#dr banner x reader

[kykyonthemoon]

Comfort Sweets

Unable to contact you for hours, Zayne decides to bring a box of macarons to your place.

ಇ. Zayne x Reader|MC

ಇ. Tags: fluff, soft fluff, sweets, comforting, emotional hurt & comfort, new established relationship

ಇ. Word count: over 1k

ಇ. Requested by Oreo.

ಇ. Masterlist ♡ Request a fic

Zayne stood outside your house one day. A few beads of rain remained on his shoulders and hair, but the box of macarons he cradled in his hands was completely dry. On the way here, he had stopped by the bakery and deliberately chose for you the lovely macarons in this box. He wondered if it would be too sudden if he came to visit you.

Zayne had only reconnected with you not too long ago. Over the time spent together, he could say that he had become closer to you. However, he did not dare to dream too much. You vanished unexpectedly the same day. You did not come to the hospital to see him as usual. You had not seen the messages he had sent you in the last several hours. Worried that something was wrong with you, he decided to come to your apartment to check on you.

After a time, the door opened. He sighed with relief as he saw you standing inside. Yet, you appeared exhausted with unkempt hair and a pale complexion. You were taken aback to see him here; perhaps it was not the best time to invite guests to your home. However, you kindly welcomed him inside. 

Zayne set the macaron box on the tea table in the living room. He noted your sluggish demeanor and how you avoided looking at him directly. He spoke up:

“I brought you some sweets. Perhaps it will help you feel better.”

"I'm okay." You dismissed it. You acted as if Zayne could not see your red and swollen eyes, which told him you had been crying a lot.

“You say you're fine, but you're still not in the mood for sweets?” 

Zayne sat down on the sofa, placing one hand on the empty mattress next to him and softly patting it. He waited for you to get down before opening the treat box. 

“There are chocolate, oranges, almonds, strawberries, blueberries, green tea too…” 

Zayne went through each macaron with different colors. Just looking at them would make a gloomy day brighter. You chose the one with your favorite taste but had yet to eat it. Zayne saw you clutching it in your hands and asked:

"What's wrong? Don't want to eat it?"

“Thank you, Doctor Zayne…” You replied, your voice still wavering slightly. “I'm just a little tired…”

He put a hand on your forehead. “Your temperature is a bit high, but it's not a fever.” 

You gave a soft smile, took his hand and held it. “I'm fine.”

“Is there anything you want to tell me then?” Zayne inquired, knowing you had something in your mind.

You glanced at him for a time and then said nothing. You ate the macaron in your palm and remained silent for a long time thereafter. 

Zayne stopped staring at you. He got up and went to the kitchen to get water for both of you. Even though he had only been here a few times, he could remember the correct places where you put your stuff in your apartment. He noticed some new decorations in the kitchen.

While fetching water, he kept an eye on you in the living room. The usually cheerful girl, who always appeared mighty and could talk for hours to his ear, had become curiously withdrawn. He wondered whether something had happened to put you in such a bad mood. Or did he inadvertently make you upset with his dry conversations, or did his hectic schedule keep him from being with you much?

Zayne was terrified that he might unknowingly push you away. He had never dated anybody before, and he had never poured so much love into one person like this. So he would be furious with himself if he said or did something that upset you by mistake.

Zayne returned to your side once you had finished eating the first macaron. Your expression had improved a little, but the silence was still like a knife slashing into his heart. He wanted to hold you in his arms so much. Did you need his comfort? Or did you just want to be alone, and his being here made you even more uncomfortable?

Zayne was ready to say something, but you were the one who broke the silence:

Thank you, Zayne. Thank you so much for coming here... Otherwise, I'm not sure how long I'd have been sitting here sobbing..."

You decided to share with him, at last. Zayne listened patiently as you expressed all of your inner emotions. You had just had an argument with a long-time friend, who went behind your back and did something terrible. Such treachery left you heartbroken. But when you told Zayne, it seemed like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. Emotions flowed out with words so naturally.

“The person who betrayed your trust is no longer worthy of your tears.” Zayne said, his hand reaching out to touch the corner of your teary eye. 

“Yes. I know... But I... I feel so sad and resentful..."

Zayne glanced at the open box of macarons on the table. “How about having one more? I know a girl whose mood would be brightened right away with just a little sweets, no matter how gloomy her day is."

You covered your face with both hands and grinned faintly. "That girl is so easy to coax!" But, in the meantime, perhaps a macaron isn't enough."

Zayne looked at you, unsure of what you were implying. Then you got closer, wrapping your arms around his waist. You rested your head on his chest. 

“She might need something even sweeter.” 

He heard your whisper. The corners of his mouth curled up as he patted your head. "That girl is quite difficult to coax. She wants sweets and cuddles all at once."

Zayne felt your arms tightening around him even more. You stated:

“The only person who can comfort her is Doctor Zayne!”

He smiled, tenderly like the way he was caressing your hair. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of your head. The talented Hunter did have weak times like these, which made him beyond pleased to be your supporter. He continued:

“Then every time you encounter something unpleasant, let me know.Doctor Zayne will always be available to listen and comfort you.”

[sycamorelibrary754]

Guardian Angel

Chapter 11: Full House

Summary: Following the harrowing near-death encounter in Rome, you and everyone else are navigating the aftermath. On top of that, the weight of the secret about your parents' intentions to drill in Sokovia continues to burden you. As you and Wanda take the next step in your relationship by moving in together, the looming truth about the secret remains unresolved.

Warnings: Reliving past trauma, angst, crying.

Word Count: 3.5k

A/N: Time to tell Wanda the truth.

Guardian Angel Masterlist

It had been precisely fourteen days since the harrowing brush with death in Rome. Following extensive scrutiny, SHIELD pinpointed the irregularities in the catacombs to a deserted island situated along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. However, their lead soon dissipated, leaving the investigation at a standstill. With everyone grappling with the lingering trauma of being confined underground, the case was pushed aside to allow for emotional recovery. Fury insisted on mandatory sessions with Dr. Raynor at the compound, much to everyone's dismay, including you. 

Do you remember how you felt when you saw them fall?" Dr. Raynor inquired. 

"Scared," you replied, your voice flat.

"Anything else?" she asked, reaching for her pad and pen.

"I don't remember... I think I blocked it out."

Dr. Raynor took another tact to try and bring down your walls.

"You're not an Avenger, are you, Y/N?" Leaning back in her chair. 

"Definitely not."

"And you own a...," she paused to flip through her notes, "sweet shop?"

"Yes, The Candy Bar."

"Sounds delightful.”

“It's the most normal aspect of my life at the moment," you say, running your hand through your hair. "It's the one constant."

Ah, because you live here, correct?" 

"That’s right.”

"And you and Ms. Maximoff are a couple?" 

"Yep, we've been together for five months now."

"How's it going?"

"Unbelievable, she's incredible."

"How did you two meet?"

"Her kids ran into me one day," you said with a smile, remembering that fateful encounter at the coffee shop. "And then..."

Dr. Raynor noticed the sudden shift in your demeanor.

"Y/N?"

"Hmm?" you answered, momentarily lost in my thoughts.

"And then?"

"I was in a serious car accident, and Wanda saved my life,” you said softly. 

"So, it's safe to say you trust Ms. Maximoff with your life?"

"Absolutely, without a doubt.”

Alright, let's dive into this," Dr. Raynor started. "How did it feel to watch the person you're in a relationship with, the person you trust with your life, jet off to a catacomb in Rome, putting themselves in harm's way to save the team?"

You nervously twisted the fabric of your shirt, avoiding eye contact with Dr. Raynor. "I haven't been that scared in ages.”

“Have you talked to her about how you feel?” Dr. Raynor asked.

“Oh, God, no. I was just so relieved when she brought everyone back that I pushed all that aside,” you explained.

“Do you always push aside your feelings?” 

“Not always.” 

"But sometimes?" Dr. Raynor jotted down notes on her pad.

"I suppose," you said, wondering how the conversation had turned in this direction. Bucky was right; that notepad was passive-aggressive.

Dr. Raynor glanced at the clock and put down her notepad. "Our time is up, Y/N, but I want you to consider this: Being honest with those we care about is essential for building trust. How can your relationship with Wanda progress if you aren't open with her?"

It hit like a ton of bricks again: Tony, the newspaper, your parents, Sokovia, and the guilt that weighed a ton.

*^~^*

"Tony!" You burst into the lab, calling out his name. “Tony!”

The genius responded as he rounded the corner, manipulating virtual elements as he moved with Dum-E following closely behind. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Willy Wonka?"

"We need to tell Wanda about my parents' drilling in Sokovia," you said urgently. “I can't take the guilt anymore.”

Tony removed his glasses and sighed. "I know. I've been grappling with that since we've been home, too. Our little underground adventure kind of threw everything into chaos."

“Boss,” FRIDAY interrupted. “Ms. Maximoff has just arrived and is looking for Ms. Y/L/N.”

“Tell her I’ll be right up, FRIDAY,” you said.

“Okay,” Tony said, running his hand over his face. “Here's what we'll do. I'll do some research and call a team meeting. You take Wanda and keep her out, and about so I can determine our next steps.”

You nodded. “I was going to take her by my apartment to pick up some stuff.”

It suddenly dawned on Tony. “Oh, right, your apartment.”

“What about my apartment?” You asked nervously.

“Well, here’s the thing…” placing a hand on your shoulder. “Cap turned it into a safe house.”

“He did what?” stunned by his words.

“It’s the perfect downtown location in a nondescript building,” Tony defended.

“What did you plan on doing when I moved back to my apartment?” You shouted.

“We hadn't thought that far ahead,” he reasoned. “Frankly, once you started dating the little witch, we figured the problem had solved itself, and you would move in with her.”

“Well, we haven’t thought that far ahead," you exclaimed in frustration, resting your head on the cool steel of the billionaire’s workshop desk.

"Why not? Pepper told me Billy and Tommy love you. What’s the problem?" Tony inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. I want to give Wanda space to find her footing again," you replied reluctantly.

"Y/N, I need you to understand something," Tony said firmly. "I was there the day Wanda came back after Westview. She was completely lost, struggling to make sense of everything. She only found her footing again when she found you.”

The genius could see the wheels turning in your head. "Just something to ponder," he said, giving you a friendly pat. "Oh, and you'll want this," he added, quickly jotting down a series of numbers on paper and passing it to you.

As the elevator ascended, you consciously tried to steady your racing thoughts by taking deep breaths. The burden of concealing this truth from Wanda had begun to take a toll on you.

Wanda greeted you with a warm smile as you walked into the kitchen. "Hey there, sweetheart," she said, a look of concern crossing her face. "You seem a bit flushed. Are you feeling alright?" She reached out as if to check your forehead.

"I'm fine," you replied, skillfully evading her touch. "I was thinking we could stop by my apartment today. Since it’s now a safe house, I should grab some things." With that, you grabbed your keys.

"It’s a what?" A mixture of confusion and anger was evident on her face. "When did that happen?"

"I'm not exactly sure," you answered, taking her hand in yours. "But I have a feeling I won't see my security deposit again."

*^~^*

A sense of unease gnawed at you as you approached your apartment. You couldn't shake the feeling that your landlord and neighbors would go ballistic if they found out the Avengers sought refuge in your place. The faded number 19 still clung to the door, a poignant reminder of all that had changed since you last stood before it with Wanda.

The key slipped into the lock, and with a twist, the door swung open to reveal a scene straight out of a spy movie.

"Holy moly," you gasped, taking in the high-tech security measures that now guarded your home.

"I swear, I'm going to wring Steve's neck for this," Wanda fumed.

Reinforced walls and a cutting-edge surveillance system watched over the space like a hawk, ready to pounce on unwanted visitors. Closed-circuit cameras and motion detectors stood vigil, creating an impenetrable fortress around you.

You took out the piece of paper Tony had given you and punched in the sequence of numbers on the keypad. The panel beeped and flashed "Defense system in sleep mode.”

"So, what are we searching for, babe?" Wanda inquired. 

"Just some more clothes and a few books I've wanted to read. I've devoured almost everything in the compound library, and my wardrobe ran dry ages ago," you answered, surveying the room cluttered with empty pizza boxes and a cheeky IOU note from Yelena for $22.50.

As you moved around your apartment, Wanda stayed close behind, offering to help clean up and carry the stack of books you had taken from the shelf. She blushed as you showed her the outfits you selected from your closet.

After one last glance around your home, you stated, "Okay, I think that's everything."

"Wait, Sweetheart," Wanda said with a concerned look. "I want to talk to you about something,” placing the books on the coffee table. 

Your heart sank as if it had dropped into the pit of your stomach. Did she somehow know? Had she heard your thoughts in the kitchen? She had assured you that she would only do that in case of an emergency, but now you couldn't shake the feeling that she might be onto you. You knew you had to come clean and tell her everything. It wasn't fair to keep her in the dark.

"Wanda, I..." you began, trying to find the right words.

“Move in with me,” Wanda cut in, her tone filled with determination.

“What?” you exclaimed, your eyes widening in surprise at her sudden suggestion.

“Move in with me,” she repeated, her voice soft but persistent. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I want to wake up to you every morning and be there when you come from the Candy Bar smelling like chocolate.”

“I- are you sure? What about the boys?” you stammered, taken aback by the unexpected proposal.

“I spoke to Billy and Tommy this weekend, and they couldn’t be more excited,” Wanda explained, her eyes filled with sincerity.

Overwhelmed, you embraced Wanda tightly, pouring all your feelings into the gesture, then tenderly kissed her, conveying everything you felt at her offer. Then you looked into her eyes. You couldn't do it. So, instead of telling her the truth, you pushed your feelings aside, just like Dr. Raynor said. 

“Let’s do it. Let’s live together,” you finally whispered, the decision settling in your heart.

*^~^*

The team huddled around the conference table, absorbing the feature of your parents displayed on the massive screen at the head of the room.

“Onyx Petroleum is seeking permission to conduct an untested deep-sea operation to drill for Vibranium on remnants of Sokovian soil. They already have approval from Slovakia and the Czech Republic,” Tony explained as he walked around the table.

"Y/N's parents?" Yelena inquired, arching her eyebrow curiously.

"Why didn't she ever tell us?" Kate wondered aloud, sounding a mix of surprised and concerned.

“Not everyone has parents they're proud of,” Natasha said solemnly.

“The European Union is standing firm, but our intelligence indicates that Onyx Petroleum currently has 200 lobbyists in Brussels,” Maria continued. "They've held 327 high-level meetings with top European Commission officials since European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker took office after the Blip. They've successfully delayed, weakened, and sabotaged EU action on the climate emergency – watering down renewable energy, energy efficiency, and greenhouse gas targets while securing profitable fossil fuel subsidies."

Thor's voice dripped with sarcasm as he declared, "I'll give them a taste of what a real climate emergency looks like.”

Steve leaned in, his eyes narrowing. "How long has Y/N known?" 

"Since before Rome," Tony replied, tapping his fingers on the table. 

Bucky chimed in, "Does Wanda know?" 

Tony shook his head. "No, but she will soon. It's killing Y/N, keeping this from her." 

Sam leaned forward. "What's our next move?”

"Reconnaissance?" Clint suggested.

"Infiltration," Bruce replied firmly.

"Can't Y/N assist us with that?" Nat asked.

"No, I already tried. Her parents cut off her access to all of their financial accounts and company databases when they disowned her," Tony explained.

"They disowned her?" Yelena's expression contorted in anger.

"Yes, when she turned 18 and refused to take control of the family business," Maria interjected.

All eyes turned to the Deputy Director.

"The Overwatch allows for plenty of conversation time," the brunette remarked.

“Where's their main office located?" Peter inquired.

"San Francisco, California," Maria replied.

"Scott," Steve said to himself.

"I'm going to reach out to the incredible Shrinking Felon," Tony announced. "Let's all be there for Wanda and Y/N because this will go over like a lead balloon.”

*^~^*

As you and Wanda stepped off the elevator, she said, "Friday, tell everyone to meet us in the common area, please."

The team slowly wandered in, their eyes on both of you standing before them.

Wanda began, "Everyone, we have some news."

"We know, and we just want you to know that we're here for you," Kate interrupted, smiling sympathetically.

In response, your eyes widened, and you vigorously shook your head behind Wanda to get her attention.

"Thank you?" Wanda replied, a hint of confusion in her voice as she tried to make sense of the young archer's words. She had grown accustomed to Kate's habit of saying quirky things, so she didn't dwell on it for too long.

"What is it?" Yelena said, moving closer and draping her arm around Kate's shoulder, signaling her to keep quiet.

"Y/N and I are moving in together!" She announced, pulling you into a tight hug and kissing your cheek.

The room fell into a hush for an eternity until Steve's voice shattered the silence.

"Wow, that's fantastic news, you two," Steve exclaimed.

“Yes, congratulations,” Nat said, offering a warm hug.

As you embraced the Black Widow, she leaned in and whispered urgently, "We know, and you need to tell her as soon as possible.”

Locked in her intense gaze, you found yourself speechless before your attention was gently diverted elsewhere.

"When are you moving?" Sam asked.

"Right away, most of my stuff is already here, so it shouldn't be too complicated," you replied.

"We could use a strong, super soldier to help us with the move, especially since he's the one who displaced Y/N in the first place," Wanda said, giving Steve a sly look.

"Of course, first thing in the morning," Steve promised.

"I'm in, too," Bucky chimed in.

Wanda checked her watch as it beeped with a reminder.

"I need to go pick up Billy and Tommy from soccer practice. I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart." She kissed your lips and rested her hands on your shoulders. "I'm so excited."

You couldn't tear your eyes away as she stepped into the elevator, and the doors closed. 

“I’m so screwed,” you muttered. 

"What the hell was that?" Tony exclaimed, "I thought you were going to tell her."

"I know, but then she asked me to move in, and I just couldn't go through with it," you said, burying your face in your hands.

"Y/N, do you want Nat and I to be there when you tell her? It might make it easier for both of you," Maria offered.

"No, thank you. I need to handle this alone," you said with a deep breath.

*^~^*

The next day, Steve and Bucky came over to lend a hand as you and Wanda packed up your belongings. You all loaded everything into two of Tony's cars - you rode with Bucky while Wanda hopped in with Steve.

As the car sped along the open road, you found your gaze fixed on the passing scenery, lost in your thoughts.

Bucky glanced over and attempted to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "That's a good impression of me," he joked.

Feeling the weight of the unspoken truth, you sighed heavily. "Instead of jokes, how about some advice on what to say to my girlfriend," you said

"You tell her the truth, Y/N," Bucky replied reassuringly. "Wanda knows what you've been through with your parents and that you would never do anything to hurt her."

As Bucky approached a red light, you caught a glimpse of the redhead extending her hand out of the car window, offering a slight wave in your direction. You reciprocated the gesture with a wave of your own.

“The longer you wait, the worse it's going to be when she finds out,” Bucky counseled.

As the cars rolled into the driveway, Billy and Tommy emerged from the house, welcoming you with warm, tight hugs.

Hey, Billy, Tommy! How are you?" you greeted the two boys with a warm smile.

"We're good, but today is about you," Billy replied, beaming.

"Come on, we have a surprise for you!" Tommy chimed in, grabbing your hand and leading you towards the house, the excitement evident in his eyes.

As you glanced back at Wanda, she just shook her head, indicating that she had no idea what was happening.

"Go ahead, Y/N," Steve said, giving you an encouraging nod. "We'll get started here."

You followed Billy and Tommy into the house, curious about the surprise they had in store for you. They led you to the kitchen, and your eyes widened with astonishment as you saw a homemade banner hung across the kitchen cabinets that read, "Welcome home, Y/N!"

"Aww, boys! This is so sweet!" you exclaimed, overwhelmed by their thoughtful gesture.

But the surprises didn't end there. With a mischievous grin, Tommy super-sped away and returned with a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies in a millisecond.

"Wait, you made these yourselves?" you asked incredulously, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Billy enthusiastically nodded and exclaimed, "We've been honing our baking skills since we made those brownies together when Mom was away.”

"And she lets you use the stove alone?" you asked, a hint of skepticism in your voice.

"She never said we couldn't," Tommy replied cheekily, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

You couldn't help but chuckle. "Very sneaky, Tommy."

Taking a bite of the cookie, you savored the warm and gooey chocolate chips, the perfect combination of chewy and crispy. "Oh my gosh, you guys! These are delicious!"

"Seriously?" they exclaimed in perfect unison.

"Yes, well done, you two," you assured them, genuinely impressed by their baking skills.

Their faces lit up with joy as they exchanged a quick high-five, proud of their accomplishment.

Before leaving, you grabbed some cookies for Wanda and the guys. "Thank you so much, boys. You certainly made me feel welcome.”

*^~^*

The day was long and exhausting, but all the boxes were finally unpacked, and you were officially moved into your new home. Steve and Bucky graciously offered to take the boys to dinner, giving you and Wanda some much-needed alone time. You ordered a delicious pizza from your favorite spot, allowing Wanda time to relax instead of cooking. After a leisurely dinner, you snuggled on the couch under a cozy blanket while soft, soothing music played from Wanda’s cherished playlist, creating the perfect ambiance for a peaceful, intimate evening.

"I’m so happy you're here," Wanda said, gently caressing your cheek.

"Same here," you replied, leaning into her touch. "Thank you for inviting me to move in. I know it takes a lot to open your life to someone."

"There was a point when I thought I'd never let anyone back into my life, especially after everything the boys and I have been through," she sighed. "But you... helped me tear down those walls and regain my trust."

"Oh God.” You knew it wasn't the right time, but it pained you to wait any longer, knowing it was undermining the trust you'd built. “There's something I need to tell you," your voice wavering slightly.

What's wrong?" Wanda said, noticing the change in your mood.

"Do you remember when I told you about my strained relationship with my parents and Onyx Petroleum?" 

“Of course, I know how much that hurt you, love.”

"Well, I found out that Onyx Petroleum is seeking approval to drill for Vibranium," you hesitated, your voice catching in your throat. "On what's left of Sokovian land.”

"I don’t understand," she said, her thoughts racing. "What do you mean by what’s left of Sokovian land? There's nothing left."

"That's what I thought, too, but Tony said—" you started.

"Woah, hang on," Wanda interrupted. "Stark knows? How long have you known about this?"

"Since right before Rome," you confessed.

Instantly, you could see the pain in her eyes. "You've known all this time, and you didn't say anything?" she said, getting up from the sofa.

"I wanted to, sweetheart. I did, but I didn't know how to tell you," you rambled. "The truth is, they are trying to gain permission from surrounding nations to perform an underwater drilling operation, but the team is working on it and will stop it. I promise."

