#go into the kitchen where i almost beat my brother

[eufezco]

"ask her out." sarah said leaning into the kitchen counter. looking at her dad with funny eyes. joel was busy chopping the veggies for dinner so he didn't really listen what sarah said nor he noticed the devilish smirk on her face.

"what?"

"y/n. ask h-"

"sarah." joel tried to stop her from continuing to talk. he knew where this was going.

"come on! ask her out! it's so obvious that she's dying for you to do it."

"sarah, stop this-"

"she likes you!"

"sarah, i can't ask her out! she's half my age, she could be your sister!"

sarah rolled her eyes. "she's an adult. she can make her own decisions."

"and she's your babysitter." joel added, making sarah huff. she hated that word because she was not a baby anymore. you made lunch for her, you drove her to school and to her soccer practice, you helped her with her homework, you hugged her when you two watched a movie, and you made sure that she was well tucked in before you left.

"are you sure she's like a sister? because it's giving me mother fig-"

"she's really helpful, you know?" joel immediately interrupted sarah before she could finish. actually not wanting her to finish. that would mean finally saying out loud what sarah, tommy and he thought. "the only one we've found that doesn't wanna strangle you after the first week."

"hey! that's not true! it's just- it didn't work with the other girls, okay?"

joel stopped chopping the veggies to look at his daughter with his eyebrows raised. she had been very picky about choosing a babysitter. he had been looking for someone to take care of sarah while he was out for a really long time when he found you. some of them he rejected because joel didn't think they would be good for sarah, others because he didn't trust them enough to stay almost twenty-four hours with his daughter. some rejected him when they discovered that he had a daughter, other ones because of the wages that his salary allowed him to pay. and those that were okay with those previous things sarah didn't like them.

joel thought about it and sarah smiled.

"no. it's not happening." he determined, shaking his head and making sarah huff. "she's like the best thing that happened to us! we can't risk losing her over a date. i mean, where are we going to find someone like her?"

sarah nodded. "exactly."

joel shook his head again.

"if you have not asked her out by the end of the week, i'll do it for you!" she added before leaving to her room.

"sarah! you can't do that!"

and sarah always keeps her word. by the end of the week joel tried to ask you to dinner several times always failing to do so. what if you thought he was a creep? he would be very embarrassed. so, on friday night she told you go get pizza at the perfect time for you to coincide with joel at the front door.

"oh, hi joel." you said when you saw him getting out of his car. "you are on time for dinner."

"it seems like it, yeah." he walked to where you were, pulling the keys out of his pocket and ready to open the door for you. most of the nights when he arrived you had already had dinner and sarah was in bed. joel told you every time that you didn't have to do it, but you couldn't help but prepare him something to eat. "how was it? she's been good?"

you giggled. "yeah, she's the best."

when joel finally opened the door the lights of the house were off, only the kitchen table remained lit thanks to the candles. joel closed the door behind you with his eyes closed and one of his hands massaging his temples. you went to put the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter while you looked at sarah proudly standing next to the table.

"what is all this?" you asked smiling. joel swallowed nervously.

"a date." bill answered, appearing behind sarah and placing his hands on both of the girl's shoulders. joel wanted to beat his brother's ass.

"a date?"

sarah nodded. her eyes moved to an embarassed joel, still standing on the door frame and then to you again. you noticed that the table was only set for two people. "oh. sarah-" your heart flipped inside your chest. this week she had asked you many questions, especially about your love life. if you were seeing someone, if you were interested in someone, if you had any plans on friday night...

"look, y/n, i'm sorry about all of this. you can lea-"

"no, it's fine. i mean, it could be nice. don't you think so?"you interrupted him. he raised his eyebrows, slowly nodded and he put his hands inside of his pockets, trying to hide how nervous he truly was.

"i mean, yeah. why not?"

sarah did a little excited jumping before going to hug you and prepare your dinner, which basically consisted of bringing the pizza you had brought to the table. tommy said to both of you that he was going to take sarah out to dinner and that you would have as much time as you wanted. when they both left you found joel and you alone in a really dark house. "should we turn on the lights or...?"

"yes, that would be great. i can't see shit." he added making you laugh.

during the dinner you asked about how his day went and joel was so interested in everything that you told him about you. and when you realized, both of his hands were holding your face up, his thumbs were caressing your cheeks and your body was trapped between joel's and the kitchen counter. his hot lips were moving so perfectly with yours and you thought you could melt under his touch. your hands made their way under his t-shirt, helping him to pull it over his head.

"wait, wait. are you okay with this?"

after verbally saying yes to him, the next thing you knew one of his hands was around your neck, his mouth really close to your ear muttering through gritted teeth the dirtiest things and he was thrusting from behind trying to get more of those angelic sounds you were making.

[vanteguccir]

TikTok trends | Chris Sturniolo | pt. 2

Chris Sturniolo x reader

Summary: 3 times that Y/N and Chris made a couple's trend on tiktok, and 1 time Matt recorded them.

Warning: None.

Requested?: Yes, by anons and @nikolastrn

Author's note: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism! | English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.

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1.

Y/N placed her phone on the phone holder that stayed on the dashboard of her car, reducing the brightness of the screen and opening the camera app, clicking on the video tab and pressing play on the red button.

She had just left the beauty salon where she had done her nails, cleaned her eyebrows, and waxed her body. Y/N and Chris had agreed for her to pick him up at their house after her beauty moment, so the two of them had lunch together.

The girl decided to browse her For You while she waited for him with her car parked in front of the entrance. One of the first videos that appeared was of a new prank between couples. A smirk appeared on her face, and she quickly decided to do it with Chris. The fact that she had just left the beauty salon would make everything more truthful.

Moments later, she saw Chris open the front door of their house, quickly shouting something into the hall before closing it - probably saying goodbye to his brothers. Y/N smiled briefly at her phone before taking a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

"Hi baby!" Chris greeted as soon as he opened the passenger seat door, getting into the car quickly and closing it, not needing to adjust the position or height of the seat, as that was his place and it was always ready for him - he was obviously the passenger princess of the relationship.

"Hi, my love." Y/N spoke back, turning her upper body towards him with a small smile on her face.

"Let me see them." The boy held out his hands, waiting for his girlfriend to show him her manicured nails, as they always did after she did them.

Y/N let out a laugh and raised her hands, resting her palms on top of his and wiggling her fingers lightly, feeling her cheeks burn in shyness.

Chris ran his blue eyes momentarily over her nails, his mouth opening in surprise at the choice before lifting his girl's hands carefully so as not to smudge the fresh nail polish.

He brought his lips closer to the top of her hands, sealing the soft skin, exhaling the fragrance of the cream that her manicurist always applied before gently releasing them.

"They're beautiful, baby!"

"Thank you! The eyebrows look amazing, too, and I had the best waxing experience today." Y/N had a big smile on her face, gesturing lightly. "James did exactly how I wanted-"

"Wait, James?" Chris felt his heart skip a beat, freezing in place and staring at his girlfriend, almost begging with his eyes to have heard her wrong.

"Yes, James. He was so kind and thoughtful-"

"No, no." Chris raised his right hand with his palm pointed at his girlfriend's face, cutting her off again. "I'm kind and thoughtful, not... this James guy." He shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Yes, you are, honey. But so was he, and he cleaned all the places I wanted-"

"What? Did he see you naked? While you were spread-legged? In the air?" Chris widened his eyes comically. "No, we're going to stop at a pharmacy right now, and I'm going to buy all the items for waxing. If this James guy can do it, so can I." His voice came out high and thin. He turned his body so that he could reach the seat belt, crossing it over his body and closing it.

Y/N laughed loudly at his words, observing him.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Chris ordered, waving his right hand in a "let's go" gesture.

Y/N raised her arms in surrender, laughter still escaping her mouth as her head shook in denial. She brought her right hand to the key in the ignition, starting the engine.

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2.

Y/N propped her phone on the kitchen table so that the front camera caught the image of her and Chris, who was standing behind her with a straight look on his face, his hands resting in the front pockets of his Fresh Love sweatpants.

Y/N had asked him to record a video with her, but she didn't explain what it was about.

The girl clicked the red button on the TikTok camera, moving slightly away from her cell and positioning herself in front of Chris.

"If you want to get to him, you've gonna have to go through me first." Her tone was serious, and her eyebrow was raised. She extended her right hand and pointed it at Chris.

"Ooh, Y/N got Matt's toughness." Chris commented, nodding his head with a slight smile on his face.

Y/N laughed, turning around and facing him. She rested her hands on Chris's covered chest and stood on tiptoe, sealing her lips over his quickly.

The brunette lowered his head, still with his eyes closed, seeming to search for Y/N's lips again.

She chuckled softly at his reaction before turning to the camera, crossing her arms.

"Best brother ever." The girl added, her eyes focused on the image of Chris behind her that appeared on her phone screen.

The boy's eyes widened instantly, lifting his head and looking at her exasperatedly, his mouth opening into a perfect O.

"What the fuck? We're not in Alabama, Y/N." Chris practically screamed, taking some steps away from his girlfriend with his hands raised, feeling suddenly dizzy.

The girl threw her head back, laughing at the reaction she received.

"Oh yeah, sweet home, Alabama." Nick's voice sounded from behind her phone before the TikTok ended.

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3.

Y/N's phone was on the computer desk in her shared room with Chris, the back of it resting against the computer so that the screen was vertical and facing the room. The TikTok camera was already open and ready to start recording.

Y/N clicked the red button, and as the 5-second timer started, she sat on Chris's lap, who was in his gaming chair. The girl adjusted herself slightly, smiling when she felt Chris wrap his arms securely around her waist, squeezing her lightly.

"Okay, today we're going to do the best couples therapy: we're gonna talk about the icks we have in each other." Y/N began as she saw the video start recording, turning her face to the right so that she could see Chris, who was smiling and nodding his head.

Y/N stretched her torso and picked up two sheets of paper that were on the computer desk, keeping one with herself and giving the other to Chris, who held it in his left hand, lifting it so he could read the list over her shoulder.

"Do you want to start, baby?" He asked Y/N, receiving a nod in response.

"First on the list, when we're talking and you burp in my face and blow the smell to my direction." Y/N skimmed the list briefly, raising her head and crossing her arms, glancing at Chris from the corner of her eye.

The boy opened his mouth in exaggerated offense, eyes widening.

"You hurt me like that, that's a new love language, don't you know?" He teased, shaking his head and closing his eyes, pretending to be disappointed.

"No, that's disgusting." She pushed her shoulder back slightly, slamming it against his chest and receiving a chuckle in response. "Your turn."

"When you wear that black cropped with silver details. It's horrible." Chris wrinkled his nose, putting the sheet down after reading it again.

"I love that cropped!" The girl turned her upper body to the left, turning her face and looking at her boyfriend with an offended expression. "In fact, I didn't find it on my side of the closet anymore." She added, squinting her eyes.

"Yeah, it's been gone a long time, ma." Chris shrugged. "You didn't even like it that much. Otherwise, you would have noticed it disappearing." He quickly added upon seeing the angry expression on his girlfriend's face, raising his left hand and scratching his nape slightly, a nervous laugh escaping his lips.

"We'll talk about this later." Y/N muttered, turning forward again and reading the second item on her list. "My second ick is when it gets to the end of the day, and you're too tired to shower, so you just lie in our bed in the clothes you've been wearing all day-"

Chris opened his mouth to retort, but Y/N extended her left hand, raising her index finger, stopping him.

"And I have to pull you out of bed and practically drag you to the bathroom so you can finally take a shower." She finished, turning her face towards him and raising her right eyebrow, as if to say "I dare you to contradict me".

"It's okay, I admit it, I hate showering when I'm tired. I didn't even sweat during the day!" Chris defended himself, eyes widening and instantly shutting up when he saw the look in his girl's eyes.

"Next!" She announced loudly with gritted teeth.

"My other ick is when you can't choose what or where you want to eat." Chris read the last item on his list before stretching slightly and placing the paper on the computer desk. "It's not that deep, you know? It's not your last meal. Just choose the damn food!"

"But it is that deep, food is something very serious, baby. You have to choose what you want to eat very carefully. It's the most important thing in the world-"

"Hey, I'm the most important thing in the world!" Chris interrupted his girlfriend's sentence, raising his left hand as his eyes widened, his voice coming out loud.

Y/N threw her head back, a laugh escaping her throat.

"Okay, I'll say one more. It's my last." Y/N announced, clearing her throat and looking at her paper.

"But you asked me to think of just two icks." Chris muttered, raising his right eyebrow in confusion.

"Obviously, I don't have more than two icks, I'm too awesome to have more." She rolled her eyes playfully, lifting her chin in the air in an act of false snobbery.

Chris tried to hold back his laughter, smiling slightly while rolling his eyes.

"Okay, so, when you, out of nowhere, start punching the air right in front of me. Like you're going to punch me in the stomach or something, you look like a weird kid who just got out of karate class." Y/N finished her list, throwing the paper on the floor and smiling at the camera, waiting for Chris to respond.

"Yeah, how do you want me to train to smash the faces of the crazy guys who hit on you?"

"Chris!"

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4.

(This takes place in the same universe as "Sleeping prank | Chris Sturniolo", when Y/N and Chris wake up and realize the prank Nick played on them)

"Matt, what are you doing?" Nick asked as he looked up after hearing footsteps in his direction, seeing Matt approaching with his own phone in his hand, and the rear camera pointed at the oldest.

His phone screen displayed the TikTok camera, already recording.

"There's a couple really mad at you right now." Matt announced, biting his bottom lip to contain his laughter.

Nick's eyes widened, getting up from the bed where he was sitting, standing and taking a few steps back, almost gluing his back against the large windows of the hotel room.

"Tell me you didn't show them the prank video?" Nick asked, looking at Matt with terror in his eyes. They were supposed to see when he posted the vlog many weeks ahead. Chris could be very vindictive when he wanted to.

"Nicolas Antonio Sturniolo!" The female voice echoed from behind the bedroom door, which was opened seconds later by a Y/N with crossed arms and an angry look.

Nick automatically raised his arms in surrender, smiling nervously.

"I can explain-"

"Did you see my horrible sleeping face? You're crazy!" The girl spoke calmly, squinting her eyes as she took slow steps towards him.

"No, you're wrong. You looked beautiful." Nick spoke nervously, nodding his head, keeping his arms raised.

Chris's loud laugh was the last sound Matt recorded before the video ended.

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My asks are always open. Feel free to send requests or anything at all 🩷💋

And remember to treat people with kindness always!

~ taglist:

@lustfulslxt @ladybunny44 @worldlxvlys @earth2starkey @remussbitch @freshloveforthefit @il0vebeingdelulu @sturniolowhore @mimi-luvzyu @alorsxsturn @urfavgirllyyyyy @domizzzsstuff @sturnizd

(If you want to be added to the taglist, please comment here)

[norizz-nation]

Pierre gasly smut with Leclerc!sister reader

Just imagine Charles is suspicious that his sister is seeing someone but he doesn’t know that it’s his childhood best friend is fucking his little sister.

Thats a great thought girl 🤌🏼

Craving each other 🩵

Summary: your brother, charles visited you after a long time and you forgot to hide the stuffs that belonged to your boyfriend, also your brother's best friend, pierre

Warnings: nsfw, 18+, slut shaming

It was a beautiful warm morning. You woke up by the feeling of pierre's arms around your waist as he snuggled his nose on the back of your neck. You smiled softly, your eyes still closed as you tried to get up. But pierre just wrapped his arms around your waist tightly, pushing his hips to meet yours. "Mm stay a little longer" he said with his sleepy voice.

You just smiled at him and rolled over so you were facing him. Legs tangled with each other. "But i have to get up. You know that baby" you said softly, caressing his face. "Please just 5 more minutes like this" he said, pouting his lips a little. You giggled and brushed his soft hair, kissing his forehead.

After cuddling and kissing for a while, you got up and went to the bathroom. You were watching tiktok while brushing your teeth and you rolled your eyes when you saw an incoming call from your brother, charles. You answered it after it rang 2 times. “Hey! Y/n where are you?” Your brother asked, sounding pretty excited. “Home” you said, sounding annoyed. “Well thats great because im coming to see you!” He said. Your heart started beating faster. “What- when?” You asked hoping he will say that after a long while or something. “Oh im almost 15 minutes away right now” your brother said and you immediately cut the call after saying a quick “okay”

Oh my god. What are you gonna do? Pierre is literally here. If charles finds out, he will kill pierre for dating his little sister.

You rushed back to your room as you clapped your hands to get pierre’s attention since he was half asleep. “Whats wrong love?” He asked. “Get up get up!” You said, hasting. As you collected all of pierre’s things and shoving it in his bag. “Why? What happened?” Pierre asked looking at you confusingly. “Charles is gonna be here. At any moment! Leave before he finds you here” you said as you continued to pack.

You let out a sigh, after finishing packing his bag. When you looked at pierre, you saw that he was still in bed. “Pierre get up! Im serious, you know charles better. You know how he will react” you said as you crossed your arms. Pierre just giggled and got up. Wearing his t-shirt as he came close to you. “Dont stress that much sweetheart” he said as he kissed your head and you closed your eyes, feeling soft in his touch.

“I’ll let you know when he leaves” you said as pierre looked down at you, adoring you so much that his face was screaming it. “Okay baby” he said as he left and you locked the door.

You rechecked the whole house again. Scanning every corner.

Nothing in the kitchen. Nothing in your bedroom. Nothing on the couch. Nothing.

You let out a relieved sigh as you waited for your brother to come home. You heard the bell ring and rushed to the door. “Hey charles!” You said as your smile grew bigger. He then hugged you tightly saying “oh i missed you so much” and you smiled softly. “Me too” you said as you closed the door. “I need to use the bathroom tho” he said as you chuckled. “Go! Dont ruin my floor” you said laughing.

“Y/n, why do you have men’s face wash in your bathroom?” Charles asked as your blood went cold. He then peaked his head out from your bathroom and looked at you, as you were sitting on the edge of the bed. “I uh bought it for you, since you were gonna come visit me” you said as you smiled nervously. “Then why is it half used, there’s only a bit left in there” he said as he showed you the face wash.

Fuck. Fuck!

You bit the inside of your cheeks as you gulped. You were about to say something but your brother cut you off. “Dont lie now. Youre dating someone, i get it” he said as you looked down on the ground. Trying to avoid eye contact.

The next few hours with him was pretty awkward. You were just hoping for him to leave. The only good thing is that he didn’t know it was pierre’s.

You let out a soft breath as you saw your brother walk away. You closed the door and stood there for a moment. Trying to feel less stressed. You then got your phone out of your pocket and went to pierre’s chat.

Come back home pierre, your best friend left.

You saw your text was immediately on read and closed your phone. You then took a nice bath and did your skincare. When pierre came home you felt all your stress go away. Your face lit up as soon as you saw him.

Dating pierre includes kisses and cuddles and fucking at any hour. You both craved for each other’s touch so much. There’s too many nights where you were on your knees for him. Taking him like a good girl. Filling your mouth with his cum. Swallowing it like a good girl.

“Charles was about to find out that im dating you” you said as you looked up at him. He smirked and brushed your hair, as he adored how you were on your knees right now. “Poor him” he said as his voice sounded deep. “Do you want me to take a photo of yours right now and show it to him? Show him whose little slut you are?” He asked smirking devilishly. You shook your head saying “no please” you pleaded as your cheeks went red from the temptation you were feeling. “Thats my good girl” he said patting your head. “Now lets see how well your pretty little mouth can take me” he said as he unzipped his pants and you already sticked your tongue out, smiling up at him with stars in your eyes.

A/N: requests are open! feel free to ask what you want me to write! luv you ❤️

[silverstonesainz]

mine, mine, mine

─── the one where you and carlos have that dreaded conversation frat!carlos x reader 5.4k words prompt: "wait, don’t go yet, please” + “you're all mine, you got that? i'm not sharing” + accidentally referencing them as my’ which led to the ‘what are we?’ question warnings: profanity, alcohol consumption, mentions of drugs, kind of suggestive, descriptions of a toxic relationship. 

d rambles. . . i combined a couple of prompts because i thought they would all work really well together, hope that’s okay!! anyways, i did what i always do and made this… well happy reading!!

come over tonight

you stare at the text on your screen, thumb swiping against the screen. a grey bubble pops up, three dots. he types, then it disappears. 

to study … or not.

you bite down on your bottom lip, placing your phone screen down on your chest as you stare up at the ceilings. there was an easy answer to his invitation, and it ends with your pride and ego intact. you won’t have to suffer through another round of self-doubt or the imminent heartache the boy always seems to leave you with.

but it also means no carlos. it would make today three weeks since you saw him last, three weeks since he was all over you, every inch of you. you shudder at the memory, the ghost of his touch against your skin. 

you inhale sharply, picking your phone back up as you type out a response. 

text you when im on the way

the closer you got to the fraternity house, the worse your gut feels. you have your hands slot between your arm and sides to keep them warm from the crisp autumn air. it’s uncharacteristically quiet on 5th street. no parties or kick backs, it’s pretty much a dead week for greek life. but even so, there were still cars lined up outside of the phi gamma theta house, some you’ve seen and others not. carlos’s blue ferrari is parked just a couple feet from the walkway to the door. you glide your hand along the glossy paint, the warmth seeping into the pad of your finger. he must’ve arrived not too long before you. 

the music is loud, loud enough that not even the walls could muffle the beats. the bass thumps against the door, shakes the knob as you reach out to twist it open. 

it’s almost embarrassing how unphased the brothers in the foyer are by your entrance. even more so at the way lando seems to have been expecting your arrival. 

“hey you!” the brit grins widely, arms outstretched to pull you into a hug. “haven’t seen you in a while. missed having you here at the house.” 

your arms go around him, hand rubbing his back as he squeezes you tightly in return. “been busy.” 

“you’re always busy,” lando pulls away, hands gripping your shoulders as he looks you up and down. “carlos is in the kitchen with max.”

you blush, nodding as you mutter a soft thanks. lando pats your back, walking past you and over to oscar who is nearly asleep on the couch. you wave and exchange subtle nods as you walk across the house and into the kitchen. it smells heavily of garlic, a little too much like garlic. you scrunch your nose, making your way over to the counter where carlos and max are leaning up against. 

max spots you first, smile wide as he waves. it closes their conversation, forces carlos to turn towards you. you try not to read into his reaction, the way he smiles or the bit of relief as he sighs. you try not to acknowledge that he might be happy to see you. 

it’s nothing. this is nothing. 

the dutch boy opens his right arm for you and you gladly walk into him. he gives you a squeeze, tight against his side as he calls you something in his mother tongue that you can’t quite place. the moment is short lived, releasing and allowing you to walk the two steps over to the man who invited you in the first place. 

“hi.” you say softly, head tilted up towards him with a shy smile. 

he smiles back, leaning in to press a kiss onto your lips. “hi.” 

your cheeks heat up, stepping over to carlos’s side as he and max pick up their conversation again. they exchange a couple of words about some event they’re throwing before the spaniard is patting his brother’s shoulder and the boy walking away with a soft see ya. 

carlos hums, pulls the strap of your backpack off your shoulder before slinging it onto his own. he holds his hand out, muttering a soft c’mon. you take his hand, slotting your smaller fingers between his own ad allow him to lead you out of the kitchen. the house is buzzing with conversation, competing with whatever mix is playing on the loud speaker. “was the drive over okay?” 

“yeah,” you breath, “yeah it was fine.” 

he let’s go of your hand at the base of the staircase, gesturing for you to step ahead of him and you oblige. several brothers say goodnight as the two of you make your way up, and you return a tight lipped smile and wave. the further up the stairs, the further down the hallway, the quieter the house becomes. most of the doors are left open, some a crack and others wide enough to see a mess that makes your skin crawl. you stop at a forest green door, waiting patiently for carlos who just smiles. 

