#eventually i managed to have him actually greet her and there was still only talk; flirt or influence available

[fingertipsmp3]

Things that happened in my sims game today that ✨just make sense✨

-My sim went on a date with his stalker

[olinblogin]

Can you write clown!child!reader that plays silly innocent pranks and honks whenever they're really happy? I prefer if you made some headcanons/one shot with Kaufmo or Jax, if you want to add more characters then be my guest! Believe me, I don't mind at all lol

Ohhh I’ve been waiting for a clown reader tbf!

In the long run I don’t know to much abt Kaufmo bc duh he literally abstracted in the pilot— so please take my limited info about him with a pinch of salt

This one is gonna be relatively short because I don’t have much to work on plot wise since only the pilot of the show is out

(Theres no normal Kaufmo gifs so here 💀)

(WARNINGS - CHILD!READER, SLIGHT ANGST AT THE END)

When you’d first arrived, a lot were shocked to see you didn’t freak out like most would when first entering the Amazing Digital Circus.

In fact, you were quite ecstatic.

They were all shocked to see a child of all to be transported into the Circus. But you adapted quickly to your surroundings, even becoming comfortable with everyone, especially Kaufmo.

You spent most your time with Kaufmo, actually. You both took the form of clowns in a way, so it was bound that you two would get along.

To you he was almost like an older brother, always scolding you when you’d play little pranks on your friends. Some harmless, some a little less harmless.

Like the time you glued Caine’s staff to the floor.

Usually when you wanted to play pranks you’d go to Jax for help carrying them out, seeing as you’re the smallest of the group you had a hard time doing things as easily as the others did.

It was so fun all the time, every time you’d get caught doing your pranks you’d squeeze your little nose and make a honking sound as you dashed away.

Then, there was a new member, Pomni.

She was a jester of sorts… but oh, so jumpy. You tried greeting her with Ragatha, only for her to break out into a string of curses—which despite censored by Caine—Ragatha still covered your ears.

Eventually Ragatha was down on your level, “hey, sweetie? Can you do me a small favor?” She asked softly, to which you tilted your head in response, as you didn’t often talk so you used body language instead. “Please don’t play any pranks on Pomni, okay? She’s really jumpy and she might get hurt if you do.” You put a finger on your mouth in consideration, nodding happily.

“Thanks, sweetie. Go have fun, Caine is making us play capture the Gloinks again, I know that’s your favorite.” With that you zipped off and chased around the little shapes, while Ragatha took Pomni on a little tour with Jax.

You played the game for a while until you stumbled across the hallway of rooms, where some faces were crossed off with a big red ‘X’ for a reason you didn’t know, nor would you understand.

You were searching high and low for those little Gloinks but.. you soon came across Kaufmo’s door, it was wide open with signs of struggle being visible.

You peered into his room, he was no where to be found. You now had a new objective from the game, to find Kaufmo.

You searched everywhere, you even managed to get out of the circus to look for him.

But no matter your efforts you just couldn’t find him at all… soon, Caine caught you outside of the circus and brought you back, all of the group together, save for Kaufmo.

You made your way over to Ragatha, tugging her skirt, “Ragatha, where’s Kaufmo?” You asked in your quiet voice. Ragatha couldn’t bring herself to say it, only looking away in a guilty manner.

“What happened to him.. where’s Kaufmo?”

[eth-edwards-73]

Sign language

Mark Estapa x deaf reader

Sophia is Mackie’s girlfriend in this story things written in cursive are what they’re saying in sign

Mark watches as the girl that sat next to him in his class walks away from him. He had called out after her trying to get her to wait to ask her for her number. She’d caught his attention and he thought she was breathtaking so her not turning around to wait for him while she was still in hearing distance hurt a little. 

~🏒~

“What’s up with you Mark, you’ve been acting strange the whole day.” Ethan asked, concerned for his normally outgoing friend who had stayed silent for almost the entire practice whilst looking like a kicked puppy. 

“I’ve told you about Y/N right? Well I finally got the balls to ask her for her number but she just ignored me.” He confessed while pulling his t-shirt over his head his hair still damp from the shower he had taken after practice. 

“No you didn’t tell me about her but do you mean Y/N like Sophia’s best friend?” 

“Yeah her.”

“You do realize she’s deaf right, if she wasn’t facing you she couldn’t have known you were talking to her.” Ethan tells Mark who curses under his breath for not knowing that. He rushes out of the locker room soon after, determined to learn sign language  so he could properly talk to her. 

~🏒~

And that’s what he did over the next few months. He spent all his free time learning sign language and practicing it with everyone that knew it, well except for her. Sophia thought it was extremely adorable that he would put in the time and effort to learn it without even knowing Y/N well. She wasn’t the only one, the team also enjoyed watching the boy act like a love sick fool ranting about how beautiful he found the girl and how glad he was he could soon talk to her. He was very excited but he wanted to wait until he could fully understand everything before starting a conversation with her to not make a fool out of himself.

In the end he found it all worth it, seeing her face light up as he greeted her in sign asking how her day had been made his whole week. At the end of class he had her number and a love struck grin on his face while she felt giddy inside she wasn’t used to people being able to talk to her in sign, she was used to lipreading so it was refreshing to talk to someone in sign other than her aid, roommates and Sophia. 

~🏒~

Their relationship bloomed after that and now after a few months of dating they were laying on the beach next to each other watching the other guys on the team play beach volley which was going surprisingly well. The couple was completely engrossed in their conversation though and their attention eventually was turned away from the game that was being played. 

“I actually learned sign just for you.” Mark confessed, both their faces flushing red, a big grin appearing on Y/N’s face. Somehow he managed to always make her feel special and this made her love him even more. 

“Really?” He nodded and her eyes went even softer than before, her lip quivering slightly as she stared at the tall hockey player wondering how she could’ve gotten so lucky and he thought the same. He signed her one last thing before running towards the other boys since they had called him over.

“I love you.” 

“I love you more.” She signed back even if he couldn’t see it anymore, watching him laugh with his friends with a smile on her face. 

He truly was something…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This one isn't super long but i really like how this turned out

i absolutely adore Mark he's def my fave hell even Rutger comes behind him

[dutifullyscreechingdragon]

Tim Stoker X Archival Assistant!reader

Summary: here you go, some headcanons for our Tim and how your relationship would start, enjoy:)

You first met Tim as an archival Assistant. Your first day on the job.

You were joining a bit later than all the others. You still had some things left to finish at your previous position at the Institute and you do not leave things half done.

Tim's first reaction to you was to flirt. To flirt shamelessly:

"Hey gorgeous, what brings you down to our dark, creepy archives?"

It only escalated from here

You were positively flustered (Tim can have that effect even on the most confident of people. No one stands a chance if Tim uses 100% of his charms)

And eventually, you were rescued by a laughing Sasha:

"Come on, Tim! Leave the girl alone! You don't want to scare away a new Archival Assistant"

"Me? I am positively delightful!" Tim put his had on the heart, pretending to be mortaly wounded by Sasha's statement.

"I can't imagine a universe where I'd be scaring away a girl... Especially this charming" he'd finish winking at you, prompting you to laugh lightly.

"So, an Archival Assistant, eh?" Tim continued in a suave tone

"Starting today, yeah" you replied.

"Alas, my prayers have been answered" Tim raised his arms toward the ceiling "I have been graced with seeing your pretty face each morning!"

His flirting didn't stop. In fact, it escalated exponentially over time

The next morning he would greet you with a pick up line. And then the next morning and the next...

He seemed to have an endless supply of them.

Somehow he managed to not repeat a single one.

Definitely uses cute nicknames on you: sweetheart, darling, babe.

Will sometimes try cringy ones just to get a rise out of you.

You knew Tim's reputation, so took all his flirting attempts with a grain of salt.

"You can't have me seriously believing that Tim, 'I can charm a copier if I put my mind to it' Stoker, actually has feelings for me" you laughed.

Sasha sighed. She has just finished listening to Tim's 'Why cant she believe I have feelings for her? I have been so open and genuine about them' rant.

Tim definitely tries distracting you from your work, preventing you from doing anything productive. Any chance he gets:

You were currently sitting at your desk, trying to find any trace online regarding the statement of the week. You were pulled out of your thoughts by wheels skidding on the floor. Looking up you saw Tim on a wheely chair, sliding up next to you.

"Did you know that..."

or another time:

Your peaceful work was interrupted by a paper airplane hitting the side of you head. You looked up and saw a grinning Tim Stoker. He waved at you and motioned for you to unfold the paper. Once you did, you saw a cutesy doodle of you and him holding hands and a bunch of hearts around. You simply raised an eyebrow and put the drawing aside.

Tim was, however, pleasantly surprised, seeing it taped to the side of you computer screen the next day.

Did I mention flirting? I feel like I should mention it again, for good measure. Flirting Lot's of flirting. Lot's of shameless flirting

Sasha definitely notices Tim's feelings for you. Almost instantly.

And she would tease him. Mercilessly. Relentlessly.

She would also take on the role of your biggest shipper. Whenever you and Tim talk, you better believe she is making heart shapes at both of you from a safe distance.

She also uses her amazing computer skills to make cute and embarrassing edits of you two.

Sasha is also, coincidentally, the most amazing wing-woman ever (probably because she had to take action after seeing you and Tim pine for each other relentlessly).

You would be sorting through the statements when she would approach you and ask sneakily:

"So, Tim took you out on a date, yet?"

"No" you'd say and add quietly "Unfortunately"

This wouldn't slip past Sasha's keen ears:

"Unfortunately? So you do want to go on a date with him!"

You'd splutter to deny it, only prompting her to laugh more.

"Maybe if you sent him some more... Positive feedback to his flirting attempts and maybe told him a simple 'yes' to his countless attempts to invite you out... Maybe then, you'd already be smooching and planning your wedding..." Sasha said pointedly and the added more wistfully "and maybe then I wouldn't have to listen to his rants about you"

After quite a restless night you decided to give it a shot. "Why not?" You reasoned. What's the worst thing that can happen? An awkward break up when he realises he doesn't like you that much and having to work with him for at least another year? You decided not to dwell on that much.

Obviously Tim was low-key surprised when instead of shutting down his flirting attempts you flirted back. He was even more surprised when you agreed to go on a date with him.

He nearly lost his composure, but once he finally processed what happened, he beamed at you and tripled his flirting.

Throughout the day he was very hyper and becoming a bit too much to his colleagues and you

But can you blame him? He finally got the green light form you. Of course he's going to rant about it to Sasha. Of course he is going to make small doodles on the margins of his paperwork that he is later to hand in to Jon.

Tim DEFINITELY took you kayaking on you first date:)

It's a great opportunity to flex his muscles and have great fun at the lake.

Chances are you ended up falling into the water:

You were rowing in perfect harmony while exchanging some quips back and forth. It was great. Until Tim said something along the lines of:

"Sure, you're right. Can't argue with that cuteness. You could probably say that the Earth is flat and I'd believe you" he briefly took his hand off the oar to ruffle your hair.

"Hey! If I ever tell you nonsense like that, I expect you to correct me" you turn to smack him with your oar. Tim ducks out of the way, making your kayak rock from side to side.

"Don't do that! We're gonna flip the boat" You say gripping the side of the kayak for balance.

Tim grins wickedly before shifting to the other side, making the kayak careen dangerously "Don't do what? This?" he suddenly goes to the other side.

"Yes! Don't-" you're cut off as the kayak predictably flipped over and you both ended up in the slightly chilly water.

Tim laughed. You prepared to give him an angry tirade, but couldn't help laughing with him.

You got out of the water at some point... Completely soaked through.

You pulled off your shirt and put it to dry, huddling in a blanket, which, by some miracle, wasn't completely wet.

"You sh-should take off your shirt to dry" you told Tim, chattering your teeth.

"Woah! If you wanted to see me shirtless, you didn't have to flip the kayak" Tim said, taking his shirt off "You could've just asked" he smirked at you. Prompting an eye roll.

"You do remember that you were the one who flipped it, right?" You deadpanned raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm...." He pretends to think "Maybe I wanted you to see me shirtless" Tim shrugged and said "Details"

You could only shake your head and laugh.

And of course the only logical solution was to cuddle. For warmth. And because it felt nice

Tim wrapped his arms around your torso and snuggled into your neck, while you fried some marshmallows for s'mores on a campfire.

When you came the next day holding hands, Sasha was extatic.

She might or might not have started planning your wedding.