Wanda’s lip trembled at your words. "You promise? How can you promise anything? You lied to me.”

"No, I didn't! I would never lie to you,” You insisted.

"Every moment you spent with me for the last two weeks that you didn't tell me was a lie," she argued, tears welled up in her eyes.

You took a deep breath, trying to stop your tears from falling. “Honey,” you began, reaching for Wanda, only for her to pull away, leaving your heart shattered.

“Don't, please,” she said, wiping tears from her cheeks. “I need to be alone for a while.” 

You nodded in understanding and took a step back, giving her some space. Wanda slowly turned around and walked back to her bedroom, the room now yours as well. Overwhelmed with emotions, you sank back onto the sofa and let the tears flow. It was far from the ideal start to your new life living together.

Taglist: @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @bibliophilicbi @darkstar225

[stolenslumber]

devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes (pjs)

Jay needs someone to pretend to be his girlfriend, and you’re just the person for the job— seriously, you’re almost a professional at this point, regularly charming the families of your idiot twin’s friends who need your help getting their parents off their back. Of course, leave it up to Jay to blur the lines of your fake relationship so smoothly that you catch real feelings; falling in love has never been this easy.

PAIRING: park jongseong x female reader GENRE: acquaintances to partners in crime to fake dating to lovers i guess? lol, college au, vaguely greek life au, vaguely rich kid au, fluff fluff fluff, jake is the mc’s twin bc i thought it would be funny WARNINGS: swearing, kissing and suggestive content/sexual themes WORD COUNT: 14.4k A/N: ik the ages don't line up here shhhh just ignore that okay

NOW AVAILABLE: hang your head low in the glow (companion fic/follow-up)

“WHY DO YOU LOOK SO NICE?” 

“Why do you sound so surprised?” You scoff, tossing the apple you were just about to eat at Jake’s head. Annoyingly, he catches it in mid-air, then makes a show out of polishing it with his shirt and taking a big bite out of it. “Hey, I was going to eat that, asshole.”

“Shouldn’t have thrown it at me, then.” 

You roll your eyes at your twin, then go to retrieve another apple from the fruit bowl. It’s surprisingly well-stocked, given that you’re in a frat’s kitchen. Honestly, it’s surprising that there even is a fruit bowl in a frat’s kitchen, but the president of this frat runs a tight ship.

Said president appears in the doorway just then, snatching the apple from your hands as well as the one from Jake’s hands. “Guys, seriously, you have to wash these before you eat them.”

You and Jake both whine simultaneously. “Chan!” 

“I already took a bite out of that, bro,” Jake complains.

“I’m starving; please have mercy,” you beg.

Chan whips his head around from where he’d begun washing the apples in the sink to fuss at you. “What? Why haven’t you eaten yet? It’s almost 9pm!”

“Which reminds me— why do you look so nice?” Jake repeats.

“I had a thing with Mark,” you sigh. 

“You can just say you were pretending to be his girlfriend; we all know what you mean,” Jake snorts.

“I had a thing with Mark,” you repeat, resisting the urge to throw another apple at Jake’s head. “It was at this ballroom downtown, and of course he had nothing to wear, so I had to take him shopping first, which made us late, and then his parents wouldn’t stop talking my ear off about how I need to convince him to give up the music major, so I couldn’t touch any of the food there. Not even the foie gras torchon,” you recall mournfully. “We just got back, like, five minutes ago.”

Chan hums sympathetically— he knows how much you love foie gras torchon. “You can probably ask for an endless supply in return for your appearance at today’s thing,” he suggests, only half-joking. It absolutely sounds like the kind of thing Mark Lee would agree to, what with his ridiculously large inheritance and hapless generosity (last month, Mark lost thousands of dollars in some animal shelter-related pyramid scheme, marketed to him by none other than Lee Haechan).

You wave a hand dismissively. “Nah, I’m keeping Mark’s favor for something else.”

Jake raises an eyebrow. “What else?”

“Whatever it turns out I need in the future, dumbass. What’s it to you, anyways?” 

“Just wanna make sure the poor guy doesn’t end up trapped in your snares forever, little sis. Yo, can I have that apple back?” Jake turns to Chan with characteristic puppy eyes.

“You’re only older than me by eight minutes,” you grumble, the age-old retort slipping out of you before you can help it.

“No, Jaeyun, you cannot. And don’t talk to your sister like that— oh my god, why do I sound like Taeyong,” Chan mutters, thinking about his predecessor frat-president-slash-mother-hen. 

“Jeez, government name and everything.” Jake holds his hands up, relinquishing his claim to the apple.

“In fact, your sister gets to have both of these apples, after I clean and cut them up, because she is a saint for continuing to save our asses from our parents like this,” Chan lectures, unceremoniously carving out the chunk of the apple with Jake’s bite marks and tossing it into the trash bin.

“Real ones get it!” You reach out and high-five Chan. 

“That is so unfair, c’mon, man!” Jake splutters. “She gets just as much out of these fake relationships— seriously, didn’t you drive her around everywhere for, like, a month after she went to that wedding with you?”

Both you and Chan shudder at the memory. “Ugh, my worst cousin and the worst guy he was ever with. They’re still married, by the way.” Chan shakes his head. “God knows why.”

“Love conquers all…?” Jake offers.

“What the hell are you talking about love for,” a new voice grumbles. Park Jongseong strolls in through the doorway, hands full with plastic bags promising wonderful things based on how your stomach reacts to the smell.

“Oh, hell yeah, chicken!” Jake cheers. “Took you long enough, bro.”

“Traffic was hell; something about a ball downtown, and— oh. Hey.” Jay stops abruptly at the sight of you, now munching on the apple slices Chan hands you, one by one.

You wave vaguely in his direction, too busy eating to respond. Jay is one of your brother’s friends who you don’t know that well, since you’ve never pretended to be his girlfriend. It’s strange that you two don’t know each other better, actually— as the social chairs of your sorority and his fraternity, respectively, you would usually have a lot to work on together. But this year has been particularly busy for you, what with your senior thesis and your various things with Jake’s frat brothers, and you had delegated most of your social chair responsibilities to your co-chair, Yunjin, who was far better suited to the social part of the job, anyways. You suspected Jay had done the same thing, since the two of you only ever texted to confirm budgets for any joint events.

“You need to have more than one-and-three-quarters of an apple for dinner,” Chan scolds you, parental instincts back in full force.

You shrug, about to turn around and rifle through the cabinets to see if you can find some peanut butter to add to your apple slices when a takeout container appears in front of you. Tired and still starving, you react rather slowly, your eyes tracing up the hand on the container to the veins of an arm belonging to none other than Jay.

“You look hungry,” is all he says, before popping the container open for you and rearranging the rest of the plastic bags on the counter. “Jake, tell the others to come down for food.”

The others means that soon, there will be an influx of hungry frat brothers in the kitchen, and you have no desire to be anywhere near that, so you mumble a quick thank you to Jay, plop the rest of the apple slices into the takeout container (against Chan’s complaints about the contamination), and move to leave the kitchen, eager to be on your way to your sorority house.

The last thing you overhear before you leave is Jay asking, “Why did your sister look so nice?”, and Jake and Chan responding in unison, “She had a thing.”

A few days later, when they’re doing work in the library, Jay asks Jake, “So how long have Mark and your sister been seeing each other?”

Jake’s pencil jerks across his graph paper, a jagged line appearing on the page at the same time that he swears. “Dude, what the fuck?”

“Dude, what the fuck,” Jay echoes flatly. “Didn’t you say she had a thing with Mark?”

Jake blinks. “Well, sure, in the same way that she’s had a thing with Chan, and Yeonjun, and Vernon, and all the others.”

Jay gapes at him. “Your sister dated all of them? And all the others?”

“What, no, she didn’t date them, she fake-dated them! Just a couple of times, mainly showing up to things with their families so their parents would leave them alone about finding a partner and all that. You know how the parents are.” Jake gestures vaguely, referring to the oddities of the world of wealth they were born into. 

Jay nods slowly, understanding dawning upon him. Does he know how the parents are? Oh, does he ever. He has always had a good relationship with his own, but they had been more pushy on the whole love thing as of late, with the not-at-all subtle questions his mother asks about any special someones in his life and the unfunny jokes his dad cracks about how he’s still spry enough to help raise grandchildren. Especially unfunny, given the health scare his dad had given them all in the last year.

Jake’s voice brings him out of his veering-towards-morbid thoughts. “But seriously, bro, how is this news to you? My sister’s been doing this… Cinderella-genie thing for two years now.” 

Jay’s eyebrows furrow. “Cinderella-genie thing?”

“Yeah, I mean, she transforms our frat brothers into respectable young men with a respectable relationship, but only for three occasions, and she gets the same number of favors back.” Jake wrinkles his nose. “It sounds weird when I say it like that, and don’t get me wrong, I love to give her shit for it, but it’s all above-board stuff. Sunghoon bought her bubble tea for like, three months. Oh, and no one’s allowed to catch feelings, so everything ends clean and neat.”

“She fake-dated Sunghoon?”

At the mention of his name, Sunghoon pops one side of his headphones off. “What’s up?”

“You fake-dated Jake’s sister!?”

Sunghoon shushes him before responding. “Yeah, don’t you remember? It was a couple of months ago.”

Jay’s ears flush, both at how loud he had unconsciously gotten, and at the reminder that he really has been out of it for a while now. It’s not like he’s been living under a rock, but he has definitely been spending a lot more time with his parents and away from his friends ever since his dad’s health scare.

“She was great, though,” Sunghoon continues. “My mom still thinks I made the biggest mistake of my life ‘letting her go.’ But she’s also been leaving me alone about ‘finding love’ because she thinks I’m heartbroken, so yeah, Jake’s sister works wonders.”

Jake smirks. “Sim genes, man. Elite stuff.” 

Sunghoon scoffs. “You wish. Didn’t I hear your mom yelling at you on the phone the other day for not having settled down yet?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Does she not realize what decade this is, I mean, we’re still in college—”

Jay interrupts what looks to be the beginning of a long rant from Jake, cutting him off with, “So where can I sign up?”

Jake stares blankly at him. “Sign up for what?” 

“The Cinderella-genie thing.”

Sunghoon scrunches his face awkwardly. “Uh, she kind of has a waitlist, buddy.”

Jay waits for him to laugh and say he’s just kidding, but he doesn’t. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, she doesn’t do the fake-dating thing for multiple people at the same time, and she’s pretty busy with all her shit, so I’m not sure how long of a queue you have ahead of you…”

“Okay, but Jake could get me ahead, right? Cut the line, or something? C’mon dude, I’m your best friend.” Jay is suddenly desperate, remembering the conversation he’d had with his mom on the phone last night, where she had dreamily recalled meeting his dad in college and delicately reminded Jay that he could have a plus-one to the Parks’ upcoming 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

Jake eyes his friend warily. “I dunno, she really doesn’t like stuff like that. Unfair advantages, I mean.”

“My parents aren’t getting any younger, Jake, and you know, with my dad last year and everything…” Jay does his best approximation of batting his eyelashes at Jake. 

“Are you guilt-tripping me?”

“A little?” Jay’s smile turns a little maniacal. “For real, my parents have their 50th wedding anniversary coming up, and it would be the perfect event to bring her to so I can reassure them that things are going well in my love life.”

“Are things going anywhere in your love life?” Sunghoon’s tone is skeptical, and reasonably so. 

Jay has been distant lately because of his family, but even before that, he had always been known as somewhat aloof and unattainable. Devastatingly handsome, yes, with killer grades and fierce ambition, and a business empire to inherit to boot, but he is also his parents’ one and only miracle child, born after years of trying and almost giving up. Jay’s parents are older than all of his friends’ parents, and their family business has always been that— a family business. Jay has two years after graduation to learn the ropes in the business, and then he’ll be due for an MBA, and then a return to helm the business, but this timeline has recently felt more urgent than ever with his parents’ flagging health. They would never say it, but he knows the only reason they haven’t retired yet is because they don’t want to hand over control of the business to anyone but him. Jay has worked his ass off in college, trying to get there as fast as he can, as well as he can. But his parents also want him to enjoy college and find true love, and while he’s been doing pretty well with the former, the latter has been on the backburner for, well, forever. Who has time for true love, in between classes, fraternity duties, the various shenanigans his friends get up to, internships, networking, TA-ing, volunteering, being on the executive board of two clubs, and eating, sleeping, dreaming, and thinking?

So. No. Things are not going anywhere in his love life, and he confirms just as much to Sunghoon with a grunt, to which Sunghoon wheezes out his amusement.

Jake eyes Jay with pity, now. “Alright, that guilt trip was successful, but more so because you just admitted to being bitchless for so long. I’ll put in a good word to my sister for you.”

Jay perks up instantly. There is light and beauty in this world after all! “Awesome, thank you bro, you won’t regret this, I promise!”

“I wasn’t planning on it, but those are famous last words, Park.” Jake raises an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure you can handle my sister?”

“Why not? She seems… nice.” Jay is slightly evasive in his answer, and truthfully, it’s because he isn’t really sure what you’re like. All your interactions to date have been cordial, almost business-like, and you and Jake are fraternal twins, so it’s not even like he’s really familiar with what you look like. He is, however, sure that you look beautiful in a ballgown, even if he only saw you in one in his frat’s kitchen.

Jake chortles outright. “No, my sister is not nice. Yeah, I’m definitely going to convince her to help you, just because I think it’ll be hysterical watching her turn you inside out. Good luck, my brother in Christ, because you’ll need it!”

you: hey jake told me abt ur predicament

jay: … good morning, how are you? i’m pretty good myself

you: ???

jay: just being polite. and it’s not a predicament i’m just… interested in your services

you: good for you? anyways i’m super busy right now and don’t really have time to be taking on anything else so i’m just letting you know that i can’t help you out. good luck though

jay: how about coffee?

you: what?

jay: do you want coffee?

you: like right now?

jay: yeah i’m on your porch

You almost throw your phone to the other side of the room. True, Jay’s fraternity house is across the street from your sorority house, but it still feels absurd to think that he’s right there, less than twenty feet below your room. Is he stalking you?

Accordingly, that’s the first thing you ask him when you throw the door open to him. “Are you stalking me?”

He scoffs. “As if. I asked Jake to ask Yunjin for your location.” 

“That’s not not stalking.”

Jay shrugs, though he has the decency to look a little embarrassed as he shoves his hands in his pockets. “Whatever. I just walked across the street; that’s all. So, coffee?”

You stare at him for a few moments, weighing your options. Truthfully, you were about to leave to get coffee before your first class, anyways, but you’re not sure how long you want to entertain Jay. You decide to split the difference. “I’m on my way to Nat’s, so you can tag along. But I’m just grabbing a coffee to go, and then I have class.”

“Okay, let’s go.” 

“Gimme a second; I’ll grab my stuff.” For some reason, your heart is beating a little faster than usual when you reach your room. You’d like to blame it on the stairs you just climbed, but something about Jay coming to find you at your front door feels old-fashioned and sweet, though your rational mind reminds you that he literally just walked a couple hundred feet. He even said so, himself.

But when you come back down to see him leaning against the doorway with his hands still in his pockets, looking out into the street, you suddenly remember that Jay is, like, really good-looking. Despite yourself, you find yourself admiring the cut of his jaw and how nice his hair is styled. It’s not like you don’t know plenty of attractive guys— hell, the guys you usually fake-date are all objectively hot. It’s just inconvenient that you now recall how Jay has always seemed to be the most mature out of Jake’s friends, even from what little you know of him. Unhelpfully, your brain also conjures up the image of him sliding a takeout container to you last week, and the way your eyes had lingered on the veins of his arm.

God. It’s been too long since you’ve gotten laid.

Jay’s voice breaks you out of your bizarre trance. “Ready, Cinderella?”

“Excuse me?”

“Jake told me about your whole Cinderella-genie thing. It would be weird to call you ‘genie’, so…” Jay trails off, scratching the back of his head and looking actually embarrassed now. 

You can’t help but laugh. “Right, because Cinderella is totally less weird. Alright, big guy, let’s go.”

The walk to Nat’s, your favorite local coffee shop, takes about 15 minutes— 10, if you’re walking fast, which you usually are. Jay’s legs are uselessly long, but he seems determined to walk as slowly as possible, while also staying silent the whole time. Finally, you reach the end of your patience and step out right in front of him, intending to ask him what the hell he’s doing. Unfortunately, you find that you misjudged the distance, and he almost collides right into you.

“Whoa,” he mutters, reaching out to grab your arms to steady the both of you. 

“Sorry,” you huff, embarrassed at yourself. A lot of that going around today. “I just… what’s your deal? I already told you I can’t help you, and then you show up at my door and ask me to get coffee, but you don’t say a single word. What do you want from me?”

Instead of answering your question, he asks, “Why do you do it?” 

“Do what?”

“The Cinderella-genie thing.”

You roll your eyes. “Jake has got to stop calling it that. It’s a long story, honestly.” Sighing, you reach into your backpack to pull out your planner. “Alright, we’re already past the amount of time I scheduled to get my coffee and get ahead on some readings before class, so I guess we can sit down inside.”

Jay raises an eyebrow. “You have time for me now? Also, that’s the most insane planner I’ve ever seen.”

You gesture around you. You had stopped Jay almost at the door of Nat’s, and you’re clogging up the sidewalk. “We should at least get out of the way of these people. And yeah, I’m sure it is.” You are a live-and-die-by-your-planner kind of person. Everything is in there— social events, studying time, your various things with Jay’s frat brothers, even things like eating and showering and sleeping. It seems psychotic, sure, but you’re a busy person, and there’s no way you’d be able to handle everything without the strict schedule you set for yourself.

When you walk up to the counter inside Nat’s, your favorite barista— a cute high school kid named Riki— is manning the register. You smile warmly at him. “Hey, Riki. The usual, please.”

You expect Riki to tease you about your usual, which contains an admittedly concerning amount of caffeine, but instead he calls out, “Jay! What’s up, my man!”

From behind you, Jay reaches out and fist-bumps Riki. “Hey, long time no see, buddy. How’s history going?”

Riki groans theatrically. “Horribly, ever since you stopped tutoring me.”

Jay frowns. “Wait, really? What are you having trouble with? I know I’m kind of swamped right now but we can always find some time and—”

Riki bursts out laughing. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Jeez, you should’ve seen your face. Relax, I got a 94 on my last paper!”

“Oh, very funny, you menace!” Jay punches Riki’s shoulder, but his expression eases up. You wonder at the fondness that twinkles in his eyes. 

Riki laughs some more, then he turns to you. “Noona, one cup of liquid death coming up! Hyung, what about you?”

“London fog, please. And seriously, text me if you’re having trouble, okay?”

Riki waves the both of you off, telling you that he’ll bring your drinks over to you. 

You make a beeline for your favorite spot, right by the large window that overlooks the sidewalk. Jay surprises you for the umpteenth time that morning by easily striding ahead and pulling your chair out for you, then coughing and turning red when you give him a weird look.

“Sorry, I, uh, yeah. Instinct,” he explains, which is really no explanation at all. 

“Are you courting me or something?” You try to keep your tone light and joking, but confusion inevitably slips in. Nothing Jay has done today has made sense. 

He seems to have regained his composure when he sits down, because he hits you with, “I guess you could say that. It’s just something I think I’d do for my girlfriend.”

You stare at him blankly. “Thanks for telling me…?”

“I mean, if you’re going to fake-date me, you can probably expect me to do stuff like that, right?”

You groan. “I’m not going to fake-date you, Jay, how many times do I have to say it? I—”

“— don’t have time, I know. But what if I could make it worth your while?”

“Jay, you know I’m Jake’s sister, right? We have money. Besides, I’m helping Mark right now, and I don’t do this for multiple people at the same time.”

“Oh yeah, Jake told me about that rule. What if I could take care of that for you?”

You raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll help Mark find a real girlfriend, and then you can help me, instead.”

“If it were that easy, don’t you think Mark would have done it himself?” 

Jay waves his hand dismissively. “Oh, please, Mark’s been crushing on the girl in his music class for ages. He gets too into his head about asking her out, so he chickens out every time. They’re partners on a project right now, though, so I’ll just give him a push in the right direction.”

You have to admit that you’re intrigued by his proposition. Everything Jay just said lines up with what you know about Mark, especially the chickening out part. You’d like to see Jay try, and you figure it can’t hurt either way, so you nod. “Okay, fine. If you can help Mark, I’ll help you. But seriously, what’s your deal? Why do you want my help so badly?”

Jay blinks, then he leans back into his chair. “Oh. Honestly, I haven’t 100% decided that I do, yet.”

“But you’re willing to agree to help Mark Lee with a girl in order to secure my help?” You shake your head. “You’re really strange, Park.”

“I get overly invested in challenges really easily,” Jay confesses, showing you an unexpectedly bashful smile. “So I got a little caught up just now in the idea that I could change your mind about helping me. But now that you’ve brought it up, I’ll still help Mark, no matter what. I’m sick of him writing lovesick songs about that girl, anyways.”

“Large iced Americano, no water, four shots of espresso. And a London Fog,” Riki announces. He sets the drinks down on your table right as the bell above the shop’s door chimes and lets in the pre-9am work crowd. He groans and bids you both a hasty goodbye.

Jay eyes your coffee with disgust. “Liquid death, huh? That’s disturbing.”

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” You tilt the cup in his direction, laughing when he shudders. 

“Absolutely not. I can’t believe you order that enough that Riki knows it’s your usual.”

“I usually see him in the afternoons when I order this, actually, so I’m sure he’s going to give me an earful about getting one in the mornings, too. Speaking of— doesn’t he have school?” You whip around in your seat to stare at Riki. 

“He has two free periods on Mondays this year, so I guess he picked up an extra shift. He’s a hard working kid,” Jay says. 

You turn back around to see him with that same fondness in his eyes. “How do you know him, by the way?”

“Ah, he’s my little’s friend from high school. My little is Jungwon— cat-looking dude?”

You let out a squeal. “Oh my gosh, he’s the cutest!” 

Jay crosses his arms and grins, looking amused. “Yeah, he is pretty cute. Anyways, Jungwon mentioned his friend was having trouble with his history class last year, so I started tutoring him a bit, just casually, since I’m studying history.”

“Not economics?” You’ve heard about Jay’s family’s notoriously tightly-controlled company. Everything is within the family, so you’re surprised that he isn’t getting ready to take over. 

“Both. I can have two majors, you know. What’s yours?”