“it’s unlocked.” 

you nod awkwardly, gripping the bronze knob and twisting the door open. contrary to the rest of the house, carlos’s room is neat. freakishly neat— like sheets tucked under the mattress and pillows stacked by size neat. it smells of cologne and weed. it smells like carlos.

you kick off your sneakers and placing them by the door before plopping yourself onto his bed. you watch as he moves about his space, setting your bag down next to your feet before he begins to fiddle with the himself. he pulls his sweatshirt off hangs it off the back of his chair before pulling his sneakers off his feet and pushing them into the bottom of his closet. then he turns, scratches the back of his head as he looks you up and down. you smile awkwardly, lips parted to break the tension but carlos beats you to it.

he takes long strides across the tiny room, right hand cupping your jaw as he presses his lips hard against your own. you yelp, surprised as you fall back onto the bed. carlos breaks his fall with his opposite hand, lips not missing a beat in your new position. you’re stunned only for a second before your fingers find their way into his hair as you kiss him back with just as much veracity. it’s messy, desperate, makes your heart beat so fucking hard you’re sure it’ll crack through your ribs, 

he digs his teeth into the soft flesh of your bottom lip gently, prodding a moan from the back of your throat. it’s soft, quiet as you try to keep up with carlos, but enough to have him smirking into the kiss. he pulls away, eyes wide as he scans your face. 

“missed you.” 

“did you?” you tease, pushing a strand of his hair backwards. 

“i always do.” 

butterflies. it flutters, sits in your gut as you try to bite back a smile. you tried to look unconvinced, rolling your eyes playfully as you push back on his chest and effectively off of you. he chuckles, leaning back onto his elbows as he watches you reach over his bed to pull your bag up. 

“you don’t believe me?”

you pull your computer out, “mmm, not really. i just think you’re horny.”

it’s carlos’s turn to roll his eyes. he pushes himself up, leaning over to you to kiss you again. “i can’t miss you and be horny too?” you snort, shaking your head as your fingers begin to click at the keys. you can see carlos tilt his head in your peripheral. “what are you doing?”

“studying”

his hand rests flat against the back of your laptop, shutting it in your lap and taking it away to place on his desk. you sigh his name, protest quietly as you let him drag you onto his lap, legs settled on either side of his hips. you whine when his hands sneak their way up your shirt and begin to palm your breast over your bra. 

“carlos.” “hm?”

his fingers slip beneath the padding, kneading harder. you inhale sharply, shakily, looking down at him. he pays no mind to the look you give him, jaw slightly offset as he watches the way his hands move beneath your top. 

“study.” “mmmm… no.” 

his hands pull away from your chest, coming down to the hem of your shirt so he can peel it off you. 

you let him.

“but you said-“ “later, bug. relax, let me show you how much i miss you.” 

studying happens an hour later, spent on your stomach on his bed while he’s at his desk scribbling away. the house has quieted down, the music no longer thumping against the door and the mixed chatter all but died in the night. it’s nearly eleven. 

you hum, shutting your computer and pushing yourself off your comfortable position. you begin to pack away your things, stuffing notebooks and highlighters away where they belong before picking up your clothes discarded on the floor. jeans and an old t-shirt, and the beige bra by the door. carlos drops his pencil, turns in his chair as he watches you pull his shirt off your frame.

“what are you doing?”

“it’s late.” you say matter of factly, folding the grey material before tossing it on his bed. you pull the straps of your bra onto your shoulders, reaching behind you to clasp the prongs together. “gotta get home.” 

“spend the night.” 

you snort, shaking your head, “i have an eight am tomorrow.” 

“so do i.” 

you jump into your jeans, buttoning them before leaning down to press a kiss to his lips, “can’t tonight carlos. but maybe tomorrow?”

“well i got a date party tomorrow, but…” 

you freeze, but only for a second. it’s brief, just a moment where you feel your spirit shake beneath your chest. just one second then you’re reaching down to swipe your shirt off the floor. you didn’t now of any date party, and you could feel a dull ache in your chest over the fact he didn’t invite you. he isn’t obligated to, he’s not obligated to do anything when it comes to you. but you just thought—

you shake it off. you thought. you thought. that means nothing. you have nothing left else to say, so you pick up the pace. you rush to pull your bag over your shoulders. 

“then, i’ll see you when i see you. three weeks from now maybe?” it’s a petty dig, a poor attempt to get the last word in as you force your heels into your beat up sneakers. 

“ai, don’t be that way.” 

“i’m not being any way.” you insist, hand clutching the knob. you’re about to pull it open but carlos is quick to lean his weight against it, left palm flat on the dark green wood. 

“it’s not my date party. i was invited, okay?” he tilts his head, cranes his neck so he meets your eyes even if you so desperately try to avoid his gaze. “lando is getting with the girl’s little and… i’m there for moral support. i’m there for him.” 

his thumb and index finger pinch your chin gently, force you to look up at him and his stupid stupid wide eyes. he doesn’t say anything else, just watches and waits to see what your next move is. 

you don’t want to show that you’re relieved, you’d hate for him to see what kind of effect he has on you even if you’re pretty sure he already has a clue. that’s why he explained himself, why he makes you look up at him while his stare remains so soft— so reassuring. but you are. you’re slightly relieved, reassured, and not as upset as you were working yourself up to be. 

but only just slightly.

“fine.” you mumble. “well. just text me when you have the time.”

it’s snarkier than you mean for it to be. you can tell by the way his expression falters for a second— just one second— before he pulls his weight off the door and allows you to open it. 

“i’ll walk you out. that okay?” 

you nod, hands clutching at the straps of your backpack before stepping out into the hallways. you walk several steps ahead of them, past shut bedroom doors and composite photos that dated back before your time. you hear carlos pad behind you, making no attempt to close the gap between you. 

it’s weird to see the house so quiet and with so many lights off. most of the men have retreated back into their rooms, only oscar and jack in the kitchen as they talk quietly with each other. both australians don’t notice you or carlos as you pass, too deep in whatever it is to care. carlos stops to push the door open, muttering something about finishing up and going to bed, before he continues to follow you to the front door. speakers are left set up, lando’s dj equipment left messily on the pong table. it’s a mess of wires and a poor attempt to make the foyer looks party ready. 

carlos pulls the front door open for you, shuts it behind you as he follows you to your car. and it’s only when you’re about to pull at the driver’s door does he finally pull at your wrist. he turns your body towards him, fingers gliding down to cup your hand in his larger one. 

“we’re gonna have a kickback here after the date party. come by.” 

“not sure my presence would be appreciated.” “well i don’t care. it’s not their house and you’re my—“ 

he stops himself. you’re my and then nothing. your heart stops in your chest, knocks the air out of your lungs. you wonder if you’ll ever hear the end of that line, if you’ll see the day he’ll say it. 

carlos exhales through his nose, smiling as he releases your hand to cup your cheek. “just come tomorrow. okay? and if anyone has an issue with it then they can fuck off.” you cough a laugh, a short ha ha that makes him smile wider. 

“i’ll text you.” 

“okay.” “okay.” 

quiet, comfortable silence. you ignore the way your stomach does backflips, let yourself instead settle in the bit of security his invitation provides. he wants you around. maybe this time it’s different. 

carlos leans in, pulls you to him as he kisses you for the last time that night. it’s firm, warm, soft. it fills your chest, makes it swell as you kiss him back. he pulls away for a moment before planting one last peck. 

“drive safe, okay? text when you get home.” 

what time will you be back at the house?

you were ready. embarrassingly enough, you were ready to head to the phi gam house and carlos had yet to text you when it was appropriate to arrive. and from the multiple instagram stories you just watched, the date party was likely still ongoing. 

your phone pings, and you unlock it in an instant. embarrassing. 

date thing just ended. come in 30? we still have to set up. new members didn’t do it right annoying

you grin at your screen. embarrassing. 

maybe older brothers should be setting a better example i’ll come around 10 then. need me to bring over to the house?

you push yourself off your bed, sit at your vanity as you stare at your make up for n-th time in the last hour. you press down on your smile lines, flatten any creasing, blend your blush. you do just about anything to make thirty-something minutes fly by quickly. your phone pings again, one with a reaction to your text and then another reply.

just bring yourself. see you soon bichito. 

you leave it at that. homework makes thirty minutes fly by quickly. a little too quickly. after submitting your discussion for the week, forty minutes have flown past you and you were scrambling out of the house. you say quick goodbyes to your roommates, who only give you a funny look when you take a pizza from the box on the counter and yell goodbye. you type a quick text to carlos to let him know you’re on the way before starting your car and driving towards 5th street. 

you see the purple led lights through the window, hear the soft thump of lando’s mix muffled by the walls of the phi gamma theta house. the closer to the door, the louder the crowd becomes. the door swings open, alex smiling down at a girl as he holds it for her. his eyes meet yours, wide with shock. but a happy sort of shock. 

“hey you, didn’t know you were coming tonight!” 

you ignore the way the girl looks you up and down. “yeah. hope that’s alright?” 

“of course. carlos is inside, bar i think.” 

you mumble a thanks, walking past him into the house before he closes the door. the kickback is a little bigger than you anticipated, with enough bodies in the room for it to feel stuffy. you smile at girls who smile your way, say hello to brothers who are excited by your arrival. and time and time again, you are directed in the direction of carlos. 

as alex said, he’s at the bar. he’s leant up against the bar in a grey long sleeve and black jeans, red cup already in his hand. leant up against the bar talking to charles, laughing at something he said. he looks glorious, leant up against the bar. 

god. 

carlos sees you before you get to him, smiling over at you as he raises his arm to make room for you to fit into his side. he presses a kiss to your temple when you’re close enough. “was wondering where you were.” 

you say hi to charles, and to yuki behind the bar. “sorry. got caught up on homework.” 

he hums, nods. yuki sets a red cup on the edge of the bar, flicking his chin. “vodka sprite?” 

you smile gratefully, saying thank you over the music as you lean across carlos to grab the cup. you ask how was the date party— mini golfing, if you want to get specific. it’s a simple question, one that sets charles off into a list of complaints and carlos into a fit of laughter. he’s such a fucking cheater! no charles, you just suck. 

“i saw him nudge the ball, i swear!” charles protests, handing his cup over to yuki who refills it immediately. 

“mate. what the fuck do you think we’re supposed to be doing in mini-golf?” carlos laughs. 

“not nudge the ball before it’s your turn.” 

you laugh, leaning back into carlos as he tightens his hold around you. “i dunno charlie, it sounds like you’re just a sore loser.” 

the monegasque scowls, eyes squinted and lips pursed. “you’re biased.”

“of course she is,” carlos answers, “she’s my girl, who else would she side with.” 

my girl. my girl, my girl, my girl. you smile, even if your heart is racing at a thousand miles an hour, even if your throat tightens and seems to run dry. you sip on your drink, watch as charles smirks and rolls his eyes. 

“whatever.” 

you try not read into it. try to go about the night not thinking of the way carlos called you his girl, how sure he sounded. but it’s hard, hard when it’s all you hear as the night carries on. that’s my girl is imprinted onto your skin when he says it after you sink a ball during a game of pong. my bug when you return from the bathroom. mine, when an unknowing brother has your attention for longer than carlos liked. 

“you're all mine,” he whispered when he finally pulls you from your conversation, “you got that? i'm not sharing"

my, mine. my, mine.

his. his. all his.

you’re attached to carlos until he is whisked away to help george with something. then you’re left alone, wandering around the house. you hop from conversation to conversation, play catch up with a few girls until you finally make your way to the dance floor. lando stand before the turntables, twisting knobs and pushing buttons as he smoothly transitions into the next mix. you dance some, alcohol loosening you at your joints and making it so much easier to move. you swing your hips left to right, jump up and down, do it all until your legs ache and you’re out of breath. 

you squeeze between bodies, eyes searching the crowd for carlos. but you see everyone else but him. he’s no where to be seen, but neither was george so you shrug it off and push yourself towards the clearing of the crowd. you walk around people, making your way up the makeshift platform and over to lando, who shoots you a toothy grin as he presses one last button and backs from his equipment. 

he hugs you into his side briefly, lips moving into your ear, “thought i saw you! where’s carlos?”

“with george!” you answer, eyes falling to the table. “how much longer you up here for?”

“ah, on my last song before we switch back to aux… wanna have a go?”

you shake your head, but he smiles and tries to convince you otherwise. he explains the basics, none of it sticking to your vodka-muddled brain. and just as another beat drop approaches, he points to a button lighting up blue. press on this when i say. he smiles cheekily, pushing levers and twisting knobs before nodding and calling out now. you do as you're told, bringing a semi-smooth transition into the last song of his set. you laugh, lando smiles. he holds his palm up for you, one you gladly slap enthusiastically while he praises you.

“now you can dj for us at our next party!” 

you giggle, shaking your head as you stand back, watching as lando begins to slowly transition out of his mix and plugging the aux line into his laptop to play a playlist made for nights like these. then he’s stepping off the platform, holding his hand out for you to help you down. you walk with him, around the house and past his drunk brothers and sorority women, all the way to the bar where oscar now stands. lando convinces you to a round of shots with him, and refills your drink halfway. your head is light, body floating. you were on cloud nine and all you need…

your head whips around, eyes scan the room. you look for a mop of dark hair, the broad shoulder, looks for just glimpse of him but once again, he’s nowhere to be found. 

“you know what carlos went to help george with?” you lean in towards lando, setting your cup down on the kitchen island. you watch him look around the room the same way you did just seconds earlier before shaking his head. 

his eyes are still across the room, but he leans in towards you so you can hear him over the music. “no clue, but george is over there talking to mick so… carlos is probably around here somewhere.” 

you try to hide the disappointment, the bit of anxiety that is starting to make its way through your bloodstream. you snatch your cup back up again, bringing it to your lips as you drink the remnants of your mix before tossing the red plastic in a bin. you let the brit know you’re gonna take a lap before making your way around the house. you’re pushing past people again, finding your way through every hallway and room, pathetically looking for a man who has seemingly ditched you at his own house. you’re walking in circles like a lost puppy. 

carlos walks back into the home through the front door. you catch him just as he shuts it behind him, with his hair in disarray and eyes glazed over. he’s confused, disoriented, trying to adjust to the stark contrast between the quiet outside and the chaos inside. you watch as he scans the room, acknowledging brothers who wave over at him with a flick of his chin and a half effort at a wave hello. he looks and looks, and finally he sees you. 

you’re about to walk over, to greet him and ask him where he’d been. but then the door opens and she walks in. you’ve never met the girl, never seen her in your life. but what you have seen is that glow. the shy smile she wears as she tucks her hair behind her ear and retreats to her sisters that wait excitedly for her. you recognize that look, and that’s when it clicks. the hair. the eyes. the disappearing for god knows how long. 

you feel sick. 

you want to run. you want to scream. your skin is on fire with rage. you turn on your heel before he takes his first step, storming into the living room area in search of your purse. brothers and their partners for the night are scattered around the room, and you try to ignore the multitude of making out and groping going on as you search for your purse. 

you hear him call your name behind you, but you ignore him. you pull at the pillows and he calls your name again. you move over to the next couch, and all of sudden you feel his hand on your wrist and you’re yanking yourself out of his hold. your eyes are wide, angry, with your index finger in his face as if to tell him to stop. 

“don’t you dare.”

“it’s not what you think.” 

you scoff, turning around and pull at the pillows again, finding your bag beneath the mess of throws. “it’s never what i think, always what you say. that’s what’s always right, right?” you sling the thin strap over your shoulder. you don’t bother to wait for his answer, pushing past him as you make your way towards the front door. 

he calls out your name again, a groan following after. “can you… just wait. don’t go yet, please.” 

you ignore him, ignore the looks you’re getting, ignore the whispers, everything. the door swings open as you twist the knob, but you never hear it slam shut because carlos is hot on your heels. 

“you’re mad over nothing!”

that makes you stop. it makes your blood boil, makes the anger grow, and it makes you stop. you inhale sharply— shakily. “nothing?” 

“there wasn’t anything going on, nothing was going on. you’re upset over nothing.” 

you turn on your heel to look at the man who stands three feet ahead of you. his brows are furrowed— annoyed— and his lips are parted as he breathes. 

“it’s always nothing. it’s always no big deal.” you scoff, “i’m always overreacting. right?” he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even bat an eye at the words that spill out of your mouth. “you are the most insufferable man i have ever met, carlos sainz. you drive me fucking crazy, and not in a good way.” you push your hair back roughly, pulling at the strands as your fingers glide down the length of it. 

“will you please come inside so we can talk?”

“no, i’m going home.” you turn again, pushing around your little purse for your car keys. 

“you’ve been drinking.” carlos reasons, to which you laugh.

“not enough!”

“for fucks sake, can we just-“ he tries to pull you back to him again, and you pull out of his grasp immediately. 

“no! we cannot just. i’m so…” your eyes begin to water, tears blurring your vision. god you hated every second of this moment. here are again, showing just how fucking weak you are for man who continues to play with you. for a man who has given you no good reason to stay and yet is also a man you always come back to. “we’re not talking about this. i’m so tired carlos. i really am.”

“come inside please. let’s just—“ 

“i’m not coming back inside!” you scream. “i’m not going to walk back in there and let you convince me to spend the night, because i will. i don’t want to lay in your bed while you try to convince me that i was just seeing things because… you will. and i’ll be stuck in this fucking cycle and i just can’t fucking do it anymore.”

carlos’s lips are clamped together, nostrils flared as he stares at you. he watches the tears that escape you, the tension weaved into every muscle of your face. you both stand there, unsure of what to say, unsure of what to do. 

then he says your name, resigned. it sounds deflated, like smashing against the keys of a broken piano. “but this time, it wasn’t anything i swear. whatever you’re thinking, it didn’t happen.”

you look up, hoping to stop the tears from falling but it’s hopeless. you’re so fucking hopeless.

“so you didn’t fuck her?” you sniffle, looking at him with bloodshot eyes. he shakes his head and you stiffen up. “didn’t touch her?” he hesitates, but shakes his head anyways. and you scoff. “you touched her.” 

“i didn’t fuck her.” “but it doesn’t negate the fact!”

your shoulder slump, defeated. your heart aches in your chest, crumbles at you feet and onto the cold pavement of fifth street. “it doesn’t fucking make a difference carlos. it still fucking hurts. it’s still a fucking slap to my face.” 

the wind is cold, prickles at your skin like needles. your eyes fall shut, pushing tears from your eyes and onto your cheek. you feel the pad of his thumb against the skin of your cheek and you flinch. your body stiffens, but you allow the ounce of affection. you allow yourself to soak in the false sense of security for the briefest of moments, just to quell the ache that is burning in your chest. but then you open your eyes and you’re reminded that when you walk away— if you walk away— it will hurt a million times more. 

truly, you were sick of this cycle. of running back to him after he keeps you at an arms length away for weeks. you let yourself enjoy the little moments of security, knowing full well how it ends. you’ve been here before, you’ve walked this walk. but no matter how many times you go through this, the ache never dulls. 

carlos cups your cheek, the pad of his thumb rough against your skin. and you lean into his touch because it’s comfortable, because it’s the only thing that feels right in a moment filled with so much wrong. 

you open your eyes to look up at him, blink away the tears that obscure your vision. you inhale shakily. “what are we doing carlos?” a soft hm buzzes past his lips, and you sigh. your hand comes up to grip his, to pull it off your skin. but you keep it in yours, stare down at his rough palm that lays open in your hands before looking back up at him. “you say i’m yours. say you’re mine, mine, mine. and i just… what are we? what are we doing?” 

you release his hand, watch as he stares at his palm, flexing his fingers before letting it fall to his side. carlos bites down on his bottom lip, breathing steady, and his eyes stuck on the pavement. it’s a beat, and another, before his chest heaves as he draws a deep breath in. 

“you are so important—“ 

you shake your head, the tears come back and you make your way to the driver’s side of your car. important to me, he finishes as he follows behind you quickly. he chants your name like it’s meant to convince you to stay. like it will heal you of all the hurt he’s caused, like it makes his answer okay. 

and maybe it is. logically, it’s a perfectly acceptable answer. if you were a friend. and maybe you toed the line a bit, maybe to him you were just a friend. but to you, carlos is more than that. he’s more than some guy that you have a bit of fun with, but a guy you’ve slowly begun to fall for. and you fall and fall, brace yourself for impact because you know he’s not going to catch you. 

he calls your name, says please with so much desperation in his voice as you pull your door open. begs you to stop, and you do. you stop halfway into your car to look at him with the tears still pouring from your eyes. you smile sadly, pathetically, as you shrug. 

“important,” you say, “but not enough. right?” 

[nhlclover]

fight club | rutger mcgroarty

summary: your boyfriend and his friends drunkenly create their own little fight club, in which he winds up getting hurt.

warnings: blood, mentions of fighting, mentions of drinking, slight angst, indications of nsfw content.

note: fun fact this is what my brother and his friends do for fun. they have their own walk up songs and everything.

word count: 0.9k

It was somewhere around midnight, or around when you finished page 4 of 8 of your paper, that you heard the crash and shouting from downstairs.

You needed somewhere to get your paper done, and with your roommate's boyfriend in town and the library closed at this hour, you turned to your boyfriend. He lended you his room while him and his roommates hung out downstairs.

They had been relatively quiet until a couple of minutes ago when the shouting started. You assumed they were playing video games, getting competitive as they normally do, however the crash was making you think something was wrong.

You set your laptop down, making your way out of Rutgers room and down to the living room where the boys were hanging out. As you turn the corner, you run smack into Ethan, coming out of the kitchen holding a wet rag.

“Oh, hey y/n!” He says, his voice louder and higher pitched than normal.

You are immediately suspicious, narrowing your eyes at the boy. “What’s going on? I heard a crash.” You ask.

“Nothing, just… spilled a drink is all.” Ethan says. You almost want to believe him but a sudden shout from the living room that sounds like your boyfriend makes you hesitate.

“Ow! Don’t touch it!” Rutger shouts.

You push past Ethan, going into the living room. On the coffee table are several bottles of beer, along with hockey helmets and boxing gloves. Sitting on the couch with a bright red gash on his left cheek, is your shirtless boyfriend, Dylan on one side and Frank on the other.

“What the hell is going on in here?” You ask. Ethan comes in after you, walking to Rutger to hand him the rag.

“Busted.” Mark says, standing beside the fireplace, sans shirt but wearing boxing gloves and a hockey helmet.

You look around noticing all of them shirtless, some wearing boxing gloves. “Okay what the fuck is going on?” You ask, now concerned more than anything.

“Hey babe.” Rutger smiles. He winces as his cheek muscles move. “How’s the paper coming?”

“Don’t change the subject.” You say.

“Okay, we had this really great idea that we would box but wear hockey helmets so our faces wouldn’t get fucked up.” Gavin explained. “But Roger here didn’t attach his helmet properly cause it slipped off, cutting his cheek when Mark gave him a sweet right hook.”

A look of horror appears on your face as you recognize the situation. “So you guys got drunk and decided to form your own fight club?” You ask.

There’s a beat of silence then all the boys nod, exhibiting a chorus of ‘yeah’s.

You shake your head in disbelief. “I am fully convinced none of you graduated kindergarten because what is wrong with you guys?”

They sense your disappointment, all of them hanging their heads slightly. You walk over to your boyfriend, taking the damp rag from his hand.

“C’mere.” You say, taking his hand and bringing him to the bathroom.

You re-wet the rag, dabbing it against the cut. He winces, pulling away. “Oh don’t be a baby, it's just water.” You say.

“Yeah…but it still hurts.” He mumbles.

He meets your eyes, reading the disappointed look on your face. “I’m sorry.” He says.

“Yeah, you should be!” You say, the fear that had manifested into anger spilling out. “Do you know how stupid this is?”

“It was just… a drunk idea.” Rutger shrugged.

“Exactly. What are you going to tell coach Naur when he asks where you got the cut on your cheek from? Are you gonna tell him that you got drunk and fought your teammates?” You ask.

“I didn’t plan to get my face all chopped up!” Rutger counters.

You step back, sighing. “I just… please be smarter?”

Your words seem harsh but Rutger understands what you’re saying. “I know. I'm sorry.” He says.

“I’m sorry too.” You say. “I was too snappy.”

“No it’s warranted. We were being idiots.” Rutger chuckles.

“You were being such an idiot.” You laugh, going back to cleaning his wound.

“I may be an idiot but at least I’m your idiot.”

You snort. “You really know how to talk your way out of trouble.”

“Hey, it works.” Rutger says, throwing his hands up in defense.

