#gorgeous-voiced dreamboat

[notaperfectworld]

Yes yes, I realize The Lehman Trilogy is a Tony-award winning play with Oscar & Tony-Award winning director Sam Mendes bringing it to the West End but…you mean to tell me…we might get multiple hours of Hadley in a tailored suit??? 🫣😵‍💫🥺🥵

“The three actors not only play the three Lehman brothers who founded the business but all other roles. They play their children and grandchildren, including Philip Lehman (son of Emanuel, played by Simon Russell Beale), Herbert Lehman (son of Mayer, played by Ben Miles), and Robert Lehman (son of Philip, played by Adam Godley), as well as various minor characters[20] during the unfolding of family history such as wives, toddlers, and business partners, although they never change the original costume – tailored three-piece suits often seen in 19th-century portraits of men.”

EMPHASIS MINE.

[navybrat817]

We'll Always be Friends

Pairing: Best Friend!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader Summary: It's time to have dinner with your friends, but your mind keeps drifting to Bucky. Word Count: 1.9k Warnings: Light angst, tension, friends reconnecting, unrequited feelings (or so you think), slight feels (it's me), Bucky Barnes (yep, he's a warning) A/N: More Dreamboat and Butterfly from my Reconnect AU and a direct continuation of Waiting a Little Longer! ❤️ Beta read by @whisperlullaby, but any and all mistakes are my own. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

You found it difficult to leave your room, even with your friends waiting downstairs. Reconnecting with Bucky though, it made sense why you wanted to be alone with him a little longer. That wasn't fair to everyone else. The group didn't hang out quite as often during the duration of Bucky and Dot's relationship, but you were looking forward to spending time together and catching up this week.

We've weathered through tough times and deserve some fun.

Bucky put his hand on your lower back as you made your way down the stairs. The man could hardly hug you when he was with his ex, but now he wouldn't stop touching you. Just like in your room minutes ago. Not that you were going to push him away. You more than missed the affection that used to exist between you two and each minute that passed seemed to make you fall back in sync. As long as you didn't get too comfortable, it was fine.

Everything is fine.

Everyone was gathered in the brightly lit dining room, food already spread out on plates as chatter filled the room. Steve, at the head of the table, chuckled at something Sam said. Sharon laughed as well and you couldn't help but smile as you observed them. Perhaps you were imagining it, but the atmosphere wasn't as thick as it had been over the last couple of years. Even Natasha's subtle smile was gentler, more relaxed.

Like old times.

"Hey! Finally!" Sam smiled once he spotted you, bringing everyone's attention your way. Steve's smile didn't quite reach his eyes when the girls greeted you, making you tense up a little. "We were about to send a search party after you two."

"No need for that," you smiled a little when Sam pushed his chair back. "No need for that either," you teased as he walked toward you, but to no avail. He enveloped you in a hug before you could stop him. The man was almost as tall as Bucky and Steve and just as muscular. The three of them were beautiful giants in your eyes.

"Nope. Not getting out of a hug," he said, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Give Steve one, please. He thinks you're upset with him."

You felt a little sick to your stomach as he pulled away. You hadn't meant to make Steve feel bad. "I will," you whispered back before you gave the blonde a small smile. He looked like a golden retriever who had his bone taken away. "Do I get a hug from you, too?"

Steve's shoulders dropped in relief as he got up. "Of course, you do."

Like Sam, Steve's hug was warm and friendly. They never held onto you for too long or linger the way Bucky did. A quick embrace and nothing more.

"It's good to see you. I'm sorry I rushed off when you got here," you said, wanting him at ease.

Steve shook his head and gave you a rueful smile. "I'm the one who should be sorry," he said. You didn't get a chance to ask him why before he went back to his seat. "And it's good to see you, too."

You turned your attention to the girls instead who looked perfectly at ease on their side of the table. Natasha and Sharon were as gorgeous as they were intimidating. A sultry redhead and a blonde bombshell, they could come across as unapproachable from a first glance. But they were fierce and loyal friends. You were lucky to have them in your life.

"Please, don't get up. I will hug you both after dinner," you begged when they scooted their chairs back. "I appreciate you waiting for us to join you."

"So the boys get hugs, but we don't. I see how it is," Natasha teased.

"No one hugged me," Bucky pointed out.

"No one likes you," Sam chimed in, drawing a laugh from the girls.

"Butterfly likes me just fine," Bucky said, making you nod and bite your tongue so you didn't blurt out how much you really liked him. "Sit next to me?" He asked hopefully, pulling out your chair for you.

"Since these are the only two chairs left, sure," you teased, gazing up at him as you sat down. He stared back at you before he took a seat. "How was the drive?"

"The storm slowed us down, but Steve got us here safe and sound," Sharon answered as everyone began to eat. Steve wasn't one to brag, but you caught him grinning for a split second. "But what about you two? Did you get up to anything before we got here?"

Just snuggled with Bucky and fell asleep in his arms.

Bucky looked up from his plate as you glanced at him. "We wanted to go swimming, but the rain ruined that plan and we ended up taking a nap," you said.

Natasha's eyes darted between the two of you. "You ended up taking a nap," she repeated slowly. "You slept together?"

Bucky coughed and shook his head as your eyes went wide. The redhead looked pleased with herself as she waited for an explanation. "I. We. No?" You answered.

"We fell asleep together on the couch. That's it," Bucky explained once he recovered from his cough. "Nothing happened."

That's it. Nothing happened.

You curled in a bit on yourself when Natasha frowned. "Yeah. What Bucky said," you agreed, ignoring his gaze.

You had no reason to feel sad. It wasn't as if Bucky meant anything by his response. He gave Nat an honest answer. So why did it feel like a brush off?

Steve cleared his throat when the silence stretched on. "Well, I'm glad we're all here."

Good ol' Steve breaking the tension.

"Yeah. When's the last time we all went to the beach together?" Sam asked. "Was it last year? The year before?"

Bucky moved his chair closer to yours, but you didn't acknowledge it. "Two summers ago for Steve's birthday."

Right before Dot.

Everyone was either kind enough not to voice the connection or didn't want to talk about her.

"That's right. You guys bought him a red, white, and blue Speedo," you said, remembering the redness in Steve's cheeks when he opened the present. A few drinks in and he ended up wearing them.

"They looked good on me. It would've been rude not to wear them," Steve defended himself as Sam laughed. "That was a good day."

"It was," you agreed, glancing around the table. "Perfect weather and company."

We'll always be friends.

Bucky caught your eye when he nodded. "You found a seashell on the beach and you were so excited because the color was the exact same shade of blue as your bathing suit," he said, smiling to himself as you listened. "You said it had to be some sort of good luck charm and made it your mission to find one to match my swim trunks so I'd have some good luck, too."

He remembered that?

"That was why you kept running back and forth between Buck and the water," Steve grinned, nodding to Bucky. "He wouldn't tell me what you were doing. Just that you were looking for the perfect shell."

"I was determined to find it," you giggled as Natasha and Sharon shared a look. "I must've brought dozens of shells over."

It was silly when you looked back on it, but Bucky obliged and let you have your fun. In fact, your whims and nature never once seemed to bother him. He supported them.

"You didn't give up. And about twenty minutes later, you found one," he said, rubbing the back of his neck when he added, "I still have that seashell."

You took a breath before a bashful smile crept up your face. "You kept it?"

"Well, yeah," he replied, casually putting his arm around the back of your chair. "You gave it to me."

The room went quiet and you felt everyone's eyes on you, but your focus was on Bucky. "I had no idea."

The thought that Bucky held onto something so small and seemingly insignificant because it came from you had your mind running a mile a minute. Why not get rid of it? Maybe the shell reminded him of Steve's birthday and he didn't want to let that go. The voice that led with your heart said he kept it because you gave him a tiny gift.

He kept something because I gave it to him.

Your smile widened before the flash of a camera went off, the softness leaving Bucky's eyes as you both blinked.

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself," Sharon said with an innocent stare when you tore your gaze away from Bucky. "Need photos for the scrapbook. You understand."

Bucky kept his arm on your chair as everyone began to eat again. "You're making one for this trip?"

"Yeah, I want to take as many pictures as I can."

In the past, Sharon had put together photo albums and scrapbooks full of memories of the group. Sometimes for herself, others as gifts to her friends. Each one was beautiful and special, a way to reflect on the past and appreciate the time together.

"No rain tomorrow, so plenty of chances to get some outdoor photos. Maybe we can play some beach volleyball. Three on three," Sam suggested.

"You just want to show off," Natasha smirked. She wasn't wrong. The guys enjoyed the competition. "But let's make it interesting. We win, you boys have to do all the chores this week. You win, we'll take care of them."

"And if we win, you boys also have to take us to the carnival in town and win each of us a prize," Sharon added, pointing at Steve. "I know you had the carnival on the list of things to do."

"And if we win, you'll win each of us a prize?" Steve asked.

"We have to win because I'm terrible at those games," you said. They were fun, but you couldn't remember ever winning a prize.

Bucky leaned over as the group began to debate whether or not carnivals rigged the games. "I'll win you a prize no matter who wins the volleyball game," he promised.

"I'll hold you to that," you said, giddy at the thought of him winning you a teddy bear or some other stuffed animal.

"You two up for a little drinking tonight or do you plan on falling asleep on the couch again?" Sam joked, interrupting your private conversation.

"I will drink. But if I have too much, Bucky has to carry me to bed," you said.

"What happened to calling me 'Dreamboat'?"

He's pouting and it's adorable.

"Okay. You carry me to bed if I drink too much and tuck me in, Dreamboat."

"Deal," he easily agreed.

"To the best week ahead!" Steve announced.

"And get ready to get your asses handed to you tomorrow," Sam added.

As everyone began to playfully argue again, you made a mental decision not to drink too much. Alcohol had a way of making people lose their inhibitions and the last thing you needed to do was blurt something personal out in front of the whole gang. Bucky promised that the two of you would talk and you would. Sober. But a fun night could be what you needed to kick off the rest of the week.

Things will start to come to light in the next part or two. A calm before the storm, if you will... Love and thanks for reading! ❤️ Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[sweetpandorabox]

George Weasley as a Boyfriend 🧨🦁

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨sweetpandorabox୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆

⋘ 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎…⋙

Warnings ⚠️: Slight mentioned of sexual themes and some spicy stuff.

Dating this mischief-maker yet kinder and handsome twin could include:

👨🏻‍🦰👂🏻🧹

He's very affectionate but in the most caring way, unlike Fred who's more playful he learns how to style your hair for you (like braids and ponytails) by asking Ginny to teach him, instead of holding hands like most couples do, he offers you a piggyback ride everywhere so you don't have to walk. He gives you a playful noogie when you tease him, tucks your hair behind your ear so he can see your face better, randomly making out of nowhere because he really needs it, and of course some light pranks here and there to make you laugh.

He and you aren't allowed to sit together in any classes that the two of you share together, not because of PDA since he's usually more lowkey rubbing your thigh under the table, but because the both of you just cannot stop laughing around each other for no reason which distracts the whole class.

The both of you wear a matching bracelet that George made himself, you wear his initial in yours and he wears your initial in his, and the two of you made a promise to each other not to take it off ever or not lose it, all to show that the two of you belong together.

He's a really patient boyfriend, no matter how angry you are and taking it all out on him or how annoyed and upset he gets he's never once raised his voice at you or dumped all his frustration at you in any way. He's even the first one to apologize after every fight, even if he didn't start it.

He calls you cute nicknames like Babe, Gorgeous, Dream Girl, or Precious.

Likes when you call him Georgie, Darling, Stud, Freckles, or Dreamboat (you used to call him that teasingly before you guys started dating not knowing he was into you, and still uses it to this day).

His love language is probably quality time, just like Fred he values his memories with you and loves making new ones all the time because those are truly precious over other things.

Anytime he needed a password he always uses your name and last name, your birth date, your favorite color, or the date when he asked you out to be his.

He can sing quite well and would sing a song when you're sad or aren't feeling the best, then he would offer his hand which you always take and he would spin you around before slow dancing with you to his singing as the music.

He would sneak into your room at night when you're asleep and kiss your forehead then leave something on your nightstand beside your bed so you'll always wake up to something new every day, whether it's a fresh bouquet of flowers in a vase, a book he issued for you that he thought you may like, a box of treats like chocolate and sweets or one of his sweaters/hoodies that smells like him.

He's shyer then Fred and still have that occasional blush, stammer and avoid eye contact with you when you change your appearance a little bit or did something that he found really attractive like twirling your hair or biting on your pen while focusing on something.

He tells funny stories about you any chance he gets to all his friends and Fred who finds it adorable that he's so excited to talk about you all the time.

He owns a polaroid camera that was made in the muggle world that he got from his dad as a "don't tell your mother I broke her favorite tea cup" present and takes it every time the both of you are out on a date, and he would ask to take pictures of just the two of you, let it print out and kept it in a bundle inside his sock drawer.

Holidays at the burrow Molly and Arthur love you and make you feel like a part of their family, but you happened to be closer to Ginny because it's like having a little sister. You'd talk about boys, quidditch, fashion, and more.

Instead of focusing on making joke products and trying them on you, he keeps trying to find ways how to make cool things that you can keep and that would impress you because, to be honest, he's just a little boy trying to impress his girl.

Sometimes out of nowhere he just goes "Will you marry me precious?" and get down on his knees or put your hand on his heart because he can't believe you're real and that never fails to make you blush so you just answered "Of course I will, but not now" with a giant smile on your face.

Hornier than Fred, but instead of being rough/playful and degrading during sex he seems to be more of a praiser and more gentle in the best way.

When you lay down on the Gryffindor common room couch he would sit on the opposite side, put your feet on his lap and message it asking about your day and what he can do for you today as well.

When he isn't with you during the holidays (Summer, Winter, and more) he would send you a cute little postcard every single day and a little gift through his family owl Errol.

As soon as he graduated and got the joke shop open he surprises you by saving up his money and getting his own place close to the shop so you can move in with him which you obviously accepted when he asks. The next thing on the list is a ring to marry you.

Taglist:

@igncrantbliss @milivanili99 @thatdummy-girl

[silverbirching]

SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT HADES 2, RIGHT

At least we had all better be, while I'm waving this broken bottle around.

Look guys I'm a Classical mythology wonk. And I don't mean like, "hey I read the Percy Jackson books, they were neat", I mean when I close my eyes before I sleep I pray to every god who might conceivably be listening that Linear A gets deciphered in my lifetime. I mean I've got a giant metal print of Circe Invidiosa by John Waterhouse in my bedroom. I mean that if you make the mistake of mentioning Hadestown in my presence you have unwittingly activated the trap card of "Sam talks about his string-and-sandwich board conspiracy theory about how Persephone was a terrifying eldritch queen of the dead and the entire greek world was scared shitless of her, so maybe knock it off with all these tender waifs in flower crowns, artists of the last two thousand years for two solid hours."

(The Percy Jackson books are extremely neat, btw)

So cut to 2020, the year of shit, and here comes a game from one of my favorite studios of all time, about one of my favorite subjects of all time, and it's gorgeous and deep and full of stupid gay drama and the art melts my eyeballs and the voice acting (true to Supergiant tradition) is basically indistinguishable from foreplay. So I played it. I played the absolute balls off of it.