“Linguistic anthropology. And studio art. I can have two majors, you know.” 

Jay rolls his eyes. “Okay, okay, I know that was pretentious. What’s linguistic anthropology?”

You clear your throat, not expecting to talk about your hopes and dreams so early in the morning, and with someone who’s only a few steps away from being a stranger. “Languages, and the social and cultural foundations of them. Basically. I want to do linguistic archaeology in grad school, and this is the closest thing you can get in undergrad.”

Jay leans forward and nods enthusiastically. “That sounds really cool. What kind of art are you doing?”

“Oil paints, mostly, and some charcoal drawing…”

Like that, an hour flies by. You don’t even notice the blocks in your calendar getting overwritten by what is essentially a coffee date with Jay until you get the reminder that you have class in thirty minutes. 

“Shit, I gotta go soon.” You say it with some regret; surprisingly, you’re really enjoying yourself with Jay. He’s smart, and funny, and a little awkward in a way that makes you think he’s the most sincere person you’ve ever met. And he has interesting thoughts and opinions on history, some of which you even make a mental note to follow up on later for your thesis. 

“Before you go, will you tell me why you do the fake-dating thing?” Jay puts his head in both his hands and smiles at you, and…

“Are you batting your eyelashes at me?”

Jay squints at you. “Maybe. Is it working?”

“Not really,” you lie, like a liar. 

“Didn’t work on Jake, either. Man, I gotta work on it.” Jay gives up the act and relaxes back into his chair. “Will you tell me, though?”

“Sure, it’s not like it’s a big secret or anything. It’s not even that long of a story, now that I think about it. Not something worth trying to seduce me over, but I like your hustle,” you joke. 

“So it was working!”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Okay, so it started with Chan. He just didn’t want to go to his horrible cousin’s horrible wedding, but his sister had been arguing with the cousin about Chan and was, like, defending his honor or something? And one thing spiraled into another and all of a sudden Chan needed to show up to the wedding with an impressive partner to prove to his cousin that he could pull.” You make a face. “Boys. I’d actually met this particular cousin before, through some convoluted situation at one of those holiday parties that our families throw, and I knew he was insufferable, so I was willing to help out. Other guys in the frat heard about it, and you know, it’s surprising but not shocking that your frat has a lot of guys with some sort of weird baggage that prevents them from actually seriously dating someone. It’s weirder that a significant number of them also find themselves in situations where they need to pretend to have a girlfriend, but as it turns out, I’m really good at it— being a fake girlfriend, I guess. I haven’t had much time to date myself, so it’s kind of nice hearing how much everyone’s families liked me as their potential daughter-in-law. Plus, I always get favors in return, so it’s not the worst thing in the world. It’s like the fun part of dating, without the actual time commitment.”

Jay looks skeptical. “Going to family events and schmoozing with distant relatives is the fun part of dating?”

You scoff. “Whatever. You’re the one who asked why I did it, and I told you. It doesn’t have to make sense to you.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m not judging, I swear. I just think that there’s probably better parts to dating, but who am I to talk,” he mutters.

“Ah, yes, Jake mentioned that, too. Bitchless all these years?”

Jay deadpans at you. “I know you aren’t making fun of me for that when you basically just told me that you fake-dated all these guys because you have a raging praise kink specifically for people’s families.”

“Oh, fuck off.” But you’re laughing, almost— giggling? Ugh. Maybe you do need to back off on the caffeine. “Alright, I have to go now, for real. Text me when Mark is good, and then we can talk about our two fake dates.”

“Isn’t three the max?”

“I was serious about not having time, Jay. I have a thesis for linguistics, and a portfolio to put together for art. Mark was going to be my last… thing this year. I went to one event with him, so if you can get things squared away with him, you can have his other two.”

“Okay, fine. Pleasure doing business with you.” Jay salutes you with two fingers.

“You haven’t even succeeded with Mark yet, and you haven’t heard what favors I want in return, either. Don’t get ahead of yourself, hotshot.” 

And then you’re gone, leaving Jay to ruminate on the last hour and a half you spent together.

Jake’s right— you’re not nice, not in the traditional sense of the word. You’re kind of prickly, and you seem to run your life like a drill sergeant, but Jay thinks you must be really kind. Aside from Chan, the others you’ve helped (Mark, Yeonjun, Vernon, Sunghoon, good lord) are all variants of pretty boys who can’t talk to women to save their lives but live and die by the words of their parents, who all hope to see them get married sooner rather than later (Jay elects to ignore how he fits into that mold pretty well, too). No wonder you felt bad for them in their plights and wanted to help them; and Jay really believes that you did it to help them, not because of whatever favors you got in return. Like you said, you have money, so it’s not like you couldn’t buy your own bubble tea or pay for a driver. No, he’s seen your calendar, and it’s crammed with volunteering events in between everything else, and he’s seen the way you fuss over Riki, someone you only see a couple times a week while ordering a coffee. He’s pretty sure you’re just a classic do-gooder, and he doesn’t even need your help that badly, but he does love a challenge. Get Mark Lee together with the girl of his dreams is the first one. The second one is to figure out why he cares about proving himself to you so much— it’s not like he’s swimming in free time either, but somehow you’ve gotten under his skin, and he wants to see where this goes.

(Plus, he thinks you’re really pretty.)

When you enter your studio art workshop class, you find Yunjin immediately and pout at her. “Thanks for revealing my location to Jay, traitor,” you whine.

Yunjin grins. “It’s not like the sorority house is a state secret, babe. And I have zero regrets— he’s hot!”

“So?”

“So, I’m sick of you fake-dating these guys because you love to be the most helpful person in the room, and I want to see you actually date someone!”

You snort. “Joke’s on you, then, because he also wants to fake-date me.”

“Eugh, really? What the hell, I thought he was a good one,” Yunjin groans.

“He is a good one,” you respond instantly. You’re not sure why you’re so defensive about him, but from everything you’ve witnessed today, you know that Park Jongseong is the definition of a good guy.

“Well, maybe this will finally be the one that goes from fake-dating to real dating!” Yunjing wiggles her eyebrows at you. “You already think he’s nice, and you didn’t say he isn’t hot, either.”

“I have a pulse, Yunjin, I can tell that he’s hot.”

Yunjin whistles between her teeth. “Wait ‘til I tell Jake to tell Jay that.”

“Do not— and since when are you and my brother so close, anyways?”

She flashes you a conspiratorial wink. “New boytoy.”

“Ew, seriously? Jake?”

“Hey, it’s not that deep. He gets around, too, doesn’t he? Friends with benefits, no strings attached, etcetera.”

“Famous last words, honey.” You start pulling out your art supplies, chewing on your lip as you consider whether to ask her what you’re dying to know. “... So, what do you know about Jay? And do not tell Jake about any of this, Yunjin, I swear.”

“We’re really not close like that, babe, and I’d never betray your trust for dick.” Yunjin puts her hand over her heart solemnly.

“I want you to know that I’m throwing up in my mouth.”

“Noted.” Yunjin sticks the pencil she was using in her hair, then leans back and hums thoughtfully. “Now, Jay… I know what everyone knows about him, I guess. Good guy, nice family, kind of detached, if I had to say so? Not in a bad way, though. I just mean that he seems to hang out with his friends and that’s pretty much it. He’s involved in a bunch of stuff on campus like you are, but I know he had to pull back recently because one of his parents had a health thing— oh no, I can tell you’re already Cinderella-ing.”

You huff. “Jake is so annoying for that. What do you mean, Cinderella-ing?”

“You feel bad for him and now you want to help him!”

“I already agreed to help him, if he helps Mark Lee get a girlfriend, first.”

“Wow, he must really need your help if he’s willing to do that.”

“Funny, he said he isn’t sure if he needs my help, yet.” You shrug. “He’s confusing.”

“Oooh, but you’re interested, aren’t you?” Yunjin peers closer at you. “Oh my god, you whore! You want him!” 

“Yunjin!” You shush her, cognizant of the other students around you. “I’m just curious, okay? I wanna know what I’m getting myself into.”

“Sure, sure. I believe you!” Yunjin insists, looking entirely unbelievable. “That’s not surprising about Jay, though. His family is, like, super family-oriented. Introducing them to a fake girlfriend seems like it wouldn’t go well, so it makes sense that he’s hesitant about it. You should ask him for more details when you guys fuck—”

You cut her off with a hand slapped over her mouth. “I’m going to murder you in your sleep.”

Yunjin laughs underneath your hand and flicks you off. “But seriously, the rumor is that he’s never dated anyone in college because his parents had the perfect college romance and want the same thing for him, and he’s always been too busy being the prodigal son and heir apparent for true love to just, like, fall into his lap. Despite the valiant efforts of many girls on campus,” she finishes dryly.

“That’s… a really detailed rumor.”

“Chaewon’s little is obsessed with him, so I’ve heard it a million times.” 

You both cringe. Chaewon is far too nice to say it, but her little is stuck in a phase of boy mania so all-consuming it borders on clinical.

“Enough about boys; how’s it going with the portfolio?” Yunjin nudges her chin towards your empty canvas.

You sigh. “Pretty good, except for the human portrait part. It’s really not my thing, but Professor Song was so adamant that I try to include at least two of them by the end of the year. I did one of Jake already, but he doesn’t know, so it’ll be hilarious to see him cry at the senior showcase.”

“Oh, he’s totally going to lose it,” Yunjin agrees. You stay silent on the curious display of knowledge she just exhibited on your brother’s behalf. “Who are you thinking for the other one?”

“Beats me. I’d use my parents, but that feels a little bit too on the nose, especially after the one of Jake. It’d be weird to ask our friends, right?”

“Not really, but your portfolio theme is family, isn’t it? Very sweet of you to think of us as family, but then you’re talking about an entire group of people.”

Instantly, you shudder. “That’s way more than two humans. Love you guys, but no thanks. I’ll figure something else out.”

Yujin smirks at you. “If you and Jay date and fall in love and get married, you’ll be family, and then you could do one of him.”

“That is so not the solution!”

You don’t hear from Jay until a week later, at which point you figure he has given up, so you’re shocked to find him at your door again. 

“Morning, Cinderella,” is all he says to you before handing you a cup.

“Good morning,” you return, too dumbfounded to say anything else. “What’s this?”

“Coffee. Large iced Americano, no water, four shots of espresso,” he recites. “I got Riki to text it to me,” he admits quickly.

“I appreciate it, but what’s this for?” You narrow your eyes at him. “You can’t possibly think that one of the favors I’ll ask from you is coffee, right? I’m not that easy, Park.”

Jay looks offended. “Hey, you let Sunghoon buy you bubble tea!”

“Yeah, but he was really pathetic about the whole fake-dating thing.”

“... Fine, I’ll give that to you. That does sound like him. But no, this is because I wanted to ask you something, and I figured I’d take up the time that you usually schedule for getting your coffee.”

“Ooookay. So, what’s up?” You start on the walk to the library, and he’s quick to fall into step beside you.

“I’ve been thinking about how to help Mark with his crush, and I have the perfect idea, but I need your help.”

“You need my help to help Mark so that you can get my help for yourself?” It sounds absurd coming out of your month, and before you can stop yourself, you blurt out, “Wow, try saying that ten times fast.”

A surprised laugh erupts from Jay’s chest. “That was corny as hell,” he says, but he’s still laughing, high pitched and delighted. Laughter transforms his whole face, his eyes slipping into crescents and his nose scrunching with the force of his happiness, and you’re left dazed looking at him like that.

“Don’t tell anyone you witnessed that. I know where you live,” you threaten him half-heartedly. It really doesn’t carry much weight when you’re beaming in response to the mirth in his expression.

He stops laughing to grin at you, still bright and lovely. “Yeah, right. Who’s been coming to whose front door?”

“You don’t think I could walk across the street? I’m there all the time, Jay. So many people in that house owe me; it’d be a piece of cake to get your room number.” You say this with a stupid smile still on your face.

“Right, consider me properly frightened.” The wattage of his grin finally turns down a couple of notches, giving you room to breathe properly. “So, about Mark,” he starts.

“Yeah, this just sounds like more work for me,” you respond skeptically.

“Hear me out, okay? Mark has all these love songs written about this girl, and I found out that she always eats lunch at the same table at the same time in the dining hall on Tuesdays, so I figured he could play one of his songs over the dining hall speakers and then confess to her.” Jay makes little jazz hands at the end of his sentence, and it prompts a giggle out of you.

You have to fight your smile down when you speak. “A couple of things. One: that is so incredibly over the top for a confession, but sure, I like your spirit. Two: there’s no way Mark is slick enough to pull this off. Which leads me to three: what do you need from me?”

Jay nods. “Exactly, Mark could never do this on his own, which is why I’ve enlisted a bunch of guys from the frat, and you, of course.”

“Me, of course?”

“Sunoo and Jake are going to sweet-talk the lady at the dining hall who has the keys to the staff office with the dining hall audio hookup and microphone— she loves Sunoo, and Jake will flash her the ol’ puppy dog eyes to keep her sufficiently distracted. Heeseung will walk past and swipe her keys, and Jungwon is going to make sure that Mark’s crush is actually in the dining hall at the right time. Chan is going to apologize on everyone’s behalf if this goes wrong.”

You tut. “Poor Chan.”

“It’s his presidential duty, god bless.”

“And where do I fit into this?”

“You and I need to hold Mark’s hand, figuratively, and keep him hyped up enough to actually go through with it. He agreed to the plan, but I can totally see him chickening out again, which is why Sunghoon and Yeonjun are also going to stand guard outside the staff office so he can’t escape.”

“I feel like you could hold Mark’s hand on your own,” you argue, but you don’t really mean it. This sounds so chaotic and harebrained that you would normally want to stay a mile away from it, but Jay’s enthusiasm and seriousness about it is rubbing off on you. Plus, it would be nice to see one of your fake boyfriends actually succeed in their love life.

“He has two hands, and I can’t hold them all by myself because I have to operate the audio hookup,” Jay proclaims solemnly. “And I said figuratively! He trusts you, clearly, or at least he trusted you enough to be his fake girlfriend.”

“I come highly recommended,” you intone dryly. 

“And he trusts me enough to go along with the plan, so I think we’re the best suited to be his moral support,” Jay continues, ignoring your smartass comment. 

“This is a ridiculous plan, Jay.”

“So you’re in? Oh, wait. Are you free at 12:30 today?”

You stop to check your planner and confirm that you are. “What would you have done if I wasn’t?”

“Reconfigure the time-space continuum so you could be in two places at once. Mark’s future happiness depends on this,” Jay insists.

"I see what you mean about getting overly invested in challenges really easily… Alright, text me where I should meet you later, then?”

“You got it. Have a good day, Cinderella!” He yells this part as he jogs away from you. 

“Stop calling me that!” But you can’t remember the last time you smiled this much this early in the morning.

Hours later, you smile instinctively upon seeing Jay’s name pop up in your notifications.

jay: coast is clear. meet me outside the dining hall staff office in 5 minutes. operation is a go

you: omw, 007

jay: stop ur making me blush

you: fr?

jay: no this is just banter

you: omfg mark just texted me to say that ur actually blushing

jay: im going to end him. after he gets a gf, ofc

“Hey,” you whisper in Jay’s ear, making him jump. 

“Holy shit, how’d you get here so fast?”

You shrug, jostling his shoulder as you’re pressed up against him in the tiny recessed alcove across from the staff office. “I’m a fast walker. Places to be, people to see, you know? Speaking of…” You motion to the open office door. “Should we go inside?”

Jay clears his throat. Up this close, he can count the eyelashes that flutter against your skin. “Yeah, Mark’s already there. I’m surprised he found the composure to pop his head out and see me, or text you, honestly. He’s been a nervous wreck since this morning. Oh, finally, way to be on time, losers!” Jay beckons Sunghoon and Yeonjun closer from down the hall.

“We’re fine; Jungwon says Mark’s crush hasn’t even sat down at her table, yet. Hey, how are you? Long time no see.” Yeonjun flashes you a smile.

“Committing questionable acts in the name of love, you know, just living the dream,” you joke. “How’s your mom?”

“Great! She still asks about you. By the way, if I had known being a little more pathetic would get me this level of commitment,” Yeonjun gestures around him, “I would’ve asked for a real girlfriend, too.”

“I’m told I was pretty pathetic, and even I didn’t get this kind of treatment,” Sunghoon reminds you.

You pat his arm consolingly. “Maybe if you had Jay on your side, buddy.”

“Yeah, what the hell, best friend?” Sunghoon eyes him accusingly.

Jay pats his other arm. “Sorry, I have ulterior motives with Mark.”

“Oh, so now Mark gets a girlfriend and a secret male lover?”

Jay scoffs. “Not those kinds of ulterior motives, but please. As if Mark could bag me.”

“Ladies, ladies, there’s plenty of Jay to go around,” you say placatingly. 

“Guys, I’m freaking out in here!” Mark wails from inside the office.

“Fuck, Jungwon said she’s sitting down now. Go!” Yeonjun pushes you and Jay towards the office.

In quick order, Jay gets the audio hooked up to Mark’s laptop, and he starts the song. While Mark hyperventilates between the two of you and you actually do share in the holding of his hands, Jay finds himself staring at you as you try to encourage Mark. You really are quite kind— he doesn’t think many people would have agreed to be dragged into this silly scheme, but here you are, throwing yourself into it wholeheartedly because there’s a chance it might secure Mark’s future happiness. 

The sun reaches its highest point in the sky just then, streaming in through the windows behind you and drenching you in golden light. Jay’s not sure if he’s nervous about getting in trouble for this or if he’s just been looking at you for too long, but he can feel his heart stuttering in his chest. It’s positively outrageous how pretty you are.

“Bro, what the fuck do I say?” Mark hisses, interrupting Jay’s very important investigation of the color of your eyes. “The song is almost over, please, you gotta help me!”

“Just tell her how you feel,” Jay offers. It’s not his best attempt at advice, but he’s distracted by the way your hair brushes against your neck. 

Mark splutters and fumbles and curses under his breath, but then the song is over, and Jay is turning on the microphone for him to speak. “Um, hey, so, yeah! Yeah. Uh, I’ve liked you for a long time… which you can probably tell, because of the song and everything.” Mark giggles nervously. “There’s, like, at least five more where that came from. Because I like you a lot, but I’m not great at talking in person, so I wrote all these songs, and oh god, this is super weird, isn’t it? I’m sorry if it’s weird, I just, well, I wanted to tell you. What I feel for you is so big I think I might explode; it makes me lose my mind and my breath and my ability to speak, and it leads me to do stupid stuff like this. And now you know. Okay, cool!” Mark reaches over and slams his hand to turn off the microphone. 

You and Jay share an exasperated look over Mark’s head.

“Mark, you didn’t even say who the song is for,” you remind him. 

He pales. “I didn’t?”

“Or who it’s from, but I think that part is pretty obvious,” Jay sighs. “Just text her right now, and tell her it was from you, and ask her out!”

“What? No, I can’t do that, I think I’m gonna be sick,” Mark moans.

You roll your eyes. “Mark, do it right now, or I’m telling your mom you cheated on me.”

“What? But I didn’t! And we weren’t even dating for real! And I just told her we broke up!”

“Right, I’ll say we broke up because you cheated on me.” You stare him down. “Seriously, I’ll call her tonight.”

“Nonono, I’ll text Mina, okay? See, I’m texting her right now.” Mark pulls out his phone and types frantically. 

Jay throws his arm around Mark’s shoulder, using the leverage to hit the send button on his phone. “See, that wasn’t so hard!”

“I need to go walk into traffic,” Mark declares. 

You smile breezily at him. “Sure, whatever. Love conquers all!” Behind his back, you and Jay high-five.

Jay says you should have dinner to celebrate Mark and Mina’s new romance (ignoring Mark’s pained “What romance? I’m dying.”), but you tell him that you’re volunteering at the community kitchen that night. Jay doesn’t miss a beat. “Sure, I’ll be there. We should talk about my thing, anyways.”

That’s how he finds himself in a hairnet and disposable gloves that night, making funny faces at the head of the community kitchen’s daughter, who’s running around underfoot. He’s been put in charge of chopping vegetables, while you’re stirring a huge pot of stew at one of the stoves.

“Watch your fingers,” you scold him half-heartedly. He’s devastatingly cute like this.

He has the audacity to wink at you. “I know my way around a kitchen, don’t worry.”

“Very cool, trophy husband.”

“What, no more 007?”

“Depends on the outcome of Mark’s text to Mina. Did you hear anything from him?”

Jay scoops up his vegetables into a large bowl and brings it over to you, nudging you aside with his hip so he can add the vegetables to your pot. “Not yet, but I don’t have him freaking out in my messages either, so I’ll take that as a win.”

You let him take over the stirring and turn around to lean against the countertop. “Cute hairnet,” you quip.

“Thanks. You think they’ll let me take it home?” he jokes. 

You nudge your chin in the direction of the little girl giggling at Jay. “I think she wants to take you home.”

He winks at her, then lowers his voice so that only you can hear him say, “She’ll have to get in line.”

You swallow and wonder if the stove is turned on too high. “Right, so what’s your thing about?”

“Later, yeah?” Jay gestures around you, and you suddenly remember that you’re in the middle of a busy kitchen, with everyone hustling to get ready for the dinner service starting in half an hour. 

You spring into action again, embarrassed at how easily you’d been absorbed into conversation with Jay. Something about the way he talks to you makes you feel like you’re the only person in the world— he’s always so attentive, nodding and responding to your every comment. You have to wonder why he hasn’t dated anyone seriously in college; he seems like he’d be the dream boyfriend. Hypothetically.

He only proves this point further when he reveals two containers of mac and cheese that he had picked up before getting there, which he microwaves for the two of you to eat after the dinner service is over. You turn on the lights in one corner of the cafeteria and sit at the only table that’s still left out: a children’s table where you have to balance precariously on seats that are too small for you. But it’s entirely worth it, knocking knees and elbows together, laughing too hard for what the situation warrants.

“I would’ve made you something myself, but I didn’t want to use up the kitchen’s ingredients,” Jay comments off-handedly.

Your heart glows in your chest. “That’s really thoughtful, Jay.”

He smiles and scratches the back of his head, suddenly shy. “Nah, it’s common sense, right? Come on, eat before it gets cold.”

Right then and there, Jay learns that he loves to watch you eat. You make exaggerated faces and ooh and ahh over something as simple as mac and cheese from the 24-hour diner down the street, and he finds himself itching to make something with his own two hands that will make you react like that. 

When you’re done eating, you sit back and sigh in satisfaction. “That was exactly what I needed. Now, tell me about your thing— what kind of mess have I gotten myself into?”