You clean away the rest of the blood, dabbing it dry. “You’ll need to go and get a proper bandage for it tomorrow.” You say.

“Or I don’t and I get a cool scar out of it.” Rutger says, checking out the cut in the mirror.

“No. No scar.” You shake your head.

“What? I thought scars were hot and mysterious?” Rutger asks.

You find yourself not being able to disagree with his statement, biting the inside of your cheek. You turn on the sink, cleaning the rag of your boyfriend’s blood.

“Oh I knew it.” Rutger smirks. He snakes his arms around your waist, making eye contact through the mirror.

He slowly places kisses up the nape of your neck, leaning around to place more on your jaw. You tilt your head, giving him better access.

His lips unlatch from your skin, you whimpering from the lack of contact. “How about a break from your essay?”

The pair of you exit from the bathroom, you sticking your head into the living room. “Sorry boys, the fight club is over. We’re heading to bed.” You tell them.

Rutger barely waits for you to finish your sentence before he hands your waist, yanking you back into the hall and towards the stairs. You let out a shriek as you’re pulled into his arms.

“Are you guys switching to wrestling now?” Mark shouts after you.

You guys ignore him and the rest of the boys jeering after you, stumbling your way up the stairs.

[dreamwritesimagines]

The Eye of the Hurricane [5] - Unyielding

A.N: Here’s the new chapter my loves! ❤️ Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, you made my day! ❤️I hope you’ll like this chapter as well and please don’t forget to tell me what you think! ❤️

Summary: Certain arguments can’t wait.

Word Count: 3600

Pairing: MobBoss!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Violence, death, guns, crime, blood, explicit language, drinking. This is an AU, friendly reminder that I don’t condone any of the actions depicted on this story and please read with care.

Series Masterlist

For a couple of seconds, you could do nothing but stare at him with wide eyes, frozen in your seat.

“Excuse me?”

“Just hear me out before you grab your gun, it would—” he started but you scoffed and stood up from the lounge chair, the familiar anger rushing through you so fast that it almost made your head spin.

“Do you think this is funny?”

He shook his head fervently. “I’m completely serious.”

A dry laugh spilled from your lips. “Oh really?”

“Charm…”

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but my stupid little crush on you went away years and years ago,” you growled, glaring daggers at him. “You made sure of that, so if you dare assume for even a moment—”

“Oh my God, that was the wildest bachelorette I’ve ever been to!” Becca’s voice cut you off as she pushed open the door and stepped into the rooftop. “Also I’m pretty sure I’m in love now, so…” she stopped when her eyes fell on you two. “Uh, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” you said after a beat and threw your shoulders back. “Did you just say you’re in love?”

“Yeah!”

Bucky stole a look at Becca. “Who did you fall in love with?”

“That’s a long story. What’s going on in here?”

You pursed your lips together, your heart still beating in your ears as you tried to focus through the fury, then cleared your throat.

“We were—”

“Y/N, we’re leaving!” you heard Ian’s voice and your head whipped around, then you cleared your throat.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” you said, pressing a kiss on her cheek in a rush. “Let’s get coffee at the usual place?”

“Uh, sure?” she said slowly and you walked out of the rooftop like someone was chasing you, without sparing Bucky so much as a glance.

The road back home was considerably quiet but it did nothing to silence the chaos in your mind. You had excused yourself to your room as soon as you got home, but after an hour of tossing and turning in the bed, you huffed out and kicked the covers off of you, sitting up in the bed.

This was nonsense.

There was no scenario in which you’d marry Bucky. You weren’t even sure you could spend more than half an hour together without being at each other’s throats, let alone being an actual couple—

Not that you had thought about it.

Much.

Fine, back when you were younger and Bucky hadn’t ripped your heart out yet, you used to spend a lot of time thinking about you and him ending up together. He was your best friend’s cool older brother and you were both heirs to your families’ empires, so your little crush let your imagination run wild.

And then he had broken your heart but after everything, even now, your imagination still liked to conjure him up in your dreams some nights.

But unlike before, you weren’t an idiot. You knew what kind of an asshole he was, so there was no way you could even entertain that stupid proposal, no matter what kind of a promise of power it held.

You rubbed at your eyes and got up from the bed, then padded your way down the hallway, then went down the spiral stairs. You stretched out your arms over your head as you followed the hallway to the kitchen where the light was coming from, as you knew it would, then peeked your head in.

Oh good.

It was just Jennifer, your genius chef who was now busy with making a sandwich on the counter while Ryan sat on one of the chairs, his hands clasped together, his back completely straight. Ryan was Ian’s right hand, -ex military, as much as you knew- but unlike Ian, he was much calmer and rational. He was tall and very muscular and didn’t like to talk much, and that added more to the air of mystery he held, considering no one seemed to know much about his past, or his personal life.

“Hey,” you knocked on the door, making both of them turn their heads. “Is this a bad time?”

“Not at all!” Jennifer said as Ryan stood up from his chair.

“Ma’am.”

“Oh don’t!” you motioned at him. “Please don’t stand up, I just…I couldn’t sleep so I figured—”

“Warm milk with honey and cinnamon?” Jennifer finished your sentence for you, making you smile and nod your head.

“Yes please,” you said and pulled yourself a chair, resting your elbows on the counter. Ryan eyed you, then sat down as well.

“There you go!” Jennifer said, putting the plate in front of him, then smiled at him. “Chef’s special sandwich.”

“Thanks Jen,” Ryan said, his voice gruff and Jennifer turned to you.

“Would you like one as well?”

“Ah no, thank you,” you said and heaved a sigh. Jennifer stole a look at you.

“Are you alright?”

“Too many thoughts,” you muttered, leaning your chin on your fist. “Ryan, are you married?”

Ryan’s head shot up as he chewed on his bite, then cleared his throat.

“No ma’am.”

“Any partner?”

“No ma’am.”

“He’s single,” Jennifer said with a grin. “And all my friends are very eager to change that.”

Ryan offered her an almost abashed smile and shifted his weight on the chair as if he was uncomfortable with the sudden attention while Jennifer put your glass of honeyed milk with cinnamon in front of you with a couple of cookies on the plate.

“Thank you so much,” you said as you took a sip, then bit on the cookie.

“Jen, you’re married and in love, right?”

“And I’m also the luckiest woman in the world in addition to all that,” she said, making you smile.

“Do you think people could get married to people they hate?”

“Why would anyone get married to someone they hate?” she asked and Ryan took a huge bite of his sandwich, looking between you.

“Common interests,” you said. “I don’t know, I had this strange thought…”

Jennifer tilted her head. “What?”

You heaved a sigh, then shook your head.

“Nothing,” you said. “Don’t mind me. Just some late-night thoughts, that’s all.”

                                                 *

By the time you met up with Becca, you still couldn’t stop thinking about last night and Bucky’s proposal, if you could even call it that. It was nonsense, you knew it was, but considering Becca was your best friend, the mere thought of keeping it from her was simply absurd.

“He proposed?” Becca asked, gawking at you. “He actually proposed?”

“Well it was technically a business proposal.”

“And a marriage proposal at the same time?”

You shrugged your shoulders while the waiter filled your coffee cup.

“You know…” Becca trailed off. “Hypothetically speaking—”

“You cannot tell me this is a good idea.”

“I’m not but think about it,” she insisted. “You and Buck already hate each other kinda, so you’re technically already married. You just skipped like ten years into it and got to the resentment part.”

“Becca!”

“You fight like a married couple.”

“If some married couple is fighting like me and Bucky, they should get a divorce,” you pointed out, leaning back in your seat. “I blocked his number, and just…ugh the nerve of the guy, can you believe him?!”

“Mm hm.” Becca said, sipping her matcha before checking her phone. “Oh thank God!”

“What?”

“Sarah is coming to the club this weekend,” she said and pointed at you. “So are you, right?”

“Yeah, me and Ethan.”

“What?”

“I’m bringing Ethan with me,” you explained. “I had to ditch him today, we were supposed to meet for lunch but as you can tell, this couldn’t wait.”

“My brother asking you to marry him even if you hate his guts? Yeah, that beats lunch with the cute ex.”

“And you know, since we’ve been texting a lot, I figured…”

“Yeah yeah, bring him over!” Becca said. “It’ll be fun—oh my God, so my brother’s audacity and ego aside, I need to tell you about the girl I met last night.”

“Yeah, I was going to ask you!” you said. “You said you were in love?”

“I am!” she said with a smile. “You know, I was thinking I could invite her and some friends as well, but now that I think about it, maybe I could just take a page from Bucky’s book and open with a marriage proposal.”

“Becca!”

“I’m just saying, we can just skip to the happily married part, flirting is a waste of time at this point and—”

“You’re not doing that!”

Becca let out a laugh.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Just because it didn’t work for him doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work for me.”

“It wouldn’t work for anyone, Becca,” you told her and she hummed.

“I’ll just say one thing about this, then I’ll talk about the love of my life, alright?”

“Alright,” you said and she turned her cup in the saucer, then clicked her tongue.

“You and Bucky being married is an absurd idea yes,” she said. “But he did have a point.”

“How is that?”

“Well, I’ll ask you the same thing my aunt asked me when I took my civilian boyfriend to my cousin’s wedding, and I have a feeling your answer will be different than mine.”

“Which is?”

She smiled at you mischievously.

“Do you want love poems, or do you want power?”

Your eyes shot up to hers before you shifted your weight, then motioned at her with your hand.

“Come on,” you said. “Enough about that. Tell me about the love of your life.”

                                                     *

You and Becca ended up spending the whole day together, and by the time you decided you would go back home, it was already dark outside. Watching outside as the driver drove you home, you leaned your head on the window, then felt your phone buzzing in your purse so you grabbed it, smiling slightly at the name before answering it.

“Hey there.”

“Hi,” Ethan’s voice reached you, and you could tell he was smiling as well. “How was your day?”

“It was good,” you said. “Full of romance.”

“Romance?”

“Becca is in love,” you said and he let out a whistle.

“Your best friend Becca?”  

“Oh yeah,” you said. “I had to talk her out of looking at bridal shops, but we still went cake tasting.”

“Does this person know they’re getting married to Becca?”

“That’s just a small detail,” you joked, making him chuckle. “She invited her to the club for the weekend, I’m pretty excited to meet her. How about you?”

“Do you find data analyzing romantic?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then it was less romantic than your day.”

“And the hospital?” you asked and he took a deep breath.

“Oh everything is fine. Should be free of the bandages next week.”

You bit inside your cheek. “I still feel responsible—”

“Don’t,” he cut you off. “Seriously. The incident had nothing to do with you.”

“Mm hm.”

“Besides, you can’t really blame the rollercoaster if someone gets hurt on one.”

“No one is supposed to get hurt on a rollercoaster,” you pointed out and he thought for a moment.

“Okay in hindsight, it wasn’t the best analogy…”

You pulled your brows together. “Wait, am I the rollercoaster?”

“No! No, you’re sitting next to me on the rollercoaster,” Ethan explained. “We’re both riding it.”

“That’s not—” you started but a black sports car wheezed past yours and sharply drifted sideways as soon as it got in front of your car so that yours would have to stop.

“I’ll call you back Ethan,” you said and hung up the phone, your heart skipping a beat as you grabbed the gun from underneath the seat, looking to your right to see your bodyguards’ car stopping as well. The driver lowered the partition as the bodyguards stepped out of the car.

“It’s Mr. Barnes’ personal car, ma’am,” he said. “I know the plate.”

“Oh Jesus Christ…” you murmured as you put the gun back to where it was and opened your door, then stepped outside at the same time Bucky left his car. Your bodyguards hesitated as soon as they saw him, looking between you and you waved a hand in the air.

“It’s fine guys,” you said and turned to Bucky. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Bucky shrugged his shoulders as if nothing was wrong.

“You blocked my number,” he said. “It’s not like I can text you.”

“And what, it wasn’t enough of a clue?” you asked tersely and Bucky nodded in the direction of his car.

“Come on, get in. We’re going to talk.”

You crossed your arms. “Nope.”

“Charm for fuck’s sake…”

“I’m not going to talk to you, and I’m certainly not getting in your car.”

“You seriously want to do this right here on the road?”

You threw your hands up in frustration. “You are the one who’s blocking the road, motherfucker!”

You could see the petrified expressions on your bodyguards’ faces before one of them gazed up at the sky while the other one put his hands into his pockets and kicked at a tiny pebble on the road, both desperately trying to look like they weren’t hearing you two.

“Listen—”

“I will not,” you retorted. “What is your deal, seriously?”

“We need to talk about last night,” Bucky said and out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the bodyguards exchanging glances, so you gritted your teeth and grabbed Bucky’s arm to pull him to the other side of the car in an attempt to get more privacy.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” you said through your teeth and Bucky ran a hand over his face.

“No I’d say there’s plenty to talk about,” he said. “I mean you didn’t even give me an answer—”

“That poor excuse of a joke doesn’t deserve an answer.”

“It wasn’t a joke to me.”

“Well, it was to me.”

He shook his head slightly.

“Just—” he said. “Why not?”

You raised your brows, gawking at him in disbelief and a look of realization dawned on his face before he heaved a sigh.

“Charm…”

You shot him a mocking smile, crossing your arms.

You and Becca sneaking into nightclubs wasn’t a new thing, and now that you were leaving for college in a month, you were trying to spend as much time together as possible. Becca threw her arm over your shoulder as you walked through the crowd to the bar.

“Two martinis please,” she told the bartender and he took a look at you two, but before he could say anything the other bartender muttered something into his ear, then motioned at you.

“Coming right up,” he ended up saying as you turned to Becca.

“So you were saying?”

“Yeah like, he keeps saying he’s too busy but I’m not buying it—ugh, you gotta be kidding me!”

You frowned, then followed her line of sight to see Bucky and Steve stepping outside from the other exit that led to the back alley behind the club, your heart starting to beat faster.

“Where are they going?”

“They’re probably gonna beat someone up, who cares?” Becca said with a shrug of her shoulders. “He’s in such a mood nowadays, I’m not even gonna let him know I’m here. Arrogant asshole.”

You tilted your head. “…Oh?”

“He and daddy had a huge fight the other night,” she said as she took the drink from the bartender while he put the other one in front of you. “Like my mom had to step in because they were at each other’s throats, that kind of a fight.”

“Why?”

Becca shrugged again. “It’s probably about business. The golden heir made a mistake I guess.”

You took a sip of your drink. “Interesting.”

“Yeah and then he went and broke up with Laura.”

Your head shot up. “They broke up?”

“Yeah!” Becca said. “Which, I’m not sorry at all because she was so annoying, but no girl in the world deserves to get dumped by Bucky so I have mixed feelings about the situation.”

You could feel the small glimmer of hope warming your chest and you pursed your lips together, then cleared your throat.

“I just—I forgot I was gonna call my dad, he gets so mad when I don’t let him know,” you said. “I gotta step outside for a moment, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay!” Becca said and you made your way through the dance floor before reaching the second exit, but before you could open the door, Steve had already beaten you to it.

“Y/N,” he said when he saw you. “Hey.”

“Hi,” you smiled at him. “Um—have you seen Bucky?”

Steve looked over his shoulder, then turned to you with an apologetic smile.

“He’s not…” he trailed off. “He’s not in the best mood.”

“Oh that’s okay,” you said and pushed the door open before he could say anything else, then stepped outside, holding your phone for the sake of appearance. When you saw him, Bucky’s bodyguards were dragging a nearly unconscious man out of the alley while he wiped the blood off his knuckles with a tissue, then lit a cigarette.

You could feel your heart beating in your ears, but you bit down on your lip, fixing your dress before clearing your throat.

“Bucky?”

He turned his head when he heard his name, then exhaled the smoke.

“Hey Charm,” he greeted you, making your heart skip a beat. “Is Becca here too?”

You bit inside your cheek, trying not to get discouraged by that, then nodded your head.

“Um, yeah we just got here.”

“Great,” he murmured. “Tell her not to drink too much, will you?”

You nodded again and smiled at him, your hand shaky a little as you fixed your dress again, desperately hoping it looked good on you.

“I didn’t know you would be here.”

“Yeah well, here I am,” he said, taking a drag of his cigarette, leaning back to the brick wall and you licked your lips.

“And are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Oh, just...” you stammered. “Becca mentioned you and Laura.”

Bucky shrugged his shoulders. “Happens. I’m fine, it was my call.”

Dear God, he was so handsome that you could just stare at him for hours.  

“Are you going to that gala thing as well?” you asked, nervousness pulsing through your system. “My dad is basically dragging me there, is George doing the same?”

His jaw clenched at the mention of his father, and he nodded quietly, exhaling the smoke.

Your voice was trembling a little, your throat incredibly dry because of the nervousness mixed with anticipation, but you still managed to get the words out.

“So I was thinking, do you—um—do you wanna go together?”

That managed to get his attention and he pulled his brows together, then let out a dry laugh.

“Jesus Christ…” he muttered. “What, you rushed here as soon as you heard about me and Laura? Seriously?”

You pulled back slightly, your stomach doing a flip and you shook your head.

“No, I just—”you stammered, tears stinging the back of your eyes already. “I was just thinking—”

“Listen, I know you don’t see it right now, but this little crush of yours is just…” he trailed off with a small chuckle, motioning between you. “It’s kind of adorable, but it’s not going to happen. If I go to that gala with you, you’ll get your hopes up, so will everyone else around us and I’ll end up trapped in something serious—which is out of question. I can’t trust you with the business, not when you’d probably report everything back to your own family and I can’t afford a mistake, not right now.”

You tried to blink back the tears, staring at him as he threw the cigarette butt on the ground, then put his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

“Not to mention,” he said. “I don’t go for daddy’s spoiled whiny princess type, and you’d be better off with a nicer guy anyway.”

You could feel the sobs threatening to climb up your chest, so you sniffled and turned around to rush back into the club, leaving him there before he could say anything else.

“Don’t tell me that’s the reason,” Bucky’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts and you arched a brow.

“I said nothing.”

“It was what, almost ten years ago?” he asked. “I was an idiot—”

“I am really not interested in whatever this bullshit is,” you told him. “And I’m going to be late for dinner, so…”

“Just hear me out first—”

You looked over your shoulder and motioned at the driver.  “Turn the car around please!”

The driver did as you asked but before you could step away from Bucky, he grabbed your arm.

“Charm, I can help you get the power you want,” he insisted as you rolled your eyes. “You might hate me right now, but you know I can do that. Just let me get you that crown.”

“We’re done here.” You yanked your arm out of his grip and walked to the car but stopped when you reached it, turning your head to look at him.

“I’m not going to marry you Bucky,” you called out, fully aware that the bodyguards could hear you, and the mere thought gave you a strange sense of satisfaction. “I would never marry you. I don’t go for the arrogant asshole type, and you’d be better off with a nicer girl anyway.”

 With that you got in the car, and the driver started driving as soon as you slammed the door shut, the car gliding down the road smoothly.

“Unbelievable,” you muttered to yourself and leaned your head back, closing your eyes. “The fucking audacity.”

Chapter 6

[shoyoist]

𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 — haitani ran.

haitani ran doesn't care for anything. 

he has always been that way. laid back look in eyes, lips set in that impassive slant that somehow passed as a smile. you've known this about him for the lengthy amount of time you've been friends, and you were used to his languid attitude — and you didn't mind it, honestly.

you knew he only really cared when it was something about himself. his hair, his pride, or something to do with his little brother getting into danger.

which is why you're staring at him the way you are. 

watching him rub the darkening bruise at the left of his mouth as he fixes his hair (of course. his ever so precious hair.) after it had come loose, seated on your couch with that nonchalant look in his eyes — like he hadn't just beat the absolute shit out of your ex boyfriend.

thinking back on it, you weren't even sure why you'd called ran and told him about it. 

all you knew was that you'd just barely managed to move on from the way your ex cheated on you and dumped you months ago; and seeing the jerk at your door, hearing him tell you that he regretted everything and wanted you to give him a second chance — it had you fumbling for the phone in an instant.

"ran," you'd muttered, trying to keep your voice from reaching the guy standing more or less patiently behind the door you'd slammed in his face. "ran, he's here. and he says he wants me back. after everything he did—"

ran had cut you off with a simple 'give me five minutes, yeah?' — and then he was there, grabbing your ex by the collar and spitting in his face before throwing him onto the ground.

you'd stood there for a moment, confused, shocked and stunned to see the anger in ran's usually placid eyes. to see the way he used his fists, rather than the weapons he preferred. to hear him cuss your ex out, talking about how you deserved better than a piece of shit, about how if he ever showed his ass at your door again, he'd kill him on the spot.

you'd only snapped out of it when your ex managed to land a punch on ran's face, sending his head twisting to one side, blonde-and-black braids following the movement — and then you were stepping out, screaming at them to stop. 

ran looked up at you, recognized the upset written over your features, and withdrew. not without one last kick, but the fact that he'd immediately, actually stopped was another surprise. "get the fuck away." he'd hissed at your ex.

naturally, your ex had left the scene without further protest, hopefully never to return, but you were still stunned. because for a moment, it looked like haitani ran cared.

"lemme get a glass of water," he'd mumbled, all casual, shouldering past you into your house and making his way into your kitchen.

you followed, poured him his water, watched him drink and wash his mouth with it, and then followed him back into your living room where he now sat, redoing his hair.

deciding that you'd stared enough, he looks up. "what is it, huh?"

"ah," you scramble to find words that would make sense. "i was just wondering. you got here pretty fast."

"i was on my way." he explains dismissively.

"you were?" you ask. he nods, fixing one braid and undoing the other, letting the alternating waves of dyed hair fall across his shoulder, creating soft shadows over the slant of his face, against the watery sunlight coming through your window. "was gonna take you out for some ice cream."

"oh." and then you realize that in fact, he'd been doing that a lot the past weeks, after your break up.

showing up unannounced and asking you if you wanted to go out for some nothing-in-particular, telling you almost teasingly that he'd freed up some time just for you, so you better accept his offer.

you'd been appreciating his gestures as kindness shown to you by a friend — albeit one that was involved in various criminal activities, that you'd decided to look past because you'd known him for long enough to not care — but now, you were starting to wonder if it was something more.

the signs were all there, after all.

"ran, do you—" the words spill from your lips without your intention, and you hesitate, even as he looks up, flicking a strand of his hair out of his eyes that were now glowing with the light pooling in them. "yeah?"

fuck, you think, as his gaze grows sharper, steeling itself against yours.

"i'm just, uh," you really don't know how to say what you wanted to say. "it's just, you ... do you care?"

he raises an eyebrow, giving you a scrutinizing look. "the fuck's that supposed to mean, hm? care about what?"

"about ..." you take a deep breath. "scratch that. do you like me?"

he freezes momentarily, upon hearing your question — only for a fraction of a second — but you're watching him closely enough to catch it. you don't know what else to say, and there's silence in the air between you two for what feels like an age, before he simply finishes braiding his hair and stands up. 

your heart starts to beat faster, wondering if he was about to walk out with no explanation — perhaps you'd hit a nerve, perhaps you'd assumed wrong and thought too much about something that had no meaning. "wait—"

"look, i don't wanna be a rebound or anything." he starts, voice a little stiff, a little cold — and you shut your mouth, allowing him to continue. "i'm not about to get played or made a fool out of. so, so we'll take things slow. i'll wait for you to get over shit at your own pace. you take your time, and tell me if you ever wanna give me a chance."

"g-give you a chance?" your heart picks up pace again, because god, you weren't expecting him to say all of that. it wasn't like him to be so — so this way, and it was rendering you just a bit speechless. "ran, i . . . you, you really—"

he turns to you again, rolling his eyes — but you don't see any real annoyance behind it. "not in the mood to talk about it right now, love. let's just go get some food. and you know it's not gonna be any tacky shit like what ass-face treated you to, so hurry up."

and now, after that thrown out half-confession, the way he called you love sounded softer, less of a joke and more of something else. you felt bad, but you also can't help but feel relief. 

why relief?

because you know how you used to have a crush on him. 

hell, you'd been in love with ran, going as far as to break things off with your friends that tried to convince you that he was no good. 

and because you can't help the way you've been looking forward to his impromptu visits as of late, daydreaming and wondering when he was going to surprise you next, and with what.

you know how you'd seen your ex at your door and only felt fear and anger stir in your gut — and you know how you'd immediately dialled ran, and felt near-tears with consolation when he picked up so quickly, when you heard his voice in your ear.

because you were starting to wonder if your past love for him was slowly coming back.

you still needed some time to move on, and ran knew that. which is why he'd just said, that he's willing to wait. because he has feelings for you?