AND THEY'RE MAKING A SEQUEL, HOLY SHIT

so the Thing about Chthonic deities is the underworld really creeped the Ancient Greeks out, so there's not a lot of writing about them that has survived to the present day, since if they were worshipped it was usually by mystery cults or more in an avoidant "please please please don't notice me I've been a good boy please" kind of way.

Hence why our favorite bisexual softboi dreamboat Zagreus doesn't really feature much in the mythology, except he was probably an offshoot of Dionysus and usually got synchronized with him, Hades himself, or Mycenaen Poseidon. They make a joke about this in Hades, btw (they make a fucking JOKE SONG about in in Hades).

BUT DID YOU KNOW ZAGREUS HAD A SISTER!?

Her name is Melinoë, and she's also cited from very limited sources, but I want to show y'all the brilliant Apostolos Athansssakis' translation of one of the view sources we have, the Hymn to Melinoë:

I call upon Melinoë, saffron-cloaked nymph of the earth, whom revered Persephone bore by the mouth of the Kokytos river upon the sacred bed of Kronian Zeus. In the guise of Plouton Zeus tricked Persephone and through wiley plots bedded her; a two-bodied specter sprang forth from Persephone's fury. This specter drives mortals to madness with her airy apparitions as she appears in weird shapes and strange forms, now plain to the eye, now shadowy, now shining in the darkness— all this in unnerving attacks in the gloom of night. O goddess, O queen of those below, I beseech you to banish the soul's frenzy to the ends of the earth, show to the initiates a kindly and holy face.

My guess would be is that Supergiant will not have her be the child of Zeus under false pretenses (there's sources that indicate Zagreus is also a child of Zeus) but still. Dope. Rad as hell. Zag's baby sister is a twin-bodied goddess of nightmares and I am excited a normal amount.

Also Apollo is gonna be in this one, you guys.

Look at this magnificent pain-in-the-ass. I can already tell you he's going to be 10,000% annoying, and I am completely here for it.

[cicimunson]

How Steve Got His Groove Back

Summary: Season 3 Steve has lost his mojo, but with a little help from you, he might get it back.

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Plus Size Female Reader

Other Characters: Robin Buckley, random girls at the mall

Warnings: Reader is insecure, Steve is insecure, a whole lotta dirty smut in this one, reader is kinda bullied.

Word Count: 3k+

Part 2

“Ahoy ladies, didn’t see you there!”

You almost jump back, startled by the loud voice of the man behind the counter.

The girls in front of you exchange amused glances.

He continues. “Would you guys like to set sail on this ocean of my flavor with me? I’ll be your captain, I’m Steve Harrington.”

You feel second-hand embarrassment for the guy. Sure, he’s cute, but cute doesn’t make up for that ridiculous outfit he’s wearing or how awkward he is.

The girls walk away laughing and you step up to the counter. “Is Robin here?”

He nods and jerks his thumb to the back.

You can’t help but notice that he doesn’t try any of his cheesy lines on you.

Probably not his type, those girls were thin and gorgeous.

You duck into the backroom.

“Robin, who’s the hot dingus working up front?”

She snorts. “Steve Harrington, former king of Hawkins High.”

“Wow, how the mighty have fallen.”

The windows to the front pop open and Steve sticks his head in.

“I can hear you, you know.”

You and Robin laugh. “Oh, we know.”

“Thanks for calling me hot, by the way.” He offers you his hand.

“Hey, I just call it like I see it. If you look past the sailor suit and the general awkwardness surrounding you, you’re pretty good-looking.” You shake his hand. “Y/N.”

“Steve.”

“So I’ve heard.” You turn back to Robin. “We still hanging out after your shift?”

She nods. “Definitely. I need pizza and horror movies, stat.”

You glance over at Steve. “You can come too, dreamboat, if you don’t have a hot date or anything.”

Robin snorts.

Steve tries to look casual and fails miserably, propping on his elbow and almost hitting his head on the counter when it slips.

“Um, yeah, sure, I can move around my plans.”

“Don’t do us any favors.” Robin mumbles under her breath.

You wait until Steve is out of earshot to give her a scolding look. “Robin, be nice. I feel bad for him. He’s obviously lost his mojo.”

You gesture to her erase board. “That him striking out?”

She nods and giggles. “He’s flopped every time.”

You turn and watch him trying to flirt with yet another customer, dropping her change and almost spilling her sundae.

“What’s wrong with him?” You ask under your breath.

“His girlfriend dumped him and he’s having a breakdown.” Robin replies.

“That explains it.”

“I’ll meet you out front in a bit, okay?”

You nod and gesture toward Steve. “Don’t forget to bring dingus.”

__________

A few hours later you’re all sprawled in your living room, the Exorcist playing while you eat junk food and gossip. Robin is piled up on blankets and pillows on the floor, you’re laying on the couch, and Steve is sitting by your feet.

Robin starts to nod off halfway through the movie.

You take the opportunity to talk to Steve a little more.

You find out that you have similar taste in music and movies. To your surprise, the two of you talk for almost three hours straight, never running out of things to say.

“So, today was interesting, watching you crash and burn repeatedly. Like a train wreck, you just can’t look away.” You tease. 

He scowls. “I’m a little off my game lately is all. I’ll make a comeback.”

“Not in that sailor outfit you won’t.” You giggle.

“It’s definitely not doing me any favors. Neither is the fact that I stink of loser.”

“Hmm?”

He sighs. “I didn’t get into college. My dad forced me to take this job. On top of that my girlfriend broke up with me for this dude I thought was a loser but turns out he’s actually okay, which makes me the jackass, I guess.”

“Sounds like it might.” You admit.

“Yeah, well, it’s been a tough year.” He rubs his face with both hands.

“You know what your problem is?” You ask.

“My life is a disaster?”

“Well yeah, but besides that. Your problem is that you actually believe what you’re saying. And you’re projecting it.”

He cocks his head to the side, looking confused. “Speak English.”

“You think you’re a loser, so you’re acting like a loser, and that’s all people can see.”

“Well how am I supposed to fix that?”

“Long-term? Therapy. Talk to you dad. Improve your thinking process.”

He grimaces. “Short-term?”

“Get laid. It’ll boost your confidence and you’ll feel better. People can tell when you haven’t had sex in awhile. It’s like a pheromone or something.”

He seems to be mulling over what you said.

You turn your attention back to the TV.

After a minute or so, you feel his hand on your leg.

You glance over at him.

“Do you wanna fuck me maybe?” He asks so casually, like he’s asking to borrow a pen.

“Oh, you’re funny. That sense of humor could work in your favor.”

“I’m being serious.”

You sit up to stare at him.

He shrugs. “I’m just saying. We could fuck.”

“I’m not really your type, Steve. Not sure how I would help your confidence. And I barely know you.”

He looks confused. “Not my type? Hot is my type. And who says we have to know each other to have sex?”

“My point still stands.”

“You don’t think you’re hot?”

“Not particularly.”

“Why not?”

You gesture to your body. “Not exactly the type of the girl you were flirting with at the mall.”

“I don’t have a specific type. I think lots of girls are hot.”

“Could have fooled me.”

He takes your hand and tugs you close, placing your fingers over his crotch.

“I’m hard as a rock just thinking about fucking you. You say I need to be more confident, right? Sounds like you need to take your own advice.”

You bite your lip and glance over at Robin, who’s snoring peacefully.

Am I really thinking about fucking him?

Steve squeezes your hand, making you grip his length. He moans slightly and flexes his hips. It’s so fucking sexy your breath catches.

Yeah, I’m gonna fuck him.

“Upstairs.” You take his hand and lead him to your room.

Steve wastes no time getting naked, clearly confident about his body. His lips crash into yours and he unbuttons your shirt, pushing it off your shoulders.

You both maneuver toward the bed and he reaches behind you, unhooking your bra with one hand effortlessly.

“Fuck, your tits look incredible.” He latches on to your nipple greedily.

You moan softly and tangle a hand in his hair.

He unbutton your pants and shoves them down, wasting no time sliding a hand into your panties and easing a finger inside you.

“You on birth control?”

“Mhm, pill.”

His lips fasten on the side of your neck. “Can I mark you?”

“Robin will see in the morning.”

“You embarrassed for people to know about this?”

“I just mean she might get upset that we snuck off to have sex.”

“Guess that’s a good point.” He looks disappointed.

Ugh, tugging on my damn heartstrings with that pouty face.

“Fuck it, mark me up.”

He grins happily and you giggle.

Your giggle turns into a low moan as he nips your skin and then starts sucking a red splotch.

“Mmm, feels good.”

He starts pumping his finger inside you. He twists his wrist slightly and uses his thumb to press on your clit.

“Ohhh, fuck.” You whimper.

“Wanna taste you.”

He starts kissing down your chest.

You pull his head back up. “No, it’s cool.”

“I want to.”

“Let me taste you instead.” You offer

You roll him on his back before he can protest. You don’t know how to explain that you don’t want him kissing down your belly because it’s not flat and has stretch marks. You don’t know how to say that you worry because you’re a bigger girl, you sweat down there more than other girls and he won’t like the way you taste.

He fists your hair as you take him into your mouth. “Fuck, Y/N, you look gorgeous with your lips around my cock.”

You lick up and down his shaft. Steve pushes your head down a little further.

“Suck on my balls, please.” His voice is almost a whimper.

You take one in your mouth and suck. His fingers tighten in your hair, pulling almost to the point of pain. You raise your head and take him back in your mouth.

Steve has to fight the urge not to hold you still and fuck your face. He’s never been so horny in his life. Your fucking curves, your thick thighs, how soft and pliant you are, it’s driving him fucking wild.

He pulls you off his dick and up the bed to give you a sloppy kiss, squeezing your thighs. “Wanna ride me?”

“Um, I don’t think so.”

He cock his head to the side and studies your face. “Do you want to stop?”

“No, I’m good to keep going. Did you want to stop?”

“Hell no. I’m about to bust.” He admits. He tugs your panties off and pulls you so that you’re straddling him.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” You murmur, a weak protest as you feel his cock rub against your pussy lips.

“Oh, you wanna be rough?”

This dingus.

“I mean, it’s not my usual style, but if you want to like spank me or something-”

“Jesus, Steve, I meant that I don’t want to crush you!” You squeak, blushing.

“Oh, my bad. I thought you were like, into something kinky. Wait, crush me?”

He grabs your waist and rolls his hips into you. “I can handle anything you wanna throw at me, babygirl.”

“I just meant-”

He rolls you on to your back.

“Enough. Let me tell you what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna eat your pussy like it’s my last meal on earth. And when I’m satisfied with my meal, you’re gonna ride my dick like a good girl.”

You feel yourself getting wetter from his words.

“Enough putting yourself down. When I offered to fuck you, I knew exactly what I was getting into. I want you, got it?”

You nod.

“Say yes if you want this.”

“Yes, yes, I want this.”

“Now, wrap those thighs around my head and let me eat.”

He dives between your legs and starts lapping at your cunt greedily. You gasp.

His hands slide under your legs, urging them over his shoulders. 

“Fuck, baby, so wet. All this, for me?”

He mumbles between your thighs, his tongue flicking over your clit. He sucks it hard, making you buck your hips and groan. His mouth moves further down, and he shoves his tongue into your pussy, fucking your hole.

“Oh God, Steve, that’s so good. Fuck, so good!”

He rubs your clit with his fingers, his tongue swirling inside you.

Oh Jesus this man is a sex wizard. Those girls don’t know what they’re missing.

He takes his other hand and presses down on your lower belly. A jolt flashes through your body and you arch your back off the bed, fisting the sheets beneath you as you fight the urge to scream out in pleasure.

He uses the hand on your stomach to hold you still as you become a writhing panting mess beneath his skilled mouth.

You blink away tears as the most intense orgasm you’ve ever had racks your body, leaving you breathless and whimpering.

Steve is falling apart between your legs. Your little moans, the way you taste, how responsive you are, it’s enough to make him insane. He’s whimpering himself, and rubbing his cock against your mattress, desperate for any friction as his precum leaks out on your sheets.

He wants you to cum again. He wants to taste you a little longer. His face being buried in your cunt is his favorite place in the world now, he decides, and he wants to make the most of it while he’s here.

He sucks your clit again, sliding two fingers inside you easily.

You gasp and roll your hips. “Steve, oh fuck, you’re still going?”

He mumbles against your clit and it sends pleasure shooting through you. His fingers pump inside you expertly, knowing exactly how to bend and where to press to send you flying over the edge again. It’s more intense this time, and you have to clap your hand over your mouth to keep from yelling as you cum for the second time. It feels like an out-of-body experience.

You start to come down from you high and realize that Steve is still eating your pussy. You whimper from how sensitive your clit is and gently push his head away.

He looks up at you with lust-blown pupils, his lips and chin wet. He looks fucking feral.

There he is. He’s got it now.

He grabs your waist and flips you on top of him effortlessly, slapping your ass.

You barely have time to get your balance before he’s pushing himself inside you. You slap your hands on his chest and groan as he wastes no time bottoming out in you.

“Fucking ride me, baby. Ride my cock.” He hisses through clenched teeth. “Let me see those tits bounce.”

You start at a slow pace but Steve isn’t having it. He sits up slightly, locks an arm around you, and drives his hips up into you.

“Harder.” He grunts in your ear. “Make it hurt a little.”

You rake your nails down his back and clench your pussy muscles around him.

He sinks his teeth into your tit, groaning your name against your skin.

“Fuck, Steve, don’t stop.”

He looks up at you, pouty pink lips begging to be kissed. You press your lips to his, locking into a heated kiss that leaves you breathless.

“Need this.” He mumbles against your mouth. “Need you.”

You moan. Something shifts between you. You aren’t sure when or how it happens, but you’re suddenly kissing him softly, his thrusts slowing down, becoming lazy and gentle.

His lips mold against yours. “Mmm, baby, just like that. Riding me like such a good girl.”

“Such a good girl for you.” You whimper.

“Come on baby, cum for me.” He pleads. “Wanna see you fall apart for me.”

His hand slips between the two of you and he rubs your clit.

You feel your body start to tighten again. You clench around him, burying your face in his shoulder. He grasps your chin and pulls your face up.

“No, baby. Wanna see it. Wanna watch you cum.”

“Please….Steve…so close.” Your thighs burn from riding him. You wanna stop but you speed up instead, chasing that third orgasm. Steve speeds up too, falling back into the bed and digging his heels into the mattress to push deeper into you.

You can’t help it. You cry out loudly, almost screaming his name as you cum again. He pulls you down for a kiss to quieten you, capturing your cries with his mouth.

His hips stutter, and he slams into you once more with a hoarse cry of his own, shooting his load deep inside you.

He rolls and tucks you into his side, kissing you once more.

“I may never let you out of this bed.” He murmurs into your hair.

You giggle. “As much fun as that sounds, I think Robin would have an aneurysm if she woke up and found us like this.”

“Yeah, I guess I should probably go. Just tell her I left after the movie.”

You feel a twinge of disappointment but ignore it as you both get dressed and you walk him out.

This was just to help him get his mojo back. It was a one time thing. Don’t read into it, don’t dwell on it.

He kisses your cheek. “I’ll see you.”

“See ya.” You echo. He’s out the door. You curl up on the couch and fall asleep almost instantly.

__________

You’re back at the mall a few days later, feeling nervous as you head into Scoops. You hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Steve. You were a little worried about seeing him today.

He’s standing by the counter, talking to some gorgeous blonde girl who looks like she’s never eaten ice cream a day in her life. You glance around for Robin. Assuming she’s in the back, you duck behind the counter.

