also, Seokjin was an immature shithead.

A loveable, worldwide handsome, immature shithead. Redeemable.

Still.

You were horny.

And Seokjin was horny.

You weren’t going to date Seokjin ever, but your best friend was hot as hell and you could definitely bang him without any regrets.

“Let’s fuck,” he breathed into your face.

You raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t make it weird.”

Don’t make it weird, yeah, okaaay dude–

Your thoughts were suddenly cut off when Seokjin kissed you.

His forearms closed in behind your back and he pressed his bound wrists into your shoulder blades, pushing you into his solid chest and his embrace, taking your breath away. He always had good hugs, even if they were just to comfort you when your favorite flavor of ice lollys stopped being stocked at your local grocery store – still tragic to this day – and even when he was clinging onto you like a howling monkey because a cockroach was in the bathroom and he was screaming at you to kill it and nearly blowing out your eardrums, even then…

Now.

You closed your legs in around his hips and rolled your crotch into him, suddenly kissing him back.

He gasped into your mouth, your eyes half-opening, him gazing back at you, long lashes and dark eyebrows and glowing tan skin, holy shit, your best friend was handsome as fuck, why did other men even try when Kim Seokjin existed?

“Are you falling in love with me because I’m so handsome?” Seokjin teased, nipping at your lower lip.

Your eye twitched. Oh, yes, that’s right, because you’re annoying.

You shoved him and he yelped, clutching your back as you both fell onto the bed with a flump! You slid out from under his arms, skin prickling at Seokjin’s involuntary whine at your departure. Don’t make this weird, yeah, okay, don’t turn me on this much, dumbass, you are reminding me of… You pushed the thought away.

You didn’t want to think about other people when the person you were touching was right in front of you.

“What are you – yah!”

You gripped the waistband of his sweatpants and yanked down, exposing his underwear – bright blue, nice, nice – and his clothed erection, leaning in, hot breath ghosting over it, Seokjin jerking his arms about because he seemed undecided on either if he wanted to see or not see, but you let him deal with that in his own time, lowering your mouth, tongue extended, fingers splayed over his hips, silver rings glinting in his bedroom lights.

“You look like a demon,” you heard from above you.

You planted your tongue on the spot where the head of his cock would be and soaked it with saliva.

“F-Fuck!”

That shut him up real quick.

Your eyes drifted up, lapping slowly, barely stimulating the sensitive head through his underwear, closing your lips around it so the fabric clung wetly to the taut skin underneath. His cock swelled and twitched under your mouth; the action was mirrored by Seokjin’s jaw. He was clenching it along with his hands balled into fists, gasping for breath.

“O-Oh, f-fuck…!”

You were beginning to get the hint with each passing second of working your tongue around his rapidly hardening cock. Seokjin had put himself in the sub category when you asked back then because he liked to things being done for him. It was less about the mental aspect and more of the physical acts of service in his case. However, he wasn’t very good at articulating what he wanted and thus the natural pattern of someone just doing it led to, ah, exhibit A.

You currently parting your lips and letting your tongue snake out, coating the length with saliva.

But.

You could see it in his eyes, that burning intensity.

Maybe part of it was because it was you. He probably didn’t have those butterfly jitters of trying to woo a stranger or the nervousness of looking bad in the honeymoon phase of a relationship. There was already a level of comfort – and the ability to readily shit-talk each other at any moment – and so Seokjin was free to relax, even if it was a bizarre situation of sexual discovery.

“Take it off,” he growled.

Your fingers creeped up his sides, hooking over his boxer briefs. Slow, deliberate, kissing up his length, on the tightrope, dominant in your control, submissive in the action, raising your head so Seokjin could lift his hips, feathering kisses on the exposed skin and making him hiss and shudder, eyelids fluttering, slipping into subservience a little.

At the end of the day, who killed the unwanted bugs in your shared apartment?

Yeah, you.

“Oh, f… fucking shit…”

You tilted your head and ran your tongue up and down the length, licking up the sides and circling around the thick head, bordering on frustratingly soft, switching to wet, sloppy kisses when his hands raised, making him pause, gazing down at you curiously and attentively, entranced by the action. You ducked down, tongue slurping around his balls, lifting his cock, kissing, sucking, eyes closing, tip of your wet muscle drawing zig-zag patterns that soft skin.

Seokjin moaned your name.

A shiver of electricity went up your spine.

Alright, fine, you were getting turned on.

You wrapped your lips around his balls and enveloped them both with your mouth.

“Whoa!”

You opened your eyes to see Seokjin staring wide-eyed at you, hands straight up to stare at you between his upper arms. You almost laughed at the hilarious triangular-looking pose, but your mouth was currently full, so you restrained yourself.

“That’s possible?! You can put both nuts in your mouth at the same time?!”

Uh.

Where you supposed to respond with your cheeks stuffed with his nutties?

You hummed casually in response.

“A-Ah…!”

Seokjin gasped at the vibrations and the movement of your tongue slapping all over them, short, rapid licks all over his skin, watching him with a cocked eyebrow, but he didn’t even notice, hands dropping and moaning to the ceiling, his eyes closing and savoring the hot wet warmth and the power of your mouth, shivering as your hand slowly stroked his length in time with your tongue.

You let him bask in it before detaching and swallowing his cock.

“Gah!”

Seokjiinie, you thought wryly, we gotta work on your repertoire of sex sounds.

You spied him looking down at you, so you paused around the swollen head and slid your tongue out, circling and wrapping around his length while sucking on the tip and rubbing the back of your tongue along the underside.

Seokjin made a bunch of weird croaking noises that were, strangely, rather attractive. Okay, you could admit it. You were kind of a sucker for your best friend in the most platonic way possible… while in the middle of sucking his dick.

What?

He was handsome!

You began to bob your head up and down, tongue and lips descending, taking him deep so you kissed the base of his cock, head buried in your throat, waiting for him to glance down at you, hazy brown orbs under lush lashes, and you would peek your tongue out and lap at his balls, interrupting the tightness, causing him to swear and jerk his hips up, urging you to keep consistent speed and pace, all the while watching every single movement of your tongue. You kept this irregular pace, slow, then fast, then slow again when he looked at you, then fast when the ecstasy was too much and he closed his eyes, over and over. You could see that a battle was being waged Seokjin’s pretty head, between wanting to observe the lewdness of you licking his balls with his hard cock buried in your throat while also desperately needing to get to the fuck off.

“You… bitch… suck me off properly, fuck…”

You raised all the way so only the head was in your mouth and sucked, rubbing up and around it, swirling all over, teasing the slit and soaking the sensitive skin, rutting it against the roof of your mouth and Seokjin groaned, pressing his head back into the pillows, black hair covering his eyes, fists pressed to his chest.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, please, let me cum!”

His hips rammed up and you dug your nails into them, wincing as the head hit the top of your throat and slid down, cutting off your air, and then he began to thrust erratically, the position, inability to use his hands as leverage, and your resistance not letting him set up a good rhythm. You had to force him back down, popping your mouth off, snarling.

“I’m gonna gag if you do that! You want me to vomit on your dick or what?”

But all of a sudden Seokjin sat up again, grabbing your pajama shirt and yanking you to him, saliva dripping down your chin and then it was on his chin, a messy, savage kiss, ravenous need in his actions, pulling you to him, close, closer, you twisting and then gasping as he pushed one of your thighs down, planting your soaked panties on the exposed part of his thigh.

“Ah, Seok–”

He attacked your lips again with a light growl, sparks shooting across your skin, his thigh rising and bouncing you both on the bed, his legs still tangled in his pants and underwear but the effect was undeniable.

Seokjin was making you ride his thigh.

Whoa.

He bit your lower lip and sucked hard, your eyes fluttering closed, hips rocking, heat turning hotter, wet turning wetter, your sticky, sweet juices clinging to his upper thigh, your own pressed against his saliva-covered cock, wrapping your arms around him, close, closer, you thrusting your tongue in his mouth and him moaning before he did the same to you, starting a tug of war, rubbing harder against his skin, his muscle tensing against your covered clit, friction and wetness everywhere, too many clothes and no eye contact, one of your hands slipping into his black locks and tilting his head, deepening the kiss and inhaling his exhale, shuddering at the erotic nature of the moment.

He mumbled your name against your lips, still clutching your pajamas, stars bunched in his hands, fingertips pressed into the curve of your breasts.

“Can I try the rope tying now?” Seokjin whispered, voice gravelly and low.

-

“Excuse me?”

There was a ripped-open condom wrapper sitting on the bed.

“What?”

Your pajama shirt, bra, and panties were on the floor, along with Seokjin’s shirt, sweatpants, and underwear.

“Why are you – gah!”

You sucked in a breath as you sank down on his cock. Fuck, it was tight, tight as you lowered yourself onto his hips, Seokjin gasping and clutching the long length of red cotton rope that you had carefully untied from his wrists. You had even taken the extra step to massage them afterward, not that he needed it because of your careful work – good job, past you – but he appreciated it all the same, because deep down Kim Seokjin was a prince.

“Oh my God, you’re so tight, shit, shit, shit…”

You neglected to tell your best friend that you were both low-key proud of and turned on by your own ability to take dick without much foreplay. That little edge of tightness added just the right amount of spice of pain that amplified to the pleasure.

Okay.

And yes, you felt a special kind of glee as you witnessed Seokjin’s stunned shock and near passed-out expression from being inside you.

You held out your wrists and grinned. “Go ahead. Tie me up.”

Seokjin gawked at you like you had three heads.

You squeezed your breasts together with your upper arms, tilting your head with a devilish grin.

“God, you’re so hot, but you look crazy,” he wheezed.

Your grin dropped and your eye twitched. “Is that supposed to be a compliment or…?”

Seokjin shrugged, and moved your hands so they were in the better position for him. Much to your annoyance, he didn’t elaborate.

“Um, let’s see, you left a bit out to use as a tie and…”

You began to rock your hips.

“H-Hey!”

The side of your lips curved upward. “What? We’re multitasking.”

“We–?” Seokjin choked, gritting his teeth as you pulsed around his hard length, rolling your hips gently, adjusting until you found a comfortable spot so the head hit you in just the right spot, ah, yes, right there, spreading your fingers out over his chest, leaning your forehead against his, not quite going full force but a slow, deliberate rhythm that wasn’t going to make either of you cum, but, damn, did it feel good.

Seokjin shuddered, gasping your name.

“Tie me up, Seokjin,” you murmured back, caressing his skin.

His eyes darted up, saturated with lust, searching your eyes, and you gazed back.

You could be a real jerk right now.

His hot exhale washed over your lips, a shudder of nervousness.

But this was your best friend, and he was trusting you.

You tilted your head and kissed him softly, flush against his plush lips.

“Come on,” you nudged his nose lightly. “Do it.”

You viewed him from under your lashes. He shivered. Almost.

He needed only one more little push.

“Want you, Seokjinnie,” you breathed against his skin, hints of need and desperation in your voice.

A small smile danced on his lips, staring into your eyes.

You might have fallen for him a little bit in that moment.

“Okay.”

He kissed the side of your mouth, a teasing little peck, and you smirked, turning your head so you wouldn’t break the image you had created for him, but he was already looking down, busily occupied with your wrists, so you drew back, focusing instead on riding him, closing your eyes. You built a leisurely, pleasurable pace, leaning forward a bit to rub your clit against the base of his cock, sighing contentedly at the way he filled you, a wonderful, thick, satisfying girth that you could get used to, other than the fact that most of the time Seokjin drove you up the wall, but, hey, maybe if both of you reached a certain age and you were still single, maybe you could marry your best friend solely for having accessible dick…

“Ah! Perfect.”

You cracked open one eye.

And tried not to burst out laughing.

“Erm… well…” you coughed, tugging at the rope a little. It looked messy and rather hideous, parts overlapping and twisting awkwardly, but he had the… basic idea? It wasn’t like you were going to do anything dumb anyway, so it was pretty good for a first time.

Seokjin frowned. “I don’t know how you did it so neatly…”

“You line up the coils next to each other – ah!”

He seemed to think that was good enough and grabbed handfuls of your ass, causing you to tip forward and brace your hands against his chest, gasping as his hips thrust up into you, abrupt pleasure blooming up your core, sudden squelch of wetness between your joined hips.

“Come on,” he grunted, clenching his jaw, tone getting deeper and more dangerous with each word. “I have to get off, and now.”

He smacked his hands down on your ass and you almost whimpered.

Almost.

Seokjin drew back a little, giving you a strange look.

“W… What?” you managed to get out.

He tilted his head. “Do you like that?”

You almost said, no, of course not, but you stopped yourself, looking down at the red rope tied around your wrists, heat flaring in your cheeks, ass stinging slightly from his slap.

His cock twitched inside you.

Your eyes flickered up to him. A sly smirk danced on your lips.

“Yeah. I like the things you do to me.”

You saw Seokjin pause, brown eyes widening a little, black hair over his forehead.

You pushed him down on the bed. He gasped, but he was used to it now, gripping your ass and tipping his head back as you began to really ride him, waving your hips to ram his cock into your pussy, not even noticing the moan seeping from your lips, fuck, it was good, fulfilling and deep, your bound hands on his chest, fingers spread out and nails digging into his skin a little, but Seokjin seemed to be into it, his own nails sinking into your ass, pushing you down with every descent, hitting you harder, rougher, intensifying the pleasure, building onto it. Hot breath, warm skin, joined hips, loud slaps, rocking bedframe, your breasts bouncing with each thrust, gazing at each other through half-lidded eyes, not quite seeing each other but drowning in the gratification, the roughness, gasping sharply as his open palm smacked down on your ass again, making it bounce and jiggle in his hands, your core and thighs squeezing tighter, witnessing his tight hiss of desire, mesmerized by your sound so he did it again, spanking the other cheek, and you did it again, whimper creeping out, arousal consuming his handsome features, intoxicated by your reaction to his action so he did it again and again, hard, stinging slaps as you rode his stiff, quivering cock harder and faster, fuck, Seokjin must be incredibly turned on because he was so fucking hard, just so incredibly sexy how hard he was right now, even the pain was nothing but an injection of added carnal pleasure, throwing your head back and sinking your nails into his skin, fucking him recklessly, forgetting about hiding your moans, who the fuck cared, not you and not him because Seokjin too was crying out, the sinful sound of sex echoing off his bedroom walls, except instead of you in your bedroom putting headphones on to drown him out, you were in his bedroom, doing it, fucking the daylights out of him.

Alright.

You could see why girls wanted to date your best friend now.

Seokjin was a loud dork, but he had a great dick.

“F-Fuck, Seokjin, fuck!”

He had a similar response, although it was more a choked garble of your name mixed with, “Oh fuck, I’m gonna cum, fuck!”

You must really be drunk on his dick because even that turned you on and tipped you over the edge.

Your thighs tensed and you moaned deeply, tucking your chin down and spreading your palms onto his pecs, wrists straining against the cotton rope, a rapid torrent of adrenaline soaring through you and then you smacked your ass down onto Seokjin’s crotch, whining as you came in vicious pulses of pleasure, clenching around his jerking length and you realized Seokjin was clutching your ass, pinning it down so you couldn’t move, shooting his release into the condom, so much that you felt his cock shudder and throb inside you, head buried in your deepest, most pleasurable spot, you feeling all of him and him feeling all of you.

Holy shit.

You almost saw stars.

“Hah… wow… I guess I can’t blame younger dudes for wanting this pussy…”

Your eyes weren’t open but your eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

“Shut up, Seokjin.”

-

“Come on, man! Look what you did!” Seokjin barked accusingly, pointing to his chest with red indents of your rings.

“Excuse me? I’m the one who has scratches and a bruised ass!”

“You’ve marred my beautiful skin! I should fine you!”

“Where’s that fuckin’ whip – get your naked ass back here, Kim Seokjin!”

-

Hm, well, maybe you would find your true love some other time. Maybe try gambling?

--

masterpost

[xtodorcki]

Ok so how bout an Erwin fic where the reader is Hanji’s assistant and they’re rly shy but Erwin finds her rly cute esp whenever they’re flustered or blushing. When he loses his arm hanji absentmindedly assigns the reader to shave his face when he’s in the infirmary and they’re both just left there like 😀 and there’s a lot of tension bc he keeps staring at them and the reader keeps on blushing but is v gentle omg I would be foaming at the mouth if you wrote this

“The Assistant,” Erwin x Reader

I shall deliver to my Erwin simps.

Summary: you’re Hange’s assistant and your newest assignment is to take care of Erwin after he was wounded, resulting in losing his arm.

Warnings: none, fluffy Erwin.

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It was unexpected and out of character for you to join the scouts. Even though you didn’t technically join the scouts fully, being Hange’s assistant was still like being apart of them.

You had begged her to let you work under her since you were absolutely fascinated by her work and the way she loved science just as much as you did, it was perfect fit and when she agreed you loved every single day of it.

When news came back that Commander Erwin had been seriously injured while out on a expedition, you had grown worried for your Captain as you waited back the main base.

Once everyone made it back, your eyes had instantly went on Erwin and noticed his whole arm was missing and you were more than shocked at the scene before you.

After everyone had managed to settle in back at the base, you were called to Hange’s office and you assumed it would be an assignment.

“I’m sorry that this assignment isn’t what you’re expecting or what you want but I’m putting my full trust in you and to take care of the Commander while he’s in the infirmary. He needs assistance.” She had explained to you and you nodded your head, not questioning her reason to send you to his side.

The way towards the infirmary had felt like a long one, you were actually quite nervous to assist the Commander and take care of him. Sure you had met him a few times, you do admit he is rather attractive and definitely intimidating so by nature you were nervous.

You were scared to mess this assignment up, you were scared to see Erwin in such a state and being unable to do certain things for himself. You were practically his nurse and that made you grow uneasy, afraid of screwing things up.

Your shaky hand reached up to gently knock on the door, hearing his approval to come in and you opened it up to see him on the bed, the absence of his arm had made the sleeve of the hospital gown limp and hanging on his shoulder.

“Hange sent me here-“

“I know, come in.” He insisted, gesturing you to fully come in the room and you did, standing there awkwardly for a few minutes, your cheeks heating up.

“Anything I can get you?”

“Maybe a cup of water for now? Kind of thirsty and they won’t let me get up and fetch it myself.” A small chuckle had left his lips and you nodded before leaving the room.

As you poured the water in the cup, your hand shaky and you had cursed to yourself for being so nervous about this. It wasn’t that big of a deal but the side of you that was super anti social and naturally shy, it made things a lot harder.

Your feet made its way back inside the room, resting the cup on the table beside him before standing there in front of him, chewing on your bottom lip.

Erwin had seen your nervousness and shyness as something really cute. He could tell how badly you didnt want to mess things up and he also noticed how your cheeks would flush when he would make eye contact with you. He tried not to make things obvious, hiding the smirk wanting to come across his face as he took sips of the water.

“One more thing,” He started off, setting the cup aside on the table.

“I need help shaving this mess off my face, if you don’t mind?” He asked you, raising his eyebrow while he kept the eye contact until you answered.

“Yeah, of course.” You agreed, you couldn’t just say no to the Commader, you were assigned to help his needs until he was comfortable enough.

You sucked in a sharp breath, grabbing all the items you needed and sat on the bed in front of him. You had moved the table to be beside you and you had nervously spread the shaving cream on his face, making it too obvious that your hands were still shaky.

Erwin had watched you closely, his eyes burning into you while you tried to remain concentrated on what you were doing but it was pretty hard for you to ignore his stares considering you felt how intense it was.

A couple of times you would lock eyes then quickly break the contact as your cheeks flushed red. You were positive your face looked as red as a tomato. You couldn’t believe how flushed you were but it was happening.

You carefully took the razor, dragging it down his jawline and he was very interested in your concentration as well as your desire to not meet his gaze, it amused him actually.

The tension in the room was so thick that you could choke on it. The both of you weren’t dumb, you can sense it and feel it surrounding the both of you but you tried to play it dumb, continuing to drag the razor down his skin gently, wiping the shaving cream off and repeating the same actions.

Erwin never looked at you fully for the first time before this day but when he had no choice but to look at you while you helped shaved his face, he couldn’t help but stare for minutes at a time. He liked the way your cheeks would turn pink to red in an instant, he liked the way you would scrunch up your nose and bite your lip while you were concentrating. He admitted you were a cute little thing.

“What made you want to be Hange’s assistant?” He finally spoke up, wanting to make things less awkward and tensed than what it is now.

“Um, I’m a big science nerd like she is.” You laughed slightly, meeting his gaze then looking back down.

“So you enjoy studying Titans like her, right?”

“Hm, yeah, I suppose.” You simply shrugged your shoulders, finishing off the last spot.

You grabbed the small towel, wiping off the remaining shaving cream off his face and smiled at how well you actually did.

“There, all clean.” You set the things down on the table, watching Erwin put up a small mirror and looked at his now clean face.

“Thank you, I really appreciate your help.” He admitted, resting his hand on your upper arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

You had felt a small tingle in your stomach, just as you thought you were comfortable he definitely made you completely nervous again. This time you tried your best to keep your cheeks from turning a shade of pink but some color ended up popping up anyways, not as much as before.

Erwin smiled sweetly at you, removing his hand and you stood up from the bed gathering up the materials on the table to go put away before returning to the end of his bed.

“If there’s nothing else, I can leave you be.”

“Actually, stay with me for a bit. I like your company.”

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The Erwin simps will be blessed with this work of art. Enjoy. Even tho it’s rather short🤧

• Main Masterlist •

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[mintymiknow]

Trust Fall ch. 8 | Lee Minho

summary | character profiles | masterlist

Pairing: Lee Minho/Lee Know x Reader

Summary: Little discussions here and there seem to open some eyes and hearts, but is it enough to fully break down the walls that were built? 

Genre: Secret agent/spy au, romance, angst, action

Word count: Approx. 5.8k

Warnings for this chapter: Genre-typical violence & blood due to fight scenes (rest assured, it isn’t gore; just basic or typical violence for fight scenes). Let me know if I missed anything or should add more warning tags though!

A/N: I know you all had to wait for a bit, but I used my break to spend time with family (and play Genshin so...hehe I needed some “me-time”). Anyway! I’m back and here to give you all the next chapter for the series. I hope you enjoy reading it as the end scenes have been my favorite to write so far ‘cause you’ll be getting some tension and fluff at the same time. Leave an ask for any questions and comments!

“I’ve fallen into a daily routine now. I’m used to everything and go about my day normally now.”

That’s what you’d like to say anyway.

While it’s somehow true that you’ve fallen into a systematic rhythm in SKZ, it’s still something that weighs down on you, and you just want to get things over and done with. You still have to drag your body away from the bed, drag your feet here and there, and work in the lab department.

This systematic rhythm consists of working in the lab with Seungmin and Jisung - and eating your meals with them mostly. It also involves Minho and the other boys going on smaller-sized missions, each return giving you more things to work with and whatnot.

In the very back of your head and heart, the brief moments Minho spends with you - namely late nights in the lab discussing the recent findings and theories - are somewhat a breather as it reminded you of the times you and Dr. Kang would stay in the doctors’ lounge, talking about how your rounds with the patients went for the day.

Well, at the end of it all, at least you’re basically good friends with Seungmin and Jisung now. Being with the two gave you a sense of freedom as if you were back in your more relaxed college days or something of that sort.

After getting showered and dressed for another day, you head to the lab department. On the way, you bump into Felix in the courtyard-like area of the HQ. The young male greets you with a smile, “Morning, y/n! Lab duty again?”

You offer a small smile and nod in response, “Hi, Felix. Yes, as usual.”

“I see.” Felix chuckles lightly, “Don’t forget to stand up and stretch from time to time. Sitting for long hours isn’t good for your posture! Though you’re the doctor so I’m sure you knew that…”

“We can forget.” you chuckle, “Thank you for the reminder. You should keep that in mind too.”

“Yeah, sitting in front of computer screens and whatnot is bad for my eyes, but probably my back too.” Felix laughs, his eyes filled with so much brightness.

You release a soft sigh and smile, “I commend you and your efforts in the tech division.”

“Thanks…” Felix says sheepishly, “I’m not one for being in the limelight, but it’s nice to hear that us tech agents are doing good too. We are working in the background most of the time.”

“Well, I’m sure that without you and the other tech guys, Minho and the rest of the agents would be doing missions blindly and without any advantages.” you say seriously yet warmly.

“That’s true.” the younger laughs, “Gee, you’re really nice, you know that?”

“Not really...just...um, saying facts.” you stutter, suddenly taken by surprise by his compliment, “It’s from a completely objective perspective after all…”

Felix grins wider, shaking his head, “I can tell you’re a nice person, y/n! Minho says you’re a bit closed off, but it’s understandable. Jisung and Seungmin know you best, and they like you a lot, so that’s more than enough to like you too. Besides, you wouldn’t be here if you really didn’t care, right?”

After that statement, another agent calls for Felix, so the freckled male has to excuse himself. As he trots off to the main HQ building, you stand there, dumbfounded.

“Besides, you wouldn’t be here if you really didn’t care, right?”

You’ve been blaming Minho and Jung and SKZ for dragging and forcing you back into the game. Blaming them for giving you no choice no matter what, but deep down, you knew that you did have a choice. You could run away any time, turn to the government or something to fight for your rights. You could give in to the dark whispers of joining Cle to end whatever struggle once and for all.

But you had a choice, and you chose to work with SKZ.

Because yes, you cared. Yes, you wanted to make sure no one lost their lives over a stupid serum.

You chose this.

Who knew that Felix, happy-go-lucky and carefree as he was, would just nonchalantly utter words that would open your eyes and heart. Well, maybe it was that innocence and cheerfulness that made it more believable and genuine to you.

Shaking your head to release yourself from a trance, you clear your throat and make hurried steps towards the lab department. You take the elevator and go down to the underground level where most of the work is done. You then venture further inside, heading for the hallway where various rooms are lined. You’re about to scan your ID to open the door to the lab room you frequently use when the door slides open by itself; you’re met with a tall figure in front of you.

You look up, only to see Jung standing in front of you, tilting his head to the side. “Oh, Dr. Song, good morning.” he chuckles.

You nod politely, “Yes, good morning, Jung. What...what brings you here?”

Jung rarely stepped foot into the lab unless you guys summoned him and the agents for briefing on test findings and results. As far as you were concerned, the results for the tests Jisung ran yesterday are due later in the afternoon, not this morning.

Unless...something happened and Jung needed to speak directly to you, perhaps?

“Did...something happen?” you ask again, clearing your throat.

Jung shakes his head and offers a smile, “Well, technically I was looking for Seungmin, and since you both work closely, I thought he’d be here...where’d that boy go?”

“Seungmin’s doing his rounds in the medical wing, I think.” you explain, “Did you need something from him? Maybe I’d know…”

“Oh, no. It’s just about an agent that needs treatment, and I think Seungmin would be the best doctor to work on it.” Jung sighs and offers a small smile, “No matter, I’ll look for him myself.”

“I see, alright then.” you nod.

“Have a good day, Dr. Song. Don’t forget to take breaks. Minho says you’ve been working non-stop.” Jung calls over his shoulder as he walks away, muttering something about ‘where is Kim Seungmin’ afterwards.

You go inside the lab room and press the button for the door to slide shut. Call it “trust issues”, but as soon as the door closes, you scan the room and check everything there, making sure how you left it last night was how it was until now.

Not a single thing was out of place, so you mentally slap your mind for being so suspicious.

You then proceed to study whatever chemicals and substances the team has brought back the past few days, and you study them along with...well, vials of chemicals that you’ve hesitantly withheld from the rest - from Minho. These withheld items were things you’d only test and analyze when you were working by yourself, keeping the observations and notes in a small notebook that you kept in utter secrecy and safety.

If Jisung and Seungmin wanted to enter the lab room, they’d have to knock or scan their IDs, and if it were the latter, the beeping sound before the door opens gave you enough time to conceal whatever substances you were hiding under the table or in the desk drawers.

After a few hours or so, you finally decide to take a break and keep the vials and flasks in a locked cabinet before clearing up the desk and returning whatever equipment you used. However, you still remain seated on the stool, going through the notes you’ve written in your notebook and rattling your mind to come up with mental calculations and formulas to make sense of your findings. So far, you don’t have anything, and your eyebrows knit together in desperation.

“Y/n.”

You freeze in your spot upon hearing that sharp and clear voice; you don’t even bother to make any moves in hiding your notebook - that’s too suspicious. Instead, you simply close the notebook and try your best to look as calm as possible as you look up, “Agent Lee.”

Minho crosses his arms, something you’ve learned to look away from - unless you want to internally drool over how attractive the simple gesture looks. “I thought you were supposed to be with Jisung for today? That’s what he told me last night anyway.” he says plainly.

You sigh. Did they all keep tabs on you or what? “I was just about to meet with him.” you answer, breaking eye contact with him once again, “I just...wanted to check some things here.”

“Anything of use?” Minho raises an eyebrow, and you know he’s trying to get you to explain yourself.

You lift up your notebook and weakly wave it in the air before explaining, “Just...going over some notes from previous findings and trying to connect the dots. I...am yet to see anything of significance.”

Once again, not a complete lie; yes, you were trying to connect that dots and whatnot, but nothing of significance? That was a lie. You’ve already noted some pretty significant findings aside from the ones you discovered with the other scientists, but you didn’t need to tell Minho that. Not yet...maybe.

Minho walks over, stopping a bit too close for you, and you involuntarily flinch at the suddenness...and proximity. The agent notices the subtle reaction, eyes slightly lidding in either annoyance or guilt...you aren’t sure which one. He plants a hand on the desk, leaning against it as he raises an eyebrow again, “Care to share anything else?”

You shake your head, moving to put your notebook in your small purse and slinging it onto your shoulder. You stand up from the stool, but instantly regret it as Minho takes one very miniscule step towards you. That tiny step is enough to cause you to take your own step back, unfortunately bumping into the stool behind you. The male catches you with ease, a hand lightly supporting your lower back as he tugs you close with one swift and effortless motion.