"but are you sure you're willing to," locking the door, you turn to him and walk after him, out to where he had his motorcycle parked across the street. "you know, willing to wait?"

"whatever." ran shrugged, not looking at you. you quickened your pace, catching up with him and grabbing his sleeve to cross the street together. his gaze was fixed on his motorcycle, but it didn't look like he was focused on the vehicle.

the breeze rustles gentle in your ears as you walk with him to the other side of the road, and the sound fills in any awkwardness that blooms between you two.

the sequence of events that had just played out, hadn't taken even an hour. but as you search your surroundings for any signs of any unwanted presences, you see nothing.

there's only a couple of kids passing by on bicycles, birds coming down to land on the branches of a tree growing some distance away, and pale sunlight sifting down frim between the clouds to pool on the asphalt at your feet.

you feel calm. ran shakes away the grip you've got on your sleeve, but as your hand falls down to rest slack at your side, he grabs it, and gives it a small squeeze — and you feel a tingle of something bright and hot run through your chest. 

swinging his leg over, he leaps onto the motorcycle, slipping the key into the ignition. you get on behind him, grabbing onto his shoulders for support, suddenly feeling warm despite the chilly wind that was starting to pick up. 

"i've waited long enough already, anyway." he added belatedly, sounding ever so laid back, despite the cherry colour tipping his ears. "take your time. nothing to it, waiting some more."

and as your heart warms, you think that perhaps you were wrong. 

perhaps haitani ran does care. for you.

note: interactions, reblogs & feedback are much appreciated!<3

[ikeuverse]

I WANT YOU — p.sunghoon

PAIRING: sunghoon x fem!reader GENRES: fluff, a pinch of angst WC: 4.5k+

WARNINGS: mentions of drinking, coming home drunk (being carried, literally), a few swear words. and let me know if I've forgotten anything else.

NOTES: i don't remember ever seeing a story with sunghoon being the best friend in love, so i wanted to write something like this. i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing something for him like this.

masterlist

Friday night was the moment when you felt the peak of your tiredness beating against every fiber of your body. Taking off all the clothes you wore to work during that tiring day, getting into the hot shower was the only thing you needed for a moment.

Water on your skin, strawberry-scented soap and shampoo, and a lot of relaxation as soon as you turn off the shower to dry off and look for more comfortable clothes.

"Y/n?" the voice called out from downstairs in the apartment, indicating that your brother had just arrived home.

Putting on your baggy T-shirt followed by your pajama shorts, you went downstairs to meet him in the living room, turning on the television.

"Oh, did you just get out of the shower?" he asked when he turned to you. A smile played on his lips as you smiled back, without much enthusiasm for being completely tired from your exhausting day.

"Do you want something to eat? I'll order—"

"Actually" he interrupted you, walking with you into the kitchen where he leaned against the worktop, "I just came to drop off my backpack and let you know I'm going out with the boys."

Oh, your whisper came out softly, he was still smiling while his hands were flat on the marble in front of him.

"Be careful, please" you asked him "Don't come loaded tonight, okay? Tomorrow you need to study for your final exams."

His smile was contagious. And you felt the weight of your brother's body as he came up to hug you and put his chin on your head.

"I promise I'll take care of myself, okay?"

He didn't take care of himself.

You laughed at the brief thought earlier in the evening as soon as you hung up the phone. On the call, Jay's loud voice was indicating that your brother had already left about fifteen minutes ago with Sunghoon.

Park Sunghoon. That's why he hadn't come to see you that night, he was with your brother in that bar.

Of course. You couldn't just ask your brother's best friend to stay with you, when in fact your brother was a pit of jealousy. So your relationship with Sunghoon had to be a secret from the day you first kissed.

The party was going on and you would never have thought that Park Sunghoon, the high school skater, would have a crush on you. He kissed you. He kissed you so hard until you lost your breath - or until your brother threw you away in your last year before university.

After that, no one ever saw the two of you together again. Meanwhile, on the sly, the two of you couldn't keep your hands off each other. The only person who knew about you and Sunghoon was Callie, your best friend, and Jay's girlfriend, your friend and your brother's friend.

She was one of the only female figures completely close to you and your circle of friends, so opening up to her about everything that was going on was almost inevitable.

"He went to take your brother who drank too much" Callie muttered on the other end of the line. "I just got home with Jay and I think tomorrow's studies are going to be postponed."

"Really?" you scratched your temple with your free hand, already imagining the state in which your brother would arrive at the apartment.

You had asked him not to drink so much, but knowing his stubbornness, he certainly wouldn't listen to you like that. So you just shrugged.

"We can set up the session at your place tomorrow, what do you think?" your friend suggested a few minutes later, probably paying attention to the two of you calling and Jay mumbling something incomprehensible on the other end "That way you and Sunghoon can be together a bit more, since today didn't work out" she whispered, knowing that this had happened so that Jay wouldn't hear.

"I'd love to, actually" the sound of the doorknob made you jump up from the sofa, glancing at the door before it opened "They're here, I'm going to help them. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow, kitten" Callie said goodbye and hung up, and just as you did the same to put your cell phone on the coffee table, the door opened.

Your brother was hanging on to one of Sunghoon's shoulders, who was struggling against his weight to stand up. You ran the few steps closer to the two of them, holding back your laughter when your brother raised his head and looked at you with narrowed eyes.

"Y/n?" he looked at you, then at Sunghoon "Are we home?"

"We're home" Sunghoon was panting, holding the other boy's body up high enough.

"Shit Jake, what's gotten into you?" your voice had a worried tone, ignoring Sunghoon's gaze on you the whole time since he closed the door and entered the apartment.

"We bet" he sobbed, disentangling himself from Sunghoon's arms, "and I lost."

He kicked his shoes off his feet, keeping his socks on as he unbuckled his belt, throwing it into a corner of the living room.

"Okay, no naked here" Sunghoon ran up to him and grabbed Jake by the hands "Let's go to your room, you need a shower."

He even tried to deny it and protest, but he knew he wasn't up to it, especially since even you were harder than he was. You almost pushed him into the bedroom with Sunghoon's help.

"But… Wait…" Jake stopped at the door to his bathroom, turning around "You're not going to see me naked, are you?"

"No" Sunghoon laughed, followed by you "I'll just go in, she can sort out your nightclothes, how about that?" his gaze was on you again, and with a nod, you went to Jake's closet to get some clothes.

Your mind must have been wandering as you picked out something for your brother. Sunghoon was right there, under the same roof as you. It was strange to see him so suddenly, even though you were looking forward to meeting him that day.

It was always a surprise when you saw him because, every moment, Sunghoon was different. Not physically, you mean. But his features. Sometimes he was frustrated about something at work or college. Or even his sleepiness, which made him so cute. You felt like kissing him non-stop when he mumbled into your pillow that he didn't want to leave.

"Have you chosen?" Sunghoon appeared in the bathroom doorway. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his pants were folded to his knees and yet all the fabric of his clothes was wet.

You realized that you had rambled on too long because Jake was already drying himself off while you were singing in the bathroom. Sunghoon just smiled in your direction as you handed him some clothes and he went back into the bathroom.

Less than a few minutes later they were both out. Jake with wet hair and a slightly better appearance. Sunghoon seemed to check the room, seeing the bottle of water that Jake always kept by his bed.

"It's full, he'll be fine" he said as he pointed to the object, you just nodded in agreement.

"Hey man, thanks" Jake yawned as he flopped onto the bed, still feeling everything around him spin. He waved for Sunghoon to come closer and so he did "Without you, I wouldn't be able to get home."

"You know I'm here for anything" Sunghoon smiled at him "Now, go to sleep, I have to go home and check on Heeseung and Jungwon."

Jake muttered something else that neither of you could understand, so all that was left was to agree and say goodnight. Letting your brother know that he would be in the next room if he needed.

You were the last to leave Jake's room, taking another look at your brother's sleepiness, who was now dozing off peacefully and so quickly. It was the effect of the drink that always made him fall asleep so quickly. So as soon as you turned off the lights, you carefully let the door close completely.

Before anything could be said, Sunghoon's hands traveled up to your face and, without effort, he got close enough to touch your lips with his. A slow kiss that tasted of alcohol because you knew he had been drinking too. Maybe not as much as your brother, but still, and that made the kiss taste so sweet on your tongue when you slid it into his mouth.

Kissing Sunghoon was incredible and dangerous at the same time, even more so in front of Jake's room. Knowing that he wouldn't wake up, nothing stopped the chill in your stomach from chasing you, even when Sunghoon pressed his body against yours at the exact moment your back met the wall. You moaned into his mouth, the contact of his fingers against your skin sliding down to your waist, lifting the T-shirt you were wearing to touch you there without warning.

"We… We can't…" you tried to catch your breath as his lips descended to your neck; without leaving a mark, but enough for his tongue to slide against your skin and send shivers down your spine.

"Shit" he cursed in a whisper before giving your neck one last kiss and aligning his face with yours. Leaning our foreheads against each other so he could be close enough to you "I missed you" he confessed.

That little sentence wreaked havoc on your heart, which was beating fast against your chest. You smiled, stealing another kiss from Sunghoon's lips and resting your hands against his face, one on each side.

"I missed you too" you said quietly.

"Leaving Jake was in my plans from the moment he asked me to go to that bar" Sunghoon's voice could only be heard because of how close the two of you were. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to hear him "I should have come to see you before anything else."

"It's okay" you tried to reassure him, leaving a kiss against his jawline "You're here now and I'm glad we were able to meet."

He was more than happy to see you too, and it showed in the bright look he was giving you. The small smile adorning his red lips and the subtle touch on your cheek before Sunghoon moved a little away from your body.

"Now I have to go and check on the boys" he slid his hands into yours, interlacing your fingers in his, "or it'll be dangerous kissing you here."

"Why can Jake see us?" you whispered jokingly.

He moved closer again, brushing his lips against yours as he bent down to meet you.

"Because I can dawdle in your room."

You felt your knees tremble at the intense gaze, the warm breath against your mouth, and the grip of his hands. But he was right. Sunghoon had to leave before it was too late.

"I'll see you tomorrow" he said, kissing you once more before pulling you out into the hallway, out of sight of Jake's bedroom door.

While you walked him to the door, stumbling on the way as you exchanged numerous kisses with him, your brother continued to sleep peacefully in his bed. Not even imagining the scene that was unfolding inside your shared apartment.

Jake thanked Callie for having a brilliant mind and suggesting study time in his apartment – or because she knew Jay's friends well enough to know that they would all be hungover – especially the boy who couldn't even open his eyes properly.

Your brother's head had been lying on your lap since everyone had arrived and gathered in your living room. You hadn't had much interaction with Sunghoon apart from the few minutes Jake had been in the bathroom when Sunghoon arrived, managing to steal a quick kiss from you before sitting down on the other side of the sofa and facing you.

"Man, I don't think I'll ever drink again" Jake whined, looking up to meet your eyes, which had previously been on the notebook you kept for studying.

"You say that every Saturday morning" you said, causing all his friends to laugh.

"You all could have at least taken it easy" Callie finished writing something down in her notebook, looking at Jay who was squinting at his book.

"Yeah, tonight I think we crossed a line" Heeseung almost cried when he felt a twinge in his head.

"How about some coffee?" you suggested.

"We love you more than we love your brother. You know that, don't you?" Jay looked at you with eyes that were so affectionate, but at the same time so pleading, asking you to really make yourself something strong to drink.

"Stay away from her" Jake huffed.

In the middle of the laughter and side conversations, you quickly glanced at Sunghoon to see him already looking at you. With a wink in your direction, you contented yourself with not running to grab him, let alone trying to look so shy at the way he stared at you.

You only came back to reality when you felt Jake get up from your lap and sit down next to you on the sofa while you chatted with the boys.

Study time taking a break for them to reminisce about last night's events. You and Callie just laughing at their antics or how Jungwon had done so badly at the billiards. He and Jake were a team, hence your brother's state last night when he got home, having lost a whole round to Jay and Heeseung, drinking more than he should have.

"But the winner last night was our friend, Sunghoon" you hoped your brother wouldn't notice that the moment Sunghoon's name was mentioned, you stopped typing your report on the laptop in front of you. Looking from the screen to the boy on the other side of the room, you knew he was avoiding you when he cursed your brother.

"Fuck off, Jake. Don't talk nonsense" Sunghoon said.

"Am I lying?" Jake laughed a little, followed by the other boys.

Your gaze quickly fell on Callie. She was already looking between you and Sunghoon, trying to think of something she could do.

"That girl lied when she said she didn't know how to play billiards just so Sunghoon would help her" Jay said nonchalantly, putting his notebook aside and running a hand through his hair.

"I think she was interested in another cue" Heeseung said "Ouch" he shouted as Callie threw a cushion in his direction, hitting him in the face.

Everything seemed too far away as they talked and insisted on talking about Sunghoon and what had happened. You heard enough to know that this subject was the cause of your blurred vision and the burning in your eyes.

It was impossible to type a single word, let alone to know whether they were calling you to a meeting or not. You just looked at Sunghoon, who kept his hands clenched into fists, his gaze on you as he kept himself from getting up from the sofa and walking towards you.

You got up with the excuse that now you could make the coffee they so desperately needed. Sunghoon managed to follow you saying that he would help you since he was the only one in the room who wasn't hungover apart from you and Callie. By some miracle, your brother didn't even object, going back to talking about something when you and Sunghoon disappeared from everyone's view.

"Y/n…" his voice entered your ears like a heartbreaking sound. You didn't turn around immediately, concentrating instead on getting the container from the machine to prepare what you needed "Y/n, please…"

Your work in ignoring him was proving successful. Concentrating on getting the number of cups you needed and putting the coffee you needed in the machine were enough for you not to focus on his presence right behind you. But it all came to nothing when Sunghoon's hands grabbed your waist, pulling you around and turning you to face him.

"Listen to me, please" he asked once again.

"I'm making the coffee" you tried to change the subject, but it was getting harder and harder as his fingers tightened around your waist. Sunghoon looked disappointed and you didn't understand why, after all, you were the one who had heard things that really made your heart sink.

"Absolutely nothing happened in that bar" he began, his hands softening around your waist when he noticed that you had your attention on him "She stood in front of me, asked me to teach her how to play, and when she leaned over the table I walked away. I walked away and—"

"Why are you telling me this?" the image of the events flashed through your mind and made your eyes sting even more. Sunghoon knew you would cry and it killed him inside because he was feeling guilty enough.

"Because you deserve to know."

"Guys" Callie whispered, making you and Sunghoon almost jump in your seats. He turned away from you for a moment, and that was enough for the tears to fall freely down your cheeks "Jake went to the bathroom, but I think he'll be in soon to check on the coffee."

"Thanks for the warning, Callie" Sunghoon thanked. He didn't know if he was worthy of such a thing.

"Can you two finish without me?" your voice was broken and you didn't want to go on, so you quickly walked past Sunghoon and Callie out of the kitchen and straight up to your room.

Your best friend stood there, knowing that Sunghoon had a lot to say. And since you didn't want to hear it now, maybe she could do it in your place if he wanted to tell you right now.

"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Jake looked at your figure wrapped in the blanket and sitting on the edge of the sofa. You agreed, giving your best smile to your brother as he left a kiss on your forehead and walked out the door.

Counting the weeks you avoided Sunghoon, adding up the times you cried because you refused his calls or didn't want to cross his path when he came to the apartment you shared with your brother. It was painful to have to think about it, even more so because you were in a fucking secret relationship… And why? Because of your brother's idiotic jealousy? Because Sunghoon didn't want to lose Jake's friendship? Or because both you and Sunghoon were cowardly enough not to say anything?

Too many questions and no answers to what you were feeling. That was unfair. So long in hiding to have to end up like that, with him after you and your tears falling every night because you couldn't forget the bloody scene that was described. And what's more, with all his friends - including your brother - commenting with the greatest joy. Of course, none of them knew about you and Sunghoon, but it still hurt. It hurt so much that it suffocated you in a way.

"Fuck" you almost shouted in fright when your phone rang.

Watching the movie credits roll by and noticing that you'd rambled on so long that you hadn't even looked at the ending, but it didn't matter, that comedy had been seen so many times that you'd even memorized the line.

On the second ring, a loud music noise was heard for the first time. You even thought about saying something, maybe they'd hear you, but your best friend's voice was quick enough.

"Y/n? You have to come here" Callie practically shouted to overpower the music, which had worked because you heard her voice so well.

"I told you I don't want to leave…"

"No, you don't understand. You have to, y/n" she emphasized, and something inside you screamed. Jumping up from the sofa and not even knowing why, you ran upstairs to your room.

"What happened?" while you put the call on speaker, looking for an outfit, Callie seemed to be looking for a quiet place to talk to you. Finding the party bathroom, she locked the door behind her to continue the call.

"Well, let's say Sunghoon told your brother about you and him" she said, "and now Jake's furious and swearing to kill him."

You almost tore the T-shirt you were wearing, running to your phone with a hysterical scream.

"He what?" you reached for the handset before taking it in your hands "Shit, shit, shit. What did Sunghoon do?"

"Baby, I don't know. But you need to come quickly."

That's what you'd do, of course. You just didn't know that getting changed in five minutes, ordering an Uber in three, and being at the party in ten minutes would seem like an eternity to you.

Meeting Callie and Jay at the entrance, your friend hugged you quickly while Jay wrapped his arms around your body.

"I'm sorry, please y/n, I'm sorry" Jay said while still hugging you, slowly releasing your body until you could face him.

"For what, exactly?"

"For that stupid thing" he said as he walked you and Callie into the party "If we knew about you two, neither of us would joke about it."

The only thing you could do was agree and lean on one of Jay's arms so as not to get lost in the party. Thanking him for his words that had really made you smile, warming a little of your heart that was getting faster and faster as he guided you and Callie to a more secluded spot.

A corridor illuminated by red and pink lights, hurt your eyes so much that you wondered how people managed to stand there. It was almost impossible to walk past and not get a headache or something.

When you stopped walking, Jay stepped in front of you and you felt Callie's arms intertwine with yours. A way of saying that she was there without saying a word. That's why she was your best friend.

Everything seemed too quiet for your liking. Your eyes traveled from your brother to Sunghoon, neither of them with any bruises or cuts on their faces, everything intact and without any scratches. At least no physical force had been used.

Jake was the first to get up, walking towards you as he watched Callie disentangle herself to get some distance away from you.

"Jake" you called him.

"Y/n" he called back, taking your hand and clearing his throat in the process "I'm an idiot."

"What?" your eyes flicked past him and then to Sunghoon. Your heart raced and your legs trembled at the small smile that adorned your brother's mouth.

"I heard some truths from Sunghoon and I know I was extremely stupid."

"You… You two…"

You looked at Callie and Jay, the two of them close to the others while you were further away with your brother. Only Sunghoon looked at you and Jake.

"We got into a bit of an argument, but it wasn't that big" he said, "Heeseung had the idea for Callie to call you like that or you wouldn't have come to us tonight."

"I'll kill that asshole" you whispered, feeling your eyes fill with tears as Jake pulled you into a hug.

"I'm sorry if everything that happened hurt you, I really am, y/n" he whispered between your hair, wrapping his arms even tighter around you "I let my stupid jealousy speak louder and I didn't realize what was best for you."

"I think I can take care of myself and you can do it with me too, Jake" you whispered back before he pulled away to kiss your forehead "You just don't have to deprive me of a relationship…"

"Did it have to be with one of my best friends?" he whined.

"Of course! She can't do that to anyone else" you and Jake abruptly turned to Sunghoon. He had a faint smile at the corner of his lips as he looked at you both and then fixed his gaze on your face.

"Is this the time I go out and leave you two alone?" Jake asked, seeing you and Sunghoon agree "Okay. I'll be right there, whatever" he nodded, turning away from you and going to find the rest of the group of friends.

Sunghoon moved a little closer, his hands coming out of his pants pockets to reach for your hand and entwine your fingers in his, pulling you closer.

You thought about calling him, saying something or simply cursing him for telling your brother without telling you first. But as soon as his lips touched yours, the softness of his mouth against yours, everything was forgotten.

That's where you had to stay, that's where you belonged from the first kiss you exchanged. Sunghoon knew it too. He was sure that he had found everything he needed from the first moment he saw you, and touched you. He also knew that it would be a huge obstacle to tell Jake and try to get around his enormous jealousy of his little sister. But he didn't know how he'd managed it. The drink might have helped him a little to confess, even though he'd heard Jake swear at him a lot and almost threaten to hit him again.

But it would all be worth it if he had you in the end. He wasn't going to give up and that's what motivated him to do what he did. That's why he was sharing that kiss for the - second - first time in front of everyone.

"Sunghoon" you called after him as you ended the kiss, controlling your breathing as his hands went to your face and caressed your cheeks "Why did you do that? Tell Jake…"

"Because I want you, y/n. Since the first time, I've always wanted you" his voice lowered so that you could hear him, his lips still brushing against yours as he kissed you slowly once more "I was a coward not to tell your brother before and I almost had to lose you to realize it."

"But you didn't lose me, you idiot" his laugh tickled your lips, loving the way he was holding you so precisely.

Sunghoon left one last kiss on your lips before pulling away and entwining your fingers in his, pulling you into the group and sitting back down on the sofa. He pulled you along, and you sat next to him in the circle while smiling contentedly at the happy looks on your friends' faces.

They all shared in the joy of finally being able to see you and Sunghoon together. Jake controlled his jealousy because he trusted his friend enough to take care of his sister.

"You know, I should have taken that bat and hit that girl in the head" Heeseung finished his can of beer after everyone had changed the subject, congratulating you and Sunghoon on the secret that everyone had just discovered, except Callie.

"Heeseung!" Sunghoon laughed, slapping the arm of his friend who was sitting across from him.

"What? It's serious!" he sounded serious, which made you laugh too. Because Heeseung managed to lighten the mood while the conversation took another turn.

Now and then you managed to catch Sunghoon's eyes on you, and this time with the certainty that you could kiss him in front of everyone, without having to hide.

© ikeuverse, 2023. do not copy, translate or steal my stories.

[aliaology]

HOUSE THAT BUILT ME

summary: reader (older hughes sister) takes a small flight to toronto to say goodbye to the home she grew up in before moving to michigan.

pairings: hughes brothers x older sister!reader

warnings: just angst. part three of my older hughes! sister au so it kinda contradicts never grow up bc i almost made the michigan house be her childhood house with the childhood room line, but the toronto house was her childhood house, i just lowkey forgot they lived in toronto in the first part.

you didn't expect to be here. you didn't expect yourself to take a last minute flight to toronto and stand in the front of the house you used to call home. but you felt drawn to do so, you had to come back one last time. even if people told you you couldn't, you still did.

you felt yourself walking up the stairs. your handprints littered them, along with little quinnys, little jackys, and little little lukeys. the multi-colored handprints were a stark contrast to the white, chipped paint of the porch stairs.

they creaked under you, causing you to step slower. you now stood in front of the screen door that covered the red door. your hand shakily reached up to the doorbell, pressing it. the all-familiar tune played. it wasn't a normal 'ding!' no, your mother made it ring to a beat. one you would tap your foot to every time it was rung.

the door creaked open, revealing a slightly older woman. "can i help you?" she asked, eyes squinted from the sun.

"im so sorry to bother you, i know you dont know me but, i um- i used to live here." you awkwardly laughed. "me and my brothers are actually the kids who did those handprints on the stairs." you informed.

she opened the screen door, stepping out. she had a soft smile on her face and waved you over to the small swing that was on the porch.

you two ended up sitting and talking. "the back bedroom, that was mine. i did my homework on a dainty desk and that room is where i learned to play guitar." you spoke.

a fond smile was on the womans face. "i've never once changed anything in this house since me and my family moved here." she told.