Jay hems and haws for a good minute before finally telling you about his parents’ upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. “It’s a little complicated because they had this, like, fairytale relationship, and of course I’m happy that they’re still so in love all these years later, but it’s kind of… a lot to live up to. Not that I’m complaining, because they’re awesome, but I don’t have that kind of relationship with anyone yet, so I haven’t brought anyone home to them.”

“So the rumors are true,” you mutter under your breath.

Unfortunately, Jay seems to have heard you. “What rumors?”

Flushing, you explain what you’d heard from Yunjin, who had heard it from Chaewon’s little. You’re quick to add, “I wasn’t asking around about you or anything!” 

Jay just smirks at you, something wicked and slow that only contributes to the heat in your cheeks. “I didn’t say anything.”

You hesitate before speaking up again. “So, if you don’t mind me asking… How come you haven’t dated anyone long-term in college? You’re, you know, perfectly okay to look at.”

Jay deadpans at you. “Wow, thanks, that really means a lot to me.”

You let out a huff of a laugh. “Shut up, it’s not a secret that you’re hot.”

Jay’s eyebrows shoot up, and you swear to god, he blushes to high heaven. “Th-Thanks.”

“Mm.”

It’s silent for a few long moments, then Jay clears his throat. “If I’m being honest, I haven’t dated anyone long-term in college because my parent’s relationship is a lot to live up to, and it’s not like I have a ton of time to find my perfect life partner in between everything else.”

“Ugh, tell me about it. Yunjin tells me I should try actually dating again, but it’s kind of a lot, right? Putting in the time and effort to get to know someone from scratch, when you’re not even sure how it’s going to pan out? And you’ve seen my calendar.” You laugh quietly. “And, honestly, I have this problem with dating where I get bored pretty easily.”

Jay leans forward, pushing into your personal space close enough to count your eyelashes, again. “Are you bored right now?” 

“No,” you answer, although you’re not sure why he’s asking. “Um, so, why do you need a fake girlfriend, then? I don’t think it’ll pass muster with your parents, if they want you to be in love for real.”

Jay fidgets with his fingers on top of the table. “Yeah, it’s kind of stupid, to be honest. My dad was hospitalized for a month last year, and it really shook us all. My parents are on the older side, and I’m their only child, and, well, I’d like to make them happy while they’re still around. Sorry, that was morbid. And I know it’s not like we’d be doing this forever, and it’s wrong to fake it, but still. They’d be overjoyed to see me in a relationship. I want to give that to them, even if it’s only twice.” He tells it to you like it’s a secret, and your chest caves in with the force of his sincerity.

“I don’t think that’s stupid. It’s sweet, Jay, really.” You reach out and still his fingers. “Listen, you know I’m really good at being a fake girlfriend, right?”

“You come highly recommended,” he mimics you from earlier, mouth quirking up in the beginnings of a smile. It lifts the atmosphere slightly, and you’re glad for it.

“Right, so don’t worry. Leave it to me. Your parents won’t suspect a thing,” you promise. “When’s the anniversary celebration?”

“Six weeks.”

You pull out your planner to start scheduling. “Great, so you can send me information about yourself, and I’ll do the same for you, and then we can find time to meet up and quiz each other about it and get our answers on our relationship straight—”

Jay’s hand lands around your wrist, stopping you from writing further. “Not that I don’t appreciate your… efficiency, but I don’t think that’s going to work. Like you said, my parents want to see a true relationship, and I don’t think flashcards are going to cut it. How about we just… get to know each other?”

You blink. “What, like daily one-on-ones, or something? Office hours, but just for each other?”

He bursts out laughing. “Oh my god, you’re serious, aren’t you?” He lets go of your wrist to hide his face behind his hands as he continues to laugh, which makes you smile despite yourself. He’s so goddamn cute.

You decide to humor him. “What do you suggest, then?”

“As much as I would love to monopolize your time, I don’t actually want to take up any of the precious few free spots on your calendar. You need to set aside more time for yourself, by the way. But for now, how about you give me the thirty minutes you schedule for getting to Nat’s and then back to campus every day? We can get to know each other then.”

“You want to walk me to the coffee shop and back?”

“Among other things.”

“… Such as?”

“Just you wait, Cinderella. I’m going to sweep you off your feet so hard, you won’t know what hit you. I’ll be the best fake boyfriend you’ve ever had.”

In the dim light of the after-hours cafeteria, with his long legs stretched out on either side of yours and the soft crescents of his smiling eyes twinkling at you, you’re inclined to believe him.

Jay keeps his word. He shows up on the sorority house’s porch every morning, backpack slung over his shoulder and hands in his pockets at 7:45am. He doesn’t even have class until 11am (you know because you asked Yunjin to ask Jake), so his dedication impresses you. Sometimes, you’ll watch him approach the house from your window, bopping his head along to whatever he’s listening to in his earbuds. 

When you open the door to greet him, he always smiles sleepily at you and reaches out to grab whatever’s in your hands (usually art supplies or heavy reference books for your thesis). It’s a small gesture, but it shoots through your cotton-candy-soft heart as true and straight as an arrow.

Most mornings, the two of you will chat about anything and everything, swinging from homework to Greek life drama to pet peeves to Mesopotamian history. Occasionally, you’re both tired from your busy schedules and just end up sharing his earbuds, listening to something slow and soothing. More and more often, you find yourself stuffing supplies and books into your backpack until it’s grossly misshapen, just so Jay can have his hands free to brush against yours on the walk to Nat’s.

It’s not just the coffee shop, either. Suddenly, he’s everywhere in your life, as if someone had penciled in his name as one long continuous block in your calendar. He comes to the library with you, and you work on your assignments in companionable silence. He’s now a regular volunteer at the community kitchen, and he’s helping them design a new menu for the colder days coming soon. He even shows up outside the studio art workshop, bringing you takeout when you’ve forgotten to eat. At parties, the two of you dominate beer pong, with him bouncing balls off of his bicep into the cups just to make you fake your fawning adoration at him. He doesn’t have to know that it comes easily to you, especially when he’s constantly looking at you the way you know you look at beautiful works of art.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were actually courting me,” you comment thoughtlessly one day. You’re perched on the kitchen counter at the frat, watching Jay make ramen for the two of you. It’s almost three in the morning, and neither of you should be awake, but there’s something special about the quiet privacy afforded by the strange hour.

Jay forces himself to keep stirring the pot like usual. If he’s being honest with himself, he doesn’t know any better, either, but he doesn’t want to look too closely into that at the moment. Instead, he opts to flirt. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he murmurs.

“Yeah, that’s why I said it, smartass.” But you let him off the hook, now preoccupied with reaching over to re-tie his apron.

“Ooh, ramen!” Jungwon’s face lights up as he walks into the kitchen, led by his nose. He looks like he just woke up, rubbing at his eyes with the ends of his sweatshirt sleeves. You have to stop yourself from cooing at him.

“What are you doing up so late?” Jay scolds him gently.

“Oh, hey, Dad. Hey, Mom. I just woke up; I had a weird dream.” Jungwon nods at you both and takes a seat at the kitchen island.

You gape at him. “What?”

Jungwon blinks a couple of times, looking more alert by the second. “Oops. Did I say that out loud? Sorry, Niki’s been rubbing off on me.”

“Niki calls us Mom and Dad?” You’re not sure if that’s sweet or weird.

“As a joke! In a jocular manner. Jovially.” Jungwon throws up a peace sign, as if that helps.

“I’m glad to see the English degree is paying off,” Jay remarks dryly. He looks like he took the Mom-and-Dad thing much more in stride, except for the tips of his ears, which burn red. It’s a dead giveaway that makes you smile fondly, because it’s so him.

“Will you make some more ramen?” Jungwon bats his eyelashes at the two of you.

“See, it works much better when Jungwon does it,” you tease Jay.

“Can’t argue with you there, honestly.” Jay puts another pot of water on the stove to boil. “You should have more than just sodium and carbs, though,” he tells Jungwon.

You nod, hopping off of the counter to rummage through the fridge. “Yeah, you don’t eat enough vegetables. Maybe that’s why you’re having weird dreams. Aha!” You emerge triumphantly with a salad kit.

Jungwon laughs. “And you wonder why Niki calls you Mom and Dad.”

Jay scoffs. “That’s just because he hasn’t met Chan.”

“Fair enough. What are you guys doing here so late, anyways?”

You pause in assembling the salad to point a salad tong at Jay. “This guy just follows me everywhere.”

“We’re in my frat house,” Jay retorts. 

“I could be here for someone else,” you argue. 

Jay’s gaze pins you down, warm and earnest. “You’re not, though.”

You smile at him. “No, I’m not.”

Jungwon coughs. “Get a room.”

You reach over to ruffle his hair. “You’re standing in it.”

The three of you eat your ramen and salad in silence for a bit, all falling victim to varying degrees of sleepiness. Without noticing it, you’re scooched up next to Jay, shoulders and knees and ankles pressed together in one long line of comfortable intimacy.

Jay thinks about Jungwon’s question as he slurps at the noodles. What are you guys doing here so late? The answer almost eludes him. These days, he finds himself drawn to you like a magnet, pulled in by forces far stronger than himself. 

He remembers that the two of you had been doing work in his room after the main library had closed, and you had fallen asleep on his bed at some point, a sketchbook dangling from your fingers. He had spent a ridiculous amount of time admiring your sleeping form, indulging in his favorite pastime of counting your eyelashes and resisting the urge to lay beside you. Eventually, your stomach had woken you up, and he insisted on making you some food, even if it wasn’t as nice as he would have liked to do for you. Now, looking at you chatting and joking with Jungwon, Jay feels his heart expanding into his lungs. You fit into his life so perfectly, and he’d like to think that he fits into yours, too. It’s almost too good to be true— could this be what his parents started with? 

When you’re done eating, Jungwon waves the two of you away, insisting that he should do the dishes since you cooked. You’re not about to argue with that, so you pat him on the shoulder before following Jay back up to his room. 

“He’s a good kid,” you tell Jay as you hop on his bed again, grabbing your sketchbook to pick up where you left off.

“He is.” Jay tuts at you. “And you should go to sleep.”

“I will, I will, just let me finish this sketch, okay? Besides, I don’t see you turning your laptop off, either.” You jut your chin out stubbornly.

Jay glances at the Wikipedia rabbit hole he’d been going down before your stomach had growled loudly an hour ago. He’s done with his work for the day, and he had just been keeping you company for the last two hours. “I have super important, time-sensitive work to finish,” he lies solemnly.

“Jay, I can see that you have the Wikipedia page for sinkholes open.”

He slams his laptop shut. “Actually, I’m done,” he declares, flopping down on the bed beside you. He turns his cheek from where he’s level with your stomach to look up at your hands moving across the page. “What are you working on in there?”

You make a displeased face. “People. I have to do one more human portrait for my portfolio, and it’s driving me nuts. Here, this one is of you.”

Jay lifts his head, astonished to see himself reflected back on the page. In smooth, sure strokes, you’ve captured him in tender detail: strong jaw, sharp eyes, and mouth twisted in concentration, probably from earlier when he’d actually been doing work. Jay’s jaw works as he struggles to figure out what to say. He’s unbelievably touched that you would draw him. “Can I keep this?” he asks finally.

“It’s not even done yet. And it’s not that good,” you warn him.

“It is to me. C’mon, please?”

“Maybe when I finish…” You trail off, swayed by the senseless patterns he’s tracing on top of your knee. “Which I won’t, if you keep distracting me.”

He smirks and stills his hand, looking like he’s about to tease you before he interrupts himself with a yawn. “Alright, goodnight, Cinderella.”

“'Night, 007.”

When he wakes up the next morning, he finds the lingering scent of your shampoo and a complete sketch of himself, now decked out in a tux worthy of James Bond. It makes him laugh out loud, and he knows he’s in trouble when he slides out a picture of him with his cousins from a picture frame to put your sketch in the frame, instead.

Before you know it, the day of the Parks’ wedding anniversary celebration has arrived. You’re on a four-way FaceTime call, with Chaewon lounging on your bed as you try on various dresses.

Kazuha is more invested in asking you about your relationship than helping you decide what to wear. “I’m just saying, I think it’s interesting that you and Jay have been, like, glued together for well over a month.”

“We’re getting to know each other better, so we don’t mess up in front of his parents,” you explain for the millionth time.

Kazuha wiggles her eyebrows at you. “Suuuure. Why didn’t you just send him one of those scarily detailed questionnaires like you did with all the other guys you fake-dated?”

Chaewon motions for you to spin in the billowy dress you’re currently in. “Too beachy,” she decides. “But ditto to what Kazuha said.”

“It’s because she like-likes him,” Sakura sing-songs.

You stick your tongue out at her. “Grow up, will you?” 

“Forget about that— have you guys hooked up yet?” Yunjin demands.

“Yet? No, Yunjin, what the fuck,” you complain.

“Gross,” a familiar voice groans from Yunjin’s corner of the FaceTime. You, Kazuha, Sakura, and Chaewon all zero in on her square.

“Jake?” You exclaim.

Yunjin giggles and moves the camera to show Jake sitting at his desk in his room, wearing his nerdy glasses and hunched over a textbook.

“Did you guys just hook up?” Kazuha blurts out. 

“Gross,” you repeat.

Yunjin rolls her eyes. “Grow up, will you? And no, I’m just here because it was too loud at the house.”

The rest of you fall silent on the call, especially you and Chaewon, demonstrating how decidedly not loud it is in the sorority house.

Yunjin blushes and clears her throat. “Whatever. Hey, you should totally wear that sparkly navy velvet number! The one that cinches at your waist.”

You rummage around in your closet and pull out the dress in question to try it on. “This one?”

Sakura whistles. “Oh, for sure. Good eye, Jen.”

Yunjin blows her a kiss. “Of course, of course.” She points at you. “That’s the one, babe. You have, like, the sluttiest waist ever, second only to Sunghoon; you have to wear that.”

Sounds of agreement abound, except from Jake, who whines, “You guys don’t think I have a slutty waist?”

“You’re a whore in other ways, don’t worry,” you reassure him dryly. You do another spin for Chaewon. “This isn’t too much, though?”

Jake suddenly pops into view of the camera. “It’s a formal event, and Jay is going to lose his mind no matter what you wear, trust me.”

“That’s not the point,” you insist.

The girls respond in unison, “Yes, it is!” 

And you have to admit, the way Jay’s mouth stays open as he gives you the once-over a few hours later is gratifying, to say the least. For good measure, he does it again, letting his eyes linger at the dip between your collarbones and the curve of your mouth.

Molten heat spreads through you in response to his wandering eyes, ratcheting up in intensity when he smirks at you, purposeful and knowing.

You elect to check him out, too, knowing that you’re not the only person who can get flustered here. He cuts an unbelievable figure against the setting sun, leaning against his sleek black car, hands in his pockets and legs crossed at the ankles. The tuxedo he wears fits criminally well, emphasizing his broad shoulders and long legs, and you can’t stop yourself from wondering what he’d look like taking his tie off. On second thought, this may have backfired; you only find yourself feeling warmer the longer you stare at him.

Thankfully, he starts moving, coming up to the porch to hand you a bouquet of baby’s breath.

“Oh, good idea— should I hand these to your mom or your dad?” You ask, taking the flowers from him.

He laughs, surprised. You are too cute for his own good. “The flowers are for you, Cinderella. My parents and I are allergic to pollen, actually.”

“Oh.” You hold the flowers closer to your chest, giddiness touching you from head to toe. He got you flowers, even though he’s allergic. “Thank you, Jay.”

He hums and reaches out to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear. “Happy to do it. I saw the flowers in your room dying the other day. Go put them inside; I’ll wait out here. I can feel Chaewon’s stare drilling into the top of my head, anyways.” He looks up and waves at Chaewon, who’s hanging out of your window shamelessly.

She shouts, “Have her home by midnight, or she’ll turn into a pumpkin!”

“I don’t think that’s how it goes, but okay!” He throws her a thumbs-up.

Inside the house, you’re seized with the urge to splash some water on your face, just to calm yourself down, but that would ruin your makeup. Instead, you place the flowers in a vase of water and trust that Chaewon will bring them up to your room for you, after she’s done heckling Jay.

“Leave my guy alone,” you yell in her direction, pulling at his arm to get him down the stairs and to his car. 

“Your guy, huh?” Jay looks at you with uncontrollable fondness.

“Just for the night,” you say, but you don’t miss the way his smile widens at the way you don’t deny it.

Ever the gentleman, Jay opens the passenger door for you, helping you gather the ends of your dress and tucking them in under your legs. He remains crouched for a moment, looking like he’s debating with himself about something, and then he goes for it, leaning over and buckling you in.

When you raise an eyebrow at him, all he says is, “Precious cargo,” and then he’s shutting the door, leaving you flushing once more.

The car ride to his parent’s place is easy and comfortable, even with the charged atmosphere that lingers between the two of you. Conversation always flows like water with Jay; you’re debating the finer points of how to determine provenance for historical artifacts when you arrive. Guests are littered across the front lawn, conversing with each other but centered around his parents.

Suddenly, you’re nervous. “Do you think they’ll like me?” You ask Jay.

He looks at you like you’ve grown another head. “Are you serious? Of course they will. You’re you.”

You swat at his shoulder even as you smile widely. “Your unconditional faith in me notwithstanding, I’m serious, Jay. I want to be able to live up to this fairytale romance thing.”

He takes your hand in his, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. “Believe me, you’re a dream come true. Let’s go, Cinderella.”

You gulp and curse your thundering heart, but then you’re five feet away from his parents, and you’re exclaiming at how in love they look, all these years later. Jay’s dad is distinguished in salt-and-pepper hair, and his mom is all smiles when she tells you that you’re too pretty for Jay.

“Mom,” he whines.

“Oh alright, come here, my beautiful boy.” She brings him in for a hug and beams when he kisses her cheek. Your heart melts like ice cream in the summer; he’s a mama’s boy, through and through.

Jay’s dad asks, “So, how did you meet?” 

You open your mouth, prepared with your story. “I’m Jay’s friend’s twin sister, and then we kind of got caught in a scheme to help one of our other friends ask out the girl he liked, and we just got closer after that. Jay’s easy to like.” So far, it’s all true.

Jay doesn’t look like he’s faking anything when he continues, though. “She’s easy to love.”

“Way to one-up me,” you joke, but you feel like you’re floating, cradled by the buoyancy of the affection in his eyes.

“Seriously, she’s so smart it makes my head spin, and her heart shines brighter than the sun. She makes me laugh and work harder to keep up, and I’m lucky to just stand by her side. Being with her is the most natural thing in the world, like breathing, or my heart beating.” Jay doesn’t take his eyes off of you the whole time he’s speaking; he wants to commit every change in your expression to memory, from surprise to fondness to something deeper.

Jay’s dad hums approvingly. “Good work, son. You sound like I did when I met your mom.” He brings his wife in to kiss her temple.

“Enjoy the party, lovebirds,” she coos at you, and then they’re gone, off to greet other arrivals.

You’re frozen in place, with one hand still clutching at Jay’s like a lifeline. “We didn’t practice that,” you mumble.

He shakes his head and rubs his thumb over your cheek with his other hand. “No, we didn’t. Are you mad?”

“Mad? I think I’m jealous of your future girlfriend,” you say, forcing a laugh. It sounds wooden even to your ears.

He frowns. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Act as if you don’t know how much I like you.” 

The world stops turning on its axis. “What?”

His gaze slips down to your mouth, tracing your cupid’s bow. “You heard me.” He turns hopeful eyes on you. “Do you… feel the same?”

Just like that, the world resumes its motion, and you can’t let him go a second longer without knowing how much he is loved. “Desperately.” 

He breathes a sigh of relief, and you think he’s going to kiss you— you need him to kiss you— but he hugs you close instead, lips hovering against your ear. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that,” he murmurs.

“If it’s anything close to how happy I am, I probably have a good idea,” you laugh. You’re surprised at how quickly the burning urge to have his mouth on yours has tempered into something more grounded and permanent. 

“I have to go do something for my parents, but I think I’ll die if I have to leave you. Will you come watch?” 

You’d go anywhere with him. “Of course.”

He squeezes your hand. “Thanks, doll.” Against your will, your hand spasms in his. He giggles, delighted. “Duly noted.”

“Shut up,” you complain, but you follow him all the way to the tented dance floor set up on the grounds behind the house, only letting go after he kisses each of your fingertips in turn.

You’re surprised to see him pull out an eight-string guitar, and even more surprised when he explains to the gathered crowd that he’ll be playing the song from his parents’ first dance. They look perfect, swaying in the center of the floor, but you only have eyes for Jay.

You watch as his fingers pluck deftly at the strings, a romantic Spanish melody that barely reaches your ears over the rush of all your adoration for him. As soon as the song is over, he catches you in his arms, lifting you up and spinning you around twice before setting you back down, hands at home around your waist.

He asks if you want to dance. You teeter back on your heels, looking at the graceful curve of his mouth and thinking back to the nimbleness of his fingers. “Honestly? I want to kiss you. Really badly.”

He exhales and holds you tighter. “You won’t let me take you out first?”

“If you count the last few weeks, you’ve taken me out, like, a million times.”

“But a real date, doll. I want to cook for you, and we can get tea lights, and a picnic blanket, and— god.” Jay sucks in a sharp breath when you move his hands higher to cup underneath your chest. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he sighs, pressing his forehead to yours.

“I hope so. Stop being so nice, and take me to your room, please?”

Jay’s eyes flick heavenward. There’s only so much self-restraint left in him. “You win.”

And when he finally kisses you, pressed up against the door of his childhood bedroom, you nearly cry from how tender it is. He kisses you slowly, reverently, like you’re one of the saints from his history books.

“Sometimes, I think I’ve dreamt you up,” you confess to him. The words hang precious and delicate in the space between your lips.

“Let me show you I’m real then, yeah?” He presses a kiss to the corner of your mouth, then licks right into you, eliciting a gasp from the back of your throat. Your fingers find purchase in the soft hair at the back of his head, and you realize that you’ve been breathing the wrong air your whole life; the groan that passes from his mouth to yours is the only thing you want in your lungs from now on. 

Liquid desire pools in your stomach, rising until you think you might choke on it. “Jay, please.”

“Please, what? Use your words, doll.”

“Touch me.”

That’s all he needs to hear. Quicker than you realize it, but just as urgently as you need it, you find yourself laid out on his bed, and then he’s demonstrating that he knows more than just how to play guitar with those thick fingers.