Your hands fly out to settle against his chest in an effort to put as much distance between you two. Minho leans close, his head perfectly and dangerously near the side of your neck; his dark hair tickles your ear, and you can almost feel the tip of his perfect nose against the skin of your neck. You can’t help but gulp, and you’re sure the agent notices it. Despite his body warm against yours, you’re frozen like ice, unmoving as Minho remains in that position for a few more seconds.

After, he pulls back and stares at you with an unreadable expression, dark eyes still somehow sparkly despite the tension in the room. “Did you...perhaps drink at the bar before coming here? While on duty?” he asks sternly, as if reprimanding you.

You blink your eyes, staring at the male with confusion. “Excuse me?” you blurt out.

“You smell like alcohol.” Minho says in a deadpan manner.

You angle your head to sniff your shoulder to see if he was telling the truth. Surprisingly, you caught a whiff of alcohol from your jacket and internally groan, closing your eyes in embarrassment. If this were a cartoon, your cheeks would be tomato-red. You open your eyes to see Minho smiling at you, the curl of his lips nothing short of teasing and playful. Your cheeks are probably redder now.

“I didn’t drink today.” you clear your throat, tearing your eyes away from Minho’s to look down. Instead, your eyes land on his tie, already loosened at the top with the first few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned. Your mind goes hazy.

Minho laughs lightly, “You do know it’s against the rules to go to the lounge bar when on duty, right?”

You snap out of whatever reverie you were in, dragging your eyes back to Minho’s. You nod, narrowing your eyes to mask your flustered state, “I drank yesterday, but with Seungmin and Jisung. I didn’t do anything today. This is the jacket I wore yesterday, that’s why.”

“I see.” Minho tilts his head innocently, pulling away and retracting his hand from your back; you suddenly miss the warmth.

You clear your throat once more before bowing politely, “Now if you’ll excuse me, Jisung might be waiting.”

You don’t wait for Minho to reply, skirting around him to leave the room in a hurry. Minho watches your retreating figure with warm eyes, but as soon as you’re gone, he narrows said eyes and scans the room. Though nothing in particular seems wrong, he does notice a small sheet of paper on the floor, perhaps slipping from your notebook when you hurriedly put it back in your purse. He bends down to pick it up, flipping it over to reveal a small polaroid photograph.

Minho’s eyes glaze at the photo, taking into account the three individuals posing happily. He sees a woman on the right, one eye closed as she makes a winking face with a smile wide and bright as she flashes a peace-sign with her hand.

In the middle is a male who Minho recalls is the man you met up with before - Dr. Kang Hyunbin, the one you claimed to be your good friend. He smiles calmly, eyes twinkling even through a photograph as he has one arm around the other woman’s shoulder, and another arm around your shoulder.

There, at the left side you stand, smiling wider than Minho has ever seen, eyes full of life and not dull like how it is in here. The three of you were in casual clothes, though still wearing your usual lab coats in what seems to be the outdoor garden of Gongjak Hospital.

“Never thought I’d see someone smile like this after her.” Minho thinks to himself, “How cruel is fate, huh?”

He catches himself looking at you a second too long than he intended, so he releases a sigh and pockets the photo, making a mental note to return it to you soon. Turning on his heel, the agent then heads for the training facility in the main building.

“If I may be so bold, I’d say you’re in love.” Jeongin laughs after finishing a routine on the treadmill, plopping down onto a bench, “Not kidding.”

Minho leans against one of the gym equipment, raising a displeased eyebrow as he utters, “Yeah, you’re being too bold as usual, Innie. That’s not even - I don’t even know what to say in response to that.”

Chan wipes the sweat off his forehead with a towel after he finishes his turn with the punching bag. “I am intrigued how you came with that conclusion though.” the eldest says.

Jeongin laughs, his eyes narrowing into a playful yet sincere disposition, “Well, you don’t show it, but we know you well enough to see that you really do care about her. And it’s not just because you’re her partner or it’s your job to do so. I know how you are when you genuinely care about someone, and your eyes tell me that you do care about y/n more than you lead on.”

“Ok, but what if I’m only like that because I don’t want her to die? Because we’re agents? We’re supposed to be protectors of this country and its people?” Minho reasons, heading towards the punching bag.

“You’re pretty touchy and teasing with her, am I right? Kinda flirty and charming.”

“It’s called a cover, Innie. You’re familiar with that.”

“I just have a feeling. You don’t care about people to that extent. You tend to act out of duty and obligation, not attachment and emotion. With us being an exception to that, the other person I can see this side of you with is when you’re with y/n, or if it involves y/n.” Jeongin leans back against the wall, his smile not faltering one bit, “Not saying you’re attached to her, but I’m just saying that there’s already an emotional connection, and I have a feeling it won’t be long until it becomes something more serious.”

Chan looks at the youngest in awe, smiling like a proud father as he slowly claps his hands. He puts a hand on Jeongin’s shoulder and gently shakes him before turning to Minho, “You know, I do have to agree with Innie on this. You don’t even have to act on feelings or whatever. Just...try not to close yourself or your doors, alright? Maybe you’ll earn another new friend along the way.”

“I don’t need her if I have you guys.” Minho lightly punches the bag a few times, “She’s a waste of time. I just need her to finish her part so we can finally conclude this long mission.”

“You’re probably going to shoot me for saying this,” Jeongin starts as he hides behind Chan, “but are you just saying that because she reminds you of Jiyeon?”

At that, Minho shoots a glare at the two males, eyebrows furrowed. Jeongin sheepishly chuckles, but he boldly presses on. “Changbin told us...how much y/n reminds you of Jiyeon, and well, yeah, we do see it too. Is that why you don’t want to get attached? Not even romantically...platonically, even.”

Minho’s eyes soften as he looks down at the floor, “I’ve made myself clear when I said that emotions are a waste of time and are a useless distraction - things I can’t afford in this job. I’m here to protect people, not make friends and fall in love.”

Chan hums, offering a slow and easy smile as he looks at the male with warmth. “Y/n isn’t going to kill you. Or us. Or anyone for that matter.” the eldest agent states confidently, “It goes against her principles...against the doctor in her. That’s more than enough to convince me she’s on our side.”

“Wasn’t that what we thought of Jiyeon?” Minho scoffs, “Noble woman serving the organization to protect the people because of her pure heart?”

“No.” Chan says in an instant, his voice filled with certainty, “Y/n cares about lives, otherwise she wouldn’t be here. She’ll do everything in her power to fix this just so she can prevent harm...and maybe find peace from whatever past is haunting her.”

Then Minho and Chan stare at each other, a brotherly connection swarming in their eyes as whatever determination Chan has to share makes its way to Minho. The eldest agent then continues with a softer, more apologetic voice, “Jiyeon...is the opposite of y/n, now that I think about it. Y/n reminds you of the mask Jiyeon had, but not Jiyeon herself. That woman...worked in the complete opposite way of what we stand for - what y/n stands for.”

Minho releases a sigh, slumping down onto the bench beside Jeongin. With a groan, he leans his head back and rests it against the wall. Chan chuckles, giving his friend a light pat on the shoulder.

“Jiyeon’s gone, so let go of her now.”

A day later, Jung sends Minho and a small team to a factory site for investigation. He requests your presence as well, as the factory was used for chemical experiments, and you might have additional input as the investigation is carried out.

You sit in the backseat of the car, staring out the window as Minho sits next to you, and despite being on the other end of the backseat, you can feel his warmth radiating from him. Usually, he’d be driving or seated in the passenger seat if Chan was driving. But right now, two other agents were in front, and while Minho was supposed to sit in front, he swapped places with the other agent and sat with you.

Though, if you were being completely honest, you couldn’t decipher why, because right now, the man has barely spoken or looked at you. It’s a quiet ride, and you aren’t sure if it’s because he’s with agents who aren’t his usual circle of friends; you decide to keep quiet as well.

The agent driving parks the car by some trees along with another car before your groups begin to trek up a small hill that leads to a secluded factory building. The other agents go their own way with Minho reminding them to keep things subtle and quiet. The male agent then addresses you, but he does not look your way, “Follow me.”

Not that you really cared, but his indifferent - or more indifferent than usual - demeanor slightly puts you in a confused state, but you follow him nonetheless. Once inside the factory building, you look around and whisper, “Is this an abandoned site?”

Minho shakes his head, sharp eyes looking around, “Technically not. Cle occupied and used this site, but as per intel, they’ve only recently relocated the operations for this place somewhere else. This is now just a backup hideout, in simpler terms.”

You nod your head, and Minho continues, “We’re here to investigate, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Ok.”

With that, another blanket of silence befalls you two, and you find yourselves searching and investigating the room you were in. You both work in silence, and while it has its pros and cons, you can’t help but feel uneasy. On the bright side, you could focus on your task at your own pace and not get distracted, keeping things to yourself if needed. However, you’re slightly used to him asking questions and checking on you every now and then, so you can’t help but think if he’s upset or angry.

Or he knows something about what you’ve been hiding.

Impossible; that couldn’t be the case right?

He’d confront you if that were the case, not avoid you...right?

Unfortunately, there’s nothing of interest and significance in this room, so you tell Minho. It would seem he has the same thoughts because he furrows his eyebrows and gestures towards the rooms down the hallway nearby. “They must have swept this place clean.” he sighs tiredly, “Let’s move on.”

You nod and follow him in silence, the agent carefully and quietly navigating through the confusing halls and rooms of the factory building. Unfortunately, it was as he said; it would seem Cle did a good job in making sure no traces were left for SKZ to pick up on, leaving you empty-handed. The agents communicate with Minho through their communication devices and inform the male that they’ve moved on to the North building which was on the opposite side of the factory compound.

You and Minho head to the last location to scout, and it turned out to be a run-down lab room. The interior and leftover equipment and tables were clean, but you could see specks of rust forming on the surface. You gingerly brush your hand on one of the table surfaces, sighing, “This kind of environment could affect whatever chemicals and substances they were working with.”

“Unless this is a set-up to make it look like they haven’t been doing anything here.” Minho points out, squatting down in front of one the shelves lined with bottles of murky liquid and chunks of...whatever specimens, “Any idea if these will be useful?”

You walk over to him and look at the stuff on the shelf. You sniff the bottles of murky liquid before contorting your face in disgust, “This is just stagnant water. It’s murky because of dust and dirt.”

“But these…” you trail off, tilting your head to examine the containers with whatever solid specimens, “...these are…”

You gulp, unable to finish your sentence as your mind finally registers what those specimens were; pieces of body parts that had long decayed, probably to be used for observational purposes but rotted over time.

Minho notices the way you stiffen, gulping hard as if urging yourself to keep the bile to yourself. He breaks whatever “silent treatment” he had going on, putting a hand to your shoulder to get you away from the shelf. He steps in front of you to block your view, bending slightly just to get to your eye level. “Y/n, just rela - ”

He doesn’t get to finish his words because in a split-second, his eyes leave yours as they fill with urgency. Before you know it, he grabs your shoulder more firmly and pushes forward. You yelp as you land on the ground with him on top of you at the exact same time you see a small dagger lodging itself into the shelf. Your eyes widen and fall to Minho who already has his icy eyes on the newcomer to the room.

He mutters a hurried “get out of here” before getting up and facing off with the stranger. However, you can’t bring yourself to move, frozen on the floor as you watch the stranger lunge for Minho. The two men engage in a frenzied hand-to-hand battle, but it would seem like the man is at par with Minho, keeping up with the skilled agent’s moves.

Minho refuses to draw out his gun to make sure he doesn’t make any noise to prevent attracting attention should there be more enemies around the area. He manages to gain a short upper-hand, sending the enemy a few feet back with a strong spinning kick. He then rushes over to you and grabs your hand so that he can pull you to your feet.

“Let’s go.” he says in a low voice, not wasting any time in running from the room.

You’re both running as fast as you can, hand tightly gripping each other’s as if your life depended on it. You arrive in one of the open-space rooms, and as you continue to run, the wooden floor below creaks softly. The enemy is a quick runner as well, somehow managed to catch up with you two. He reaches out, grabbing your other wrist and pulling you from Minho’s grasp and pulls his fist back to land a punch. The agent refuses to let him do so and turns around, using whatever momentum to pull you behind him just as the enemy’s fist lands on his jaw. The impact causes Minho to let go of you as he falls to the side, and you find yourself yelling his name.

The opponent chooses to go for Minho instead of you, picking the agent up by the collar of his shirt. He bashes his head against Minho’s, and while the agent winces in pain, he grits his teeth and fights back, back to being on equal ground with the enemy. They engage in another physical combat, landing blows on each other here and there. As if nothing could be worse, another stranger runs into the room, grabbing you from behind in a choke-hold.

You do your best to stop him from suffocating you, kicking and trying to elbow the man behind. Minho sees it from the corner of his eyes, clicking his tongue in exasperation. His opponent lunges an arm forward, holding a knife, so Minho grabs said arm and pivots with complex skill, doing some sort of flip and twisting the enemy’s arm so he could end up behind the agent. With the opponent in a similar choke-hold, Minho grabs the knife and skillfully throws it towards the stranger holding you.

Unfortunately, because you were both moving a lot, the blade seems to approach you instead. Your eyes widen with fear, but thankfully, it only shallowly cuts your cheek before lodging itself into the stranger’s neck. He lets go and collapses on the ground with a thud, blood now pooling around him.

However, because of that moment, Minho’s opponent gains the advantage once more, headbutting Minho’s chin, prompting the agent to let go. The enemy is quick to turn to Minho, another knife in his hand to jab at the male who is recovering his bearings. You don’t know how you managed to bring yourself to do it - maybe the adrenaline rush or fear of having Minho killed in front of you - but you pull out the knife that killed the other stranger and run towards Minho’s opponent, stabbing the blade into his shoulder as he was wearing a muscle tee.

You try to ignore the blood painting the enemy’s skin, using the time he takes to get the blade out to rush to Minho’s side. You both then take steps to run away; however, the enemy isn’t too pleased with what you’ve done, shifting his attention to you instead of Minho. As he takes a step forward, however, the wooden floor beneath creaks loudly, and Minho’s eyes catch the subtle splintering around the three of you.

“Minho, let’s go.” you say in panic when the agent seems to be standing still.

Minho’s eyes are stuck to the wooden floor, making some sort of mental calculation in his mind.

One more step.

As the enemy makes one more step, the floor makes a breaking sound and gives out. Minho, however, is able to push you back just in time, allowing you to remain on the unbroken part as he and the enemy fall to the floor below with a sickening crack.

“Minho!”

You see the agent pushing himself to get up with a few coughs, but so is the opponent. The agent then looks up to you, eyes still calm yet with a sense of urgency, “Go now! Run to the rendezvous point! I’ll follow!”

“But - ”

“I promise, just go!”

You bite your lip, nodding in understanding as you turn on your heel and make a run for it. Minho then wipes the blood dripping down his chin and turns to his opponent, a cold and almost cruel smirk playing at his lips, “Now that I don’t need to hold back, I hope you’re ready.”

Meanwhile, you pump your legs as hard and fast as you can, running towards the rendezvous point. Unfortunately, that meant where the cars were parked, but you still had a bit of distance to cover since you and Minho ventured deep inside the building. Just as you’re about to reach the end of the hallway near one of the back doors, you hear gunshots, bullets barely missing you. You try to conceal your screams, ducking down and running into a rather large room, quickly finding a hiding spot behind a cement pillar.

The shooter repeatedly shoots the structure as you cover your ears. Fragments of the pillar crack of and fly here and there, dusting your hair and shoulder with chalky-white bits. After a moment, the shooter stops to reload his gun, and you take the chance to sprint to another hiding spot. 

He begins to shoot just as you drop down and make your way behind an old couch, a bullet barely missing your leg. He shoots without stopping, the couch fillings flying everywhere. Another round to reload his gun, and you grab a nearby ceramic vase and throw it to him as hard as you can. 

The shooter shoots it, but the split-second allows you to find cover behind a desk in the other end of the room. You curl yourself up, hugging your knees to yourself as you take deep and shaky breaths. In the dead silence of the room, you can hear your shooter’s footsteps approaching slowly, the grasp of fear locking onto you as you cover your mouth. You hear the clicking of the shooter’s gun, and you close your eyes, anticipating the worst.

However, when you hear a bang followed by a thud, you don’t feel anything and instead see a body collapse to the side, thankfully facing away from you. A few seconds later, Minho appears, kicking the body away from you and kneeling beside you. “Y/n.” he whispers.

You let out a deep breath, only noticing now that tears have streamed down your face. Minho’s expression softens, eyebrows knitting in concern as he reaches out to brush off the cement particles that dusted onto your hair and shoulders during the shootout. He then moves to wipe your tears with his thumb.

Never have you seen so much warmth in his eyes as he stares at you, eyes never leaving yours as you let out quiet sobs that rattle your shaky figure.

Despite the cuts on his bleeding lip, bruises painting his cheekbone, blood trailing down from his head to the side, and disheveled hair, he still looked familiar, warm and comforting - like a home you’d return to after a hard day’s work in the hospital.

You didn’t know it was possible for him to look like that.

You close your eyes when his thumb stops brushing your tears away, his hand now moving to cup your cheek with a tenderness opposite of how he fought off his opponents. “Hey.” he whispers so softly, only you can hear it like a secret message, “Are you hurt?”

You shake your head, still trembling. Minho nods in understanding and helps you up before telling you to wait for a second. He walks over to a nearby window and communicates with the rest of the team, giving them an update on the situation. Meanwhile, you kneel down next to the shooter’s dead body upon noticing a small plastic vial filled with red liquid. Quickly, you swipe it and shove it into your brassiere for extra measure. You stand back up, walking over to Minho.

He finishes communicating with the team before gently taking your hand in his, “Come on.”

Without a word, he leads you out, walking calmly towards the rendezvous point. Once there, it would seem like the team was still on the way from the other building, so Minho sits on the hood of one of the cars, eyes still on the sharp look-out for any enemies. You sit next to him, exhaustion clouding your eyes as you stare straight ahead.

“I’m sorry.”

You hum emptily, “Hm?”

Minho sighs, turning to face you. You don’t pull away when his hand finds your face, thumb gently dancing around the cut you got from the knife from earlier. The blood had dried up, but it made its mark. The agent’s thumb is soft as he strokes the skin under the cut, “Sorry about this. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s fine.” you clear your throat, looking at him for a fleeting moment before turning your eyes to his chest, “You still saved me, so thank you.”

“And you saved me.” Minho responds, offering a small smile.

You can only nod, the impact of the events finally catching up to you. Tears swell in your eyes again, and you feel a light shiver travel down your spine. Minho isn’t new to comforting people; he may say he doesn��t care, but he knows what to do and how.

So he reaches forward, gently tugging on your arm to pull you close to his chest. Once your head comes into contact with his chest and you feel his arms wrap around you, providing warmth and security, you weakly sob against him. He brings a hand up to your head, softly stroking your hair as he whispers against your temple, “This mission wasn’t supposed to go this way. My bad for not being able to foresee these circumstances. Sorry you had to go through it.”

Perhaps today, you put your guard down enough for him to console you. You let yourself believe and trust him. Just for today. Tomorrow, who knows?

You shake your head and clear your throat, “Not your fault. It’s part of the job, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Minho sighs, hoping you don’t notice the way he holds you closer and tighter, “It is.”

Maybe Jeongin and Chan were right.

Loved you? Maybe not that.

Cared about you? Genuinely? Perhaps he sees it now.

But can he afford such a luxurious feeling? Such an emotion?

Last time he allowed himself such indulgence, he paid a cost too high.

[love-fireflysong]

It be June 3rd now, and would you look at that, the second of my prompts is already up! Who’d a thunk it? Anyway, as successfully guessed by the lovely @torahime here is 5 + 1! And as by the nature of this trope in general, this one ended up long. Like crazy loooooooong. (Also I’m a moron who didn’t understand what the prompt meant for like a week. I kept trying to figure out what the hell the number six had to do with anything, and when I finally googled it out of desperation, all I saw were the words ‘five times’ in the first link and I immediately felt ashamed of myself. I should have known. Why didn’t I know?)

Anyways, you can read the long-ass fic in question at ao3 over here: Do You Ever Wonder What Could Have Been? You can also read this one under the cut, but considering the length I wouldn’t recommend it asdhaskdjh The next one should be much shorter due to the fact that like the first one, I blanked for ideas completely lol.

Do You Ever Wonder What Could Have Been?

Trope: 5 + 1 Fandom: Until Dawn Characters: Ashley Brown, Chris Hartley, Josh Washington (all the other kids also make an appearance but due to them only having like one scene and a single line each I’m not tagging them) Words: 12733 Rating: Teen (though I think I’m being pretty damn generous with that rating tbh) Authors Notes: Yes you’re reading that word count right. Almost thirteen thousand words. Don’t ask how I managed to write this in 5 days, I have no fucking idea. Just take this fic about two nerds being morons in love and mutually pining over each other for six. fucking. years.

Chris is fourteen and so goddamn tired of this stupid crush on his best friend. It's been a whole year now since he met her, and he hates that this stupid, silly, little, crush of his hasn't abated at all. He doesn't even know why he likes her in the first place! It's just Ashley after all, there is absolutely no reason to feel this tongue-tied around his best friend. It's Ash: with her braces, arms always full books (when her head wasn't buried in one that is), stringy red hair, wide green eyes, who sometimes snorts when he tells a joke, freckles that dot her nose and shoulders and—

Okay, he was maybe getting a little side-tracked here. The point was, there was 100% absolutely no reason to feel this way about her. In fact, he bets this was all Josh's fault in the first place! Yeah! That was it! None of this would be happening if Josh hadn't basically kidnapped Ashley from her true home in the library and forced him to meet her! 

...But then he wouldn't have met her. And stupid crush aside, she is pretty much the only girl he knows who laughs at all his jokes and helps him with his English homework sometimes. He likes knowing her and likes being her friend even more, he just doesn't like liking her. And maybe that was it? Maybe he just likes Ashley cause she's the only girl who willingly hangs out with him and Josh, and isn't Josh's sisters. 

And that's what he's going to prove today once and for all. He heard from Josh that Hannah was absolutely adamant that everyone was going to play spin-the-bottle at her and Beth's birthday party in a couple of days. And that everyone meant not only the people that the twins invited for said party, but also the people that Josh invited over (ie: Chris and Ash) so he would have some company during the twins big b-day bash. Chris was going to find Ashley and explain that losing their first kiss over a game like spin-the-bottle was just so not cool, and that maybe kissing each other first would just be a way better and smarter idea of doing things. And once he kissed her he would finally realize that yup, Ash was just one of the guys and that was so fucking gross and they were totally never ever going to do that again.

Perfect idea. Fool proof even. No way that this was totally going to backfire into his face. Absolutely none at all!

So when he finds Ashley sitting and reading under her usual tree just outside of the school, he is so sure of the success of his ingenious plan that he brings it up right away. 

"I think we should kiss before Hannah and Beth's party."

See! Right away! Straight to the point. He has got this shit in the bag baby!

Ashley looks up at him, clearly a little startled from reading her book and squints at him. "Huh? Chris? Is that you?" For a second he's a little confused about how Ash doesn't even recognize him, but then he quickly realizes that he's probably got the sun directly at his back so she can't see him clearly and he awkwardly shuffles to the left a little so she can see him better. "Oh! Hey Chris, what was that you said earlier? I got so absorbed that I didn't really hear a thing you said, sorry." While she doesn't close her book, she does give an embarrassed little laugh that makes his stomach flip-flop just a little and starts to weaken at the cracks of his once fool-proof plan.

He finds himself messing with the strap on his bookbag as he tries to ignore the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. 'Um, I asked if you were going to the twins' birthday party this weekend." Okay, falling a little behind schedule now, but it's fine. No problem.

"I mean, I wasn't exactly invited, but yeah. A whole night of graphic horror movies to drown out the sounds of screaming pre-teens. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night." The absolute dryness of her tone has Chris smiling.

"Oh come on Ash, it's not gonna be that bad."

"Our choices are either to hang out with a bunch of kids who have basically never talked to us ever, or watch Josh's disgusting horror movies Chris."

"Well, I mean, when you put it that way...actually, no. The screaming pre-teens sound like a safer bet honestly." The little snort of laughter she lets out only has Chris pushing the butterflies down harder. God, he is going to be so glad when those stupid things finally leave him alone. "And well, from what Josh said, it sounds like horror isn't the only thing planned for that evening."

"It isn't? You mean he's actually opening up to other movie genre options? Shocking. I truly never thought I would see the day."

"Ha, I wish. Nah, I was, um, talking about what the girls—well, what Hannah wanted to play. Actually." Great. And now he's starting to blush. Really keeping with the rails of his plan there!

"What Hannah...? Oh! You're, uh, talking about the spin-the-bottle game." Ashley brings her lower lip into her mouth and pushes some hair behind her ear. "Yeah, Josh mentioned something about that."

Perfect, one less thing he had to explain. That would speed things up immensely. "Honestly, between you and me? I think it's a stupid idea."

Ashley nods her head vigorously in agreement. "I know right! I mean, who wants to kiss some stranger over a bottle of all things? Can you imagine losing your first kiss to some person who probably doesn't have a single idea who you are in the first place? God that would be awful." Oh man, things are lining up right for him! Ashley's even on the same page and this next part is going to be so easy— "That's why I asked Josh if I could kiss him first instead when he told me a couple of days ago."

Wait. Waitwaitwait wait . She already asked Josh?! "Oh, wow. You were, uh, really thinking ahead there huh?" God, he could feel every ounce of determination he had slowly deflating out of his body. There was no way he could ask her now, absolutely no way! Ashley was gonna think that Chris wanted to kiss her—or worse, liked her! And okay he kind of did, but this was supposed to prove the exact opposite. That this was just stupid hormones and puberty really messing with his life and not something else.

"Of course, there was absolutely no way I was gonna have my first kiss with some popular buttface who was just gonna make fun of me behind my back afterwards. Better to have it with Josh, who would also make fun of me, but at least it would be to my face." Ashley starts to return to her book, flipping a page but stops halfway through. "Wait. Were you going to ask me the same thing?" She sounds a little unsure and a little of something else he can't place right now because he's too busy trying not to panic. 

"What? No! God no! Of-of course not!" Oh god, was his voice seriously choosing to crack now? He really, really hoped that the shade being cast from the tree was enough to hide how red his face was. He needed to get out of here and quick .

"I-I-I mean, it's not like it was good or anything—"

"Think I should probably go now anyway."

"It was, like, really wet and-and-and like so bad. Super awkward honestly."

"Lots of things to do. Lots and lots of things to do in fact!"

"I mean, we could still, uh, k-k-kiss? If you want to...?"

"Nope!" Chris was honestly looking everywhere except at Ashley right now, which was fine because she was currently in the middle of trying to hide behind her book. "There's absolutely no reason to do that. Because, because... I already kissed Josh too!"

"...you did?"

"Yup! Totally did. Just came over to see what you had planned to do about it actually. And because you're so much smarter than me, you had totally already done the same thing. So no reason for me to still bother you after all! None whatsoever! So I'll just let you get back to your book. And the battle between the uh, vampire and the, um, cowboy? Riveting stuff I bet."

"Um, yeah. But—"

"I'll just, uh, see you tomorrow then, I guess. Bye!"

Chris thinks he catches a wave of disappointment flash across her face when she returns his farewell, but he's already basically fled half away across the yard to find Josh so he doesn't think about it too much. And it turns out that Ashley is right, kissing Josh is wet and pretty fucking awful in the end. Which should only prove his idea that kissing her would have been just as bad and awkward.

So why does he feel like it would have actually been the complete opposite?

"I'm going to fail."

Ashley rolled her eyes as she struggled not to laugh. "Oh my god, you're not gonna fail Chris."

Chris didn't even deign to raise his head from where he had face-planted it into the open book only moments before, letting his words come out muffled and flat. "I am Ash. I am going to bomb this exam so hard that they're gonna make me repeat ninth grade."

Ashley groaned, but it was more of an attempt to hide her amusement than out of any exasperation, as she tried to lift Chris back into a sitting position and wasn't laid out prostrated over the table. "Okay first of all, get your dumb face out of that book. Ms. Norman is not gonna be happy with either of us if she discovers your drool all over the pages of the only half-decent copy of Lord of the Flies that the school library has." Once she finally has finally managed to prop Chris into a halfway decent sitting position, she moves the book closer to her in case he decides to try smashing his face into it again. "Second of all, I'm pretty sure that the school's not going to make you repeat the grade just because you failed English, your grades in everything else are high enough that they'll definitely pass you. That, and there is no way that the teachers would let Josh move on to high school of all things without supervision."

"...That is a scarily good point."

"And thirdly, there is absolutely no way I would be able to get through the next four years of school with you in my grade," she teases him with a poke in the arm. "I mean can you imagine? Having to go to class everyday knowing you're going to be there with me? I can't think of anything more terrifying honestly."

Chris gives a startled laugh. "Gee, thanks Ash. Really appreciate that vote of confidence. Making my self-esteem soar over here. And also, I for one can think of something way more terrifying."

"Really?" Ashley says as she crosses her arms across her chest and levels him with a disbelieving look. "Well go on then, try me. Cause I can promise you that there is absolutely nothing more terrifying—"

"Me and Josh in the same grade as you."

Ashley just blanches. "Oh god. You're right. That is so much worse and the idea of this even happening is now going to give me nightmares for the rest of my life."

"Oh please, it wouldn't be that bad."

"It would. It so would. And to prevent this we need to double down on you studying for your English final so that this cataclysmic event never occurs."

It's Chris's turn to roll his eyes as he slumps down even further into his seat. "That's what I was doing earlier until you stopped me."

"What? Planting your face into the middle of the book?"

"Exactly. Decided to try out a new method cause the other one wasn't certainly working. Learning by osmosis."

Ashley shoves her face into the palms of her hands to try and stop her giggles. It didn't work, not by a long shot, but it at least smothered them a bit. "You can't just read a book by trying to absorb it into your skin, that's not how things work at all!"

"And how would you know that Ash? Have you ever even tried?" Chris scoffs.

"Of course I haven't you dork! I haven't tried because that's not even possible!"

 "Um, sounds to me like someone just isn't open to new ideas."