A/n: anyway, that concludes the headcanons, I hope you like it:) I'm definitely writing headcanons for Dating!! Tim

[camilaxmartin]

Can you do a Shuri x Reader where the avengers come and help with the fight and Spider-Man starts flirting with the reader because he doesn’t know that the reader is dating Shuri and Shuri gets jealous.(Black fem reader btw)

ღ spidey, spidey

hi! thank you for your request! i hope you will like how it turned out.

navigation // request // me and find the rest

summary: spider man flirtis with reader while she’s in relationship with shuri

warnings: none

notes: i hope you don’t mind i chose a side for civil war but it just fitted right in

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>•<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

it was the time of civil war. not quietly agreed with tony on his point of view, you still got his side in the battle. mostly because t’challa was on his side and so was your girlfriend, shuri.

it was more complicated for you to be honest. as long as you believed in the law and not living by it you also understood why captain america was so determined for keeping his best friend safe. it was a really difficult situation, but after all you needed to choose a side, even only for a fight. and also for keeping yourself safe, you signed the sokovia agreement. i mean, you didn’t want to be on the target of the law right?

but as much as you were concerned about the law your heart was telling you that if you were in the shoes of steve, you’d do the same for you friend. you couldn’t help having a heart.

t’challa and shuri arrived at the campus like an hour before the battle, so you and your girlfriend haven’t had a lot of time together. to be precise, you got none of it. everyone was so made up about the fight that everything you did was just preparation for the battle. shuri promised you that after all, you’ll get some time alone. and that was the thing you were mostly looking forward to.

not long after their arrival captain america showed up at the airport wanting to actually steal at that moment, one of the planes. suddenly all of the iron man team members showed up from their places to stop steve and his crew.

the battle began. at first it was easy to stop the captain but it became more complicated when people from his team also started fighting. and they did it good.

but tony also had an as in his pocket, suddenly spider-man swing out of nowhere and took captain’s shield. steve was surprised for a second but then he got to fight again.

everything went pretty smoothly after that, besides the fact that natasha helped them get to the plane. she automatically resigned from the sokovia agreement. you were actually curious how she was gonna manage this now, but you also knew that helping her would be as risky as not signing the agreement so you decided you’ll just wait for the news from her.

after all, all the avengers from tony’s side came back to the campus. even the spider boy, which took a little to much interest in you from the time he lied his eyes on you today.

while you waited on shuri to come back from the bathroom and finally go to somewhere quiet to spend the rest of the day together, peter came up to you looking quite nervous. you smiled at him knowing inside why he wanted to speak to you. but you didn’t want to ruin this for him, also having a bit of fun yourself, you haven’t said anything at the start and let him talk.

“hi.” he said looking you straight into the eyes.

“hey.” you responded trying to sound as sweet as you could.

“you come here often?” he asked and you almost lost it. controlling yourself you just smiled.

“considering that i’m an avenger, yeah. i live here.” you responded while noticing how his cheeks grew redder.

“oh, yeah, right.” she scratched the back of his neck. “well, i’ve noticed that you can be around my age and just wanted to greet you.” he added, both of you knowing that wasn’t his true intention.

“ya spidey, i am your age.” you replied, wanting to make this conversation as long as you could. i mean, he obviously didn’t stand a chance, you had a girlfriend, but you didn’t want to be rude to him. eventually you would tell him that you’re taken and that it’s a girl you belong to, but right now you just wanted to see how much confidence he had.

“i knew it!” he smiled while also getting even redder at the nickname you used for him.

“how did you become an avenger?” you asked actually being curious. his eyes shined a bit.

“oh well, one day mrs stark just showed up in my apartment and told me he wanted me to help in the avangers stuff and gave me this freaking awesome suit.” he explained gesturing to his clothes at the end.

“that’s quite a story to tell.” you smiled and peter laughed at it.

“i’m peter, by the way.” he said reaching out his hand for you to shake.

“y/n” you responded shaking his hand. he was looking at you like one of the puppies when you visit the shelter. it was really sweet, but oh boy he was so wrong.

“i just got an idea!” he said suddenly getting your full attention. “i don’t have any plans for today and if you’re not busy maybe we could go out somewhere?” he asked and you were actually taken aback by his confidence. it was pretty sweet, but you knew you had to make the situation clear without going any further.

“listen spidey,” you started and bit down on your lip feeling a bit embarrassed by having to decline his offer. of course you’d go with him somewhere but it can’t be a date, obviously. “i don’t want to hurt you, but i’m in a relationship. so i would love to go out with you but just as a pair of friends.” you explained and peters smile got a bit smaller but was still present at his face.

“of course!” he said fast, regretting a bit that he even asked you at the first place. “and who’s the lucky guy?” he then asked and you wanted to tell it’s a girl, but said girl interrupted you.

“back off peter, she’s mine.” shuri said sounding more playful than mad. she came out of the bathroom and with one smooth move was standing next to you. one of her hands already on your waits.

“oh.” peter said aloud what made both you and shuri laugh.

you moved your head a bit so that you could kiss shuri’s cheek. she smiled at you gesture and her eyes immediately flew to your face.

“we can still meet up if you want to.” you said looking again at peter who was still standing right in front of the two of you.

“sure!” his smiled grew again.

“but not today. your busy.” shuri said which made you and peter laugh at the same time. she then wrapped her other arm around you, hugging you.

“she’s right.” you nodded your head slightly. “but after today, i’m free.” you said and shuri rolled her eyes at you playfully, knowing that you’re going to be busy all day as long as she’s here.

“great!“ he said and wanted to walk away but your voice stopped him.

“we can meet the three of us actually.” you offered and shuri smiled at you words.

“that’s amazing! i’ll bring ned with me if you’re okay with it. his my best friend and knows about the avenger stuff and everything. that’s a long story actually, but he’s cool.” he said and you smiled at him.

“i think that’s a great idea.” you girlfriend commented. “but now, me and y/n would love to spend some time alone.” she continued and peter smiled at her words. “so if you don’t mind we’ll excuse ourselves.”

“of course! see you the other day!” he said and walked away leaving the two of you alone in the hall.

“i’m not surprised he wanted to ask you out. you’re stunning.” she said pulling away from you.

“stop it.” you smiled hitting her hand. “and let’s go. i have so many things to tell you about!” you said and grabbed her hand leading the two of you to your room.

[cetaitlaverite]

Anything to Anywhere

Masters of the Air - Bucky Egan x OC

masterlist is here <333

06. King and Country

When operations eventually managed to locate where Curt and his crew had landed - somewhere on the Scottish coast - it was Stella who was tasked with flying up there to bring them back down. So, in one of the less-mangled B-17s which had returned from the last mission, already repaired by the speedy mechanics at Thorpe Abbotts, Stella flew up to Scotland, armed with a hastily labelled map and a flight engineer who had never actually flown in a plane before.

Stella was glad when they finally landed. The flight engineer was really a lovely girl, but she was so excited to be out on her first assignment that it almost seemed like she was hoping something would go wrong if just so she could fix it. While it wasn’t a difficult journey, Stella didn’t like to jinx it, especially in such a recently repaired plane.

Curt and his crew greeted them with waving arms and wide grins. They regaled Stella and her flight engineer with the tale of their crash landing many times over, with different details added in each time, as they waited for the plane to be refuelled, and the instant it was ready everyone was piling back in, the men clearly eager to get home and back in amongst the action - there was little in the way of it all the way up here.

Upon their return to Thorpe Abbotts, it seemed like all of the Americans on base came out to greet their returned charges. Egan and Buck were at the front of the gathered group, hands on their hips and wry smiles on their faces as they watched Stella taxi down the runway. The cheers which greeted the airmen when they first disembarked the plane, too, were jubilant; Stella found it both heartwarming and unbearable, so she kept her head down as she made her way to the jeep waiting to take her to the ATA hut so she could write up her flight report.

It wasn’t until that night that Stella saw Curt again. Leaned up against the bar in the officers’ club, telling a story to a gathered crowd of airmen that had them all fascinated, Curt talked with his hands and looked at each of the gathered faces in turn. He must have felt Stella’s eyes on him when she entered, for in turn his eyes swept across the room and found her in the doorway, and he promptly shot her a wink.

“Y’know, I like him for you, Fin,” Alice said, her eyes darting between the two of them. “I know you’ve sworn off men but if you were going to break it for anyone I think he seems like a good idea. Not as much of an arse as Egan, at the very least.”

Stella chuckled under her breath. While Alice had initially been critical of Stella’s newfound animosity towards Major Egan, she had soon changed her tune when she’d overheard him trying to convince one of the wireless operators to dance with him after she’d already resolutely told him no. The girl’s name was Freddie - Stella remembered because she was jealous of it; she fancied herself a Freddie, not a Stella - and she was almost universally well-liked across Thorpe Abbotts for being sweet and doe eyed and having an inexplicable air of sadness about her which inspired the instinct to protect.

In any case, Stella had only very briefly spoken to Freddie Leroy herself, back when Freddie had first transferred from a different airfield. She’d been weepy back then but still kind, had complimented Stella’s necklace when no one else had ever even noticed it, before offering a watery smile and continuing on her way. Stella didn’t know Freddie at all beyond that and seeing her in the officers’ club with the other wireless operators, but if Egan had pushed his luck with her then it was still another nail in his coffin as far as Stella was concerned.

“Very few people are as much of an arse as Egan,” Stella replied to Alice at length as they crossed over to the bar. She avoided the eyes of the man in question, though she could feel them on her as he stood huddled in a corner with Buck. She wasn’t forced to concentrate on this avoidance for long, however, as soon enough Curt sidled over accompanied by who Stella now knew as his co-pilot, Dickie, each of them with two beers in hand.

“Evening, ladies,” Curt greeted. He held out one of his beers to Stella while Dickie held out one of his to Alice.

Both women accepted their drinks, and then Curt was raising his pint glass. “To flying home in style,” he declared, offering Stella another wink.

She rolled her eyes as the others echoed the sentiment but cheers’ed her glass with theirs all the same and took a long draw on it.

“If that’s your way of saying thank you for picking you up,” Stella said once she’d finished sipping, “then you’re welcome.”

“Thanks,” Dickie said, raising his glass to her once more.

“Yeah,” Curt agreed, grinning. “Thanks, Fin. How about a dance so I can give ya a proper thank you?”

Alice laughed. Stella frowned. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, now. We hardly know each other.”

Alice scoffed. “You know each other plenty. Go dance. I’ll look after your drink.”

Stella thought about saying no. In fact, her mouth was open and the word was all but halfway out. But then she accidentally locked eyes with Egan over Curt’s shoulder. His were narrowed, his beer raised to his lips but his mouth shut. And then Stella recalled how he’d asked her repeatedly to dance and she’d repeatedly told him no and she felt a mild thrill race through her veins at the prospect of irritating him and taking him down a peg all in one go.

“Okay,” she declared, turning back to Curt. “One dance and that’s it.”

Curt’s eyes lit up. “One dance,” he agreed, holding up his pointer finger as though to assure her he knew how many that was. “Dickie, look after my drink, alright? And if you drink it you’re buying my next one.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dickie answered him, accepting the half-drunk pint. “Just go already.”

Stella laughed to herself before handing off her own drink to Alice and accepting Curt’s hand, following him across the room to join the other couples on the dance floor.

Curt wasn’t a great dancer. Stella hadn’t honestly expected him to be. He had a lot of enthusiasm but little coordination, which wasn’t helped by the fact that he was the exact same height as Stella. They weren’t compatible as dancers but at least he could make her laugh. He made cutting observations about other dancers - never unkind, simply incredibly specific and unflattering - and told Stella about his life back in New York City.

When their dance was over Stella could tell he was hoping for another one, but great as he was, she was resolved. One dance was more than she’d intended, any more than that and she’d be compromising herself.

“I’m just going to the bathroom,” she informed Curt as he prepared to lead her back to Alice and Dickie to retrieve their drinks. “You go on ahead and make sure Alice hasn’t drunk any of my beer.”

Curt shot her a grin sidelong. “If she has, I'll buy you another one. Hell, I’ll buy you another one anyway.”

Stella laughed, rolling her eyes. “We’ll see.”

Curt pointed one finger at her. “We’ll see’s better than no!”

“We’ll see!” Stella insisted. She turned on her heel to head for the ladies’ toilet, laughing to herself when she heard Curt laughing behind her.

Turning the corner into the hallway, Stella sighed out a long breath. The wood of the door to the bathroom was cool against her sweaty palm as she pushed it open, and Stella was considering heading for the tap before the toilet if just to cool herself down with some cold water when a voice behind her halted her in place.

“Thought you didn’t dance.”

Immediately, Stella’s lingering smile turned into a scowl. She didn’t look behind her as she retorted, “Maybe not with you.”

Egan chuckled quietly. “You told me no even when we were friends.”

“We were never friends,” Stella replied airily. She shot him a glance over her shoulder. “I thought we were but you made it quite clear that it was a calculated fabrication. Are we done here?”

“For the last goddamn time, Finley, I did not come up with a master plan to sleep with you. Whatever idea you have in your head about me being obsessed with you isn’t real.”

“Right,” Stella agreed with a fake smile. “Because no one cares about me as much as I think they do. I remember you saying.”

Egan stared back at her for a beat and then huffed, his jaw working as he clenched it and looked away. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Stella’s gaze was hard. “No, I think that is what you meant. Maybe you didn’t mean to say it to my face but you meant it.”

“Would you stop telling me what I do and do not mean?!”

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d just be honest!”

“I am being honest!”

“I don’t believe you!”

“That’s not my goddamn problem, Finley!”

Stella huffed, crossing her arms and shuffling on her feet. “Why don’t you do us both a favour, then, and not talk to me at all. Then neither of us has to worry about whether or not you’re telling the truth.”

With a roll of his eyes, Egan adjusted his jacket and looked away. “I’m always telling the truth.”

Stella’s jaw was hard. “Go tell the truth to someone who’s not me.”

“I’d love to.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I didn’t say thank you.”

Egan opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when he turned back to Stella and found her with her eyes focused somewhere over his shoulder. When he turned to follow her gaze he saw nothing, but even when he looked back at her she was still staring into the thin air behind him. 

“Finley?” he ventured warily.

Stella was confused. Someone had just walked past the entrance to the hallway in the room beyond, someone tall with terrible posture and neatly combed dark hair, thick eyebrows and his hands in his pockets, a uniform which would always look too small for him even if it was his size.

“Will?” Stella called, but of course he didn’t hear her; he’d already passed the hallway and continued on his way to wherever he was going next.