Steve notices you out of the corner of his eye and stops mid-sentence.

“Y/N, hey!” He calls out, waving to you.

You wave back, plastering a friendly smile on your face.

He pats the blonde on the shoulder and hurries over to you.

“Haven’t seen you in a few days.”

“Mhm.”

“It is weird if I say I missed you?” He blushes.

You ignore his question and gesture to the girl. “Looks like you got your mojo back.”

“Yeah, all thanks to you. You’re the best.” He kisses your cheek.

No, I’m a fucking idiot.

Robin sticks her head out the window to the back. She takes one glance at your expression and instantly knows what’s going on. You hadn’t said anything, but she’d seen the hickeys on your neck and the stains on your sheets and instantly put two-and-two together.

“Well I won’t keep you from your blonde friend, will you let Robin know I’m waiting outside?”

He nods. “Do you want some ice cream before you go?”

You start to shake your head.

“Of course she does.” The blonde mutters.

Oh, what a bitch.

To your surprise, Steve levels a stare at her and cocks an eyebrow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She looks flustered. “I mean, who doesn’t want ice cream? It’s so good.”

You cross your arms and glare at her. “I’m sure that’s what you meant.”

She rolls her eyes and turns back to Steve, smiling coyly. “So did you want my number?”

Steve shakes his head. “I’ll pass, thanks.”

Her mouth drops open. “Really?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, really.”

She stalks off.

Steve turns back to you. “So, movie night tonight?”

“You didn’t have to do that, Steve. I wouldn’t have cared if you got her number.”

“Rude isn’t my type.”

“I’m rude.”

“I made an exception for you.” He winks.

You can’t help but giggle.

“So, tonight?” He asks hopefully.

“Movie night sounds great, actually. Robin, you in?”

She shakes her head. “No thanks, I have plans. But you two have fun.”

Steve turns out of Robin’s line of sight and wiggles his eyebrows at you. “Oh, we will.”

[chasingmidnights]

Bad Liar

Title: Bad Liar 

Pairing: Ari Levinson x reader 

Summary: Ari is a regular at the coffee shop that you work at and you can’t help but have a crush on the older gentleman. 

Warnings: 18+ only, minors DNI!! I don’t think there’s too much to look out for in this one. Just maybe some angst, mild cursing, and Ari Levinson. (Yes he’s a warning especially when he doesn’t realize what he’s doing to you, or does he?) I apologize if I missed anything but you are responsible for what you read. 

Wordcount: 877

It was mid-morning and you found yourself glancing up at the clock, it was almost nine and he still had not shown up yet. A small sigh left your lips as you finished up the order you were currently working on, a feeling of disappointment washed over. You wondered what could be keeping him this morning, he was usually here by now. You turned around and called the customer’s name to hand it to them. The bell above the door chimed again and when you turned to greet the next customer, you swore you felt your whole body short circuit. There he was, Ari Levinson; the man you have been harboring a huge crush for. When you finally snapped out of your daydream, you accidentally bumped into one of your coworkers. Your coworker, who had a tray full of freshly baked goodies that were now ruined as the tray fell to the floor. You frantically started to help her clean up the mess before she snapped at you. 

“No, I’ve got this. You go and help the next customer.” 

“I’m sorry.” You mumbled before getting up to do what she said. 

To you, Ari was a dreamboat. He had gorgeous blue eyes that you could just stare into all of the time and simply get lost in them. Somehow, just somehow, you knew that his long brown hair was one of the softest things that God has ever made. You also thought that about his thick, full beard and wondered- no stop thinking like that. You took a deep breath as you walked up to the counter to take Ari’s order, even though you knew it by heart. You could recite his order in your sleep. When you finally made eye contact with the beautiful man, your heart skipped a beat and butterflies instantly formed in your stomach. 

“Everything alright, sweetheart? You seem to be a bit flustered.” Ari’s voice was so smooth and deep, you could listen to him talk all damn day. 

“Oh, yeah, everything’s fine. Just a bit clumsy today I suppose. Do you want your usual?” How you actually managed to talk was beyond you, especially with how dry your mouth was. 

You could feel your knees going a bit weak as a smirk formed on his perfect lips as he tilted his head. 

“You know my usual sweetheart?” He then arched a brow as he eyed you up and down. 

Your cheeks started to heat up and you could feel yourself starting to feel even more flustered. “Of course. An Americano with an extra shot of espresso.” 

“Very good, sweetheart.” Ari’s smirk twitched up slightly as he stared at you. 

“Right! I’ll be right back.” You quickly turned around and started on his order. 

When he finally left, you felt like you could breathe and let out the breath that you had been holding. You were a grown woman and yet, here you were acting like a teenager over their first crush. Surely there was something wrong with you. You groaned as you went about your shift. 

A few days later and you were out running some errands when you spotted Ari across the street. You nearly ran into a sign when you did a double take to make sure if it was him or not. When you recovered from your near trip, a heavy sigh fell from your lips and you started to relax, realizing that it was not him. After you put yourself back together and fixed your hair, you continued about your day. However, throughout the day, your mind kept wandering back to Ari. Everywhere you looked you thought you saw him but it was always just your mind playing tricks on you and it was cruel. You found yourself wondering if he had a girlfriend and couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous, which was absolutely ridiculous. You shook your head to get rid of the thoughts that kept flooding through your mind. 

During the week, the only thing that was on your mind was him, Ari Levinson. You wanted so desperately to make the thoughts in your mind a reality. You wanted to know what it would feel like to curl up next to him in your king size bed. Every day you do your best not to think about him but he’s always taking up a fraction of your mind. When Ari would come into the coffee shop, you would spasm and short circuit, sometimes you would even forget to breathe. Your coworkers ragged on you all of the time and tried to encourage you to talk to him or to ask him out. One day you were talking to one of your coworkers about him and you had not realized that he was behind you. A clear of the throat caused you to turn around and when you did, you were mortified. 

“Not talking about me, are you sweetheart?” His eyes gleamed as he smiled at you. 

“N-no, of course not Ari.” You managed to stutter out. 

Once again, you could feel your cheeks beginning to heat up as he eyed you up and down. 

“You know, you’re a bad liar.” Ari smirked. 

A squeak escaped you and you couldn’t believe that you’d been caught.

[jahiera]

speaking strictly from a plot & writing perspective here, not a commentary on characters or who or who is not my favorite blorbo (they all are). it's gale time and I wanted to get down everything I thought about this go around with his romance & the writing before it escapes me.

so I once again had a ton of fun of course, the game is still a blast, and several arcs were way more satisfying this time around simply because I ... did not skip the creche, unlike my very first run (I was an idiot) (I didnt think it would be that important) (it really really was). love it 10/10. I cannot WAIT to do my gith run & really focus in on that because the lore there is just, so cool, and that subplot was really rich & rewarding this time around since I had someone who was not orpheus become a mindflayer instead.

as for Gale, Thank Fuck I started before they bugged him up again too much. but let's deep dive into The Material.

shoutout to Tim first of all, he's a legend, dreamboat, superstar. there are so many lines delivered so effortlessly when they would sound ridiculous in anyone else's mouth. he gives gale so much soulful intensity and subtle, nuanced gravitas befitting someone like gale; with enough of Gale's own moments of silliness, cheekiness, wry wit & understated sarcasm, to outright flabbergasted at times, I was Giggling every conversation fr. I'm not usually prone to the "I LOVE YOU" Romances that come earlier rather than later, but ohhhhhhh tim gives each line with all the weight & agony that you can feel inside Gale when it comes (the looming death; not knowing what the end may bring; not wanting to leave any regrets behind) so like. MWAH to him. MWAH MWAH. all the kisses in the world.

okay mandatory compliments to the actor aside. I came out of the whole thing with breadth of new appreciation for Gale as a character in terms of the... concepts, threads, that make him up, and act 2 is where he REALLY shines overall.

I didn't necessarily come away from it with the same... weepy...... done-no-wrong? interpretation of Gale that I've seen floating about. he's lovely. he's intense. he's got soul-crushing devotion on his mind, no doubt. but for every fracture of tenderness, raw sincerity, & off the cuff soliloquy, he's got a lot of interesting flaws/characteristics I'd love to unpick with a fine-toothed comb on some replays or rewatches. Still trying to turn over in my brain exactly what that is, but it's there, and I love it. will say I'm really glad I played it mostly in a vacuum rather than getting too into others' thoughts on him, because What I Had Seen on the Webbed Site had near put me off entire (seeing someone say he's not prideful or pompous at all... when he self-describes as pompous?) -- maybe it's my tendency to focus in on what makes a character tick, when are they sharper, or harder, or meaner, and I enjoy watching that play out a lot, but? yeah. I didn't come away thinking him a super soft mushy mwahmwah -- ROMANTIC, yes, but overall as a character not nearly so lovesick and in desperate need of some protector. in fact when you tell him you don't want to be his crutch, he says as much too -- you've helped him, but you're not the sole focus of his person or the only thing keeping him alive.

there's enough of the humanity in his cheekier moments (stop licking the damn thing!!) and plenty of tear-jerking aside all of that. gale my canon-depressive-episode, mildly suicidal, chronic pained up, still-kind-of-full-of-yourself king. I adore you I love you I cradle you softly in my arms. he charmed me entire! I think that the themes hey were trying to tackle are really interesting and nuanced and I do have some thoughts on the success of the game in actually tackling those, what is there is really wonderful. some gorgeous writing in act 2, especially, and it was sold so well by the voice acting & sincerity in the writing I was just like. PERFECT. 10/10. NEED TO WRITE 98 FLUFF PIECES RN. which does not happen often, to me, as a person.

with. some exceptions, going back to critiquing act 3 as a whole.

act 1 & 2 are both strong, really nice. however this romance definitely needed at least one or two more scenes in act 2 to pad out the space between awkward flirting at the party to "I like it when you're sweaty and bloody-- sorry who said that" to "I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU." -- these scenes should've elaborated on Gale's personal feelings; of mystra, of what's been asked of him, of Tav. they should've set in threads of Gale's anger earlier, rather than the jarring shift from late act 2 "yeah I'll kill myself" to "actually... mystra fucking sucks! lol!" in act 3 at sorcerer sundries. yeah babygirl, mystra DOES fucking suck, wish I could've listened to you as you arrived to these conclusions rather than connecting empty character lines between act 2 and 3. and act 3 desperately needed more space to talk gale in or out of the crown. because by the time we get to the end, if he's really into the crown, he's into it beyond the focus of all else. but in the scenes where you talk him off that particular ledge, it doesn't even take very long to do so, and leaves kind of a weird... gap of intention.

I feel like they wrote themselves into a bit of a corner, honestly. because Gale's personal quest literally cannot be resolved until 5 minutes before the end, any climax wouldn't have much space afterward to pad the aftermath. so the solution to that would've been more character focus scenes, more flavor text depending on how you've influenced gale, something that actually makes the choices feel rewarding -- some hurdles to cross too, checks of some kind. but there really isn't any of that, and so the conflict is almost nonexistent. you squirt gale with a water bottle and he gives up the crown with no real additional dialogue. or you tell him "ma...maybe???" and he's suddenly a power obsessed little freak (complimentary) with no recourse, and in either case, we never got much dialogue to get some insight into his personal thoughts on it. this doesn't make Gale a bad character, but it does leave the narrative to be lacking in some regard.

like, for example. Astarion gets dialogue changes depending on the quest outside of character-specific moments (such as a spawn Astarion changing his dialogue after you help Aylin with Lorroakan), post-quest conversations, PRE-quest conversations with his siblings, moments where he reveals more of what he thinks (such as "You're... you. no one is like that.") etc., Gale gets None of that. the only other characters who really do are Lae'zel and Shadowheart; everyone else is either shafted or resolved in the last few minutes too. I came out of this most satisfied as a player overall with LAE'ZEL'S conclusion (also at the end of the game!!) because we had gotten a few more moments where her focus is obvious and her motivations are clear.

anyways, those are just general writing issues. Act 3 overall is the weakest, most agree, and that's still true here. Sadly it kind of takes some of Gale down with it in this case, because his personal quest is both so removed from the overall plot (despite him being a literal fixture as the only character who knows anything about the crown & was decreed by a literal god to take out the absolute).

however none of this is related to Gale as a guy. as a guy I'm Fucking Obsessed With Him. taking him with me everywhere was so rewarding especially in act 1 / 2. his commentary & insights, when they were there, ranged from funny as fuck to genuinely insightful & interesting for the overall plot. the ideas behind him, the glimpses we get of the life he led before, and the life he wants to lead after with Tav -- or what he alludes to wanting to lead with Tav, thinking that he'll still probably die at the end of this -- are lovely, interesting, TOUCHED MY SPIRIT. he's such a neat version of how to do a character that is as endearing as he can be foot-in-mouth, and as intelligent as he can be a little belligerent. I looooved every moment I could talk with him about magic in act 1, see his passions (beyond mystra), argue with him about how to do something (I'M the magical wonder here actually and I get to make the shadowlantern), all of that really MADE the romance for me in the lulls where his Silence or the gaps in his writing were more clear. 10/10 would kiss that fucking wizard again and cry a little bit thinking about exploding with him aboard a giant alien brain while one of those "ITS YOUUU I LIE WITH" songs plays in the bg

[i-write-boop-spoops]

Beauty in the morning light - Steven Stone x F!Reader (Smut)

ending this unintentional hiatus with a hearty 1.4k smut fic staring THE silver haired dreamboat himself!

i can't believe this blog has been around for 2+ years and it's only now i write a smutty fic for my rock husband? it's a tragedy, i know. also proofreading? nah, i'mma go to sleep instead.

features: soft smut, f/afab! reader, condom use (stay safe!), cowgirl, p in v sex, oral (f! receiving), steven being very into thighs, very into eating reader out and very into reader in general. no gendered terms are used to refer to reader, but they do have boobs and a vag n all that good stuff.

NSFW below!

You’re so beautiful.

Especially in the cool light of a cloudy morning. The gentle white glow drifting through the mesh curtains highlights the softness of your skin, the gleam in your sleepy eyes, and the shine on your lips as they part to moan his name.

Your movement is slow, languid, you’ve just woken up after all. Up and down, you glide on his length. He relishes in the feeling of your luscious warmth wrapped snugly around him, not just in the very sight of you riding him.

His hands travel your gorgeous figure, fingertips delicately caressing the swell of your breasts, and then down to your soft hips, and finally, your downright exquisite thighs. His hands settle there, squeezing the flesh in a firm, yet gentle manner.

“You’re so beautiful (Name)… so beautiful,” he sighs, before biting his lip, trying to hold back a groan as you sink down on him again.

“Ste-ven,” you protest in a whine, your fingers curling into his chest. You’re more flustered by his earnest compliment than him literally being inside of you. It’s adorable.

“But you are…” he insists, feeling himself getting close. “You are… oh, arceus, you are.”

You press your lips to his, as if to shut him up, he doesn’t complain, no, not one bit. Your lips move with passion against his, and he responds in equal measure, tangling the fingers of one hand in your hair while the other stays caressing your soft thigh.

Your hands push him against the mound of pillows he’s laying against, your tongue always quick and needy, is already in his mouth, eliciting sounds out of him only you get to hear. You keep your hips moving, at that slow, tantalising, pace, making him fit to blow at any moment.

He pulls away just before it hits. He wants to see you, your beautiful face, your gorgeous body, in the morning light, as he finishes.