"Oh my god. Can we please get back to studying and making sure you don't fail. I for one would really like to get back to that." Ashley starts to put the copy of the book back between the middle of them where they can both read it easily. "Okay, so chapter eight is where the divide between the boys finally reaches a boiling point after seeing the 'monster' on the mountain in the last chapter. They argue over whether Ralph should still be left in charge and Jack leaves in a huff."

Chris groaned as he tossed his glasses onto the table so he could throw his arm over his eyes. "Starting to think that Jack has the right idea here." he grumbled.

Ashley ignored him. "Some of the other boys follow after him and form their own tribe with Jack as its chief further down the beach. As a group, the hunters then fall into a savage frenzy when they go hunting and kill a sow, with Roger dealing the killing blow."

"By driving his spear into the thing’s ass," Chris helpfully supplied.

Ashley sighed. "Yes, by doing that. Good to know you're at least remembering some things, but do you remember what happened next?"

Though she couldn't see with Chris's arm in the way, she knew that he was narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Ummm, they... eat the pig?"

Ashley groaned and fought very hard against the impulse to smack her forehead into the center of the table. " Chris . "

"What? Do they not eat the thing? I mean, why even hunt it if they're not gonna eat it?"

"Chris, what they do next is the lead up for what is often considered the most important scene in the entire book! How can you not remember?!"

"I don't know Ash! Kind of think I was distracted by the whole 'shoving a spear into a sow's anus' part!"

"They leave its head on a stake in the jungle as an offering to the beast! This is what creates the Lord of the Flies that Simon sees later that night!"

"Oh right, that. Yeah that sounds a little familiar now that you mention it."

"A little—" Ashley stops fighting against the earlier urge and places her heavy head into her hands in despair. "You literally had to read this book last month! How could you have forgotten so much already?"

Chris groans and drapes himself over the back of his chair. "This is hopeless Ash. I appreciate the help I really do, but I think it's time we face the inevitable and just take a page out of this book."

"What, I stick your head on a pike and be done with you?"

The snort that Chris makes in surprise is enough to bring a tired smile to Ashley's face. "Leaving you to deal with Josh alone? Ha, you wouldn't. Nah, I was talking about just making an offering to the exam gods out there. Think they'll be the best bet I have to pass this shitty ass final."

Ashley removes her head from her hands to give him a withering look. "If we're going that route, you want a kiss for good luck too? Probably work just as well as those gods of yours."

There's an awkward pause, and at first Ashley can't figure out why but then the words finally hit her. She feels her face start to burn and she places her head back into her hands so she doesn't have to look at Chris anymore. Oh god, she can't believe she just said that. Why would she even say that in the first place?! It's a damn good thing that Chris isn't wearing his glasses right now, the heat from her face alone is making her feel like she's about to combust as it is, and him seeing that would probably push her over that physical boundary.

"I-I mean, if you think it will help..." Chris sounds almost bashful when he says it and Ashley snaps her head to him in shock.

"I—" Ashley isn't quite sure what she's trying to say, and is interrupted when her phone buzzes with an incoming text message. She immediately jumps up from her chair and starts grabbing at her things. "Oh man, that's probably my mom here to pick me up. I should really get going."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah! No reason for me to stay if you aren't so I guess I should head out too." Chris starts picking up his stuff too, putting his glasses back onto his face as he shoves his books into his bag.

By nature of having brought less than Chris to help him study, Ashley finishes cleaning first but doesn't leave right away. Chris had said it was fine after all. And sure, maybe he was just desperate for anything that will help him pass his final, but he said it would be fine. So steeling herself, Ashley leans down and leaves a quick but chaste kiss on Chris's cheek.

"For luck!" She manages to squeak out as she all but runs out the doors of the library to the school's entrance where her mom will be waiting for her, too scared to even look back. 

Chris should have known that something was up the moment Josh brought it up: 'Hey, how about you and Ash hang out at my house this weekend instead?' Innocent sounding sure, but he really, really should have known better. Josh never pushed for hang outs at his place, it had always been an agreed upon rule that Hannah and Beth got their place, while Josh preferred to host their get togethers and his and Ash's own houses. It was just the thing that was done and everyone had been more than happy with how it was. Had it been any other time, Chris would like to think that he would have totally seen right through Josh's plan and offered up his place instead.

But Josh's parents were almost never around either, and that meant staying up late and talking and goofing around without parents warning them to go to sleep. Which most importantly meant staying up late and talking to Ashley, because that hadn't been a thing that the three of them had been able to do a whole lot recently. It was still so weird not seeing Ash around in the school halls, not being able to hang out at lunch, and not meeting up after school all the time. It felt like there was something huge missing and it bothered him (just as much as it bothered Josh, not that he would ever say anything about it). The two of them wandering the hallowed halls of high school while she was still stuck back in their middle school just felt so wrong .

So when Josh had brought up a weekend hang out, Chris (and Ashley) had accepted right away. Which, judging from the fact that Josh had somehow managed to weasel the two of them into playing a game of Truth or Dare with him, had been a huge mistake.

"Well, well, well. It seems the time has come. So let's get on with it shall we?" Josh rubbed his hands gleefully together in the dim light of the bedroom (for atmosphere he had claimed) as the three of them sat in a circle. A seemingly innocuous plate of cookies sitting in the middle of them, and knowing better then to trust Josh, both Chris and Ash had been eyeing the cookies warily for the past few minutes. Not that Josh seemed to notice or care of course. "Seeing as I'm the one who set up elegant little ritual—"

"You forced us into playing a stupid game dude, there's nothing elegant or ritualistic about it."

Josh ignored him, unsurprisingly. "I'll go first of course. So Ash, truth or dare?"

"What are the cookies for Josh?" Ashley asked nervously as she continued to eye the plate instead of answering him.

"That's not important. And anyways, it's my turn Ash. So I'll ask again: truth or dare Ashley?"

Ashley raised her eyes from the plate to transfer her nervous and mistrustful stare to him. "...truth," she answered slowly.

"Oh ho ho! So truth it is! Well then Ash, tell me: have you got any secrets you've been dying to share with us?"

Chris could immediately tell that the question had hit a sore spot on some sort, shoulders locked and her body stiff. "You know I'm not gonna answer that one. Pass."

Josh shook his head, a devious smile on his lips. "Nope. Nuh uh Miss Brown. That's not how this game works. If you're gonna pass then I'm gonna have to ask that you take a cookie in return."

"...I'm sorry, what? "

He waved a hand down towards the plate of cookies. "These, my dearest chums, are the fabled Truth or Dare cookies. Anytime one of us refuses to act out what is asked of us, we must then take a cookie in penance."

At first, Ashley doesn't move. She continues to dart her eyes suspiciously between Josh and the plate of cookies, but eventually slowly does reach out and hesitantly grab a chocolate cookie from the plate. She holds it up closer to her face to investigate it further, and Chris watches as all the tension she had stored up just evaporates from her as she physically deflates. "Oh my god, are you actually being serious right now Josh? ‘Dare’ brand cookies? Really? Why in the world are you trying to be so ominous when you went with a pun as lame as using Dare cookies in a game of truth or dare?"

"Wait, really?" Chris reaches out to grab one for himself but Josh smacks his hand away with a grin. 

"So sorry Cochise, but these are only for if you refuse. And trust me, you don't want to refuse." Josh turns back to Ashley. "Oh, and don't eat that just yet." 

In response, she just shrugs and leans back, but keeps the chocolate crème filled cookie in her hand as she looks between Chris and Josh. "It's my turn now, right? Okay, so—"

Josh cuts her off. "Nope, still mine. Now, Chris—"

"What? That's not how this stupid game works Josh!"

Josh waves her off. "You didn't answer my question Ash, or eat the cookie, so it's still my turn."

"But you just told me not to eat the stupid thing!"

Josh ignores her as he keeps his attention squarely on Chris. Who, to his own shame, has begun squirming in his seat in dread of what's going to come. "Well, Chris: truth or dare?"

Chris tosses the options over in his head. Both are terrible obviously, but playing this game with Josh of all people never ends well, so he decides to go with his gut instead. "Dare."

"Ooooh, feeling a little gutsy are we? That's fine, I can work with that. I dare you to... return the favour and do one thing you've been thinking about alllllllll summer."

Personally, Chris is finding it a miracle that he hasn't reached over and tried to strangle Josh yet, but he has a feeling that has more to do with the fact that he's trying not to shrivel up on the floor and die than out of any mercy. Even though Josh for some reason worded it in a really convoluted way, he just literally dared him to kiss Ash. It was so obvious that he was frankly amazed that Ashley hadn't figured it out yet.

Because of course he still thought about that kiss for good luck that Ash had given him in the library. He thought about it nearly all the damn time! Hell, Chris was pretty sure that the reason he had even passed his final even a little bit was because of the kiss. Not because it was good luck or anything, but because whenever a question appeared on the exam that asked about the themes or some shit about Lord of the Flies, he kept getting sent back into that library where Ashley had been drilling the same stuff into him just before she had kissed his cheek.

And there is absolutely no way that he's gonna kiss Ash in Josh's bedroom. No way in hell. Especially not when it's gonna reveal that he had been thinking about what was more than likely a super innocent and helpful gesture on her part.

So glaring at Josh, Chris reaches forward and without a word grabs a vanilla cookie. And for some strange reason, this only causes Josh's smile to widen. "I see, so that's what you both went with huh? Anyways, I think it's about time you take your 'reward' and chow down!"

Exchanging a confused look with Ashley, Chris nonetheless shrugs and pops the entire thing into his mouth and bites down.

And realizes in a horrifying instant that this is not a vanilla cookie.

There's a flash of light that blinds him for a second, and when the spots clear he sees Josh holding a camera and laughing his ass off.

"What the—? Is this fucking mayo dude?!" And it must be, because this is not what a vanilla cookie should ever taste like. While the cookie portion itself is okay if not a little soft, the crème is way too oily and eggy to be anything but mayo. Josh doesn't answer his question right away, but that's from a combo of laughing way too hard and being distracted by Ash trying not to retch in the middle of the bedroom floor.

"Oh my god! You put soy sauce in a cookie?! What is wrong with you Josh?!" She's up in a second and rushing to the garbage can near Josh's desk, and Chris is quick to join her in trying to spit everything out. "I'm never going to get this salt out of my mouth! Why would you even do that?!"

"Cause it's fucking hilarious that's why!" Josh is still laughing as he takes a look at the picture he took on the camera, and starts laughing harder. "Oh fucking hell, this was glorious. Oh wasting those two questions just for this picture was so worth it. Best decision I could have made!

"Now you two get your asses back over here! I spent hours on these cookies after all, and I am not letting them go to waste. We've got hours my friends, and so many questions and dares to get through."

Chris shares a look with Ashley over the garbage bin, both of them now obviously wondering if keeping their own secret had been worth having to eat those cookies, and if they still would have passed their turn knowing what exactly laid in store for them. While he certainly couldn't say a thing about her, Chris wasn't so sure if not kissing Ash and enduring all the fallout that would have resulted in was worth the terrible combination of vanilla and mayo in his mouth. He supposed he would never know, it was too late to simply retract his pass after all.

And well, he really didn't want to kiss Ash when she had just been tricked into eating a bunch of soy sauce.

You know, Ashley kind of figured that once she entered high school all of these stupid games would be done with. Surely high schoolers were too mature and too old to be playing childish games like spin-the-bottle or seven minutes in heaven? And yeah, obviously Chris and Josh weren't, but that was them and they were in a class all their own. But Hannah? And Sam and Beth? She would have thought that they were way too cool to be playing spin-the-bottle of all things, especially Beth.

And yet, here Ashley was: squeezed in between Matt and Sam as Matt spun the bottle around on the now extremely sticky hardwood floor. She wasn't stupid, she knew the entire reason the game was even being played in the first place; Hannah had been making eyes at Mike all through the evening and well into the game after all. She just didn't think that anyone else would have been stupid enough to go along with the game when Hannah suggested it. 

(Ashley knew very well why she had reluctantly agreed to play, she just didn't know why anyone else did.)

Though to be fair, it didn't seem like the game was gonna last much longer anyway. Emily and Jess had started scrolling through their phones ages ago, showing each other whatever was on the other's screen every few minutes and the two of them laughing. Mike had been tapping a really off-rhythm beat on his jeans with the straw from his can of soda and staring into space, while Hannah stared lovesick at him . Beth was starting to doze on Sam's shoulder, not that either seemed too concerned about it, and Sam was nervously eyeing all the spilt pop and chips around them that they were gonna have to clean up before they went to bed. Unsurprisingly, Chris was also scrolling through his phone, snickering every now and then as Ashley felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her hoodie whenever he sent whatever it was that he found funny to her and Josh. Josh meanwhile, had joined Matt in building a rather shaky—if not impressive—tower out of discarded plastic cups, straws, and paper plates.

Ashley yawned behind her hand as the bottle slowed it's spin. She had been ready to drop out of the game a round or two back, but hadn't yet because she didn't want to deal with the others teasing her on being a sore loser who backs down the moment the bottle didn't land on the person she wanted it to. Which would lead to Chris asking who it was even though everyone else already knew who because it was glaringly obvious to everyone except him. The sound of the bottle stopping its spin managed to get everyone's attention as they looked at the neck of the bottle pointed squarely at Mike. 

Everyone made the expected ' oooooooh ' and wolf whistles that everyone always did in this game, though quieter than they might have usually. Bob and Melinda were sleeping upstairs after all, and the last thing any of them wanted to do was wake them up and have them discover that despite it being nearly three in the morning, that the ten of them were still awake as the snow storm raged outside the lodge. Nonetheless, Matt and Mike both rolled their eyes and leaned over Josh who sat in the middle of them with a groan. Mike also didn't hesitate to take Matt's face into his hands and just plant one firmly on his mouth with no fanfare, other than the continued wolf whistles of course, and the two of them settled back down to their previous antics. 

With that done, Ashley stared down nervously at the bottle. Once again, she felt the words stick in her throat. It would just be so easy to say "Oh man you guys, it's really late, I should really just go to bed" but let them die without a fight as she swallowed nervously and gave the bottle a hard flick. She knew exactly why she let the words die, and it wasn't solely because of what the others would say, though that was certainly a large part of it. No, it was because of the same glimmer of hope that sparked in her everytime it was her turn at this stupid game. That maybe this would be the time that the bottle would land on Chris, that she would finally get that kiss she's wanted for three years now.

She watches the bottle spin around the group, slowing its motion every full spin, and she notices that Chris has turned his attention away from his phone to watch it almost as nervously as she is. Which should probably make her question just why Chris is as just as invested on who it's gonna land on as she is, but she's kind of distracted right now by the fact that her heart is rapidly picking up pace in direct contrast to how much slower the bottle is getting. And feels it stop almost entirely when the bottle begins its last revolution and she knows. She knows . It's finally gonna land on Chris. All these years of playing this stupid, stupid game and it's finally happening.  

Ashley's eyes shoot up to meet Chris's over the bottle, but that's also when the lodge suddenly plunges into darkness just before the bottle stops on him.

Immediately, the others are screaming next to her and the tower of cups and plates fall with a soft clatter.

"Oh my god! What the fuck was that?!"

"Holy fuck! Can you guys see anything?"

"Of course we can't see anything Michael!"

"It's probably just the storm you guys. Settle down."

"Can you guys please quiet down? My parents are sleeping and they're gonna kill us if they find out we're still awake."

Ashley isn't yelling though, because she's too busy screaming internally. There is no way that this is actually happening right now. There is no goddamn way. The bottle finally lands on Chris and the power goes out? Because of some stupid storm? She wanted to scream. She has half a mind to reach out and hold the bottle in place so there's proof of this when the power comes on, or to just jump over the distance and kiss Chris anyway. She knows exactly where he is after all, and he must have seen it land on him. He must have, right? It's that little second of uncertainty that decides for her, there's a sound as someone gets up and the flat 'thunk' as they accidentally kick the bottle across the room.

"Shit. My bad. You guys stay here, I'll go and check out the back-up generator in the basement. You coming, Cochise?"

Ashley can hear Chris awkwardly and quickly getting to his feet. "Um, y-yeah. Right behind you, bro."

The two of them walk away leaving Ashley to sit on the floor about to scream from the frustration of it all. And she does scream that it is, though not from almost having the perfect excuse to kiss Chris, but from someone touching her shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry!" Sam apologizes. "You were so quiet Ashley that I got nervous. I know that you're scared of the dark and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Oh, yeah. That's right. She was so preoccupied with the dark ruining what was almost going to be the highlight of her entire year , that she kind of forgot that it was, well, dark now. And once that realization hits her, so too does the fear that she's sitting in absolute darkness and can't see a single thing other than the lights being cast from everyone’s phones. That she has no idea what else—or who else—is out there. She frantically reaches out and wraps up Sam's arm in her own for a physical reminder that there is someone else she trusts in the darkness with her.

"Wait, you're scared of the dark Ash? Shit. Here, just give me a second." From next to her, Matt rustles in his jacket pocket and brings out his phone, turning it on and casting light around the room, and reflecting off the plastic bottle that Josh had accidentally kicked to the other side of the room. "Hope this helps a bit."

Ashley lets out a breath and a small smile. "Yeah, it does. Thanks Matt."

"No problem. Hey, I think I may have a funny video saved on here somewhere. Pretty sure I downloaded it so just give me a moment." He finds the video quickly enough, and while Ashley doesn't find it particularly as funny as he clearly did, she does appreciate the effort anyway.

Thankfully for everyone, the lights come back on soon enough. Though whether from the power coming back or the back-up generator activating, she isn't sure. It is enough to convince everyone that maybe it's time for bed though, and no one asks about her spin and who it landed on, which Ashley is both insulted for and thankful of in equal measure. Sam unfortunately reminds everyone of the mess they've all made of the great room though, and that they should all clean it up before Bob and Melinda wake up and find it, which Hannah and Beth eagerly echo, and so does Josh when he makes his way back up from the basement with scowling Chris in tow.

Thankfully, between the ten of them, the clean up takes very little time and they're all on their way back to their own rooms in record time, even if Ashley was too embarrassed to even look at Chris now. God, she couldn't believe that she had seriously considered jumping him! And for what? Just because some bottle told her to? Oh man, she never would have been able to live that down. She still spends more time then needed to get ready in the bathroom, and then laying in bed with her lamp on in the hopes that maybe Chris will knock on her door to confront her about the spin and ask for that kiss.

While the fact that he doesn't make an appearance doesn't surprise her, it's still a little depressing. 

Chris is going to kill Josh. He is going to kill him . And he means it this time. Years spent watching Josh's horror shit and listening to Ash go on and on about her mystery novels should have given him a real edge actually. He can murder Josh violently in the way that the weirdo would probably like to go and then Ash can help him get rid of the body so that no one will ever know it was him. Easy.

You know, assuming Ashley is still gonna want to even associate with him after this.

"You feeling okay, Chris? You're starting to look a little red... and surly."

"Yup, I'm fine. Just peachy in fact." Chris takes another swig of the punch that has somehow not been spiked yet, and tries to plaster a smile on his face for her only to once again start looking over her shoulder. Not that there's anything interesting over her shoulder of course, unless one finds a group of football seniors trying to play a game of chicken in the middle of the dance hall interesting, but it's easier than looking straight at her. Not because she looks terrible of course—good god is that not the reason—but because she is way too fucking gorgeous for him to handle right now.

When Chris had decided to invite her to his and Josh's grad thing, it had just been a way for all three of them to hang out and enjoy their last year of high school together. School rules dictated after all that for some stupid reason, graduates weren't allowed to invite anyone who wasn't in school anymore so Ash wasn't going to be able to ask them to hers next year. Which was complete and utter bullshit of course, but that was beside the point. It was supposed to be a fun night... and then Chris's parents found out. And being the complete pain in the asses they are, they insisted that if Ash was going to this party with them, and it was a formal party, then they needed to make this proper. So against his wishes and leaving Chris wanting to die, they went and found out what colour of dress Ash was going to be wearing and got him not only a matching tie but a fucking corsage to go with it! The only thing that had made all of that even a little better, was that they had forced Josh to go along with it so at least he wouldn't be alone. 

But then Josh had showed up not wearing his stupid tie and without the fucking flowers. And despite Chris's repeated protests that he didn't want to do the whole matching thing, especially if Josh wasn't doing it, his parents still made him do it anyway, saying all the while that 'it would make Ashley happy, you do want to make Ashley happy don't you?' And now here he was, sitting with Ashley at their table while she wore his stupid flowers on her wrist and his tie matched her green dress.

He hated how fucking obvious his crush was s0 much.

"...It's because of what everyone's been saying isn't it?"

At the dejected tone of her voice, Chris immediately snaps his full attention to her, leaving his glass of punch forgotten as he flaps his hands around in an effort to not reach out and grab at her hand. "What? No! God no! That isn't it I swear!"

Ashley sighs sadly as she looks glumly down at her lap. "It's fine Chris. I can understand if it's making you uncomfortable."

Chris takes one of his ineffectually flapping hands and makes to run it through his hair, before remembering the amount of gel he had put in it before coming and rubs at his eyes beneath his glasses. "I'm serious Ash, that's not it. I was honestly just thinking about the different ways I'm going to murder Josh when he gets back."

She laughs a little at that, and turns to look out into the direction of the buffet table, as though she'll be able to see Josh coming back with their food through the literal sea of people. "He has been gone a while hasn't he? He left like twenty minutes ago and he still isn't back. Do you think he even went to the buffet table in the first place?"

"He better have. Him coming back with food is probably about the only thing that's going to stop me from murdering him honestly."

Ashley laughs a little louder, and when she pushes a stray strand of hair that had come undone from her simply styled updo, Chris catches the while flowers on her wrist and feels his stomach flip pleasantly. "Any particular reason you want to kill Josh this time?"

"I mean, I have plenty but let's just be honest with ourselves here: do either of us ever need a reason to wanna kill Josh, Ash?"

And there it is, the surprised snort he was waiting for and that just made this entire evening a little more bearable. "God, you're not wrong." She follows his eye line to the corsage on her wrist and just like that all levity to the situation is gone as she hides her hands back in her lap under the table. "...you're sure that you're okay with what everyone is saying though?" she asks a little nervously.

Honestly? No, he isn't. Ever since the three of them walked into the party, everyone they had talked to right away had noticed the matching colours and the corsage and all comments had been the same. 'Fucking knew that there was something going on between you two' and 'Hey, it's about fucking time' or 'Always knew that you two would be good together'. It had been bad enough realizing that apparently almost everyone he had ever spoken to even a little bit had known of his super obvious feelings for his best friend, but the absolute worst thing had been the pained but polite smile that Ash had forced onto her face every single time.

"Honestly, I'm never going to see most of these people ever again once I graduate." He's avoiding the question, and he knows that she knows that he's avoiding the question. "But you're probably gonna have to deal with people brining this stupid thing up for the entire next year. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's not like this is something I don't deal with already." She says it with a little shrug and smile, but Chris can feel his heart sink anyway. How long has she had to deal with the bullshit that his stupid crush has caused her, and why had she never told him? It's way too late to try and fix things, but he can at least hopefully try and stop any further comments from coming, so he lets his fingers fly to his tie and starts to frantically undo it. "...What are you doing Chris?"

"Wondering why on earth I let my parents talk me into this. This is obviously making you uncomfortable and I should have taken this stupid thing off ages ago." His fingers keep catching on the knot and he lets out a fairly explicit curse under his breath.

Ashley's eyes go wide with realization. "Oh!" She instantly flips over her wrist and starts fumbling at the clasp of the corsage with her other hand and Chris finds that his heart has somehow managed to travel all the way from the bottom of his stomach straight into his throat. Abandoning his only partially undone tie, he lays his hand on hers to stop her.

"You don't have to do that." She's staring at their hands in wide-eyed shock, and his breath catches. "Not if you don't want to, that is. It-it looks good on you."

"Okay," she whispers softly, eyes still wide as her fingers leave her wrist, "I can leave it on."

"Only if you want to though." When the hell did his mouth get so dry?!  

"I do," she looks up to him when she says it, and the earnestness of her smile bowls him over. "I really, really do." In an effort to try and distract himself from her smile, he starts fumbling at his tie once again and he catches her eyes flickering to it. Ashley's smile somehow only brightens as she laughs at him. "Here. Let me give you a hand with that."

She scoots her chair closer to him and he removes his hands from his tie so she can take over. The two of them say nothing as she places all of her attention on continuing to loosen the knot, while Chris tries his absolute hardest not to swallow...or breathe...or do anything at all really, as he just stares down at her in awe.

Once the knot is finally undone, Ashley slowly pulls the entire length of fabric from his neck and places it on the table, before putting her hands back where they were so she can carefully smooth out his shirt collar. And when she looks back up at him with a smile, he can feel the entire world stop as they just stare at each other and Chris slowly starts to close the infinitesimally small distance between them. And he's probably just imagining things, but he thinks that she's doing the same thing as well.

"Jesus Christ, sorry it took so long you guys. Line for the fucking food was longer then you would believe!"

The two of them fly apart so fiercely, that Chris's entire chair manages to tip over backwards and send him to the ground with a loud clatter. He can feel everyone's eyes on them and the murmurs that follow, and he hopes that they're mistaking the redness of his face for the embarrassment of falling out of his chair. Yeah, that's a story that's going to make the rounds before he graduates for sure.

"Shit, you okay bro?" From his spot on the floor, Chris watches Josh place a couple of plates absolutely piled high in food on the table and reach down to help him up with a laugh. "Oh hey, I see you finally decided to take off that stupid tie too. Surprised it took you this long honestly."

Chris accepts Josh's hand up. "Yup, me too." He hopes and prays that Josh just thinks that the absolutely breathless and stunted quality to his words is that he's just a little winded from the fall. Once he gets his chair back up and sits back down, he grabs at the tie to shove it in his pocket. He notices that Ashley is refusing to look at him as she digs out a couple of sandwiches from the miscellaneous pile of food, even as she fiddles with the strap of flowers on her wrist for the rest of the meal.

He's exceptionally thrilled to note that she does keep the corsage on the rest of the night though.

Five times. That's how many times her phone has gone off in her pocket. Five. Times. And every single time Ashley lets out a sigh of relief when the buzzing finally stops, it goes off again only seconds later. And checking the caller id the first couple of times only showed that it was Josh calling her. Normally Ashley liked to think that she would have answered her phone if it was literally anyone else, but this was Josh. He called for every little thing after all; from letting her know that he saw a super big dog on the way home from classes to informing her that he was out of chips and if Ash could pick some up on her way to meet them from her job then that would really just be swell. And considering that he and Chris were supposed to meet her and grab a bite to eat together while she was on her lunch break, he was probably just calling to let her know that they had just left, and to make a milestone out of every block closer the two of them got so she could greet them with all the pomp and circumstance he likely thought he deserved. 

Though to be fair she probably would have answered her phone after the third ring, if only to tell him off, but Jared had been giving her a stink eye from his office pretty much since she had arrived so she hadn't.

So she let it buzz...and buzz...and buzz. Until finally, her phone stopped yet again and she tensed her shoulders ready for the next round of vibrations to start. But there was nothing. Nothing but blissful silence coming from her pocket and she let out a huge sigh of relief as Ashley got back to work shelving some of the new stock, letting Kyrstin and Curtis deal with the short line of customers that had begun to form as they bought their books and whatever little trinkets littered the entire front of the store.

She hoped Chris and Josh got here soon, she was overdue for her lunch break and the smells coming out of the nearby food court were calling her name. Particularly the chinese place, she had been craving them for the last week at least . Plus, Jared had been raking her over coals about how her availability was going to drop dramatically once she started college in the next couple of weeks, and one of the creepy regulars had followed her around the store for-freaking- ever (she's pretty sure he had been staring at her ass the whole time too honestly) until Curtis had basically shoved her into the back room to let her escape while he covered for her. And surprise surprise, Jared hadn't been too thrilled about her 'abandoning her post' and yelled at her about that too. 

Whoever said that working in a bookstore was a lazy job where she got to read books in her free time was a dirty, rotten liar. It was hell on earth and she was going to slowly tear the fingernails off whoever it was that said it (even though she had a sinking feeling it had probably be Ashley herself that said it back when she romanticized working in bookstores when she was, like, ten ). God, she really really needed that Chinese if she had any plans of surviving the last four hours of her shift.

The phone at the front desk behind her begins to ring, but a quick backwards glance has her realizing that with poor Curtis trying to deal with an older woman who is adamant that the book he's trying to sell her is the wrong one because she is 'positive that the book had a light purple cover and this one is lavender, that is two different colours and I want the right book now ' and Kyrstin being forced to deal with the rest of the line herself, that Ashley's the one who's going to have to answer the phone. With a groan of resignation (she hated answering the phone at work but Jared was in a horrendous enough mood as it was), she stood up and made her way over, repeating the greeting she was going to have to say over and over in her head so she (hopefully) wouldn't mess it up. And taking a deep breath, and repeating the greeting once more in her head, she forced a smile to her face as she picked up the handset.

"Hi! Thanks for calling—"

"Fucking finally Ash."

In an instant, Ashley could feel every ounce of nervous energy violently expel from her body as she nearly doubled over with another groan, this one entirely of exhaustion. She took quick glance over her shoulder, but Jared seemed to busy with another phone call in his office thankfully. "What are you doing Josh?!" she whispered angrily, "I'm at work right now you moron!"

"Uh yeah, I know. Why do you think I called you using this number?"

Ashley gave Kyrstin an apologetic and pained smile when she looked at her curiously, who responded with a good-natured shake of her head and a laugh under her breath as she turned to help the next customer. "Well, you didn't have to call here."

"Kinda did, Ash. You kept ignoring me."

"I was ignoring your calls you butt, you could have just texted me instead you know."

"Hmmm, no. Anyways I tried calling to tell you that Chris and I might not be able to meet up with you for lunch."

Ashley felt disappointment flood her entire being. "Oh. I see. But you really could have just—"

"We're at the hospital while Chris gets some x-rays done."