Egan stared at her with furrowed eyebrows as she stepped aside to peer around him. “What?”

“Will,” Stella mumbled under her breath. She headed back to the main room with slow steps, shaking her head as she realised how absurd her assumption was. Of course Will wasn’t here. Why would he be here? He was stationed over at Duxford.

Nonetheless, she followed after him like a woman in a trance, scanning the faces gathered in the club until her eyes once more landed on the familiar figure, now seated at a table and talking to the 100th Bomb Group commanding officer who had made a rare appearance tonight.

“Will,” Stella said, starting to smile. “Will!” He didn’t look up but she started towards him anyway, heedless of the colonel locked in conversation with him - he wasn’t her CO.

“Will!” Stella exclaimed once she’d reached the table.

And finally he heard her, finally he looked up. “Stella?”

“What are you doing here?!” she asked, bounding forward to take up one of his hands and squeezing it in both of hers. “Aren’t you meant to be super busy at Duxford?”

“Right,” Will said. He spared a sideways glance at Colonel Huglin beside him before adding, “I’ve been doing some rounds the last couple of months to check on some of the other bases, taking some time in between to greet our incoming Americans.”

Stella shook her head, her smile wide but confused, now, with this new information. “You haven’t been replying to my letters,” she said. “I just thought -”

“I’ve been busy,” he cut across her. He retracted his hand from her grip under the guise of clasping both of them together in his lap. “I look after a lot of men.”

“Right,” Stella agreed. “You were always good at that. Looking after people, I mean.”

Will gave her a tight smile and no reply.

Stella waited for him to say something else but, when it became abundantly clear he wasn’t going to, she cleared her throat and refixed her smile. “Will you dance with me?”

“Stella -”

“I’m sure the colonel won’t mind sparing you for one song,” she reasoned, inadvertently cutting right across him. “I haven’t seen you in more than a year.”

“It’s been a busy year.”

“I’m sure it has. But we can dance now, can’t we? Like old times? Like we did in the living room when we were younger?”

Will kept shooting hasty sidelong glances at Colonel Huglin. He hemmed and hawed as he searched for a reply.

Stella’s smile remained fixed firmly in place but she knew how to take a hint. “Maybe later?” she suggested softly. She tucked her hands behind her back, digging her nails into her palms as she curled them in on themselves. “When you’re not so busy?”

“Yes,” Will decided immediately. He looked relieved, grabbing hold of the rope she’d thrown him without hesitation. “Later, yes. I’ll find you later.”

“Okay,” Stella agreed. Nodding, she took a small step backwards. “Later, then. And you can tell me about Harry and all the others.”

“Yes,” Will confirmed once more. “I’ll come and find you later, Stella.”

Stella nodded. “Later,” she mumbled under her breath. Then she turned and ran straight into Egan where he’d evidently been observing the scene.

Stumbling back a step, Stella looked up at him with a frown.

He looked back down at her, his expression unreadable.

Stella didn’t linger. She sidestepped him before he could make any comments, heading for the door and pushing outside into the quiet of the summer air.

She didn’t know when she’d started sweating, only that the night air was cool on her damp skin. Raking her fingers through the length of her hair, Stella tilted her head to one side and exposed her neck to the breeze, then shut her eyes and hummed softly to herself while she worked on slowing the thumping of her heart.

“So,” said Egan from the doorway.

Stella’s eyes shot open as she whirled to face him. She dropped her hair and took a step away from him, blinking hard, swallowing around the lump in her throat. “Can you just leave me alone?” Her voice didn’t sound as strong and authoritative as she’d intended. It sounded weak and wobbly and horrible, like a child’s. She turned back around and said nothing more.

Egan didn’t speak for a moment. Stella wondered whether, if she stayed still enough, he might leave. But finally he spoke up from the darkness behind her, just one word. “Stella,” he said.

Stella didn’t say anything.

“That’s your name,” he went on. “Stella. Stella Finley.”

Slowly, warily, without turning back, Stella nodded. “Unfortunately.”

“You don’t like it?”

She swallowed hard once more. “I don’t feel like a Stella.”

Egan considered her. “I think it suits you. Stella.” He rolled the name around in his mouth, tested it out on his tongue. “Not what I was expecting.”

“You were expecting something more masculine,” she deduced.

Egan laughed a little bit. “I’m not sure what I was expecting.” Again, he tested her name out. “Stella.” Then he shook his head, smiling to himself. “I like that name.”

When she turned back to him, Stella’s eyes were narrowed, always wary, always suspicious. “Why are you here?”

He shrugged, tilting his head back to look up at the night sky. His hands were in his pockets, his posture slumped and casual. “Nowhere better to be.”

“Why did you listen to my conversation?” She had a couple of guesses. Enjoyment of her humiliation, snooping for extra information - both seemed equally likely.

Again, he shrugged. “I was curious.” When Stella didn’t ask any further questions, he tilted his head back down to meet her eyes and smiled a little bit across the space between them. “At first I thought boyfriend. Woulda made sense why you’re so pissed at me for daring to have eyes when I first met you. But now I’m thinking brother.”

Stella looked away. She turned back to the expanse of grass and scattered buildings before her, tried to make herself focus on the way the moonlight hit each of them differently depending on their size and position. “Brother,” she confirmed after a beat. “My eldest brother.”

“How many you got?”

“Eight.”

“Eight brothers?” Shaking his head, Egan whistled quietly.

“I’m the only girl,” Stella added with a twist to her lips that wasn’t quite a smile. “And I’m the youngest. Gives you a better idea of what my childhood was like, I imagine.”

“All of you between the ages of eighteen and forty-one?” Egan asked.

“Youngest twenty-two, oldest thirty-three,” she confirmed. “We’re all in the service of king and country.”

Egan didn’t say anything for a moment, but when he did his voice was quiet. “Your parents must be climbing the walls with worry. Even their little girl’s not safe in some office job on the ground.”

Stella looked over at him, considered him thoughtfully. After a while’s contemplation, she said, “No one in this entire country has been entirely safe since 1939. Little children have been bombed in schools, old people in their homes. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone over here who hasn’t lost someone in some capacity. But we count ourselves lucky and try not to get too weepy about it because it’s much worse on the continent.” She shrugged. “And anyway, not all of my brothers are in the line of fire. Will’s high up enough that he hasn’t ever had to go abroad and Arthur is in air exec in an airfield further south, so he’s reasonably safe nowadays, too. But, yeah,” she relented, turning back to the expanse in front of her, unable to force herself to meet his eyes any longer, “the rest of them are all spread across Europe and Africa.”

“All in the air force?”

“Most,” Stella acknowledged with a small nod. “George decided to go rogue and join the infantry and obviously I’m in the ATA. But everyone else is in the RAF.”

“Right.” John had a hand on the back of his neck, rubbing it back and forth as he recalled with a grimace the conversation they’d had in the pub last week. “Right.”

Stella nodded. She didn’t turn to look at him but she was remembering the exchange, too. “Right.”

“They all pilots?”

“Most. A mix of bombers and fighters. But we have a navigator and a flight engineer among our ranks, too.”

John wanted to ask whether they were all still around. Whether the devastating Battle of Britain she spoke about with such high regard and so little room for argument had taken any of her eight brothers from her. But that was a bad idea and he knew it, and he didn’t want to put his foot straight back in the mud after only recently managing to wrench it free.

Stella didn’t give him time to ask any further questions, anyway, turning to him with a collected expression and wondering, “What about you? Any siblings?”

“Two sisters,” John replied easily. “Frances, who’s three years older than me, and Eileen, who’s six years younger.”

Stella hummed her acceptance of these facts. “Who’s your favourite?”

John sputtered a scoff. “What?”

“Who’s your favourite sister?” Stella asked, arching a brow at him. “Frances or Eileen?”

“I don’t have a favourite.” His eyebrows were furrowed. “Who the fuck has a favourite sibling?”

“Harry’s my favourite,” Stella informed him prosaically. “He’s closest to me in age, one year older.”

“Pilot?”

“Hurricane pilot,” she confirmed.

John grinned. “Shoulda guessed.” He gazed at her for a moment before laughing a little under his breath and giving a brief shake of his head. “I guess when you’ve only got two siblings it seems a little harsher to choose.”

Stella shrugged. “I suppose. When I was growing up my favourite used to change all the time. Will, who’s back in the club, was my favourite for a long time. He’s the oldest so he looked after me most when I was little.”

“What are all their names?” John asked.

Stella smiled in spite of herself. People often wanted to test her to see if she could remember all of her brothers’ names, which was absurd because they were her brothers - of course she knew their names. “In order of oldest to youngest: Will, Arthur, David, Alfred, Peter, George, Thomas, and Harry. Then there’s me.”

“The baby of the family,” John said with a grin. “Stella Finley.”

“That’s the one,” Stella agreed.

“Middle name?”

“May.”

“Born in May?”

“Born in November.”

“Then why May?”

“That was my grandma’s name.” She shrugged. “What’s your middle name?”

“Clarence.”

Stella barked a laugh, clapping her hands once together. “Unfortunate.”

John rolled his eyes. “That was my grandpa’s name.”

Stella simply laughed at him again. “Unfortunate.”

“Anyone ever call you Stels?” John asked next.

“No,” Stella replied simply.

“Can I call you Stels?”

“No,” she replied again. “It’s with great reluctance that I let you call me Fin.”

“You look like a Stella, you know,” John went on, ignoring her. It was a name which felt like a mixture of softness and sharp edges. Pretty but not delicate. “Like a Stels,” he added after a beat, because as much as she looked like a Stella, she really looked like a Stels. There was something about that extra S which added familiarity, peeled back a layer of hardness; she was a Stella at first glance and a Stels once you got to know her, all indignant assertions of authority and sharp comments until you discovered the bird facts and hastily choreographed dance routines.

“No one calls me Stels,” Stella protested.

John shrugged, smiling to himself. “Not yet.”

[dizzyjelly]

Treat You Right

Word Count: 5k

Summary: You're abbys roommate and best friend, always there for her. She starts dating a guy who isn't even close to good enough for her, and you end up having an argument about how you've been acting towards him. That same night, you unknowingly confess your love to Abby, and she asks you about it a few days later at a party where you two will end up kissing.

Cw: drinking, mentions of throwing up/getting sick

You parked your car with a sigh, as close to the gym as you could get. It was pretty jam-packed, which you weren't really expecting. An unpleasant surprise as you struggled to find a parking spot, but you eventually did it. Quickly, you unbuckled yourself and leaned over to the passenger seat to grab the large metal water bottle and Abby’s favorite flavor of Gatorade before you made your way inside.

The man at the front desk greeted you with a smile, your face had become a familiar one over the last few weeks. Although you'd only actually worked out once or twice, you usually came to take your roommate Abby home. And bring her refreshments as she always managed to leave her water bottle at home, despite the countless times you'd remind her not to.

"Hello, nice to see you again!" He greeted, typing something into his computer.

"Hi, can I just go wait on one of those benches?" You asked, pointing over to the ones right by the lockers.

He nodded and motioned for you to go ahead, you made your way over there and took a seat. Abby would no doubt be making her way over here in the next few minutes, so you sat patiently and waited. It wasn't long until you saw her beaded your way, her forehead glistened with a light sweat and her chest rose and fell at a rather fast pace.

"Abby!" You exclaimed, waving at her excitedly.

She grinned and gave you a small wave back, coming to sit beside you.

"What would I do without you, Y/n?" She joked before grabbing her water bottle from your hand, taking a nice, long sip.

"I guess we'll never know" You responded with a sweet smile, then handed her the Gatorade, "here, brought your favorite."

She gasped, bringing a hand to her chest.

"For me? Why, thank you!" She took an even longer sip of the Gatorade then stood to walk over to her locker.

Mindlessly, you stood with her and followed her that way. You'd watch as she collected her personal belonging, talking her ear off about what you wanted to do when you got home. Once she'd finished, you walked out to your car together and you were the one carrying her drinks of course. You got into the car and let then sit in the cup holder, listening intently as Abby ran through her work out today. She'd stopped just a few minutes before you'd pull into your driveway.

"So, I was thinking you could shower and do whatever you needa do then we could watch a movie?" You suggested, and Abby agreed.

She wandered to her room for some pajamas, then to your shared bathroom to get in the shower. You decided to order some takeout, since neither of you had eaten yet and you didn't feel up to cooking anything tonight. It was nothing special, just a simple Chinese place the both of you would enjoy. And of course, you knew Abbys order by heart, so there was no need to ask her what she wanted.

You reached forward to grab the TV remote from the coffee table, opening up Netflix to browse through the movies. Eventually you gave up, being too indecisive for your own good, and figured you'd just let Abby choose something. Your phone went off, notifying you that your order was ready for pick up. Since you wanted to get the food while it was still warm, you quickly scribbled a note for Abby and left it on the coffee table before heading out the door.

She'd leave the shower and make her way to the living room, confused at first as you were nowhere to be found. But it didn't take long for her to find your note, setting it back down with a smile as she grabbed the TV remote.

'Left to get takeout, chinese!! Pick a movie bc I literally can't, no horror! I mean it.'

It read, in sloppy handwriting. You also drew a little heart at the bottom as well, something you'd always done when you'd leave her notes. It would take the place of a signature. She went through the different movies before deciding to check out a different streaming service because nothing piqued her interest. After a while, she settled on the movie White Chick's, a comedy. As much as she wanted to pick a horror movie just to push your buttons, she decided she could respect your wishes for one night.