There it is, that immense, immaculate wave of pleasure. He catches a glimpse of you before he closes his eyes, and moans for you, thrusting upwards and fingers digging in the flesh of your hips, he hopes he doesn’t cause any harm. He releases into the condom, and you let him rest inside you for a few moments before you pull off. Your absence is sorely evident.

“Thank you,” he mumbles, and you just laugh and pat his shoulder. “Anytime Stevie,” you coo as you settle on the bed next to him.

After a minute or two, when enough of that delectable afterglow fades, he peels himself from the bed, and disposes of the condom in the nearby trashcan.

He turns around and finds you draped across the bed, above the covers, head supported by your elbow. You look like a boudoir model… he’s so lucky to have you.

“Let me repay you for that,” he insists as he puts his knee on the mattress, his hands immediately on your thighs again.

“Steven…” you sigh, protesting him again. He put his hands either side of you, bringing himself on top of you. “Please?” he asks, with soft, hopeful eyes and his voice teetering on begging.

You roll your eyes and sigh again. Gotcha.

“Okay Stevie.”

He can’t hide his smile, not one bit. He pecks your lips in thanks before moving down your body. He caresses your thighs lovingly as he props them on his shoulders. He adores them, so soft and supple and sexy, the prefect pillows.

Faced with your weeping heat now, he takes a shaky breath, inhaling your intoxicating scent, before flicking his tongue out to taste you.

You’re so sweet.

Gripping your soft thighs a little tighter, he pulls you close, practically burying himself between your legs. His face is enveloped by your warmth, and it’s tantamount to heaven.

You’re wet from earlier, still needy, folds nice and slick and swollen. He forgets himself and starts to lap you up with tactless abandon. He hasn’t had breakfast yet, after all.

You cry out, fingers immediately in his hair, and tugging it. The sound of your moans is music to his ears, and he longs to hear endless encores.

He finds your clit, and kisses it, feeling you jolt against him. He kisses it again, and again, before letting his tongue slowly swirl around it, before dipping down to slip the muscle inside you.

Oh, you taste so sweet, like honey. He moans into you, tongue still inside, and the vibrations make you shake. His fingers curl against the tender skin of your thighs as he starts lapping at you again, mouth moving upward until he’s swiping at your clit with the full breadth of his tongue.

“Steven… Steven…” you practically sing between shuddering breaths, the grip you have on his hair is almost painful now, but he likes it that way. He knows you need a bit more, and he is beyond willing to oblige you.

But first, he has to indulge himself a little, doesn’t he? He presses tender kisses along your plush inner thigh, you whine softly in response, hips bucking just so. “Goodness, you’re so beautiful (Name)…” her murmurs against your sensitive skin. He’s not even sure if you heard him, and by your lack of protests, you probably didn’t.

His kisses your clit again before flicking it with his tongue, and then he lets his lips latch around it. You inhale, and the moment you do, he starts to suck.

Gently, gently now, that’s all you need. He knows you by now, knows what your soft cries and jutting hips signal, and he’s excited to bring you there. He sucks for a bit, then laps away your wetness, returning to your clit. You taste so good, he wants to have more of you.

And he will, very soon. You practically jam his face into your vulva, desperate for that extra push to bring you over the edge. He starts to suck your clit a little harder now, stop only to play with it gently.

It works, only a few seconds of that and he feels you gush and twitch and shudder against his face, perfect thighs squeezing his cheeks and muffling that shameless moan that tumbles from your lips. He guides you through that exquisite wave, licking up all that you give him, and savouring it with a hum.

He doesn’t want to leave this paradise just yet, the soft, warm flesh on his cheeks, the taste of you, but you tug on his hair, urging him to come face you.

You can’t blame him for taking his time leaving your heat. The air in the room seems infinitely colder against his cheeks, his lower face wet from your juices. He plucks a tissue from the bedside table and wipes it away, not before licking his lips of course. You laugh at him drying his face.

What? He was raised to be a gentleman.

You slink your arms around his neck, pulling him into you. You’re so sweet and soft and warm, in no time he has his arms around your waist, embracing you back.

All of a sudden, your lips are on his, and your tongue is snaking its way into his mouth. His eyes widen, he hadn’t expected a kiss, especially one filled with tongue, after going down on you, but he supposes that’s just who you are. Flustered by his love maybe, but ashamed? Never.

His kisses you back, moaning softly, attempting to meet your voracity but not quite reaching it, maybe you’re just more awake than him.

You barely part for a moment before he pecks your lips again, his grin satisfied and lazy, much like yours. He gazes at you as you catch your breath, at your messy hair, swollen lips, glistening skin, eyes glazed with pleasure. You look like fine art, finer than that even.

He takes a breath, as if to gasp in awe of you. How perfect you are like this, tired, and sated, and happy. He has to say it, doesn’t he?

“You know… you look even more beautiful after you orgasm.”

“Steven!”

And there you go again, getting all flustered by his sincere flattery. Little do you know; it makes you all the more gorgeous and endearing to him.

He doesn’t insist this time though, he’s been selfish about that all morning. You know he thinks you’re the most beautiful, precious thing in the universe, more captivating than the most sparkling of diamonds and the most twinkling of night skies. And as much as he loves to remind you of that, he doesn’t want to overwhelm you, at least not right now.

“Well, my dear… shall we stay in bed a little while longer?” he suggests, tone smooth and playful. You squeal and laugh and pull him under the covers, no doubt for another round of pleasure.

[supermarine-silvally]

💙 + Portada!! -🍂

tysm as always for the prompts, my dear Alvita!! Apologies that this took awhile to get to, hope you enjoy! 💕

💙 drunken kiss / tipsy

Yara carefully lifted the sides of her long white dress as she ascended the stairs of the Moby Dick, reaching the upper deck. It was far quieter up here, away from the noise of the party still going strong on the summer island that the massive ship— among many others— was anchored at. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face from where it had come loose from the ornate pins that bound her long violet locks into a bun, interwoven with little silk flowers for added decoration— sakura blossoms, at Izou’s insistence; a nice little nod to her Wano heritage on this very special occasion.

As she stepped onto the deck, however, her brow furrowed. Just ahead of her, she could make out another silhouette, illuminated by the moonlight reflecting on the open ocean. Someone had apparently beaten her here. Quietly, she moved across the wooden boards, stopping about a metre away from them, her arms resting on the gunwale as she gazed out at the calm sea.

“Come here often, gorgeous?”

The sound of the smooth voice made Yara’s lips twitch upwards. “Every now and again,” she replied. “Though it’s not usually occupied.”

She could feel warm hands press against her waist, sliding sensually down to settle on her hips. Gentle kisses peppered her neck, trailing down to her collarbone.

“Just my luck, then, to run into such a beautiful woman in this place.”

“Careful,” she murmured. “My husband is nearby.”

“You have a husband?”

“Mm-hmm. Just married, too.”

“What’s he like?”

“Oh, he’s very handsome. Soft black hair, the cutest freckled cheeks…”

“Sounds like a real dreamboat.”

Yara couldn’t hold her amusement back any longer, letting out a giggle. “You’re enjoying this way too much, aren’t you?”

Ace kissed the crook of her neck again, his arms wrapping around her chest. “Can’t help myself,” he admitted.

“What are you doing alone out here, anyways?”

“Waiting for you. I know there’s only so much party you can take before you need a moment to yourself, and I thought I’d grab the opportunity to steal you away for a bit. …Look.” He grinned, detaching himself from her and bringing her attention towards two fancy glasses sitting on a barrel beside him. “I brought drinks.”

“How thoughtful,” she hummed appreciatively. “But are you sure you wouldn’t rather be at the party? You might not see Luffy again for a while.”

“Eh, Luffy understands.” Ace smiled, lifting up the glasses. As he stepped towards her, she could see that his shirt was fully unbuttoned, exposing his bare chest. The tie had come off ages ago, lost sometime in between the dancing and the cake-cutting. Anyone else might have considered it uncouth, but it was so him that Yara couldn’t find it within herself to care.

“You’re certain?”

“Yeah. Besides, I’m sure Usopp is keeping everyone entertained with the fiftieth rendition of his goldfish story.”

Yara laughed, shaking her head. “I adore your brother’s crew to bits, but those stories do get a tad repetitive after a while, I’ll admit.”

“That they do. …Here you go.” He handed her one of the glasses. “This is yours-- It’s white wine. I know champagne messes with your stomach.”

She received it from him, staring at it. “Are you sure we should be drinking any more?”

Ace shot her a lopsided grin. “Hey, it’s a special night. Our special night. I’m sure one more drink wouldn’t hurt.”

“Marco might disagree.”

“Pssh, who cares what Birdbrain thinks? It’s not his wedding.”

She let out a soft laugh. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Here.” He leaned his glass towards hers. “To us?”

“To us,” she agreed, clinking them together.

Yara tilted the glass back, downing its contents in one go. Her head buzzed as she placed the empty glass down on the gunwale, then turned to glance over at Ace, meeting his dark, sweet eyes. He was looking right at her, as if all the stars had coalesced to bask her in their heavenly light.

“What?” she asked, raising an eyebrow

“Nothing.” He grinned. “Just… admiring my gorgeous wife. …Heh. My wife. I get to call you that now.”

“You’ve been calling me your wife ever since we got engaged,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, but now it’s official official.” He held up his hand, showing off the golden band on his ring finger. “No takesies-backsies. …Unless you get sick of me in a few years and want a divorce.”

Yara couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t have married someone I could so easily get sick of.”

Maybe it was the alcohol buzz, or the fatigue, or just the silly, lovestruck grin on Ace’s face, but all of her inhibitions suddenly faded away. Draping her arms over his shoulders for balance, she leaned forwards, pressing her lips to his. It was a slow, uncoordinated kiss, her sense of timing dulled by the multiple glasses of wine she had consumed over the course of the evening. She could taste the champagne on his lips as he kissed her back at his own unhurried pace, mouths sloppily melding together as his hand slid around her waist, then slowly moved upwards along her spine to toy with the zipper at the back of her dress.

“Ace…” she murmured, breaking the kiss and pushing his hand away.

“What?” He tried to look innocent.

“We’re still technically in public. Save it for later.”

“Aw.”

tagging: @auxiliarydetective @daughter-of-melpomene @box-of-bats @starcrossedjedis

[notoriousslug]

Walking Dream-boat - NotoriousSlug - Transformers - All Media Types [Archive of Our Own]

Pipes x Cybertronian Reader

‘In which you have a somewhat awkward interaction with Pipes, and then he introduces you to some friends!‘

Rating: General Audience (13+)

Warning(s): N/A

Relevant AO3 Tags: Meet-Cute

Word Count/Read Time: 897 / 3 Minutes

You can feel the optics on your hull. Hazarding a glance out over your fellow patrons, yet again unable to pinpoint just who'd been ogling you. It was going one of those days, then. A hearty ex-vent evacuates your slats as you deflate against the bar top. 

You're easy on the eyes, you get it, other's often make it their mission to ensure you remain aware. It's just, exhausting. You'd signed up for this quest with burgeoning wanderlust and an ache for companionship yet all you got were stares and surface-level compliments. Sure, people are nice to you, but they don't tend to stick around once they realize you're not just some cute mini who'll put up with being demeaned and pawed at. 

There are exceptions, of course, you get along well enough with the other mini-bots you've met so far: Swerve can get a bit invasive, but you don't mind being talked at all that much, and Tailgate seems kind, if not a touch naive. You'd been meaning to introduce yourself to Rewind, but he and 'Chromey-?' always appear pre-occupied, so you haven't come upon the opportunity yet.

You've also met Skids, and he's proven to be the most tolerable mid-to-large sized mech aboard thus far. 

Too bad he's not here right now, people tend to stare less when you're accompanied.

Lost to thought, you don't notice when someone climbs up onto the stool next to yours. 

"Hey there, dreamboat," 

Oh, no...

"Come here often?" 

You turn towards the voice, frown hidden beneath your mask, only to be surprised when greeted with the sight of yet another fellow mini. 

"Uh,, yeah.." off your guard, you neglect to immediately shoot down whatever intentions to woo you he has.  

"The name's Pipes," casual as can be, he leans on the bar, gesturing towards you "and yours? Gorgeous?" 

Gorgeous?

That snaps you from your stupefied state, "Look- Pipes, it's nice to meet you and all, but I'm not interested." it's not that he's unattractive, you're just genuinely not interested in hook-ups right now. 

He tenses at your succinct rebuff, and you half expect him to curse you out (it wouldn't be the first time you'd been confronted with such a reaction), "Oh, uh.." his shoulders drop, and he rubs at the back of his neck, "Alright... Sorry, then." A brief, awkward, silence befalls the two of you, and just as it seems he's about to get up and leave, you extend a servo towards him. You know it's the bare minimum not to lash out at someone for rejecting your advances, but you do it anyways because hey, you're still on a friend-quest, and you'd be damned if you didn't at least attempt to salvage this interaction. 

"Let's start over," he stares down at your hand as you offer your designation, taking it after a moment; you give him a firm shake, "It's nice to meet you, Pipes, what brings you to Swerve's this cycle?" 

He untenses, grateful for the second chance "Oh you know, just came to mingle between shifts, you?"

"Something similar," you withdraw your hand, "haven't had the courage to get up and actually talk to anyone yet, though, hard to insert yourself when everyone's already all chummed up." you gesture loosely to the occupied booths at each side of the room.

"I get that, lucky me though, I already know most of these guys." he laughs, toying with the drink he'd brought with him. 

"Really?" you can't help but sound a little impressed as you spare the room another sweep, optics flickering from the likes of Hound, to Drift, to Highbrow, and those that keep them company "This is the first time I've seen you around, to be honest." 

He slumps some at your latter comment, his ego taking a hit, having defiantly seen you around more than once, "Hah, yeah, well.." before abruptly perking up, "how bout' I introduce you to some of the pals?"

It's your turn to get excited, "Are you sure?" if not a tad nervous, "Right now? I uhm, wow, that'd be real' sweet of you." 

"Ah, don't mention it." he feigns nonchalance with a wave of the hand, though the fizzle of static underlining his vocals is unmistakable; you giggle. He resets his vocalizer and bobs his head in no particular direction, "C'mon." hoping off his seat. You follow with a skip to your step, bumping shoulders with and flustering him further when you catch up. 

...

The rest of your break is spent expanding your social circle and filling it with good people. You laugh and trade stories; it's not hard to find common ground. A decent amount of wing-meching taking place on Pipes behalf, you notice, but his friends aren't obnoxious about it- it's endearing if anything, and you ease into light-heartedly teasing him about some of the more blatantly exaggerated tales told. Though, your interest does get snagged when someone mentions something about his time on earth (you'd wanted to visit the planet since the first time you'd heard of its 'uncannily similar to cybertronian looking but squishy' inhabitants), and prob him for first-hand details, which, somewhere along the way, leads to him inviting you back to his hab. 

You both have to go about your next shifts first, but you agree to meet up with him there afterwards to 'peruse his collection of earth trinkets'. 

...

..

[notaperfectworld]

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So what you're saying is Hadley was 30-31 when he played Raoul, and he's 42 as Anatoly, but he still runs on stage for the curtain call in pretty much the same way...