"i couldnt. i actually hoped one of the kids who did those handprints would show up. i like learning of what this place used to be. plus, whoever did that kitchen was amazing." she chuckled.

"my dad helped my mom do that. it was a dream kitchen for her. he helped a lot of her dreams come true with this house." you said.

you looked over the property. the green grass, the live oak, the trees that surrounded the house. you looked back at her.

"do you- do you think i could come in? i just want to look around. i swear as soon as im done, ill leave. i wont take nothing, just my memories." you smiled.

she let you. you found yourself tracing the walls as you walked upstairs. the same texture was there as it used to be. the steps still creaked twice with every step. the air was still cold, as it used to be.

you walked into your old room. the walls were still the dark purple they used to be. it made you remember who you used to be. the happy-go-lucky little girl whos only care in the world were her three younger brothers.

you weren't done looking around, but you already dreaded the idea of leaving. leaving home wasn't what you wanted to do. doing it once was hard enough. you could see yourself, your younger self, sitting at her desk.

feet kicking with a pencil in her hand as she hummed to some random song that she heard on the tv. she would smile every once in awhile as she did her math homework, realizing she understood something.

you could see young jack running in, a water gun in his hand, and shooting you with it, ruining your mood and your homework. you could see little luke rushing in behind him, tackling jack to the ground. little quinn would pin jack down and little you would tickle him as payback. luke and quinn were your little sidekicks.

after awhile, you walked back to the porch. "thank you again, ma'am. this meant a lot to me. it helped being able to see and feel the house again." you told her.

she smiled. "of course dear." you gave her a polite nod and walked down the handprint-filled stairs. you got to see the house that built you, and instead of leaving with tears, you left with a small smile.

tags (perm); @slaythehousebootsdown13 , @um-mads , @outrunangelss

[beelz-bub]

I keep seeing people complain about the lack of Prisjake fics on Ao3 and y'know just in general, sooOOOO I made one--

It's not on Ao3 because I don't have an account, I wrote this in ma notes app 💀💀

**Warning, I'm not really a writer, my stuff ass**

"Drunk and Stupid"

Jake visits Prismo's party to get his mind off something but goes a little too hard, worrying his friend. **Alternate Universe where Jake lives a lot longer, he's an older dude. For reference Finn is in his mid-20s.

Finn glared at his brother while tapping his foot impatiently. Jake lay motionless covered in his blanket, "Dude." he mutters, frustrated with his brother.

"Not now." A faint murmur came from his bed, if you could call it that. It was just an open drawer.

"Common man, you've been lying around for over a month!" Finn stepped over, shaking Jake on the shoulder, "Let's go out on an adventure dude! You need to get out of the house."

"No man." he waved his hand around in an attempt to shoo Finn away.

"Ugh, fine." he backed up to the window, "But I'm gonna bring you something to eat." he pointed at him angrily, then climbed down the ladder into the kitchen.

"Uh-huh..." Jake didn't move an inch.

Finn wandered around the kitchen in thought. The first thing that came to his mind was a sandwich, Jake loved them. He needed to make it good, only the best ingredients for his bro. He fiddled with his beard, then remembered they still had a few more Prismo pickles left. Reaching over to the cabinet, he was startled by a bright light. The pickle jar was glowing with all sorts of bright colors. Flashing and moving all around like stage lights at a concert. Confused, he decided to bring the jar up to Jake. Surely he knows what this means, besides, it'll at least get him out of bed. Couldn't hurt.

Finn carefully climbed back up the ladder, the pickle jar under his arm, still flashing, "Ugh," he plopped it down, "Hey Jake?"

"Mhm...?" he mumbled, barely moving.

"Do y'know what it means when Prismo's pickle jar is like all glowing colors and-"

"PRISMOOO!!" Jake threw off his blankets and hurried over to the jar, stretching out of the bed. He put his little paws on the lid, "Aw man, I should really answer this time." he sighed.

"What? Is it important," Finn climbed up, sitting down on the ledge and looking into the jar. The pickles danced around with the colors like it was a little pickle party in there.

"Nah man..." he rested his head on the jar, "He's inviting me to a party."

"Oh hey! There you go!" Finn lit up, "This is the perfect opportunity to get out of the house! Go let loose with your buddies man!"

"Guh... I dunno. I'm not really in the mood to party. I'll just be a bummer."

"Shove it, dude. You can at least see Prismo, he's a cool dude!" he stood up, "Just go. You're better off dancing around and drinking than laying in bed." he put his hands on his hips, the robot arm barely holding onto him.

Jake sighed, "Oh, alright." giving into Finn's demands. His paws held onto the sides of the jar, "Prismo I accept your invita-" Before he could finish, his form broke apart into several long rectangles, carrying Jake out of Ooo and into the entrance of Prismo's time room.

Bright flashing lights blind him the moment he enters Prismo's domain. The light forced Jake to cover his eyes for a second. As he stood there, he felt the beat of the song vibrate the ground under his feet. Walking inside he was met with an array of different cosmic and cursed beings drinking and dancing to music. The big man himself in the center, bobbing his head to the music.

Jake stretched down, walking past a few familiar faces, and exchanging short pleasantries, although he was mostly ignored. That was until he reached the far wall and made himself known to the host, "Prismo!!" he called out.

Almost instantly, Prismo stopped dancing and glanced down at his canine friend, "Jake! Wow, you came!" he was gitty, a huge grin stretched across his face.

"Hah, yeah." he rubbed the back of his head.

There was a short uncomfortable silence between the two, which unnerved Prismo, "Yo man, are you alright?" he said, far quieter.

"Yeah! Yes. I've just been uh... Going through a lot recently." he smiled to imply it wasn't a big deal.

Prismo frowned, shrinking a little to be on Jake's level, "Dude, if you wanna talk about it you know I'm here for you. We can go inside the cube if this is too much." he glanced at the party.

"Pshh-" he swatted at Prismo, "Whaaat?! No! I'm here to party! Gotta get my mind off things!"

"Ah-" Prismo backed off, "If you say so..." he pointed to the table, "I have snacks if you're interested, plenty of cheesy crackers!" he smiled.

"I'll take you up on that offer! Hehehe!" Jake made his way to the table indulging in all sorts of snacks and cracking open his first beer. Prismo continued to enjoy the party but kept a close eye on Jake. He felt like something was off. The fact that Jake was here to 'get his mind off things' was worrisome on its own. Partying can only do so much, and Prismo knew this.

Jake had chugged a beer, and then another all while dancing to the music. As he drank more and more, Jake would get more pushy as if it were a mosh pit. Prismo watched nervously, "Jake?" he called over, not getting a response.

After 8 more beers, chugged and slammed into his head, he jumped into the spa, splashing Cosmic Owl with all that hot water. Jake rose from the water and laughed hysterically while Cosmic Owl frowned, holding a cup of chips and pool water. Prismo was getting more and more frightened by Jake's behavior, "Dude! Step out, common!" he continued to ignore him, "Jake! Dude chill out-"

Prismo continues to beckon Jake to calm down or step away to no avail. The dog is preoccupied with getting totally wasted which is concerning him. Drink after drink, pushing around and roughhousing with other guests along with other stupid shit like jumping off tables and messing around with his stretching ability drove Prismo over the edge. Something was making him act out like this and Jake wouldn't calm down or listen. At his other parties, Jake would just hang out, eat some food, and maybe have a drink or two while resting in the hot tub. This time he was out of control.

In an act of desperation, Prismo teleported Jake out of the main room and into the cube. The shards of multicolored squares assembled Jake in an empty room inside the endless labyrinth making up the inner cube.

He jumped, still heavily drunk, "Wah- where a-am I?" he slumped to the ground, his limbs piling up together like spaghetti.

Prismo faded into the room, presenting himself on the wall in front of Jake, "Inside the cube." he sighed, "You were really going crazy out there dude!"

"Mwhas just enjoying myself! PRIS-MO!" he yelled, turning on his back, and getting tangled in his noodle arms. He kicked his feet around, "Send me BACK!"

"Jake. This isn't helping! You need to relax!" he conjured a pillow under Jake's head to make him more comfortable, "Just... Relax. Take a breath."

Jake took the loudest, most obnoxious breath he could muster before groaning, "OK!? N-now lemme back."

This was going nowhere, Prismo decided to speed up time for Jake to get him sober. The room felt like it was moving fast, like sticking your head outside a car. Prismo was unaffected, "Jake!" he exclaimed, a little frustrated with his friend.

"Ah-" it took a moment for his brain to catch up. He flipped over on his hands and knees, "Ughh... Ok, I'm ok! Oof," he stood up, wiping his face. His drunkenness has passed which pleased Prismo.

"Jaaake?" Prismo tilted his head, "Can we have a talk now?" he smiled.

"Yeah, yeah... Sorry for being such an ass. I'm just not in a good headspace right now man."

"Tell me about it! I'm worried about you."

"Alright." He stretched himself into a recliner, "I..." he held onto a breath, "Lady left me Prismo."

"What?!" He was genuinely caught off guard by this. Primo's assumptions weren't even close. He was speechless, sitting there while Jake lamented about his strained relationship.

"After the pups grew up, I dunno. It was like we drifted apart. I've always been out adventuring. I didn't even see the kids grow up. They grew up quickly. I changed a lot over the years and so did she..." he put a head into his hands, returning to his normal shape, "She just wants to take a break right now, but Prismo," he looked up, "I haven't seen her in months. It's eating me up inside."

Prismo frowned, thinking of some kind words for his friend, "Well, have you tried to see her?"

"No. She wants some space."

"Is that not why you two grew apart? Being away from each other for long periods of time?"

"I guess."

"Jake, you should try to see her. Even if it's just as friends! I'm sure if you two truly love each other it will work itself out! Things like this happen in relationships, it's normal. It's... Why I avoid them."

"Hm." Jake rubbed his face some more.

"Just try to talk to her! Maybe she wants you to reach out and make the effort!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He peeled his head away from his paw, sitting up, "Man Prismo, what would I do without you? You're literally the best!"

"Oh! hehe hahhaha~" he giggled, his hand covering his mouth, "Heh..." his figurative heart melted to the simple off-hand compliment.

"I'm serious man! You're like the coolest friend I have,"

"Mmm," Prismo smiled, a little bothered that he was just his 'cool friend'. Part of him wanted to go on and on about how he felt about him, but his friend was clearly in a tough spot. His feelings are being shelved for the time being, as they have been many times before. This was Jake's moment, he clearly loves his girlfriend still. Inserting himself will do no good. "I think you're pretty cool too Jake." he said gritting his teeth.

"You wanna go back and party? Chill style~" his arms curled around.

"Oh nahh, the party is probably over by now-"

"What??"

"I sped up time! Remember?"

"Oh yeeah," Jake started walking to the hole in the wall, assuming it was an exit, "You wanna just hang out then?"

"I would love that."

[piratefalls]

i have no real opening remarks, so have some fic, mind the tags, and have a good day!

masterlist

did the light hit my blush (when i told you you could be enough?) by matherine

Henry wasn’t eavesdropping. Really, he wasn’t — he had just come home from work at the shelter early, toed off his shoes at the door, and began to settle in when he heard it. “No, Nora,” Alex’s voice groans, floating out into the hall from where his bedroom door must be cracked open. “I can’t tell if he’s just not interested or oblivious. I’ve used my whole arsenal of flirting and Henry’s completely unresponsive.” Or: Alex has been flirting for months. It’s not that Henry didn’t notice — it’s that he thought he couldn’t possibly mean it.

Only Fools by OrchidScript

Henry rolled his eyes. “No. You tell me — that sounds better — why I should bring my ex-hook up to my brother’s wedding?” Pez hummed and half-shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you? He’s the perfect thing to light your gran’s helmet of hair on fire.” Pez set his cup down and leaned forward onto the table. “That’s what Pip encouraged you to do, didn’t he?” “Martha more than Pip, but yes. He did.” Henry sighed. “Then ask Alex.” -- With his brother's wedding a few weeks away, Henry Fox is determined to not show up alone. Not wanting to ask a stranger, he instead turns to Alex, hoping to manufacture something believable from something familiar. Try as he might to keep a level head, Henry can't help falling in love with the man. Will it come around to bite him or will it turn into something more than he had hoped?

kitchen confidential by stutteringpeach

The NDA is approximately a mile long. “Jesus fuck,” Alex splutters. “What, is their favourite film The Menu or something? Am I gonna come out of this one alive?” ~ Or, the one where Alex is hired to cater a private dinner party for Prince Henry and his friends, and it does not go as he expects.

Can You See Me? (I'm Waiting for the Right Time) by affectionatelyrs

“Whose turn was it?” Henry asks while Alex is busy pondering the merits of throwing himself out their fifth-story window and hoping his boner doesn’t take anyone’s eye out on his way down. “Forgive me, but I am a bit tired. Do you think you could take it?” There’s no way that Henry’s not doing this on purpose. He makes words mean things when put in a certain order for a living, for fucks sake. Alex almost quips back depends on how big it is just to see how—or if—Henry would react. “Yeah, um, no problem.” There. Much more normal. He could steal Henry’s job at this rate. “Truth or dare?” - Or, Alex’s world gets flipped on its axis during a game of truth or dare

getting good now by Standinginmoonlight

Alex sighs and balls his hands up into fists, digging them into his eye sockets until he sees stars, and then he’s speaking without his brain giving his mouth permission. “I can’t believe I’m going to marry someone British.” Or: the Love is Blind AU that no-one asked for.

A Sin Better Than Heaven by AnchoredArchangel

“Show me,” the king says, a demand. He sets the vial back down, careless to where it lands compared to where it originated. He leans back against the table, crosses his arms over his chest; chin raised, jaw set- a picture of regality. Henry’s heart is pounding in his chest, the unstable beat of too many horse hooves overlapping, like the canter through the woods that very afternoon before he was shoved from his saddle. For the first time, he considers the possibility that perhaps he had hit his head harder than he realized- against the ground or against the tree, because certainly his hope is misplaced; certainly he is not following this conversation as well as he presumed. “Show you what, Your Majesty?” The king only deigns to move a hand, untucking it from his elbow in order to wave it vaguely. “How your body responds to men.” Or: A criminally loose reimagining of the tent scene from Mary & George, only Alex is a sexually confused king, and Henry's the one who has been sent to seduce him.

it's so hard to get to heaven with my head in my hands by anincompletelist

His mother would have a fit if she could see him now, taking comfort he isn’t owed from men he shouldn’t want it from. But Henry wipes his tears with the back of his hand and Alex begins singing the dulcet tune of a Spanish lullaby and George feels, perhaps for the first time in his life, like he belongs.

Silence & Sound by @nocoastposts

Alex tugs at his hair and tries to focus on choosing his next words. He knows that Henry will help him - that he wants to help him. He knows that all he has to do is say the word. Henry stands and steps closer, holding Alex’s chin firmly and tilting his head up so their eyes are forced to meet. “You need me to clear that lovely head of yours, hm?” “Please,” Alex says in barely a whisper. or: Henry helps Alex fill the silence before indulging in the sound.

baby boy by smc_27

It starts as a joke. Alex taking the piss about how much money Henry has. How he could have anything he wanted, from anyone he wanted, if only he just asked.

all so human with our guards down by maxbegone

“Constant fear is debilitating,” Alex tells him later on. The sun has risen, though it’s barely prominent through the dark clouds in the sky. “Even in the world we live in now, you need to find the things that make it feel…normal.” Of course, Alex isn’t even sure that makes much sense, and he thinks about doubling back on what he just said with something stupid and word-vomitty, whatever pops into his head first, but Henry beats him to it. Much more suitable, and it puts Alex’s mind at ease: “I’m starting to think you’re right.” The world ended three years ago. No more all-night study sessions, no more drag brunch and mimosas, no more societal expectations. But out of everything Alex was expecting from an apocalypse, Henry sure as hell wasn't it.

Dallas, Texas by annesbonny

i thought I knew hopelessness. i thought I'd learned its specific dread years ago There's an assassination attempt on Ellen, Henry is caught up in the damage. Alex is... coping about as well as you would expect.

Best Practice in Sexual Favours by everwitch

They meet at a bar. Alex is young; fresh out of law school, sharp and charismatic and oh-so attractive. The sex is absolutely incredible, and Henry has no regrets. At least not until the morning after when he finds himself opposite Alex in a meeting — equipped with the painful knowledge that Alex’s boss thinks Alex’s only function in said meeting is to sit there and look all pretty. Somebody ought to call HR right about now. Or: when sexual relationships mix with professional ones, Alex and Henry make the most of it.

this is the first time I've felt the need to confess by theprinceandagcd

Alex frantically unlocks his phone and stares at their text thread, at the heart reaction that Henry had left on his most recent message. His thumbs hover uselessly over his screen, trembling as moisture burns his vision. The entire room is thick with uneasiness, heavy enough that it’s hard to breathe, and Alex wants to tell Henry something, wants to reach out and find the solace that Henry so often offers him without even realizing it. But mostly, as his brain finally catches up to what’s actually happening, all Alex can think is that he doesn’t want to die. He tries to come up with a list of reasons why in his head, a comprehensive one that probably should include family and career goals and a million other things, but in the end, in the moment, all he can fucking think about is Henry.

out of the kitchen by rizcriz

Alex looks to his right where Henry’s standing at his own door. Any moment now, Gordon Ramsay is going to tell them to turn the handle and one of them is going to cascade into a new life. He doesn't care if his door doesn’t open; in fact, he’d rather it didn’t. He’s come all this way, he’s proven himself as a chef, but there’s no denying that the man beside him was made for this role. For the last five weeks, he’s watched as Henry’s given his all to every challenge and dinner service. -- or, the Hell's Kitchen au literally nobody asked for.

i love you (ain't that the worst thing you ever heard) by coffeecatsme

Henry doesn’t doubt that, just as much as he doesn’t doubt now that Alex won’t have a single issue with him being trans. In another life, when Henry whispered it in the quiet hours of the night, he didn’t. In another life, when he kissed Henry anyway, he didn’t. In another life. In this one, when Alex meets his eyes, all there is left behind them is a cold glare that freezes Henry to his soul. One year ago, Henry had a whirlwind of a day with Alex after a chance meeting in a coffee shop, only to leave in the morning to protect his heart. He doesn't expect to see Alex again, until he shows up at June's wedding and finds out her brother is the same Alex he hasn't been able to get out of his mind for a year - and he's pissed.

Fragile Things by SatinBirds

Alex does not scare easily. But the moment he sees Henry fall, all breath leaves his body at once.

Trim my Christmas tree by clottedcreamfudge

Henry is a writer, not a mall Santa, but unfortunately this year - thanks to his adorable and conniving nieces and their Aunt Beatrice - he's going to have to be both. This doesn't leave him a great deal of time to pine horribly over the part-time bookseller and Law student over at June Claremont-Diaz's shop, but somehow he manages to jam it in anyway. Ho ho ho.

All Kinds of Wounds by allmylovesatonce

It throws Alex off when it takes longer for the door to close, when he hears Henry’s footsteps but doesn’t hear him approaching. As he listens closer, there are steps on the stairs and eventually the sound of feet on the second floor. Henry avoided him. Henry gets hurt at the shelter and tries to hide it from Alex.

blurred lines by seafloor

Henry is a lovesick writer; Alexander a charismatic bartender. They’re still fated to fall into bed at some point.

keep me up all night/ i wanna scratch your surface by @firenati0n

They step inside, greeted by moonlight streaming through the windows, illuminating their living room in a dreamy light; it’s enough to see outlines and shapes, enough to keep everything just a little bit secretive, a little softer around the edges. Henry moves his hand to flick on the kitchen light, and Alex’s hand shoots out to grab his wrist. Henry looks down at him questioningly, blue eyes sparkling even with the absence of light. Alex always feels a little off-kilter around him, Henry both his center of gravity and his reason for vertigo. He’s stabilizing, and dizzying, and everything. Alex’s thumb and index finger circle Henry’s slender wrist, exerting the slightest pressure. He feels Henry's pulse jump under his thumb. “Get on the couch.”

Voted most likely to run away with you by dreamsinthewitchouse

Alex drifts into consciousness in a bed full of tangled limbs and warm, sleep-rumpled skin. He’s lying half on his stomach and half on his side, the shoulder smushed against the bed protesting in a way that tells him he’s going to have a crick in his neck for the rest of the day. But fuck if he cares, with Henry stirring next to him, one of his long legs draped over the back of Alex’s thigh. Alex doesn’t need to open his eyes to know the room is hazy with filtered sunlight, spilling pale yellow through the carelessly drawn curtains.

everything just stops by HypnosTheory

Alex hums, pushing his nose into the side of Henry’s cock. “Let me give you your gift, Hen.” “You’ve already given me my gift,” Henry says, fingers tightening on the edge of the countertop. “Twice.” Alex laughs and takes Henry’s cock back into his mouth. Henry keens, knees shaking. He’s oversensitive already; Alex woke him up with a hand on his cock, and then in the shower surprised him with three fingers against his prostate. Each orgasm was greeted with a happy birthday, baby, which is a phrase that’s starting to have a Pavlovian response on Henry. --- Alex gives Henry all the birthday orgasms - Henry believes turnabout is fair play.

the wrong place by congee4lunch

“I don’t want you, I don’t want anything to do with you, Alexander,” Henry breathes out, his breath ghosting over Alex’s lips. “I just want to feel good.” “Perfect,” Alex grins. “I want the exact same thing, Fox.” henry and alex hate each other. when they're forced to share a hotel room and a bed for a night, they fuck about it.

Total Eclipse by @myheartalivewrites

Alex is not sure what the fuck is happening here. “And if you only hold me tight…” A man—probably the most beautiful man he has ever seen—is up on stage in this karaoke bar, absolutely murdering Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart and he’s pretty sure the guy is crying and it’s one of the most horrifying things he’s ever seen and Alex cannot. Look. Away.

Late Bloomer by @sparklepocalypse

Alex Claremont-Diaz is sixteen years old, and he hasn’t presented. His dad seems to think it’s fine and offers Alex regular reassurance that his cousin Angel hadn’t presented until nearly 20. His mom, though, gets a little crease between her eyebrows whenever she thinks Alex isn’t looking. Presenting is a Big Deal in the Claremont family, and Alex just... hasn’t. So Alex is sixteen, and he’s… a boy. That’s it. Just a boy. Not a boy and an alpha like his friend Marco, or a boy and an omega like his friend Noah. Just a boy.

living in a new normal by @forever-fixating

Henry Fox could write an entire dissertation based on how much information his twin nieces Penelope and Grace have told him about their favorite band, Austin Heat. The girls peppered him with neverending facts since he surprised them with tickets and meet-and-greet passes to their concert at Madison Square Garden last Christmas. -- Henry Fox takes his nieces to a concert of their favorite band, Austin Heat. He gets a bit more than he bargained for when he meets singer and guitarist Alex Claremont-Diaz.

as always, let me know if you want to be tagged in future lists!

tagging @starkfridays @stilesgivesmefeels @midnightsfp @sarahjswift

[m4tthewsgf]

Moonlight (pt 1)

Pairing: Matt Sturniolo x y/n

A story where a boy who is terrified of love lays his eyes on a girl who's determined to save everyone else, but herself.

prologue, pt2

Warnings: language, death of a loved one

_______________

“As long as the moonlight shines, you're not unseen or unknown. You are just as important as the moonlight and as long as you shine, you'll never not be enough” I repeated to myself as I gathered my books and put them in my school bag with shaky hands. I have found myself repeating that exact phrase over and over again for the past few months, hoping it would bring me some kind of solace. Well, it didn’t, but I just couldn’t stop myself from doing so. It was the last thing I had from him.

First days of school always made me anxious, however, this one specifically was totally different from the rest of them. I felt as if my whole life had been demolished and reconstructed within 6 months. Actually, that would be a lie; it wasn’t reconstructed at all, I just pretended that it was. There were still obvious pieces of my shattered heart around, pieces of myself that were left behind at home, pieces of myself that died with him the night he did. I felt as lost as ever, as empty as ever. I didn’t know how to move on. Shit, I haven’t even processed the fact that he’s not here anymore. I didn't think I could feel safe again, happy again. Genuinely happy.