It wasn't long before you'd return home, pushing the door open with your hip as your hands were full with the bags of food. You set them down on the coffee table, unboxing everything before grabbing drinks from the fridge and sitting beside Abby on the couch. You sat close enough to her so your sides touched, like always. You found expressing your love for her difficult, so most of the time you resorted to physical touch. Your elbows would bump into one another as you ate and drank, but neither of you were bothered by this.

It was a nice night, relaxing and fun. Once you were done with your food you sat crisscross applesauce, letting your hands fall into your lap. The movie was just getting to its middle mark when Abby slyly leaned back, bringing an arm up to sit behind you on the couch. If you'd lean back just enough, her arm would be around you., but you decided not to. Why, you didn't know.

"I'm kinda cold." She would say after about ten more minutes.

Immediately, you sprung to your feet and ran into your room. You grabbed your blanket from your bed, it was medium sized so you'd be able to share if you sat close enough. Smiling as you walked back into the living room, you tossed it to her and she thanked you. She pulled it over her lap, sitting back with her arms now crossed.

You sat next to her, then lifted the blanket before you'd lay down so that your head rested on her beautifully toned thighs. She chuckled, bringing a hand down to comb through your hair with her fingers. You smiled as a light blush spread across your cheeks, your bare face resting skin to skin with her thighs had a funny feeling settling in your stomach. It wasn't long until you found yourself falling into a peaceful sleep as you lied on her, Abby joined you shortly after.

You wouldn't wake until hours later, groaning as you sat up to check the time on your phone. Immediately regretting it as the bright white screen blinded you, quickly you turned down the brightness then saw it was nearing three in the morning. You stretched your arms above your head with a yawn, then leaned over to where Abby sat with her head tilted back against the couch as small snores spilled from her lips.

A smile found its way across your face at the sight, God she was so adorable. Then, you leaned down to her ear, shaking her lightly with a hand on her opposite shoulder.

"Abby.." You whispered in her ear.

It didn't take much to wake her, as she had always been a light sleeper. The only mistake you made was forgetting she was also quite defensive when being woken up, her eyes shot open and before you knew it she'd shoved you so hard you were now on the ground.

"Fuckk." You groaned as your side slammed into the couch, landing on your knees on the floor.

Abby sat, rubbing her eyes for a second before quickly rushing to help you up.

"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry, Y/n, you know I scare easy when I'm sleeping..." She apologized, and you could tell by her expression she really did feel bad.

Not that you doubted if she did or not, you muttered a simple 'it's ok' before rubbing at your side. It'd definitely be bruised in the morning, which was unfortunate as you had to work. Oh well, you'd manage.

"I've gotta be up in a few hours, so let's just go back to sleep." You said after Abby had given you a hug, still feeling bad for hurting you.

"M'kay. You just wanna lay back down on the couch or..?" She asked with a shrug, you merely nodded in response.

You waited as she'd lie down first, lifting up the blanket so you could lie down as well. You smiled at her as you climbed on top of her, your legs intertwined with hers and your head rested in her chest. Your arms would find their way around her waist, and hers held you in a warm embrace. She used one hand to rub your back until you fel asleep, which didn't take long as you'd felt safe and comfortable with her like this. It wasn't unusual for you two to... cuddle per say, but it was definitely a little too intimate for 'friends.' You'd never acknowledge that though, not as long as it meant you could still get in some good quality snuggle time with your favorite person in the world.

It wasn't until hours later when you woke up again, and sure enough you had to get ready for work. You winced quietly as you stood, your side being sore. That'd be a pain in the ass today, or rather the side. Sighing, you quietly made your way to your bedroom to get dressed and do your other morning routine things. Due to the fact that your coffee maker was loud as shit, and you didn't want ti wake Abby, you decided to leave earlier and get coffee on the way. Of course, you'd kept Abby a note on the coffee table letting her know you'd left for work. Even though she'd probably come to that conclusion on her own.

You'd actually enjoyed your job quite a lot, you worked at a daycare and it always made you happy seeing the children. They'd bonded with you really well, and it always put a smile on your face. After getting your coffee, you drove straight to work and walked inside. They weren't many kids on yet since it was still early, but that wouldn't stay true for long. Today was a pretty easy day, which was a pleasant surprise since things would usually get pretty chaotic. It was nearing ten in the morning when your phone buzzed from your back pocket. Of course, you walked into the staff only room to check it.

'Hi :('

Abby had texted you, immediately you were concerned as she'd put a frowny face at the end of her message.

'What's wrong???'

You'd replied.

'I have a terrible migraine'

'Did you take your meds?'

'No...'

'I will take them right now!'

'Ok good, try having some caffeine as well. The doctor said that would help, remember?'

'Yes I will have soda :)'

'Alright, feel better <3'

'Tyy <3'

You smiled to yourself, then stuffed your phone back into your pocket before going back out to the play area. Your eyes widened as you saw what happened while you were gone, one of the toddlers had gotten sick all over the carpet. There was a grimace on your face at the smell, you'd walked over to where it was and ushered the other children away while you got cleaning supplies.

After you finished cleaning, you went to check on Miley, the little girl who'd gotten sick. One of your coworkers had taken her to get a change of clothes and given her some water.

"Hi sweetie," you cooed, "you got a tummy ache?" She nodded with a babble.

"That's ok, you can lay down if you want." You motioned for your coworker to take her to the nap area while you went to call her mom. The mother quickly gree concerned when hearing that her little baby had gotten sick, but you reassured her everything was fine. After the phone call was over you went back out to the play area to care for the kids.

The rest of your day went by surprisingly quick, and nobody else got sick which was relieving. You said goodbye to your coworkers before grabbing your bag and heading out to your car. On the way home, you called Abby.

"Hiiii." She answered.

"Heyyy, your migraine any better?" You asked as you pulled onto the street.

"Yeah, you on the way home?" She asked in return.

"Yup, I was gonna cook tonight, what're you up for?" You asked as you turned your radio on, at a low volume.

"Ooh, can you make that pasta you do really good? I love that stuff." She replied.

"Of course, see you soon Abby, byeee." You hung up without another word, turning your radio up for the rest of your drive home.

You got home to see Abby sat on the couch, just scrolling on her phone. She set it down and came to the door to greet you by pulling you in for a hug. You wrapped your own arms around the back of her neck with a smile.

"Hi there." You greeted.

"Hello. Does your side still hurt?" She asked as she pulled away, taking a hand to rub over your side lightly.

"Little bit, but it's nothing I can't hanlde." You said with a smirk, making your way to the kitchen to start dinner.

You set out all the different ingredients and took out a pot, turning on the stove to boil water. Abby came to take a seat at the island so she could watch you cook. You were in the process of stirring the pasta and making the sauce when you decided to make conversation.

"So, how was your day?" You asked, your back turned to Abby.

"Good, good. Nice to have the day off." She answered.

"Yeah, you're lucky. Miley got sick today, it was bad." You recounted the worst part of your day.

"Oof, that sucks. I'm so happy I don't work with children. Dogs are so much easier to take care of." She smiled.

Abby worked at a dog groomers, which you'd never fail to believe was easier than a daycare.

"I bet." You chuckled.

Once dinner was finished, you set out two bowls and put Abbys in front of her. Then you placed yours at the chair beside her. You grabbed drinks from the fridge then went to take your seat. Abby all but moaned when she took her first bite, swearing by your delicious pasta.

"You're so dramatic." You teased with a playful punch to her shoulder.

"Shut up." She retorted with a chuckle.

You'd let out a small laugh as well, shaking your head at how silly she was. Once the two of you finished dinner you decided to sit on the couch and have a drink. Halfway through your conversation, Abby couldn't seem to stop staring at her phone. And with a great big smile too.

"Who are you texting?" You finally asked, getting a bit fed up with how uninvolved she was with you right now.

"Oh, just this guy, Derek. We've been talking lately. I met him at work." She flushed red as she explained, and you felt your heart drop.

Abby likes a guy?

"Cool." You tried so hard not to sound bitter, but your efforts didn't work.

Abby hasn't seemed to notice though, so encaptivated with her texting. You rolled your eyes and stood, setting your glass in the sink then going to your room. She'd found it odd you'd go to bed without a word, but couldn't bring herself to care that much. She was too busy talking with Derek.

Fast forward a week later and Abby was now dating Derek, which you absolutely hated. If nor only for the fact that he wasn’t all that, and didn’t treat her nearly as good as he should’ve been. Every time he came around he just pissed you off, always saying or doing something. Nevermind all the times Abby had cried over some stupid fight he started.

But you did your best to be kind to him, except for the occasional slip up. If Abby already had to go through dating this asshole, you weren’t gonna make it any harder by being a bitch about it.

It was a Friday night and you had Dina and Jesse over to play cards and drink. Derek was invited as well, but seemed to be running a little late. You let out a frustrated sigh as you watched Abby check her phone for like the tenth time in the past five minute.

“Abby, just leave it alone. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” You said, only to reassure her.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right.” She finally set her phone face down and took a swig of her drink, bringing her attention back to the game.

You smiled as you leaned into her a bit, your shoulders touching. She smiled back, nudging you playfully. About ten more minutes passed and there was a harsh knocking at the door, you rolled your eyes as Abby practically jumped to answer it.

She’d try to greet him with a hug, and he’d basically just feel her up at the door. Making you feel queasy as you pretended to vomit, getting a playful shove from Dina. Abby brought Derek over to sit, dealing him into the game. You sighed as you muttered under your breath,

“Boyfriend of the year over here, forty five fucking minutes late.” You took another sip of your drink.

“What was that?” He asked, his tone harsh.

“Nothing. Just find it interesting how you’re always late whenever Abby wants to hang out.” You said with a shrug.

“Ok well I’m a busy man.” He responded.

“Too busy to be on time for your own girlfriend, really?” You spoke with sass now, crossing your arms.

Abby sighed, standing as she pulled you up as well. She took you into her room, slamming the door shut behind her. You stood small now, knowing she was angry at you.

“What the fuck Y/n?” She asked aggressively.

“What.” You responded plainly.

“God, why do you have to be such a bitch?” She scoffed harshly, now raising her voice at you, “I mean seriously, I’ve never acted like this towards anyone you dated! Is it really so hard to just shut the fuck up and be happy for me!”

You looked down, unable to stop the tears that streamed down your face. Something that’d always happen whenever anyone yelled at you, and Abby knew this. But she seemed to have forgotten.

“’m sorry.” You muttered, your voice breaking.

She stopped yelling now.

“A-are you crying?” She asked, feeling bad.

“No.” You lied, turning away to wipe your tears.

“Hey, hey I’m sorry.” She apologized as she walked over to you, wrapping her arms around you and pulling you in.

You cried into her chest as you wrapped your arms around the back of her neck. She sighed, rubbing a hand up and down your back.

“I shouldn’t of yelled.” She admitted, biting at her lip nervously.

“No, youre right. I have been a bitch. But I just- Abby you’re like so amazing. I mean your beautiful, smart, funny, and just overall perfect. You deserve the world, and he barely gives you the time of day.” You explained your intentions.

Abby couldn’t help but smile, letting out a small laugh as well.

“Thanks, you’re a really good friend.” Friend, God it was like a stab to the heart.

“Of course.” You’d respond.

“You know Derek isn't as bad as you think, he's actually pretty nice to me.” Abby said, sounding very unconvincing.

“Oh yeah? Name one nice thing he's done for you this week.” You challenged.

Abby sighed, now pulling away from the hug with a light frown.

“Well, he gave me a ride to the gym.” She even sounded unsure.

“Ok that's like a favor, you can get am uber for God sakes.” You argued.

“Ok, whatever!” She threw her hands up in frustration.

“I'm just saying, if you ever opened your eyes and just gave me a chance I’d treat you like the queen you are.” You announced, the drinks taking over as you'd never be so bold if you were in your right mind.

“What?” Abby asked, slightly taken aback.

“Uh, nothing, just- forget I said anything.” You blurted out, rushing out of the room and back to the table where your friends sat, and Derek.

Abby returned too, her face a bit flushed as she took a seat beside Derek. She cracked an awkward smile as he placed a kiss to her cheek, then pulled her into his lap. It was only a few minutes before she’d move away from him. He��d smirk, wrapping a hand around her waist to try and pull her back in.

“Derek, I’m not in the mood right now” She snapped, her voice harsh.

“Damn, ok. Don’t gotta be a bitch about it.” He brought his hands uo defensively.

You could let a lot of things slide, but as soon as that name came out of his mouth you lost it.

“Ok, seriously man what the hell.” You spoke with distaste, your arms crossing.

“What?” He asked, widening his eyes as if he’d done nothing wrong.

“You seriously just gonna call her that? Like it’s nothing? You’re a fucking asshole, Derek.” You spat out.

“You really gonna let her talk to me like that?” Derek asked Abby, crossing his own arms.

Abby’s leg bounced nervously, she seemed to think for a minute. Then she stood and went to sit beside you.

“Yeah, actually I am. Because she’s right. I’m fucking perfect, and y-you barely give me the time of day Derek.” She’d recited what you’d told her earlier.

You couldn’t help it when a proud smile spread across your face, and you brought a hand to rest on Abby’s shoulder to reassure her. Finally she stood up to the son of a bitch. He scoffed, rolling his eyes as he stood and grabbed his coat.

“Whatever, I’m out of here.” He spoke gruffly, clearly pissed.

“Good, don’t bother ever coming back. Asshole!” Abby called after him as he’d slam your front door shut.