Immediately any disappointment fled her body as Ashley all but collapsed on the counter for support as her legs gave out on her. "Is he okay?! Oh god, is he okay Josh?!"

There's a pause on the phone and all Ashley can hear is her own blood pounding in her ears. He has to be okay. He has to be, he just has to be!

"I dunno, it was a pretty gnarly fall. Don't know if he'll ever truly recover, there was a lot of screaming after all."

Ashley doesn't even respond as she slams down the phone and turns to Kyrstin and Curtis who are looking at her in shock as her entire world falls to pieces around her. "I-I have to go. Chris is... Chris is..." she can't get anymore out with how it feels like someone is ripping her heart out of her chest. "Josh said he's in the hospital and...and..."

Curtis nods quickly as he runs to the staff room, and Kyrstin just starts shoving her towards the door as they all ignore the customers who are standing around awkwardly. "Go. We got this."

Ashley turns her head towards Jared's office. "But I gotta—and, and I need to grab my stuff—

"Nope. You go. Curtis and I will figure something out, and Becks arrives for her shift in another half hour. We can manage just fine until then. You just get out of here right now."

Ashley doesn't try to fight anymore than that, not with how hard she's fighting to hold back breaking down in the middle of the store after all. Curtis meets her at the entrance with her bag and shoves it into her arms. "Do you need me to call you a taxi, or give you a ride, or anything? Kyrstin can drag Jared out of his cave if she's gotta." Next to him, Kyrstin nods furiously in agreement.

Ashley has never loved anyone as much as she loves her coworkers in this instant. "No, my-my mom gave me the car for today."

With that little bit of approval, and a random customer shouting ‘I hope he's okay hun!’ at her, the two of them shove Ashley into the mall itself and the very instant she crosses that threshold she takes off running, shoving her way through people and nearly falling down the stairs in her effort to get to the parking lot as quickly as she can. She is so, so glad that her mom basically forced the car on her today instead of letting her take the bus as originally planned, she doesn't know how she would have lasted if she'd had to wait for a taxi to arrive and pick her up.

As it is, once she's finally (and somehow safely) managed to arrive at the hospital and found a spot to park, she's nonplussed about the fact that she didn't leave any imprints in the steering wheel from how hard she had been gripping it the whole drive over. She fumbles with the clasp on her seatbelt with shaking hands, almost bursting into tears about that fact alone, but she eventually manages to free herself and basically throws herself out of the car, only remembering to lock the door behind her when she's about halfway to the hospital doors.

The moment she bursts into the waiting room, Josh is sitting there waiting for her. He looks up at her in surprise as she hurries towards him, then down at his phone and back up at her again as he gives a low whistle. "Shit Ash, how many laws did you break to get here that fast?"

She ignores him. "What happened?! How is he?! Just tell me he's okay! Please, please tell me he's okay!"

"I mean, I suppose he's as fine as he could be considering the circumstances." He seems to sense that she's about ready to scream at him so he quickly follows up with "He's on the second floor, in room 272 if you want to see him."

Ashley doesn't even bother to thank him as she bolts to the nearby elevator, frantically pushing the 'Call Elevator' button nonstop until the door opens and then doing the same thing to the second floor button as it carries her up. Her eyes are burning in an effort to hold back her tears but she can tell that the dam is about to burst any second, especially with how long this elevator is taking to move. She doesn't even wait for the doors to open fully, squeezing through them the moment they're wide enough and accosting some poor nurse until he points her down the correct hall. She hurries the rest of the way, staring at every number on the wall until she finds room 272. And then she stops, her hand on the door knob as she braces herself for whatever she's going to find. Chris lying in bed, covered in blood and bandages with a heart monitor beeping next to him, just broken and shattered beyond all repair. With a choked back sob she opens the door—

and finds Chris sitting on the bed looking up at the ceiling bored to tears with a splint wrapped around his pinky and ring finger on his right hand.

"Finally! I thought you would never get here, so if we could just get this over with—" he looks over at her standing in the doorway shell shocked and still in her work uniform and jumps to his feet. "A-Ash?! What the hell are you doing here— Wait, did you just come here straight from work?! "

"You're okay?" Ashley hates how small her voice comes out, "You're really okay?"

"What? Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Who told you—"

Spell broken, Ashley’s bag falls from her shoulder to the ground with a small clatter and she dives towards Chris, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Oh thank god. Oh thank god. " Chris starts to return the hug, likely more than a little confused about what's going on, but she's already moved so her hands are on either side of his face as she tugs him down to her level so she can get a better look at him. Twisting and turning his head this way and that as she looks for any bruises or cuts. "Josh told me that there had been an accident and—"

"Ash!" Chris interrupts her by taking her wrists in his hands—though he winces at the pain that likely forms as a result of doing so—and speaks as calmly and reassuringly to her as he can. "Ash, it's okay. I'm fine . I promise. I just tripped earlier that's all."

Ashley takes in the sight of the scuffed up palms of his hands, and the holes in the knees of his jeans that certainly hadn't been there before, and knows that Chris is telling the truth. Though it doesn't explain the splint on his hand.

"Okay, and I might have broken my finger doing so."

Ashley just stands there so dumbfounded and relieved in equal measure, that she blurts out "Josh said that there had been screaming."

To her surprise, Chris only gives an embarrassed groan as he stares at an area just over her shoulder "God, Josh is never gonna let me live that down is he? Okay, so my finger may not have been the only thing that broke..." Confused, mainly because except for the bandaged finger and ripped jeans he seems perfectly okay, Ashley looks over her shoulder and follows his eyes to his phone laying on the counter just behind her. The screen completely shattered to hell and back with no promise of life anywhere on it. Just the dead, black screen reflecting the ceiling above on its cracked surface 

"Wait," Ashley starts to feel the relieved giggles try to break free as her nerves finally settle, "are you telling me that you broke your finger but you were more worried about your phone? "

Chris sputters as he starts to wave his splinted finger infront of her face. "I mean obviously! This doesn't cost me any money to fix Ash; that's what health care's for! But my phone? Do you know how expensive that thing's going to be to replace? How many paychecks I'm going to have to put towards it? All the money I saved up this summer for school: gone! All because of a stupid little sidewalk curb!"

Ashley can't help it, she starts laughing uncontrollably as she collapses into a nearby chair with her head in her hands. "Oh, I am going to kill Josh when I see him, kill him! And then Jared's gonna kill me for bailing at work and not telling him! God, and I just left in the middle of a rush too! Remind me to buy Kyrstin and Curtis a cake or flowers or something as an apology. Oh my god ."

"You just ditched work? Ash!" Chris falls back onto the bed as he laughs with her. "Why would you even do that in the first place?!"

"Josh told me that you were in the hospital getting x-rays! What was I supposed to think?"

Chris rubs at his eyes beneath his glasses. "I asked him to let you know that we were probably gonna be a little late for lunch while I waited to get my cast! Fucking hell, I'm so sorry."

"Am I interrupting anything or..."

The two of them turn to see a doctor looking up at them with an upturned brow, and holding what Ashley assumes (and hopes) to be the materials needed for Chris's cast. "This is Chris Hartley's room correct?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. That's me."

The doctor nods, and walks towards Chris, but stops in front of the chair Ashley is sitting in. "I'm sorry, but I will be needing that chair sweetheart." With a squeak of apology, Ashley jumps out the chair and moves back by the door so fast that she's almost certain that she had managed to teleport over there, almost tripping over her forgotten bag in the process. Red-faced, she picks it back up and goes to leave (and possibly strangle Josh violently) but is stopped by the same doctor as she sits down in the chair with a chuckle, shaking her head. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to. It'll only take a couple of minutes to get this cast on and then he'll be free to leave with you." 

Now even more red-faced (if that was even possible), Ashley just slowly shuffles over to the table where Chris's (broken) phone and wallet is, nervously fidgeting with the strap of her bag as she waits for Chris to get the cast on. Taking Chris's hand in her own, the doctor—Dr. Klorens her name tag reads—scowls at the now slightly bent fingers in the splint, which Chris only gives a sheepish shrug and smile to, and sighs as she unwraps his fingers so she can reset the splint. And Ashley blanches at the deep, dark bruises that spread all the way from the middle of his pinky to nearly halfway down his palm that she had completely failed to notice earlier before those are once again lost. 

And as promised, once the Dr. Klorens has put the cotton sleeve over his hand and trimmed it to the desired length, it only takes her another couple of minutes to wrap starting from the center of his forearm and all the way up to the center of his palm and then finally finishing with his splinted fingers. As the three of them wait for the fibreglass material to dry, Dr. Klorens goes over the do's and don'ts of cast care, which Ashley takes serious note of because she knows that Chris won't. Especially the 'do NOT get the cast wet' part, he's gonna forget about that one the moment Josh tries to bait him into another water gun fight.

"Alright, I think that's about it. Just come back in three weeks so we can do another x-ray to check and make sure that the bone's all healed up before we remove it. Just let someone know that you're done with the room when you leave, and remember to check out at the front desk." She gathers up her supplies and makes to leave, but stops to look over her shoulder at them with an amused smile on her face. "Oh, and if you two take the stairs, just make sure that you're careful. I know that we're in a hospital already, but I don't think any of us want to deal with any more tripping instances. Especially if they result in another broken bone." After waiting for Chris and Ashley to meekly agree to be careful, she finally leaves the two of them alone once again.

"Welp, that's it for my summer. 'Fraid I'm nothing but a cripple now."

Sighing, Ashley turns to Chris with a tired smile. "You are not a cripple, oh my god. You have a broken finger, you didn't lose the entire arm you dork."

Incensed, Chris waves his cast at her. "Um, do you not see this thing Ash? I may as well have. I've lost the use of two of my fingers now! Two! And on my right hand to boot. I can't hold a controller to play games with, I can't type, I can't text. What am I supposed to do Ash if I can't hold a single thing in my dominant hand anymore?"

"I'm sure you'll manage," she dryly responds. "Now come on, let's get out of here. I have to figure out how in the world I'm going to explain this to Jared so he doesn't fire me."

"Pretty sure that you should just let him if you ask me."

Ashley groans in agreement, but says "It's only another couple of weeks until college starts. Just hoping I can hold out until then, I need the money after all."

Chris lets out a resigned breath but then starts eyeing her work apron. "You got a sharpie in there?"

"Um, I think so. Why?"

"Uh, so you can sign my cast, duh. You missed out when I broke my arm when I was like nine, so you can be the first to get your name on this one."

"Trying to weasel my autograph out of me huh?" Ashley asks even as she digs through one of her pockets to pull out the sharpie in question, and joins Chris to sit next to him on the bed.

Chris laughs. "Damn, you figured out my devious plan. Thing’s gonna be worth a fortune when you make it onto the bestsellers list one day. Gonna be fighting off all sorts of crazed and fanatic fans."

Ashley shakes her head as she chuckles and writes her name on his arm, but pauses when she caps the pen. Seeing her name on his cast suddenly pulls everything back into vivid clarity, and she remembers the panic she had felt when she had thought—when she had believed —that she had nearly lost him. That this was it, that he was here one day and gone the next, and she hadn't even told him how much he meant to her. How important he was to her. She watches as a drop of water splashes down onto the cast and she finds herself wondering if there's a leak in a room upstairs.

"What the—Ash? Are you crying?"

"Huh?" She wipes her eyes, and a surprised but weak laugh escapes when her hand comes away wet. "Oh, I guess I am. Sorry about that, you're supposed to keep the cast dry and here I am crying—"

Chris places his left hand on her cheek to help wipe away some of her tears. "Oh fuck, I really freaked you out didn't I? Fucking hell. I'm—"

"Do you promise not to hate me?"

The look Chris gives her is nothing short of bamboozled. "Hate you? Ash, what's going on with you?"

"Do you promise not to hate me? Please Chris, I really, really need you to promise me this. Please . Do you promise not to hate me?" She’s fully aware that she’s practically begging right now, silent tears flowing down her cheeks, but if it gets Chris to promise then she’ll gladly throw away her pride for this one thing.

"Yeah, I-I promise. Will you just—"

Ashley doesn't give him anytime to finish his sentence before she's squeezing her eyes shut and she surges up to kiss him. She doesn't want to see his expression, not when all she wants is just to remember everything else that is happening. Remember the feel of his lips before he pulls away, and the warmth of his hand on her cheek. In fact, she spends so much time trying to memorize what she is sure is only going to be a single shared kiss, that it takes her a few seconds longer than she would like to admit to realize that Chris's hand isn't on her cheek anymore, it's moved to the back of her neck so he can kiss her back . The shock of which is enough for her to break the kiss and stare at him with wide eyes.

"Wh—" that's all she can get out before Chris is pulling her back in for a second kiss, and this time she lets her eyelids flutter close as she completely melts into, throwing her arms around his neck to hold him closer.

Ashley's not sure how long they stay like that—could have been an eternity, could have only been a couple of seconds—before they're both pulling back with their faces flushed and giggling like morons.

"Wow," Chris says after a moment, "I don't know what made you think I could hate you after that , but wow . If I had known that this would be the reaction I get, I would have broken my finger years ago."

There's something about the way he says it that has Ashley's heart beating even faster. "How long?" she demands breathlessly, "Tell how long ago?"

Somehow, Chris manages to flush even deeper. "I dunno, like... six? I guess?"

Six years. He'd had a crush on her for six years and she'd had no idea. The moment the realization hits her she starts laughing. "I knew you were trying to ask me for a kiss back in seventh grade! I should have just chased you down and given you one anyway!"

This time, it's Chris who starts laughing at the realization. "Wait, you liked me too?! Then that kiss, back in the library...?"

"You still remember that?!"

"Remember it? Ash, that stupid little cheek kiss is the only reason I passed that final I'm sure! Hell, why else do you think Josh dared me to kiss you in truth and dare?"

"What? No he didn't!"

Chris shakes his head as he moves his hand from her neck to around her waist. "He did! He told me to 'return the favour' and all I had been thinking about that summer was kissing you back. Fucking hell, I almost killed him when he pulled me away to get that generator working that winter in the lodge."

"Oh my god, I almost jumped across the floor to you that night when the power went out after the bottle landed on you."

"You didn't!"

Chris sounded so scandalized at the idea that Ashley presses her forehead to his as her smile widens, which only causes his own to widen in turn. "I did! But then Josh pulled you away and I just completely lost my nerve." She starts laughing at the next memory. "Oh god, I kept my lamp on in my room after that hoping you would stop by if you thought I was still awake."

The answering gape in shock was all she needed before she broke into more giggles. "I saw that! I don't know how long I hovered outside your door trying to work up the courage to knock before talking myself out of it. I think I just convinced myself that the outage had freaked you out badly enough that you needed the extra light to get to sleep."

Once the giggles started to lessen, the smiles on their faces did so as well, softening to something warmer and infinitely more cozy. "I almost kissed you, you know," Ashley confessed shyly. "Back at your grad party."

"Yeah, I-I almost kissed you too. And, just so you know, I wasn't lying then. The flowers looked really really good on you." 

"That's good to hear," she admits as she leans in closer, her lips brushing his so lightly it's almost a caress, "I kept them, after all."

Nothing more is said as Chris closes the distance between them again to kiss her, and even though she knows that they really should get back downstairs, she doesn't try to stop it.

They have a long six years to make up for after all.

[collapsingintojupiter]

To The End And Back: Chapter 1

After seeing @fangirltothefullest‘s art and hcs for Posessed!Ranboo, I knew I had to write something for myself about it. So, here we are.

Summary: When Techno and Philza discover an unfinished portal within an ancient stronghold, they accidentally end up with a lot more than they bargained for.

Characters: Philza, Technoblade, and Ranboo

Chapter 2

---

Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound of Techno’s hooves on the stone floor echoed up through the hallway; Philza turned, noting the flicker of his torch at the end of the corridor. 

“Anything?” he called. The light swiveled around, illuminating Techno’s face as he turned to face him. The piglin shook his head. 

“Not yet,” he said. His voice echoed across the dark cavern, across its slick walls and the damp stone over their heads. Phil’s wings fluffed up automatically, shuffling against his back as he held his torch up towards the low ceiling. 

“I wonder who built this,” he wondered aloud. “I’ve never seen anything like it before…” Technoblade said nothing, and it was clear to Philza that he had no idea either as he started down the hallway again. He followed, keeping an eye out for enemies as he followed his old friend deeper underground. 

Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, but aside from that and the sound of their footsteps it was completely silent. Phil and Techno occasionally exchanged glances with each other in the dark, though neither spoke. It felt wrong to talk, somehow. Almost like they weren’t supposed to be here; like the old passageways themselves were repelled by their presence. 

Phil heard a soft patter of feet and froze, though he barely had time to register what it was before Techno hurled himself forward at the tiny zombie. The piglin let out a roar, swinging his axe into it with all his might. 

“PHILZA LOOKOUT!” he shouted over the creature’s death cry, and Phil couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend’s reaction as the zombie’s mangled body dropped to the stone floor - very, very dead. 

“Thanks mate,” he said as Techno turned away from it. Technoblade nodded to him, before he pulled his cloak closer around his shoulders and started forward again. 

Together, they checked the rooms of the ancient stronghold one by one. Unfortunately they found little of value; a chest here and there, some stale bread, a little gold. It wasn’t enough to be worth anything. 

“We should leave,” Techno said at last, looking around with an expression that was somewhere between tired and annoyed. “This was a waste of time.”

“Yeah, there isn’t much here,” Phil agreed. He stretched his wings out as far as he could - which, admittedly, wasn’t very far with the walls of the cave so close around him. He sighed.

“Do you know which way is out?”

Once spoken, the question hung uncomfortably in the air between the two explorers. Phil and Techno slowly turned to look at each other, and the realization slowly dawned on each that they had no idea how they’d gotten here through the stronghold’s many winding tunnels. The old structure was practically a labyrinth, but neither had thought to actually mark their path through it. 

“Fuck,” Philza said quietly. Techno nodded, then slowly spun around. 

“This is...not good,” he said.

“Should we split up to look for a route out?” Phil asked. Immediately, his friend shook his head. 

“We might never find each other again,” he said lowly. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“Ah, you have a point there.” Phil frowned, thinking over their options. “This place can’t go forever, can it? Should we just pick a direction and go?”

“I...guess we might as well.” Techno sighed. He looked around the room one last time, then started back the way they’d come through the hallway. 

More twists and turns revealed themselves in the old stronghold as Phil and Techno wandered through it. They called to each other in the dark, torches flickering over cold, lifeless walls and the shelves of ancient libraries. Nothing lived down here but the bats, whose calls echoed over their heads, and the occasional zombie which they dispatched easily enough. 

After some time the two came to an unfamiliar hall, though before they could turn around Techno froze. 

“Do you hear that?” he asked, as one of his ears twitched. 

“Hear what?” Philza held still and let the silence close in around them, straining to catch what Techno had heard. After a moment, he thought he did - a faint humming that seemed to come from one of the rooms further down. He and Techno exchanged glances, then started slowly towards the sound. Techno pulled out his Axe of Peace, and Philza gripped his sword tightly in his hand, holding his torch up high in the other. 

“Whoah,” Techno stopped in the entrance to the room, eyes going wide at the sight within. Philza joined his side, eyes narrowing at the room’s dark interior. The humming was slightly louder here, and seemed to be coming from an odd structure in the center. 

The two stared at it for a moment, before Phil finally shook off the weird feeling it gave him and stepped past Techno, holding up his torch so he could better see...well, he wasn’t sure what it was. It was square in shape, with a hollow center, and it was made of some kind of material he’d never seen before. Its edges flickered with a faint purple light, and Phil wondered if that was where the humming came from.  

“What is it?” he asked at last, though he could tell by Techno’s silence he didn’t have a clue either. His wings shivered and he stepped forward, reaching out and resting his hand on the edge of the structure. It was warm to the touch. 

“There’s something in this one,” Techno called, and Phil jumped. The piglin had gone to the other end of the structure, where he held his torch over something spherical that glimmered in the center of one of the sections. He raised an eyebrow, and realized as he glanced back at it that the section he stood over had a small dent in its center, as if another one of those...things belonged there. 

“Do you know what it is?” he asked. 

“It looks like an ender pearl, but it’s different somehow.” 

A clatter of footsteps echoed down the hallway outside, and something tall appeared in the doorway with an excited yelp. 

“Oh thank god I found you guys!”

Philza jumped, wings jolting outwards as Techno let out a shout and grabbed his axe. They both spun around, weapons at the ready - and Phil’s eyes widened as his gaze met the other’s. 

“Ranboo?” 

“Uh, hey guys...” Ranboo eyed Philza’s sword nervously, and he lowered it away from the hybrid as Techno slowly did the same. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Phil asked. 

“Well...I was um, sort of worried you two had got lost down here...so, I uh...came to see if I could help...s-sorry,” the boy stumbled over his words, rubbing his neck anxiously as he finished with an awkward apology. Philza sighed, and his wings folded back to rest at his shoulders

“Well, you weren’t entirely wrong about us being lost,” he said. “Do you know how to get out of here?”

“Of course! I left a trail so I wouldn’t get lost.” Ranboo grinned a little, but then his eyes widened as he caught sight of the structure behind them. 

“Whoah...what is that?” he asked. “It’s...it’s humming.”

“We uh, don’t know,” Philza said shrug. “Do you know anything about what it is?”

“I have no idea.” Ranboo shook his head, tail flicking back and forth, and he looked to Philza with curious eyes. “Can I…?”

“Sure.” Philza stepped aside so he could better see the structure, and Ranboo’s eyes widened as he took in its shape and colors. 

“There’s something like an ender pearl in this one over here,” Techno offered, pointing to the one section that had been filled in. Ranboo’s eyebrows shot up, and he ran over to the piglin’s side. 

“That’s...an eye of ender,” he said after a long pause. 

“A what?”

“I know how to make these!” Ranboo suddenly jumped to his feet, startling Techno, though the piglin stopped himself before he could swing the axe he still held in his hands. Philza raised an eyebrow at the two.

“How?” he asked.

“You need blaze powder and ender pearls. I made one before, on accident, but I didn’t know what to do with it so I got rid of it. I think...I think I could do it again?” He looked at Techno, who automatically turned to Phil. He shrugged. 

“We can try. I know Techno has blaze powder, and I’ve got a lot of pearls.” One of his wings stretched outward, motioning to the exit. “Care to lead the way out of here, Ranboo?” The ender boy nodded excitedly, jumping ahead of the duo back into the hallway. He’d left a trail of torches to the strange room, and the group was able to follow the lights back to the surface. Philza breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped into the sunlight, shaking out his wings and stretching them to their furthest extent. They were...nothing like what they’d once been, ragged and torn with burnt sections where the feathers had never grown back from their injuries. Ranboo’s eyes widened slightly at the sight, though he quickly ducked his head when Phil looked at him. 

“Let’s get back and see what we can do,” he said, his voice even as if nothing had happened. Ranboo nodded, looking somewhat relieved, and together the group started back towards Techno’s house. A light snow fell as they walked, muffling their footsteps, and Philza automatically lifted a wing to protect Ranboo from the precipitation. He looked up at him gratefully.

The three were cold when they finally got back to the house, especially Ranboo, despite all their warm cloaks and snow gear. Philza put a pot of water on the stove and they gathered around the fireplace, where they settled down to talk about what they’d found. 

[melwritesstufff]

Hiya your Tim drake imagine was *chefs kiss* lovely and I was wondering if you'd do a Damian or Tim x reader where they introduce their so to the batfam and the reader is like drop dead gorgeous and the batfam spend the whole time asking reader tf their doing with him (if you don't feel like it das cool) :))

hi thank you so much for the request! I did this for Tim since I feel like I have a bit of a better understanding of his character than I do Damian. sorry this is also a bit shorter than expected, the end was a bit rushed.

Tim Drake x reader - Gorgeous

warnings - making out, flirting, a little bit of angst

word count - 3200

requested - yes

“Babe, how do I look?” I turned, showing my knee length red dress to my boyfriend. It was a simple look, not too basic to make me appear boring, but not too many accessories to make me seem snobby or obsessed with looks. I had planned the outfit weeks in advance of this event, yet I was still worrying my head off.

“You look amazing, as usual.” He responded.

It was just like any other ordinary day. Except that it wasn’t. Today was the day of the dinner. I mean the dinner. The dinner that all relationships have eventually. The terrifying dinner where you finally meet your lovers parents. In this case though, I think I have it worse than any other ordinary person. You see, my boyfriend is Tim Drake. Yes, the Tim Drake. Son of Bruce Wayne. And brother to… a whole lot of people.

I mean don’t get me wrong, I love Tim. A lot. I would do anything to make him happy, and if that means meeting his terrifying and rich family? Then so be it. I just hope I don’t screw anything up.

“Are you sure? I mean is it too casual? You said it wasn’t fancy but I don’t want to be the only one there in basic clothing… What if we show up and they’re all in suits! I mean, i can’t-” Tim interrupted me.

“Darling, you’re going to be just fine. They may seem intimidating but I promise you they’re going to love you. No need to worry.” He walked up to me, placing his right hand on the side of my cheek, caressing the skin with his thumb. He then scrunched his nose in what appeared to be.. concern? Worry? I wasn’t sure.

“Actually, scratch that thought. I’m the one who I should be worried. My brothers might steal you from me.” He turned away from me, his expression clearly displaying worry and fear.

“That’s nonsense, Timmy. I want to be with you, not any of your brothers.” Looking back I should have made a larger effort to cease his negative feelings and doubt, but I didn't know any better.

He looked at me, the worry disappearing from his eyes, almost completely. There was still a hint of it there, but I brushed it off as just nerves. We were both nervous. Just for different reasons.

“Yeah, alright babe.” He smiled at me. I smiled back. I turned to the door and grabbed by purse, slipping on my shoes simultaneously. I turned to Tim who was fixing his hair in the circular mirror hanging on the wall near the front door.

“You wanna head out? It’s almost time for the dinner.” He grabbed the keys, opening the front door for me, then doing the same when we reached the car. My cheeks heating up. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how sweet Tim is.

I avoided his cocky smirk and as we both got seated, Tim started driving us to the mansion. Hopefully, this wouldn’t turn out as a disaster.

“Alright, let’s go.”

.

“Hello Master Drake. I presume this is the y/n I’ve heard so much about?” Tim and I arrived at the mansion door, only to find their butler, Alfred, already waiting for us out front with the door opened. We paused for a bit as Tim and Alfred conversed.

“Yup, this is her Alfred. Are Dick and them here yet?” Tim looked over Alfred’s shoulder to peak into the huge home. Curiously, I also tried to peak over the older man’s shoulder but saw nothing as Tim was in my way.

“Yes sir, they just arrived a few minutes ago. I presume you shall find them in the main room, probably breaking something I’ll have to clean up later.” I chucked a bit as Alfred made a subtly annoyed look. I felt obligated to say something, so I separated from Tim as he walked into the doorway, entering the hallway.

“Um, hello. Thank you for opening up the door for us.” Alfred smiled at my thanks. While it is his job as a butler, there’s no harm in saying thank you, right?

“It’s my pleasure, Miss l/n. And thank you for taking care of Master Drake. He has been significantly happier in recent times.” I blushed at the butler's words. I knew Tim didn’t always have the best habits but did I really have that much of a positive impact on him? Quite frankly though, it was nice hearing about Tim from his family members, and how he’s happy.

“Oh it’s no problem! I love Tim, I’m glad I could help.” I brushed a strand of hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear.

“Y/n? Come on, you must be getting cold out there.” I turned at the sound of my boyfriend's voice, it was getting a bit chilly and I was only wearing a dress, no sweater or leggings.

“Oh, that’s my call, bye Alfred! I hope to talk to you more soon.” Alfred stepped aside, giving me access to walk through the open doorway. I turned back a bit, waving towards Alfred.

“Likewise, Miss l/n” I cringed a bit at the honorary title. I wasn’t a member of the family or household. The title ‘Miss l/n’ just didn’t feel appropriate or right.

“Oh do please call me y/n.” I waved off the butler, hoping he would respect my wishes.

“Likewise, Miss y/n” i huffed a bit at his stubbornness, but chuckled and walked deeper into the large place, the sound of Alfred closing the door behind me.

So far this has gone well, maybe I was worried for no reason.

.

“Wait, you’re Tim’s girlfriend? You?” I was suddenly bombarded by two older men and their abundance of questions as soon as I entered what I assumed to be the main living room. It was quite scary, to be completely honest. Not only were they Tim’s family but they were both very large men, clearly very fit.

“Ye-yeah. We’ve been together for about 4 months now.” I stuttered, stepping a few inches back as I tried to get myself some space away from the two men.

One was a bit more aggressive than the other, he had a lot of scars and seemed to be very flirtatious. He was the taller and more muscular out of the two, with aquamarine eyes. I assumed he was Jason, Tim mentioned a few times that he was a “stupid brute” with “stupid scars” after he arrived at home after what he said was an argument with Jason during patrol.

The other I assumed was Dick, he was a bit kinder, and seemed effortlessly flirtatious, unlike the other who was purposely trying to flirt with me. Dick, I’m guessing, had more greyish-blue toned eyes and had very dark hair. Regardless of how handsome both the brothers were, they were far from my type. Their strong flirting and comments on my appearance was, quite frankly, off putting.

“But.. why?” Jason propped his elbow against the wall they had backed me into.

“Uhm, what do you mean.. ‘why’?” I hesitantly answered. Slowly becoming less nervous and more annoyed.

“I mean, you’re gorgeous. And Tim’s.. well, Tim.” Dick stood to the right of me, leaning on the same wall Jason was propped up on. He chucked a bit.

“I.. don’t follow.” I raised an eyebrow in confusion, they were Tim’s brothers. They should know how amazing he is and should be supportive of his relationships, not trying to dissect how he got into the relationship.

“Princess, why date that nerd when you could be with me?” I turned to the left, Jason leaning down and getting a bit too close to comfort, at this point I saw Tim scoff a bit as he left the room. I frowned a bit but then was distracted as Dick pushed Jason back and got even closer than his younger brother.

“Or, instead of being with a nerd like Tim, or a total brute like Jason over here, you could be with me.. I’m a total gentleman.” I scoffed shuffled to the side a bit, averting close contact with the tall man.