I stared at my new, blank, almost empty bedroom and sighed deeply with a heavy, hollow heart; a feeling that had been living in the empty rooms of the beating organ that kept me alive for months, rooms where they were once filled with laughter and joy. I didn’t feel like I could be strong anymore. I didn’t feel like I was someone. No, y/n. Remember.

“As long as the moonlight shines, you're not unseen or unknown. You are just as important as the moonlight and as long as you shine, you'll never not be enough” his voice echoed through my head. I shook my thoughts away and finally grabbed my bag and headed towards the kitchen where my mom was. I had to be okay.

“This is how you’re going to school?” she judged while her criticising glare scanned me from head to toe. It hurt, but she wasn’t completely wrong; I had no makeup on, didn’t even attempt to style my hair or find a cute outfit to wear like I would normally do, having always wanted to make a good first impression. I couldn’t bring myself to care this time. I just threw one of my brother’s old hoodies and a pair of leggings, my dark circles and tired eyes being the only accessories.

“Yes,” I bluntly replied and went to grab an apple for lunch before leaving. I didn't want to deal with her at the time because if I did, I would corrupt into tears right then and there. In front of her. Embarrassing.

The moment my feet stepped out of my door, I put my headphones on and started blasting music from my phone. I’d rather be consumed by that than my own thoughts. Not that I didn’t like music. In fact, it has been my pharmacy and my escape from reality these months and one of the things I’ve been passionate about my entire life. It’s just that I had lost interest in it for a while.

School wasn’t that far away from my house, only 10 minutes by foot. Yet, the walk there felt like an eternity. At least it was a pretty walk. The birds were already singing, the bees were already searching for pollen in the already bloomed flowers and the aroma of wet grass could be smelled. Even though spring wasn’t my favourite season, there were some elements of it that were truly beautiful, just like everything else in life. Even the things you don’t really like can be beautiful, you just have to accept the fact that they have that potential.

I faked a smile. I had to be strong. I had to be okay.

“Everything is okay. You're okay,” I whispered as I reached the corridors of the school. I took a deep breath and finally stepped in after a moment or two of hesitation.

There were already kids in every corner of the school. Some were on their phones, some with their friends and some already making out with their partner.

‘It’s 7 in the morning,’ I thought to myself with disgust and went to look for my locker. I ended up doing circles around the same corner of the building.

234. 234. 234.

Where the fuck is that goddamn locker?

I probably have seemed like a creep or a weirdo as I was looking for it, because a lot of eyes were on me and a few giggles could be heard from, what I assumed to be, the popular kids. My heart tightened at the realisation, but I still shot them a smile. Not a sorry one or an awkward one. A nice, genuine smile. Soon later, the chattering stopped. Before I could continue my search, a voice was heard right next to me.

“Do you need any help?” a guy from my right asked and I jumped.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, you just looked very lost,” he chuckled at my reaction. I placed my hand on my chest, trying to calm my breath and heart beat down while chuckling faintly with him.

“Do you do that often?” I sighed and looked up at him. His eyes were pretty, a shade of brown I had never seen before. A golden brown, just like honey.

“I guess you’ll have to find out,” he shrugged and I hummed. We just looked at each other for a few moments before I spoke again.

“I actually do need some help, I’m looking for my locker. It’s 234,” I said, shyly.

“Oh, so we’re neighbours!” he beamed and motioned me to come with him. He was nice.

“I’m 232,” he added and looked down at me. I smiled.

Our lockers were just down the hallway, a spare one the only thing that separated them from each other’s.

“I'll see you around often, then” I joked while trying to unlock it and failing miserably. I couldn't make myself seem more of a fool than at that moment.

“Here,” he giggled, “let me do it,” the boy reached his hand towards the little piece of paper I held that had written down the code.

“I'm Austin, by the way” he smiled and unlocked the locker for me.

“I'm y/n,” I grinned back at him. “Thanks for the locker,” I tilted my head towards it and reached for the books in my bag to place them inside. He kept looking at me and stayed with me, even though his friends were calling out for him from around the corner.

We kept talking for a while until the bell rang. That was when anxiety washed all over me. I'd rather go back home than get inside a class with other teenage people I didn't even know and who'd probably be judging me just from my appearance. I didn't even know where the classroom was.

“I'm sorry but, could you show me where Mrs Whitley teaches? I'll probably get lost if I go on my own,” I shyly asked him, already feeling like a burden to him.

“It’s the class right there,” he pointed his finger to the door right across from where we were. I thanked him and quickly got on my feet. The last thing I wanted was to be late.

Austin was a nice kid. He seemed kind, and rich, something I definitely wasn’t. I felt small in front of him, almost like an ant that was met with a boot, but his soft features eased my nerves. Plus, I needed friends, even though socialising was the last thing I wanted to do. I honestly didn’t even feel like talking or even existing. But, that’s just how life is; you got to get over shit, shallow it, bury it six feet under the ground and keep the show going.

When I reached the classroom, cold sweat gathered on my forehead. Too many kids. Way too many. Too pretty, too rich, too not me. I was intimidated. I felt my breath hitch as I scanned for any empty seats. My shoulders relaxed when I found one next to a boy that wasn’t like the rest. He wasn’t surrounded by other people or talking loudly. He was instead focused on something under the desk, his eyebrows furrowed and tongue slightly sticking out in concentration with messy, brown hair plastered all over his forehead. Maybe he wouldn’t mind.

“Is the seat taken?” I approached him and his head immediately turned towards me. He just looked at me startled, his eyes darting to my features and clothes. He didn’t say anything. Small. I felt small again.

“I- I guess I’ll sit somewhere else, sorry” I sheepishly apologised with my gaze on the floor, too embarrassed to even look at him. I was about to walk away when I heard the screech of the chair. I turned my head to him, seeing him having pulled out the chair for me and having returned his attention to whatever he was doing before I interrupted him. I sighed in relief and placed my bag on the floor before sitting next to him.

“Thanks,” I whispered, “I’m y/n,” I smiled at him.

“And why would I care?” he harshly replied, making my jaw drop.

“O-Oh I just- I thought you might want to know,” I innocently said. Okay. Not as different as the others, it seems.

“Well, I don’t. This isn’t kindergarten, sweetheart. No one’s friends with anyone here, grow up,” he chuckled at my cluelessness, his eyes never meeting mine. I just shook my head.

“I was just being nice,” I mumbled, my fake confidence slowly disappearing.

“Go somewhere else to be nice to ‘cause it ain’t working on me, angel” he cocked with a smirk. I just stared at him with an open mouth.

Before I could reply to that, the teacher entered the class, making the whole class stop talking. I knew what was coming and I wanted to crawl up into a ball and pretend like I wasn’t there.

“So, where’s our new student? Come on honey, we don’t bite!” she looked around the room, trying to decipher a new face.

‘You may not, but he might’ I thought to myself, talking about the boy that was sitting next to me. I chuckled at my thought.

I hesitantly raised my hand and breathed in deeply.

“There you are! What’s your name, sweetie?”

“It’s uh,” I trailed off and saw a couple of heads turning towards my direction, “It’s y/n y/l/n.”

“And what brings you to Somerville, y/n?”

‘My brother died,’ I almost blurted out, but thankfully caught myself before doing so. I didn’t want anyone’s pity. I didn’t want people to pay attention to me and my problems. I didn’t want the attention. I didn’t need any of it.

“My mom found a good job here, so we moved out from Long Island,” I lied. I hated lying. I hated liars. But I’d rather lie about that than have people feel bad for me.

The teacher went on talking about my home place, telling me random facts about it that I didn’t care about. I just nodded at whatever she was saying just to not come off as rude and disrespectful. I wasn’t listening. I was just acting like I was.

What was the point of any of this? School is shit, high school even more so. I didn't even have any plans for college or my future in general so, why was I even going through this? Nothing fucking mattered.

“Made friends with our photographer, I see” she suddenly commented, making me snap out of my thoughts. I felt the boy next to me stiffen at that. “Matthew right there has been making our yearbooks this whole time, isn’t that right?” I turned to look at him with a surprised expression. My eyes darted down to his hands that were still under the desk, which were holding a digital camera. I was surprised. And intrigued.

“Yeah,” he breathed and shot an almost insulting glare at the so sweet teacher, before lowering his gaze once again at his gadget. I almost slapped him across the face for that. I felt bad for her.

----------

The day was miserable. I was exhausted. The whole masking-my-feelings thing made me ill, both mentally and physically. I felt like throwing up. I didn’t know why, though. Maybe because I haven’t eaten properly in weeks, or maybe from my visible exhaustion. Whatever it was, I felt sick.

I sat alone at lunch, looking soullessly at the apple in front of me before I pulled out my notebook. I could hear my stomach rumble from hunger, but I knew that if I actually ate the fruit, I would actually throw up. And that was something I really didn’t want to do. As I started writing on it, I took a glimpse at the cafeteria, observing how other kids laughed and smiled with their company. I smiled too. I loved seeing people happy. Maybe I could experience it as well one day again. But, who on earth would want to willingly spend their time with me? No one. Not even my own mother does.

A clicking sound startled me. I looked towards it, seeing Matthew nearby, with his camera again in his hands. He stared blankly at me, seeing that I had heard him taking a photograph of something. I looked behind me, seeing what that something could be. I sighed at myself. There was a gorgeous, blonde girl who had a smile that radiated so much warmth and love that I almost felt close to tears. She was breathtaking. The complete opposite of whatever the fuck I was. I turned my head back towards him, him still being in the same exact place, with his eyes stuck on me. I gave him a soft, sad smile, and continued writing and scribbling on my notebook.

“So you're a nerd too?” Matthew suddenly asks me.

“Uh, no, I don't think so,” I kindly said.

“Well, you look like one,” he laughed. I just looked at him blankly.

“There's nothing wrong with that,” I simply replied and went back into my sketching. He just stood there, looking at me.

“Anything else?” I asked, slightly irritated at his constant, unapologetic staring.

“Well, I think-”

“Y/n!” Austin greeted from behind Matthew. I smiled at him, mentally thanking him from saving me from Matthew's presence.

“Hi, how was class?” I asked with a soft voice. “Boring as fuck, I almost fall asleep,” he faked a yawn, “You got anyone to sit with? You can come to our table, if you want to,” he added.

I shot a glare at Matthew who was observing the whole interaction, not having interfered once.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” I happily accepted and gathered my stuff before going to sit with them.

------//------

tag list: @h3arts4harry @iluvmattyb @alorsxsturn @junnniiieee07 @buenolover @frankdelrayy

[mynameismckenziemae]

In Case You Didn’t Know

Part 5

(previous part here, next part here)

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x You

Summary: Jake takes you on the date he wishes he would’ve all those years ago.

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, smut, oral (m receiving), etc.

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

Jake’s phone vibrates on his nightstand as he gets into bed.

🐓: So? Did you talk? Was I right?

Jake: Yeah we talked.

🐓: And?

Jake: …you were right.

🐓: HELL YEAH! I fucking knew it! You could cut the tension between you two with a knife. Did you…you know 😏

Jake: I want to take her out on date first.

🐓: Where are you gonna take her?

Jake: I don’t know, kind of limited with the leg. I just want it to be special.

🐓: Where did you take girls for dates in high school? Do that with her.

Jake: We’d pick up food at the local car hop, park somewhere to eat then fool around in my truck bed.

🐓: Sounds…great?

Jake: 🖕🏻there wasn’t much to do for teenagers around here back then. But honestly, I think Charlie would love it. I’d have to ask my sister for my truck back though. She takes care of it while I’m gone for me.

🐓: Emma? She’s a 10 🥵

Jake: No.

🐓: She single yet?

Jake: She’s not interested.

🐓: So she is single.

Jake: I’m going to bed.

🐓: You realize I’m going to meet her at your wedding, right? You’re just putting off the inevitable.

Jake: Goodnight Bradshaw.

Jake smirks at the thought. Bradshaw probably thinks Jake’s just being a protective older brother but it’s just the opposite. Emma looks like a sweet southern belle but she would eat him alive.

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

He hesitates before biting the bullet and texting Emma; he’s always been a little scared of her.

Jake: Hey Emma Lou.

Emma: Hey! When did you make landfall? Everything go okay?

Jake: Almost 2 weeks, and not really. I was hit on the way back to the carrier and had to eject. I broke my leg and got a little beat up on the way down. I left the hospital forgetting Ma and Dad are gone so I’m staying with Charlie. They don’t know yet, please keep it that way. You know how much this trip means to them. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, my head was a little messed up and just didn’t want you to worry or take time off from that new job.

Emma: WTF!?!?? That’s fucking bullshit, Jake. I’m a large animal vet with 2 partners that are happy to cover for me. I wouldn’t have had an issue getting off of work and you know it.

Jake: I do know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight.

Emma: No shit.

Emma: Are you okay?

Jake: Getting there. Charlie’s been doing my PT, I saw ortho and that’s healing okay. I have a video visit with a therapist tomorrow.

Emma: Therapist?

Jake: Diagnosed me with PTSD after the accident. I’m feeling better already but if I don’t go to therapy they’ll ground me longer.

Emma: The Navy grounding you will be the least of your worries once Mom finds out. I’m not gonna be the one telling her.

Jake: Thanks. I really am sorry. Any chance you’re coming this way in the next few days? I need the truck if you don’t.

Emma: How are you gonna drive it? Not sure how bad you hit your head but you need 2 feet for a manual.

Jake: I’m not, Charlie’s going to.

Emma: Did she get new furniture and not tell me?

Jake: No…it’s a lot to text. I’d rather tell you in person.

Emma: I’ve got a sick heifer to see in the morning but otherwise I’m free. I’ll be there around 11. I think Lee’s got a vet call in the area around 2 so I’ll see if he’ll take me back home so you can keep the truck.

Jake: Sounds good. Love you.

Emma: I’m still mad, but I love you too.

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

Jake’s up before you and has a cup of coffee waiting as you stumble into the kitchen with a yawn.

“Don’t make plans tonight. I’ve got something in mind,” he says, leaning on his good leg before pulling you into his chest.

“Mmkay,” you yawn, snuggling into his chest like you’ve always wanted to with his hugs. “Can’t wait.”

“I told Emma last night, she’s going to come over around 11 so we can talk,” Jake cringes.

“Will she be gone by the time I get back?” You joke, all too familiar with her temper.

“Why? You scared?” He teases.

“Yes. I know you are too,” you laugh.

You let him hold you for a few minutes, both enjoying the intimacy.

“I’d ask you to join me in the shower but that’s an accident waiting to happen,” you smile, pulling away from his chest to press a kiss to his lips.

His eyes fall closed at your words. “Soon enough.”

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

Jake stares at your butt in your scrubs from the porch as you walk to your car. You catch him looking as you open the door and quirk a brow at his sheepish grin.

“Can’t figure out if you’re wearing underwear, I didn’t see any panty lines.”

“You don’t get panty lines if you wear a thong,” you wink as you get in, laughing at the way his eyes widen.

You’re normally a no-show underwear kind of girl, but you felt like wearing something sexy today when Jake said he had plans.

You give him a little wave as you head to work.

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

Jake had just finished his virtual visit with the therapist when Emma pulls up in his grandpa’s old Chevy that he and his dad fixed up together.

Emma gives him a bone-crushing hug before smacking him upside the head.

“Ow,” Jake grumbles, rubbing the spot she hit him.

“You deserve a lot more than that. You’re lucky you’re injured,” Emma says before bending down to greet Cash.

“So why does Charlie need the truck?” Emma asks, throwing Cash’s ball.

“She doesn’t. I’m taking her out tonight. Well, she’s driving but I’m planning it.”

“Taking her out where? Why do you need the truck for that?”

“Ray’s and then up to Breakneck Hill,” he responds, not looking at her.

“Isn’t that where you used take your dates to park?”

“Yep.”

It takes her a minute to catch on, but she jumps to her feet with a whoop when she does.

“Seriously?!” She laughs, “Man, it’s about fucking time.”

He looks at her puzzledly.

“You’ve been in love with each other for years,” she sighs. “That’s a great idea though. I just washed ‘er so the bed is clean. Want me to throw some blankets back there for you?”

“I didn’t think that far, but yeah, that’s a good idea.”

20 minutes later, Emma’s got the back of the truck filled with blankets and pillows, a perfect place to eat and watch the sunset.

“Perfect! Now you have a place to stretch out and bang. Do you need condoms? Wait no, forget them. I’m ready to be an auntie,” Emma says as she steps back to look.

“Uh, no. We haven’t-I mean, we aren’t-“ Jake stutters, flushing bright red.

“I’m kidding, Jesus. Don’t stroke out on me. Got anything for lunch?” Emma laughs, patting Jake on the shoulder, right where he’s bruised.

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

Emma wraps his cast and stays nearby just in case he falls while he showers.

“Lee’s almost here,” Emma says, giving Jake another hug. “Let me know how it goes. And tell Charlie I’m not mad at her, just you.”

Jake rolls his eyes but hugs her back. “Will do. Thanks, Em, love ya.”

“Love you too, don’t forget to forget the condoms!” She replies as she heads out the door.

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

You smile when you see Jake’s old truck in the driveway, wondering what he’s up to.

Jake’s asleep on the couch when you get inside, but he wakes up when you close the door.

“Oh hey, sorry I must’ve fallen asleep after Emma left,” he yawns.

“Let me change and I’ll be ready to go,” you say, pressing a kiss to his cheek and slipping off your top as you walk down the hall.

Jake sgets down the stairs and hobbles along to the driver's side of the truck, awkwardly opening the door for you.

“You want me to drive? I don’t think I’ve driven it since you got too wasted to drive at Clay Williams's graduation party,” you laugh, climbing up.

“Ugh, I can’t even smell Jäegermeister without gagging,” Jake shivers as he closes the door.

You lean over and open the passenger side, taking the crutches he hands over. He surprises you with how easily manages to get in with one leg.

“Where to?” You ask, pushing in the clutch and starting the truck.

“Ray’s,” he answers with a smile.

“Then to Breakneck to fool around?” You guess, wiggling your brows.

He nods. “Only if you want to, we don’t-“

“I want to. I’ve always wanted to,” you reply, leaving out how jealous you’d get when he’d take girls out there.

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

An hour later you’re sharing a chocolate milkshake in the back of the truck. It’s just the two of you in the empty lot.

“I wonder what my mom would think of us being together,” you say as you watch the sunset. The sky is a beautiful canvas of pinks, oranges, and reds.

“I think she’d like it,” he replies.

A flicker of movement catches your eye and you hold your breath when a butterfly lands on the hand that’s holding yours. It rests for just a moment, slowly flapping its orange wings before flying away.

“Me too,” you whisper.

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

“So what’s next? We ate our burgers, shared the milkshake, and watched the sunset. Is it a dry handjob while you rub me through my underwear for 10 seconds then ask if I came?”

“How’d you know?” He teases, leaning in for a kiss.

He kisses you slowly and lazily, committing every sigh to memory. As his tongue flicks yours you can’t help but imagine it elsewhere.

You soon grow impatient and find yourself straddling his lap again.

“Jake, touch me. Please?” You pant.

“‘Course sweetheart. Here?” He asks, pulling the top of your sundress down, exposing your braless chest to him. “Damn, Charlie,” he rasps, looking over your breasts hungrily before sucking a hardened bud into his mouth. His fingers come up to pay attention to the neglected side and he alternates; biting, sucking, and pinching you into a frenzy.

You find his free hand and bring it under your dress, running his fingers over the soaked material of your thong. He shudders when he feels the evidence of what he’s doing to you.

Before his fingers even touch you without the barrier of your underwear, you cry out, your fingers in his hair pull; your orgasm taking you both by surprise.

“Did you cum?” He chuckles breathlessly against your chest as you come down.

“I did,” you smirk, trying to catch your breath too as you climb off him, then unbuttoning his jeans. “Your turn, but I want to get my mouth on you.”

Your eyes widen as you pull him out. “Jesus. Not sure if you’ll fit, but I’m gonna try.”

“That’s not…I didn’t know that was an option-oh fuckkkk,” he gasps when you pull his tip into your mouth.

Your eyes drift closed and you moan at the salty taste of his precum. More you think as you swallow and suck more of him into your mouth, using your hands to stroke his base.

He’s making the hottest, most desperate sounds as his chest heaves. It hasn’t even been a minute before he’s warning you. “Char-Charlie, wait sweetheart. I’m gonna cum,” He pants, gently tugging at your hair to pull you off.

But you shake your head and moan; you want to taste it.

“Oh…oh God,” he whimpers as he finishes in your mouth, jolting when he feels you swallow his spend.

You pull up the top of your dress after you release it from your mouth and gently tuck him back into his jeans. He surprises you when he pulls you up for a deep kiss, groaning when he tastes himself on your tongue.

“You’re…that was…holy shit,” Jake chuckles. “So much better than a dry handjob.”

You laugh before pulling him back in for a kiss.

You’re so wrapped up in each other that you don’t notice the squad car pulling into the lot.

The smug voice of the local police officer over the megaphone has you jumping apart.

“Keep it in your pants ‘til you get home, Seresin. Don’t make me call your mama.”

•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•

A/N: First date ✅

As always, any interaction is appreciated but I love hearing what you think in comments/reblogs.

Tagging:

@mamachasesmayhem

@its-the-pilot

@dizzybee03

@sweetwhispersofchaos

@shanimallina87

@blindedbythelightt

@getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth

@lexixstewart

@phoenix-rising-starbird-one

@mrsrobertfloyd5

@charmedkim

@k-k0129

@bellaireland1981

@hookslove1592

@amiets2

@nero4te

@eli2447

@atarmychick007

@vixenobrian

@86laura11

@hisredheadedgoddess28

@dempy

@angelbabyyy99

@buckysteveloki-me

@djs8891

@mizzzpink

@daggerspare-standingby

[writersblog20]

Captain crunch and the future

Pedro Pascal x reader

Summary: After a big and very exciting opportunity, you tried to unwind and relax a bit and how else would you do that other than hanging out with Pedro Pascal, a joint, some music and a box of captain crunch

Warnings: so much fluff, reader gets picked up by Pedro, weed, joints, edibles, mention of anxiety, age-gap (not mentioned tho but reader is in mid-twenties), friends to lovers

Words: 4,8K

A/N: I just wanted to make clear that I’m not sexualizing the word: Baby girl. It just makes my heart warm up and feel fuzzy inside. I just want to be Pedro’s baby girl

Captain crunch and the future

You were currently located in LA since your uncle was a famous DJ who you worked for as a videographer, photographer and graphic designer. You did also a lot of pr work for him as a part of your studies. Kind of like an internship but you knew that this was going to be a big part of your job which you were fine with. You loved your uncle and the work. You kind of had a brother and sister relationship. Besides, you both came from nothing and had to build up this career. You’ve been through a lot of shit together and he openly admitted that you kept him grounded. Reminded him of who he really was and where he came from.

But maybe the most part that you enjoyed a lot was that one of his good friends who is Pedro Pascal. You had a crush on him and loved when he would come over. But because you were both so busy, you hadn’t really had a lot of time to get to know each other. Yes you’ve drank some beers together but that was always with a group of people. He was always kind to you though, which always made your heart skip a beat. The soft glances that you both gave each other and would smile sweetly. You’ve caught him looking at you multiple times before and every time that you caught him, it brought butterflies to your stomach.

Tonight your uncle was giving a party but you had the opportunity to attend a festival, known as Coachella and photograph the artists on stage so for obvious reasons, you took the job. It was a big part of your dream and it made you extremely excited.

Pedro stayed at your uncles house for a while as well. He had a acting job close to your uncles house so your uncle invited him in and you couldn’t be more excited about that because that meant that you would see each other more often and interact with him. For some reason Pedro gave you so much comfort just by being near. You felt very attached to him, he made you feel safe and brought you for some unknown reason, peace. So that’s one of the many reasons that you liked him near you.

Today was the day that you would have that festival and you were almost jumping through the roof. This was such a huge opportunity that you couldn’t even believe it and you did it all yourself. Without any help from people who could easily get you in. No, you wanted them to want you for your talent and for your hard work. That felt the most fair for you. You didn’t want to be that person who got in because someone powerful. That just felt wrong to you. You wanted people to see you for your work and hire you for that reason.