When you make it out of his room an hour later, you’re still glowing with happiness. Jay knows he looks equally lovestruck, not least because his collar is hiding several lipstick stains from you. 

You offer to help him redo his tie, so he anchors you unnecessarily close to him, hands sweeping up and down your side. “I don’t think I told you yet, but you look really nice tonight,” he murmurs. “You look really nice all the time, actually.”

You bury your face in his chest. “I’m going to explode if you keep sweet-talking me like that.”

He presses his smile to the top of your head. “Nooooo, you’re too pretty to explode.”

“Jay!” But you’re both laughing, bathed in the soft magic of newfound devotion. You couldn’t dream up anything better.

(Dating Jay is a lot like fake-dating Jay, as it turns out. In some ways.

In other ways, Jay still manages to take your breath away with new and inventive methods. He really does make you dinner, with tea lights and a picnic blanket, ensconced in the twilight of a park you drive an hour away to get to. He even makes foie gras torchon for the occasion, from scratch, and he watches you intently as you moan in delight at the taste. You joke about your breath being fishy when you kiss later, but he just shrugs, unbothered and already moving so that his head disappears underneath your dress, making you moan in a different way.

So, yes— there’s a lot more kissing, and sex, and intimacy that makes you want to curl up in a ball and hiss at how vulnerable it makes you. But Jay is always welcome in the prickly patches of your soul, and he wants those parts of you as much as he wants the parts of you that paint him in aching affection.

When he finally tells you he loves you that winter— in so many words, because it shows in his every action otherwise—, it’s three in the morning again, and your hands are fluttering across his brow, smoothing out the creases from a night of worrying about whether he’s really good enough to take over the family business. Your fingers, lovely and dear to him, stitch together the cracks in his self-resolve, and he can’t help but let the words out. His heart absolutely sings when you repeat the words back to him.

Some time later, you ask him to sit for a portrait for you. He doesn’t think too much of it, especially as the seasons bleed into one another and spring brings an influx of senior events, pollen, and the impending question of the future. He’s at your senior thesis, asking you detailed questions during the audience Q&A and wrapping you up in the biggest hug when it’s over, and you sit in on the final class he TAs, applauding when he’s done.

At the showcase of your final portfolio, his jaw drops when you reveal the second portrait (after having laughed his ass off at Jake blubbering over the first one and Yunjin kissing him in public to shut him up). 

The second portrait is of him, and his parents. From his dad’s strong brows, to his mom’s smile lines, to his own hands; every detail is captured, shimmering in loving light. 

He finds that his eyes are wet when you come up to him and brush your thumb against his  eyelashes, smiling brightly at him. “Do you like it?”

“I love it. I love you, so much, like crazy, you don’t even know,” he rambles, laughing through his tears now.

You kiss him quickly but firmly, just a reminder that your mouth was made to fit against his. “Love you more, London boy. Speaking of…” You lean back to stare at him through your eyelashes. “I got the Rhodes,” you whisper.

His eyes widen like saucers. “You’re coming with me?”

“More like you’re coming with me,” you say, knowing that Jay had requested to be placed at his family business’s England location to be close to you in the event that you got the scholarship.

“Obviously,” he relents without missing a beat. “I’m going to follow you everywhere. Can’t get rid of me now.” He dips his head to kiss you longer. Lightning still shoots through his fingertips, just like the first time, and every time after that.

At graduation, you tell him, “You know, I think I’ve decided what I want your favor to be.”

He smiles at you, familiar and true. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“Just love me, for a long, long time.”

“Easy, Cinderella.”)

[jay-anxiety]

I’d love your input, so I’m taking requests!

So, I know I don’t exactly have a following here, but I definitely love writing and I have been running low on inspiration recently.

Which is why I would like to open up for x reader fic requests! I’ll make a list of fandoms and characters I’d love to write for below ⬇️

Marvel:

James “Bucky” Barnes

Tony Stark

Bruce Banner

Steve Rogers

Loki Laufeson

Thor Odinson

Sam Wilson

Clint Barton

Steven Strange

Peter Parker

Peter Quill

Drax

Natasha Romanoff

Wanda Maximoff

Gamora

Dr. Who:

9th Doctor

10th Doctor

11th Doctor

12th Doctor

Rose Tyler

Bones:

Temperance Brennan

Seely Booth

Angela Montenegro

Jack Hodgins

Lance Sweets

Zack Addy

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II:

Simon “Ghost” Riley

John “Soap” MacTavish

Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

John Price

Alejandro Vargas

Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra

König

———————————————————————————

Alright, I’m starting with those just to test the waters. Please send me requests of these characters in my ask box or direct messages. I hope this finds the right people 💕

[i-am-true-believer]

Hello sweet readers, my fellow fanfiction lovers. My late night scrollers, my mid day day dreamers, my sunrise few. I have a little hypothetical for you, so please bare with me, I promise theres a point to this. Imagine Tumblr is a very large building with many, many rooms. And when you walk in theres doors and hallways and different wings and branches. Rooms for different fanfictions, different tropes, different worlds, characters, universes. And there are some doors that are perfectly well kept. They look like they have never been touched. You can tell theres things there but those arent your rooms, not your doors. And there are others where the carpets are wearing in the front of them from a well trodden path. Where you can see that they're well-loved and well kept and behind those doors, are your comfort characters, waiting for you.

They wait for you there. They're so excited when they hear the front door open. They just know you're coming to them. They want to see how they'll fall in love. Or how you'll fall in love or how you'll meet again. They want to know the adventures you're going to have, the stories you're going to tell. They'll ask how your day was, what your fears are. They are ready and waiting for you. That's how I see Tumblr. I see the other readers and writers as fellow travelers in and out of doors. We pass each other, and we smile and wave. We may make a comment or two, but it's safe. Here it is the safest place we could be in. I don't know if everybody else uses Tumblr this way, but I feel like there's a lot of us. We come here looking for safety and comfort, acceptance and love, and things that we can't get from everyday life. So I just want you to know that every time you open those doors, your comfort character wakes up and is ready for you. They're waiting for you, and no matter what is going on in everyday life, they love you, and you are not alone.

You are worthy, you are important, you matter, and you are loved. If not by people in your everyday life, then by your comfort characters and by me. I adore you and I hope that you will do everything possible to stay. It's not a bad life, it's just a bad time right now. Things will get better. And no, it doesn't seem that way right now, but I was there. I was in that dark place and comfort characters were one of the only things that helped me, that kept me going. Please don't give up, we need you here. Your favorite author would realize when you stop reading or when you stop commenting, your readers would miss your writing.

I feel a need to keep doing these posts because i have a hope that each one helps at least one person and thats enough for me.

So I want you to take a deep breath, breathe in and out. Relax your shoulders, remove your tongue from where it's pressed to the roof of your mouth. Take a drink of water, and continue your scrolling.

You are important here. The world would be so much darker without you and I hope tomorrow is better than today. I hope you find the fan fiction you need. Whether it is enemies to lovers, found family, The one bed trope, A/B/O, whatever it is, I hope it helps. I hope you have a place to escape to and I hope you know you are safe here. If you need a friend, i am more than willing to be that friend I will listen. Tell me about your favorite fan fictions. Tell me about life, tell me about your family, tell me about anything you need. Enjoy your scrolling, dear one. I hope tonight or this morning or whenever youre reading this is better than yesterday. I hope this makes life a little easier. You matter. You are important You are loved.

Your comfort character believes in you and so do I, we will always believe in you, and I will always be a safe plan to land. From the very, very happy girl on tumblr who was once a very, very sad girl who thought the world Was a little too dark and a little too scary. Who almost gave up and who's so glad she didn't.

❤️💛True Believer ❤️💛

[tessatales]

Touch starved ❤️Reader❤️

A/N: Tagging the wonderful @copper-boom as they were the one to A) suggested Touch Starved: Reader edition. As well as the one to request Peter to be first! I’m not sure if I’ll be tagging this on the same master page as a part 2 to Peters or putting on a brand new master list- we shall see!

Peter Parker x F!Reader.

Warnings: None

Themes: touch starved reader (duh), Peter tries to help, soft boy, pining, kinda hurt comfort but not?

*Your POV*

You hit the punchbag harder, your bare hands making satisfying slapping sounds as you threw all your weight into each blow; the pain radiating through your arms as your muscles began to complain.

“Woah Y/N, I hope you don’t have anyone in mind when your hitting that” Peter said, skidding to a stop in the gym doorway. You merely glance in Peters direction as you keep hitting the bag, your force becoming almost unbearable.

“Hey! Y/N stop! You’ve got to be hurting yourself by now!” Peter protested, the concern on his face making you want to throw the punchbag across the room.

You weren’t sure why you were so angry, but you’d been feeling the buildup for weeks. You’d put the issue down to the chaos that had erupted in the tower as of late. The people inside constantly being sent off on one dangerous mission or another. In fact, looking back you realised that it had been nearly a month since there and been more than just you and maybe one other avenger in the tower at any one time.

“Y/N that’s enough!” Peter said, his voice booming through your daydreamed filled focus. Without your wanting them to, your hands stilled and you became suddenly aware of the sticky white web that now held your hands in places.

“That’s so uncalled for!” You shout, looking at the offending spider boy as he made his way to you.

“You completely blacked out on me Y/N, I said your name like 5 times and nothing! And look at your hands” Peter said, coming round to stand in front of the bag. You looked down, noticing now how the webs were tinted slightly pink where they’d made contact with your split knuckles.

“Oh…” you whisper, only feeling the sting from your hands now you’ve been made to notice them. Peter looks at you with worry as he peels of the sticky strands from your injured fingers.

“What’s going on with you Y/N? I’ve never seen you like this before..” Peter said, looking you in the eye as he plucked the final web strand away. You look away.

“ I don’t know, I’ve been feeling this pressure building up inside me since everyone was called off on different missions.” You confessed, toeing invisible dirt with the tip of your shoe. Peter placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Your lonely.” Peter said, his voice tinged with sadness. You look at him sharply. Lonely? In the many hours she’d spent pondering her feelings, she’d never considered lonely.

“I mean I guess. It’s not like I’ve actually been alone here, there always been at least one of the guys here at a time” You say, trailing off as you try to remember how many times you saw Steve or Bruce or any of the other when they’d been here.

“Come with me” Peter said, taking your sore hands delicately as he walks you out of the gym. His footsteps silent as he guilds you through the tower and into the main living quarters”

“What are you-?” You begin to ask, your question silenced as you see the living room.

“I came to the gym to ask if you wanted to watch a movie with me.” Peter said as he stood you in front of the sofa, placing his hands lightly on your shoulders as he made you sit.

“Apart from when you’ve come to visit me and aunt May or Happy’s told me someone’s come home from a mission, you’ve been on your own. Your sure to get touch starved in that time.” Peter said as he’d made his way to the first aid cupboard, his back to you as he got the correct items out for your knuckles.

“Touch starved? I though you said I was lonely?” You reply, frowning at the web slinger as he came to sit beside you.

“You’re lonely and touch starved dummy. How could you not be? Not only do you live with 6 other people on a normal day, but some of those people are very affectionate. Name me one instance where Wanda hasn’t hugged you or something when you’ve talked to her?” Peter said as he got to work on your hands.

You barely felt the sting as you recalled your conversations with the different avengers, realising quickly you seemed to get touched a lot. Whether is was Wanda’s hugs or Natasha’s affectionate shoulder punches; hell, even Vision would pat you on the head when you’d answer one of his questions. You were hit with the sudden realisation that your mood was purely because of touch. Or the lack of it.

“Ooh…”

“And the penny finally drops” Peter says, finishing up on the last bandage. You stare at the neat arrangements of fabric covering your now aching hands.

“Thank you.” You say, looking up at Peter sheepishly, he merely shrugged.

“Don’t mention it. Now what shall we watch?”

********

*Peter’s POV*

Peter was pretty sure Y/N had fallen asleep as soon as the movie had started, her body sagging sleepily against his shoulder as he’d watched the films opening scene. Y/N’s head lolled against Peters shoulder at an uncomfortable looking angle.

“Hey, Y/N, wake up. Time to go to bed” Peter tried, nudging the sleeping girl lightly.

“Nuhh mph” Y/N said, her face contorting as she spoke in her sleep. Peter laughed softly.

As carefully as he could, Peter got up, holding Y/N’s head as he moved. With careful movements and some help from his webs, Peter moved a pillow to sit comfortably under Y/N’s head, a blanket shooting it’s way on the end of a web from the other side of the room as he lay her comfortably.

Satisfied she was comfortable, Peter stood up, aiming to make his get away silent.

“Petey?” Y/N mumbled, her face scrunched up in a way Peter thought was horrendously adorable.

“Yes?” Peter said, trying to ignore the way her nickname for him makes his chest feel. Without opening her eyes, Y/N reached out blindly to grasp Peters trouser leg.

“Stay” she said simply, her grip tight against the fabric of his trousers. Peter chuckled softly.

“There’s nowhere for me to sit” Peter whispered as he detangled her fingers from his clothes. Crouching down, Peter moved a stray lock of hair from Y/N’s sleeping face. She sighed softly at the touch. With great effort, Y/N began to move, shuffling her body until there was a Peter sized space behind her.

“Umph” Y/N mumbled like a triumph. Her face portraying no sign she was doing any of this consciously. Peter scratched the back of his head. Looking around for something he wasn’t sure of before giving in and removing his shoes. As lightly as he could, Peter tiptoed behind Y/N, moving carefully to lie directly behind her.

Peters heart raced. He’d know that his motives for a movie hadn’t been completely innocent, knowing Happy and the Avengers were away had given him a chance at alone time with the youngest tower occupant. But he hadn’t expected to end up like this.

How fast will I be thrown out the window if one of them came back early? Peter wondered as he half lay there, his head on his elbow as he looked down at Y/N’s sleeping form.

As if she knew she was being watched, Y/N moved, rolling over until she was facing Peter, engulfing him in the masses of blanket as she went. Peter froze as he felt Y/N’s bandaged had snake it’s way across his middle, the hand his head wasn’t resting in held high like he was at gunpoint.

Peter stayed like that for several minutes, feeing his muscles begin to cramp up at the awkward position. Eventually, he moved, slowly sliding down until Y/N’s head sat under his chin and his arms had found their comfortable spot under Y/N’s head and resting lightly over her blanket clad middle.

“Okay, don’t freak out” Peter said silently as he felt Y/N cuddle closer to him. Ever sense in his body screaming that this was the best and worst idea of his life.

I’m cuddling with my crush

The avengers are gonna kill me

Thoughts race through his head as he felt Y/N’s steady breathing. Eventually though, Peters worrying was overthrown by the warmth of Y/N’s body and the quite murmuring as she talked in her sleep.

In the end, Peter decided to relax, squashing the thought of consequences as he focused on the girl in his arms. He’d come here to spend time with her, to help her feel less alone during this mess of a time she was facing. And if hugging her while she slept was what she needed, Peter was happy to give it.

As Peter began to drift into unconsciousness, he dreamed of a time where this was his usual routine, napping on the sofa with Y/N in his arm, the movie playing softly in the background as he held the girl he was sure he was falling in love with.

[eva-616]

How about a marvel series (you know those cute fanon ones that were popular back in 2018-2019) Clint in the vents and all that. But it takes place now and the oc or reader is Wanda’s daughter from Westview and she was born is the second episode or just appears out of no where, she’s older than the twins and ages in the show. They get out by Agatha and somehow they get rescued by avengers and all that. But reader still has trouble with this version off Wanda and vision since she has the show memories as her life, she’s very protective of the twins. So she learns to adapt but still struggles. Maybe some mentorship with Dr. Strange! This a cool fic idea…

… anyone wanna write it 😭

[writing-multifandoms]

Decorating with the Avengers + Others for Autumn

Requests are open! Read the rules and send them in!

The team

Okay, so when the weather starts to change and the leaves start to fall from the trees, you can bet that stores will reintroduce pumpkin spice products. Whenever you wanna decorate for fall, some people will help you while others will claim that they are helping but are eating all the Halloween decorated candy and goods that are in the kitchen.

Tony Stark

He'll definitely tease you about decorating. Might toss a couple of candies at you to see your reaction but nothing that can't be fixed with a quick kiss and a few of those (wrapped) candies thrown back at him at full force.

"Damn, Y/N." Tony laughed as he ducked the full on pumpkin shaped Snickers bar.

He is a bit amused when you use those autumn ambience videos on YouTube as inspiration for decorating and doing a little bit of crafts. He'll eventually get into the Autumn spirit. He playfully blames you when you see that he made a suit that had the colors of Autumn.

Steve Rogers

He'll definitely help you decorate. His decorating skills are a bit rusty from ya know..... But, he'll definitely try and help. Nowadays, he's kinda impressed about how much the human race has advanced.

He notices that when he went to the store with you to get a few things, that a good portion of the decorations were shiny and sparkly. He'll totally be down if you ever wanted to do a Autumn picnic. He makes sure that if the weather is particularly chilly, that you both are dressed for it and have maybe like a portable battery operated heater to keep you guys warm

He definitely wants to make sure that you are comfortable and he sure does not want you to get sick. If you love to bake, he'll also be your first taste tester and he will give you honest feedback on your baked goods.

Bucky Barnes

"Whatcha, doing there, doll?" Bucky asks as he watches you struggle to put up some decorations for the Fall season. When you tell him you are decorating, he'll hold you steady as you put orange led lighting up outside. He will also offer you his jacket if you get cold. He will always offer you his help and will help you get down after putting up the decorations outside. He loves how excited you get when the season of Autumn comes around.

If you bake, then he will tease you, especially if you make something like a pumpkin pie. Bucky may or may not play sweetest pie by dua lipa and Meghan thee stallion. "What's the matter, doll? You seem a bit flustered." However, he's impressed by the skill of your baking. He ate the first slice and went back for a few more. "You could probably sell these. They are that good."

If you want picnics, he'll ask you to bring two pumpkin pies alongside some other things. Also, he may or may not approve if you want to put pumpkin and autumn leaves stickers on his metal arm. He probably would agree reluctantly but if it's something like Autumn colors bedazzling, he doesn't know if he would let you do that though.

Thor

When you guys are on earth, he likes how many pumpkin flavored food and drinks there are during this time of year.

He will EAT all the pumpkin pie poptarts and then beg you to get some more. You would be better off just getting a 36 pack of those to be honest. And yes if you make homemade pumpkin baked goods he will eat those as well. You asked him for feedback once and all his said was "Another!"

If you guys on Asgard you may or may not get weird looks while you are decorating. When Thor tells his parents that this is kind of a tradition of yours, they don't mind. Your pumpkin spice cookies somehow end up being really big in Asgard so you always make a huge batch and leave them in the dining hall.

Loki

Similar to Tony. He will definitely tease you about you wanting to decorate for the Fall/Halloween season. However, he loves your soups during this time of year. Not because they provide warmth when the weather starts to get cold (he was born a frost giant, he's used to it) but just the flavor of your soups.

Whatever pumpkin baked good you make might disappear overnight, but Loki swears it wasn't him like you didn't see him devouring it at 3am the prior night. Loki will also brag about your baking skills to EVERYBODY. Like he is always mentioning how you found a new pumpkin desert to make.

Loki also slowly but surely starts to judge other people's house. If they don't have Halloween/Fall decorations, he is definitely judgemental, honestly. When he judges other's decorations for not being "as good as yours." He uses that as a way to compliment you instead of telling you directly.

Dr Strange

You are gonna have to beg Dr Strange to teleport you to a pumpkin patch. You force him to go on the Hay ride as well. Pretends to not like it but he actually likes spending time with you.

May or may not like the pumpkin spice latte that you get from the local Starbucks. Don't be surprised if he used magic to make sure you don't fall or get hurt while decorating.

Gonna look at you like 🙄 when you beg him to use his cape when you convince him to have a picnic but does it anyway because he loves you. And then 🙄 turns into 😶 when his cape willing goes over to you when you guys start to set up the picnic.

Peter Parker

Definitely uses his Spidey powers to decorate with you. He tries to convince you to just relax and that he can do it but you want to be helping also. If he is able to convince you to relax, you'll definitely just do some Instacart and order pumpkin pie, the ingredients for some pumpkin spice drinks (hot and cold), and the Ingredients needed for a thick and hearty soup since New York could get cold early in October.

If he isn't able to convince you, then he'll make sure that you are secure at ALL times, no matter how much you fuss. He would also love to go on coffee dates with you. Actually, to be honest, he wouldn't mind just being close to you in general, even if it's just staying at home during a rainy, cold, and cloudy day. He wants to try different seasonal drinks with you. However, during a quick trip to the grocery store, you two say apple cider flavored chips, and the two of you looked at each other before putting it in the cart. Hey, you never know. You might love it.

Bruce Banner

Imma tell you right now. Bruce did not expect to wake up at 3 in the morning to an empty half of the bed. Bruce saw that light was coming from down the hallway so he groggily got up as he senses heightened. "Y/N?" He called out, his voice slightly slurred as he had just woken up from a deep sleep. "In the kitchen." He heard you reply. He wondered if you got up to satisfy a midnight snack craving.

He was taken by surprise when he walked into the kitchen to find you in the process of decorating it with Autumn seasonal decorations? Then he checked the living room and it seemed as if it was already decorated and he heard the slight crackle of the fire. He then wondered why you didnt wake him up. Yeah, he's tired but he definitely could have helped you. And plus he could have made sure that you didnt get any cuts or bruises.

"You doing this, now?" Bruce asked, gratefully accept the homemade pumpkin spice latte with two shots of espresso. "You never had 3am motivation?" You laughed as he took a long gulp. "I think I may have lost track of time though."

Natasha Romanoff

She'll definitely use her flexibility to help you decorate the place. And then after the decorations are all set up, she'll just ask for a coffee date. If you like to create crafts for the autumn season, she will definitely try to talk you into selling them on Etsy or a similar website. If you do sell them, she will definitely come with you to make sure that no one will try and hurt you.

If you just want to use them as gifts, she'll help you make sure that the packaging is cute and creative. During one particular craft, it ended in a tickle fight, which in turn ended in the two of you being covered in art supplies ( paint, pencil shavings, etc). She also loves how fascinated you are with her hair. It gives the vibe of Autumn.

She also LOVES rainy Autumn days where the two of you just read a book or watch a movie while ordering some takeout. On rainy days, she loves hot meals since the rain can make the day so much cold than normal. Also, she loves cuddling with you as you guys just relax and take in the decorations or just the vibe of autumn.