Dina and Jesse sat in an awkward silence, ultimately deciding they should take off as well. You bid then goodbye and after they left was when Abby started to freak.

“Oh my god, holy fuck I can’t believe I actually said all that to him.” She spoke breathlessly, her hands running through her hair frantically.

“Hey, it’s ok. Not like you told any lies, he needed to hear it.” You tried to reassure her, following her as she paced and placing your hands on her shoulders as you stood behind her.

She let out a bitter laugh,

“Yeah, maybe, but I don’t know I feel like- like bad? I’m never mean like that. To anyone.” She explained.

“Unless they deserve it.” You reminded her, slowly rubbing at her shoulders to try and relax her.

She let out a heavy sigh, dropping her head into her hands. She groaned.

“You’re right.” Her voice was quiet.

“Exactly.” You responded, moving your hands to her waist as you pulled her into a hug from behind.

“Don’t even worry about it, ‘s all gonna be ok Abs.” You whispered in her ear, she let out a sigh of relief.

Her hands came to rest on top of yours, her head falling back onto your shoulder. She swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling a sense of security from your touch.

“You wanna watch a movie or something?” She asked, you nodded and started to clean up from your little game night as she brought a blanket to the couch.

You finished cleaning up and took a seat beside Abby, wrapping an arm around her shoulders with a smile as she laid her head on your chest. You’d grabbed the remote and just picked an older movie, one of the classics. Mostly because you knew it was one of Abby’s favorite genres. About halfway through the movie, you took immediate notice of how Abby was picking at her fingernails. Something she’d only do when she was feeling anxious. You let out a small sigh, taking her hands in your own.

“Abby, come on. It’s fine, I promise you.” She looked up at you with doe eyes, her brows furrowing with uncertainty.

“I don’t know Y/n, I still feel like shit. Like I’m a shit person.” She got extremely quiet, you almost couldn’t hear her.

“Ok, well that’s just not true. Abby, you’re a wonderful person, Derek was- he was an asshole, just like you said. I hate to see you worry like this. Especially over him, I mean ask anyone, he was a douche.” You tried your best to be reassuring, make her feel better about herself.

“I know, I know. You’re right.” She’d admit with a sigh, letting her head fall into your lap as she got more comfortable.

She brought a hand to rest under her head, her palm resting on your upper thigh. Butterflies erupted in your stomach, and you began to play with her hair. Since itd always be something to soothe you, you figured itd have a similar effect on Abby. And it must’ve because she was out like a light in no time. Or so you thought. Taking note that she was sound asleep, you let out a small sigh.

“God I am so in love with you. I just wish I had the courage to tell you.” You felt your bottom lip quiver the slightest bit, but you managed to choke back your tears.

You’d fall asleep yourself shortly after, but what you didn’t know was Abby had heard your confession loud and clear. And of course, she panicked, but only for a second. She was surprised, someone like you into her? Not that she hadn’t suspected it after your not-so sober words earlier that night about how you’d treat her if she gave you the chance. But now what the hell was she supposed to do, you’d confessed to what you assumed was a sleeping Abby. She’d act as if everything was normal for a day or two, until she couldn’t take it anymore.

You and Abby had found yourselves at a friend’s birthday party, although you barely even got to wish her a happy one. She’d thrown an absolute rage, so you saw her once then never again. You were a few drinks in and sat beside Abby on the couch, who oddly decided to stay sober. Probably to watch over you.

“Dance with me.” You tried to whisper, to her, but ended up shouting in her ear because you were so drunk.

“Alright.” She agreed hesitantly, standing and taking your hands in hers.

You smiled up at her as you brought her hands to your hips, your own coming to rest on the back of her neck. She felt a hot, red blush spread across her face as you leaned into her, pulling her unbelievably closer. She let out a sigh against your neck, her hands going to the small of your back.

“Hey, Y/n?” she prompted.

“Hm?” You responded with a hum.

“Um, you know the other night when everything kinda went down with Derek. Well, I-“ her breath hitched slightly, “I heard what you said. About how you’re i-in love with me.” She finally admitted.

And whether it was the booze or the realization of how deeply you thought youd fucked up, your stomach suddenly clenched hard. You pulled away from her immediately, brining a hand to your mouth.

“I-I’m gonna be sick.” You blurted out, running for the door.

Abby followed you, holding your hair back with a groan as you vomited over the porch fence. You sighed once it was through, leaning against the fence with a frown as you squeezed your eyes shut. You could help but panic, worried you’d ruined everything. Abby rubbed a soothing hand up and down your back, pulling you up.

“I’m gonna go get you some water, okay?” she told you, a hand on your shoulder.

You just nodded and watched as she walked away. Your hands flew to your face as you mentally slapped yourself, God you were such an idiot. Abby was probably all weirded out and uncomfortable now, what if she wanted to move out? Oh, geez, what if she didn’t wanna be your friend anymore? Every worst-case scenario was running through your mind. Abby returned shortly with a glass of water, a worried expression on her face as she encouraged you to drink it.

“Maybe we should head home, yeah?” she suggested once you’d finished your glass of water.

“Yeah, we should.” You’d agree, setting the glass on an outdoor table then following Abby down the porch steps before calling out, “Hey, Abby?”

“Yeah?” she answered, turning around to face you.

“Uh, wha- how-“ you let out a frustrated sigh, “How do you feel about what I said before?” you finally managed to get it out.

“Well, I think that you treat me right. And, you’re like really pretty.” Sounded promising so far, but she had yet to say the three words you longed to hear.

She stepped forward, taking your face in her hands. You felt like your heart stopped right then and there, and then it was beating a mile a minute as she brought her lips to your own. Sighing into the kiss, you brought your hands to her hair. She pressed at your bottom lip with her tongue, and you immediately opened wide so she could slip it into your mouth. The way she moved it around your own felt like magic. When she finally pulled away, your were both panting for air.

“So, I’m guessing you like me back?” you asked with a smile as you rested your forehead against hers.

“Of course, idiot. In fact, I love you back.” She whispered, pressing a kiss to your nose, cheek, and then your lips once again.

“Now come on, let's get you home, pretty girl.” You smiled at the compliment, following her to the car and thanking her as she opened the door for you.

[asvterias]

𝖢𝗁𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗆𝖺𝗌 𝖥𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌 ~ 𝖯𝗈𝗅𝗒!𝖲𝗁𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗋𝗂

𝗌𝗁𝗎𝗋𝗂𝗋𝗂 𝗑 𝖻𝗅𝖺𝖼𝗄!𝗐𝗂𝖿𝖾!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋

zithandwa zam = my loves

umfazi wam endimthandayo = my darling wife

spending christmas in new york was a new experience that shuri never knew she would enjoy. the beautiful decorations, activities, and carolers were a joyous sight to witness during this cozy winter season.

originally, shuri had planned to stay in again this year, but you refused to spend another christmas of being stuck in the palace. so you online ordered three plane tickets to midtown manhattan, new york, and giddily packed your bags for your mini vacation.

after all, it was your idea to visit the states for christmas, just for shuri to unwind from her royal duties and riri to take a break from her ironheart suit as well.

with the major help of your other wife, riri, persuading shuri multiple times to explore the world outside of wakanda. reluctantly, she agreed and traveled alongside her family, although not fathoming why her two wives were so eager to insist on a visit to the americas.

so once your wives settled yourselves in the hotel, you all headed out to rockefeller center. it was the world’s most famous ice-skating rink, and you definitely couldn’t ought to miss out on the memorable experience.

“where are we?” shuri was quick with the question, her eyes surveying the cheerful crowd of people skating across the ice.

riri answered the question. “only at the most famous ice skating rink in the world.”

shuri observed the people who were making overlapping noise chatter while skating across the rink, buying edibles and hot chocolate at food stands.

tugging her hand while riri tugged onto shuri’s other hand as you dragged them both to the booth, cubbyholes filled with ice skates.

the worker greeted the trio with a small smile as you handed him the money in return for three pairs of ice skates.

“i don’t think that this is safe.” she finally noticed the thin blade at the bottom of the skates after putting them on her feet.

“relax, i know what i’m doing, sweetie, my mom taught me.”

by the time you finished talking, you were at the opening, mere feet away from the actual ice ground.

“eh, zithandwa zam. do you have on your kimoyo beads? just in case either of you happens to slip and get a pretty bad concussion.” you were the first to enter on the ice and riri joined you.

“when do you ever allow us to take it off?” riri playfully rolls her eyes at her wife and held out a hand in reassurance. “come on, baby, stop being so damn cautious and join your loving wives on the skating rink.”

a hesitant sigh blew past shuri’s lips as she stretches her hands out, feeling slightly at ease when her wives interlocked her hands with theirs.

“ready whenever you are.” you lightly soothed your queen with a warm smile.

she can do this.

besides, it was just ice.

just ice that can give you a horrible concussion and crucial bruises…but she mustn’t dwell on the negative outcomes and instead let loose with her two favorite girls.

her grip tightened on both of you, “just promise to not let me go.”

“we promise, baby.” riri agrees with a firm head nod.

with a shaky exhale, she pushed herself onto the icy ground and immediately lost balance but riri’s reflexes were quick, catching her by her lower back. “see we got you, sweetie.”

after a few minutes of recollecting herself, she regained her balance, which was still shaky, but eventually, she managed her balance being steady as a rock.

“there you go, baby!” you cheered at shuri who became flustered at the appreciation, “we knew you could do it.”

balancing on the ice was out of the way. now it was the moving around part, that certainly bothered her to an extent. you and riri noticed her worried glance at the ice, clearly looking skeptical as if it would harm her, which it could, but not on riri’s watch.

“baby steps…” riri cooed, caressing shuri’s clothed left arm in comfort, “baby steps is how we’re gonna get through this.”

“we’re not gonna let you fall, darling.”

instantly her glazed eyes meet yours, “promise.”

instead of safely reassuring her, panic took over your features, in realization that tears were leaking out of her eyes. “oh baby, what’s wrong?”

“it’s just that….everything that happened to wakanda and my mama’s death and stress overloading upon my arrival as queen…” she stutters, her bottom lip quivering in sadness as she opted to continue, “it’s just been too much…and i can’t handle all of it,” she cried.

ever since she was announced queen, her duties weren’t always easy and often gave her no time to relax. mainly, she had to postpone many dates and pulled many all-nighters, there were even times when she would miss out on dinner.

sharing a glance with the williams girl, you both decided to remove her from the ice and rest your feet. slowly but surely, you manage to get the hysterical queen away from the ice and seated on the nearby bleachers.

“oh shuri, we had no idea that you were under all that stress.” you gently wiped her tears away, making her heart flutter at your tenderness, which was one of the many reasons why she fell in love with you.

she hiccuped, “i don’t know how my mother and brother accomplished it all…it’s just maybe i’m not fit to be queen.”

“that’s not true.” your tone was sincere and riri ran her fingers through shuri’s curly mohawk, more of her style of comfort. you hated when your girls second-guess themselves daily and you were always there to uplift their spirits. “you are fit to be queen, no matter what you say, your mother and brother are happy and by your side, in every decision, you make for your country.”

shuri grunted, ultimately disagreeing with your statement. “if that was true, then how come i feel like i’m doing everything wrong? not being a good enough queen for my people, overworking my scientists nor being a good wife and how am i going be a good mother to our upcoming child?”

although she was the head royal, she still was a part-time scientist and had to update and create new technologies. so with the help of riri, she managed to get things done faster in the lab and hit the hay more frequently.

even though you weren’t that academically smart in science, you still thrived in being helpful to your two hardworking wives by bringing them food and sometimes accommodating them in your area of knowledge.

“…how?” your voice breaks out in a tiny octave. “how…did you find out?”

you were positive that you hid that secret away from them.

before shuri could respond, riri’s brazen tone interrupted her, “wait, so it’s true?” her face was appalled, to say the least, “this better be a joke ‘cause we ain’t ready for no goddamn baby, we haven’t each reached that stage of life yet.”

you reminded her. “riri, we’ve been married for 5 years.”

“i found the pregnancy test in the garbage.” shuri hoarsely replied. “right before we left for the plane.”

“well, when the baby arrives, you’re going to be a good mother.” your gaze averts to riri’s speechless face, “both of you are going to be good parents.”

neither of your wives replied, still contemplating on what to say. what could they even say? with shuri ruling the kingdom and riri working on her ironheart suit, it was already stressful enough, so adding a baby to the mix was going to be a total disaster.

if it wasn’t for their limited free time, it would have been their double life, referring to the black panther and ironheart.

after calming themselves down from this newfound revelation, you bought three hot chocolates with their favorite toppings.

“merry christmas.” you grinned.

they beamed right back at you. “merry christmas.”

after you downed your hot drinks, you discarded them in the nearby bin. suddenly a loud voice echoed across the entire rink. “good night, ladies and gentlemen, please be attentive as we do our annual fireworks.”

automatically your heads avert to the gloomy night sky which glimmered in tiny dozen stars, anxiously awaiting for the fireworks to display.

the crowd was eerily quiet before the fireworks lit up the night sky, tiny colorful explosions dispersing into sparks as they fade away. there were too many to count, but all of them went off simultaneously so it truly was a magical sight and people clamored in astonishment.

just then, you felt something wet touch your nose before another and another until many falling down.

“look, mommy, it’s snowing.” a young girl beside you shouted, trying to catch a pile of snow in her hands.

“i love you girls so much so thank you, really.” she clarified with a vibrant smile, “this is the best christmas that i could have asked for.”