[mickey-henry]

𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝

pairing: bucky barnes (bookstore au) x reader

summary: eager to escape the heat, you find yourself in the presence of a mesmerizing bookstore and an irresistibly beautiful man.

word count: 2.3K

author’s note: hello! welcome to my third fic😊 I’m eager to share this with you all! I now have a taglist (the link is also in my bio) if you’re interested🥰 thank you to @certainaesthetic​ for helping me workshop this idea, @fuckandfluff​ for the grammar help, and @midnightf​ for hyping me up as I wrote it! likes, reblogs, messages, replies, and comments are cherished! the header images are from pinterest and the divider is from here. I hope you like it! 💖

You’re desperate to escape the smoldering heat. It’s too hot to rest in the car; it’s been baking all day beneath the sweltering summer sun, parked just outside your place of work. If you attempt to sit in it now, you’d only be greeted with a wave of torrid air, stung with the touch of your seatbelt, and burnt from the searing leather of your steering wheel.

You’re off from work earlier than usual—the blinding sun is usually long beneath the horizon before you head home for the day. The pathetically small sun visor does nothing to shade your eyes from the blazing sunlight. Rather than driving half-blind, you decide to wait out the setting sun.

As you ponder how to spend the rest of your afternoon, you realize that now is an opportune time to visit the new bookstore, The Book Haven, that opened last month. After changing out of your uniform and throwing your work stuff in the trunk, you walk across the plaza to the shop entrance.

The bookstore greets you with the chime of a bell and a rush of cool air as you step in, a blissful contrast to the scorching outdoors. The welcoming scent of coffee grounds and the tangy aroma of old books accompany the refreshing breeze. You take a deep breath, appreciating the convivial atmosphere. The bookstore is a sublime sight; words almost can’t describe its charm.

Shelves like skyscrapers—stuffed to the brim with books, magazines, and comics—graze the ceiling. An intimate reading nook lies next to the door; an inviting window seat dwells beside a floor-to-ceiling window. Clear mosaic window clings cover the glass, casting beautiful rainbows throughout the store. Stringed vintage light bulbs illuminate the shelves; candle-lit sconces adorn the top corners of each one. Oriental rugs lay between the shelves, covering a dark mocha floor. Tucked in the back of the store is a small coffee cranny, hidden at first glance. Frank Sinatra’s charming, rich vocals travel through the air, tickling your ears. The owner clearly put the utmost time, energy, and love into the creation of their shop. It is unequivocally perfect and already one of your favorite places.

You wander to the classics section, enthralled by the exquisite covers. Sensing someone nearby, your eyes glance at movement caught in the corner of your eye. Your stomach somersaults at the stunning stranger. The instant you lay your eyes on him, you forget to breathe for a moment—your breath engulfs your throat. You’re astounded by the Adonis of a man before you.

Bristles of scruff grace his defined jawline—his low man-bun neatly styles his dark chestnut hair. A grey short-sleeve button-up shirt hugs his toned arms; a white tank top clings to his lean, fit frame; cuffed slim-fit khaki pants, help up by a bronze braided belt, embrace his thick thighs; and weathered, chunky brown leather shoes don his feet.

Through the rose-colored glasses that surround your heart, your soul imagines a life with a perfect stranger. The hopeless romantic in you can’t help but steal glances, hoping to catch a better glimpse of him. The moment he turns to walk away, your heart sinks to your stomach. You hope this isn’t the last time you see this gorgeous man.

A few minutes later, you’re mulling over a collectible edition of The Catcher in the Rye, attempting to justify purchasing yet another copy of your favorite book. A melodic voice interrupts your pondering. “That’s a pretty edition of The Catcher in the Rye you’ve got there.”

You turn towards the charming voice. Lo-and-behold, it’s the love of your life: the handsome stranger you’ve mentally lived a lifetime with. His beauty is even more profound up close: now you can see that his eyes are a lovely shade of blue. His eyes, haunted by a subtle sadness, draw you in, unlike anything you’ve experienced before. You find yourself entranced in his sea-blue current; you could easily drown in his gaze. You attempt to hide your awestruck expression and converse with him like a normal human being. “I agree! I already own a copy though, do I really need a new one?”

“I think we both know the answer is always yes,” he assures.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me. I'll get it! Thank you for justifying my unnecessary purchase.”

Your words hang in the air, everything going quiet as you wait for the ravishing stranger to introduce himself. The two of you stare in silence at each other, the tension thickening as the seconds pass by. After a few moments, his face flashes in realization—you were waiting for his name.

“I’m Bucky,” he offers with an enchanting smile, extending his hand out to you. You share your name as the two of you shake hands. Your eyes stare down his veiny arm to his ring-studded fingers grasped around yours. You allow yourself to imagine for a few moments how amazing those fingers would feel tracing your arms, tangling your hair, and teasing your inner thigh. Your lustful reverie comes to an abrupt halt at the sight of the book nestled inside the crook of his elbow: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the bane of your existence. You scoff with furrowed brows; of course, Mr. Handsome Stranger would be interested in the one book you despise.

“Got something to say there, sweetheart?” he questions with an amused grin.

“Out of all the classic novels in this entire store, that’s the one you chose? The Metamorphosis?”

“What’s wrong with this one?” he jives.

You pause for a second, debating whether it’s worth it to argue with a stranger. The pondering lasts only a few seconds; the exhaustion from your day disintegrates your filter. Besides, you loathe The Metamorphosis.

“What isn’t wrong with it? The dude wakes up thinking he’s an insect? The reader has to sit there throughout the entire book, wondering whether he’s a man or a bug? What the actual fuck? I didn’t appreciate the existential crisis that book gave me at fifteen; if I can help someone else avoid the suffering caused by that monstrosity, I'm going to do my part,” you huff, unamused by the joy Bucky seems to gain from your zealous analysis.

“Wow, what a passionate review! Perez Hilton would be envious of your slander. Okay then, what classic would you recommend instead?”

You cross your arms, expecting him to challenge your response. “The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.”

“That’s a play,” he counters.

“It’s published as a book; it counts! It’s witty, playful, and has a happy ending, which is the most important point of all. It also doesn’t make you want to pull a Fahrenheit 451 and burn every copy in existence,” you attest.

He steps closer to you, tucking loose strands of his hair behind his ear. “Life doesn’t always have a happy ending, sweetheart.”

Great, there he goes again with that freaking pet name; it’s going to be the death of you. He knows your name, you just gave it to him, yet here he is, infuriatingly insisting on calling you sweetheart instead. Stupid pretty boy with his ocean blue eyes and amorous smile.

“That’s exactly the point,” you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “So, why would I want to read something that doesn’t end well? If I’m going to escape this reality for a while, it better be for a happier one.”

“And if it's not?”

“Then I’ll throw the book across the room and make up my own happy ending!”

“Ooh, aggressive,” he tuts. “The owner of this place might not be too happy with you if you’re throwing books all over the place; it’ll scare away the customers.”

“Then it’s a good thing the owner isn’t here,” you interject confidently, knowing full well you have no idea who the owner is.

“Well, that just isn’t true, sweetheart. You’re looking right at him.”

He’s lying—he has to be. Why would a dreamboat like Bucky own a bookstore?

You scoff, “you’re not the owner of this place.”

“I’m not? What makes you say that?” he banters.

“People like you don’t own bookstores!” you exclaim.

“People like me?” he goads, cocking his head to the side. The action erupts butterflies in your stomach.

“Attractive people!” you groan.

“So you think I’m attractive?” he plays, stepping to close the gap between you.

“Psh, no, you wish,” you muster. The heat spreading across your cheeks betrays your bluff.

There are mere inches between the both of you now; you hope he can’t hear your racing heartbeat. You watch his eyes go down from yours to your mouth and back up again. He eyes you with a smirk, his teeth playfully tugging his bottom lip. It takes everything in your power not to give in to his spell.

“I’ve known you for what, five minutes? I don’t go around kissing strangers, Bucky,” you falter, taking a step back from his closeness.

“Then let’s not be strangers, sweetheart. Grab a coffee with me; I know a nice place, not far from here,” he flirts, gesturing to the counter at the back of the store.

“Let me learn more about what goes on in that pretty little head of yours,” he purrs, his breath tickling your cheek.

“Okay, fine. I’ll have a coffee with you,” you surrender.

A bright, honeyed smile dons his face.  

“It better be good, though. Not the stale crap you usually get in the middle of the afternoon.”

“I’d only give you the best, sweetheart,” he winks, extending his right hand. You take it; he gives you a soft squeeze before weaving you through the towering shelves.

Your discussion continues with another passionate book review as he prepares your drink. He’s a sucker for gritty dystopian novels while you gravitate towards sappy romances. He shares his passion for painting as he guides you to the reading nook. The artwork hung on the edges of the bookcases is crafted by him—a detail you hadn’t noticed at first glance. His stunning work features both landscapes and people. He loves to sit in a picturesque landscape and paint for endless hours. Occasionally, he takes his old polaroid as he explores the town, snapping moments between strangers, translating their intimacy to canvas when he gets home.

He gestures for you to take a seat in the reading nook before handing you our steaming cup of joe. You sit with your legs crossed, your hands hugging the mug in your lap. Bucky sits with his leg draped over the side of the bench, his left foot pressing into his right thigh. The conversation shifts topics; the two of you divulge your desires and unfulfilled ambitions. You aren’t sure if it’s the look in his eyes, the sweet cup of joe in your palms, or the aroma of coffee surrounding you, but in his presence, your senses feel wide awake.

Before you know it, the mesmeric moon replaces the sizzling sun, melting away the blistering heat, and the steaming cup of coffee in your hands has long chilled. Bucky’s employee interrupts the blissful rendezvous, informing him that all the closing duties are complete, and he’s headed home for the night.

You stare at your watch in shock—it's five past nine. Where did the time go? You apologize profusely to the poor kid who had to close up alone; he assures you it’s no problem.

A melancholic pit in your stomach forms as you turn back to Bucky. He’s nestled himself into your soul; you don’t want to say farewell to him so soon. He has a sad glint in his eyes; you hope it’s because he’s also dreading the end of this perfect night.

“Can I walk you to your car?” he asks timidly, his earlier suave demeanor gone from his voice. He stands up in front of you, offering his arm to escort you.

“I’d love that,” you reply with a shy grin, grabbing his arm and hugging it tightly.

In the blink of an eye, you’re in front of your car. You let go of his arm and lean against the trunk. You stare into his eyes, hoping that he can see without the use of words how much you don’t want this moment to end. There’s a few moments of painful silence before Bucky clears his throat.

“So, now that we’re not total strangers, how about that kiss?” he flirts with pleading eyes.

“Okay,” you reply with a bashful smile.

He slowly reaches his hand towards your cheek, softly stroking it with his thumb. He presses his forehead against yours. “Are you sure you want to do this? ‘Cause if we do, you might not be able to get rid of me, sweetheart.”

“Yes I do, Bucky,” you giggle.

He grins as he gently presses his pillowy pink lips on yours. The kiss steals all the air from your lungs—his touch sends tingles throughout your body, electrifying your veins. You’re breathless when your lips finally part.

“Let me get your number before I let you go,” Bucky insists. You nod and hand him your phone, unable to form a coherent thought.  The ghost of his lips and fingers trace your figure. You’re barely acquainted with his tender touch, yet you feel naked without it, yearning to once again be within his grasp.

You exchange phones—adding your number and name with a sparkling heart emoji and swiftly passing his phone back before you can change your mind. Bucky snaps a quick selfie for his contact, smirking for the camera. You grin when you see he also put emojis by his name: a beetle and a kissy-face.

He pecks your cheek before opening the car door for you. “Hope to see you around, lovebug.” The new pet name burns your cheeks and erupts butterflies in your stomach.

He doesn’t leave the parking lot until your car disappears completely from his view.

You drive home with thoughts of Bucky swirling in your mind. You send a silent thanks to the universe for bringing this beautiful man into your life. His voice, touch, and smile echo in your thoughts for the remainder of the evening—his presence paving its way through your dreams. You’re falling hard and fast; you only hope he’ll be there to catch you.

tagging a few mutuals who expressed interest in this story🥰please fill out the taglist form if you’d like to be tagged in the next story! 💖

@ritesofreverie @midnightf @certainaesthetic

[fallingforunrealisticromance]

I've got you - Derek Morgan x Fem! Reader

A/N: Do you guys like longer stories or should I stick to smaller, one-shot type ones? Let me know:)

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of being attacked

Word Count: 4803

***= time skip

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Being the target of unsub was very different then how I imagined it to be. From what I heard about most BAU cases, I’d probably be kidnapped or lured away by someone who presented themselves in such a way that I trusted them. Then once they had me I’d most likely be brutally tortured, held in a remote location and probably end up dead. But it’s nothing like that. At least not at the moment. It could change, I don’t know. Right now – I’m just waiting.

“Hey you!” Penelope’s cheery voice came through the phone.

“Hey Pen. How are you?” I said chuckling.

“Well thankfully today I don’t have to sift through a hundred different photos of some poor persons mutilated corpse as we have no cases. So right now, I’m pretty much up to nothing. I was sorting through some files, you know just tidying things up, but that got boring.” She explained happily. I could hear her twiddling with her fluffy pen in her hands as she spoke.

“Sounds perfectly uneventful.” I replied.

“It is and I couldn’t be more thankful.” She stated matter of factly.

“So can I do for you my love?” She asked.

“Well, I was just thinking I could swing by the office, maybe we could grab a bite to eat? I’m bored out of my mind.” I said sighing.

“It doesn’t surprise me; I still can’t believe they fired you!” Garcia exclaimed. I just rolled my eyes.

“I know, they literally had CCTV footage of Ryan throwing himself at me, yet they still think I was lying, it’s ridiculous.” I huffed.

“I could always do some digging; I’m sure your boss has some type of dirt on him. You could use it as blackmail to get your job back?” She suggested hopefully. I laughed at her words.

“As someone who works for the FBI I really don’t think you should be encouraging me to blackmail someone Pen. But thanks for the offer, I don’t really want to go back there anyways.” I explained.

“Understandable. But anyway, back to the point, yes we can go for lunch.” She concluded happily.

“Brilliant, I’m on my way I’ll be there in 10.” I hung up the phone and grabbed my stuff. It had been so long since I’d seen Garcia, or any of the BAU lot. Despite us being friends for a while now, our different schedules made it hard to see each other on a frequent basis. I checked how I looked once last time in the mirror before making my way out to my car.

********************************************************************

As I made my way up to the BAU offices, I could feel the nerves growing inside of me. It was stupid to feel this way, these guys were some of my closest friends. But it had been a good few months since I’d last seen them in person. I just really didn’t want things to be awkward.

“Y/N!” I heard a familiar voice call from behind me. I turned to see Emily stood with a huge grin on her face.

“Emily, hi.”

“Oh my god it’s good to see you.” She said pulling me in for a hug.

“It’s good to see you too, I’ve missed you guys.” I replied, a smile spreading its way across my lips.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

“Oh I’ve come to get Garcia, we’re going out for lunch. You can join if you’re free, she mentioned you didn’t have any cases today.” I explained.

“Yeah lunch would be great. I’ll go find the others they’d love to see you.” Emily replied before darting off to find the others. I could see Aaron sat in his office, looking very intensely at some files. I made my way up the stairs and knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

I poked my head round the door and smiled at him. “Hi”

He looked up, his stern expression quickly replaced with a smile.

“Y/N, hi!” He stood up from his desk and walked over to me. He gave me a quick hug. “How are you?” He asked resting on his desk.

“Yeah I’m doing alright.” He raised an eyebrow at me, clearly not believing me. Bloody profilers

“What’s going on? He asked.