Wanda Maximoff

She is insanely protective over you so yes, she will definitely use her powers to put up decorations, no matter how much you protest. She will either use her powers to put up the decorations or use them to hold you up so you can put them up yourself without worrying about sketchy and unstable ladders.

You do have to convince her to hold you up though because she is a bit scared that something will happen and you will end up falling and getting hurt. She would never forgive herself if you got hurt while she was using her powers to hold you up

Afterwards, lots of cuddles and most likely a coffee date. She also lets you play with her hair as it most definitely fits the autumn vibe that you were trying to decorate for. Y'all will definitely do picnics and what not but don't be surprised if she puts up an invisible force field to protect you two during the picnic. The foods and drinks include apple cider, pumpkin pie, and a nice hearty chili, especially if the weather is particularly cold.

Vision

Honestly, he is so loyal. Like, for real, you want to make everything in the house the color of fall? He'll go out with you to get decorations and paint. He definitely is a bit amused when you excitedly point out that his red skin and mind stone is the perfect combination for fall. He also wants you to be happy but he also wants you to be safe.

He's dead ass serious when he wants you to ask for his help if you need it. He can fly, for Pete's sake. And Vision has no problem holding you for as long as you may need or want. He's protective too. But somethings slip through the cracks so if you do end up getting hurt or bruised, he'll definitely make sure that you are okay. He'll bring you ice for your bruise, and he will absolutely give you a message.

He also will go with you on trips. There's a trail that you two frequent that has the most beautiful leaves. The end of the trail ends at a section of a park that has a lake. Vision loves to watch the sunset with you and he'll chuckle when you comment on the way the stone in his head has a sparkle when the golden sunset light is on it. When y'all get back home... movies, cuddles, and pizza are the perfect way to end the eventful day.

Sam Wilson

Okay, so Sam is confused. He left for a run with Steve and literally when he came back, there was Autumn decorations up. He wondered how you were able to put them up and also a bit worried because he didnt want you to be hurt or sore. He thought that he would find you in the bedroom with a ice pack on a bruise that was somewhere on your body but boy was he surprised.

He found you in the kitchen shoving a piece of pumpkin pie down your throat. Y'all made eye contact and you laughed, causing yourself to choke slightly. Sam handed you a glass of water to help wash down the thick slice of pie.

"When did you have the time to get pumpkin pie?" Sam asked in confusion as he cut himself a slice.

"After I put up the decorations." You replied, your voice sounded a bit thick.

"What? I was gone for that long... Damn."

Clint Barton

"Y/N, seriously?" He said looking around the place that was decorated. He chuckled. "Yeah, it's definitely better if you decorate." You laughed at his comment as your mind went back to a year ago.

"I decorated." Clint said as you came home from a run to the grocery store. You had to refrain from laughing. By decorating, he just put a fake pumpkin craft in the middle of the dining room table. That was it. "I think I'm let you decorate from here on out." Clint said before looking at the table and bursting into contagious laughter. One minute later and the both of you were in tears as you guys were laughing so damn hard.

He'll also help you harvest and maybe even sell the autumn vegetables that you started growing early in the summer season. He also helped set up your greenhouse. He likes how well you incorporate pumpkin into your recipes. He thinks it adds a unique and cool flavor that doesn't overpower the other flavors of the dish. And yes, he loves roasted pumpkin seeds.

Venom/Eddie

The amount of season chocolate that y'all three go through is insane. You have to buy multiple big bags of chocolate to satisfy their ( and partially your) cravings. Venom will probably tease you about decorating and he say something about "humans are weird." Now if you are decorating for Halloween, Venom will definitely take interest.

Venom makes you and Eddie get the more gruesome Halloween decorations and you have to ignore the look of people when their eyes widen at the decorations you set up. Whatever, at least your house is decorated for Halloween/Fall.

If you bake any goods, they will be gone insanely quick if they have chocolate in them. If you want to have some, you have to get it as soon as it is done. No, not when it cools off, as soon as it is done. You learned your lesson because last time you left it on the counter to cool, you came back 15 minutes later to find 75 percent of it gone.

[braveclementine]

Party

Warnings: None

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC Elizabeth Lightwood. I do not condone any copying of this.

You smiled, wearing a blue dress and holding Everleigh, hanging out at the pool table, watching Steve and Sam play.

Sam whooped as he pocketed a ball and Steve grinned, biting his bottom lip.

Thor was talking with a bunch of soldiers while Bruce awkwardly darted around, avoiding everyone. Nat and Rhodey were talking on the couch and Clint was talking to Cho in the corner of the room, the two of them holding drinks.

The two of them finished their game and walked off together.

You were mostly avoiding everyone as well, like Bruce. At these sorts of things, Tony had to entertain everyone, though he tried to get as much time with you as possible. You didn't really mind.

At the moment, he was talking with Rhodey, Thor, and a woman in a red dress. Thor and Tony seemed unimpressed as Rhodey was talking.

Thor corralled you eventually and you found yourself standing with an old man and Steve, along with Thor.

"I gotta have some of that." The old man said, pointing to the liquor that Thor was pouring.

"No, no no." Thor chuckled, "See this, This was aged for one thousand years." Thor said impressively, handing it over to Steve. "in the barrels built from the wreck of Grunhel's fleet. It is not meant for mortal men."

"Neither was Omaha beach, blondie." The old man said as Thor poured himself a cup. Steve smelt his with skepticism. "Stop trying to scare us. C'mon."

"All right." Thor said and not only did he pour the man one, but he poured you one as well.

You took it, knowing you didn't really like alcohol, but figured you might as well try a small sip. It probably couldn't hurt.

Steve immediately took the shot from you. "Absolutely not."

You pouted at him, hoisting Everleigh on your hip because she wanted down.

Steve just shook his head and it was probably a good thing too, because the older gentlemen were absolutely shell shocked after having it. One of them stood so still, like a mannequin, the other was asleep at the table, and the one that had asked for it was being led out gently by two men.

You decided to leave the party a little, going out to the balcony. The weather was nice tonight, the wind flowing along your skin. You sighed in a bit of relief, realizing how much you hated crowds. Not that this necessarily constituted as a crowd, but it was a small space with a lot of people in it.

You wondered where the Maximoff twins were. Had they gone back to what remained of HYDRA? Or were they one their own?

Why would two young kids, who were only sixteen and could barely drive here in the states, volunteer for HYDRA test trials? What were they hoping to do? Or change? Sokovia was a mess. Were they really hoping that HYDRA would help them save it?

After all, visiting the base, Tony's robots had gone to help the civilians so they didn't get hurt and the robots had come back in pretty bad shape. Voice recordings heard they had been shouting for the Avengers to go home.

Maybe in these parts, HYDRA was friend and not foe.

"Hey." Sam's voice interrupted your thoughts.

"Oh hey." You said, startled. You'd thought he'd left. "I thought you were leaving?"

"I am in a minute." Sam admitted, "But I saw you come up here. Tony do you wrong? I can punch him for you."

You laughed, "No, everythings fine. I get a little claustrophobic in crowds. I just came out here for some air. Tony's fine."

Sam nodded, "Well that's good."

"How's your soulmate? The doctor?" You asked.

Sam sighed, looking less cheerful now, "He's. . . I mean I love him, you know? But he can be such a dick. And I mean, he's perfectly loving towards me. I just. . . he thinks he's better than other people since he's ranked number one in the country. And yeah, sure, he is. Fuck, I mean, he's amazing, you know? But the way he treats the nurses and the guys at work and the people around him. . . it's unflattering, you know?"

"Gosh Sam, I'm sorry." You apologized. "I guess it's an ego thing with being successful, right? Tony's still sort've got that, although he's toned it down just a little bit."

Sam shrugged, sitting down next to you. "Nah, I mean, it's fine. He's wonderful to me at least. I just don't know what it'll take for him to realize he's wrong for treating these people like they're less than him, that they're. . . less important? Do I bring it up? Or do I wait?"

You squeezed his hand gently. "That's up to you. But, I would think, that if you can't bring it up because you're afraid of how he'll react, maybe rethink the relationship. That's all I suggest."

"Thanks." Sam sighed and then changed the subject, "You got anything new for me?"

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

Steve was walking through the upstairs, and caught sight of Sam and Y/N talking on the balcony. He paused, seeing Y/N take Sam's hand into hers and looked around for Tony, hoping he didn't see the two of them and assume anything bad.

"That's up to you. But, I would think, that if you can't bring it up because you're afraid of how he'll react, maybe rethink the relationship. That's all I suggest." Y/N said, letting go of his hand now.

"Thanks." Sam sighed and then changed the subject, "You got anything new for me?"

"I have a few new locations." Y/N said, and then said, "Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Bulgaria, Turkey. He did quite a few missions in Romania, so I feel like it would be familiar territory for him. I just feel that it would be a risky move since HYDRA would know that. Not to mention, we don't even have proof he left the country. No IDs, no fake IDs, no airport scans, no boats, nothing. I don't know how he got out of the country, if he did."

"Maybe a hidden HYDRA warehouse." Sam suggested as Steve held onto every word. "This is so frustrating. He's a literal ghost."

"I was thinking of talking to Thor." Y/N said slowly. "He's got a guardian in Asgard, by the name of Heimdall. Apparently he can see the future, which is why he's the guardian- so that they are never attacked without warning. I want to see if he can see Earth future and maybe can tell us where Bucky is. Or at least, tell us if we ever find him."

"Why are you so invested in this?" Sam asked suddenly. "Like, I understand Steve is your friend but the way you are. . . I mean do you love him?"

Steve jolted. That was illegal. There was no way you could be with another person's soulmate. And there was no way that he would ever betray Tony like that.

"I mean. . ." Y/N said hesitantly. "I love him, but not in the sense of like. . . I would leave Tony for him, you know? Like, it's not romantic love, but it's not quite like 'I love him like a brother' love. I don't know how to describe it. I guess I just. . ."

Y/N sighed and said, "When I was growing up, everyone hated me. Like my parents always abused me and my brother ignored me. I only had about one friend. I mean, fuck, even the dog hated me. So being here, and everyone loves me or at least likes me. . ."

"Do you feel like you have to repay that kindness?" Sam asked, kicking into therapist mode.

"I don't know." Y/N said uncertainly. "I mean, I feel that I would be helping him anyways, even if I hadn't had that background. And I know he would do the same for me. But I could really ask you the same question Sam. You've got a soulmate. Why aren't you spending every waking hour with him? Why are you helping Steve find Bucky?"

Sam sighed, putting his face in his hands, "Don't think to badly of me when I say this but. . . I look at Steve and I go, 'That's how my soulmate should be.' And for Steve, I would do just about anything so if he wants help finding his soulmate, I'll help him because this Bucky dude really deserves Steve. And even better, Steve deserves Bucky. He deserves that love. Because if there's one person who doesn't deserve to spend the rest of his life alone, it's Steve."

Steve felt warm inside and slowly backed away from the doorway, heading back into the building, feeling lucky that he had two wonderful friends.

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

"But it's a trick." Clint complained, twirling a pair of random drumsticks that he found somewhere. He was lounging on the couch across from Thor who was sitting next to Steve, laughing and pouring more of his Asgardian liquor.

"No, no, it's much more than that." Thor said with a chuckle, handing Steve the shot of Asgardian liquor to go with his bottle of beer.

Bruce was sitting on the other side of Clint, leaning over the arm of the couch to talk to Natasha. Maria sat on the other side of Clint.

You were sitting on the floor by Steve's feet, your back against the couch. You were mostly minding your own business, playing with dolls with Everleigh.

"Ah, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!" Clint declared in a random, deep dramatic voice, before saying in his normal voice, "Whatever man! It's a trick."

"Please, be my guest." Thor said, gesturing towards the hammer that was sitting on the coffee table. It even looked inviting, just waiting to be picked up. The metal square hammer resting on the table, the leather bound handle sticking straight up into the air.

Rhodey and Tony were sitting on the couch that was almost between the two others, talking, but immediately stopped when Thor offered.

"Really?" Clint asked and even you looked up to see how it was going.

"Yeah." Thor said nonchalantly.

Clint clinked the drumsticks together with a thud as he put both of them in one hand, getting to his feet.

"Oh this is gonne be beautiful." Rhodey said with a bit of a smirk in his voice.

"Clint, you've had a tough week." Tony said. "We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up."

You rolled your eyes at Tony's joke, half-tempted to cover Everleighs ears, but it wasn't like she understood what was going on anyways. She wasn't even paying attention, undressing the barbie doll from her day clothes into pajamas.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint asked in a condescending tone to Thor. He wrapped his hand around the hammer and pulled, grunted, and then grumbled, "I still don't know how you do it!"

"Smell the silent judgement?" Tony asked.

"Please, Stark, by all means." Clint said, gesturing to Tony.

You held in your laughter as Tony stood up, dramatically flicking open the button on his suit.

"Okay."

"Uh huh."

"Never one to shrink from an honest challenge." Tony said, swaggering over to the hammer.

"Get after it."

"It's physics." Tony declared.

"Physics?"

Tony wrapped his hand through the loop and grasped the hammer before asking, "Right, so, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?"

"Yes, of course." Thor said. You watched as Thor rolled his eyes at the ceiling.

"I will be reinstating prima notca." Tony declared. You rolled your eyes again and tried not to laugh as you heard Steve's small scoff behind you. Rhodey also rolled his eyes.

Tony placed his hand against the coffee table, attempting to lift the hammer. Then he let go of it. "I'll be right back."

Things escalated to the point where Tony got his Iron man gauntlet. And when that worked, Rhodey also put on his war machine gauntlet.

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked.

"Are you on my team?" Tony retorted.

"Just represent. Pull!" Rhodey retorted right back.

"Daddy being weird." Everleigh finally laughed, but no one but you heard her as the boosters on the gauntlets fired. You laughed.

Bruce then got on the table, pulling with all his might, roaring. He continued to roar, perhaps trying to get laughs. You kept your head down in second hand embarrassment. Thor however, looked at Bruce with a loving expression on his face and Steve hid a smile behind his hand.

"Go ahead, Steve, no pressure." Clint muttered and Steve got up off the couch.

You smirked as Dr. Cho, who was leaning on her arm, curled up in a chair, admired the way that Steve rolled up the sleeves of his blue button down shirt. He did look really good tonight- if you could admire him that way. Tony, of course, topped the handsome chart. But Steve's muscles were hard to compete with.

"Come on Cap." Tony said, cheering him on.

You watched as it looked like the hammer almost moved. You didn't think anyone else saw it, so you looked over at Thor, whose smile had fallen off his face. You smiled to yourself.

Yes. If there was someone worthy enough to lift the hammer and rule Asgard, it would be Steve.

You could tell that Steve knew as well. You watched his arms. His muscles didn't go taunt and even though he looked like he was pulling, his grip was to loose. He wasn't trying at all.

He didn't want to rule.

That was what made him worthy.

Steve pulled his hands off, sighing. Thor's smile came back, though he quickly swallowed liquor, the both of them laughing if off. You could tell it was nervous laughter on both sides though.

"And, Widow?" Thor asked.

"Oh, no no. That's not a question I need answered." Natasha said.

"Lady Stark?"

"Nope. I'm with Nat on this." You said softly, watching as Everleigh tottered to her feet, clutching a doll in her hand. She showed it to Steve, who bent over in his seat to talk to her under his breath.

"All deference to the Man Who Wouldn't be King, but it's rigged." Tony said nonchalantly.

"You bet chur ass." Clint drawled.

"Steve, he said a bad language word." Maria pointed to Clint who was standing with Tony and Rhodey.

"Did you tell everyone about that?" Steve groaned.

"The handles imprinted, right?" Tony asked, but you continued to look over at Thor who was looking at the hammer with almost a look of sadness. "Like a security code. 'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' I think, the literal translation."

"Yes. It's a very, very interesting theory." Thor said, getting to his feet. "I have a simpler one, you're all not worthy." He went to reach for his hammer at the same time Everleigh toddled past him. He waited for her to pass by, but she reached up, grabbing the hammer in her tiny hand. She wobbled around from its weight, but she was still holding it.

The room was dead silent, until she giggled, pointed the hammer at you. Before you knew it, white lightning had hit you and you went flying.

"Y/N!" Several voices shouted and then Everleigh started screaming and crying.

You blinked and when you could actually see, Bruce, Tony, and Steve were all kneeling over you.

You hadn't actually flown that far, having landed right by the end of the couch. You gingerly sat up, looking over to see that Natasha was comforting the little girl and Thor had his hammer in his hand, looking troubled.

"Are you alright?" Bruce asked for the second time.

"Yeah. Ow." You winced, grabbing onto both Tony and Steve, standing up. "What? No jokes about how our daughter is worthy?" You asked Tony.

"Well, I'm more worried about you." Tony admitted, brushing your hair down.

Suddenly, a high pitched noise broke through the air. You clapped your hands to both ears, crouching down. At first, you thought it was just you, being hurt by the noise, but you saw Rhodey wince as well, putting his bottle of beer down.

"Worthy. . . " A growl that sounded like something in a horror movie said. You immediately stumbled over, picking Everleigh up in your arms, holding her tightly to your chest.

There, standing in the dark was some sort of robot thing. "No." It growled. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

"Stark." Steve said.

"Jarvis." Tony commanded.

"I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or I was a d-dream."

"Reboot Legionnaire OS. We got a buggy suit." Tony muttered.

"There was this terrible noise." The robot was moving around, its arms and head mostly, as though it was human, trying to ward something off. "And I was tangled in. . . in. . . strings." It looked down at its body. "I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

"You killed someone?" Steve asked.

"Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."

You quickly scanned where everyone was. Tony was on the outside of the group on your left, with Rhodey next and then Steve. You were next to Steve and on your immediate right was a large space before Thor, with Dr. Cho standing slightly behind him. Bruce and Natasha stood in front of the two of them. Maria and Clint were sitting on the couch, looking at the robot over their shoulders.

"Who sent you?" Thor demanded.

Suddenly, Tony's voice emitted from the robot. "I see a suit of armor around the world."

"Ultron." Bruce was the one to answer.

"In the flesh. Or, no, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready."

Chrysalis. Not yet.

It wanted a human body? But how was it going to manage that?

You watched Maria stand from where she was sitting on the couch.

"I'm on a mission."

"What mission?" Natasha asked.

"Peace in our time." It said, before robots exploded through the wall.

Steve kicked up the coffee table, crashing into the robot, but it was just sent flying back, knocking both you and Steve off your feet. You wrapped your body around Everleigh as you crashed to the floor, crying out in pain.

You could hear shooting and you got to your feet, looking for somewhere to hide Everleigh, something to be used as a weapon.

You watched a robot approach Dr. Cho, who was crouching behind the grand piano, but suddenly it turned dark and was going to turn away from her when Steve jumped on it, sending it sliding to Thor who smashed it with his hammer.

Suddenly, metallic arms grabbed you from behind and you found yourself skyrocketing towards the ceiling. You tightened your arms around your daughter as you flew higher into the air. One arm around your waist, the other around your neck.

You couldn't struggled, watching. "Thor!" You called out and as he looked up, you let yourself believe and dropped Everleigh. You watched with relief as Thor caught your daughter, protecting her from the glass as he rolled.

You slid your hands under the arm that was choking you, trying to push the arm away. You could see Tony on the back of another flying robot, trying to kill it with some sort of tool.

"Steve!" You heard Clint shout and watched the beautiful American decal shield go flying through the air. Steve caught the shield, spun, and tossed it straight at you. You caught the shield, lowering your head, and shoved the shield backwards. You felt the satisfying release as the head was disconnected from the body.

You started to free fall back to the ground and braced, before Steve caught you, putting you back on your feet.

"You alright?" Steve asked, taking his shield back.

"Fine." You said, massaging your throat and holding your arms out for Everleigh, who was crying again.

"That was dramatic." Ultron hissed. "I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve?"

It bent down, grabbing the head of one of the robots. "With these? These puppets." It crushed the metallic skull in his hand before tossing it forward, "There's only one path to peace. The Avenger's extinction."

Thor tossed his hammer, crushing the robot into pieces. They clattered to the ground and were still, as the hammer returned to his hand.

"I had strings. But now I'm free."

[skylarinfinity]

*werecats m/n run away from kitchen to backyard*

wanda: *open back door with her power* m/n m/n l/n, you better get back here!

yelena: *talk to natasha* full name, cat guy going to die.

natasha: *sigh and go to save m/n from wanda* nobody going to die today.

*outside wanda using her power to make sure m/n don't go anywhere and m/n hissing at wanda*

natasha: what's going on here?

wanda: *sigh* m/n have turkey skin inside his mouth, cat can't have that but like usual he stubborn little sh-

m/n: *turn back into human and look at wanda in the eyes while swallow the turkey skin* i'm werecats not cats!

natasha: m/n you almost die when you eat chocolate last month...

m/n: th- that's different! *start feeling unwell*

*yelena come outside with bruce and cho*

cho: *pull out needle* you need to stop being stubborn m/n

m/n: *turn back into werecats and whined*

wanda: *scratch m/n head* it's okay baby it just needle.

.

.

.

bruce: *awkwardly* um so nobody going to ask why wanda cover with blood and m/n nor wanda have any injuries?

m/n m/n l/n = male name, middle name, last name

tags: @sonicqaulan

[kykyonthemoon]

Drizzle at Midnight

When you miss his twenty-seventh birthday.

── .✦ Zayne x Female Reader|MC

── .✦ Tags: angst, emotional hurt, hurt/comfort, angst with a better ending, break up & post-break up

── .✦ Word count: 1k3

── .✦ Requested by bon.

── .✦ Masterlist ♡ Request a fic

You entered Linkon City territory just as the clock on the panel displayed four round zero digits. The cool air combined with the scent of passing rain signaled the arrival of autumn. Your shadow lingered on the road all by itself. In solitude.

Your steps were rushed from the minute you exited the train station. On the deserted street there was still a shop open. Your favorite bakery. As soon as your shadow became apparent, the owner delivered you a properly wrapped box. 

“Here you go, Miss Hunter. Lucky you, our shop's about to close.”

“I'm so sorry that my order came so late at this hour.” You spoke while attempting to catch your breath. 

The bakery owner smiled at you. "Not an issue at all. We've only just started cleaning up. Last time you called to cancel the order, I was concerned that something might happen between the two of you. But today when you called again for this cake, I assumed that everything was okay.”

You clasped the box in your palm, unsure what to say for a minute. You simply nodded and smiled faintly. The bakery owner noticed that the Hunter uniform on your body had not yet been changed and realized you were too busy to be certain that you would be able to return on time to pick up the cake. After that, you gladly bid farewell to the owner and continued walking along the desolate road ahead.