“aww…no problem…” riri feigned, “now don’t get all sappy and shit on us, leave that for [name] for when she’s actually showing, we don’t need two crybabies in the palace.”

“hey!” you defended your unborn child, subconsciously rubbing your belly.

“i’m kidding! kidding, of course.” riri held up her hands in surrender, “i’ll be there when needed, crybaby or not.”

squinting her eyes mildly at riri at the false accusation. “don’t pretend that you don’t love it, umfazi wam endimthandayo.” she gives riri a quick kiss, who whines in frustration for receiving such a short peck.

shuri’s cocky smirk came into play. “maybe that’ll teach you a lesson.”

to add more fire to the flame, shuri resolved it by kissing you longer and making it very demonstrative. riri was the most dramatic woman in the relationship, stating that a cute pout rested upon her lips while her arms are safely tucked together.

shuri stretches her arm over your shoulder while riri was a mere foot away, slightly annoyed at her wife’s antics. eventually, shuri couldn’t contain a smile as she looked down at you, giving her a knowing look. bumping her side with riri, who moves slightly and smiles almost instantly as she snuggled closer into shuri’s side, engulfed by her warm embrace.

shuri was right. this was the best christmas ever and by next year christmas, you’ll be celebrating it with a new addition to your loving family. christmas miracles really do come true, don’t they?

Author’s Note; Happy holidays and Happy New Years to those who celebrate it.

© asvterias, 2022. please do not plagiarize any of my works.

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[shadowcatzone]

-you get drunk, aren't yet together with venti-

You went to the angels share to get rid of some stress, maybe drink a little. Not to get drunk! But you were upset. And after eventually emptying 2 bottles on your own, diluc hands you a glass of water, "you drank way too much." So you pouted, but you took the glass anyways. After a sip you decided that actually, water is icky, so you set the glass on the table you're sitting at. Standing right next to you, Venti (the bard, you feel you should clarify to yourself,) just started another song. A Serenade? A ballad? ...you couldn't tell.

He must've been part of the reason you got two bottles... actually, there are five now. You can only assume he emptied at least two of them himself. You hand him a bottle when he rests his hands from playing. Then he continues. You tend to also take a sip of the bottle before setting it down. It's somewhat bitter, but the idea of your lips tasting where his have been seconds ago makes it oh, so, sweet. He's singing again. You can't even comprehend his string of words, but the taverngoers are cheering, as always. Maybe you're more then a little drunk. They cheer in between his singing, he smiles. Well, laughs. And sings. You still can't comprehend "what the beautiful bard brings" (he smiled at you, did you say that out loud?).

You go for the bottle, but remember he's still playing. So you watch him, leaning over the back of the chair you're sitting on. Looking at his face, following closely how his lips move, his beautiful, kissable lips, which have ingrained themselves into your mind on account of how many times you've hung onto them. You're certain they taste like the sweetest wine, something so truly divine you can't quite put your mind around it. You have no idea why you get up, but starting to kiss him in the middle of his song was, in hindsight, a plain bad idea. He puts his lyre away, you feel like the world fell silent... actually, the tavern went surprisingly quiet- that's when he hooks his arm around your waist and gently eases you out of the kiss. "I think you drank a little too much," you don't comprehend. Instead you just look up at him. "Ehe, master diluc, you wouldn't borrow me that room above the tavern?"

Diluc throws him the key with slight hesitation. "...if you do anything with her, you'll be banned from the tavern. Along with all your... future generations." The bard gasps "i would never! How could you even think that!" He exclaimed, in feigned hurt. He took you upstairs, to put you into the spare bed they had for emergencies. You tried to hold onto him, to kiss him again, but he was on guard this time, so he managed to dodge you and tuck you into bed. "Noo..." you weakly protested as he stepped away. So he cupped your cheek with his hand. "Aww, don't be sad. I'll go back down for now, and we can talk about what happened in the morning." You whined, "promise?" He giggles. "Yes, i promise." And he went back down as you fall asleep.

The next morning, you wake up to a soft melody. He greets you with a smile. You remember what happened the evening before, so, naturally, beet red, you want to sink into the ground.

[Part 2]

[jungwnies]

when love lasts ♡ 2 〰・unmentioned・〰

table of contents | next

previously...

"Y/n!" your mom shouts from the kitchen as you quickly rush out of the bathroom, freshened up.

"Yes?" you answer as you fix your hair into a ponytail.

"Can you go to the supermarket? I need stuff for dinner later," your mom asks, handing you money and a list of all the ingredients you need. "Go with your sister because Jaemin and your father are going out fishing."

You grab the list and money and nod, yelling for your sister to come downstairs.

Your sister quickly comes downstairs. "Ready?"

You nod, and you and your sister leave, deciding to walk to the market.

"Where's Jaemin?" she asks as she scrolls on her phone and you pick the vegetables.

"I don't know, somewhere fishing with Appa or something," you tell her as you stuff the vegetables in the basket.

You make your way over to the meat section. Besides you is a tall boy in a black mask. "Excuse me," you politely say.

"Oh, sorry," you hear him say as he moves over.

You look at the boy and smile. "Wait."

"Y/n?" he asks, shocked.

"Soobin?!?" you blurt out a little loudly, gathering the attention of everyone in the aisle with you.

—

Soobin, your first childhood friend to reconnect with, and he was right there in front of you.

Your sister looks at the two of you awkwardly. "I'm going to go look for snacks," she says, walking away, still on her phone.

You and Soobin give each other hugs and talk shortly about life and your careers.

"It's actually been so long, this is insane," you tell him as you walk together, trying to find your sister in the aisles.

"Yeah, I ran into your sister two days ago, and she told me you were coming back," he tells you.

"How come you're here shopping?" you ask.

Soobin laughs. "My mom said we shouldn't show up to your place later empty-handed, so I was buying some groceries."

You laugh. "Your mom is so thoughtful, but there's no need for that. My mom is making me buy things so she can prepare a whole feast for you guys."

You eventually find your sister, who has managed to fill a whole basket with snacks, and you make your way to the cashier.

"Let me pay for the groceries," Soobin says, pulling his mask back up before the cashier can see him.

You shake your head. "No, no, no, it's okay. This is too much," you tell him, reaching for the cash your mom gave you.

Soobin pulls out his card and cuts you off in line. "I insist. It's already so nice that your mom is even cooking for us tonight."

You give in, and Soobin pays for the groceries as your sister helps you stuff them into the grocery bags.

The three of you leave the store and walk back home together. You see your dad's car in the driveway, and you get a little excited. Jaemin and Soobin only knew of each other but were never friends.

You walk into the house, and Soobin greets your dad, who is sitting on the couch watching TV. Your mom is in the kitchen, and you can hear the shower running, assuming Jaemin just got in to remove the fishy stench.

You walk to the kitchen with Soobin holding the groceries, and your mom looks at you both excitedly. She gives Soobin a big hug, and Soobin laughs. "Oh my god! You have grown so much; you're so tall!" Your mom grins as you put the groceries on the table.

"Y/n! If you told me Soobin was going to be stopping by a little earlier, I would've made a small snack for him," your mom scolds, smiling widely at Soobin.

—

Soobin decides to stay for a while to catch up with your mom and help her peel vegetables and cut things up as you also help your mom.

You hear the familiar footsteps coming down the stairs. You see Jaemin walk into the kitchen and look at the tall boy who is sitting beside you.

You look over at Jaemin and motion for him to come over. "Come here, I want you guys to meet each other."

Soobin looks at you, confused, and whispers, "Isn't that Jaemin from NCT?"

You nod and whisper back, "Yeah, that's my boyfriend."

Jaemin bows slightly at Soobin. "Soobin-ssi, it's nice to meet you."

Soobin bows his head slightly and smiles. "It's nice to meet you too."

"I never knew Y/n had a boyfriend," Soobin says to Jaemin, grabbing your attention.

"I'm sure I mentioned it at the grocery store," you say, smiling.

Jaemin looks at you, displeased. "You guys went out together?"

2024 © jungwnies

[real-sanemi-shinazugawa]

(Thanks to a chat that I discovered on Character AI, I ended up developing an OC which lead me to develop some variations of a story for her and now I got the idea of using one of them here).

Good afternoon! I apologize from now as I feel like I might make you uncomfortable. Anyway, so I had a thought.

What if hypothetically Genya never joined the Demon Slayer Corps and instead after the death of your family he started living with a relative (let's say that your dad has a younger brother called Riku who is actually a nice, responsable and patient person unlike his brother). Now one day you are doing whatever you would be doing at your estate when a slayer comes to you to deliver a letter from someone he says indentified to himself as your younger brother under the name Genya. After some nervous and quick explanations about how they happned to meet and Genya asked him if he ever heard of someone with your name and then asked him to deliver you the letter, the slayer gives you his farewells and leaves.

Eventually, as soon as you have time, you sit down and read Genya's letter. After some greetings, introductive formalities and an apology for how he reacted that morning all those years ago, he tells you about his life since then. He tells you that after the funeral he had been taken in by uncle Riku who treated him like the son he never got to have. He basically tells you about how him and Riku had some great years only the two of them untill his very recent death. He talks about how in these years Riku managed to homeschool him in some basic stuff like reading, writting, basic math etc., had him help with all sorths of tasks Riku couldn't do due to his bad leg, got a job as kitchen help at the restaurant ran by Riku's best friend who acts as a unofficial uncle to him (and who might encourage him when he feels like causing mischief) and made some friends that are greatfull for him and that he is apreciated throught the village for all the help he gives around. Overall, he describes himself as happy and content with his life, except that he wished to get the chance to see you again as he misses you a lot. I imagine a letter like this would make you satisfied as it sounds like your brother has gotten to live the life you envisioned for him, safe, happy, surounded by loved ones and with no knowledge of demons. Such good news is exactly what you needed after the anouncement about Kyojuro's death.

You turn the page to see what else did Genya wrote you about just to see that the last page is not from Genya. Instead, it is from the slayer who brought you the letter. The slayer wrote about how, despite Genya asking him not to give you the details about how the two of them actually got to meet, he can't withold such information in good conscience. He tells you about how he found Genya while he was wounded and running away from a demon. Fortunately, he managed to behead the demon before he could kill Genya, but Genya still ended up needing medical help due to some slashes the demon left along Genya's back while he tried to excape. He also mentions helping Genya get to his wretched home where the shredded and maimed body of uncle Riku was laying on the floor. He assures you that Genya is mostly alright as he now lives with uncle Riku's best friend and his family and his wounds were aparently not fatal but will surely let behind some ugly scars.

(To Esha: Sometimes I like to think of hypothetical situation and what ifs for stories that I like and the Shinazugawa brothers still live in my head rent free. Anyway, when you get to answer this when you are done with your exams I will be glad to see you back. Hope it all went well and that you are ok, especially since I remember you mentioning being predisposed to some health problems aside from having a lot on your plate. Lots of hugs!🤗💕)

That'd be nice... A world where Genya is safe and sound and loved and alive. It's all I've ever wanted for him.

That's all he has to do: live his life, the best he possibly, so that he can make up for what the rest of our family never got to do.

It's a shame about Uncle Riku but Genya will cope, like he always has.

And I'll keep fighting, I'll keep him safe from a far distance so that nothing ever gets close to him again.

(From Esha: Anca, my babyyyy! I've still got three exams left and I have one of them in a few hours but I was so happy when I logged into this account and saw your message! It really energised me and I just had to answer everything, I couldn't wait any longer! Health-wise, I'm doing much, much better, and my acne's finally cleared up, just gotta get rid of the scarring now! I got my prom dress, too, so I'm super excited!)

[towriteloveontheirarms]

Hey, how are you?? Well, I have a Rowan x reader request, if you can do it. Like, the reader is a werecat and is afraid of rain, so Rowan helps her with that. (Fem or Gn reader, pls). Thank you <3

I have been well. I hope you are doing good too, anon. <3 I totally forgot how much I loved writing for Rowan. This is a bit on the shorter side, but I hope you enjoy it none the less.

Bonds forged in rain

pairing: Rowan Laslow x reader

synopsis: You are scared of rain, but who would´ve thought that one day there could be something good coming from that fear.

warnings: none

word count: 1.1k

The sky had been cloudy and dark all morning already. The wind only another sign for the oncoming storm. Yet still you didn‘t manage to pack any possible measure against the rain, that would surely soon commence. Leaving the dorm in a hurry, to get to the greenhouse on time for the first lesson of the day, after almost sleeping in. Luckily you arrive just on time. Sitting down, greeting your friends while trying to catch your breath and getting your stuff out before Ms Thornhill began the lesson. As always, it’s easy to follow along what the teacher is saying, until towards the end of your time in the greenhouse. At first it is only a quiet dribble few and far between water drops, but faster than you are comfortable with there is a proper shower whipping against the windows. Suddenly its hard to listen to anything that is going on inside of the classroom, instead you start to get more and more into your own head. Adrenaline coursing through your veins as fear takes over your system. You can feel your chest heaving with heavy breaths, unable to do much against it on your own. 

That´s when you feel an equally nervous leg bouncing against yours. Looking to the side you see Rowan. Staring to the front where Ms Thornhill is currently writing something on the chalkboard.

“Sorry.”, he whispers quietly when he feels your legs colliding. 

“It´s alright.”, you whisper back. 

The two of you had never talked much outside of class projects. Yet, unlike most of your fellow students, you abstained from the bullying. In your mind he had it hard enough with the telekinesis already. A mutual friend had told you once how it could mess with your mind. You didn´t need to bully him on top of that too. 