“Well, I highly doubt that seeing as your name is literally Dick.” He looked taken back, and went from way to close to me, to leaning back against the wall. Muttering something about “Is my name that bad?” or something along those lines.

“Pft- she’s feisty. How’d you score a total 10 like her Tim?” Jason turned around only to see Tim was nowhere to be found. I noticed it too, but took the sudden silence as a chance to defend not only myself, but my boyfriend.

“And I’m perfectly happy with Tim, for your information. I have no need for dating anyone other than him. Especially not his brothers, adopted or otherwise.” The two looked taken back at my sudden lecture.

“Don’t you think it’s also a bit unethical and immoral to be flirting with your brother's girlfriend? I was so worried about impressing you all, but now that I see how immature you all are I see that there was no need for worry. You are all easily impressed children.”  The two looked embarrassed as they stepped back, both going to sit on the couch as the youngest chucked at them and their stupidity.

“Tt, maybe you’re ok…possibly s bit too good for Drake though.” I looked at the child who gave such a big attitude and he looked no older than 13, there was only one candidate for who he could have been.

“You must be Damian right? I've heard a lot about you. You can do some pretty impressive stuff, huh? I’ve been told you’re more than a bit mean though. I would greatly appreciate it if you stopped terrorizing my boyfriend.” I bent down a bit, to get more to his level. Height-wise and respect-wise.

“... I’ll think about it.” According to what I’ve heard from Tim, that was about the best response I could have gotten out of the little gremlin. He ‘tt’ed and looked away, his sky blue eyes holding a glint of what I saw as respect.

“Ok. Thanks.” I smiled and turned around, meeting the eyes of Alfred as he walked through another entry to the right of where I came in through.

“Hello again, Miss y/n.” He smiled at me

“Oh! Hello again Alfred!”

“I came in to announce that dinner is being served in the dining hall. I suggest you all hurry before the food gets cold.”

.

“So, y/n, how’d you end up so gorgeous? Were you just born so beautiful?”

Dinner had just ended. Everyone had stayed at the table, besides Mr. Wayne who couldn't make it due to a ‘business emergency’, and we all made small talk. Unfortunately, my mini speech earlier was not enough to drive the two oldest brothers from asking me odd questions and borderline flirting with me. This time Tim was sitting right next to me, looking more annoyed with each question. I tried my best to stay respectful though, as they are still Tim’s family.

“Oh uhm, thank’s Dick.. uh I-“ my response was cut off as Tim got up, grabbing my hand and dragging me away from the rest of his family.

“Let’s go, y/n” I looked at Tim’s face and he looked more upset than i had ever seen him.

“Wh- what? Tim, babe, where are we going?” While I was a bit grateful, there was still a part of me that felt a bit nervous about our sudden leaving and the impression it would have.

As I let Tim pull me, we entered an unfamiliar room. I assumed it was his as it smelled faintly of his cologne. He let go of my wrist and shut the door. Walking over to the bed in the middle of the room, sitting down and resting his head in his hands. I followed his steps and sat down next to him. The silence killed me. The words that he spoke after though killed me even more.

“... I mean, they’re right you know..” his voice was slightly muffled by his hands but i could still hear the crack in his voice.

“What?” I stared down at the hairs on his head, not being able to see his face.

“They’re right to ask why you’re with me,” he looked up at me, his eyes watery and lips slightly quivering. He was insecure. I should have realized it earlier when he got worried about his brothers stealing me from him. Or when his brothers actually tried to steal me from him and he just walked away. He continued as I was wallowed with guilt.

“You’re an amazing person, y/n. You’re smart and funny and are good with people. You’re naturally friendly and people are just drawn towards you. Not to mention you’re incredibly gorgeous. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. But me? I’m none of those things. I’m not amazing like you, or any of my brothers. I’m not good with people and charming like Dick. I’m not brave and strong like Jason. I’m not incredibly skilled and widely faceted like Damian. I’m not even that good looking. You’re an amazing, wonderful person. I love you so much. I just.. I don't understand why you would reciprocate and stay with me. You could have so much better. You cou-“ i interrupted him before he started crying. There were tears in his eyes and I couldn’t take it any longer. I needed to tell him I love him and reassure him before his insecure thoughts broke the both of us.

“I’m going to stop you right there. I love you, Tim. I love you. Not Dick, not Jason, and certainly not Damian, I mean he’s a child, that’s gross. You are so much more than what you give yourself credit for. You may not be like your brothers, but you have your own strengths. You are the smartest person I know. And it’s bullshit that you say you're not charming or handsome, because you charmed me the second I saw you. You remember? How I got your order completely wrong because I wasn't paying attention when you ordered? Because you were just so fine that i was stunned?” He chucked a bit, gently grabbing and caressing my hand.

“You didn’t even make me coffee, you just put coffee beans in the cup and drizzled caramel syrup over it.” He softly chuckled.

I used my unoccupied hand to caress his cheek, wiping the tears from his eyes. Continuing my speech, I scooted closer towards him on the bed, our legs pressed against each other and our faces almost touching.

“Yeah, I’m not as perfect as you think. And that’s ok! We all have faults, Tim. We just have to find the people whose faults are worth looking past. And you’re that person for me, Tim. I love you so much. You’re smart, funny, not to mention handsome. You can solve an incredibly complex case in less than an hour. You can learn at an incredibly fast pace. You are incredible at the things you do. Hell, you’re even a vigilante! You go out every night and protect thousands of people! You have a huge abundance of skills. Who cares if Damian has ‘more’ skills or ‘better’ skills. I don’t. Because it’s you I want. Not Dick, not Jason, not anybody else. You’re an amazing person, more amazing than you think I am, and I’m willing to bet way more amazing than your brothers as well. I mean, who was the one who lifted Bruce up out of his depression when Dick hated him and Jason died? You. You did that. Who forgave me after I completely forgot how to make coffee the first time I met you. You. Who’s the one who’s dating me? You. You’re the one I want and the one I love. I honestly need you Tim. I don’t know where I’d be without you. I could never do better because there’s nobody better than you.” I pecked Tim on the lips for extra reassurance and leaned back a bit, looking into his eyes that were watering once more. Hopefully out of joy instead of sadness.

“... you really mean all that?” He spoke softly, voice still a bit weak and raspy from the crying. His eyes were red and puffy, and his lips were slightly swollen. It broke my heart to see him so upset.

“Of course Timmy, I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.” I leaned in and kissed him, once again. This time, it lasted much longer than a simple peck.

It was sweet and soft. I could taste the tears that had run onto Tim’s lips, giving him a salty aftertaste. He deepened it, grabbing my waist and pulling me so close our torsos were touching. I could feel him smile into the kiss, and I’m sure he felt me do the same. Before we both ran out of breath, Tim broke off the kiss. This created a comfortable silence that followed, until he finally spoke.

“... thank you, y/n. I love you. I can’t express with words how much I adore and am amazed by everything you do, are, and stand for.” Our faces were still close and as he whispered these words i could feel his warm breath on my cheek.

“Can’t express it with words, huh? Well I guess you’ll just have to show me then huh.” I smirked and leaned back a bit, teasing the boy sitting across from me. He paused for a second, looking taken aback, until he shook it off and leaned closer to me.

“I guess so, huh, why don’t you come here so I can show you?“ In that moment, the both of us crashed into each other, turning the sweet moment into a flirtatious make out session.

.

“Well, now we have our answer. She’s perfect for him.” Dick looked at Jason as he spoke, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, we’ll have to explain and apologize to both of them later but, it was worth it.” The two looked back into the room through the cracked open door. They both cringed and backed up a bit as they saw their brother completely making out with his girlfriend.

Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to spy on their brother... Maybe flirting with his girlfriend wasn’t the best idea either. No matter why they did it.

“Tt, you’re both dumbasses. You didn’t need to flirt with her to get her to prove her loyalty. There are other ways of doing it.” The youngest brother, Damian, popped up leaning on the wall opposite from Tim’s door. The two older brothers looked back at him in suspicion.

“Oh yeah, like what?” Damian raised his eyebrow and scoffed like the answer was so obvious.

“Put her in a high risk situation where she would have to risk her life to save him. That’s true dedication.” He said it as if it was nothing. The three boys all looked at each other in an awkward silence until Jason finally spoke up.

“.. you have issues, kid.”

[buckybeardreams]

Unwanted

Chapters: 5/11

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Brock Rumlow, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Harley Keener

Additional Tags: Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha Steve Rogers, Omega Tony Stark, Service Top, Dominant Bottom, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Virgin Steve Rogers, Brock Rumlow is a Good Bro, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Romantic Soulmates, First Meetings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sappy, Romantic Fluff, Awkwardness, Drinking to Cope, Self-Worth Issues, Insecure Tony Stark, Insecure Steve Rogers, Age Difference, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Bonding, Claiming Bites, Claiming, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Non-Explicit Sex, Light Dom/sub, Mutual Masturbation, Coming Untouched, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000

Series: Part 1 of Second Chances

Summary:

Steve is a soft Alpha and Tony is an in charge kind of Omega with no desire to find a mate. He doesn't want to find his soulmate and when he does meet Steve he's determined to stay away from him.

That is until he realizes just how right they are for each other.

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11

Can also be read here

Words: 2,258

Tony bit his lip, looking at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was sticking up in weird places from trying and failing to sleep last night. There were bags under his eyes that made him look like he hadn't slept in weeks and, well, really that wasn't too far off. Sometimes he drank enough to pass out for a little bit here and there, but he never just got a solid night's sleep. To be fair, Tony didn't sleep all that well even before he found his soulmate and then pretty much rejected him by never calling him.

Tony didn't sleep well when he was alone, but even when he wasn't and he did fall asleep instead of tossing and turning restlessly before giving up and going for a cup of coffee, Tony didn't sleep more then five hours tops unless he was passed out drunk. So maybe that's one of the reasons that he drinks so much.

He wasn't drinking right now, well, not much. He had a couple of beers, but that was nothing. Just a little something to take the edge off before he went to re-meet Brock's new mate. Tony sighed, took one last look at his disheveled appearance and flinched away from it, grabbing his jacket off the back of the couch before heading out.

It was a cold day, windy and blustery with clouds hanging overhead that threatened to soak the inhabitants of the city as they walked down the street in large groups, pushing and shoving, each desperate to get where they're going before the rain ruined their hair or makeup. Tony was far less concerned and when the rain did come down and he was left with wet hair clinging to him and soaked clothes and a gloomy atmosphere that the rain couldn't wash away, well, he thought at least his hair wasn't sticking up all over the place.

He showed up on Brock's doorstep and was relieved when it was Brock who opened the apartment door. Brock was grinning, but it faltered slightly when he saw Tony.

"Hey, you okay?"

Tony nodded.

"Yeah, 'course. Now are you gonna invite me in or make me stay out in the hall for dinner?" Tony said, trying and failing to sound like his usual snarky self.

Brock still looked concerned, but he nodded and stepped aside to let Tony in.

"Yeah, of course, come in."

Tony entered into a small hall, kicking off his shoes before heading further into the apartment. He froze when he saw Steve sitting on the couch next to Sam. Tony's heart raced in his chest and his mind was thrown through a loop, because what the fuck was his soulmate doing here?

"Tony, this is Steve, Sam's friend." Brock watched him anxiously, wondering how he would react.

Steve was staring at Tony, clearly just as caught off guard as Tony was. Steve looked far more put together than Tony did, like he wasn't completely miserable about his mate rejecting him, and didn't that just make Tony feel way worse about looking like a wet rat. Sam's confusion quickly gave way to understanding as he put the pieces together. Anthony, who works at a bar, and is Steve's soulmate. Of course it would be Tony. By the looks of it Brock was already aware of this. Sam sent Brock a stern look and Brock returned it with a sheepish one.

"What?" Brock asked innocently, going to settle in his Alpha's lap.

Sam rolled his eyes, but hugged him close. Tony and Steve were still staring at each other, neither one moving or saying anything. Tony was the one to break the silence after a few more awkwardly drawn out moments.

"No, you're not Steve." Tony shook his head in denial. "You can't be Steve."

Steve's mouth opened and closed a few times like he was trying to say something, but couldn't quite get the words out.

"I am... um, Steve," Steve managed to get out, blushing over how awkward it was.

Tony rubbed at his temples and shook his head again.

"No, I can't- I can't do this right now."

Tony headed straight back to the door, grabbing his shoes, not even bothering to put them on, and walked out. Steve whimpered, looking hurt and lost and like he kinda wanted to chase after Tony, but was also afraid of just being rejected again. Brock just groaned, grumbling under his breath about being way too fucking stubborn before heading after Tony.

"That's- That was my soulmate," Steve said, somehow sounding both shocked and heartbroken.

"Yeah, I kinda got that," Sam said, resting a hand on Steve's shoulder. "You okay, man?"

Steve swallowed and nodded, but truthfully, he had no fucking clue if he was okay or not. He was completely blindsided by the sudden appearance and then just as sudden disappearance of his soulmate and he had no clue how to feel about that. He thought devastated might be the right word, but then somehow that didn't seem like it fit at all. Steve felt like he was dying, and no, he did not think that was an exaggeration.

*****

"Tony, stop!" Brock called out to him. "Don't make me run after you."

Tony groaned, coming to a halt at the end of the hall and turning to glare at Brock.

"You knew," Tony accused.

"I did, or at least I was like ninety percent sure about it."

"You should have told me. You know how I feel about Alphas."

"I know, but you told me-"

"I know what I said!" Tony snapped. "Don't use my own words against me. I confided in you and you used it against me."

Tony swallowed back the lump in his throat, feeling betrayed and confused. He wanted an Alpha, but he didn't want the things that inevitably would follow, like being controlled or looked down on. Most of all he was scared that Steve would be perfect and Tony wouldn't be good enough for him.

"Tony... I'm sorry, but I knew you were going to be stubborn about this. You told me that you regret not calling him. This is your chance to get to know him. You might like him if you give him a chance."

Tears pricked at Tony's eyes. He wasn't worried about not liking Steve, well, he was worried about that. Mostly though he was worried about falling too hard, too fast, only to be rejected. He wasn't the kind of Omega to just submit and say yes, sir. He had opinions and dreams and no intention of letting anyone else tell him how to live his life, but those weren't the kinds of things that most Alphas wanted in a mate.

"Tony, I've spent time with Steve and he's literally the softest Alpha I've ever met, and I'm mated to Sam so that's really saying something. My Alpha is totally wrapped around my finger."

Tony smiled a little at that.

"Sam does seem nice... for an Alpha," Tony teased.

Brock laughed and nudged his shoulder.

"He is and Steve is too. Just talk to him, Tony. See what happens."

Tony groaned, but let Brock lead him back to the apartment. Steve was still in shock, only a few minutes having passed since Tony walked out. It wasn't nearly enough time to process what had happened and suddenly Tony reappeared. Tony shifted on his feet, his hand slipped into Brock's, his palm sweaty. Brock squeezed his hand encouragingly and leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

"Do you want some space?"

Tony licked his lips, not sure he wanted this at all, but he owed himself this. He needed to at least try or he'd always be left wondering if it could have worked out. Besides, Brock was not going to let this go until Tony at least gave it a try. He swallowed down his fears and nodded. Brock nodded, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and pulled Sam deeper into the apartment. Steve and Tony stared at each other and it started to feel tense and awkward.

Tony groaned.

"We need to talk."

Steve looked nervous, certain that Tony was about to reject him, but he nodded.

"I don't like Alphas," Tony blurted out when the silence dragged on.

Steve flinched like Tony had slapped him.

"Oh," Steve said, unable to hide his disappointment.

He just knew that his Omega was about to reject him and Steve wasn't sure he would survive the rejection.

"Yeah..." Tony said. "I'm willing to give this a try though, but if you try to go all Alpha on me..."

Tony shook his head and Steve's brows furrowed.

"I don't like the way Alphas feel entitled to an Omega's body. Like Omegas are beneath them and only there for an Alpha's pleasure."

Steve bit his lip, not wanting to get his hopes up. He was pretty sure his Omega was suggesting that he wanted to be the dominant one in their relationship. Or maybe he was just saying he didn't want to submit to an asshole Alpha. Either way, Steve could definitely work with this.

"I would never force myself on you, Anthony."

"Tony."

Steve blinked at him in surprise before smiling softly. He didn't want to assume that Tony was comfortable enough with him to use a nickname, but it touched Steve to know that his Omega was trying. Tony wanted to give this a try even if he was worried about it and that was enough for Steve. He would be the best Alpha ever, because he would be exactly what Tony needed him to be. He knew already that he'd give Tony anything he wanted and he'd try his best to be whatever Tony wanted him to be.

"Tony," He breathed out.

The word rolled off his tongue like velvet and Tony felt all fluttery inside. He cleared his throat, feeling the urge to escape the foreign sensation.

"How old are you even?" Tony blurted out, feeling awkward and uncertain in a way that he hated feeling. He was so not used to the warm feeling inside of him or the desire to go to Steve and touch him and be held close.

Steve blinked at the question, caught off guard by it.

"Um, I'm not that young."

Tony raised a brow at him and Steve squirmed.

"You look young," Tony pointed out.

"I'm legal!" Steve said defensively.

"So you're what? Eighteen?"

Steve looked down at his feet, looking awfully small for a six foot, two hundred pound hunk of pure muscle. Tony took that to be a yes.

"You're what? Ten years younger than me?" Tony said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're practically still a pup. I can't date you."

Steve pouted.

"I don't want to date you. I want to mate with you. I want you to be mine."

"That's infinitely worse," Tony said, flinging his hands up in exasperation. "You do realize that right? That's so much worse."

"No, it's not. There's nothing wrong with an age gap, besides no one would judge us for it. The goddess chose you for me," Steve insisted.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Or maybe she chose you for me. Ever thought that maybe it's not the Alpha that owns the Omega, but the Omega that owns the Alpha?" Tony snarked.

Steve blushed.

"Okay," Steve said, a little breathless. "I'll be yours, if only you'll have me."

Tony narrowed his eyes at him.

"You'd let me own you?"

"God, yes. Please, just don't reject me."

Tony licked his lips.

"Okay, come here, pup ."

Steve's blush deepened at being called a pup, but he didn't object to it. The moment Steve was within reach Tony grabbed his shirt and slammed their lips together, turning them so he could shove Steve up against the wall. Tony's hair was still dripping wet and his shirt was drenched. It got Steve wet, soaking through his own sweater, but he didn't care.

"Okay, then, pretty Alpha. You want to play, then let's play," Tony said, coming as close to a growl as an Omega could.

Steve gasped when Tony's hand grasped him in between his legs and groped him through his pants. His face lit up bright red and Tony smirked at his blushing Alpha. He was so fucking sweet. Tony thought that maybe, just maybe, this could work out, but they were going to have to agree on one very important thing if there was going to be any chance of them mating.

"Let's be clear, I still want your knot, but I'm in charge here and you do what I say or I'll throw you out and you won't get another chance."

Steve swallowed, nodding rapidly.

"Yes, sir."

Tony smirked, licking his lips.

"Good boy," Tony purred in his ear, his tongue darting out to lick his neck, his teeth sharp on his skin.

Steve whimpered, his head falling to the side to give his Omega better access. Clearly, the goddess knew what she was doing when she paired them up, because this was better than Steve had dared to hope for. Steve had always been excited about having a mate, but he had always thought he'd present as an Omega. When he didn't, he was concerned that he'd never be a good enough Alpha, but the moment he saw Tony in that bar he knew that he was in love, knew that he'd do anything to please this man.

Now here they were and Tony wanted him, wanted to use him, and Steve was in heaven. There was nothing that he wanted more than to please Tony, to be used by him, to be ordered around by his pretty little Omega.

Tony tried not to think about how young and naive Steve was. He didn't want to admit that a part of him was thrilled to be more experienced, to be the one teaching his Alpha about pleasure. It was pretty obvious that Steve had no experience, because when Tony kissed him Steve had no idea what he was doing. He had no rhythm and he clearly didn't know what to do with his tongue when Tony licked at his lips and dove inside his mouth. Tony thought it was cute though. Steve squirmed and whimpered, his blush spreading down his neck, and Tony ate it all up.

"Fuck, you're cute," Tony groaned when he pulled away. "Maybe I'll keep you after all."

[iplaymatchmaker]

hello and good day! i would like a matchup for a3! and ikerev, please! she/her pronouns. you can call me juice, though! hm i think a good description of me personality wise would be im usually cheerful, friendly, childish but i tend to hide a lot of my negative feelings and overthink quite a lot. towards others i'm always curious about the littlest details of someone's hobbies or interest and sometimes i talk more than i listen. love literature and things like fashion or games (1)

Hello, thanks for requesting juice! Sorry for the long wait but I hope you enjoy it! I was pretty excited to write a match up for a3! since it’s been living rent free in my head for the last few weeks. I got a little carried away with the last prompt cause it was so fun to write, but I hope you like it! Also, the ikerev one might take some time but I’ll try to not take too long. Have fun!

I match you with

Tsuzuru!

The two of you first meet after you watch one of their plays, “A Clockwork Heart.” When you realize that the lead and writer is a classmate of yours from college you can’t help but approach him a few days later to discuss the play further.

He seems self conscious at first but quickly opens up as the two of you discuss his script and before you know it one conversation has turned into an in-depth discussion over lunch.

After that first encounter, both of you start talking more often, quickly growing closer. Tsuzuru appreciates your cheerful attitude, making it easy for him to be comfortable around you.

Considering your love for literature, you often help him brainstorm for new ideas, always looking forward to seeing how he brings it to life on stage.

It is easy for you to fit in with the rest of the boys from Mankai, despite their constant prying on your relationship with Tsuzuru. After all the time the two of you spend together, it is no surprise when none of the boys (except Azami) bat an eyelash when you make it official, after a lot of back and forth between friendship and romance.

Prompt: Bonding

“The reason S was created in the first place was because Luke needed a companion. It’s tragic that he was the one who left him in the end.”

“Well, yes, but he also taught him to open up to people, insuring that he wouldn’t be alone when he was gone.”

You and Tsuzuru had been discussing the end of his latest play “A Clockwork Heart” for a while, arguing over whether or not the ending was tragic. When you approached him to offer your praise for his work earlier that day you hadn’t been expecting him to engage in your opinions on a play he wrote, but he was actually deeply invested in the conversation, despite the matter at hand being trivial to the actual substance of the story.

“He couldn’t have known though. He also put his own wishes aside to protect him. That alone makes the ending tragic.” You vividly remembered the tears you had shed when the show reached its climax, a result of both his script and his acting.

“It depends on your idea of what the ending was. S was a machine, so as long as Luke was alive they could meet again, when it was safe for the both of them. That makes the ending-“

Ring Ring

You almost chucked at the generic sound his phone made as it vibrated.

“Give me a sec.” he moved away from the bench before answering. It wasn’t long before he returned, a flush expression on his face.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize I had kept you for so long. I actually need to get going.” He ran a hand through his hair, smiling shyly. It was only then that you noticed what time it was.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to bother you for that long!” Now you were both flushed, the realization dawning on you that you had spent two hours talking.

“I-it’s fine. Um, we can continue this tomorrow, if you’d like?” you were surprised he actually wanted to talk again, a smile spreading over your face.

“Definitely. “

“Okay. See you then!” he waved as he ran off while simultaneously trying to dial someone, resulting in him almost falling on his face. You looked forward to tomorrow.

After that first encounter, you continued to meet during lunch to talk about other works, quickly realizing you had a similar taste in books and movies. It was an easy transition, going from acquaintances to friends.

“How’s the summer troupe’s play coming along?” It was easy to tell that he had been losing sleep again from the – almost – comical black circle under his eyes, but you asked anyway, hoping that you could offer some help.

“I know what I want to write, the words are just refusing to form and settle themselves on the page.” The frustration was evident on his face as he tried to put the pieces flying around his head in order. You tried to think of a way to help him but you knew that he needed to figure this out on his own.

“Come on.” You forcefully pulled him out of his chair, carefully shutting his laptop.

“W-wait. Where are we going?” you pushed him along, despite his protesting.

“Trust me.” You flashed him your biggest smile before setting of, only mildly aware that your hand was still around his wrist.

“The movies?” he seemed confused over what your objective was but you were confident it would help him out of his slump.

“Yes. Come on, I’ll even get us popcorn!” you were beaming as you led him inside.

“What are we watching?” Tsuzuru, finally resigned to his fate, flipped through the leaflet, looking at the moves currently playing.

“Your choice, I’m fine with whatever.” You hurried to the bar to pick up snacks, leaving him at the ticket booth.

“Look at those effects.”

“The acting is top notch.”

Tsuzuru had been so immersed in the movie he seemed to have forgotten all about his tiredness. When you exited the theatre you could practically see the gears turning in his head.”

“It’s a very different take on pirates than the summer troupe’s play, but if I exaggerate the characters even more then there would be great opportunity for comedy.” You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped you as you observed him, completely lost in his own mind.

“So I take it the creative juices are flowing again?” he looked back at you, as if seeing you clearly for the first time in days.

“Yes! Thank you!” He put his arms around you, too far lost in his excitement to feel any awkwardness.

“I-I have to go write! I’ll see you tomorrow.” He continued shouting thank you over his shoulder as he run off with newfound energy. You expected you wouldn’t see him the next day, considering he’d probably be passed out by then, but you smiled anyway.

“See you later!”

Prompt : Cinderella:

“So, you’re thinking of doing Cinderella for the next play?” You and Tsuzuru were hanging out in his room, taking full advantage of Masumi’s absence that weekend.

“Yeah… I’m not sure how to go about it though. Everyone in the Spring Troupe agreed that I should be lead this time around but I just don’t see myself in the shoes of a prince… Itaru would probably be a better fit for the role.” You couldn’t help throwing a pillow his way.

“Hey! What was that for?” You sat up a little straighter, tempted to glare at him until he picked up on your annoyance.

“I can definitely picture you in the role of the prince.” You cleared your throat before switching to your best narrator voice.

A long, long time ago there lived a boy and a girl. They were the best of friends when they were children. The boy would often sneak out to meet with her and they would play for hours. But their happiness would not last long.

You see, the girl grew up to be the maid of one of the less-fortunate royal families in the kingdom. She had been forced into that position by her father’s latest wedding. It would also turn out to be his last, for he died a few years later, leaving her in the care of a wicked stepmother.

One the other hand, the boy grew up to be the most charming prince in the land. The women fawned over him and he always had everything his heart could desire.”

“I’m literally none of those things.”

“Fine then.”

The prince was an idiot who didn’t know how to take care of himself and never asked for help. He constantly worried his friends over his health but they loved him anyway.

“That’s not any better…”

“Shh, let me continue the story.”

Their difference in class ripped the two friends apart, putting an end to their relationship. While they weren’t allowed to meet again, they promised to never forget about each other. To keep that promise, the made matching bracelets and agreed to never take them off until they could meet again.

“Friendship bracelets? Who does that?”

“They were kids! Would you have preferred rings?”

“Wouldn’t those basically be promise rings?”

“I’m coming up with this on the spot, give me a break!”

That bracelet was what gave the girl the strength to continue living, despite her struggles.

When news of a ball arrived at the estate, her step-sisters were quick to start preparations, eager to have a chance at the prince’s hand in marriage. The girl was simply happy at the prospect of seeing her friend again.

When her family found out she was planning to attend the ball, they locked her in the cellar, not willing to risk any competition. The girl wept and wept, until suddenly a kind seeming lady appeared in front of her.

“Isn’t this just the movie?”

“Give it a second!”

The lady promised she would help her get to the ball if that was what she wished. Despite her suspicions, the girl earnestly declared that all she wanted was to see her friend again. And so the kind woman flicked her wrist and the rags the girl had been wearing were replace by a rich ball gown, paired with a glass slippers. The girl thanked her again and again before heading off in search of her lost friend.

“She doesn’t warn her about the time limit?”

“There’s no curfew here, it’s a stupid conflict anyway.”

You couldn’t contain the excitement and adrenaline that flowed through you as you went up the steps of the grand palace. You hadn’t been here since you were a child, when the king’s father still allowed you to visit, and childhood memories flooded your mind. It was difficult to keep your nerves at a reasonable level as you approached the guards at the front gate. By the time you had arrived at the palace, most of the guests were already inside, so you were completely alone when you handed the invitation, hoping the witch had done her work well.

“Enjoy your evening.” They smiled before urging you to step inside. A sense of awe filled you as you walked through the somewhat familiar halls, remembering all the places you and Tsuzuru would hide from the servants, before his title meant anything to you.

You weren’t sure you remembered the way to the main hall, so you followed the noise, hoping you could make your way there.

When you finally stood outside what seemed to be the entrance, you took a few deep breaths before walking forward, determined to see your friend again. When you stepped though the door you quickly realized that the door wasn’t the room’s main entrance, but the top of the grand staircase. Dread filled you as everyone’s eyes fell on you. If it wasn’t for the railing you thought you have fainted right then and there. You breathed in, allowing you hand to wrap around the bracelet the two of you had made so long ago, letting the warm feelings it carried spread through you.

You bowed once before making your way down the stairs, hoping you wouldn’t trip on your dress and make a fool of yourself before the night even started.

The moment you were off the last step, your eyes fell on your step-mother, eyeing you with absolute envy and disgust. You hoped the mask would be enough to conceal your identity.

You walked around the room for a bit, keeping to the less populated areas, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tsuzuru, disappointed to find that he was nowhere to be found.

“Please let this not be for nothing…”

You were about to make your way to the balcony, but a swarm of guests was suddenly in your path, dancing to the waltz the band had just started playing. You frantically looked around, searching for a way out when two arms wrapped around you, pulling you along with the rest of the dancers.

“I guess you’re my partner?” the face of the man that stood before you made your jaw drop. You had thought of so many things to say, but now that Tsuzuru was standing before you, the words seemed to catch in your throat.

“So, uh, are you having fun?” he was as awkward as you remembered. Something about the familiarity filled you with a sense of calm. I found him.

“I am now.” It was hard to contain the smile quickly spreading around your face.