Your steps slowed as you moved further away from the bakery. The shop owner knew you and the person whose cake was ordered for that day. Just the previous month, you had spent hours there asking them for advice on cake selection, decorations and other necessary things. All for this special day. But one night, the bakery received a call to cancel this specific order. You thought you would no longer need this cake. But when your mission was over and you were on the train back to Linkon, you suddenly wanted it back.

You had called that very afternoon, hoping the bakery could still make it in time. You could pay more if necessary, but the owner insisted that they still kept my order. Thinking about it, the bakery was a place so familiar to you and that person; the shop owner had also witnessed happy moments of both of you. They preserved your previous purchase because they sincerely thought you would come pick up this cake and personally deliver it to the person you loved.

Finally, you showed up. Unlike what the shopkeeper expected, you ordered this cake just for yourself.

Your footsteps halted in front of a large building. You sat down on the stairs, placed the cake box on your lap, and gazed into the distance. One side of Akso Hospital was visible in front of you. You consciously counted the number of windows that were both still illuminated and entirely dark. You stopped by his window.

The office was still lit. You smiled. Your hands trembled as you removed the ribbon from the box. Once it opened, there was a blue and white cake inside, crowned with exquisite macarons and a glistening snowflake on top. It was just how you imagined when you ordered the cake.

You also imagined his reaction when he unexpectedly spotted you at the hospital, after his shift ended. His eyes would brighten up, even before he realized the cake in your hand was for him. You would sing the happy birthday song, then urge him to close his eyes and make a wish. Most likely he would claim that he did not need to wish, because what he desired most was right in front of him. 

You had envisioned that scene so many times. Each time, you would add a small little detail; his smile, the way you stood on tiptoe when you kissed his cheek, the way he held your hand when you both returned home... But it all shattered, into thousands of pieces of ice that cut into your heart. Like all beautiful dreams that come to an end, the pain of waking up to the discovery that you have lost everything was too much for you.

Let us stop... You could not forget those words coming out of your mouth. The fault was neither his nor yours, it was just that you two no longer share the same destination. The road was divided into two directions. Looking back, you realized that he was no longer there waiting for you.

You had been away from him for a fortnight. You erased an abundance of memories about him from your phone, but his birthday reminder still existed. You turned on the screen, his account was still offline. The last time he had sent you a text message was to remind you to wear socks before going to bed. It was already cold. He was no longer by your side to take care of you like a baby. Was it because of your childish behavior that burned him out? You knew too well that he respected every decision you made, including the one that ended this relationship. Yet, honestly, you wished he would hold you tight at that time. Did he let you go because he understood that you both needed space then?

You missed him. So much. You had left Linkon and threw yourself headfirst into the mission just to temporarily forget the void he left in your heart. But the further you stayed away from him, the more you felt that air had left your lungs. You could not think about anything else but him, the surprise birthday party you had prepared in advance for him. Everything happened so fast—the argument, the goodbye... All was whirling around in your head, and the only thing you could cling onto were memories.

The past cannot be altered. You could not turn back and stop yourself from saying those stupid words. You could only wish him the best on his own path.

You turned on the lighter and lit the candles. Twenty-seven candles on the cake shimmered in the area where you sat. Your lips released a tune, your whole body swaying back and forth to the rhythm. When the song ended, the window in the front office went dark. Lights off. You blew out the candles.

“Do you want to do something special on your birthday, Doctor Zayne?”

“Every moment with you is special to me.”

“You must have eaten a lot of mint candies recently! No surprise your words are so sweet! But I still want to do something for you so that you'll never forget that day.”

“Weren't you supposed to go on a mission far away on that day? You won't try to escape back here for me, will you?"

“I am Linkon's top Hunter! I'll finish soon and come back to you, okay?"

“All right. I'll wait for you."

Twenty-seven candles went out. Tears fell from your eyes. Still, you smiled at Akso Hospital. 

“Happy birthday to you, Doctor Zayne.”

You burst into tears. Your entire body trembled so badly that the cake on your lap nearly tumbled over. You had no idea how long you sat there. The temperature grew cold, and drizzle began to fall. You raised your face to the heavens. 

There were footsteps approaching and halting in front of you. An umbrella appeared to shield the rain over your head, and that dearest face you knew emerged.

You brushed the tears away from your cheeks. Was it a dream? Your lips parted, trembling:

“Doctor Zayne?…”

He was silent. Zayne appeared astonished to see you here and unsure what to say.

“You… What are you doing here?” 

Zayne remained silent for a little longer. His gaze locked on you, then down at the cake in your lap. As if he had realized something, he formed a gentle smile.

“I'm waiting for you.”

[vibraniumarm06-bucket]

Memories of Her ~ Series Masterlist

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

[Ongoing series]

Summary:

She’s gone, vanished; disappeared into thin air. She was on a solo mission and then she was gone. Did someone help her disappear, what is she running from? Her feelings, her relationships or is her past catching up with her that none of the Avengers know about? Can they find her? Does she want to be found?

One: She's gone

Two: Where are you?

Three:

Four:

[romerona]

Chapter 1: The green man's visit.

~In which the daughter of the Lord of Darkness who was born with the sole purpose of destroying the universe falls in love with Peter Parker~

~Masterlist~

———————

New York, 2012

A pair of Amethyst eyes followed the strange creatures leaving the portal from the light blue sky, the breeze making the curls of fiery red hair fall to her freckled face forcing the so six-year-old to move it away. 

"That one." Giggle the little girl, pointing with her little finger at one of the many Chitauri that were attacking the city. 

The Ancient One, a bold, skinny pale woman that wore bright yellow robes that reminded Carina of a bird she had seen soaring in the air from one of the windows of the Kamar-Taj, conjured war fans and threw them at the flying Chintauri causing the chariot to explode. 

Carina giggles and claps amusingly while the woman smiles with affection at the girl. That was what the two spent most of the morning doing, the Ancient One and Carina Agamotto were on the rooftop of the Sanctum Sanctorum of New York, a place Carina rarely visited. The older master protected the building and the little girl, happily sat on one of the chairs telling her which Alien to target. 

Carina has always been easy to entertain, not leaving the old grounds of the Kamar Taj often, she was constantly looking for any source of diversion and entertainment which normally came in the pages of worn-out books, learning a new language or watching the Ancient One teach the Arts, hence, why watching her destroy the Chitauri is a welcome form of entertainment. 

"Where do they come from?" Asked the little girl gazing at the dark portal with innate curiosity. 

"The Sanctuary."  Answer the woman.

"Sanctuary?" Carina tilted her head, she frowned remembering the planets she had learned with Wong— one of her few friends and one of the many masters back in the Kamar Taj. "That's not in the solar system..." 

"Not in ours, little star." Said the ancient one, gazing up at the aliens. "There's an —"

"Infinity of universes, yes I know." Said the girl, nodding her head proudly, recalling the lecture the master always gives her. 

"But, if they are here...." Carina looked at the ancient one in doubt. "Isn't our responsibility to protect the earth?" 

"We masters of the mystical arts protect the earth from mystical threats." The woman looked at her with a soft smile, "Loki is a threat for us but not ours to defeat." 

"Ah yes, like, Uhm..." As the girl struggled to say something a flash of green caught her eyes and the Ancient One's too.

Carina's eyes widened as the massive, green person, that reminded her of huge broccoli with legs or a leprechaun with hair, moved to the doors of the Sanctum. He was a little frightening for her but also intriguing. 

"I'd be careful going that way." Said the Ancient One, making her presence known. "We just had the floors waxed." 

The green man moved, he looked between the two. "I'm looking for Dr Strange."

Carina tilted her head in thought, Dr Strange is a name lost in her mind, she does think she'd heard that name before. 

"You're about five years too early. Stephen Strange is currently performing surgery, 20 blocks that way." Said the Sorcerer, pointing the direction where Dr Strange, whoever that be, currently is. "What do you want with him?" 

"That actually." The green man points at the strange necklace hanging from her neck. 

Carina frowns in question, she wonders what's important about that necklace, to her it's really ugly but if the big, green man had come to get it from the Sorcerer Supreme then it must be important. 

"Ah." Said the Supreme in realization, her eyes looking down at it for a second.  "I'm afraid not."

"I'm seriously sorry but... I wasn't asking."

The man cracks his knuckles and moves in. 

The Ancient One smiles calmly. "You don't want to do this."

"You're right, I don't." Said the green man moving forward. "But I need that stone, and I don't have a lot of time to debate it-"

He reaches for it but the Ancient One slams her palm into his chest and blasts the man right out of the green man's body. 

Amazing. 

A normal looking man hangs in the air, staring at his frozen body. He looks at his human hands, overwhelmed.

"Let's start over, shall we?" Said the Sorcerer moving to the other side of the rooftop forcing the spirit of the man to move with her. 

The little girl hops off her chair and walks to the green body, from where she was seated he looked huge, but up close, the green man looks gigantic. 

"You're like a big broccoli..." Carina pauses in thought. "I like broccoli, I heard people don't like it, I don't understand why, it's just a plant that you can eat, like small rūkha. Who wouldn't like to eat ब्रोकाउली?... I like vegetables, my favourite food is Thukpā, it's noodle soup, very delicious but most of the time we only eat it during Jāḍō, that's uh- winter in English, it can be served with meat but I like mine with only vegetables, I don't like meat because they kill the याक."

Carina pokes him, his skin was hard as a rock and leathery, she pokes his green cheek again before glancing at where the two adults had headed, with no eyes on her, Carina grunted as she struggles to hold his arm up, the entire arm was the same size as her if not taller, and twice heavier. 

"तिमी धेरै भारी छौ"

She huffs before letting it smack to the ground once again wincing at the loud noise she glances at the adults. She smiled sheepishly when the Ancient One gave her a look, and with a movement of her hands, the big body of the green man levitated to Carina's former chair. 

The little girl follows the green big man and observes him, asking herself how there are pants that fit him. 

Are there people out there big as he is? 

"You'll look really good in purple, that's my favourite colour, probably because it's the colour of my eyes... I've noticed people don't have eyes like mine, black, blue, brown but never purple, that makes me special or at least that's what the Supreme says." Carina trails off, she observes the giant green man again. 

"You'll still look good and— Aha." 

She picks up a nearby floppy sun hat and with a jump she places it on his head, she also grabs a couple of leaves and places them around him. 

"You look like a pretty broccoli now." She muses with a smile before it turns into a pout, wishing she had something else to decorate the big man with. 

"Green friend. I don't have many friends." She sighs pursing her lips "I don't go out much either..." 

Suddenly, there was a line of golden light transversely across the roof. She stared at it in amazement, tiptoeing she held her hand up to move her finger over the line, undoubtedly the finger went through it but soon the golden line disappeared making her sigh. 

"That was awesome, wasn't it?" Carina looks back at the big green man, she analyzed him for a second, her head tilting and with a frown, she concluded he looks simple just with the hat. 

Carina thinks for a moment before gasping in realization, she moves away from the green man for a moment remembering there was a small greenhouse on the rooftop.

"They are not purple but I think you're still going to look cute." She grabbed a few roses before returning to where she had left the man only to find him gone. 

She frowned looking around only to find him back on his feet talking to the Ancient One. 

Carina pouts, her shoulders slumping dejectedly as she takes a seat on the chair where the green man had previously been. She liked her new friend... he might have never actually said something back to her and she might have just met him a few minutes ago but she liked him nonetheless. 

She normally doesn't have too many people to interact with other than Wong and the Ancient One, and since she doesn't practice magic yet, she doesn't interact with the other children often.

Dropping her gaze to observe the roses that were laying in her hand, she noticed the bright red colour of the flower was disappearing, the petals falling, the green root was drying and soon the rose was withering to ashes. 

Carina felt a rush going through her veins, it was energizing, somewhat addicting and dark.

"Carina." The voice of the Supreme made her snap out of it. 

She gasps, and the ashes of the flowers dropped to the floor, she looked up at the Sorcerer before looking down at her hands. "I- I don't—"

"Carina." The Ancient One holds Carina's hands in hers, forcing the alarm, Amethyst's eyes to turn to her green ones. "The power you have is vast but dangerous, you need to learn to dominate it before it dominates you." 

"Are you teaching me magic?" 

"In a way," The Supreme nodded, letting go of her hands. "But all in due time, right now I want you to close your eyes and think of something that you like very much, littlest star." 

Carina did as told and the Supreme placed her free hand on the side of her neck, the careful eyes of the sorcerer looking at the faint, yet angry black veins on the back of her neck. 

Carina, not taking a care of the Supreme's actions, thought back to the past few days, in the past month and year. "I like when the sun goes down and when the stars show themselves."  

Moving her gaze from Carina's neck to her now open eyes, the sorcerer said "I want you to think of those bright colours, those peaceful moments before the moon comes out and those bright stars that shine in the sky when you feel like you're losing your control." 

"But how would I know I am losing control?" Carina asked frowning, looking down at her hands. 

"When you feel you can't stop, think of the sunsets and stars to stop yourself from falling into darkness."

Carina bit her lower lip with a frown. "But what if I lose control?" 

"I have faith you won't, little star." The ancient one told her, eyes looking at her in honesty. "Now, why don't you go for a lemonade, I'm sure Master Drumm will serve you some." 

"Yeah." With a cheeky smile, Carina nodded and dashed inside the sanctum, not noticing that she had not only turned the roses 

into ashes but the rest of the greenhouse.

⁺ 　　 ˚

. * 🌍 ✦ . 　⁺ 　 .⁺ 　　 ˚

. * 　　　 ✦ 🪐. 　⁺ 　 🌔.

. 　 　 ⁺ ⁺

It was nighttime when they went back to the Kamar- Taj and instead of going to their rooms, the Ancient One took Carina for a walk around the Sanctum. Carina was slightly confused for she knows the temple like the back of her hand but she followed the supreme anyways, they ended up in a room that overlooked the beautiful sight of the Himalayan mountains. Carina decided then and there that this room was her new favourite place. 

"Woah." She mumbles, sitting on a pillow on the floor, placing her head on her hand. "It's beautiful." 

"I agree." Said the Ancient One. "Nothing like a beautiful view to clear our minds." 

They spend the next few minutes in silence, admiring the view of the snowy mountain. 

"I want you to have this, little star."

Carina looked over and was met by the sight of a simple gold chain necklace with a green stone that was shaped like a star. 

"Really?" Asked Carina, staring between the green star and the Supreme. 

"A gift." She nodded, motioning for Carina to turn around to put it on and the little girl was more than happy in doing so. 

When the star hit Carina's neck it felt off, she suddenly felt a little tired and drained, but regardless she thought she was just exhausted from her day. "A gift? Why?" 

Caring runs a delicate hand over the green stone, as she turns back to face the Sorcerer. 

"Why not?" The ancient one smiled at her warmly. "Just promise me, you'll always wear it." 

Carina smiled, nodding happily. "I promise."

A/N: Hope you liked it.

*English is not my first language so please if there's something wrong please correct me just don't be dicks about it.

*I'll be using google Translate for some things along the story, once again if there is something wrong please correct me.

[i-am-true-believer]

To all my fellow fanfiction readers, writers, fan art enjoyers and reality escapers.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you. This time of year is hard and whether you're hiding from your family in your favorite Fandom, escaping away after a hard night of socializing, are just enjoying what you love or if you're like me and using you're Fandom to not feel so alone right now, I see you. I see your struggles, I see you trying, I see how tired you are. The holidays are almost over. We can make it through this.

Your comfort characters are here, laughing, loving, living. They're so happy you're here with them, that you spend these holidays enraptured in their stories. They cant wait to see what adventures today will hold. Will it be hurt comfort? A fix it fic? Found family? Will it be romance or will it be a silly trope that makes you smile? Theyre waiting for you darling. They're so proud of you for making it through this. I'm so proud of you. I believe it's going to get better, I believe tomorrow will be better than today. I believe one day you won't have to use Fandom as an escape and can just enjoy it. But until then I'm here, your comfort characters are here.

If you need someone today my inbox is wide open, tell me about your holiday, about your comfort character, your favorite fic. I wanna listen. I want to make sure no one is alone today.

Your comfort character believes in you and so do I, the random girl on Tumblr who's also scrolling at Christmas time just trying to make it through.

❤️💛True💛❤️

[tessatales]

Touch Starved ✨Yelena✨

Yelena x F!reader

Warnings: none really, touch starved Yelena (duh) mention of missing family (no death though!)

Theme: touch starved Yelena, grumpy lady, comfort found

A/N: wow, this series is over! Actually finished! And on my birthday to boot. I’ve honestly loved writing all of these fic, and I’m sure I’ll come back to a variation of it somewhere down the line but until then- thank you to everyone whose read these fics and I hope they bring you as much joy and they’ve brought me ❤️❤️

*Your POV*

‘Yelena’s acting strange’ Bruce murmured as you passed, pointing the tip of his pen behind him as he walked back to his office.

“Roger that.” You reply, straightening your spine as you walked into the towers main living area. Yelena was only a visitor to Avengers tower, although her access was nearly as unlimited as the residents that called this place home. (with only a few exceptions)

“Yelena! Long time no see!” You said with a grin, leaving your fist out for the ex assassin to bump.

“Tony banned me for the car incident” Yelena shrugged, taking a sip of her beer. You nodded with understanding.

“We’ll getting a limited addition vintage car towed for a joke probably wasn’t your best idea” You replied, snatching the drink from her to take a swig. Yelena shrugged, saying nothing.

When the silence stretched on longer than usual for the talkative Widow, you decided to speak up.

“Your particularly quiet today, what’s up” You prompted, knowing instantly that you’d hit a nerve when Yelena practically slams her beer onto the counter.

“See I don’t get you people!” Yelena growled, throwing her hands into the air before standing from her seat.

“Just because I’m not taking up every silence does not mean there’s something wrong” Yelena continued, shoving her stool angrily back into place before snatching her beer and stalking off.

You tried your best to not take the outbursts personally, though you could still feel the sting. You knew that Natasha was usually best at keeping Yelena’s moods in check, but with her off in deep cover gods knows where, you knew you’d just have to navigate these moments alone.

Yelena would calm down eventually, You thought with a sigh before trudging back to your own rooms.

*Yelena’s POV*

Yelena knew she’d fucked up. She’d felt the guilt the second she’d slammed Natasha’s bedroom door behind her. The second she’s been out of Y/N’s presence, her mood dipped and the anger she’d felt died in an instant.

Yelena wished she knew what was causing her mood, the outbursts becoming more and more frequent the longer Natasha was away. But she just couldn’t figure out why.

Of course she missed Natasha, she was her sister after all, but this growing anger since Nat’s departure just wasn’t adding up.

Armed with limited information, Yelena took to the towers best search engine, J.A.R.V.I.S.

“Why am I feeling this way?” Yelena said to the air, not bothering to say the AI’s name.

“I assume you are talking to me Miss Belova” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied, his voice forever patient. Yelena grunted.

“May I give you a solution based on an observation?” J.A.R.V.I.S. asked as he turned Natasha’s rooms computer system on.

“Go ahead” Yelena replied, wandering over to the screens. As she did, several articles on touch starvation and it’s effects began to pop up, each one explaining in depth the different side effected the issue could have.

“Huh” Yelena said, mumbling her thanks as she began to read.

*A Few Hours Later*

Yelena paced silently outside of Y/N’s door for what felt like a lifetime- after many hours of reading and arguing with J.A.R.V.I.S, Yelena had relented in her argument and accepted she had to do something.

Taking a final few steps, Yelena stepped up to Y/N’s door, tapping on it lightly as she contemplated what she was going to say.

*Your POV*

Groggy from your nap, You padded slowly to the door, your eyes barely focused as you opened it.

“I miss Natasha and it’s making me be a bitch” Yelena blurts. You blinked.

“Come in?” You replied, confusion colouring your sleepy voice. Yelena accepted, sliding past you to flop into your unmade bed.

“I was a bitch earlier and the Computer Voice says it’s touch starvation” Yelena continued, clearly unaware that you were basically still asleep.

“Okay…?”

Yelena sat up, finally taking in your sleepy appearance.

“Were you sleeping?” Yelena said with a little guilt, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

“I was, but don’t worry about it. So what does Natasha and touch starvation have in common?” You asked, coming to sit beside the assassin.

“Natasha is my sister. So obviously she tends to touch me more than anyone else” Yelena said, staring at her hands as she spoke.

“Go on?” You prompt, trying your best to sounds as reassuring as possible.

Well… when I’d have a bad night- or if we were just hanging out, Nat would usually stroke my hair or lay her legs on me while watching tv…” Yelena whispered, picking at her nails as she explained.

“And she’s been gone so long it’s affecting you emotionally- that lack of touch?” You finished, taking in the information slowly. Yelena nodded.

“Why didn’t you say something?” You asked exasperated, punching the assassin lightly on the arm before clambering up the bed and getting comfy.

“Ow! because I didn’t- what are you doing?” Yelena said, watching you with confusion as you lay the blankets beside you.

“I’m getting comfortable so we can nap together. Me and Nat do it all the time on the sofa” You replied, snuggling down with your arms outstretched, beckoning the ex assassin to cuddle with you.

After biting her lip for a while, Yelena seemed to give in, quickly sliding off her shoes before clambering up to lay in your arms, the blanket following soon after.

You were sure not to react to the audible sigh the assassin gave as she relaxed, her face seemed to involuntarily snuggled into your side as you adjusted to her weight.

Once comfortable, you placed one hand on Yelena’s head, moving your fingers in slow, circular movements as her blonde hair began to tangle between your fingers. The other rested lightly over her blanket clad waist.

The silence in the room was comfortable, with nether you or Yelena wanting to break the spell it had caused. Because of this, it took you a while to notice Yelena’s steady breathing and relaxed limbs. Only when her fingers began lightly twitching against your stomach did you realise she was asleep.

You weren’t going to wake her.

She’d finally opened up about something. And you weren’t going to break that intimacy. So you laid there in silence, still stroking the sleeping assassins hair.

Touch starved or not I’ll be here for you no matter what.

You thought as your eyes began to close, your hands slowing in Yelena hair until you eventually fell asleep yourself.

[jayybugg]

nurse

Simon "Ghost" Riley x Fem!Reader

Summary: Ghost avoids you but it's not what you think.

Warning: Slight Time Skips, Kinda Asshole Ghost?, Smut (18+), Use of Y/N, Language (?).

Word Count: 4.6K

Note: Now, I know in my master list I said that right now I would only be writing for the Slytherin Boys......but I have spiraled back into my Call of Duty, specifically Ghost. Now this is just an experiment, I don't know how this will go over but if you guys like it then maybeeee I'll post my other fandom fics that I have.