You rake your eyes over him. It´s not the first time you look at him closer. The deep brown eyes, flitting looks from behind the brown and gold-patterned glasses, the beauty mark beneath his left eye, his pale skin and the perfectly neat sitting hair and uniform are well known to you.  You liked looking at him, in fact. For reasons unknown to you. 

All too soon the bell rings though. Pulling you from your thoughts and signalling the end of the lesson. Cursing under your breath you notice the rain has not let up, but only sounded to have become even stronger. As the other students file out of the room you stay behind for as long as you can, but you had to leave for the next class eventually. So, on very shaky legs you make your way outside, coming to a stand under the roof. Something inside you just stopped your legs from working no matter how hard you tried. 

The longer you stood there the harder it got to breath or even think about walking, until you felt a hesitant hand on your shoulder. You quickly turn your head to see Rowan standing next to you. 

“Oh, I´m sorry.”, you step to the side. Assuming you stand in the way of him exiting the door. 

“No, it´s… It´s fine. Um are you alright?”, he asks in a shy almost meek voice. 

“Yeah.”, it´s your first instinct to lie. However, your body can´t hide the way it´s shaking and pressing up against the building wall under the roof. “No, actually. I´m kinda afraid… of the rain… It´s cringey I know.” 

“Oh, um, you can share my umbrella if you want. I don´t know if that helps… At least you wouldn´t get wet that way…”, he points to your empty hands signalling that you had forgotten to bring your own in the haste of the morning.

“Y-yeah… That would be nice. Thanks, Rowan.”, you can feel the heat of embarrassment spread over your cheeks. 

However, the embarrassment is only becoming worse when you take the first step away from under the roof and a drop of the water hits your face before you reach the relative safety of the umbrella. With a squeak you quickly grab onto the handle of the device protecting you from the downpour. An almost unintelligible whimper leaves your lips. 

“Woah, it´s okay.”, he says in a quiet but weirdly soothing voice. Though you can hear that he is taken aback by your reaction ever so slightly. 

Your eyes meet his and it gets a bit easier to breath all of a sudden. Somehow looking at him, with these eyes that always seemed to hold a deep inner trouble, had a calming effect on you. Together you make your way back to the main school building as fast as possible. Once under the roof and inside one of the hallways, the shaking finally slowly stops again. The burning on your face and the tip of your eyes sticks around a bit longer though. It feels awkward having been seen like that by anyone that isn´t part of your inner circle. The feeling forces you to train your eyes to the stone floor. Now that you are back inside you don´t know what to say to him. Don´t know what to feel. Only that despite the overwhelming urge for the ground to split open and swallow you whole, there is an undeniable need to stay in his presence for longer. When you dare to look up into Rowans face again, it is red like you had rarely seen it. Cursing yourself you try to think of something to say. Anything basically that could possibly make the situation a little less unbearable.

“Thank you, again. It was really nice of you to help me.”, you say with an awkward chuckle. One of your hands finding its way up to shyly rub at the back of your neck.

“Yeah, sure, no problem. Are you… alright now?”, he fights to find the right words.

“Well, I´m better.”, the voices of the students around you alert the two of you that it is way past time to get to your own respective classes. “Before we go, um… I know we don´t really talk or anything, but would you maybe like to eat lunch together or I could interest you you to go to the weathervane once the weather is better or something?”

Surprise takes over Rowans face once he realizes you are genuine in your request and if you weren´t so nervous yourself maybe you would have had time to notice how cute he looks as he opens and closes his mouth like a fish on land, grappling with himself to get out an answer.

“Yes. Yes, I´d like to eat lunch with you.”, you almost don´t understand his answer from the way he quickly mumbles it out.

“I´ll meet you by the Poe statue then.” You give him a small smile and wave before running to your next class. Heart beating out of your chest and happiness flooding your chest. You couldn´t wait to get to know more about the person that so long you only watched sitting beside you in botanical sciences class.

[youtubeyouniversitytherapy]

Therapy Exercise 1: Check In! || Schlatt & Dean Lee

Schlatt really wasn’t looking forward to the mandatory therapy sessions that were required for him to attend here. He had actually managed to put them off for a while, coming up with excuses like focusing on his classes or career. However, all it seemed to do was prolong the inevitable, the notice coming in his email that he was to come into the office or this would affect his residency being a harsh reminder of why he was truly here in the first place. 

So the next morning, he was up bright and early and in the counseling offices 15 minutes before he was supposed to be. Just to show face, show how reliable he could be when the opportunity presented it. Despite how exhausted he was dreading over it the night before, barely getting sleep. Regardless, he was almost blinded by the raw and radiating energy that seemed to come out of the office door.

“Is he here yet? I was informed J- Oh! There you are!” Dean Lee practically bounced as she walked into the room, as if his life here didn’t solely depend on this meeting together. 

“Yes.. hello..” he stood up, trying not to show the disdain in his face or voice.

“Hi!! Glad to see you here! Let’s get started right away!” She smiled brightly, immediately turning towards her room for him to follow.

His brows raised surprised, before quickly following her inside. He was greeted with what seemed like a comfortable atmosphere, a cozy couch for him to sit at or the chair in front of her desk. He took the chair, hoping this would be quick and easy for him so that he could get out as fast as possible. 

She took her seat in her desk rolling chair, scooting unreasonably close as she surveyed him.

“It’s been difficult scheduling you in here, I know you’re really busy with school and business so I want to respect your time here with us, I hope for you to do the same.” she nodded, making him wonder if that was more a warning for him rather than making him feel comforted.

He nodded back, still sitting upright in his chair to show that he was ready to get started.

Dean Lee flashed another smile, getting out her notepad and sitting back in her own chair with a sigh. “Well, Mr. Schlatt, how have you been adjusting? I know you’ve been here for a little bit now, so I guess rather, how was your week..”

God, he hated how this was reliant on him speaking with her. This meeting would only roll if he played along well enough with her. “It’s been fine… I’ve been fine.”

Her brows raised gently, still smiling and leaning forward slightly. “Fine? I’m sure you can elaborate on that..”

He bit the inside of his cheek, refraining from showing on his face how annoyed he already was with this prying, knowing it was just going to get worse. “Like I said, it’s been fine… a lot of new faces filtering out the old so..” he shrugged. 

“Hmm..” she hummed, looking away and starting to write away on her little notepad. He chewed harder on his cheek, already knowing that he’s revealed too much just by that sentence alone. He’d be more careful with his words. He had to relax. He could talk his way through people.

“..Okay, let’s roll with that actually. New faces and old, how do you feel about those.. Faces..” she chuckled almost awkwardly.

He took a deep breath, shoulders falling slightly. “They’re alright.. It’s the same old with the old, started a…hobby with one, I guess.. I knew one of new ones, so that was.. Nice, but surprising.. Well, it honestly shouldn’t have been surprising at this point..”

“Shouldn’t have been? What do you mean by that?”

“…Well.. kind of seems like everyone ends up here eventually. Anyone who’s a content creator is fucked up at this point. And they all come rolling into here as if they were ever discreet about it in the first place. They post it publicly every day!”

“…This seems like it stresses you.. Public knowledge…”

His jaw tensed. If she continued to press with that, he half considered just walking out the door and pressing his luck in a different university, but she instead leaned back with a knowing smile.

“..I think there’s credit deserved in recognizing the problem and wanting to resolve it, don’t you think?” The Dean tilted her head curiously.

He looked away from her, looking down and shrugging his shoulders. “I guess… if you’re actually trying..”

Her eyes squinted a moment, nodding like she really understood what he was saying but he could hear her scribbling away at her notepad- how the hell was she doing that?!

“Do you think they’re trying?”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “Not all of them. I mean, maybe few and far between..” he thought about mentioning how crazy they get when all together, but he really didn’t want to pry anymore than she had already. 

“Do you think you’re trying? …Do you think you’re getting any better?” she took pause to look at him now, invested in his answer.

He paused too, completely caught off guard though he should’ve expected the question sooner or later. Was he truly getting better? Honestly… he felt about the same as he did before, unsure of what that really meant for him but he wasn’t about to open himself completely up to her. 

“…I think there’s progress.” He shrugged. 

Dean Lee gave a slow nod, turning back to her notes and jotting his response down probably. He was trying to be brief, what more could she write about??

A timer went off on her phone, when did she set that up?!

“Looks like that’s our time. Again, I know you’re busy, so we want you to keep focusing on you classes and the program. Okay? And make sure we don’t have to come to this form of arranging a meeting again.” Dean Lee started to close up her notepad, sliding into a drawer in her desk as she turned back to Schlatt.

He gave a nod, quietly standing up and starting to quickly make his way to the door without a moment to lose.

“And Schlatt?”

He stopped just at the frame, turning his head to the side so he could look at her from the corner of his eyes.

“I’m going to suggest you also try putting your focus into something outside of your business and work. I think it would be beneficial in your progress here..” she gave a final smile and nod towards the door.

He nodded back, looking back forward and closing the door behind him.

Yeah fucking right!

[brinxxxx]

A Bang Chan FF (content warning 18+!!) (smut)

Whipped For You:

Chapter 5: The Mental Breakdown

Y/N POV:

I started to get ready. Wearing a tight black shirt ish dress. Nothing too revealing. It's not just me and chan at this dinner. It was was enough for him to double take. I were Smokey eye makeup with a red lip stick to match. Gold jewellery and black heels. A bag to match.

The door goes and it's Chan picking me up. I open the door to see his jaw drop at the site of me. I will admit his outfit was just as stunning. He really scrubbbed up well. Like he always does.

"Chan. Earth to Chan...?"

No response. I have an idea. I lean closer to him. Going to his ear and whisper "wakey wakey daddy" that brought him back. I giggle at his reaction, his face red like a tomato. Suddenly he forgets how to talk or breath as he chocked as I left his proximity. "We, we should get going...sh-shall we"

I loved every minute of flustering him. I can't wait to do it more. Payback. Karma. I lock up and head to his car as he opens the door for me like a gentleman he is. "Y/N you do look beautiful..."

"Thanks Mr Bang..."

"Y/N. I've told you. It's chan. Only during business call me Mr Bang. Okay?" He spoke so softly. It was dreamy. We sat in comfortable silence. It was nice.

We eventually got to this fancy looking restaurant. It was huge, they had vallet parking it was that fancy. We got in and was greeted with the other boss' s of the company.

Lee Minho, Seo Changbin, Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung, Lee Felix, Kim Seungmin and Yang Jeongin. JYP was meant to join but he had an emergency meeting so he couldn't make it. Even thought I was older than 4 of the bosses doesn't mean I wasn't terrified of them. Changbin was just older than me by 5 months. He loved reminding me when I worked for him.

We sat down enjoying each others company. Chatting amongst ourselves I feel someone staring at me right across the table. Chan. He didn't like how flirty chat I was doing with Minho. Infact I enjoyed it. Minho has a wife but always has flirty jokes and he knows me well enough that I can take them I could feel Chan's jealous glare between me and Minho. In fact he interrupted my conversation.

"Don't you have a wife Minho? Watch what you're doing..."

"Yeah chan. I do. It's harmless jokes. It's all friendly. Don't worry. Why would you care. She ain't yours. You've got your fiancé...no!?"

"You know my situation with my...partner. So don't even start!"

"Yes. Yes. You 'love of your life' isn't actually it. Are you still holding out for 'the one'? You better hurry up...before you know you'll be stuck with the wicked witch of the west..."

"You never I may have found her. How will you know? You know me. I like to keep my life private."

"You mean you're life so private you're supposed fiancé talks shit about you to the press? She's exposed so much shit about you. Heck she even said youve had an affair recently!"

Everyone went silent. Chan started laughing. "Well, she's talking shit. I haven't made a move on the person in mind. Let alone had an affair. She's found her person yet I'm getting the brunt for not able to find mine. I haven't seen any articles about this? Where are you hearing about this...?"

"Here...it's on Dispatch. See? She's mocking you. She's talks about how you sensitive you are in bed whil she sits and fakes it till your done. She even talks about your close relationship with...Y/N!?"

Everyone looks at you. You some how manage to perk up the courage to talk. "I'm close with all of you? I've worked hard since day one and always had a good work relationship with you all? I've never crossed any lines or done anything wrong in my line of work? I swear."

"Oh don't worry Y/N. We know you wouldn't do such a thing and plus even if you did who's to say we would sell out Chan Hyung and you? We may be your boss and yeah we work with a Chan Hyung but we are a close net family. Secrets are always kept with us. Don't stress...now shall we talk about something else? This conversation seems to be very dull...Y/N...how's is your Love Life?"- Seungmin wiggles his eyebrows about his question.

Ugh. That dreaded question. I hate being asked that. Not like I have much going on. The closest thing I had was that moment in Chan's office or at my house earlier. I spaced out thinking about that moment. I was getting really hot thinking about it and it didn't help he was right across from me gazing at me like I'm gonna be his last meal... god I want him so bad. No. I can't. I have to stay strong.

"Ughhhm love life...? Don't have one. I'm sorry very boring. All I do is work, eat, sleep and repeat. I don't do much else... I started going to the gym recently. I liked my PT he's kinda cute. Very supportive in what my image is. He asked me out but I declined. I don't like dates, don't like dating..."