“Actually I was-“that was when it was time to switch partners. When you felt his hand slip from yours, panic flooded through you. No… I didn’t have the chance to tell him.

As he pulled his hand away, his fingers brushed the bracelet on your wrist, eyes widening as he was whisked away by another partygoer, realization evident in his features. You tried to get closer, but were quickly taken away by another guest. Your eyes landed on Tsuzuru a few times but the hall was too crowded. It was almost suffocating. You took the first chance to slip out on the balcony, eager to get away from the crowds.

You stood at the railing, letting the air cool down your heated face. He had seen you, but you weren’t sure he would care enough to search. Negative thoughts occupied your mind as you gazed at the land beyond. Maybe this was foolish… He probably barely remembers me… He’s a prince after all. He was more important matter to attend to than a peasant he used to spend his free time with. You felt tears gathering at the corners of your eyes, your own loneliness catching up with you.

“Please don’t cry!” You were shocked to find Tsuzuru standing a few feet away from you, his face flushed and his knees bent. He must’ve been running.

“You’re the girl from back then, aren’t you?” he glanced down at your wrist, pulling up his own sleeve to reveal a bracelet identical to yours.

“Y-you kept it.” Your voice cracked, barely audible in the midst of the ongoing celebrations.

“Of course I did! It meant a lot to me.” The words seemed to call to something inside you and so you let the tears fall.

“W-what did I do? Please don’t cry!” he took a step closer, still unsure of what boundaries existed between you.

“I-I can’t help it. I’m just so happy!” you wrapped your arms around him, not caring who saw you. All that mattered in that moment was that the two of you were reunited at last.

“I missed you.” You couldn’t see his face, but you could tell he was crying too, by the way his heart beat against your, the way his hands shook, still wrapped around you in a tight embrace. Year’s worth of loneliness and regret spilled out of the both of you in a single moment.

You stayed like that for quite some time, allowing the relief to wash over you. When you looked at each other again, you couldn’t help but laugh at your state. You knew the scene must look ridiculous to any outside spectators, but none of them mattered. It felt like you were alone in the world, no barriers between you. Your class didn’t matter. You were just a boy and a girl who had been reunited.

“ The king was skeptical at first, knowing a commoner queen wouldn’t create any new alliances, but he could see the love his son had for the girl. And so they married. It’s said that the pair practically run down the stairs of the palace after their wedding, eager to get to their honeymoon, their laughter echoing through the streets.”

“That’s an ending befitting a prince Muku reads about in manga… I still don’t see where I fit into this… ”

“Fine. As they descended the staircase, the prince fell on his ass, causing even more laughter from the girl. A moment she would never let him forget.” You couldn’t help but laugh at the earnest look on Tsuzuru’s face. He may be clumsy, but he has always been kind.

“It will need a lot modifications, especially considering the fact that none of us can exactly pull off female roles, but it could work.” At some point through the story Tsuzuru seemed to have pulled out a notebook, in which he was now scribbling away.

“Are you seriously taking notes?” he was still focused on the story, not letting the inspiration go to waste.

“Of course I am. You’re brilliant!” he pulled you in for a kiss, taking you completely by surprise.

“You’re the best.” He turned back to his note taking, leaving you with flushed cheeks and a bright smile.

“You too.”

And they lived happily ever after.

[bunnyprincesshours]

the V word / NCT

TaeyongxFem!Reader

Genre: boyfriend!Taeyong, non-idol!AU, fluff, smut

Word count: 5k

Warning: sexual themes, smut, loss of virginity, and profanities

A/N: reposted from my old blog (that is in the process of being deleted)

Romance isn’t always intense and passionate. Sometimes it’s shy and awkward. 

“Hey Taeyong.”

“Yes cutie?”

“Are you a virgin?”

Halting all movements, your boyfriend looks up from the gaming device in his hands, and you hear descending notes fill the sudden silence as his character dies. It’s a lazy day for you and Taeyong, with him playing games on his Nintendo switch and you just playing around with your phone. You didn’t intend to be so abrupt with the question, but you had been in one of your internet spirals where one search leads you down a rabbit hole of tangents.

You were transfixed on this article about a couple who decided to wait until marriage, which happened to be in their thirties, when it suddenly made you think about your own relationship. Having only dated each other for almost 4 months, sex isn’t something that either of you had brought to the table yet. You’re not trying to rush it, or even hint anything to him, by asking the question. It’s all pure curiosity. You won’t be surprised if he has; he’s very good looking after all. But it didn’t hurt to ask, right?

“I, uhm,” Taeyong clears his throat, suddenly very uncomfortable as he puts his game on pause, “are you?”

You look at him suspiciously, putting your phone aside as you retort, “I asked first.”

“And I asked second.”

“Babe,” you give him a pointed look. Watching something uncomfortable settle into his features,  Taeyong carefully puts his device aside, before sitting up and turning to you. There’s a hesitance shining on his lips, tongue swiping across them like he’s suddenly parched, and you remain leaning against his pillows, waiting for his answer.

“No,” he sighs with a smile, “I’m not.”

“Oh,” you blink, “okay.” Though you claim to be fine either way, you somehow hoped he hasn’t yet - you think you just got carried away by the article you were reading.

“What about you?” he asks quietly, resting a hand on your knee and trying not to be awkward about the conversation.

You aren’t at all embarrassed about still being a virgin, never once feeling as though you’re missing out on something. But sitting in front of Taeyong, and trying to imagine how he’d react, makes you kind of nervous. Which is stupid, because you trust your boyfriend and you know he won’t make a big deal out of it when you tell him.

“I, uhm,” you bite down on your lip as you look away, “Yeah, I am.”

“Oh,” he blinks “Okay.”

There’s a heavy pause, and embarrassment overtakes you when Taeyong does nothing to fill the sudden hole in the conversation. “I’m so sorry,” you chuckle uneasily, “I’ve made it awkward haven’t I?”

“What? No, no way,” Taeyong’s hand travels to hold yours, intertwining your fingers together, “I was just thinking to myself.”

“Look, I’m really not trying to pressure you into anything,” you sit up, scooting next to him to lean your chin on his shoulder, “I was reading this dumb article and I guess I just got curious.”

“It’s fine, honestly,” Taeyong smiles softly, “It’s probably good that we’re open about this stuff.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he pecks the tip of your nose. And you smile warmly at Taeyong, glad he isn’t being weird about this. But as you sink back on his pillows, grabbing your phone to resume your reading, you’re keenly aware of his stillness when Taeyong doesn’t immediately resume his game. You stare at him,  from behind your phone, only to find his eyes already trained on you.

“Can I ask a question?” You nod. “Is there a reason you haven’t yet?”

“Oh, um,” you frown, thinking to yourself.

It’s not as though you’re saving yourself for marriage - that kind of mentality has never been enforced by your family or your friends. But it’s more that you haven’t had the chance. Your first boyfriend was in high school, and that was only because his best friend had been dating your best friend at the time. You simply just weren’t ready yet with your second boyfriend. And your third boyfriend only lasted about 2 months before he had to fly back to Japan.

“I guess I just haven’t had the chance,” you shrug nonchalantly.

“Have you done other stuff before?” Taeyong tilts his head to the side curiously, his hair hanging askew, eyes blinking at you in curiosity.

“Like?”

“You know,” he does a weird gesture with his hands, coiling it into a loose fist, lazily replicating a handjob, “other stuff.”

“If you’re asking if I’ve touched a penis before then yes, I have,” you chuckle, trying not to cringe at his hand gesture. Taeyong blushes to himself, laughing with you as he didn’t anticipate you to be open about this.

“It’s okay, I’m not completely clueless,” you smirk, before looking back down at your phone, only just missing the quirk in Taeyong’s eyes as he resumes his attention to his game.

In your mind, it was nothing but an innocently curious conversation, but it seems that Taeyong understood it as a hint. Day by day, you notice him becoming more and more handsy with you, palms smoothing across the dips and curves of your body that have only ever been explored by past lovers. He always wants to hold you close, always keeping a hand either at your hip, at your waist, in your hand, sometimes even on your butt. You certainly don’t mind, but you can’t help but think about how Taeyong never used to be big on PDA. Something changed in him, and you can only assume, due to the timing of it all, that it started with that conversation.

“Hey Taeyong” you smirk to yourself.

“Yes gorgeous?”

“What’cha doing there bud?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he looks at you innocently, although his hand is comfortably gripping your ass as you cook dinner at Ten’s place. Your mutual friend invited both of you over for a quiet meal, but also to introduce you to his new dog Chichi. Chichi is a Jack Russell Terrier who’s somehow sassier than Ten is; truly a match made in heaven.

But as you stir the sauce for the spaghetti, Taeyong gets into one of his moods again. He ghosts behind you, standing close to your body as his hands wander over your hips, massaging up and down while planting a colony of kisses on your shoulder and neck.

“Taeyong, I’m serious, you can’t do this here,” you bite down on your lip, trying to concentrate on the dish in front of you.

“Do what?” he asks softly, like he isn’t almost pressing his crotch against your ass. Feeling his hands moving over your hips, Taeyong reaches around to your front and barely grazes the zip of your jeans. You’re about to tell him to cut it out when he presses against you, into you, the force pushing you flush against the kitchen counter. A little gasp shoots out of your mouth in surprise, and for a moment you don’t want him to stop.

He kisses your neck softly, teasingly, and your grip around the wooden spatula tightens. You clamp your lips shut as a pleasured sigh attempts to escape. Your lids fall heavy as Taeyong’s hands climb up to the waistband of your jeans, breath hitching as his fingertips dance up and underneath your shirt, making shy contact with your stomach. There’s a feeling of urgency as Taeyong’s other hand toys with the button of your jeans. And when you can’t control the desire anymore, you give in and let the spatula lean against the inside of the pot, before turning in your boyfriend’s arms to face him.

Immediately, your lips are sealed with a kiss. He feels it too, the surge of this sudden, violent, need. If you aren’t so clouded by lust, you wouldn’t be actively making this decision. But there’s a voice in your head convincing you that you need this, and you need it now. You let Taeyong’s hands tug you by the hips, before feeling them slipping up under your shirt, grazing your stomach before cupping your breasts. You gasp as you feel his thumb slipping into your bra, swiping against your hardened nipple. The excitement pools in-between your legs, whining as he renders you into a mess of sighs and moans. 

Ten could come back from the grocery store any minute, but you don’t seem to really care at this moment. Your own hands claw over Taeyong’s chest before resting at the back of his neck, pulling him closer to deepen this heated make out session. Hearing a light tapping noise on the tile floor of the kitchen, you pay it no mind as Taeyong starts to trail kisses down to your neck. Feeling him sucking on your sweet spot, you gasp as he grabs your right knee and lifts it up, pressing himself closer into you, trying to let you know how eager he is for this.

As your head lulls back, mouth choking out a quiet moan, Taeyong begins to slowly grind against your jeans, his kisses making you wetter. You tilt your neck aside to let him access more of your skin. But when you do, you spot, through half-lidded eyes, Chichi staring at you curiously. Her head is titled comically, her eyes looking directly into yours; almost as if she knows what you’re about to do and she’s judging you.

You tap Taeyong’s shoulder, but when you only get a gruff response in return, you shake him off. He lifts his head up to look at you questioningly, and when he does, you just point to the small dog behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Taeyong notices Chichi, but apparently not in the same manner that you did.

“So what?” he chuckles “She’s just the dog.”

“Yeah, and she’s watching us!”

“It’s not like she knows.”

“We don’t know that!” you reason. Taeyong fights back his chuckle, trying to understand your logic. But he fails miserably and ends up laughing against your shoulder, trying to muffle his amusement. You hit him playfully, “It’s not funny! Chichi was like, staring in my soul.”

“She was what?”

“Look at her!”

Looking over his shoulder again, Taeyong just finds Chichi staring cutely with her head titled to the side. He turns back to you with confused smile, finding nothing remotely irksome about the small creature. “Sweetie she’s just staring,” Taeyong tries to coax you back into the moment, pressing his hips into yours, “It’s fine.”

But as he starts to plant soft kisses down to the neckline of your shirt, you can’t help but feel thrown off. Whether it’s because Chichi won’t stop staring, or that you finally realise you’re about to fuck in Ten’s apartment. You’re hit with the reality that you can’t possibly lose your virginity here, just like this - nor could you do anything sexual with Chichi watching you with her dead stare.

“Wait, no, I really can’t,” you press your palms against Taeyong’s chest to halt his movements, “I can’t do this.”

Taeyong gives you a conflicted look, obviously disappointed, but he respects your wishes and plants one last kiss on your lips before disentangling his limbs from yours. As he gently drops you back on the ground, you hear him mutter “I can’t believe I got cock-blocked by a dog.”

Laughing at his comment, Taeyong pouts playfully, poking your side and making you jump. Watching him walk towards the dog, Chichi runs away from him as your hear Taeyong grumble “Come here you little shit, we need to have a talk.”

There’s always something. Now the you’re finally ready, there’s always something. And even though Taeyong has proven himself to be incredibly patient, you can tell that this patience is - understandably - starting to wear thin. He wants you and you want him; badly.

“Hey Taeyong.”

“Yes beautiful?”

“We can do more than just make out.”

“Oh, uhm, okay,” he chuckles to himself, “I’ll get to that part.”

Giggling, you resume kissing on his bed, feeling his weight on top of you as he rests himself between your legs. It was one of those busy weeks, where everything that could prevent you from meeting up with each other just happened, and the only time you get with each other is nothing more than a passing video call. So when your schedules finally line up, and you both finally have a weekend free for each other, it seems clear that you both desperately want to make use of this rare chance to be together.

Grabbing him by the back of his neck, a greediness consumes you as you pull him closer to your body. There’s that urge again, that want that morphs into a need. And you don’t shy away when you feel his crotch resting against yours, as if the only thing stopping the both of you are his sweatpants and your shorts. You massage your fingertips into his hair, and you hear him sigh against your lips at the feeling of your intimacy. He breaks away from your lips, peppering you with soft pecks before hovering over your face.

“What?” you ask impatiently, connecting your lips to the sweet spot on his neck to ease him back into the moment.

He moans before asking, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Do what?” you ask against his skin, too excited to even think about anything else.

“Have sex.”

You finally pause, catching your breath as you really stop to look at Taeyong, finding him staring at you, watching you for any hint that maybe you aren’t ready yet. But if you’re going to be honest with yourself, you were ready weeks ago; you just didn’t have the time. “Taeyong,” you grab his cheeks, forcing him to look you in the eyes as you say “I want to have sex with you.”

His cheeks bunch up against your hands as his lips stretch into a grin, eyes glowing at the very clear verbal confirmation of your intentions. Taeyong just looks too adorable, and you can feel your heart swell. Pulling him down, you plant another kiss on his lips, and this time you start to feel his hands massaging your thighs. Your chest rises in anticipation, feeling his hands inching closer and closer to the hem of your shorts, sighing expressively when his fingertips grip your skin.

As he pulls away once again, you stare at him expectantly, and softly he asks “Can I take your shirt off?”

Blinking in surprise, it seems that in the chaos of sexual desire, you somehow completely forgot that having sex requires you to be somewhat naked in front of your partner. And it’s not as though you’ve ever been self-conscious in front of Taeyong, you know he loves you no matter what; but it’s never easy being naked in front of someone for the first time. 

“Yes,” you nod after a thoughtful pause.

“Okay,” Taeyong smiles, a small one that lifts the corners of his mouth ever so slightly. You prop yourself up and Taeyong’s hands tug on the bottom hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head slowly. The cool air in his bedroom makes you feel acutely aware of being shirtless, goosebumps rising across your chest, and you instinctively close in on yourself. Taeyong throws your shirt aside,  admiring the cute bra you’re wearing today, eyes never leaving you as he whispers, “You’re perfect.”

“Thanks,” you blush, but before you can do anything else, you had to ask for your own ease of mind, “Taeyong?”

“Yes angel?”

“Can you take your shirt off too?”

“Of course,” Taeyong smiles, understanding what you must be feeling. He balances himself on his knees, easily stripping his shirt off. You don’t think you’ve ever seen Taeyong topless, maybe once or twice when he was changing shirts or taking off his hoodie. So you can’t help but linger on his surprisingly toned stomach; you just assumed gamers didn’t like working out.

Leaning down, Taeyong’s lips melt into yours once again, the feeling of his bare skin against your own makes the excitement grow between your legs. The intimacy of the moment has your heart beating incredibly fast, you wonder if Taeyong can feel it against his skin. With your hands exploring their way down his torso, gliding over the defined muscles on his body, you come to a careful stop at the band of his sweatpants. Tracing over the seams of the waistband, your fingertips tease his skin as you tug his pants down inch by inch.

“Do you,” Taeyong mutters between your lips, “want me to take them off?”

“Yes please,” you reply so eagerly, you make yourself chuckle. Taeyong giggles, but he does as he says. Lifting himself off of you, he swiftly removes his sweatpants, leaving him in nothing but his boxers. You blush as you find yourself staring at the tent on his underwear, biting your lip in anticipation as Taeyong leans back down.

“You okay there?” he asks softly, playfully trailing kisses down your neck.

“Yes, yeah, I uh,” you gasp as Taeyong’s lips grazes against your stomach, “I’m just excited I guess.”

Your boyfriend giggles at your response, and you mentally face palm at such an awkward response. “I’m glad,” Taeyong mutters against your skin, “I want to make sure this is as good for you as it is for me.”

Biting down your bashful smile, you’re stunned to find yourself more giddy than sensual in a moment like this. So far, this has been nothing like how the magazine columns or romance novels described your first time to be. It isn’t heated or intense, you’re not in a candle-lit room with too many rose petals scattered everywhere. It’s just you and Taeyong in his bedroom, the early evening casting the first rays of sunset before it slowly sinks in the horizon. It’s so simple, but it feels so utterly perfect. Maybe this is okay too.

Taeyong’s lips nip at the skin of your breasts, his hands reaching around behind you slowly. Glancing up, you give him an encouraging smile before feeling his fingers fiddle with the bra strap. There’s a silent moment of struggle, and as you’re about to offer your help, he manages to unlock the hooks. You feel the bra detach from your skin, and you blush as Taeyong peels the item of clothing off of you. You see him bite down on his bottom lip, his eyes looking up at you through his lashes, quietly asking, “How did I get so lucky?”

“Oh my God stop,” you cringe, hiding your face in your hands, letting your head drop back on his pillows.

Taeyong chuckles at your reaction, and slowly, he starts to kiss his way down your chest. You gasp a little as his thumb pinches your nipples, gently swiping until it hardens. A pleasured sigh escapes you as his tongue flicks your nipple, making you feel a wetness grow between your legs. This isn’t the first time someone’s done this to you, but with Taeyong, it just feels a lot more intense. Like you feel everything on an entirely different level.

His hand rests on your abdomen, making your stomach flinch at the sudden touch of his warm hand. Your chest tightens a little as his fingers toy with the band of your shorts. As he slowly inches his way into your pants, he breaks his lips away from your chest to meet your nervous gaze. There’s reassurance in his stare as he asks, “Is this still okay?”

You nod, but you couldn’t help but let the nerves show. What if you did something wrong? Or weird? Maybe it would have been better if Taeyong was also still a virgin so you could both wade through this together. Or maybe it’s better that he isn’t, so at least you both aren’t completely clueless.

Taeyong can practically hear you overthinking, and he halts all movements of his hands before dipping down to kiss your lips, gentle so as to settle your racing thoughts. Breaking away by a mere inch from your lips, the tips of your noses are touching as he mutters, “If it gets too much, you tell me and we can stop.”

Nodding, you start to feel a lot better, especially after the verbal reassurance. You feel safe with Taeyong. Kissing his lips once again in show of compliance, you feel his hand tug your shorts off. Lifting your legs, he easily slips the item of clothing off of you, flinging it back somewhere behind him. His hands travel down from your knee, closing in on the space between your legs. And as you busy yourself with his lips and his hair, you subconsciously let out a whine as Taeyong’s fingers trace the edges of your underwear.

Taeyong can’t help but chuckle against your lips, more in satisfaction than humour. He likes that you’re needy, and he likes that you’re not afraid to express it. But figuring that you’re starting to tip over towards impatience, he slips your underwear off and discards it in the same direction as your shorts. 

Hovering above you, hands trace your naked body like it’s the first time he’s realising his sense of touch, hands curiously caressing here and there. His palm glazes over your legs, making his way up to the wetness in-between. He’s careful not to rush it, and he tests the waters as he brushes his thumb against your clit. The way you sigh against his lips encourages him, and he slowly builds up a rhythm as he teases the sensitive nub. Taeyong feels your fingers digging into his skin, and when he runs a finger through your folds, he realises exactly just how much you want this.

“You’re so goddamn sexy,” he whispers against your cheek, close enough for you to hear the jerky rhythm of his breath, the desperate attempt at masking his racing heart. He watches you writhe under him with a fascinated glaze in his eyes. You’re always so cute, sweet, angelic, dorky. But in this very moment, he feels nothing but a raw sexual energy emitting from the flutter of your eyelashes and the O shape your mouth makes as he dips a finger into your core.

“Mmm, faster,” you demand. Feeling Taeyong build up speed, his lips pepper your neck and your chest with the odd kiss. You don’t notice him shifting, not until you feel him replace his thumb with his warm tongue. Gasping rather audibly as the tip of tongue starts flicking at your clit, the feeling charges electricity through your body, back arching off the bed. 

Taeyong feels encouraged by your rather violent response, watching you above him with a spellbound gaze. He pumps his fingers at a steady pace while his tongue dances intricate patterns on your clit. Feeling your abdomen tighten, and your chest rising and falling with every laboured breath. You know you’re coming undone at any point, but you had no chance to warn him as your body jolts from the pleasure that releases onto Taeyong’s fingers.

When your body relaxes on the mattress, Taeyong takes his fingers out of you and smirks at the mess you made on his fingers. As he lifts up, he finds you practically glowing, a lazy smile on the corners of your lips as you meet his eyes. “Sorry,” you chuckle shyly, “I should’ve warned you.”

“It’s fine,” he smiles endearingly, “It means you were enjoying it so much that you didn’t even think about it.”

“Wow, okay, someone’s getting cocky,” you joke as Taeyong crawls up to meet your lips.

“Oh, you don’t even know,” he giggles.

“Oh my God, how was that simultaneously gross and lame at the same time?” you tease. Flustered, Taeyong shuts you up as he attaches his lips back to yours. You try to make a move, with your hand trailing down to his clothed cock, massaging him on top of his boxers. You hear a gruff sound erupt from his throat before he breaks away from your lips.

“You don’t have to,” he trails off his sentence, switching instead to, “I mean, I want this to be all about you.”

You blush, feeling shy under his warm and loving gaze. 

“So do you want to uh,” trailing off, you only point to his boxers.

“Are you ready?” he asks softly. And you couldn’t help the joke that rolls off of your tongue.

“You say that like you have a weird penis. Does it have arms? Is it purple? Should I be scared?” you chuckle.

“You’re so stupid,” he giggles endearingly, planting a soft kiss on your lips.

Pulling away, you take the initiative to ask, “So do you have the thing?”

“What thing?”

“You know… the thing.”

“People say that if you can’t say the word ‘condom’, then you’re not mature enough to have sex,” Taeyong points out matter of factly, his fingers tracing hypnotising circles on your exposed skin.

Rolling your eyes, you feign disinterest as you scoff, “Ugh, so annoying.”

Taeyong giggles at your response, and before you can ask again, he reaches over to his bedside table. You hear him fiddling with something before he hovers back on top of you, making a show of waving the small, plastic packet. You smile at his playfulness, leaning forward to kiss him once again.

You start to take a little more initiative, growing more excited when you feel something hard pressing against your leg. You start to palm him on top of his boxers and he groans deliciously into your mouth. When you hook your fingers around the waist of his boxers, Taeyong breaks away the kiss and takes the liberty of removing the last item of clothing left on either of you. There’s a moment’s pause when you both just stare, you more than he, as the moment sinks in for the both of you. You’re about to have sex for the first time; the thought makes you blush.

Balancing on his knees, Taeyong takes a moment to put the condom on, rolling it down his cock carefully, before rubbing himself a few times as he stares down at your naked glory. Perhaps it’s a strange kink, that you suddenly feel like the most attractive woman, watching Taeyong touch himself before you, eyes making sure to study your body. Biting your bottom lip in anticipation, Taeyong leans closer, hovering over you as he positions himself, and you feel the heat from his body closing in on you. 

With his eyes looking right into yours, Taeyong slowly slips his cock into you.

Your breath hitches at the foreign feeling of him inside you, hands instinctively gripping his forearm. Taeyong watches carefully, barely moving so as to let you adjust to the sensation. It’s not that it hurts - in fact it doesn’t hurt at all, contrary to popular belief - but more that it’s completely different from anything you’ve ever done before. And only when you nod, indicating that you’re ready, your boyfriend slowly thrusts his hips into you. 

You feel every movement, every motion, so vividly, fingers tightening their grip on his shoulders. Taeyong can only watch carefully, enchanted by the way your face contorts with every laboured breath the escapes your nose. He plants a careful kiss on your lips as he softly asks, “You okay?”

“Yes,” you reassure him, the ‘s’ dragging out with pleasure. Your lips reach up for his, and he dips his head closer as the sweet kiss becomes more passionate. Taeyong gets so riled up by your lips that he naturally picks up the pace of his thrusts, hips flush against yours before pulling back, only to return with a force. With your bare skin so exposed and to each other’s, you feel every movement of his body, and you moan into his mouth as excitement courses through your bones.

“You feel so good,” Taeyong mutters his praises against your lips, “so perfect.”

A moan rises from your chest, feeling every inch of your skin waking up from the heat of his motion. When Taeyong begins to rut his hips faster, you start to feel that same knot in your abdomen. Your hands grab onto anything, and Taeyong can feel your pleasure from the way your fingernails dig into his back. He builds up his pace, and you can’t contain the noises, gasping and moaning beyond your own comprehension. Taeyong feels himself edging and he grabs your thighs in the midst of his fervour.

“Fuck,” he groans, hearing your soft voice right in the shell of his ear. Your pleasure is so very clear, you don’t even try to contain yourself, and it’s driving him crazy. His thrusts start to become sloppy and desperate, and you start to meet his jagged movements with the rhythmic lift of your hips. There’s just something so primal and real about the moment, like a different kind of intensity that you’ve never even touched before.

“Taeyong, I’m so close,” you gasp, and your boyfriend takes initiative, hand reaching down between your legs. When you feel his thumb swiping at your clit, you almost scream. Between the stimulation at from his rough thumb and the thrusting of his hips, you lose control of everything in your body. It only takes a few more flicks at your sensitive clit, before you feel this wave of pleasure rise up from your core, washing over all of your limbs. And as you feel yourself melting under Taeyong, it’s not long until your boyfriend meets his own end, riding out his orgasm until he’s glowing and all fucked out.

There’s a sweet moment of stillness as you both just melt into each other, limbs tired, skin blushing with a sheen of sweat. You can’t help but smile at how perfect everything feels. You didn’t care that you’re sticky and excessively warm, and your hair probably looks funny. Everything about it feels right. Taeyong catches you smiling to yourself, and he can’t help but smile as well.

“Hey Taeyong.”

“Yes angel?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[chwetuan]

+ the engagement spinoff ; jackson 

+ genre: fluff with a sprinkle of humor, coach!jackson

+ category: one-shot (wc - 1192)

+ a/n: this is the sister fic to baby mama drama, you don’t need to read yug’s version before this one but i recommend reading it at some point bcs its p cute. enjoy - Z <3 

“Yugyeom. I have no fucking clue how to connect to that man.”

Jackson has come to bother Yugyeom. 

Again.

He’s quite literally, a hot mess. His hair is so disheveled from running his fingers through it every other minute, and the frustration marring his features makes him look years beyond his age.

Yugyeom is sat at the dining room table, grading assignments and working on lesson plans, and quite frankly — he’d prefer if Jackson would leave him alone.

“He’s too eccentric. He’s all over the place. I just don’t understand it. How the fuck did he say yes to you the first time? I’ve already fucked up once and this ring in my pocket gets heavier and heavier each goddamn day.”

Jackson doesn’t even want to think back on the first time he asked your father for his blessing, but regardless, the memory floods his mind.

“Oh, fuck off.” Your father responds with a loud laugh. He’s sat across from Jackson drinking from a carton of orange juice, a patterned silk shirt on that most definitely has not left the nineties flowing off of his frame.

Your father was an interesting character. He owned a small craft store for a living and loved your bother-in-law Yugyeom from the start. Jackson thinks it’s bullshit. Just because Yugyeom knew how to string macaroni together to make a necklace did not mean he had an appreciation for artistry, or whatever it was your father said.

Anyways, your father hated sports, and Jackson was literally a basketball coach, so, immediately, there was a disconnect.

Jackson is speechless. Has no clue what to say. All he can manage to choke out is-

“Wha- huh? Excuse me?”

“I said,” your father pauses. “Fuck off. You can’t marry my daughter. Not yet, anyways.”

Jackson is so confused. He’s so, so confused, and the man sitting across from him is such a goddamn mess. He has no clue how his beautiful, loving, composed girlfriend could come from such a specimen.

“Why not?”

Your father hums, starting intensely at Jackson through his blue-tinted bifocals. “You haven’t proven yourself yet.”

It’s all he says before he stands to his feet, grabs his carton of orange juice, and walks out of the door into the garden.

Jackson can’t do anything but groan and slump in his seat.

“Prove myself? What the fuck does that mean, Yugyeom?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? You obviously know! You’re the one with a wedding band on your finger.”

Yugyeom sighs loudly, pushing his grade book aside and placing his full attention on the man in front of him.

“I just wanna marry her, man. I’m in love with her. It’s so scary to love someone that much.”

Yugyeom understands. He understands like no one else in the world. He smiles knowingly.

“He’s a weirdo. The biggest weirdo. He only drinks cold coffee and actually enjoys cold leftovers. He wears silk shirts and blue tinted glasses and he doesn’t understand the internet of WiFi, but he loves those two girls that we’re in love with. So much more than we can comprehend. They’re his daughters. His babies. The children he raised. He cares for them so much even though he’s a complete fucking wackjob. But he’ll come around, I know he will.”