I sighed, smiling at him. “It’s nothing bad.” I didn’t really feel like explaining that I’d been sacked. Even if wasn’t my fault. I shouldn’t feel embarrassed, he wouldn’t judge me, but it was still awkward.

“If it’s nothing bad, then why don’t you wanna tell me?” He asked light-heartedly. He wouldn’t actually make me tell him if I didn’t want to, but he wanted me to know I could talk to him.

“I kind of got fired” I confessed. Hotch looked shocked.

“What happened?”

“Some guy was like non-stop flirting with me. But not just flirting, it was really weird. He kept asking me twisted personal questions and would always take pictures of me.” As I explained, I could see hotch getting visibly annoyed. “Then one day, he actually put his hands on me. In a proper gropey way. So, I told the manager and he told me I was lying to ruin this other guy’s career” I rolled my eyes as I finished, the memory of the incident replaying in my head. Hotch was quiet for a second before replying.

“We can lock him up if you want” He suggested causing me to chuckle.

“I’ll consider it.” Hotch smiled.

“Seriously though, that’s messed up. I’m sorry.” He patted me on the shoulder. “

It’s fine, it was a boring job anyway.”

“I’m sure. Well let’s go down, I’m sure the other will wanna see you.” He made his way to the door, and I followed after him. As we came down into the bullpen, I saw JJ, Emily, Reid, and Garcia all stood together. They all turned and smiled as they saw me coming down the stairs. We exchanged hugs and ‘how are yous’ before settling down.

“So, are you ready?” Garcia asked, grabbing her coat.

“Where you guys off to?” JJ asked.

“We’re gonna grab a bite to eat, you guys should come” I offered. They all agreed, and we went to leave.

“Hold up” A voice that made my heart skip came from behind me. I turned and saw Derek Morgan, flashing me that heart melting smile, walking towards me.

“So, you just thought you could walk your fine self into my place of work, and get away with not coming to see me?” He asked smoothly.

I laughed. “Good to see you too handsome.”

“Come here” He swung his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. Besides Garcia, me and Derek were the closest. He was my best friend. I cared about him more than I cared about myself. And if I’m being honest, I miss him more than anyone. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and buried my head in the crook of his neck. I felt his hands holding me close to him. Being in his arms again, as cliché as it sounds, it felt like home. After what felt like forever, we finally let each other go. I tried to hide the few tears that had managed to form in my eyes but when you’re surrounded by a team of profilers that can be quite difficult. Morgan placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Hey, don’t cry gorgeous.” He said comfortingly.

“Ugh I know it’s stupid.” I groaned wiping the tears away. “I’ve just missed you all. So much.” I chuckled slightly.

“We’ve missed you too, sweet girl.” Garcia said nudging my arm.

“Morgan the most though. Your all he’s talked about for a while now.” Reid chipped in, earning a look from Morgan. I raised my eyebrows at him playfully.

“Oh, am I you now?” He rolled his eyes jokingly at me.

“Now don’t start okay, it’s not like that” He said chuckling. We all laughed and made our way out of the building. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgan punch Reid in the arm. “You’re gonna pay for that pretty boy”.

*******************************************************************

I shouldn’t have been nervous. I’d been back with these guys for what, 3 hours, and it felt like we’d never been apart. I wiped away a tear that had escaped as I laughed at a joke JJ had made.

“So, Y/N, besides your boss being a complete idiot – what's been going on with you?” Hotch asked.

“Um not much to be honest. I’ve been helping my sister out with her son seeing as she’s back at work now.” I explained.

“He’s the same age as jack right?” Hotch asked, a smile forming on his lips. I nodded.

“She’s thinking about relocating, you know trying to be closer to me and her work so she doesn’t have to be away from him as much so they might end up being in the same class.”

“I’m sure him and Jack will be great friends” Hotch replied happily. A comfortable silence fell over us for a second, before JJ piped up.

“How’s the love life then Y/n?” She said smiling, her eyes flickering from me to Derek. I noticed him shift slightly next to me but didn’t think anything of it.

“Yeah, got your eye on anyone?” Emily chipped in.

“Um no, still as lonely as ever.” I joked.

Garcia scoffed. “Not true.”

I glared at her, willing her to shut up but of course she ignored me. “What about that absolute hottie you’ve been out with?” She smiled at me mischievously as she spoke.

Derek turned to face me. “Absolute hottie?” He repeated.

I felt my cheeks flush red with embarrassment.

“It’s nothing, just a couple of dates.” I said hurriedly.

“Well tell us about him” Emily said leaning forward.

“I don’t know guys it’s nothing serious.” I really didn’t feel like talking about him, mainly because of who he was.

“I don’t care I wanna know. Where’d you meet him?” She pressed. I sighed, she obviously wasn’t going to give up and by the look on everyone else’s face they were just as curious.

“We have mutual friends. And I went out for a drink with them one night and he was there.” I explained.

“Very nice.” JJ confirmed.

“What does he look like?” I was about to reply but Garcia beat me to it.

“Absolutely gorgeous. He has this beautiful sort of surfer boy hippie type blonde hair. And his eyes, ohmygod, I feel like he could stare into my soul. And don’t even get me started on that jawline. I could grate cheese with it.” Garcia gushed, placing her hand over her heart. Everyone chuckled before looking back at me.

“Sounds like a real dreamboat” Derek muttered. I glanced over at him, there was something about his tone that made me feel bad about talking about my date.

“What does he do?” Reid asked, finally deciding to join the conversation. I shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at Aaron.

“Um h-he’s a chef” I stuttered avoiding eye contact. Aaron chocked slightly on the mouthful of food he’d just placed in his mouth. Of course, he’d figured it out. My face was defiantly burning bright red right now. Everyone looked awkwardly from me to Hotch.

“What’s his name?” He asked, his voice steady.

“Sean” I said quietly. Everyone fell silent. Garcia’s mouth fell open. I’d never told her who he was, only showed her a picture but I guessed she’d never met him. Everyone waited for Hotch’s reaction. He put his cutlery down and crossed his arms. He just stared at me, not saying anything. I’d never felt more embarrassed. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

“Did you have fun?” My eyes widened. Safe to say that was not the reaction I was expecting.

“Well, yeah. He took me to a few really cool places, and he’s a total gentleman.” I replied. I thought I saw a hint of a smile grace his lips.

“I’m glad.” He said before turning his attention back to his food. We all looked at each other awkwardly.

“I-is that it?” I stuttered. Hotch turned his eyes to me.

“Y/N you don’t need my permission to date someone.”

“Yeah I know, but he’s your brother.”

“And?”

“Well, I don’t know, I just didn’t want things to be awkward.” I mumbled.

“Y/N, it’s fine. I don’t have an issue with it. If anything, I think you might be good for Sean” I let out a sigh of relief.

“Um well thank you Aaron” Everyone turned back to their food and after a few moments, conversation picked back up again. I looked over at Derek. He’d barley spoken to me since Garcia had mentioned I’d been on a date. I nudged his leg under the table causing him to look at me.

“You doing a sponsored silence I’m not aware of?” I joked. He offered me a tight-lipped smile but he didn’t reply. My brow furrowed.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked. He’s not one for being silent.

“Nothing, I’m all good pretty girl” He replied but he wouldn’t look at me.

“You don’t seem ‘all good’.” Whatever was going on in his head must have been important, we never kept secrets.

“Look at me.” I said, my tone soft. Derek sighed before he turned to face me, reluctantly meeting my gaze. I searched his eyes trying to figure him out. “What’s going on with you?”

“I said I’m fine would you drop it?” He snapped. I don’t think he meant it to sound as harsh as it did, but it took me by surprise. Everyone clearly heard the aggressive tone and snapped their heads to face us.

“Am I not allowed to care about my friend?” I shot back, not caring about the prying eyes on us. He scoffed at my words causing me to raise my eyebrows at him. “Something funny?”

“God can’t you just leave me alone? Just accept the fact that maybe I don’t wanna talk to you right now.” He said visibly aggravated. His words shocked me. He’d never spoken like this to me before and if I’m being entirely honest, it hurt. By the collective gasp that came from the table, it’s safe to say the others were just as surprised. I could feel tears beginning to prick in my eyes. I never cried if someone was rude to me but for some reason the fact that it was Derek, hurt like a bitch. His eyes flickered with regret.

“You know what fine, it’s not like I’ve been waiting to see you for the past 3 months. If you want to sit here and strop like a little kid then you do that Derek. But I’m not sitting around to watch it.” I grabbed my stuff and stood up “Here’s the money for my stuff” I placed the money on the table and turned to leave.

“Y/N, wait don’t go.” JJ called. “I’m sorry guys, it’s been great to see you. I’m sorry it was ruined.” I replied shooting a glare at Derek. Annoyingly, as he caught my gaze a stray tear fell down my cheek. I hurriedly wiped it away before practically running out of the restaurant.

*Third person POV*

Back at the table everyone glared at Derek as they watched Y/N run out the door.

“What the hell was that about?” Emily asked angrily. Derek leant back in his seat, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. He hadn’t meant to upset her. But the way she spoke about Sean, it shifted something inside of him. A feeling he’d never felt when it came to her. Jealousy. He had no reason to be jealous, it’s not like him and Y/N were together. They were friends, and she could date whoever she wanted. In fact, he’d even set her up a few times. But for some reason tonight was different. Maybe it was the fact it was Aaron’s brother? Maybe he was just upset at how the girls had gushed over him? But why would that matter?

“Derek.” Hotch’s voice came. Derek looked up, not realising he’d been ignoring them. “What gives you the right to speak to her like that? She was just looking out for you.” Hotch said his voice stern.

“I don’t know.” Derek mumbled.

“You need to apologise.” JJ added. Derek nodded before getting up.

“Actually, could you give me a ride? Y/N lives the road across from me and I need to grab some things to take back to the office” Reid piped up. Derek let out a small chuckle at Reid’s poor timing.

“Sure. Let’s go, kid.” The boys placed their money down before making their way to Derek’s car.

*1st person POV*

I closed the door to my apartment. and slumped down on my sofa, letting out an aggravated sigh. I could still feel the dried tears on my cheeks. Derek’s words replayed over in my head. Had I done something wrong? He was fine in the office? Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to get an answer by sitting on my sofa replaying the events in my head, so I dragged myself over to my kitchen sink. Turning on the tap I splashed my face with cold water. Suddenly I heard my text notification go off. I went over and saw Sean’s name pop up.

“Hey, you, how’s your day been?” I smiled at the words. Sean was so sweet. I had enjoyed the dates we’d been on and he’s definitely someone I want to keep in my life, but I wasn’t entirely sure if he was what I was looking for in a relationship.

“It’s been good. I was able to go to lunch with the BAU lot which was fun. Although, your brother may or may not have found out about the dates we’ve been on.” I typed back a reply. I decided to leave out the fall out me and Derek had, not wanting to explain it to him just yet. Within a few minutes the notification sounded once again.

“He’s going to kill me” I chuckled at his response.

“He was surprisingly okay with it. Even said I might be good for you 😉” I put my phone down and went to change out of my jeans, the food I’d had earlier – as nice as it was – was causing some serious bloating. I threw on a pair of joggers and pulled my favourite grey sweater over me before curling up onto my sofa. I’d barley been able to turn the TV on before I heard a knock at my door. Sighing I got up to answer it. The door swung open and there stood Spencer and Derek, who straightened up when he saw me.

“Hey.” He said sheepishly.

“What do you want?” I replied shortly. I was still pissed at him. He had no right to talk to me the way he did.

“To apologise. I was a complete dick.” He admitted.

“Yep, you were.” I agreed leaning against my door frame. Spencer looked around awkwardly

“Are you going to tell me why?” I pressed. Derek sighed.

“I don’t know, I got jealous I guess.” My eyes widened slightly. Jealous? Why was he jealous. “Just the way you and the girls were gushing over Sean, it just annoyed me.” I scoffed at his words causing him to furrow his brow.

“Since when has my love life been any concern of yours?” I snapped. His reason was bullshit.

“I-It’s not I just-“ But I didn’t let him finish.

“Exactly it’s not. First of all, me and Sean have been out 3 times. It’s nothing serious. Second of all, even if it was that doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like I’m a piece of shit. I was just trying to be good friend and make sure you were okay and that’s the response you gave me?” I could feel myself getting increasingly more annoyed. I saw his eyes glaze over with frustration.

“Well, I never asked to sit there and listen to how perfect Mr surfer boy was did I?” He replied. Spencer slowly backed away seeing where this was going and clearly not wanting to be around for it. I laughed at his words throwing my hands in the air.

“Why do you care so much? It’s not like you’re trying to take me out. I can date who I want Derek” I said frustrated.

“No, I’m not but I want to be able to see you. I don’t need some guy hanging around with you as well.” He said just as angrily. I stared at him. He couldn’t be serious right now.

“Well, I’m sorry Derek but you can’t control me okay. I deserve to be happy with whoever the fuck I want and if you can’t handle the fact that someone might be interested in me then that’s your problem.” I yelled and slammed the door in his face. I couldn’t believe him. He didn’t own me, it’s not like we’d ever dated, or he’d shown any type of interest in me. Yet somehow he expects me to just push Sean away because he doesn’t like him. I ran my hands through my hair annoyed. On the other side of the door, I could hear Spencer trying to talk some sense into Derek but I doubt he would be able to. I closed my eyes and leant against the wall trying to calm myself down. Suddenly I heard what sounded like someone running towards me. I opened my eyes and saw just that. Someone dressed in all black was suddenly running at me and before I had time to move had pinned my up against the wall. I tried to screaming but the person pressed a cloth over my mouth. I thrashed my arms about trying to escape their grasp. Luckily, my leg was positioned in between theirs so with all my strength I brought my foot to connect with their groin, causing them to fall to the floor.

“DEREK. SPENCER HELP” I screamed, praying the hadn’t left. As I went to open the door, the person grabbed my ankle and pulled me to the floor, dragging me backwards until they were on top of me. I flailed my limbs about trying my hardest to push them off of me or at least prevent them from doing whatever it was they were trying to do. I screamed desperately for the boys, tears streaming down my face. I was so scared, so wrapped up in trying to protect myself, I didn’t even hear the door burst open. It was only when the person from on top of me was dragged away that I opened my eyes again.

“Y/N! Y/N, it’s me. It’s Morgan baby you’re okay. I’ve got you.” Derek pulled me into his lap and held me tightly as I sobbed into his arms. Spencer had the man on his back and was cuffing him. I pulled myself up so I could wrap my arms around Derek’s neck and held onto him for dear life. As I begun to calm down I opened my eyes. I looked behind Derek and saw another person, dressed in all black, stood in the corridor leading to my bedroom.

“SPENCER.” I yelled pointing toward the person. Both of the boys whipped their heads round and saw the person just as they took off running towards bathroom.

“REID GET HIM” Derek yelled as he put himself in front of me protectively. Reid took off after him. As they disappeared into my bathroom, I heard a few shoots go off causing me to flinch and cling onto Derek’s arm.

“Reid, you alright?” Derek called out.

“I lost him. He jumped out the window, down the fire escape. I tried to hit him, but I missed. I don’t know where he went.” Reid replied, his voice flooded with guilt. Derek groaned irritably.

“Okay. Call Hotch, get them down here to come collect this guy. Make sure the whole team gets here, we need to go through her apartment. Figure out how this happened.” Reid nodded before dragging the guy out into the hall and calling Hotch. Derek turned back to face me. I was still sobbing and shaking violently.