You happily walked into the kitchen with a bright smile. “Good morning!” you cheered and Pedro and your uncle were laughing at your excitement. They were happy and excited for you too, matching your energy. And like I said, your uncle knew where you came from and look at you now.

Pedro was making pancakes while your uncle was working on something. “There you go princesa. You need some good breakfast before you go to work.” You felt flustered by the nickname. It was the first time he used a pet name for you and you felt all fuzzy from it. You smiled shyly, which he returned, and thanked him. You dug in the pancakes and they were some of the best pancakes you’ve ever had and before you knew it, your plate was empty. “That was really good! Thank you Pedge!” This was the first time you gave him a nickname as well and you could see Pedro blush and get flustered. His smile was as bright as the sun while he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You’re welcome sweetie.” He was anxiously standing around and this time your uncle looked up in suspicion from the interaction between the two of you.

You brought your plate and mug to the counter and grabbed your stuff and let out a deep shaky breath. “okay, I’m gonna go. Whish me good luck!” you told them and kissed your uncle on his cheek as they whished you all the best and gave you some encouraging words before you left.

~time skip~

It was 1 AM and you finally made your way home. This was the best experience you’ve ever had and you knew that it was going to be tough to get some sleep from all the adrenaline running through your body but you were still too tired to go to your uncles party right now. The thought of changing into something nice for the party while your whole body felt like it’s been hit by a truck (Ten times), you felt dirty from all the sweating and the idea of getting into some serious conversations was something that you’d rather skip for now.

You walked through a side door so you wouldn’t encounter any people on your way in. But Pedro saw you the moment you came into vision and all of a sudden, the party didn’t matter for him anymore. He wanted to hang and chill with you. Hear your stories about how it was. That was his favorite thing actually, hear you speak about things that you felt passionate about. The internet would call him a ray of sunshine but they would think different if they met you. Because you were the true sunshine in his mind. The way you shined was contagious and even though you never chilled just the two of you, you had that effect on everyone around you.

“Hey! Are you even listening to me right now?” Oscar joked as he swatted Pedro’s arm. He couldn’t look away from the spot where you were just seconds ago. Pedro snapped out of it “Ehh, sorry what?” he awkward chuckled. Oscar had met you too and loved you for obvious reasons but he could see that his best friend was falling head over heels for you. “You like her don’t you?” Oscar asked with a smile. Pedro started to blush and chuckle awkwardly. “I eh…. Yeah, I like to hang with her.” Of course Oscar immediately knew that he was skipping over the question. “Come on now Pedro.” Pedro shushed him a little while looking around, hoping that nobody heard them. Oscar chuckled “Then go to her. I bet she wants someone to talk to right now. She had a very eventful day I bet.” Oscar encouraged him. “Yeah, but I’m here with you.” Oscar waved him off. “I’m going to go home to my wife anyway so come on hot shot, go and talk to her.” Pedro hugged Oscar and made his way inside.

Pedro walked into the kitchen (Your uncle had such a big house that it had 2 kitchens. You could say it was two houses in one. So on the other side was the party and this side it was your space.) You weren’t there so he walked around a bit until he heard the shower. He found himself relax a little, knowing where you were right now. Pedro went to his own room and quickly changed into something more comfortable before walking downstairs again.

You got out of the shower and put on your oversized pajamas. You got your edibles, joint and your plushy with a heating pad inside and made your way downstairs. You were met with Pedro who was leaning on the counter, scrolling through, what you figured was Tiktok and eating some captain crunch straight from the box. His hair was a bit ruffled and he was wearing some funny, yet cute pajamas. He looked so comfy that you just wanted to cuddle with him. The familiar butterflies came back and you smiled softly.

“Don’t want to attend the party either?” you asked him with a soft smile playing upon your lips. He quickly looked up and the cutest smile appeared on his face when he looked at you. You felt your heart swell up and you quickly looked down. “I was there for a couple of hours but then I saw that you came home and I wanted to know how it went. If you want to talk about it of course!” He quickly added. You smiled and was so happy that you could tell someone. You nodded and walked over to him. You placed your plushy in the microwave and put on the tea kettle before sitting on the kitchen counter next to Pedro who was standing besides you and was following your moves.

You started telling him all about it and how you managed to connect with bigger artists. It was like your dream was about to come true. Pedro couldn’t wipe away the smile that was plastered permanently on his face from how passionate you talked about it.

You made yourself a cup of tea and one for Pedro. You popped an edible in your mouth and Pedro raised his eyebrow up in amusement. “What was that?” he asked you, knowing fully well what it was. You felt your cheeks heat up a little. “Eh… Edibles…. I just want to sleep and I know with the adrenaline I have right now, I won’t.” Pedro chuckled “So…. You have another one?” he asked you carefully. You looked up at him surprised. “Yeah, you want one?” you offered and got one out of your pocket, handing it to him. He smiled again. “Thank you very much.” He giggled a little, releasing sparks in your stomach. He ate the edible and you showed the joint to him. “So…. You want to get high right?” you asked him, holding the joint up. Pedro smirked “God I love you.”  you giggled at his reaction.

You got the tea and you both settled down in the lounge room where you could smoke. The room was softly lit with some neon lights and some salt lamps. You sat in the comfy couch, holding the heating plushy against your abdomen. Pedro put some music on and plopped next to you. You noticed that Pedro took the captain crunch with him and you chuckled when he got a hand full out of the box and offered you a couple, which you gladly took.

“Never expected to share a box of cereal with you while getting high.” You chuckled and Pedro as well when he thought about it. You lit the joint and leaned back more while Pedro looked at you, without you knowing it. He watched the way you inhaled the smoke, how your shoulders started to relax, how you leaned your head against the cushions while staring at the ceiling, how your lips got attached to the joint as you inhaled more smoke and slowly puffing it out before handing the joint to Pedro.

It was quiet but more like a comfortable silence with the music playing in the background. You were finally starting to relax as the adrenaline wore off and Pedro noticed since your head slowly started to lean against his shoulder. He had a soft and adoring smile as he took a puff from the joint. His head started to lean more against yours, both slumped into the couch. “Thank you Pedge.” You told him, taking him by surprise but yet the nickname you gave him started to flutter his heart. “For what baby girl?” the new nickname he gave you made you feel all the fuzzy feelings

“Just being here. With me.” Pedro readjusted his position and sat a little up. “It’s my pleasure. I like hanging out with you.” you couldn’t hide the smile that creeped up your face. “I like hanging out with you too. Even though, we never really hang out together. You know, just the two of us.” You told him and Pedro started to sing “Just the two of ussss.” He giggled as so did you and softly hit his arm while he laughed. Yeah, typical Pedro, but you wouldn’t have him any other way.

Pedro got the captain crunch box and placed it between the two of you, eating some as he slumped back into the couch. Your eyelids started to feel heavy from how fuzzy you felt inside. The warmth radiating of off Pedro, your heating plushy, how the weed kicked in and just how comfortable and safe you felt around Pedro made you sleepy and finally relaxed. “Can we do this more often?” you mumbled tiredly. Pedro chuckled softly. “Of course we can sweetheart. I’d love to.” You leaned more against him but this time you didn’t do it subconsciously which took him by surprise. He got his arm from behind you and placed it over your shoulder, pulling you closer and placed a kiss on the top of your head.

You both listened to the music and you felt how your body started to ache when you finally relaxed a bit. You closed your eyes and didn’t knew when it happened but you fell asleep on Pedro’s shoulder.

Pedro was deep in thought about you. This all felt so natural and well, it felt like home. You felt like home. He was at peace when you were around and when you weren’t, it was like a big piece was missing. He was debating to tell you that he liked you but he was petrified to loose you. “I really like you baby girl…” he whispered, holding his breath from anxiety but when you didn’t respond to him, he looked over at you, fast asleep, drooling a tiny bit on his sweater. He smiled adoringly at you, sort of happy that you didn’t hear it and things were still the same but that also meant that the nagging feeling was still there.

Pedro let out a soft sigh from relief and figured he should bring you upstairs. He stood up carefully and placed his arm underneath your legs and your back, picking you up. He slightly groaned because of his back. He knew that his back was going to kill him but he didn’t have the heart to wake you up. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and neck, still asleep and snuggled your face against his chest as you mumbled something in your sleep. His heart felt like it was going to burst from all the love he felt radiating for you.

You were stirring a bit but was still fast asleep until Pedro gently placed you on your bed. You immediately laid down on your side and Pedro carefully tucked you in and placed a kiss on your forehead, ready to exit your room until you quickly grabbed his hand. Pedro got startled for a minute, not expecting you to wake up or anything. “Please stay…” it almost sounded beggingly. Pedro looked into your heavy eyes, his heart and stomach going loose with butterflies. He nodded and without saying anything, crawled next to you in bed. You turned around, waiting for him to be comfortable.

“Come here baby girl.” He said with a raspy voice, hinting that he was comfortable. You immediately let your head rest on his chest with your arms wrapped around him. His hand was in your hair, comforting you while the other drew circles on your back and it didn’t take you long before you fell into a peaceful sleep again.

Pedro stared lovingly at you. It almost became unbearable to not tell you about how he truly felt. He wanted to shout it out on every roof that he was completely and utterly in love with you and how proud he would be if he could call you his girl. God the thought of it was bittersweet but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Finally he convinced himself to tell you the next day. At the beach if you fell up for it and with that thought, he finally fell asleep himself.

You woke up, a little confused as to what happened. Your mind still foggy when you tried to gather every bit of information from the day before. The festival…. God the festival already felt like a dream as if it never happened. You felt a pair of arms tightening around your waist and got pulled towards a chest. You looked up and saw Pedro. You smiled and already felt calmer. Everything just felt safe when Pedro was around you. it scared you because no one ever felt safe but with Pedro… he was your home. You’ve never really had a feeling of a true home but you would bet money on it that it would feel like when you’re with Pedro.

The sun was shining through your curtains and a ray of sunshine fell on Pedro’s face, waking him up with a grumble. It was almost ironical. A sunshine on (a bit of a grumpy) sunshine. You chuckled when Pedro slowly woke up from the sun in his eyes. He turned towards you so he would be away from the sun and slowly opened his eyes, to find you already with a soft smile looking back at him. Pedro couldn’t help but smile back, you just had that effect on him. “Good morning.” You greeted him with a soft smile. “Good morning sweetheart.” He told you and pulled you closer to him and kissed the top of your head.

You were more than happy to oblige for the hug. Your head resting on his chest again with a permanent smile on your face. “I don’t mind waking up like this.” It slipped out before you realized. Pedro just chuckled and you hoped that he wouldn’t think too much about it and find out about your crush on him. But of course he did. Pedro was already far away in his mind, trying to figure out if you meant something with that or not. Your phone went off and you saw that Pedro had put your phone in the charger before he crawled next to you last night.

You got out, not expecting a phone call from anyone so it got you curious. Especially since it was a day after the festival and it might had something to do with that. You didn’t recognize the number and frowned but answered it. You looked at Pedro who sat up, leaning on his elbows. “Hello, good morning, Y/N/ Y/L/N speaking” you greeted the other person.

Pedro looked at how your aura was visible in the sun and how magical you looked at this moment. You always looked magical but now… with the sun shining down on you, it was like a fairytale, like magic. You were magic. He got abruptly out of his thoughts when you became extremely excited and silently started jumping around, while playing it cool on the telephone. “Yeah, that is amazing! I’d love to! Yeah….yeah I’ll see your email soon. Thank you. You too, bye!” You hang up and Pedro quickly got out of the bed, knowing that something amazing just happened.

“They asked me to do more festivals and I’ve been asked to be the photographer for multiple concert avenues and even artists want to work with me! Not only for photography but also with graphic designs!" Pedro was flabbergast just as you but so extremely happy for you. “Oh my god!” he told you and held out his arms open for you to jump in and you did. He twirled you around while you laughed, still from disbelieve. “I need to tell my uncle!” you told him abrupt and got out of the hug, way too excited as you ran down the stairs, alarming everyone who might have still been asleep. Your uncle quickly came to your side, thinking that something bad had happened. He looked up where you came from and saw Pedro. He was already frowning but the moment he saw your wide smile, he knew that you were okay and that you were just excited.

You told him the same thing and he picked you up from happiness and twirled you around as well. “I’m so proud of you! Look at us now!!” you both whipped away some happy tears and gave each other another hug. “Hey! You still going to work for me right???” you knew that he was scared that you would leave. “Of course I will! I might need some help so maybe I need to start a business and stuff” Your head already going three thousand per mile. “But yeah, yeah no I won’t leave! Unless you want me to but otherwise, no.” your uncle grabbed you in a hug again. “Good.” Was all he said, stopping you from rambeling.

~Time skip~

The morning was chaotic and you were completely running on adrenaline right now and when Pedro asked you to join him on a, more remote spot on the beach and get high you couldn’t say no. You would never say no to Pedro. The driver of your uncle dropped the both of you off. You and Pedro chatted while walking to his secret spot. When you arrived, it took your breath away. It was gorgeous. You just stood there for a minute, taking in the view when Pedro walked up to you and stood beside you.

“I understand why you come here so often. It’s gorgeous here.” You told him without looking away from the view. Pedro nodded, not saying anything. He wanted to tell you that you were a better view. That you are gorgeous and that he didn’t needed to go to this place when you are around because you are so much more breath taking than this view but he couldn’t. So he decided to just nod and say: “Yeah it’s pretty amazing.” He chuckled a bit nervously.

You both started unpacking and put some music on before diving into the water. You giggled when the cold water hit your skin. It was refreshing more than anything else. Pedro came walking up to you and stood next to you. You looked at him but he was already looking at you with a loving smile that made you feel all fuzzy inside and shy. You couldn’t help but giggle from nervousness that he also gave you. He chuckled as well and softly splashed some water on you.

You did it back and before you knew it you both had a whole water fight. You got more into the deeper part and Pedro started to swim. You looked a little around, feeling a bit nervous. You loved swimming but you were slightly afraid of what laid underneath the water. Just the thought of it made you wince. “Come on!” Pedro yelled excitedly. You took a step closer but that was the part where you needed to swim. Pedro immediately noticed your discomfort and swam towards you. “You can hold on to me and rest on my back.” he told you with a soft smile. He didn’t made you feel like you were overexaggerating or belittling you for being scared. No nothing like that, he would never. Instead he tried to help you out and well, it also gave you just another excuse to be closer to him. “Are you sure?” you asked because of his back pains. “We’re in the water baby girl. It’s okay.” He chuckled a bit and you agreed.

Your arms loosely hanging around his shoulder and your head resting on your arm and against the side of his head. You felt so fuzzy inside, from the man below you and the sun hitting your skin, it felt like you were walking on the 9th cloud.

After a while of swimming, you both laid down on the towels with the joint between your fingers and after a couple of hits, you passed it down to Pedro. You laid on your stomach with your face towards Pedro. “Thank you, Pedge. For this and last night ya know.” Pedro smiled shyly “Trust me it’s my pleasure darling.” You smiled and took the joint back when Pedro passed it down back to you. “We should really hang out more.” you told him and you saw sparks in his eyes, making you smile brightly. “I’d like that idea.” You nodded “Yeah I mean we’ve hung out before but never together. Well since last night that is.” Pedro smiled and thought back to the moment.

“Last night… you said something when I was half asleep… what did you say?” you asked him. You heard him but you weren’t sure if that was something that happened in your dream or if he really said it. Pedro looked shocked and that was almost all you need to know. Pedro became flustered, started blushing and stuttering a little, panic visible in his eyes. “So you do like me. I thought it was just a dream.” You told him softly. Pedro was too scared to say anything since you haven’t confirmed it or denied him. “I’m glad it wasn’t though.” You whispered softly as you played with your nails.

Relief, happiness, excitement washed over him and he immediately relaxed more. Pedro laid down on his stomach as well and softly grabbed your hand where you were playing with your nails. His digits softly going over them before placing a kiss on the back of your hand. You smiled and felt yourself grow a bit shy. “I’m glad you heard me in that case.” He chuckled softly, making you chuckle as well, both connecting your eyes.

The laughter slowly died down and all there was visible was adoration in each other’s eyes for one another. “I’m glad you told me.” your voice barely a whisper. Pedro looked down for a bit, blush visible on his cheeks again when he looked up, soft smile lingering on his face. He moved closer to you and cupped your face, his thumb softly rubbing your cheek. He looked down at your lips and licked his own before connecting his to you. It was soft and sensual, releasing all the butterflies in your stomach. Pedro took his time with kissing you, wanting to put all his love in the kiss and oh boy did he do that.  

When he pulled away you both started chuckling again. “Let’s not tell my uncle this yet.” You told him with a nervous chuckle which Pedro duplicated. “That sounds like a good idea right now. I’d like to spend some more time with you before he's going to kill me." he chuckled and gave you another sweet kiss. Yeah, you’re uncle is going to kill him. (not really but he won’t make it easy on Pedro either even though he is one of the best guys on this planet. He was dating you and boy was he overprotective.) “So… did he tell you about his new shows he’s going to?” you asked him amused and Pedro’s face fell a bit. “Oh no he didn’t. But that means you need to go too right?” he asked you, trying his best to hide the disappointment but you saw right through him.

“No silly. That’s why I asked. He’s gone for 5 days, working with other guys and gave me some time off.” you chuckled and sat up. Pedro’s eyes lighting up. “Really? That’s great! I can take you out on a proper date, we can go to the movies together, go to a museum, maybe even a concert….” You stopped Pedro from talking with a kiss and a chuckle from his rambling. “I’d love too. But I’d like to hang out with you at home as well. Just some quality time.” You told him with a soft smile and the adoration in his eyes had never reached this high. “God, how I like you baby girl.” You chuckled and pulled him in for a longer kiss, laying back on your back as he hang slightly above you.

You couldn’t help but pull him in for a hug. Your heat just ached for it and he chuckled, kissing your cheek and forehead. “I’ll always keep you safe, baby girl.” He told you and looked you in the eye. You smiled softly. “I know.” Pedro kissed your lips again and pulled back with a smile. “Good.” You smiled back and you couldn’t be more excited for the future. With everything coming up and to be able to share that with Pedro… that was what made it even better.

[sluttywonwoo]

instead of you [part twenty-four] || l.mh

pairing: [best friend’s brother] lee minho x college!reader ft. han jisung

summary: you didn’t expect to spend your summer pretending to be your best friend’s girlfriend- then again, you didn’t expect to fall for your best friend’s brother, either. 

warnings: swearing, angst, alcohol consumption, smut adjacent... you'll see (mdni)

word count: 4.5k

a/n: revamped my tom holland series from my main blog ( @wazzupmrstark ) to try and motivate myself to finish it!!

series masterlist | early access to the next chapter on ko-fi

Jisung was gone when you woke up the next morning. The sheets beside you were cold, meaning he hadn’t been there for a while. You reached for your phone to see if you had any messages from him, but when you checked it there was nothing. 

You didn’t have much on the itinerary today so you could go back to sleep if you wanted to, but you figured you should probably get up and find Jiisung before doing anything else. 

You got dressed and ventured into the living area, stumbling across Minho sitting shirtless on the couch. You suppressed a sigh, and brushed past him into the kitchen. Jisung wasn’t there either. There was tea brewing in a kettle on the stove so you knew he couldn’t be far, but you were back at square one with your search. 

Reluctantly, you sulked back to where Minho was. It was hard to ‘keep your distance’ from him when you were sharing a living space- even if you weren’t sharing a room anymore. 

“Do you know where my boyfriend is?”

Minho flinched, like he didn’t expect you to address him, but recovered quickly, lips easing into a smirk. “What, am I not good enough company?”

It was especially hard to keep your distance when he said things like that- mostly because you wanted to smack the grin off of his face. 

You scowled. “Do you know where he is or not?”

“He’s on the balcony.”

You left Minho where he was and found your best friend exactly where his brother said he would be. He was sitting with his mother at the dining table with the book he’d borrowed from you laying open on the glass surface. 

You could tell he’d responded to some of your annotations from the different colored ink in the margins. Neither of you had very good handwriting so it could be difficult to tell apart, which is why you always wrote in different colors. You used black pens, Jisung used blue. 

Leaving little messages between the pages of books was you and Jisung’s thing, well, one of your many things, but you found yourself wondering what it would be like to annotate a book for Minho. Would he think your dumb jokes were funny? Would he like the same lines as you? Get annoyed by the protagonist- you stopped yourself there, unable to go any further with that train of thought. Sexual fantasies were one thing, but domestic fantasies... you couldn’t let yourself go down that road. 

Nikki was the first to notice you standing there and she waved you over with a grin, pulling out an empty chair for you. 

“Good morning! How’d you sleep?”

“Really good, thank you.” 

Jisung spoke next before you could return the formality. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. I thought I might have to go in there and wake you up before we head out to the museums.”

You forced a chuckle as you settled in the seat, throwing your best friend a glare when his mother wasn’t looking. 

“Your tea is almost ready,” you said, suddenly remembering. “The kettle was making a lot of noise.”

“Oh thanks, baby.” Jisung leaned forward to push himself up, but his mom beat him to it. 

“I’ll get it, you two stay here.”

“Are you sure, mom?” he asked. “I can just go grab it really fast.”

“No, no,” she assured him. “I’ve got it.”

“Thank you.”

“Would you like any, y/n?” 

You shook your head. “Oh, no thank you.”

“I’ve been trying to get her on it for years, trust me. She’s partial to coffee.”

“She’s my one true love, I can’t cheat on her.”

The truth was you did drink tea sometimes, but you didn’t really care for the way Jisung made it. 

“You’re in tea’s birthplace,” he argued. “If you’re going to have it anywhere, it should be here!”

“And to your point, if I drink tea here, I’d rather go get it from somewhere authentic.”

Jisung shrugged in defeat, cracking a smile. “Fair enough.”

You waited until Nikki was inside to shove him.  “Can you not make me look bad in front of your mom?”

“What are you talking about?” 

“I sleep in late, I don’t like tea?”

He chuckled, still rubbing his arm. “Those aren’t bad things!”

“You’re Korean. Isn’t not liking tea considered treason?” 

“Well, you’re not Korean.”

“Exactly, I don’t want her to think I’m some classless American or something.”

“She doesn’t! Where are you getting these ideas from?” he cocked his head to the side, voice tinged with concern. “She loves you, trust me.” 

“Sorry,” you mumbled. 

“Nothing to be sorry for,” he assured you and grabbed your hand, giving it a quick squeeze. 

You tried to relax a little, rolling your shoulders and your neck to relieve some of the tension. 

“You okay, baby?” he pressed, running his thumb along your knuckles. 

Just then you heard the door to the apartment open and close. Nikki appeared at the table a moment later with a mug in each hand. 

“Thanks, mom,” Jisung said gratefully as he accepted the drink from her. His eyes flitted back to your face, still waiting for your answer. 

“What are we doing tonight?” you asked, deciding to change the subject.

He hesitated before answering, like he didn’t want to move on without knowing what was bothering you. But you didn’t give him much of a choice. 

“Minho and Felix were mentioning getting drunk tonight.”

“Again?” you mused, making Nikki grin as she took a sip of her tea. 

Bold of you to say, for someone who usually spent her weeknights at a fraternity house. You could tell Jisung was thinking the same thing. He quirked an eyebrow up at you in question, but thankfully didn’t verbalize his thoughts. That would definitely be something to tarnish your character in his mother’s eyes if he were to mention it in front of her. 

“I think the bar upstairs is doing a karaoke night or something. Wanna go?”

Jisung still didn’t know about the decision you’d made to avoid alcohol. Because knowing that would mean he’d have to know about why you’d made said decision. You didn’t think you would ever be able to tell your best friend that you’d kissed his brother- or that he’d kissed you for that matter and then you’d kissed him like a week later while you were completely sober. 

He also didn’t know about your other agreement, the one that you’d made with Minho, the one where you had agreed to stay away from each other. 

So you just nodded easily in agreement, resolving silently to be the designated sober friend of the night, even though you didn’t have to drive anywhere. 

Of course, it was foolish to think that alcohol was to blame for your decision-making. You knew it only lowered your inhibitions. It didn’t alter the chemistry of your brain or turn you into a different person. But you hoped that staying dry, or somewhat dry, for the rest of the trip would help keep you out of trouble. 