Jackson sighs. “I’m gonna marry her, Yugyeom.”

~~~

Jackson waits another two months. Two whole months of staring at your pretty face and staring at the ring he picked up eight months prior.

He can’t take it anymore. He’s done trying to connect with the psycho you call father.

So he simply won’t.

Your father is seated on his recliner, same damn orange juice carton on the end table, when Jackson barges into the living room.

“Listen up, old man. I’ve waited long enough.”

Your father is surprised, to say the least. But happy for the afternoon entertainment.

“I’m listening.”

“I am in love with your daughter. I have been for years. I want nothing more than to put a ring on her finger and dedicate the rest of my fucking life to making her happy. You gotta let me do that, man. It’s been ten months. This ring in my pocket is driving me insane. I wake up every morning next to the woman I love and I just want to make her my wife. So I am asking you, one more time, to please give me your blessing.”

There’s a long pause filled with Jackson’s heavy breathing and your father staring at him. The thought that he’s fucked up slowly begins creeping in. Maybe-

“Jackson. Boy, I have to say, I’m quite surprised.” Your father has a small smile playing on his lips. “I mean, your approach is very aggressive. But that’s how all you sportsmen approach things. Can’t stand to see it.” He sighs.

I fucked up. I fucked up. I fucked up.

“Yet, somehow, I think this is the most I’ve understood you in the six years that I’ve known you. So, go on, son. You have my blessing.”

Jackson starts crying.

~~~

It happens literally that evening — not even six hours later. Jackson is giddy when you get home, in the kitchen ordering take out from your favorite restaurant.

“What’s gotten into you?” You ask, kicking your work heels off at the door of your apartment and smiling tiredly at him.

He shrugs his shoulders, crossing over to kiss you on your forehead and take your purse from you. “I love you. That’s all.”

A little while later, when you’re wearing Jackson’s t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, sitting on the carpet of your living room and eating takeout from your coffee table, you nearly choke on your spring rolls.

On the coffee table, posed next to the fortune cookies, is an open ring box with the most gorgeous engagement ring, sparkling right at you.

In the background, Jackson holds his breath and the movie you watched on your first date is playing.

“Is this...?”

“Yeah.”

A pause.

“I-I guess this is where I should start talking, huh?” He cleats his throat. “Um. Well. You...You know how much I love you. It scares me sometimes. And truth is, this fucking ring has been in my possession for a year, but your fucking father told me no when I asked for his blessing the first time. And I know...how important his input is to you, so I didn’t want to propose without his blessing. But he just... he’s such a nut job, baby. He told me to fuck off, when I asked him. You know your dad is crazy, right, baby?”

You’re crying at this point — tears rolling down your face as you listen to him. You’re so goddamn happy. “I know.”

“But I couldn’t wait any longer. I didn’t want to wait any longer. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy, because you make me so fucking happy.”

Another pause.

“Will you marry me?”

And of course you say yes. You had the ring on your finger before he even asked the question.

Once again, Jackson starts crying.

. . .

(posted may 8th, 2020)

[lemonadeswift]

Unconditional I

Rating: G

Pairing: Chris Evans/Sebastian Stan

Characters: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Original Child Character (OCC)

Summary: Chris and Sebastian’s foster child comes out to them as trans and of course, they love them unconditionally.

-

Mikey stood at the top of the stairs in their blue Tony Hawk hand me down hoodie that they’d had for years now. Their new socks were nice though, and so were their other new clothes but this sweat shirt was never going to go away. It was sometimes one of the only possessions they’d had going through the system. Nervously their toes wiggled inside their socks as they curled their feet over the top stair teetering as they debated their next move. It was now or never.

Their mom had probably had an inkling before she passed but she was gone now... and now they had to tell Chris and Sebastian... or “dad” and “tata” as they were slowly getting used to calling them. They’d assured them after their mother’s death and from day one they wouldn’t be transferred around anymore. This was their last stop on that train and their permanent home could be with them if that’s what they wanted. And Mikey did want that, he just hoped that after this new revelation Sebastian and Chris would still feel the same. They hoped that even if they didn’t want them anymore they’d still consider adopting Bailey. Mikey wanted his sister to have a good life, she was only 7, them being 15, they’d be fine on their own if they had to.

Anyway... it was now or never. They felt this bursting forth from them. They couldn’t keep it in anymore it was too stressful, it was killing them. They’d been up the past three nights and they knew that Chris and Sebastian were starting to notice.

“Dad? Tată?” Mikey called out in a voice just loud enough for Sebastian and Chris to hear. The two were sitting in the living room, they’d just put Luca, Lea, and Bailey down for bed and Mikey had just finished reading to them, leaving the couple to settle down for the night before turning in.

Mikey couldn’t help but smile as they noticed from the top of the stairs how the two were curled against each other. Chris on his tablet while Sebastian was resting his head on his shoulder, seemingly on his phone. They hated to disturb them but they needed to tell them this.

“Hey buddy, what’s up?” Chris asked, a soft smile on his burly winter bearded face.

“Hi... I’m... Um... can we... can we talk? Can I talk to both of you?” Mikey fidgeted with his hands wringing them together and teetering back and forth on their toes.

Chris’s face immediately turned concerned. His brows knitting together as he and Sebastian parted, sliding over to make room for Mikey beside them if they wanted to sit.

“Yeah, of course, always, you can come to us with anything, is something wrong? Do we need to break out the hot chocolate for this one?”

Hot chocolate had become a tradition with tough conversations in the household. It was brought out a few months ago when their mom passed, and again when they were told that they couldn’t be adopted yet, and yet another time when they were discussing a career move that would require Sebastian to be gone for four months that he wanted to get the kids input on. He hadn’t taken it. It had been too soon, but while hot chocolate was synonymous with difficult conversation it was also synonymous with comfort and warmth and safety. Tough conversations were no longer callous encounters, with Chris and Sebastian tough conversations were always had in an environment that was carefully curated to also feel safe and full of love and support. If this conversation didn’t go the way Mikey wanted they didn’t want the memory of hot chocolate to be ruined forever so they declined.

“N-no... I think... I think I’d rather just talk.” Rather than sitting down between the two Mikey nervously backed up against the accent chair in the living room and sat down lightly on the arm, perching carefully as they continued to fidget.

Mikey took a deep breath unsure of how to come out with it. Right now their palms were sweaty and their heart was pounding against their ribs. They felt clammy and sick... but they had to,

“Hey, Mikey, buddy, we love you, you’re safe here and you can tell us anything, we promise...” Sebastian spoke up, his eyes earnest.

Mikey wanted to cry.

“I-I-I-I’m... I... I think I’m trans?” It came out as a question, it made them mad that it did, what were they doing? Asking permission? No. They knew, they were sure, had been for a long time so what was with the questioning. Mikey shook their head,

“No, no... Sorry...” Mikey sat up straight a look of determination in their eyes as they met both Chris and Sebastian’s gazes. “I know I’m trans...my name is Melody because that’s the name my mom wanted to name me if I’d been a girl, which I am. My pronounce are she/her/they and if you don’t like it I’ll leave and figure things out myself.”

Melody stood there with a firm stance. Her eyes hard and arms crossed as she glared daggers into Chris and Sebastian who hadn’t said anything yet. Chris was the first to speak, his voice was soft as he said,

“Come, sit,” and patted the seat beside him. Deflating almost immediately Melody came and sat next to him. Her guard was still up but her firm stance from earlier and hard exterior had crumbled again. Now she was just scared. Scared and terrified. Melody felt an arm slide around her shoulders and she tensed up, softly though, Chris’s voice reached her ears,

“Melody, honey, we love you... no matter who you are, or how you identify... if your name is Melody and you’re a girl who goes by she/her/they, then that’s who you are and that’s what we will refer to you as, we’re both bisexual men, and you know my brother, your Uncle Scott, is gay. We couldn’t possibly be bothered less about if you’re trans. We love you,”

Melody felt herself shaking and as she blinked she felt the tears on her cheeks she was crying.

“Aw, sweetie, come here,” Sebastian’s said, pulling her into him and resting his head on top of hers as he hushed her and stroked her back, she clung to him and cried tears of sheer relief. Yes, she’d known they were obviously bisexual and she’d remembered that Scott was gay, but she never had heard them speak of any trans person they knew aside from one actress that Chris had worked with. And then it was just in passing. So she didn’t know, she hadn’t been 100% sure and that slight uncertainty had been killing her. She was so happy she was right about them though. So happy that they didn’t care...

“Hey, it’s okay, I promise we love you, we support you, you don’t need to get upset, you don’t need to cry, you’re okay, you’re safe, and if anyone, anyone has anything to say about it, they can fuck right off,” Melody pulled away from Sebastian at Chris’s assurances. She let out a wet chuckle at his last comment before throwing herself at him too,

“Thank you...” she said, another sob escaping her throat, one of absolute relief.

“You don’t have to thank us, we should be thanking you... thank you for telling us, we love you, I’m going to warn you, I might slip up a few times and I’ll have to get used to the new name and pronouns but we love you, okay?”

“Same here, it’ll be a change, but not a bad one,”

Melody wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie suddenly feeling completely drained. It was late after all and this had taken up all of her strength.

“Why don’t we talk more about this tomorrow okay? It’s late, we can look into getting you new clothes if that’s something you want and we can research some doctors if medically transitioning is something you’re interested in starting soon too okay? But in the morning, I’m sure this took a lot to tell us, but we love you and things will stay the same in most ways and change in only good ones I promise, okay?” Melody nodded. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was one thing to just accept it and accept her but the offer for clothes and to look into a doctor... it showed they were really serious, and were already somewhat educated... she couldn’t be happier.

Melody stood from the couch and let out one last sniffle. With her jacket over her hands giving her sweater paws she stood in front of them and gave a little wave. “Okay, goodnight...”

“Goodnight, we’ll see you in the morning, we love you,”

Melody nodded, she hadn’t told them she loved them yet but her heart was swelling with affection and emotion for them and as she turned to go and got to the stairs she stopped,

“I-I love you guys too...” she finally said. Their heads snapped over to her immediately and they were standing, stumbling over one and other as they came towards her. She was slightly surprised.

“What? I’m sorry... did you say?” Sebastian’s eyes were wide with hope,

“I-I love you guys too... I do... I love you guys, dad, I love you... tată, I love you...”

“Oh my god... Mik-Melody oh... we love you, we love you too!” Chris was sweeping her up into his arms again, lifting her off the ground and making her laugh. He spun her around once before putting her down, his eyes were shining with tears as he choked out, “You mean it? For real? You’ve... you’ve never said that... you haven’t said that yet...”

Melody just nodded, “Yeah, I mean it... I already have started seeing you as my dads... I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to say it. But I do, I love you guys and I’m... I’m so thankful that I ended up here...”

Sebastian was openly crying too now as he wrapped her in a bear hug of his own, he gave her a tight squeeze, “I’m so thankful that you guys ended up here too, you fit perfectly into this family and we want to have you guys as part of it forever. I swear, we’re working on it. I know things haven’t been easy but I’m so happy you’re here and I’m so happy to be your dad...”

Chris joined the hug and they stood there at the foot of the stairs, smothering Melody with love until she finally began to actually feel smothered and spoke up,

“I love you guys, but it’s actually getting hard to breathe, I’m pretty small and you guys are pretty aggressive huggers...”

“Oh.. sorry,” Chris laughed as they broke the hug and he went to stand by Sebastian again, the two of them gravitated to each other and their hands magnetically connected with parts of each other’s bodies, around the waist and in each other’s pockets as they always did when they got close. They both smiled and watched as Melody made her way the rest of the way up the stairs and disappeared down the hall.

Chris turned to Sebastian, letting out a sigh and giving a shrug,

“Well, that all happened.” He commented.

“It did, didn’t it? I’m so proud of her...” Sebastian said.

“Me too,” Chris said.

“So, we have two daughters now, maybe three soon,”

“Guess so, good thing I had sisters,” Chris said.

“Yeah, we can do this,”

“Of course we can, together, we can get through everything. We’ve already been through a lot, this is nothing we can’t handle. We’ve just gotta be supportive and love her unconditionally...” Sebastian leaned up to press a soft kiss on his husbands lips.

“Let’s go to bed, we’ve got some more important conversations to have tomorrow.”

[redhoodssweetheart]

Seeking Roommate (1/4)

Genre: College AU

Relationship: Dick Grayson x Fem!Reader

Requested: Yes (REQUESTS ARE CLOSED)

Word Count: 1.6K

Warnings: Fluff, mutual pining, probably some swearing, light angst

Description:  Dick is looking for a new apartment and that’s when he sees an ad for a roommate in the local paper.  Giving it a shot he meets up with you and moves in.  What neither of you realize is that you’re both going to fall for one another and not realize it.

Dick had just moved out of the dorms at Gotham University.  He hadn’t wanted to live at the manor while going to college because he wanted to experience life away from Bruce and the wealth that being his son offered.  But he no longer wanted to live in the dorms and wanted to live away from campus.  He was currently sitting with Jason at a coffee shop going through the ads seeing what was available and circling the ones that sounded okay with a red pen.

“What about this one?”  Jason shoved the paper he was looking at toward Dick and tapped the ad with the tip of his pen.  “Two bed, one bath apartment, split everything evenly, clean, and it’s only a ten minute walk away from campus.”

Dick read over the ad and out of all of them it sounded the best and less sketchiest one.  “I’ll send them a text then and ask them if I can come see the place.”  He pulled his phone out and shot a text off to the number on the ad, but kept looking at the others just in case the person who posted the ad had already found someone or didn’t like him.

Two days later he was heading to the apartment, Jason had offered to come with him, but Dick had refused.  He didn’t want his younger brother messing up his chance of getting an apartment.  He looked over your name that you had given him in your message.  You were a woman around the same age as he was and also attending Gotham University.  Your last roommate, Kori, had graduated and moved back home and you needed help with the bills.

He made sure you were cool with him being a man and you had said it was fine.  You knew who Dick was, you had seen him around campus, read about him in the papers, and knew of him through friends.  If it had been anyone else you may have said no, but you were desperate and his was the first one you trusted enough to come see the apartment.

His knock startled you as you finished straightening up.  Your apartment stayed pretty much clean, but with him coming over you felt like Monica on FRIENDS.  You raced to open the door and stood there with a smile plastered on your face, “Dick?”

He nodded his head, “Y/N, right?”

“Yep,” you popped the ‘p’ and stepped aside to let him in.  “Welcome to my humble abode.  It’s not much, but at least it’s close to campus.”  Dick looked around the living room/kitchen area that you first stepped into.  He saw a hallway and assumed that led to the two bedrooms and bathroom that you had advertised.  “I was friends with my last roommate, but don’t think that means we have to force ourselves to become that as well.  We can come up with schedules and things so if one night you want the TV or friends over I can make myself scarce.  I don’t mind if you bring someone home for an evening, but I would like a heads up so that I can be away, especially if I have a test or something the next day.

“I buy my own food, but I don’t mind cooking every once in a while so if you’d like to join me that’s welcome.  We can figure out a shower schedule as well so that we don’t have to fight over the bathroom.  I mainly have afternoon classes this year so I don’t need to get up as early.  But other than that we can always figure out as we go along,” you finished saying.

“May I see my would be room?”  He asked as he turned back to you, his blue eyes bright in the sunlight filtering in through the window.

You quickly showed him down the hall and opened the first door on the left side of the hall.  Dick stepped into the room and glanced around.  It was big enough to fit his bed and a desk and not much else, but he hadn’t been expecting a large room given that the apartment itself was small.  It would serve its purpose though.

He glanced back at you, “If you don’t mind I’d like to take it.  I’m not loud, I don’t leave messes, and I have no plans to disrupt life for you in any way.  I also don’t mind if we hang out, we’re going to be living together so it would be nice if we were able to get along.”

You offered him a small smile, relieved that he seemed cool with your terms and the smaller size of the room.  “Great!  When do you want to move in?”

Three weeks after your initial meeting Dick moved into the apartment.  His younger brother helped him move in his things.  Jason Todd was a character and was constantly hitting on you much to Dick’s chagrin.  At one point you ruffled Jason’s hair and said, “Not happening kid.”  Jason had merely shrugged and went on with what he was doing, completely unbothered by your rejection.

Dick hadn’t said anything, but found the exchange rather amusing.  He took Jason home and was back as you were ordering dinner.  “Pizza okay with you?”  Dick nodded and rattled off what he wanted on his half. 

It was a bit awkward waiting for the pizza to arrive, both of you jittery wondering what you should say to the other.  You sat on the couch and chewed on your lip as you wracked your brain for things to say to him.  Dick looked your way and said, “So what are you studying?”

You chuckled and said, “I haven’t really decided yet.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to spend the rest of my life doing, it’s a big decision.  What about you?”

“Criminology, I’d like to go into something where I’m solving crimes or mysteries,” working with Bruce and being a vigilante as a kid and with the added ordeal with his parents murders he wanted to work toward making the world safer.

“Interesting, is there a reason behind why?”  

Dick stiffened and you wondered what he was thinking about.  “Oh, um, well my parents were, uh, murdered when I was younger.  They caught the guy, but ever since then I was thinking about how others can’t have that closure and I wanted to do something about it.”

You reached out and gently rested a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Dick shrugged his shoulders, “It happened a long time ago and I came to peace with it.  I was angry about it for a long time, but I had some people help me work through it.”  The room fell quiet and Dick snorted, “Such heavy topics for our first night together.”

You quietly chuckled, “Yeah, I will admit I wasn’t planning on getting this personal this fast.”

“It’s all right,” Dick said.  “I don’t mind talking about it.  Sure it makes me sad knowing that they’re not around, but it happened and I can’t go back and change it.”

You nodded and before you could say something else there was a knock on the door.  “Pizzas here,” you murmured while going to grab your wallet from the kitchen table.  As you did that you heard Dick open the door and begin talking with the pizza guy.  When you turned to go give the guy the money Dick was already shutting the door.  “I didn’t give the guy the money yet.”

Dick waved a hand, “I paid, my treat.”

You blinked, your mouth opened slightly, “Oh.  You didn’t have to do that, I was the one that ordered the pizza and I wanted to do something nice to welcome you to your new home.”

“How about this, tomorrow we can go for coffee on the corner and you can pay for my drink.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, “You’re gonna be difficult aren’t you?”

He put a hand to his chest and gave you an innocent look, “Moi? No, never.”  Then he grinned and winked at you which took you by surprise and caused your heart to flutter a little in your chest.  Oh this was going to be interesting living with Dick Grayson.

He was incredibly attractive and you weren’t going to lie, you were harboring a tini, tiny crush… no that was a lie, you were harboring a huge ass crush on Dick Grayson.  Maybe inviting him to be your roommate hadn’t been the smartest idea, but on top of crushing on him you were also desperate.  You needed a new roommate to help pay the bills and Dick was the first one you find trustable enough to let in.

You pushed your inner turmoil to the side and joined him at the rickety older table and sat across from him.  The two of you continued to get to know one another, this time trying to steer clear of the heavier topics.  You even began laughing at some of Dick’s ridiculous jokes and soon it was well past the midnight hour, the two of you having finished off the pizza.

“I should probably go to sleep,” Dick said a bit reluctantly.  “I need to get up early tomorrow morning and do some errands.  Thanks for a fun evening.”

“Yeah of course, it was nice getting to know you a bit better,” you responded.

He gave you a sleepy smile and headed for his new room and you cleaned up your mess before going to bed yourself wondering if the rest of your time together was going to be like this.  You hoped that you and Dick were able to get along, and you hoped you didn’t start falling for your roommate.

[snakeboistan]

Flower Power

Karmagisa Flower Shop AU

“How do I passive-aggressively say f*** you in flower?”

Nagisa blinked. It was just an ordinary day at the flower shop he worked at; he opened the double doors and greeted his co-workers, tied his baby blue apron around his waist and started his shift. The morning was quite slow as they only had three customers: a frantic man desperately looking for an anniversary gift for his wife, a teenaged schoolgirl who wanted to cheer up her hospitalised best friend, and a young lady who was headed to her goddaughter’s birth. He was standing behind the counter, arranging the bouquet of lavender-coloured roses and alstroemeria when he walked in. Like a man on a warpath, this tall red headed stranger in a black blazer strode in like he owned the place, the sound of loud confident footsteps reverberated through the empty store as he made his way to the counter and slammed down two a thousand yen notes onto its surface, almost causing Nagisa to drop the posies of purple stock and purple statice in his hand in surprise.

“Um, excuse me?” oh right, he had a job to do.

“Oh sorry, sir,” Nagisa said, still completely perplexed by the events that had unfolded during the last minute. Why, out of all times, did Maehara decide to go to see ‘the cute barista with the most dazzling brown eyes that suck you in and most adorable antennae and beautiful smile that leaves me weak at the knees’ that worked at the coffee shop opposite them and Fuwa chose to work on her commissioned bouquet in the storage room in the back? “I just - um, excuse me - but do you think you could repeat what you just said, please?”

Mr Tall Stranger scoffed, “It’s one of my classmates’ birthday tomorrow and I positively hate the guy. He thinks that just because he got higher than me in midterms last week that he’s sooo much better than me - as if one point is such a difference. Well, the whole school positively adores him and since it’s our last year of High School, I thought it would be a kind gesture for me to put aside our differences and just give him a parting gift for the last birthday he’ll ever be able to spend with me.”

“By … giving him a floral arrangement that would be the equivalent of flipping him off?” Nagisa raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly,” the other replied brightly, “so can you do it? I swear I can pay extra if I need to. Trust me the look on Asano’s face would be worth every yen.”

“Well, I can see what I can do, sir.”

“Karma,” the young man said, “please don’t use any of that ‘sir’ business.”

“Sure, Karma.”

“Thank you, Nagisa.” If it weren’t for the fact that he was wearing a name tag, Nagisa would’ve jumped five feet in the air at the fact that Mr-Karma used his name. It certainly didn’t help that he was somewhat attractive with his sharp golden eyes, stylishly ruffled crimson locks, cocky smile and an aura that screamed confidence. Pushing down the feeling of interest that curled in his stomach and seemed to be targeted towards the other male, Nagisa put down the flowers in his hands and stated, “well, you could use geraniums, which symbolise stupidity, foxgloves, which symbolise insincerity, meadowsweet for uselessness, orange lilies for hatred and finally some yellow carnations.”

“Really,” Karma was grinning widely, placing his elbow on the countertop and resting his chin on the back of his hand, “and what do they mean.”

Nagisa smiled, “disappointment and disdain.”

Karma threw his head back and laughed (and no, the sound did not make Nagisa blush all right, no matter what those pesky store cameras said. Everyone knew that they weren’t working anyway), “that’s brilliant. You sure know your stuff, don’t you? I’m going to need to remember that for the next time I do a group project with Terasaka.”

“Consider it a gift,” Nagisa said, “I like reading and the language of flowers interested me.”

“Is that why you work here then.”

“Not really,” he didn’t know why he was explaining this all to a person he just met, but something about the dashing redhead made him feel … safe, in a way. He didn’t know why but the golden-eyed gaze captured him and drew him in and he wanted more, “I’m trying to save up for University and my own place once I graduate high school and this store pays really well for part-time work. You don’t have to know a lot about flowers to work here but I thought it would be a fun hobby to try to learn and I was curious so I taught myself all about it.”

“You must be really smart, to learn all of that,” Karma smiled, causing him to blush.

“Not really,” he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, “trust me I’m not. I’m kind of not doing well in school right now. At this rate, getting a 70 percent in maths would be nothing more than a miracle.”

Karma just hummed before saying, “I see. Well, any chance we could get started on my ‘F*** You, Asano’ birthday gift?”

“Which I assume is coming straight from the heart?”

“But of course,” Karma said solemnly, placing a hand over his heart and winking. Nagisa rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face betrayed his amusement, as he walked around the counter and began searching for the flowers required.

“So, what do you study in school?” Karma asked when Nagisa was gently pulling out a handful of coral coloured foxgloves.

“Hmm? Oh, just the usual, you know: Maths, Science, English. Oh, and also Psychology. You?”

“The same as you but Economics instead of Psychology, which, I’ve got to say is really interesting. Can you, like, read minds?”

“Unfortunately, no, I have not yet unlocked that skill,” Nagisa replied gravely with a shake of his head, “it appears that my dreams of becoming like Psyren and taking over the world by using mental waves are currently on hold.”

“‘Psyren’? Like the villain in the Sonic Ninja: A Soldier Returns comic?” Karma sounded impressed.

“You read Sonic Ninja?”

“Yeah, I got to admit I’m not too big on the movies though. The director they had for the last one was kind of terrible.”

“I thought it was alright,” Nagisa quipped back as he gathered all of the necessary plants and made his way back to the counter, “sure the special effects weren’t that great but the plot was good.”

“Eh,” Karma waved his hand down, “I still think that the villain only won because the plot called for it and not because he was necessarily skilled.”

“Are you kidding me?” Nagisa’s head was down as he wrapped the flowers but he was sure that the incredulity in his voice conveyed every emotion on his face, “he’s one of the most powerful characters in the franchise! He survived a literal nuclear bomb! He was able to create a forcefield so powerful it wiped out an entire village!”

“Yeah, but to say that he’s stronger than an entire army is just pushing it.”

“I suppose so. By the way, that would be two thousand yen, which you already gave me earlier. Would you like a card to sign?”

“Sure,” Karma shrugged, “I’ve got to show how much I mean this thoughtful gesture, you know.”

Nagisa laughed and handed him a card and pen so that Karma could write whatever it was he wanted to write.

“By the way,” Karma asked as he picked up the bouquet, “what would you suggest I get if I wanted to ask someone out?”

“Oh, umm, well. Roses are usually the go to, even if they might be a bit clichè. The best option would be to go for the person’s favourite flower but you have purple lilacs, which mean first love, pink camellias, which mean longing, and chrysanthemums, which mean long lasting love. Personally, I’d go for sunflowers, which mean loyalty and pure adoration, or forget-me-nots, which mean I’ll never forget you, but I think that that one’s pretty obvious.”

Karma hummed and nodded to himself before cheerily saying “goodbye” and leaving the store, ringing the bell as he went. Nagisa sighed and smiled.

“So what was that about?” Fuwa asked smugly from her place near the doorway of the storage room. Nagisa gasped and turned around in shock, not expecting her to be there.

“How long were you standing there?” Nagisa’s tone was accusing.

“Long enough to know that someone’s got a fan.”

“You’ve got it all wrong, he’s just a customer.”

“Mmhmm, keep telling yourself that ‘Gisa. I saw the way he was looking at you. It was pure shoujo manga with the flowers and the banter and the teasing.”

Nagisa rolled his eyes as Fuwa started to go on in another one of her tangents. He loved her, he really did, but he often wondered if she actually lived in the real world.

“What’s got her started?” Maehara asked later when he returned from his break.

“She thinks a customer is into me,” Nagisa replied, “which is stupid because I’m not really the type of guy a person asks out.”

“Ohohoho, that’s what you think, young one,” Fuwa wagged her finger, “the romantic tension between you two was so palpable I could almost taste it. And don’t deny it, you think he’s hot.”

Nagisa blushed, “I, well, I - I have eyes okay! It’s not like he’d be interested in me though. He might not even like guys that much.”

Maehara gave him a knowing look, “that’s what I thought about Isogai but guess who just got a date for next weekend?”

“Really?” Fuwa beamed and clapped her hands giddily, “Oh, you must tell me all about it.”

Nagisa just looked at his friends and sighed.

————

The next day, when Nagisa turned up at his shift in the afternoon, there was a bouquet of sunflowers and forget-me-nots lying on the countertop. With his heart beating like a drum, he fiddled with the card that was attached to the ribbon that held them in place.

Hey Nagisa,

Heard that the new Sonic Ninja movie is coming out in a week, wanna go watch it together?

Here’s my number: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Karma

P.S: if you ever need help with maths, I’d be glad to lend some assistance ;)

P.P.S: the flowers were great!

[walpurga-nacht-academy]

Djinn’s Bride! ~A Celebration of Love~

Part 9

[Walpurga Nacht Academy]

[Djinn’s Lamp]

Djinn: Woken up from my centuries long nap, I am summoned by a mage of great power back to the realm of the mortals. As a djinn of incredible power and looks, it is no wonder that I am so sought after. To create life from nothing, to bring my Master uncountable riches, even making dancing elephants and camels - that is just scratching the top of the list of my accomplishments. And yet, how dissatisfied I feel with it all. When the call of the lamp pulls me away, I can’t help but think ‘Ah, what menial job will I be made to do again?’ It’s really a drag.

BUT! Instead of the king that I expect to see, or the cunning vizier, I am faced with eight beauties. And what’s more - they all want to marry me?! How did a poor, handsome djinn like me end up in this situation?! Well, if you want to find out-

Marcia: Ha? What the hell are you doing now?

Djinn: Haaaa, and I was just on the last line too. Gotta start from the top, I guess. Don’t interrupt me again, girlie. Ahem. Woken up from my centuries-

Marcia: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!! I’m serious right now! What the hell is this super lame monologue? It gives me the shivers just hearing about it! Seriously, just when you couldn’t get any creepier too… Oops, didn’t mean to say that aloud~

Djinn: To think you would be so out of touch with things… Alright, listen up, girlie, what I’m doing right now is a recap! I’m reminding our lovely audience of what just happened in the previous episodes so they get caught up to speed. So, to get back~ on~ track~! Woken up from my cen-

Marcia: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Wait just a sec! Audience? Recap? Episodes? This isn’t a TV show, you know?! And why’d you make yourself sound way cooler than you are! Don’t think I’ve forgotten your betrayal just that easily! Ugh, I was supposed to get rich in a flash and yet… My heart is still wounded! Women don’t forget slights that easily!!

Djinn: Hm, you’re really not getting the appeal are you… Gonna have to deduct points for that… Hm…

Rosa: Heeeeeeey! Stupid, greedy Marcia!! Stop being useless and pay for your mistakes! Repent! 