“Hey, baby, I’m gonna need you to listen to me okay. “ He said, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Look at me.” His voice was soft. I lifted my eyes to meet his, still crying frantically. “There we go. Okay I need you to take a few deep breaths with me. You ready?” He took a deep breath in. I tried to copy him but thoughts of being attacked kept flooding back, making it impossible to focus on anything else. “Hey, your safe. I’m here with you now and I’m sure as hell not leaving your side. Nothing’s going to happen to you, I promise. Just breath with me okay.” After a few moments, I was able to calm my breathing, but I was still shaking like crazy. Derek pulled his jumper off and wrapped it around me. I pulled it close to my body, enjoying the warm I was gaining from it. Morgan helped me stand and we waited outside for the others. Soon enough, the black SUV pulled up down below us. I saw everyone jump out and practically hurl themselves up the stairs.

“Where is she? Where’s my girl?” Garcia’s voice bounced off of the walls causing a small smile to pull at my lips. When she caught sight of me she rushed over, her arms open. “Oh my god. Come here.” She wrapped herself around me in a tight embrace which I allowed myself to relax into slightly.

“Okay easy babygirl, don’t go crushing the life out of her.” Derek joked, prying her arms off of me. Garcia glared at him.

“If you weren’t the one who saved her life just now, I’d be slapping the hell out of you right now for how you spoke to her at lunch.” Derek’s eyes flashed over with guilt momentarily before Hotch walked over. “

Are you okay?” He asked me placing his hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head slightly. I wasn’t alright, I was terrified, but I knew they would need my help with this, so I just swallowed my feelings down. “Okay we’re going to need to run through some details with you to try and figure out who would have done this. Anything you can remember would be useful.” He explained.

“The first person-“ I began but JJ cut me off.

“No, not now. You need to rest. We’ll catch up with you first thing tomorrow okay?” She said offering me a small sympathetic smile. My eyes flickered over to my open apartment door. I didn’t want to go back in there, especially not alone. As if he’d read my mind, Hotch spoke up.

“You’re not staying here tonight. Morgan take her back with you, we’ll get cops posted out front as well. Just in case.” He instructed.

“You think the second guy, h-he’ll come back?” I tried to keep my voice as steady and as calm as I could, but I couldn’t hide the stutter. Hotch sighed.

“We don’t know enough about him yet. I would like to believe that he wouldn’t, but I can’t make you any promises. I’m sorry.” The relunctancy was evident in his voice, he knew that was the last thing I wanted to hear but he also couldn’t lie to me. I could feel the anxiety seeping its way back into me when I was suddenly snapped from my thoughts but an arm falling over my shoulders.

“hey, I’m gonna be right here with you the whole time. I won’t let anything happen to you; I swear it.” Morgan said comfortingly. I leant into him slightly, wanting so desperately to find safety in him.

“Is there anything you need from your flat?” Emily asked softly. I nodded.

“I need my hairbrush, a-and I left my phone. Maybe some spare clothes?” I replied.

“Okay, do you want me to go get them?” She offered.

“No, it’s fine I can go.” I replied and begun walking over to the door. I stood in front of it, willing my legs to just move forward.

“Hey.” A voice came from behind me. It was Emily with Morgan.

“We’re right here with you okay. We’ll help you get everything.” She spoke. I entered my flat, the two of them following close behind me, scanning every part of it just in case. I gathered all the things I needed and quickly exited the place.

“Come on, let’s get you home.” Derek said leading me to the car after we’d said goodbye to everyone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2 anyone??

[babybluebex]

Okay how about this prompt with young!helmut please? Happy Saturday btw!

“we haven't seen each other in two months and i'm at the airport to pick you up, then i see you, and i sprint over to you, and jump into your arms, with such force i almost knock you off your feet”

happy saturday nonnie! i misread this so the situation is backwards (as in helmut is picking you up from the airport) but it’s fine, everything’d fine

send me kiss prompts!

(also including a picture of what i imagine young helmut to look like bc oh my god hes a dreamboat) 

You looked at your watch once more, and you cringed at the lateness of your flight. Not only were you arriving at Novi Grad International Airport at two in the morning, but it seemed to be shaping up to be closer to three. You hated it, especially because you knew that your boyfriend was waiting for you there. You had begged Helmut not to come pick you up, because you knew that he would be hounded by the press, but he was adamant. He was proud of his American girl, as he called you, and he loved having you on his arm at all times. 

The plane jostled as it landed, and you clicked your phone on to see a flurry of texts from Helmut. He was asking about the late flight, naturally, and you quickly sent him a message. Just turned my phone on. We’ve landed. Just a few more minutes babe

As soon as you stepped into the airport, your stomach began a routine of somersaults. You were seconds away from your Helmut, and the thought of it made you walk a bit faster. Everything about Sokovia was a comfort to you, much more than your home in America; even the smell of the air was different and comforting. You pulled your backpack a bit higher on your shoulders as you stepped out of the gate, and your eyes scanned the spare people waiting for their loved ones. Usually, Helmut was easy to spot in a crowd; look for the flashes of paparazzi cameras, and there he was. 

He saw you first. You heard a shout of your name, the man’s voice cracking, and you turned to see your Helmut. He stood there in his baggy, ripped jeans and paint-stained flannel, his stubble a dark contrast to his strawberry-blond hair. He was gorgeous, even more so after two months of being apart. He carried a bouquet of red roses, but you watched him drop them as he ran to you. You did the same, and you crashed together in the middle. His arms were tight around you as he buried his face in your neck, and the force of his collison made your feet leave the floor. Helmut grasped you tightly and spun in a gleeful circle, laughing and speaking rapid Sokovian in your ear, and you squealed when you both toppled to the floor. Helmut was still laughing and talking as he laid beneath you, and you quickly shut him up with a kiss. It took him a moment to process the kiss but, once he did, he was kissing you back with a fever. It was a lot to ask a 20 year old to abstain from love-making of any sort while you were away, and you could already sense the need that was welling up inside him. His kiss was gentle, though, and you loved it. 

“Oh, fuck,” Helmut laughed softly, letting his head fall back to the floor. “God, I missed you, mein liebling.” His eyes were squinted as he laughed, and you placed a kiss on each reddened apple of his cheeks. 

“I missed you too, Hel,” you said. “Should we get up?” 

“I don’t want to,” Helmut laughed. “I want to hold you.” 

“You can hold me when we get home, silly goose,” you giggled. “You can do a lot more than that too.” 

[cjsinkythoughts]

Ocean Eyes, Cherry Lips, Ivory Keys

Pairing: 40s!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 2747

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of alcohol, I think that’s all

A/N: This is a headcanon I’ve had for a while that I’ve been wanting to write about 40s!Bucky, pre-War. I kinda want to write a series about it, so that might happen. For now, enjoy this little tidbit I’ve written, with the prompt of Occasion for HBC’s Lucky in Love Day 18! (This isn’t beta’d so please excuse mistakes.)

He’s something of a celebrity. A living legend. A God amongst humans. Starting as a kid in Brooklyn, his fanbase rapidly grew, expanding to Queens, Manhattan, even parts of New Jersey, just in the past few years.

You don’t get it. So what if he’s got cool blue eyes, soft chocolate hair, and a charming smile? Who cares if he’s got smooth moves and even smoother words? He’s just a man - a human being - with flaws just like everyone else. A talented and gorgeous man, who has all of New York wanting to fall to her knees to please him, but still just a man.

James Buchanan Barnes.

Most everyone knew his name, but there was a lot of mystery surrounding the actual character. 

You just don’t see what all the fuss is about. You’ve never personally met him, or even seen him, but you know people who have. Your friend’s cousin even claims to have danced with him once. Not that that would be hard. You hear he’s never danced with the same bird twice, and, considering most start dancing in their teenage years, that’s a lot of dames.

It’s not that you’re not curious about him - if he’s actually as dashing as they say - but you’re not about to stop your life for him like some of your friends. They’re obsessed with getting his attention. With seeing if they’d be the one. The one to finally chain him down and tame him. The one he’d go steady with.

It feels like that’s all you ever talk about anymore. It was amusing at first, but now it’s just getting annoying. It’s been three years since that day in March of 1938, when your roommate ran into your room, plopping down onto your bed, before ranting and raving about the new ocean eyed piano player at her favorite bar. And since then, he’s been in your life without actually being in your life.

Speaking of, here you are. Listening to Lucy, MaryAnne, and Jean gushing over the man, trying to enjoy your milkshake.

“I heard from Sally that Thomas said that he knew the brother of one of his friend’s in high school!”

“That can’t be true! I heard from Billy, who heard from Martha, who was told by Ben, that he only had, like, one friend in high school.”

“You’re kidding, right? There’s no way a man like that had only one friend.”

“I hear he does boxing and that’s why he’s got a body sculpted like a Greek God.”

“Oh my God! MaryAnne!”

You rub your temples, resisting the urge to roll your eyes as the three burst into fits of giggles. If you have to hear one more word about-

“I heard he’s going to be playing at Georgie’s on Friday!”

Gasps echoed around the table. “No way! Georgie’s?”

You raise an eyebrow, this actually intriguing you. Georgie’s is a popular little hole in the wall, on the edge of being a speakeasy, which doubles as a pub and a dance hall in Brooklyn. It’s one of the best hang outs for kids like you and your girls, but it isn’t very high class. Maybe that’s why it’s one of the best. “Isn’t Georgie’s a little…cheap for him? He’s been playing at the best bars and restaurants for a while now.”

“It’s a classic in Brooklyn. Near his home, probably.”

“Do you think he lives near there?!”

“Ooo! Maybe we could find out!’

You scoff. “That,” gesturing to Lucy with your glass, you take a sip of your milkshake. “Is called stalking, my friend.”

Jean waves towards you dismissively. “I think he lives near Tin Pan Alley. That’s where he plays the most, after all. Georgie’s was probably just an old hang out for him and his pals.”

“Wait, wait,” you shake your head, a thought popping into your head. You turn to Lucy, confused. “How’d you find out he’s playing at Georgie’s anyways? Isn’t part of his whole act not telling anyone where he’s playing?”

Giving you a smirk and a wink, Lucy shrugs. “I’ve got my connections.”

You roll your eyes again, turning your attention back to your milkshake. “So?!” MaryAnne squealed. “We’re going on Friday, right?”

“Hell yes!”

“Absolutely!”

“Not.” You mumble, causing the other three to stare at you incredulously.

“Not?!”

“I’m not wasting my Friday night going to see some fella you all have a crush on. Especially when he might not even be there.”

Your friends groan, exchanging glances. “And what’re you gonna do?” Jean crossed her arms with a pointed look on her face. “Sit down and read a book like you always do?”

You huff. “I like reading, sue me. I don’t get a lot of time to myself. You know that new girl’s been gumming up the works and I’ve had to stay late to fix her mistakes all week.”

“This is exactly what you need, then! Come out, have a drink, jive a little-”

You look up at that, an amused kind of smirk on your lips. “Jive? Me and my clumsy ass?”

You all laugh. “Okay, so maybe not dance, but c’mon! It’ll be snazzy, you’ll see!”

“Fine, fine.” Standing up with a sigh, you collect your things, smoothing down your dress with your hands. “I’ve gotta scram.”

“We’ll see you on Friday, right?”

You give a small smile, shooting them a wink. “I guess I can make it.”

***************

Friday comes a lot faster than you anticipate. You dress up; a navy blue dress going to your knees with white, heart shaped buttons and a bow around the waist. The shoes you’re wearing are your nice black and white Mary Janes. Lips painted deep red, and hair pinned back in loose curls, you glance over yourself in a mirror. You’ll admit; you look damn good. You don’t wanna go, but you might as well try to have some fun since you are.

It’s a cool evening, early May meaning the summer humidity hasn’t hit just yet. You didn’t even think about bringing a coat, but you start to regret the decision as you start walking. MaryAnne, who you actually room with, already left, being way too excited to stay put.

It doesn’t take you long - you live on the border of Queens and Brooklyn - but your feet are more sore than you’d like when you arrive.

“I knew you’d come!” Lucy grins, coming up besides you and linking her arm in yours. MaryAnne comes up on your other side and does the same to your free arm.

“Where’s Jean?”

“Where do you think? She already found a Joe to swing with.”

You laugh. “Of course she has! So is your dreamboat here?”

The grins that are immediately on their faces answer your question and they quickly drag you inside.

It’s hot and crowded and dim. Skirts with their beaus, guys with their broads, swinging and dancing to the lively music of the band on stage. Smoke from cigarettes, pipes, and cigars is evident in the air as they neared the bar portion of the building, mixing with the boisterous sound of laughter and chatter.

“Everyone’s talking about it! He’s here, but he hasn’t played yet. We’ve been trying to catch a glimpse of him, but we think he’s in a back room.” The dramatic sigh MaryAnne gives makes you laugh a little.

“Okay, khaki whackies. Let’s get a drink.”

You, just as you thought would happen tonight, are left alone at the bar by your friends who quickly found partners to dance with. A few men asked you, but you have never been a good dancer.

You’re lost in thought, running a finger gently around the rim of your cup, when a voice sounded besides you, pulling you out of your thoughts, a slight rasp to the otherwise mellifluous voice.

“You gonna drink that, doll, or just stare at it all night?”

You raise an eyebrow at the jest, turning your head, only to have your breath hitch. What a specimen. Ocean blue eyes, fluffy brown curls, cherry pink lips. A white dress shirt is pulled over his broad chest, gray dress pants hugging thick thighs, matching suit jacket across wide shoulders. He has a blue, black, and white plaid tie around his neck and you can see the edges of his blue suspenders under his blazer. He’s put together, but it’s nothing special, a normal Sunday best suit, that much you can tell.

“Uh, not all night.” You look back to the drink, before looking at the clock with a hum, tilting your head playfully. “Maybe another hour.”

He chuckles, gesturing for the bartender. “Tell me this, sweetheart. What is a beautiful dame like yourself doin’ drinking alone?”

“I’m not very good on my feet, I’m afraid.” You laugh nervously, taking a sip of your drink.

“Don’t come here often, then?”

“Only for special occasions.”

“What’s the special occasion this evenin’, sugar?”

You shrug. “My friends dragged me here. They’re practically in love with this guy who’s supposedly playing the piano tonight. James Barnes. Have you ever heard of him?”

He chuckles, a grin pulling his lips upwards. “Yeah. Yeah I’ve heard of ‘im. Not a big fan yourself?”

“I’m sure he’s fine. I just don’t understand the fascination with him. Let the man be.”

“I agree.” He hums with a nod, grabbing the glass of whiskey the bartender set in front of him. “I actually know him.”

“Really?” You look at him in interest.

He tilts his head with a smile towards you that makes you melt. “Yeah. He feels the same. He just likes playin’. That’s all. He didn’t want all the attention. He gets enough without that.”

You raise an eyebrow, finishing off your drink. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m Bucky by the way.”

You eye his hand, grabbing it after a second, letting him bring your knuckles to his lips. “Y/N.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, mama.” He shifts his body more towards you, running a hand through his hair. “You said you ain’t fond of dancin’?”

Shaking your head, you quickly defend yourself, “no, no. I like dancing. I’m just not very good. Got two left feet.”

He smirks, tongue poking out to run over those plump lips of his. “Well, with the right partner, it doesn’t really matter.”