Also! This is a birthday gift for my beautiful gem, @slytherinslut0 , so everyone thank her and wish her a happy birthday. As always, @cafekitsune is on the banner.

Taskforce 141 didn’t pay any attention when they were told that they would have a new nurse on the base. They assumed it would be another male, just like everyone who got employed here.

So, only one could imagine their shock when the base’s doctor, Dr. Moscaw, introduced a pretty little thing like you to the team.

“This is Y/N. She will work under me. Your first point of contact for anything medical-wise.” Moscaw spoke, “Don’t go scaring her off, boys.”

There were grumbles and protests as Dr. Moscaw left you with the team. You cleared your throat as you gave them all a nervous smile. All their eyes were on you, surveying you almost like prey. A certain man with a skull mask being the most intense one. “Um, right. You all desperately need an annual check-up. So, whenever you all have a moment, please stop by the medical ward. I would love to update your records and meet you all.”

Before any of them could say anything, you had scurried off.

Over the next few weeks, they all came in one by one. Introducing themselves as you went through updating their records.

First came Captain Price. You liked to think that he came in to lead by example and not to get out of his mountain of paperwork. Then Kyle came in the next day. He begged you to call him “Gaz”, saying that nobody on base ever calls him Kyle.

Not long after Gaz came, Johnny waltzed into your office. He was flirty but overall friendly. Johnny, just like Gaz, begged you to call him Soap like everyone else. He was the one who referred to you as a breath of fresh air amidst the testosterone-filled air. Often, he and Gaz came to your office. They always claimed to be checking up on you, but you knew it was because they were hiding from their duties.

“Where is…. um, Ghost? Or is his name Simon? It’s two first names on this file.” You asked, furrowing your eyebrows at the lack of information in his records. Soap chuckled, glancing up from his phone to you. “Ghost is the name he’s gonna give ‘ya. It’s the name that we all know him by.”

“A field name, I assume?” You asked, looking up from your computer. Gaz and Soap nodded. “Yep. His name for plenty of reasons, but that’s neither here nor there.” Gaz waved his hand dismissively.

“Well, is he going to come in for a check-up? He doesn’t have another doctor or anything listed.” You sighed. “His medical record is empty. There is nothing on here, other than his name and height. No birthday, no past medication history, nothing.”

“Of course, that’s all that’s on there. That’s all anyone knows about him.” Soap laughed. “He’s not gonna come in here for a check-up.”

“What? Why not?” You asked, closing your computer.

“Too much information.” Gaz shrugged. “Nobody knows anything about him. It’s a shocker that he even allowed his real name to be on those records.”

“So, nobody knows if this guy even goes to the doctor?” You threw your hands up in exasperation. “That’s insane.”

“Ya may be right, but that means nothing to Ghost.” Soap said.

“And insane is basically his middle name. The man does whatever he wants.” Gaz added.

“Do you think he will come in if I just ask?” You pondered to the men.

Gaz and Soap glanced at each other before shrugging. “If you bat those pretty eyelashes at any man on this base, they’ll be eating out the palm of your hand,” Soap said.

“But Ghost isn’t like the average man. He’s not easily swayed like most.” Gaz added, “But I mean, it won’t hurt to try.”

With the encouragement from Gaz and Soap to just try to ask him, you spent the next few weeks attempting to track Ghost down. Unfortunately for you, he lived up to his name very well. It was like every time you went looking for him, everyone had “just seen him.”

Eventually, you found him, by pure coincidence. You were walking to your car, getting ready to leave the base for the day when your eyes landed on a 6’4, muscular man who donned a skull balaclava. You hadn’t seen him since the day that Price had introduced you to the team. He seemed bigger and a bit more intimidating than before, but your determination outweighed your nervousness.

You walked up to him, clearing your throat. Ghost stopped fiddling with his motorcycle to drag his eyes up to your face. His eyes were dark and analytical as he scanned your face before tracing down your body. You felt self-conscious of his wondering gaze.

“Whatcha ‘ya want?” His voice was deep, his accent coming out heavier than you thought it was.

“Um, I’m the new nurse.” You squeaked out before clearing your throat.

“I know.”

“Right.” You took a deep breath. “Your medical records are empty and you’re the only one who hasn’t come in for a check-up.”

There was a brief silence between you two as you waited for him to say something, anything. When you got the hint that he wasn’t going to say anything, you decided to just push forward and ask.

“Will you come in for one? And maybe introduce yourself a little more?”

Ghost stared at you a little longer before turning back to his motorcycle. “No.”

Your eyes widened at the blatant refusal. You raised your eyebrow, crossing your arms. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

“Do ‘ya not know what ‘no’ means? Aren’t ‘ya educated?” Ghost grunted; his back still turned to you.

“You can’t just…. You must fill out these records somehow!”

“No, I don’t.”

You narrowed your eyes at Ghost, huffing slightly. “It’s mandatory to at least get an annual check-up.”

“So, I’ve heard. Don’t care.” He spoke again, throwing one leg over the motorcycle. He started it up, gripping the handles. His eyes focused on your face again as he revved the engine.

“But-”

Before you could even think about responding, Ghost had sped off, leaving you in the dust.

“And he just sped off?” Soap laughed. Gaz smacked his arm, giving you an apologetic look.

“Ignore Soap. He has a terrible sense of humor.” Gaz rolled his eyes. “But we told you he was hard to sway.”

“I just don’t understand why he doesn’t want to come in.” You groaned, “Maybe he just doesn’t want to get to know me?”

“It’s Ghost, you aren’t supposed to understand him.” Gaz shrugged. “But I doubt it’s you that he’s against.”

You let another groan, causing the two men to chuckle.

“Hell, Darlin’, you might just make the man nervous as hell. As you can see, we don’t have many pretty females around here.” Soap leaned back in his chair, grinning at you.

“Me? Make Ghost nervous? Please.” You raised an eyebrow, rolling your eyes. Soap shrugged, “You never know, he could be.”

“You never know,” Gaz said, agreeing with Soap.

“Whatever.” You muttered, ending the conversation.

Weeks had passed and Ghost gave no sign of even considering stepping into the medical ward or trying to talk to you. He evaded you any chance he got. You told Dr. Moscaw and Price about the predicament with Ghost. Both waved it off and said, “He’s Ghost, that’s just how he is.

When your official first three months of working on the base had come around, Soap and Gaz had invited you out to the bar to celebrate.

“It’ll be everyone. Cap, Laswell, König, hell, even Ghost said he would come.” Soap smiled at you. You scoffed slightly at the revelation that Ghost was going to show his masked face at the bar. “Are we sure he’s coming for me, or rather, the drinks?” You asked, your eyes focused on the computer screen in front of you.

Gaz chuckled. “He refused to go until we said it was a celebration for you.”

“Funny that the man that evades me wants to come to my celebration.” You muttered.

“You know, he’s probably around you more than you think,” Soap said, causing you to look up at him with a raised eyebrow. Soap shrugged, continuing, “I mean, he’s known for being around without others knowing, hence the name Ghost.”

“Like he sees me, but I don’t see him?” You asked. Soap and Gaz nodded.

“Think of it like he is collecting information on you. The poor guy lives and breathes our missions and the military. It’s all he knows. It works with the idea that you make the man nervous.” Gaz said, patting your back as he and Soap filed out of your office.

Gaz’s and Soap’s words stuck to you. Maybe you had gone about approaching Ghost all wrong. He was quieter than Gaz and Soap and obviously more secretive, given the blank medical record and the mask. Maybe you should let him approach you, let him feel you out to see if you’re trustworthy or not.

When the night of the celebration rolled around, you promised yourself that you would not pester Ghost. Despite the growing need to get to know him and your nursing instincts to make sure he was healthy; you were going to let him come to you.

You walked into the bar, tugging slightly at your dress that rose from sitting in the taxi. Your black mini dress hugged your curves and had a low neckline that showed off your cleavage with your matching strappy heels. Although Soap and Gaz had to you to come dressed up, you debated calling the taxi back and going home to change. You were going to be with your co-workers, who were most likely going to be in jeans.

You sighed, pushing open the door to the bar. Your eyes snapped over to the large table in the back of the bar where all your coworkers sat. “Y/N!” Gaz yelled, jumping up from his seat. He grabbed your arm, escorting you to the table. Everyone shot you a smile, except König and Ghost, who both donned a balaclava. Although, you could tell from the crinkle in König’s eyes that he was smiling at you.

“The guest of honor is finally here.” Laswell smiled at you. “Congratulations on sticking it out at the base for three months. I must admit, I thought these boys would scare you away by now.”

“No, I’m tougher than I look.” You joked, “Plus, everyone is nice. I felt welcomed.”

Gaz and Soap gave Ghost an unmistakable side eye that you caught, and if you caught it, then everyone at the table caught it. You also didn’t miss the narrowed eyes that Ghost gave back to Gaz and Soap.

“A round of shots! For our new family member.” Price winked at you, giving you a warm smile.

That’s how the night went on, chatting and drinks getting passed around. It didn’t take you long to get buzzed. You kept true to your promise to yourself and didn’t go looking for interactions with Ghost.

However, you felt his eyes on you. It was like they never left you, always following your every movement.

It felt familiar.

Ghost stayed quiet the whole night, not cracking a chuckle at any jokes or taking part in the conversations. His eyes wandered the bar as if he was looking for any type of escape. Whenever your eyes met his, he looked away, his eyes hardening in the process.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” You said, feeling the alcohol finally run through you and back up your throat. Although everyone was too occupied with their conversations to hear you. You stumbled your way to the bathroom, pushing open the door. You wasted no time, bending over the toilet and vomiting what little contents that were in your stomach.

“I knew I should’ve eaten before….” You whispered to yourself.

“Yeah, ‘ya should have. Not very nurse of ‘ya.” A deep voice echoed behind you.

You jumped, turning around, clutching your chest as your eyes landed on Ghost. He stood behind you, arms crossed, as he leaned against the stall door.

“God, when the fuck did you get in here?” You asked, your eyes traveling down his figure. This would be the first time that you had ever seen Ghost in civilian clothes. Even on relaxed days on the base, Ghost wore full tactical gear. Tonight, he opted for a compression tee and black sweatpants, as if he was planning to go to the gym after all of this.

Which wouldn’t be surprising for Ghost.

“I didn’t know you had tattoos.” Your eyes landed on his sleeve, which seemed to move as he unconsciously flexed his muscles.

“I know ‘ya didn’t.” Ghost said, offering his hand out to you. You took it gratefully, standing up to your two feet. Ghost handed you some mouthwash and gum, along with your purse.

“Didn’t want nobody shifting through ‘ya stuff.” Ghost said when he saw the look that you gave him, “Also thought ‘ya might want to touch up ‘ya make up.”

“Thank you.” You gave him a small smile. He nodded, turning on his heel to leave out the bathroom. You swigged the mouthwash around, spitting into the sink. You freshen up your makeup before popping the piece of gum in your mouth.

You made your way back to the table, sitting down when a waitress came and dropped a personal pan of pepperoni pizza in front of you with water. “Oh,” You looked up at her, “I didn’t order this.”

“One of your friends ordered it for you. Told me to bring it when you came back to your seat.” She smiled and walked away. You glanced down at the pizza with a smile. Pizza was your favorite greasy food; it matched the rumbling of your drunk stomach perfectly.

You looked up at Soap and Gaz, the only two people who would know about your guilty pleasure food. Soap was leaning against the table flirting with another waitress while Gaz made bets with Price on football games. You decided you would thank one of them later when they weren’t busy.

4 am finally rolled around, causing the night to end. Gaz had called you a cab, walking you out as everyone said their goodbyes. Ghost had already mounted his motorcycle and sped off into the night. Once Gaz got you settled in the backseat, you smiled at him. “Thanks, Gaz. Oh, and thank you for the pizza, too.”

Gaz raised his eyebrow. “What pizza?”

“The pizza you ordered me when I went to the bathroom.” You clarified.

“I didn’t order you a pizza, hell, I didn’t even know you went to the bathroom.” Gaz said before chuckling a bit with a mischievous smirk, “The only person who ordered food was Ghost.”

Before you could ask anything more, Gaz tapped the roof of the car and your taxi pulled off.

You went even longer without seeing Ghost after the bar. It was almost as if he had just disappeared into thin air. You tried to question Gaz and Soap, but they claimed they knew nothing about it. Saying that it was probably a “lucky guess” but if anything they had told you about Ghost was true, nothing he did was just a lucky guess.

You pushed all your questions to the back of your mind, as you knew you weren’t going to get any answers any time soon. You were cleaning up the office as your day was ending. 141 were out on a mission, a relatively relaxed one, so your office was quiet and easy to pack up rather than having to tell Soap to stop touching stuff every 5 minutes.

You hummed to yourself, not taking notice that your office door had swung open.

“You’re terrible at being aware of ‘ya surroundings.”

You jumped, a squeal falling from your mouth. “You have to stop doing that!”

Ghost stood at your door, in sweatpants and a hoodie. His arms crossed as he stared at you through his mask. He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. You suddenly felt small like the room was closing in on you due to Ghost’s tall frame.

“What are you doing here?” You asked. Ghost’s eyes seemed to widen, as if he wasn’t sure why he was there either.

“Give me a check-up.”

You raised an eyebrow at him, glancing over at the clock. It was 7:35 pm, and the base was basically empty.

“It can’t wait til tomorrow?” You asked. Ghost took a step closer to you, “I thought you wanted to get to know me?”

“I do but-”

“Then give me the check-up.” Ghost grunted, sitting on the bench. His large frame made the normally large bench look small under him.

You sighed softly, getting out your equipment to start his check-up. You stay silent as you slip on your latex gloves after washing your hands. “So, I’m guessing something happened on the mission.”

Ghost looked over to you, his eyes coated in a small dose of confusion. “What?”

“I mean, you seemed very adamant about not getting a check-up before and now you’re here after a mission. I just assumed maybe something happened.” You clarified as you moved to check his heartbeat.

It took everything in you not to let your hands wander across his chest as you pulled away from him to turn to your computer and record the data.

“Nothing happened. Just built up some confidence.” He said, getting off the bench to stand behind you closely.

“O-oh…. confidence for what?” You took a deep breath, your eyes focusing on the computer screen.

Ghost didn’t answer your question, instead, he grabbed your shoulders and spun you around to face him. “You’re very annoying, you know that?”

“What?” Your eyes widened.

“You’re always around, smelling good. In these scrubs that hug your body tighter than any other scrubs I’ve ever seen.” Ghost muttered, “Always laughing at Soap’s stupid jokes. Always getting pizza when you know you aren’t supposed to.”

“I try to avoid you and ignore you, but you just crawl your little ass into my mind anyways. All mission…. just thinking and wondering what you’re doing.” Ghost continued.

“Is this your way of admitting that you’ve been thinking about me?” You asked.

Ghost stayed silent. His eyes stay trained on you, no words or sounds coming from him. His hand moved to take a piece of your hair and twirling it around his finger.

“Um, we should finish the check-up so we can go.” You spoke softly. Ghost ignored you, dipping his face into your neck. He took a deep breath. “God, you smell heavenly.”

“Ghost....”

“I need you.” He grumbled, “I need you all around me. I’ve learned everything I can about you and all I can think about is how I need to feel about you.”

“How I need to ruin you.”

You felt a knot in your stomach at his words, heat pooling inside you. “R-ruin me?”

“Beyond belief.” Ghost confirmed, “Give me the green light.”

You stayed silent as Ghost pushed his knee between your legs, pressing his knees gently against your core, causing a whimper to fall from your mouth. He lifted his mask to reveal his lips, pressing against your neck in soft, wet kisses. “Y/N. Answer me.”

“I….” You gasped for air, “P-please…do it.”

Ghost didn’t need to hear anything else. He lifted you easily, throwing you on the bench. He yanked your top off, groping your breast. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about these since the bar. So soft and plump…” Ghost grumbled, pulling your bra down and latching his mouth to your nipple.

A small moan fell from your mouth at the actions. His tongue swirled around your nipple before he pulled away with a slight “pop”. He left a trail of kisses down your chest to your naval. He tugged down your pants, throwing them in the same direction as your top. He groaned at the sight of the wet spot in your panties.

“So wet and ready for me. Huh, love?” Ghost said, blowing softly on your clothed clit.

You whined softly, nodding your head. He slapped your thigh, his eyes looking up at you. “I want to hear use your words. Let me hear that pretty voice that has been plaguing my mind for these past few months.”

You let out a sigh as Ghost pressed the pad of his tongue to your slit through your panties, teasing you. “Yes…. I’m wet and ready for you.”

“Good fucking girl, Lovie.” Ghost chuckled, moving your panties to the side to latch his mouth to your clit. He sucked and lapped at your clit harshly, your moans becoming uncontrollable as he ate you out like a starved man. His tongue teased your slit, flicking his tongue up and down.

He gripped your thighs tighter, pulling you closer to him. His nose pressed against your clit, stimulating you more and more. “Oh God, fuck, Ghost.” You moaned, your hands reaching out to grip the top of his balaclava.

“That’s right. I want you moaning my name like it’s the only thing that pretty little mind knows.” Ghost muttered, slipping two fingers into you as he kept lapping up all your juices. Your thighs tightened around his face as you felt your climax coming.

Ghost groaned at the action, his cock twitching with anticipation. You tossed your head back as pleasure coursed through your body. “I’m about to cum, fuck, I’m s’close.”

Your words seem to push Ghost further into sending you over the edge. His tongue moved faster against you as his fingers matched his pace. Your mind was blanking from the orgasm that rushed over your body. Ghost pulled his fingers out slowly as he pulled away from your swollen clit. His mouth was covered in your slick as he smirked. “Taste so sweet, Angel.” He spoke.

He pushed his two fingers into your mouth, groaning at the warmth of it. You suck on his fingers, tasting yourself on them as you swirled your tongue around. “Such a good, eager girl. So happy to taste yourself on my fingers.” Ghost whispered, pushing them down your throat so he could hear your gags.

Ghost pulled away, yanking his sweatpants and boxers down. His cock sprang out, revealing its large length. It hit his abdomen; the tip leaking with pre-cum. Your eyes looked down at him, eyes widening at the sight. “My God….” You whispered.

Ghost grabbed the base of his shaft, jerking himself off slightly before pulling you to the edge of the bench and wrapping one of your legs around his waist while propping the other one on his shoulder. “I need this pretty pussy wrapped around my cock, taking every inch of me.” Ghost growled. He rubbed his tip up and down your slick, coating it in it.

“Tell me how much you want this, Lovie. How bad do you want me to fuck you?” Ghost demanded; his eyes focused on you. You let out a whiny moan, looking up at him, “Please fuck me. I want your cock so bad.”

Ghost pushed into you, filling you up slowly but surely. Ghost groaned, sinking into you until he was fully inside you. “S’fucking tight. Gonna fuck this pretty cunt until it’s molded to only take my cock.” Ghost groaned, snapping his hips forward for a forceful thrust. A guttural moan fell from your mouth, as Ghost gripped your throat with both hands, pounding into you at a ruthless pace.

“M’been dreaming of this since the day I laid eyes on your fucking application picture.” Ghost muttered, “Such a pretty fucking girl. Batting your eyelashes at everyone.”

Ghost’s hands moved down to your hips, his fingers digging into your soft flesh. Your moans were drowned out by the loud slapping of your skin. If it wasn’t for the way that Ghost was viciously railing you, you would be concerned that someone would walk past and hear you.

“Such a fucking whore. Getting fucked in your office…. you like being railed after work? Hmm?” Ghost hissed out as you clenched around him.

“You look s’pretty being full of my cock.” Ghost muttered, leaning down to kiss and nip your neck. You whined, feeling another knot form in your stomach. You clenched around Ghost, making him groan. “M’close…. s’close…” You spoke in between moans.

“Go ahead and make a mess on my cock, baby. Cum all over this cock like the slut you are.” Ghost demanded. It didn’t take long for your legs to shake and for Ghost’s cock to be drenched in your climax. He slowed his thrusts, pulling out of you. You whimpered at the lost feeling.

“Get up, Lovie. I want to cum all in that pretty mouth of yours.” Ghost said, pulling you off the bench and to your knees. You looked up at him as he pumped himself. Slapping his cock against your lips, you opened your mouth to let him slip in.

“S’fucking warm. Fucking made to take my dick in every fucking hole you have.” Ghost muttered, his hand snaking around the back of your head to shove his dick further down your throat. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as you tasted all your juices that drenched his cock. Saliva trailed down your chin as Ghost thrust in and out of your mouth at an unforgiving pace. “A fucking slut you are, taking my dick so well. Fuck.” Ghost groaned as his hip stuttered slightly. His cock twitched in your mouth before ropes of cum shot down your throat.

Your eyes screwed shut as Ghost stayed deep in your throat, making sure you swallowed all his cum. He pulled out, bending down to level as you looked up at him. “So, this was going through your mind all this time.” You spoke breathlessly.

“Shocked, Lovie?” Ghost smirked, lifting you back to your feet.

“A little.” You nodded. Ghost tilted your head back to press a rough but gentle kiss to your lips. “Well, I suggest you get used to it because there will be more of that.”

“So, you made your move, huh?” Soap grinned wickedly at Ghost, who sat further down the table. Ghost’s eyes shot to Soap’s as he narrowed them at the man.

“Don’t even try to deny it, LT.” Gaz said, his eyes staying trained on his phone. “All the talk around the base is how a certain skull mask-wearing lieutenant is attached to the hip of the pretty little nurse.”

“She must’ve really made you nervous if it took you almost three months to make a move on her.” Soap teased.

“I did more than make a move on her, Sergeant.” Ghost spoke, “That pretty little nurse is now my pretty little nurse.”

Ghost smirked underneath his mask as he looked between Gaz and Soap. “So, it would do you both good to watch your hands the next to you hug her. Would hate to have to break your fingers off for wandering too far for your own good.”

Without another word, Ghost sauntered out of the meeting room, leaving Soap and Gaz dumbfounded.

“Hm, I was wondering when that boy was going to make a move.” Price hummed from his spot, “All that begging to hire her to this base and took nearly four months to even talk to her.”

“Wait, what? Ghost knew about her before she even got to base?” Gaz asked.

“Ghost was the one who pulled her application.” Price said, “Said ‘his future girl’ had applied, and I needed to get her on base.”

Gaz and Soap looked at each other before sighing. Of course, Ghost knew you before you knew him.

Because it wouldn’t be Ghost if he didn’t.