Marcia: Grrrr! You sure like to weigh in a lot for a moron, dumb, idiotic, moronic Rosalia!

Rosa: HEY, YOU SAID MORON TWICE!! I HEARD YOU!!

Marcia: Bleh!

Djinn: Hm, kinda childish too… I’d have preferred a more mature style…

Marcia: Geh! You’re taking that into account too?! Haaa, you’re sure taking this seriously…

Djinn: Obviously! This is my future we’re talking about after all. On that note…

[RUMBLE]

Marcia: THE FLOOR IS MOVING AGAIN, UGH!! AND IT’S A PLATFORM TOO??

Djinn: Now!

Marcia: !!!

Djinn: IT’S TIME TO STAAAAAART!

Marcia: …

Djinn: … Hm?

Marcia: Eh?

Djinn: Well?

Marcia: Huh?!

Djinn: Your introduction! In~ tro~ duc~ tion~! It’s essential to getting the fans to root for you, girlie! That’s how you make it through the show~

Marcia: … No, I still haven’t got an idea what you’re talking about… But if it’s about making a pitch, I’m your girl! Ahem! 

[Hey, hey, hey~ Marcia Pyroeis reporting for duty! I’m a third year with a bright future in store, I promise ya! Getting along well with both my juniors and seniors and always knowing how to get out of a pinch! That’s me!]

Hehe, so whatcha think, hm? A keeper right?

Djinn: Hm~ It’s got energy. It’s got charm. I LIKE IT! FULL POINTS!

Marcia: YAHOO! Now, then how about you come closer and-

Djinn: Not so fast!

Marcia: Huh?! What now?! You said “FULL POINTS” didn’t you?! So why-

Djinn: Hm, that’s true. But you can’t think that would be enough! Love at first sight is just a fantasy, you know?! That’s why, we gotta check compatibility too!

Marcia: Co-Compatibility? Ugh, this got a lot more annoying all of a sudden… Do we have to, haha? After all, I’m already heads over heels for you! Anything more and I just might lose my mind~

Rosa: Woah, that scummy power of hers comes in handy at moments like this!

Blanche: It’s… definitely something impressive…

Djinn: Woah, woah, woah, for real?! Hm, I shouldn’t really be doing this, but I guess you’ll be getting a few extra points there, girlie!

Diana: He’s easy to fool.

Marcia: Really~? You’re way too kind~ Now then, now then, how about we-

Djinn: Not so fast! 

Marcia: ???

Djinn: You definitely have a lot of the right qualities. BUT!! I’m not an easy sort of djinn, you know?! I just don’t give my heart out to anybody! That’s why before we tie the knot you must first undergo a SURPRISE SCENARIO!

Marcia: EH?! SURPRISE- EH?! EEEEEH?!

Rosa: HE CAME UP WITH SOMETHING RIDICULOUS AGAIN!

Djinn: To properly test a couple’s compatibility, you can’t just stop at first impressions! There needs to be understanding and cooperation. That’s~ why~ THE SURPRISE SCENARIO WILL TELL US ALL WE NEED TO KNOW! IT’S FOOLPROOF!

Marcia: Crap, and I thought I had this in the bag… Ugh, this is so annoying… But, if it’s just some stupid question, I’m sure I can breeze through it… Alright! Let’s give it a shot! I’ll show you I’m the best suited for this role, dear~!

Agatha: ……. gross….

Djinn: Ooooh! That’s it, girlie! That’s the spirit I’m looking for! That sort of energy - IT’S FANTASTIC! 

Marcia: Hehehe, it’s definitely gonna be my victory, you moron…

Djinn: Ahem. This is your scenario: Adil and Farah have been dating for 5 years now after meeting at a company party, where he accidentally spilled some punch on her dress and was chastised thoroughly for it. Because it was an outfit from a well-recognized brand, Farah demanded that Adil take care of the dry-cleaning himself. Unfortunately coming from a low standing family he could not afford the fee for it, so he decided to make a deal with a corrupt bank manager to get the money in exchange for smuggling a few precious magical gems into the embassy which will be used to blow up the building once the ambassador and the king of the country are inside. Though he’s reluctant to agree he remembers the sick mother who’s at home, and realizes that he cannot burden her with this issue since she has also just started attending college to get her degree as a bread researcher. In order to get access to the basement of the building, Adil calls up some old acquaintance from his time in the magical police who helps him secure an invitation thanks to his cousin who is actually the Prince of a foreign land. They pass Adil off as the royal confectioner, a role he is able to perform thanks to his previous career as a successful movie star actor. On the day of the heist they are able to sneak into the basement, but on their way out they bump into Farah who turns out to also be the Chief of Security for the king that’s coming to visit. In the ensuing scuffle Adil is suddenly reminded that Farah is in fact his long, lost childhood friend that he hasn’t seen since the hurricane hit their town and almost razed everybody to the ground. They embrace tearfully and realize that they have feelings for each other~

Romantic, right~?

Marcia: WHAT’S THE HELL KIND OF SCENARIO IS THIS?!

Djinn: Hm? What do you mean? It’s obviously a romcom!

Marcia: ‘OBVIOUSLY’?! HOW IS ANY OF OBVIOUS?! MY BRAIN IS JUST HURTING FROM TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND IT!!

Djinn: Hey, hey, that’s super rude! It’s a great premise with a cool hook! Anybody would be able to relate to them! Especially Adil! Isn’t he just super cool?

Marcia: Haaaaaaaaa?! What the hell is cool about him?! Rather just what the hell is his deal?!

Djinn: Eh? His deal? Is there something you dislike about him?

Marcia: Dislike?! There are a ton of things I dislike about him! Like, what the hell is up with his thinking process?! He’s gonna make some shady deal with a corrupt banker for some dry-cleaning fee?! Isn’t that way too extreme?! He could have just used a cleaning spell!!

Djinn: ….

Marcia: Or rather!! You’re telling me that somebody who’s been in the magical police and was a famous actor didn’t put some money aside for emergencies?! What kind of negligence is that, huh?! And how old is this guy to have held so many jobs and still be on the bottom rung of a company, huh?! It makes no sense!!

Djinn: …

Marcia: This whole situation is just senseless!! Ain’t he complicating things too much with his insane logic?! I don’t get it!! I don’t get him at all!! Who even came up with this type of story?!

Djinn: … Me…

Marcia: … Huh?

Djinn: It was me. I am the author of “Super Lovey Dovey Secret Agents Who Are Also Childhood Friends, But On Opposite Sides of the Battle Raging On Between Their Two Companies, So They Must Make sure Their Supervisors Don’t Find Out About It”.

Marcia: Crap!

Rosa: IT’S EVEN GOT A RIDICULOUS NAME!

Djinn: You know, I always fancied myself a bit of a screenwriter. This was supposed to be my magnus opus… My masterpiece… The story that would mark my debut in the literary world… and yet…

Marcia: Just joking~!

Djinn: Hm? 

Marcia: Hahaha, you took all that seriously! It was a joke! All just a joke, I swear! You’ve completely misinterpreted my words~

Rosa: SHE’S ACTUALLY MAKING A MOVE TO TRY AND SALVAGE ALL THIS?! SERIOUSLY?! IS SHE FOR REAL?! 

Djinn: … Is that so? 

Rosa: EEEEEH?! HE’S BUYING IT TOO?

Marcia: Yeah, yeah~ That story!! It was, uh, super cool! 

Djinn:... Really?

Marcia: Of course! It was, um, sooooooo dynamic! A lot of things happened and… Adil was such a cool character! Yeah! Yeah! Really, uh, carried the story and all that! 

Djinn: …

Marcia: You have such a gift for this!! Seriously! I’m in awe of your talent!! Hahahaha…

Djinn: … I see.

Marcia: Hm? Se-See what exactly?

Djinn: It’s been made clear to me just what sort of compatibility we have.

Marcia: Th-That soon?! Hey, you barely even gave me a chance to work my char- I mean! Don’t you think that it’s still too early to tell, hm~? We should get to know each other a little better before that~ Hey, hey~!

Djinn: Hm, no, rather I think that it’s [TIME UP]!

Marcia: EEEEEEEEH?!

[CLICK]

Rosa: SHE GOT CAUGHT IN THE HOURGLASS TOO!!

Cass: Mi-Mi-Mi-Miss Pyroeis!!

Diana: …

Blanche: This is…

Vita: How unfortunate~

Djinn: And done~ Now, let’s see who’s next, hm~?

Rosa: WAIT JUST A MOMENT!

Djinn: Hm? What is it, fluffy hair? Do you wanna volunteer?

Rosa: E-Eh?! No, no, no, no, no! No way! Absolutely no way!

Djinn: Mm, maybe it’s for the best. Flat types like you are kinda…

Rosa: HEY!

Blanche: Excuse me.

Djinn: Oh, you too, bunny girl? Man, I sure am popular~! Having so many girls after me~

Blanche: … A-Ah. In truth, there was something that I was curious about…

Djinn: Sure, sure~ Go straight ahead~ If it’s from my future cute wife then any request is A-OK with me!

Rosa: Then-

Djinn: Ah, except asking to drop out of the wedding, of course! 

Rosa: Ugh!

Blanche: No, it’s rather… Just what are your specifications for a ‘wife’?

Djinn: Specifications?

Blanche: Yes. I understand why Himalia-senpai was locked up, but even though Marcia was… well, even though she acted the way she did, was just that the reason you locked her up?

Djinn: ‘Just that’?! You don’t get it, bunny girl!

Blanche: Hm?

Djinn: It’s all about compatibility! Com~ pa~ ti~ bi~ li~ ty~! If we’re not a good match then getting married is a no go for me! I don’t wanna get stuck in a loveless relationship and suffer at the hands of somebody cruel~ My heart is too fragile for that!

Blanche: I-I see… then, just what exactly did you find displeasing about Marcia and Himalia-senpai specifically?

Rosa: Ha?! Blanche?! Don’t tell me you’re seriously thinking of going through with it?! After all the time you protested?!

Diana: No. It’s not that.

Rosa: Huh?

Diana: If we want to strike, it’s best to be forewarned. 

Rosa: Eh?

Cass: Um, it, me-means that we should ga-gather as much information a-as possible, Miss Mo-Morgainne…

Blanche: I think it would be beneficial for both of us to understand your preferences a little better, don’t you agree?

Djinn: Hm~ You’re making some sense there, bunny girl. I guess I have nothing to lose from coming forward about this… Alright then! Now listen carefully! I’ll explain to you why compatibility matters!

You see, more than anything… I think violent women are super scary!

Blanche: Huh?

Djinn: Seriously~ When I saw that Amazon pick up that marble table like it was nothing at all, I got super freaked out! That thing was at least around 400 kg, you know? 

Rosa: THA-THAT HEAVY?! WHAT IS HIMALIA-SENPAI?! A MONSTER?! A GODDESS?! 

Djinn: Aaah, just seeing it come flying at me made me so nervous… And I’m made of smoke too! No, no, a violent type just won’t work!

Blanche: I… I suppose that’s understandable… Then Marcia?

Djinn: Hm? The tomboy? Hmmm, well, I have to admit I like the type who’s full of energy. Seeing a girl smile while giving her best really brings out that healing quality~ But…

Blanche: But?

Djinn: WOMEN WHO ARE TWO-FACED ARE NOT CUTE AT ALL!

Blanche: !!!

Djinn: Seriously! Changing her mind like that just because she found out that I was the author! There’s no way I could be able to stand a woman like that!

Blanche: I see, that is-

Djinn: If she started lying from the first and kept at it, that would have been another issue! At least my feelings would have been spared like that! But being told so rudely that my work is bad… NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT THE SORT OF WIFE I WANT!

Blanche: …

Rosa: Hey, isn’t it kinda all about him again?

Marcia: Blegh! Like I could even pretend to like that sort of badly written thing in the first place! There are limits of what you can ask from people, you know?! You moron! Idiot! Lame!

Rosa: Hey, are you seriously still goi- EEEEEEH?!

Marcia: Pffft, the expression you’re making now is even more stupid than usual, Rosalia! Guess it’s nice when you have no brains and a pretty face, huh?

Rosa: GRRRRR! BEING LOCKED UP IN A HOURGLASS IS NOT PUNISHMENT ENOUGH FOR YOU!! YOU OGRE!!

Marcia: Haaaa, you’re still barking? Hahaha, now that's a funny sight, you kno- HUH?! WAIT! HUH?! YOU CAN HEAR ME?!

Rosa: I CAN HEAR YOU! I CAN HEAR JUST FINE! I CAN HEAR YOU GOING ON ABOUT HOW STUPID I AM, YOU JER-

Blanche: This is… 

Djinn: Hm? Ah, so you’ve noticed, didn’t you? 

Rosa: Noticed? Noticed what?

Diana: June’s is soundproof.

Rosa: Soundproof… Huh? You me-mean the hourglass?! Eh?! I-Is that even possible?!

Agatha: Stupid… amoeba… doesn’t… even… know… her… own… dorm… subjects… heheheheh

Rosa: HAAAAAA-

Blanche: Is this related to the complaint about her being violent…?

Djinn: Hm? Well, it’s rather… she’s just kinda annoyingly loud, you know? Loud women are also a no-go for me! I like my peace and quiet~

Blanche: I see…

Rosa: Eh? Hey, is it just me or is this guy’s list of preferences all over the place? 

Diana: Mm.

Cass: It’s, um, ra-rather confusing…

Rosa: Right?! He says he wants somebody energetic then he turns around and goes [I like my peace and quiet~]. It’s completely contradictory!

Blanche: It’s… not ideal… But we must try to figure out a way to escape from here still. Or else…

Rosa: Gulp.

back | next

[hibiscusangel15]

Why Tragedy Exists

An angsty @ichirukimonth 2020 fic this time.

Summary: When you spent your whole life fighting, what was there to do when you had nothing left to fight for? What purpose did Kurosaki Ichigo even have in this world anymore?

Ichigo’s life during the seventeen months without Rukia. For Day 7 of Ichiruki Month 2020.

Rating: Teen

(Belated) Day 7 Prompt: why are you full of rage? because you are full of grief.

Also crossposted to FFN and AO3!

When you spent your whole life fighting, what was there to do when you had nothing left to fight for? What purpose did Kurosaki Ichigo even have in this world anymore?

“Hey, bleached-hair kid! I’m talkin’ to you, asshole!” Another faceless thug snagged his collar. Yet another nameless gang gathered to back up their cookie-cutter character of a leader.

He shouldn’t be here. He didn’t want to be here. But where else did he have to go?

Another meaningless scuffle. Another bruise, another scrape, more blood to be cleaned later.

Flurried fists and tiny pocket knives and screamed obscenities never seemed so dull before.

Other boys his age often picked fights with him. Had done so as far back as he could remember. All over trifling, inconsequential matters that seemed so laughable to him now. His hair, his attitude, his existence was all wrong.

Only now he had the strength to take them all on by himself. Only now did he choose to fight them for no reason at all.

Chad interfered in one of these fights once. For a moment, they were a team again. They fought side-by-side without the burden of death or the balance of the worlds looming over their heads. This was just a brawl on the street. Nothing more, nothing less.

Once Chad called an ambulance for all the knocked-out thugs, he offered to treat Ichigo out to some food.

Ichigo said nothing. Didn’t even thank him. Just spat out coppery blood on the concrete and stalked off without looking back. Chad wouldn’t chase after him or insist, he knew. Knew all too well how to take advantage of his friend’s inherent kindness.

He never felt more disgusted with himself.

Time moved on. Everyone around him recovered. They all got over the horrors they’d just barely survived. Only he remained stagnant, falling behind, grasping at something forever out of his reach.

He never thought that saving the world would be so thankless.

Tatsuki once invited him to watch her karate team practice and give them a few pointers. None of the upperclassmen were all that stoked about it, but they’d heard about Kurosaki’s reputation. One of them even challenged him to a fair match to test his skills.

He nearly refused. Until the guy went on and on about how Ichigo’s only fighting experience came from fights in the street. How a punk like him couldn’t possibly have learned the discipline or technique a real warrior possessed.

Tatsuki told this smug upperclassman off, stabbing him with reminders that he didn’t even qualify for nationals last year. The upperclassman—Ichigo was never very good at remembering names—snapped something at her, and it was only then he stood up and accepted his challenge.

Ichigo took him down in a few minutes. Then another upperclassman claimed he cheated and demanded a match with him, and another one after that. Their pride as one of the top karate teams in the nation was staked on this.

Unfortunately, these guys were all weak.

None of them would last a day being a Shinigami.

They begged and begged him to join their team despite all their injuries. Despite how afraid of him they all were. To them, to normal humans, Kurosaki Ichigo was little more than a monster.

So he refused. Such things simply didn’t hold his interest anymore.

And then they offered to pay him.

Ichigo hadn’t had much need for money before. Though his father didn’t make much running the Kurosaki Clinic, his family lived comfortably enough.

Now those bills waved in his face meant something else. Something new to latch onto.

With enough money, he could move far, far away from Karakura Town. He could leave everything behind. Go to a university where no one knew him. Start fresh. Start anew.

Ichigo could forget last year ever happened. He could finally forget her.

He took the deal, but made his own conditions as well. This much would only pay for the week. He wouldn’t ever be considered an official member of the team, so they couldn’t ask him to participate in competitions.

They were not comrades. They were not friends.

Word got out about Ichigo’s “services” to the other sports teams at Karakura High.  Soon enough, he found himself making weekly and bi-weekly contracts to help them out during practices.

It was a decent way to make money, he supposed. Looking into how much apartments cost outside the city, though, he knew it wasn’t enough.

He’d have to find another job soon.

Ichigo was out with the track team when he spotted Ishida alone in the park. No, not alone. He couldn’t sense the enemy, but the pocks in the grass and suspiciously trampled playground equipment more than spoke for itself.

He didn’t know what he was going to do when he took off. Instinct never really left much room for rationale, after all.

He leapt high over Ishida’s head, grunting in surprise when his foot connected with an intangible figure. The earth rumbled underneath as a plume of dust kicked up a few feet away.

Definitely a Hollow. A big one.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Kurosaki?” Ishida snapped. His arms were extended before him, holding a bow Ichigo couldn’t see anymore.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m helping you! The least you could do is thank me.”

Idiot! I’m not going to thank you! The echo of her voice rang so unbearably clear in his mind. He wished he could cast it aside, wished the memory of her would not linger in every little thing he did.

Ishida's eyes flickered away, and he leapt a distance much wider than any normal human would’ve been able to cover. A fist-shaped crater bloomed before him. Ichigo raised his arms to block the debris flying past, choking on the dust swirling in the air.

As a habit, he reached behind him for a sword that did not exist anymore. Would not exist ever again.

Fate was once again the millstone, he the grist. It turned relentlessly, endlessly onward, further away from her and back again.

Powerlessness. Normality. Both synonymous with complacency.

Both equaled death.

“You’re only getting in the way, Kurosaki! Just back off and let me handle this for once,” Ishida yelled.

Ichigo watched him mimic pulling an arrow back, deliberate and steady. Watched Ishida fire that shot above his head. There was no fanfare, no sense of accomplishment to accompany it. He didn’t even know where the Hollow was.

“Is it...dead?” he asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Ishida lowered his arms. “Yes.”

“I see.”

Silence weighed in the air far heavier than any reiatsu ever could.

“Hey, do you ever feel bad about the Hollows you kill?”

Ishida frowned at the question. “What do you mean?”

It was pointless to ask him this. It was pointless to continue.

“Quincies completely destroy souls with their arrows, right?” Ichigo clenched his own shirt in a fist. He had to stop talking. “Don’t you ever feel bad that any random Hollow you killed might be some lost soul in pain?”

Ishida studied him for a wary moment then shoved his glasses further up his nose. “It can’t be helped. If it comes down to saving a Hollow or an innocent soul, I’d choose the innocent one without hesitation. Surely you’d do the same, Kurosaki.”

“I could save both of them.” The words were so quiet, so riddled with hollow confidence. “I’d save them both without even thinking about it.”

“Funny, you once said to me that you knew you couldn’t protect everyone.”

His friends didn’t always have the right words to say. He couldn’t expect them to understand.

And yet….

“But I did save everyone! I saved Karakura Town. I saved the entire damn world as we know it. What makes you think I couldn’t save two souls at once the way I am now?”

His chest ached. The strain was unbearable. He was drowning.

“Are you calling me weak? Do you think I’m so incapable of protecting anyone that you’d rather cast me aside than even let me try?”

Ishida looked away. “Quit putting words in my mouth, Kurosaki. I never said any of that.”

“Oh yeah? I’m in the way? I should back off?” He trembled with directionless rage. “All of you guys think I’m some weakling that needs to be protected. That I can’t fend for myself anymore. And I’m so fucking sick of it!”

“Uh, h-hey, Kurosaki, are you okay?” the captain of the track team asked behind him.

Any idiot would know he wasn’t.

Ichigo turned away. “I’m fine.”

The captain paled at the sight of his scowling face. “Um, you can finish your conversation with your friend—”

“We’re not friends.”

Ishida sucked in a sharp breath, but said nothing. Did nothing. Again.

“Kurosaki!”

Ichigo didn’t turn back. How could he? They’d all turned their backs on him. It only seemed fitting he return the favor.

The wheel continued to turn.

Finals were a pain to deal with, especially with all those remedial classes he had to take for missing so much school before. Though difficult and boring, they weren’t entirely unmanageable.

He hadn’t really talked much to the others in a while. Better to distance himself now. Better they all learn to let him go so he’d have no further reminders of the last year. Of her.

It was stupid to think they’d ever go so quietly, though.

“Ichigo!” Tatsuki called to him on the street.

He stopped walking but refused to look back.

Several sets of footsteps scraped along the concrete behind him.

“You’ve been avoiding us for weeks now, Kurosaki,” Ishida said. “But now that Finals are over, you can’t hide from us anymore.”

“I wasn’t hiding from any of you. We’re all in the same class,” Ichigo replied, keeping his tone unaffected.

“You know that’s not what we mean, Kurosaki.”

Fate was cruel in each revolution. In each turning of the wheel, he would always be crushed under its power.

“Kurosaki-kun,” Inoue piped up, her voice wavering just a bit. “You’ve been acting very strangely since...that day Kuchiki-san left.”

Her name. The mere sound of it dragged him down when he’d tried so desperately to claw himself to the surface.

He hadn’t said her name in months. Didn’t even dare to think it.

“Ishida-kun and Sado-kun and Tatsuki-chan told me everything that’s been happening with you. And...we’re worried.” Her voice bubbled and warped, and he was drowning again. “We don’t know why you’re pushing us all away, Kurosaki-kun.”

They didn’t know? They really didn’t know why he couldn’t bear to be near them?

“I can’t stand the way you all look at me.”

Such a disgustingly petty reason. Such a terrible excuse. When even he couldn’t stand to look at himself anymore.

“Ever since I lost my powers, you’ve all been acting like I'm fragile and useless!”

Enough.

“I can’t stand it!”

Shut up.

“I don’t want your pity!”

Please stop.

“I can’t wait to get the hell out of Karakura Town so you all can finally leave me alone!”

The rain would follow him, though. That cursed rain would always follow him.

He was drowning. Why couldn’t they see?

Tatsuki was the first to speak. “You’ve always been like this.”

“...What the hell did you just say?”

Even now he refused to look at them.

“What, does being mad all the time make you deaf, too?” she snapped. “I said you’ve always been like this, Ichigo. You don’t know any other way to express your grief outside of lashing out.”

“Is that right?” Ichigo stood up straighter. “And what makes you think I’m grieving, Tatsuki?”

“Don’t you dare act like I don’t know you, Kurosaki Ichigo!” Her voice rippled through the water. “We’ve known each other for so long—we’ve been friends for this long—and you couldn’t even bother to tell me what was going on with you from the beginning. I had to learn about all this Shinigami stuff after the fact! And not from you, either! From Orihime! From Chad and Ishida! But you didn’t tell me anything! Not when you left to rescue Kuchiki-san, not when you went to save Orihime…. I know you’re grieving because this is the exact same thing you did when your mother died!”

Ichigo finally whirled on them, eyes burning with so much fury it was difficult to look at him head-on.

Ishida stepped in front of her, arm outstretched like a shield. “So you’ve become the sort of person that would attack your friends over something like this? Do you think Kuchiki-san would be happy if she knew she’d left you in this sorry state?”

They kept saying her name so freely. As if she was so commonplace. As if his heart could bear that burden.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Didn’t she tell you she’d be watching over you, Kurosaki? Do you think she’d approve of anything you’re doing now? All your fights. Your rage. And for what?”

Ichigo gritted his teeth. “I don’t need her approval! I don’t need anything! I’m happy without her! I’m happy I’m finally normal!”

Ishida’s usual calm demeanor cracked, and his face twisted into a scowl. “What you’re doing isn’t normal, Kurosaki! Constantly picking fights with strangers, ignoring all of us, butting into simple Hollow fights—”

Inoue sucked in a breath. Clearly there were some things the others hadn’t told her.

“Does it make you feel strong, Kurosaki? Does it help you forget that, just for a moment, you aren’t completely pathetic?”

Ichigo punched him square in the jaw. His glasses flew off. A sickening crunch sounded under his foot when he took a bewildered step back.

Inoue ran to him immediately. “Ishida-kun!”

Tatsuki grabbed his arm, tried to pin it behind his back and get him to submit. Ichigo wrenched his arm out of her hold and turned to shove her away.

Chad stepped in between them. There was that awful pity reflected in his eyes again.

Ichigo wanted to wipe it away.

Chad took blow after wild blow to the chest, to his stomach, each one more frustrated than the last. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he did not move. The pity in his eyes did not change.

Ichigo shoved Tatsuki to the ground when she tried to intervene again. There was yelling. So much yelling. None of it was enough to pierce through the rain. It wasn’t enough to save him.

His hand suddenly bounced off an invisible barrier, bruising the knuckles and his pride all in one shattering blow.

“Kurosaki-kun…” Inoue muttered, her voice cracking.

She flinched when he glared back at her. That look on her face made him hate himself all the more.

It was the same look she wore when he first protected her with his Hollow mask. It was that look every other human threw his way.

Monster.

“Please...stop this.” Tears spilled down her face. Ishida wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, and she folded into the embrace. “We’re your friends! So please….”

Ichigo couldn’t take it anymore. All his sorrow and grief and aimless rage collapsed around him and he screamed.

Chad caught him before he sank any further. “Ichigo!”

“I can’t…. I don’t….”

He couldn’t breathe. He was drowning. He was dying.

A steady hand squeezed his shoulder, another placed flat on his back. They held him above the water. They lent him their strength.

The rain still echoed around him. He still struggled to stay afloat. But maybe now he would rely on his friends to protect his heart.

A single tear crashed to the ground as bright as a falling star.

“I’m sorry.”

                                                        * * *

Quiet mornings were practically nonexistent in Karakura Town.

“Maaaaan, I can’t stand not talking about this anymore! Doesn’t it drive you insane?” Keigo screeched while walking alongside Mizuiro.

Mizuiro scrolled through social media on his phone, only half-listening. “I’m not sure what you mean, Asano-san.”

“Don’t you ‘Asano-san’ me again, Mizuiro! I’m talking about all the weird stuff Ichigo and the others did a while ago! I mean, I know Ishida and Chad and all the others said it’s better if we don’t talk about that stuff with him, but c’mon! How’re you not supposed to talk about ghosts and monsters and Shinigami after finding out they exist? It’s impossible!”

“Considering your track record, I’m surprised you managed to hold out for this long.”

“Now what’s that supposed to mean? I can be sensitive to others’ feelings!” Keigo insisted. “But it’s been forever. Ichigo might be okay if I talk to him about it now.”

“Might be?”

“Don’t make me second-guess myself, Mizuiro! I’m gonna talk about this so much, even I’ll get sick of hearing about it!”

Mizuiro finally looked up. “Everything that happened to us was pretty unbelievable. Sometimes I want to believe it was all some weird nightmare I had. But...I don’t really want to talk about it. There isn’t much left to be said anyway. Not if reminding Ichigo of it all will just depress him.”

At this, Keigo’s enthusiasm deflated. “Well, yeah, I guess. But don’t you wanna know what he thinks about Rukia-chan not coming to visit all this time?”

What a tactless idiot.

Mizuiro’s smile was more polite than genuine. “I think she’s the main reason he’s been feeling down.”

“What? So you’re saying that they—”

“I’m not saying anything, Asano-san.”

His cold facade nearly fell at Keigo's childish pout. Honestly, if he wasn't able to pick up on these things after all the time he'd known Ichigo, then there really was no hope for him.

Keigo didn’t get a chance to talk to him until lunchtime.

“I wonder what Rukia-chan’s up to.”

Ichigo nearly spit out his juice. “What’s Rukia got to do with anything?”

“I’m just saying, would it kill her to pop in and say hello from time to time?” Keigo flopped about on the floor like a fish. “Don’t you think it’s cold of her to not show her face even once since then?”

Yes.

“It’s not cold,” Ichigo replied.

Liar.

“She’s not in charge of Karakura Town anymore, so it’s completely normal for her to not hang around.”

Keigo squinted up at him. “You don’t miss her?”

More than anything.

“No reason to.”

He rattled off the same bullshit excuse he always did whenever anyone brought this up. He always wanted this slow peace. He didn’t need his powers anymore.

He didn’t need her in his life.

Before today, when was the last time he’d spoken her name aloud? When did Rukia become someone who never left his mind?

Ichigo stared up at the sky. Dark clouds blurred through a once-clear blue.

A black butterfly fluttered past. His absent hand trailed after it, chased it in the hopes it would perch itself on his finger. It flew up higher, further than he could reach, and he slowly let his hand fall away.

Fate turned on relentlessly. It would not falter, would not pause even for them. He had wished, foolishly perhaps, that he could go back to the moment Rukia disappeared from his eyes. Go back just to tell her everything he could not say.

He loved her.

He loved her with every fiber of his weak human heart.

The wheel kept spinning. The butterfly grew more distant.

Rukia would not come back to him.

The wind picked up, and he finally turned away.

I wonder if I can keep up with the speed of a world you’re not in.