"So you're telling us...you've e had NO action for what like...months? Jesus. How you handling it solo...?" - Felix gives a wink. Knowing what he meant I choked on my drink. The cheeky bastard. What's with these guys and wanting to talk about my love life or sex life? They aren't my friends. I mean yeah we have great chat and banter but we aren't that close. Bare in mind these are MEN. I froze thinking about the moment again. My eye darted to Chan. He kinda got my message. He nods at me.

"I mean I have a very good imagination so I've managed just fine guys. Don't worry. Haha well excuse me I need to go to the ladies room."

I exit swiftly and run to the girls room. Feeling very hot and bothered. I hear chan saying he and Minho were going out for a smoke so I'm glad he wouldn't be there for when I returned. However as soon as I opened the door to go back, Chan was there standing in front of it. As if he was about to walk in...?

"Chan? This is the ladies room?"

"Yeah I know I just had to do this..."

He grabs me passionately and kisses me. Closing the door behind him and pulled me into a stall. The sub side of me started coming out. Allowing Chan to take control and do whatever he wanted. "Are you okay with this...?"

"What about your fiancé..."

"What about her..."

"Chan. She's here. I saw her in the toilet before I left..."

"Fuck it. I want YOU. Not her. Now...does this baby girl want to be good and get treated...?"

"Yes...daddy"

[darkness-and-books]

The Things We Do For The Fleet

💙Eventual Leonard McCoy x fem!reader💙

Chapter Thirteen: The Dearly Disliked

⚠️: are we- are we kinda being slightly harassed in this? (Someone help) not super extreme or anything.

word count: 1154

<-Previous-Next->

McCoy found himself, somehow, for the first time in a long while, not busy. He was, much to his surprise, actually bored, as he nearly slept at his desk. Quite unfortunately, just as his eyes began drooping in that inescapably heavy manner, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Leonard grumbled, quickly rubbing his eyes a bit before the door fully opened. The man in the doorway was one that he was only vaguely familiar with, more as background in the medbay than as actual person or acquaintance.

“Can I help you?” McCoy asked almost derisively as he crossed his arms and sat taller in his chair.

“Uh, yeah,” The man started, walking into the office and pulling the door carefully shut behind him. “Um, Y/N, she-” The man continued talking as he took a seat on the opposite side of the desk, but Leonard didn’t hear anything as soon as Y/N’s name came tumbling out of the fidgety little weasel’s mouth.

How does he know Y/N? Is he the bad date?, Leonard was suddenly squinting at the young man, as if scrutinising every visible aspect of him.

“Sorry,” McCoy interrupted, “What was your name again?” he asked, trying to soften his eyes just a bit.

“Oh, sorry, ehm Miles, I’m Miles,” Miles said it like his own tongue was in the way of his speech. He hurried to restate what he had been saying, “I was just wondering, cause she walked out of here yesterday, if you knew her, or maybe what she likes,” 

McCoy raised a brow at the man, wondering how Y/N had managed an entire evening without bludgeoning him with a dinner plate.

“Right, yeah, I know her,” McCoy said, not quite ready to lay all his cards on the table.

“Great!” Miles exclaimed, “So you can help,” He added, seeming grateful already. Miles gripped the arms of his chair, as he awaited McCoy’s next words.

“Hold your horses, kid. I didn’t say I would help. I said I knew her,” McCoy said, feeling inexplicably smug as he saw the boy visibly deflate with his words.

“Oh,” Miles breathed, he very nearly looked like he was still trying to process this. “Erm, why though?” Miles asked, a look of hope in his eyes, like he thought McCoy might change his mind.

“Because you’re supposed to get to know people for yourself, simple as that,” McCoy told him, seeming to think that it really was ‘simple as that’.

“Er, yeah, I guess,” Miles agreed halfheartedly, getting up to leave. “Thanks anyway,” He said as he walked out and closed the door behind him once more. Some nerve, McCoy thought to himself, thinking angrily back on the way Miles had asked such a question, as though he were entitled to that information, not that Leonard knew a lot of it anyway.

Later in the day Y/N went down to the mess deck for dinner, feeling very accomplished after having finished her job from yesterday and a few still unassigned duties for the sector and checked them off. 

In the mess deckY/N did her best to go unnoticed so she could just slip back to her quarters with her food.

Much to her misfortune, she had no such luck, “Oh, hi Y/N!” Miles called as he caught up to her.

Y/N sighed softly, considering just pretending she hadn’t heard him, ultimately she turned around and smiled. “Hi!” she greeted him, hoping to any higher being listening that he would be brief and be quick to leave her be.

“Can I eat with you?” Miles asked, that small glimmer of boyish naivety shining through his features. 

At his request she began to panic, “Er, well I was going to eat alone, I just don’t feel so well,” Y/N scrambled for an excuse, any excuse really.

“Oh well, maybe I could make you something for your illness,” He offered sweetly. At this proposition Y/N’s eyes fought not to widen too noticeably.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that, I wouldn’t want to put you out or anything,” Y/N tried to convince him not to.

“No, I’d love to,” Miles countered with a small chuckle.

“But I wouldn’t want to make you work outside of your shift,” Y/N attempted to claw herself out of this mess.

“It’s really not a-” Miles was cut off as a hand landed on Y/N’s shoulder.

She tilted her head to the before turning her head to see who it could be behind her. Though she was secretly grateful for anyone who would interrupt this interaction.

Later that evening, Leonard sat across from Spock and Kirk as they all tucked into their respective meals in relative quiet. Clearly the day had been exhausting. though boring, for all of them.

Leonard raised a brow as he caught a familiar voice cut through the chatter of the mess deck.

“I was going to eat alone, I just don’t feel so well,” He heard Y/N’s voice, sounding a bit uncomfortable. “Maybe I’ll make you-” Leonard didn’t listen for the rest, he was familiar with that voice too, and for some reason had been itching for a reason to show him up since their earlier meeting.

McCoy stood from the table, ignoring the questions from Kirk and inquiring glances of Spock. He pushed his way through the crowd until he came up just behind Y/N.

Laying a hand on her shoulder, he glared quite menacingly at Miles.

“It not a-” Miles stuttered to a halt as his eyes met Leonard’s. Y/N turned her head as far as she could to look back at him. The look in her eyes telling him that wasn’t a moment too soon, for that matter that he really could have been there sooner.

“Hiya, Honey, I was just missin’ ya, you were s’posed to be here a while ago,” Leonard said, looking kindly down to Y/N, then quickly shooting another glare to Miles, “Miles here in’ botherin’ you is ‘e?” His southern accent really kicking in with the severe disdain for the man before him, as he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled Y/N closer to him .

“Oh no, Len, I’m sorry I was just running a little late and then I ran into him, and he was just kindly offering to help, but uh,” Y/N trailed off, no longer sure what to say as her thoughts wandered down to the arm securely wrapped around her.

“Well that’s alright then,” Leonard said, trying to calm himself, refusing to look at Miles again. “Ready for dinner then?” Leonard asked, already beginning to pull you away.

“Y-yeah,” She agreed, turning in his hold and walking away with him. “Thank you,” She whispered as she leaned into him.

“Not a problem, darlin’,” He whispered back, giving her side a squeeze.

😉

[lemoncrushh]

Out of Bounds - Chapter 19

STORY PAGE

Word Count: 1449

Despite the events of the previous night, I actually got a full night's sleep and felt well rested the next morning. I got up, showered, dressed, ate breakfast and made another run to the store before I ever heard James emerge from his room. He obviously had a hell of a hangover, which served him right.

I continued to pack for the rest of the morning and managed to avoid James. Other than a couple of trips to the bathroom and one to the kitchen, he stayed locked in his office. By one o'clock I had pretty much packed everything in my room except for a few items I used daily and about a week's worth of clothing. I decided to take a lunch break and went into the kitchen to make a sandwich. I took it back to my room and sat on the bed with my laptop. I began to search for jobs, knowing I'd have to get one as soon as possible. My resume was still up to date since the last job I'd had was a temp position at a bank the year before.

As I scrolled through the various job postings, I heard my phone vibrate on the nightstand. I picked it up expecting it to be Harry, or perhaps Justine. I was surprised to see Penny's name displayed. We'd exchanged numbers at the party so she could text me the picture she'd taken of Harry and Joey, but other than that, I'd never gotten a call from her.

"Tisa?" she sounded when I answered.

"Yes?"

"Hey, baby doll, it's Penny."

I smiled at her friendly greeting. "Hi, Penny! How are you?"

"I'm great!" she exclaimed, pausing only to take a quick breath. "Listen, I've been talking to Zack and Harry. They told me about your situation. I hope you don't mind."

I grimaced, but I knew Penny was kind and had good intentions. "It's okay."

"Oh, baby doll, I'm so sorry. I know this must be rough."

"I'll make it," I swallowed.

"I know you will, because you're strong. Plus you have a wonderful guy who loves you."

I smiled again, thinking of Harry. "I love him too," I muttered.

"Of course you do," said Penny. "Now, the reason I called. I want to help you."

"Help me?"

"Yes," she replied. "I want you to come stay with me."

"Oh, Penny, I can't —"

"Yes, you can," she interrupted. "I know we only just met, but I'm your friend. And friends help each other. So I want you to come stay with me for as long as you need."

I exhaled slowly. "Penny..."

"My place isn't much," she continued. "It's only a one-bedroom, teeny tiny apartment. But my couch folds out and you're welcome to sleep on it."

"Penny, I don't know what to say," I cried.

"Well, frankly, it doesn't matter what you say," she said matter of factly. "Because you're doing it. I'm not taking no for an answer."

I let out a strained chuckle. "Okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome, my friend."

Sometime in the late afternoon, James must have eventually snuck out. I'd gone to the kitchen to return my plate and noticed his office door open, the light off. Curious, I opened the door to the garage and confirmed his car was gone.

Harry called me before he left for work, excited and relieved that I would be moving in with Penny. I told him she was a sweet girl to do that for me.

"We had a little chat this morning," he admitted.

"Yes, she told me," I said.

"She's very fond of you and hopes you can be fast friends."

"I'd like that." Other than Justine, I really didn't have any girlfriends. Which reminded me. "I'd hoped I could lean on Justine, but she's seemed to have bailed on me. I can't get a hold of her."

"That's odd," Harry commented.

"I know. It's not like her. Even after losing touch with her and then renewing our friendship, she's been there. She was the only person I'd confided in about us."

"You don't think she's jealous, do you?"

"Justine?" I questioned. "No. She doesn't have a jealous bone in her body. I was the one always jealous of her and her free spirit. She did say she had a date with some guy she worked with, but other than a quick text to tell me it went well, I haven't spoken to her. Maybe she's just busy with him now."

"Maybe," Harry echoed.

After we said our I love yous and goodbyes, I dragged a box into the living room and began packing a few odds and ends. As far as I was concerned, most of the stuff in there James could keep. It held no sentimental value for me. I then went to the bathroom and did the same thing. I pushed the taped-up boxes into my room and stacked them as well as I could. Eight boxes. That was it. Nearly ten years of memories filled up eight boxes. But again, these were not our memories. I was leaving those here with James. These were merely my things - my belongings that were going with me into the future, to a new life.

The next couple of days was a whole lot of James and me avoiding each other, seeing each other only in passing. We would make eye contact, but for the most part stayed silent. He was gone most of the day Sunday, to God knows where. Not like I cared. I was grateful for the isolation.

Harry, Zack and Penny agreed to help me move on Tuesday afternoon. I insisted that they needn't all come; I only had eight boxes. But they told me they were doing it for the moral support. I cried at the knowledge and appreciation of their friendship.

That morning, I got up extra early, before James had even left the house. Stepping into the kitchen, I saw him sitting at the table reading the paper.

"I'm leaving today," I announced.

James lowered the paper and glared at me. It was the first words I'd spoken to him since Friday night.

"You found a place already?" he inquired.

"Yes, I'm staying with a friend," I replied.

"Your boyfriend?" he raised an eyebrow with a nasty smirk.

"No," I gritted my teeth. "A friend."

James pursed his lips. "Okay then. If you say so." He raised his paper back up as though it was just another normal day. I wanted to punch him.

Harry arrived at my house first, after his last class. I tried to keep my expression nonchalant, but I knew he could see right through me. He knew was I falling apart inside. When I pushed one of the heavier boxes out into the hall, he stopped me and took me into his arms. I desperately held back my tears, letting him rock me back and forth as I breathed in his scent. It calmed me within seconds, and I lifted my head to kiss him on the lips.

Zack and Penny knocked on my door then, and I greeted them with open arms. Each of us carrying a couple of boxes to our cars, we were finished in minutes. I then grabbed my suitcase which held my week's worth of clothes, and a tote bag full of toiletries and cosmetics. Harry took my laptop and the blanket from my bed. With one last look, I gazed around my room. It looked so formal and empty now, like the guest room it had once been.

I was just about to lock up when I heard another knock at the door. Wondering who it could be, I opened it to see a strange man in a suit and tie.

"Tisa Jordan?" he asked.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Please sign here." He shoved a clipboard at me which held a form I needed to sign. It looked like a lot of legal jargon to me.

"What is this?"

"This just states that I brought this to you in person, and you've received it," he replied with no expression in his voice or on his face.

"Okay," I furrowed my eyebrows. Then he handed me an envelope and left without another word. I watched him drive away in his expensive car.

"That bloke looked familiar," I heard Harry announce behind me.

I opened the envelope and pulled out its contents.

"Oh, God," I exclaimed.

"What is it?" asked Penny.

I couldn't get the words out. I suddenly felt nauseous. I handed it to her so she could read.

"Oh," she mouthed with realization.

I had just been served divorce papers.

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