-

“Come on, y/n, you have to do a song!”

It was Minho, of course, who was urging you to get up on stage and make a fool of yourself in front of the entire bar. 

“Trust me, you do not want to hear me sing,” you insisted. “And this isn’t me being humble or anything. I’m not hiding some incredible talent like girls do in the movies, I promise.”

“That’s never stopped you before!” Jisung chimed in. “You love karaoke. Are you embarrassed because they’re here?” he nodded toward his brothers and you stared down at the table without answering, pretty much confirming what he’d suggested. 

And he’s right, you do love karaoke, but that’s because most of the time you’re halfway to blacking out by the time you get on stage, and this time you’re stone-cold sober. All of the fun of karaoke comes from being too gone to care that you’re ruining a cultural masterpiece and doing a disservice to whoever the original artist is. 

The only people who enjoyed doing karaoke sober were people with a humiliation kink. 

Plus, this bar was a lot nicer than the bars you were used to doing karaoke in. Everyone was dressed in semi-formal attire, including yourself, and you didn’t know if you’d be able to relax in this atmosphere. 

“We could do a duet,” Jisung offered. “I know we do a pretty decent Wish I Was a Cowboy.”

“We cannot do a country song here.”

“Then what song do you want to do? You pick.”

“I don’t know,” you whined. “Do we have to?”

“We don’t have to, but I know you’ll have fun. You always do!” You grumbled under your breath because you knew he was right. “Maybe you just need a little more liquid courage, hm?” Jisung pushed your drink closer to you with a knowing grin. 

He didn’t know the daiquiri in front of you was actually a virgin daiquiri, didn’t know you’d slipped away to the bar when you said you were going to the bathroom to ask the bartender to make your drink nonalcoholic. 

You knew the only reason you were hesitating on getting up on that stage was the lack of alcohol in your system. 

“If you do a duet, Minho and I will do a duet,” Felix propositioned. “And you can choose the song.”

Now that was an offer you couldn’t refuse. 

“Fine. Get me a shot.”

“Atta girl.”

-

Twenty minutes later the DJ was calling you and Jisung to the front of the room. The tequila was still burning your throat even though you’d chased it with your daiquiri. You could tell Jisung was feeling it too from the way he grimaced and cleared his throat before standing from his seat. 

You took his hand and let him lead you through the small crowd. The bar was probably a little busier than it was on a normal night because of the event, but it still wasn’t packed. 

Still, the amount of people you were going to have to sing in front of made you nervous. One shot had turned into three, against your better judgment, to try and shake the anxiety and you were definitely feeling it, but the nerves hadn’t subsided. 

The DJ confirmed your song choice with Jisung and then reiterated it to the audience in Mandarin and English. You’d chosen Kesha’s “We R Who We R” on a whim. It wasn’t really a duet song, but you knew all of the words and you knew your best friend did too. 

Your eyes found Minho’s automatically- even with the stage lights shining in your face, even with the sea of people in front of you, you were drawn to him. You told yourself it was because you already knew where he was, you’d just been sitting there, and he was familiar. You were nervous, and you didn’t know anyone else here other than Jisung’s brothers. Of course you’d look for comfort. 

He gave you an encouraging thumbs up as the music started to swell from the speakers and you forced yourself to look away, cheeks burning. The tequila had been a bad idea. 

Thankfully, the song was over as soon as it started. At least, that’s how it felt. One of the reasons you didn’t mind karaoke was that you’d black out the second you stepped foot on stage and then regain consciousness once you were finished performing. It was fun because you weren’t self-conscious of embarrassing yourself in the moment, and then you’d get to laugh at yourself later if one of your friends had filmed it. 

“Great job,” Felix complimented upon your return to the table. Minho clapped Jisung on the back approvingly. 

“Y/n carried,” Jisung said proudly, leaning back and placing a hand on your thigh. “She always does.”

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t even remember what we just did. The song started playing and that’s it. I came back to when they were all clapping.”

“Well your autopilot is very impressive,” Felix continued. 

“Thanks. Years of practice.”

“What do you mean?” Minho asked. 

“It used to happen all the time in high school too...” you trailed off, mumbling the next part. “I was a theater kid.”

“What?” 

Jisung smirked at your embarrassed expression while his brothers gawked at you. “Makes sense, right?” he teased. 

“Shut the fuck up,” you spat. 

“That explains so much,” Minho whispered. 

You narrowed your eyes at him. 

“Anyway, you did great, babe,” Jisung said. “Promise.”

“As long as I hit most of the notes I’m happy.”

“Okay, now pick a song for me and Minho. We’re up in a few more rounds.”

Felix passed you the book of choices for you to look over, even though you’d already flipped through everything when you and Jisung went. Instinctively, you looked up to Minho for some kind of guidance. You didn’t want to pick something they wouldn’t like. But he just grinned.

“Pick your poison.”

You ended up recruiting Jisung for the decision since he knew the two boys way better than you did. He pointed out a couple of options for you to choose from and you eventually went with Promiscuous Girl by Nelly Furtado and Timbaland which proved to be a mistake. You chose it because you thought they’d make fun of themselves and have a good time with it, and they did, but Minho also pulled out a side of him you’d never seen before and that was a problem. 

It was a problem because he took Timbaland’s part and the lower octave definitely had an effect on you. Not only that, but the way he worked the stage like he owned it made your insides twist. He was pretty confident on a normal day, but this was on a different level. It was clear that he wasn’t taking himself too seriously, but that he also knew how to perform, which was making you feel all sorts of things. Instead of interacting with each other, Minho and Felix involved the crowd, acting like they were singing about them. And of course, Minho locked eyes with you and wouldn’t look away. His gaze broke away a couple of times when he turned to face different sections of the audience, but it always came back to you. 

At some point, you weren’t even registering the lyrics anymore, just watching his hips move to the rhythm like you were being hypnotized. 

“He’s such a show-off,” Jisung mumbled in your ear. “He’s got a career in dance and never lets anyone forget it.”

“They’re upstaging us,” you muttered back. 

“Yeah, fuck them.”

“We should leave,” you joked, still not able to tear your eyes away from the stage. You weren’t sure if you’d be able to stand if you tried. “We can’t stand for this kind of disrespect.”

“At least they don’t have our chemistry,” he pointed out.

“That’s true. We have that advantage. It would have been a little concerning if they did.”

Jisung laughed, and nodded in agreement, turning his head back toward the performance. 

It was like Minho could feel the shift in your attention, like he knew you were fully focused on him again, because he threw a wink in your direction, biting his lip to suppress a smirk.  

“Jesus, are they trying to seduce the entire bar?” 

Nope, just me.

He was probably just doing it to be annoying, to get under your skin or something. He was the one who had said it was a good idea to keep your distance from each other so you knew it didn’t mean anything. 

Still, you felt hot all over and stole a sip of Jisung’s drink to try and cool down. You’d already finished yours. But you forgot that his actually had vodka in it and almost spit it all over the table. 

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” your best friend asked frantically, hitting you a couple of times on the back in case you were choking. 

“Just strong,” is all you were able to manage. 

“Here, I’ll get you some water.” 

“No, I got it,” you insisted. “I have to go to the bathroom anyway.”

That was a lie, but you did want to splash some cold water on your face to ease the heat that had risen to your cheeks during Minho and Felix’s performance. The song was over now and you didn’t want them to see you so flustered so you needed to be gone before they came back over to the table. 

You were up before Jisung could protest, and wove through the tables to the back of the bar where the hallway for the restrooms were. You were nearly there when you heard your name being called from behind you and you whipped around before you could think better of it. 

It was Minho, because who else would it be? He had his hands in the pockets of his slacks, Rolex just barely peeking out from where it was fastened around his wrist. You hated that you noticed that. You hated that you noticed the veins that traveled up his arms and disappeared under the rolled sleeves of his white dress shirt. You hated that you noticed everything about him. 

“What are you doing back here?” you asked. 

“Looking for you,” he confessed. “Thought you might’ve been upset.”

“Upset about what?”

He took a step closer to you. You were tempted to back away, but you stood your ground. The hallway was already pretty small and in a couple of moves of this chess game you were playing with him you’d be backed into a corner, literally. 

“About the karaoke thing.”

“What karaoke thing?”

“Well, it could be a number of things,” he explained. “I feel bad about pressuring you to do a song when you didn’t want to, for one.”

“You didn’t pressure me.”

“I kind of did.”

“Not any more than my own boyfriend was.” 

He shrugged indifferently, but it was stiff. His shoulders moved up and down in a rehearsed manner. It didn’t come naturally. 

“It’s just karaoke,” you added. 

“Well, yeah, but then I also thought you might be upset about me and Felix’s song- or my part of the song, I guess.”

Had he noticed you acting weird? Or was he suddenly remorseful over eye-fucking you for three straight minutes in front of your boyfriend? Either way, you weren’t sure why he would care. 

“I picked the song, why would I be upset?”

“I mean, you got up as soon as it ended. I thought you might be rushing out because I overstepped or something.”

“Do you think you overstepped?” you asked, throwing the ball back into his court. 

Minho pressed his lips into a thin line as he contemplated how to answer your question. 

“Not everything is about you,” you scoffed before he could respond, even though you had definitely just been running to the bathroom to splash water on your face because of him. 

He blinked, clearly not expecting you to take the conversation in that direction. “I know.”

You put your hands on your hips and cocked your head to the side. “Do you?”

“Listen, I know things between us are complicated-”

“You’re the one who said we should stay away from each other, yet here you are following me to the bathroom. Where does Jisung think you are? What if he comes to check on me?”

“He won’t.”

“How do you know?”

Minho sighed in exasperation, taking a hand out of his pocket to run it through his styled curls. “Do you ever stop worrying?”

“I think the situation warrants it,” you reasoned. 

“And what exactly is the situation?” he asked, taking another step closer. 

“You tell me,” you countered. 

You were both dancing around it, neither of you wanting to admit it. Minho has a career in dance. Jisung’s words echoed in your head as you stared his older brother down. You knew you were going to be the one to get burned in the end no matter how things turned out, especially now that the fire was growing so out of control. Wild, destroying everything in its path. You could feel it in your stomach, the incandescence that drew you to Minho. You could see the embers in his eyes too. 

Minho was the first to make a move this time. Instead of answering, he cupped your face in his hands and pressed his lips to yours. You kissed him back almost immediately, practically melting into him as he slipped his tongue into your mouth. 

He steadied you by moving his hands from your cheeks to your waist. His strong frame cradled your crumbling one, and he stumbled backward as he pulled you into the men’s room. He leaned his back into the door to open it, mouth never leaving yours. 

The bathroom was empty, thankfully, but you didn’t think you would’ve cared if it wasn’t. Minho turned you around and pressed you into the sinks, teeth grazing your shoulders as he ground his hips into yours from behind. 

The dim lighting was another thing you were thankful for. That way, he couldn’t see how wrecked you already looked in the reflection of the mirror. Your hands clutched at the edge of the marble countertop as you tried to keep your knees from buckling. He hadn’t even touched you, not really, and you were struggling to catch your breath. 

Minho’s hands ran over your ass, squeezing before he spun you back around and kissed you again. Your fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, the alcohol in your system doing nothing to help your coordination. 

He chuckled against your mouth and grabbed your hands with his, stilling them. 

“Let me,” he whispered. 

You nodded wordlessly and watched as he popped a few buttons of the dress shirt- not enough to be completely open, but enough to show off his chest, and you felt your mouth go dry as you shamelessly ogled him. He smirked at your reaction and ran a hand through his hair. You didn’t even remember grabbing his hair like that, but evidently, you had gotten carried away in more ways than one.

 He grabbed your hips and hoisted you up onto the counter, laughing when you nearly fell into one of the sinks. You spread your legs for him, letting him slot himself between them as he placed a hand on each of your thighs and slipped his fingers beneath the hem of your skirt. You couldn’t help but grind yourself against him, desperate for some type of relief. The ache was getting to be too much. You felt so empty, and you just wanted something inside of you. 

“Please, Minho,” you gasped. 

“Please, what?” he quipped back, kissing you again to punctuate the question. 

“I need...” you trailed off. 

Were you really going to say it? Were you really going throw your morals out the window and fuck your best friend’s brother just because you were drunk and horny and couldn’t seem to stay away from him? Clearly, you’d stooped below the moral high ground weeks ago when you’d gotten yourself off to the thought of him, and when you kissed him. You’d already crossed so many lines, broken so many of the rules of you and Jisung’s agreement. Yet this line was the line, and if you didn’t think there was redemption for you before, there certainly wouldn’t be after this. 

It was as if you were at the gates of hell, and instead of turning away and running for the hills, you were being lured into the heat. You weren’t even trying to fight it. You’d burn willingly with Minho if he would step into the flames with you. 

Minho spoke before you could get another word in and whatever resolve you had left evaporated. “You have no idea how badly I want you,” he rasped.

“I think I might have some idea,” you teased, squeezing your thighs around his waist, effectively pressing his erection into your stomach. 

The fact that you could feel how hard he was through his pants was only turning you on more, and it made you wonder if he could feel your arousal too. Wearing a skirt hadn’t been the best idea in hindsight. The only layer between your pussy and anything else was the panties you were wearing, and the material they were made out of was pretty thin. If Minho pulled away and there was a wet patch on his slacks from you, you might die from embarrassment. 

“Wish I could take you up against the glass,” he muttered, nodding in the direction of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the far side of the restroom. “Where the whole city could see.”

The hotel bar was a rooftop bar atop a skyscraper. No one would be able to see you, and you both knew that, but the idea of it made you clench around nothing nonetheless. 

He latched his mouth to your neck and began working on the straps of your shirt. He slid them down your shoulders, exposing more of your cleavage in the process. You moaned at the feeling of his tongue on your skin, and he seemed to like that. Your sounds spurred him on, and his head dipped lower and lower until he was at the valley of your breasts. You were about to beg him not to stop when the door to the bathroom flung open suddenly, making you both freeze where you were. 

It was no one you knew, just one of the other patrons of the bar, but you were still completely mortified to be caught in such a compromising position. Minho was quick to react and shielded your half-naked body with his, holding you close to him so that the person couldn’t see your state of undress. 

The stranger turned around and left just as quickly as they’d come in, but it had been enough to break the spell. 

Minho let go of you and awkwardly stepped backward, hastily redoing the buttons on his shirt. He was quiet now and he wouldn’t look you in the eyes. You knew there was no chance of picking up where you’d left off. It was over. 

“I-I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t know what came over me.”

You straightened your skirt and hopped off the counter. You did know what came over him. It was the same thing that came over him the first time he kissed you, and the time he kissed you back, but you decided not to say anything about it. You had no room to talk anyway. 

“I, uh, I don’t want you to think that I don’t want to, because I do,” he stressed, looking pained. “But you’re my brother’s girlfriend, and that’s... that’s just a line I can’t cross. I can’t do that to him. I know we’ve already crossed so many lines... b-but as long as you’re his nothing can happen between us.”

lmk what you think i always appreciate feedback!!

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[slowandsteddie]

Hi!

Since you’re asking for fic ideas, how about Claudia Henderson taking Steve in when he’s younger? She knows Wayne Munson got custody of his nephew the year before, so she asks him for advice helping Steve adjust.

Maybe Steve and Eddie getting to be close friends? Bonus points for little brother Dustin!

Thank you so much for the request! I love it and have been thinking about it nonstop.

CW: mentions of divorce, previous child neglect/abuse, C-PTSD, mention of minor character death (murder), swearing

I’m not sure what happened here exactly. I just know that I like it.

1953 words.

Claudia Henderson had always wanted two boys, a fact that almost everyone in Hawkins knew about. So, it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to her that Jim Hopper was standing on her doorstep. He was holding his hat in front of him and the look on his face proved that he knew he was probably going to ask too much. Again.

“How can I help you, Chief?” She asked as though she couldn’t see Steve Harrington sitting in Hop’s car and looking straight ahead.

He cleared his throat. “I need to watch over the kid for a few days. Maybe a week while we try to get ahold of some relatives.”

Jim never was one to beat around the bush, but neither was Claudia. “Why?”

“His father is… going away for a while.” He seemed uncomfortable.

“Why?” She repeated, subconsciously crossing her arms when she had to press for more answers. He came to her for a favor, she had every reason to demand answers.

“He killed his wife and the kid has nowhere else to go in the meantime. I don’t want to have to hold him in a cell just because we don’t have a child services division in this small town.”

“Sorry we aren’t New York, Chief.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. That poor kid. Did he see what happened? Was she going to have to take him into the station to answer questions in the morning? “Does he have anything with him?”

“Just some clothes. He didn’t really want anything out of that house.”

She sighed again at that. “Bring him, then.”

Tomorrow, she was going to see if he wanted to go to the store and get anything. Probably best to keep him busy if he was willing. Besides, she needed to take Dustin to go pick out a new coloring book anyway.

Claudia looked out through the darkness and gave herself a moment to mourn, though not to cry. Steve’s mother had been her friend, even if they had drifted apart after Claudia’s divorce had gone through. Tonight couldn’t be about her. Not when her best friend’s son needed someone to take care of him.

“Thank you, Ms Henderson,” Hop said as he passed the backpack over to her and Steve stood on her doorstep.

He was so skinny. And was that bruising or shadows on his tiny face? That was a question she’d leave for the morning. Right now, he looked like he was about to collapse.

“I’m not doing it for you,” she replied before kneeling down to Steve’s level.

Hop took the opportunity to leave. The young male looked to him the same way a terrified boy would look for his father and Claudia made a note to reprimand the police chief later.

“Hi, Steve. I know this isn’t your home, but I want you to be comfortable here. Do you want to stay in the spare room tonight, or my room?”

He looked at her, wide eyed, as if she had a second head. “I get to choose?” He asked so softly and it broke her heart.

“You always have a choice here, Steve. As long as you stay safe and don’t hurt anyone.”

He chewed his lip and winced. It made Claudia lean more towards bruises than shadows, but it was hard to tell in the lighting and she wasn’t going to push. He had been through a lot.

“Spare room please,” Steve eventually decided.

Claudia made sure to show him where the kitchen and the bathroom were in case he needed anything. She also pointed out her own room being right across the hall before opening the door to the spare room for him. She did her best to make sure that he was as settled and comfortable as he was going to be under the circumstances. She stood in the door frame for a few seconds, holding on to it gently. She didn’t want to leave him, but he had requested to be alone.

“Anything you need, Steve. Just let me know. And Dustin might pester you in the morning if he wakes up before I do.”

“Okay,” he said simply.

Claudia went back to bed, leaving her door open. She really was going to have to call Wayne in the morning.

If Steve snuck into her room and laid on the floor beside her bed, she pretended not to notice.

—

“Wayne?” She was speaking a little lower than normal, but she did have two sleeping boys in her house and she was doing her best to keep it that way. “How did you help Eddie cope when he had to move in with you?”

“Why are you asking Claudia?” His voice was rough, but she knew him well enough to know that it was because he was tired.

“Have you heard about what happened at the Harrington’s yet?”

“You mean the murder?”

“I have Steve. Hop brought him to me last night,” she said in a rush before looking down the hall to make sure neither boy was going to sneak in on this conversation.

“Just make sure he feels safe and knows that things are going to happen at his speed, as much as possible. Have your limits and stick to them. Don’t let him push you over just because you know the hell he’s been through. And most important? Don’t try and be his Mama unless he asks you to.”

“Don’t have to worry about that last one. Hop said it should hopefully only be a week until they find some family willing to take him.” There was a tiny sniffle behind her. “Shit, Wayne. I gotta go. I’ll call you back tonight.”

When Claudia turned around, Steve was already disappearing back into the spare bedroom. The door closed with a soft click.

Shit.

“Mom, what’s for breakfast?” Dustin demanded as he walked out of his room and straight to the kitchen.

She’d check in on Steve soon. He probably needed a minute anyway.

“Pancakes sound good to you, Dusty?”

His toothless grin made her heart hurt.

How could anyone look at their child and feel anything but love?

—

It had been a few months and it seemed like Steve was staying. No one wanted to step up and take Steve. Honestly? Claudia wasn’t heartbroken about it. The longer he stayed, the more she loved him. She wasn’t fully convinced that she would let anyone take him away from her at this point. She wasn’t sure when she started looking at Steve as a son exactly, just that it happened quickly. Even Dustin, spoiled as he was, was excited to have an older kid in the house to hang out with. He said it made him seem cool to his friends that he suddenly found himself spending a lot more time with a Harrington. Whatever that meant.

She was just happy they were getting along. Happy that Steve was getting more comfortable with them. He was back up to a healthy weight, all the bruises were gone, and his injuries had turned to faded scars. Steve was safe. Most importantly, he was happy and loved. Claudia tried to not let it get to her that those were new feelings for the boy who previously only knew neglect or abuse at the hands of his biological parents.

—

Claudia woke up in the middle of the night, her heart pounding. What was that? A second thud had her throwing her covers back and running to the kitchen. The sight that greeted her would have made her laugh if Steve didn’t look so terrified.

Both boys were covered in flour. Honestly, the fact that most of the kitchen also had at least a thin dusting of the stuff was kind of impressive.

“What’s happening in here?” She asked with a smile.

Steve flinched and she tried to not let it get to her. He had to know by now that she would never hurt him, but the past doesn’t just go away like that.

“We were trying to make you a cake, but you put the flour too high and Steve wasn’t going to crawl on the counter. So I had to do it.” Dustin supplied after looking at the older kid and realizing that he wasn’t going to talk.

It happened a lot, Steve suddenly not talking. He also tended to leave the room a lot and hide in what had become his room. At least he felt safe enough to walk away now. He wasn’t walking away this time.

“It’s your birthday,” Steve said so softly. “It’s your birthday and you deserve a cake. I never got a cake.” His words got quieter as he kept talking, the last part of what he said barely audible.

“Oh, Steve,” Claudia’s heart was breaking. Shattering, really. “That’s really thoughtful of you, sweetheart. How about this? We clean up this mess and try again together? Yeah? Then I’ll move some stuff around so you can reach all the food in this kitchen.”

His eyes were shiny with unshed tears as the fear on his face gave way to a shy smile. “Okay,” he said simply.

And that was that.

—

Claudia was flustered.

She had been talking to Wayne a lot lately because he could relate to what she was going through. Taking in a kid who had nowhere else to go.

Somehow, that translated into them going out for dinner or lunch a few times to talk in person. To complain about the hardships and brag about the worthy things respectively.

That turned into her actually asking him on a date. Even more surprisingly, he agreed! Even though she knew he wouldn’t care, she was dressed in her absolute best and even took the time to tame her wild hair.

When there was a knock on the door, she was quick to answer it before Steve or Dustin had a chance. What she saw took her breath away. Wayne had put an effort in as well, and he was even holding a bouquet of flowers. Her cheeks heated and she smiled widely.

“They’re beautiful,” she breathed.

“You’re beautiful,” Wayne replied.

“Come in, come in,” she insisted as she stepped out of the way. When she saw Eddie, she smiled at him as well. “Thank you for agreeing to babysit my kiddos for me.”

Eddie grinned. “Uncle Wayne said he’d get me an Iron Maiden cassette.” Then he was running off to Dustin’s room, following the sound of laughter.

Claudia laughed softly before returning her attention to Wayne.

He shrugged. “Flattery and bribery get you everywhere with that boy,” he joked before going to grab a vase to put the flowers in.

Obviously he had been around the house a few times and paid attention to where she put things. Briefly, Claudia pictured Wayne and Eddie moving in - in the future.

It wasn’t a bad thought.

—

When they got back, Claudia was greeted by an adorable sight. Dustin was asleep, spread across the couch. Eddie and Steve were cuddled up in the recliner. Of course Dustin would claim the couch for himself and make two people share the smaller seat.

“Let’s not wake them just yet,” she said softly after a moment. “I’ve never seen Steve look so relaxed.”

Wayne had no objections. “Let’s put a note on the coffee table and then head to the backyard?”

Claudia had no objections, either. She scrawled out something on a piece of paper that was on the table already before leading the way outside. They sat on the outside loveseat, their knees touching.

Everyone was going to be spending a lot more time together. She just knew it.