“Are you asking me to dance, Bucky?”

“Not if you’re gonna say no.” He responds with a toothy grin, leaning his elbows on his knees.

You sigh and shake your head. “I’m afraid tonight’s not your night, pal. I just can’t seem to get myself in the mood.”

He hums, leaning back. “Is it the music? Too fast for you?”

“I wouldn’t mind if they slowed it down some, I suppose.”

He smiles cheekily. “I can help with that. Hold on.”

You grin at him, nodding. “I’ll be here.”

Watching him stand and make his way over to the stage, you quirk an eyebrow. He seems to know the band well, if the handshakes and the claps on the back have anything to say about it. He says something to the lead, who nods with a grin, shooting him a wink. Bucky laughs, but you can see a tint of pink dusting his cheeks, making you wonder what they were saying.

He makes his way back over as the band shifts tones, the animated swing changing to a slow jazzy number. Bucky beams at you, holding out his hand as he approaches. “Care to dance?”

You purse your lips, narrowing your eyes, but taking his hand anyways. “How’d you do that? Do you work here?’

“Uh…somethin’ like that.” He states vaguely, leading you to the dance floor with the other swaying couples. Pulling you as close as appropriate, his hands resting politely on your waist, he starts moving you side to side. 

“That’s not ominous.” You place your hands on his shoulders, following his lead as you stare at your feet.

He chuckles, hooking a finger under your chin to lift your gaze. “I’ve gotcha, doll. I won’t let you fall.”

“I’m going to step on your feet.” You explain.

“Nah. You’re doin’ great. You just need to get outta your head. Relax a little. Tell me something about yourself.”

You hum. “Like what?”

“Anything.”

“Uh, okay…I have a roommate who is one of the girls who begged me to come, I’m a secretary - I know, boring - and…I dunno. I like reading.”

His eyes lighten at this. “Reading? Whaddya like to read?”

“Different things. Depends on my mood. I’m re-reading The Hobbit for, like, the twentieth time right now.”

“I love The Hobbit.” Bucky grins, making you smile back. “I read it almost as soon as it came out.”

“Me too! I was planning on reading it tonight but,” you gesture around. “Here I am.”

Bucky lips pull up softly, his hold on your waist tightening ever so slightly as he pulls you closer. “Well, as much as I love that book, I’m glad you came out tonight.”

Giving him a little tease, you tap your chin thoughtfully. “Eh…I think I’d rather be at home.”

He pinches your side gently, making you squeal and squirm. “That hurt, sugar. That physically hurt me. C’mon, mama, your gonna say you aren’t havin’ a good time?”

“I just met you ten minutes ago.”

“Well, sweetheart, if you think we’re movin’ too fast, I won’t introduce you to my folks just yet.”

You laugh, blinking up at him. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Buck.”

The two of you rock for a little while longer, before the band stops, announcing they’re taking a break and a special guest is going to play a little something.

“Maybe James Barnes is here.” You say, a bit of intrigue lacing your tone, trying to see through the crowds of people who started gathering around the stage to catch a glimpse of the charming pianist. “I see why he would be over the attention.”

“Yeah.” Bucky sighs, almost sadly, giving you an apologetic look. “Listen, I’ve gotta go work for a bit, but I’ll be right back.”

You smirk. “So you do work here?”

“Um…kinda. You’ll see.”

You raise an eyebrow at his words, but he’s kissing your knuckles and walking away. You frown, but can’t think more on it when three young women are on you, babbling about their dates.

“Who were you dancing with, Y/N? He was cute!”

You roll your eyes, feeling yourself heat up, and not because of the many bodies in the vicinity. “Just…some guy.”

“C’mon, c’mon! We’ve gotta get a good spot to actually see him!”

You huff, letting the drag you through the crowd, shoving their way towards the front just as a familiar deep voice spoke. 

“Thanks for comin’ out, everyone. I hope your havin’ a good night. Let’s get this hop started, yeah?”

Your eyes widen when you finally catch sight of the man sitting at the piano with a polite smile on his features. He catches your eye and shoots you a wink, before his fingers start flying over the keys. The beam that he gets while tickling the gleaming ivories, his azure eyes lighting up, and you can’t fight the smile you get. He looks so relaxed, so invigorated, that it makes you happy just watching him.

“Oh my God! Weren’t you dancing with him?!” Lucy shook your shoulder obnoxiously, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care, mesmerized with the way he played like it’s the only thing he wanted to do with his life. Which, as you remember his words, ‘he just likes playin’. That’s all.’ you figure it is the only thing he wanted to do with his life.

You just danced with James Barnes…and he’s just as perfect as everyone says.

You’re still trying to wrap your head around it, your friends jumping around you, trying to get every little detail of him from you, when your heart skips a beat and your brain malfunctions. Bucky had started up another song, slower and more intimate, and he’s looking right at you. 

You find yourself doing something you never thought you would; you’re swooning over James Barnes, smiling like an idiot, heat blooming up your neck and flaming your face. And yes, he’s just a man - a human being - with flaws just like everyone else. But he’s a talented and gorgeous man, who has all of New York wanting to fall to her knees to please him.

And now that includes you.

[axoxtxhxh]

First Date with the Vets - Miche

Big shoutout to @chaotic-nick for making this lovely banner for me!

Overall Summary: I had this idea to do a first date with the vets and what it would be like. I am including Erwin, Levi, Miche, and Hange in this list. Each date will be different, but all of them will be set in modern au.

Check out Erwin’s story here, Levi’s story here, and Hange’s story here

Pairing: Miche x Fem!Reader

Content: Nearly all fluff

Word Count: ~ 8,000

Summary: You sign up for a cooking class with your friend only to have her ditch you, but things look up when a handsome stranger volunteers to be your partner.

This was fair. This was totally fair and you deserved every second of this embarrassment for what you did to your best friend, Fen. No matter though. You stood there, thankfully in the back, of your first couples cooking class, but you were missing the couple part. You let out a huff of air and leaned over the counter. You definitely deserved this.

“Alright class!” The instructor walked in. An older blonde woman, swung her arms excitedly while she walked to the center of the room. “Everyone ready to cook?”

Everyone in the room chanted ‘yeah!’ in unison and you looked around, wondering if you’d walked into a cult meeting. How did they all know to say that? More importantly, why didn’t you? Even more importantly, Fen wouldn’t have signed you up for a cult, would she? You at least knew you didn’t deserve that.

You looked around at the other couples in the class and sighed. What a terrible reminder that you were single. It’s fine though, it’s fine. This would be quick, possibly fun, and then you could go home and eat ice cream while you catch up on your favorite show. It wouldn’t be so bad.  You’ve had to sit through a lot worse. This was one cooking class.

“Today, we’re making…” The instructor paused as if she was waiting for a drumroll to start. And honestly, you were surprised the enthusiastic couples didn’t make one for her. “Vietnamese Spring Rolls!”

She opened up the little laminated pamphlet she had in front of her so everyone could see a picture. Everyone clapped while they ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed at the picture. You brought your hand to your head, second-hand embarrassment flooding your system. You needed to stop. This could be fun, but your bad attitude wasn’t going to help. You tried to focus on enjoying yourself and stood up straight, focusing again on the instructor.

“We’re going to get to eat things like—" she crouched down as if she was hunting and you tried so hard to hold a neutral face and remain interested “—shrimp, bell peppers, and even rice vermicelli!”

You started clapping, anticipating the excited students moves and wanting to join in. Except this time, for some reason, no one clapped and everyone looked at you. You wanted to die. You shrunk back into yourself and tried not to look around the room, hoping that maybe people would forget you existed. There was a man in the corner that caught your attention. He gave you a thumbs up and smiled, but you quickly looked away, needing to be invisible. Yep, this is what you deserved.

The instructor continued reading from her pamphlet, telling the whole class about the amazing spring rolls and things to remember when we’re cooking. You tried your best to concentrate, but you could tell you were starting to lose focus and daydream.

She talked about the red bell pepper and the difference between a male pepper and female pepper and you started worrying that everything in this class was going to relate to being a couple. Even the freaking pepper had a partner. You shook your head, looking back at the instructor and watched her take a bite of one of the peppers, squealing at the delicious flavor.

The problem wasn’t because you couldn’t find your perfect partner, you just didn’t want to settle. So many people settled these days, you didn’t want to be one of them. You were happy the way things were with you. Besides, if you were in a relationship, he could be one of those guys that liked doing things like this and then you’d have to join cult cooking classes regularly.

You broke from your daydream, shaking your head and focusing back on the instructor. Yeah, you just weren’t settling. You looked around the room at the other couples again, everyone’s arm around each other, squeezing each other’s shoulders in fondness. The guy in the corner who gave you the thumbs up caught your eye again. He was crossing his arms and looking at you and smiling. Not like a friendly smile, but a smile where he caught you doing something that you didn’t want anyone to see and it creeped you out and worried you. You looked back to the instructor, a little more anxious about his eyes on you.

“Alright couples! Now that you know what to do, let’s get started!” The instructor jogged up to her little kitchen in the front and started setting her things up, turning on music and expecting everyone to follow.

“Hi.” A deep, raspy voice spoke from behind you and you jumped, turning around. It was thumbs up guy.

“H—hi.” He was taller than he looked from across the room. Much taller. He was also much better looking. Like, dreamboat, hunky, drop-dead gorgeous, good-looking. He had those really light blue eyes that had you struggling to look directly into them.

“I uh… I noticed you don’t have a partner.” His hand moved a piece of his dirty blonde hair behind his ears, a piece that didn’t fit into the small bun he had in the back, then rubbed the back of his head. “I’m also partner-free. Maybe we can work together?”

“What happened to your partner?” You were unpacking the ingredients from the bag on your counter as you looked up at him.

“I came without one.” He smiled shyly.

“You came to a couple class without a partner?” You questioned, pausing your unpacking to focus on him.

“Didn’t you do the same thing?” He teased. You opened your mouth to defend yourself, but realized it didn’t even matter. He was right. You were also partner-less in a couple class.

“I guess you’re right.” You laughed. “Okay, partners it is.”

“Great!” He quickly moved backwards to grab his stuff from his table and you resumed checking your inventory. “I’m Miche, by the way.”

You looked up and he was back, holding his hand out for you. You took it.

“Y/N.”

He moved back to his table and you watched him grab his black leather jacket and a backpack. Of course he would be wearing a black leather jacket. He had this whole rocker look going on that you definitely didn’t hate, but it was a bit predictable. He set his stuff down with yours and rolled up the sleeves of his sweatshirt to wash his hands.

You watched him pump soap onto his hands and lather them up. He had pretty nice hands. They looked strong. Most of him looked strong though, but there was something about his hands that seemed really strong. You were starting to get lost in watching the soap lather up and roll away, the white bubbles disappearing as they slipped over the thick veins in his hands. You had no idea what his job was, but if you had to guess, it was something with his hands. Thick fingers, protruding veins, calloused palms when you shook his hand, definitely construction.

“So what made you come here partner-less, Y/N?” His question woke you from your daydream and you looked at him as he dried those strong hands.

“You first.”

“Me?” He turned around and leaned against the ledge of the counter, crossing his arms. “It was sort of an accident.”

“How so?”

“Well I try to take one of these classes a couple times a month. Not the couple one,” he corrected with a laugh, “but the regular one.”

A regular attendant of the cult cooking classes. Of course.

“Why do you take them so often?” You pulled out the knives and the cutting boards.

“Single guy, living alone. I got sick of eating garbage every night.” He bent down to help you pull out the tools you needed. “I’m actually pretty good with breads, but that class was full. That’s why I’m here.”

“A breads class would have been fun.” You spoke, but your mind was still stuck on the ‘single guy’ part.

“It’s tons of fun. There’s one open in a couple weeks, you should join it with me.” He smiled and you realized that even his smile was beautiful. It’s weird that from across the room he looked a bit creepy, but now he was nothing but charming. “Your turn.”

You both unloaded your armful of utensils and bowls from your arms and you considered how much of the real story you wanted to share with him. Did you really need a guy this good-looking, with this much potential so far, judging you?

“I kind of pissed off my best friend and she tricked me into coming here so she could ditch me.” Not really a lie, but certainly not the full truth.

“That’s some friend.”

“No, she is honestly a great friend. She really is.” You sighed. It wasn’t fair to give him a bad impression. You shrugged your shoulders and paused for a second. “I deserved it.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this.” He organized everything on the counter so there was a cutting board and knife in front of each of you. Bowls were set behind the cutting boards and he moved the pan over to the stove.

“I don’t even know you. Why would I tell you my problems?” You crossed your arms and smiled at him, secretly enjoying the fact that he seemed quite interested.

“I am the exact person to tell. I will automatically be on your side.” You thought about what he said, a scrutinizing look on your face. “I’m not wrong.”

“You’re not.”

“Alright, let’s hear it then.” He mirrored your crossed arms.

“Okay, but let’s start making the sauce before we fall behind.”

You started reading the list and handed Miche the ingredients. Both of you measured them out and Miche mixed it all together.

“So, my friend, Fen—”

“Already don’t like her.”

“Hey!” You quickly looked at him and he laughed.

“I’m kidding. I’m kidding.” He laughed, whisking the sauce in the small bowl and shaking his head.

You heard him mumbling something to himself, but couldn’t quite make out what it was. You could have sworn he said ‘so fucking cute’ but that didn’t make sense to you. Unless he was talking to the sauce. Even that didn’t make sense. You looked away quickly, biting your lip and moving some vegetables around the table awkwardly.

“You definitely have your friend’s back.” Miche continued, stopping his whisking to look at you. “So far, you seem like a great friend to me.”

You took a deep breath, hoping he couldn’t feel the heat coming from your face when you turned back to look at him.

“Well, you haven’t heard the worst part.” You continued. “Fen invited me to a work party. She sort of has this thing with her coworkers.”

“What kind of thing?”

“She hates them all.”

“Nice.” He laughed again. You’ve never giggled before. At least not that typical girly giggle that women do in movies when they’re flirting, but man did he make you want to giggle when he laughed. You held back and stuck with biting your lip.

“So I may have promised her I would go with her to make it a little easier, but last minute I got tickets to this concert.” You were doing your best to focus on your fingers lightly pulling on the stem of the bell pepper and not on the beautiful man standing next to you whose eyes you could feel looking at you.

“Oh.”

“So, I maybe… kind of…” The pepper was in your hands now, shifting from one hand to the other as you spoke. “… texted her right before the party and told her that I couldn’t go.”

You looked up at him slowly, his eyes were on you, slightly narrowed and he looked back to the bowl of sauce he had been whisking.

“Damn, you are a bad friend.” He shook his head.

“You said you would be on my side!” Your mouth dropped open and he threw his head back laughing as you stared at him and jokingly pushed him away from you.

“I’m sorry, I’m only kidding.” He put his hands up, still laughing. “Everyone’s done something like that before.”

“Yeah, well, she isn’t talking to me now.” You turned back to the vegetables on the table.

“I’m sure she will if you give her time.” He bumped his hip into yours and set the bowl on the counter in between where you both were standing and your eyes were drawn to his bracelet.

“I appreciate that.” You nodded, looking back up at him. “Oh! You know who is talking to me?”

“Who’s that?”

“The year 2004. It wants its leather cuff back.” You pointed to his wrist.

“Ah, very nice.” He laughed and looked down at his bracelets. “Well see, these are glued on.”

“Oh, are they?” He rotated his arms so you could see both sides of the cuffs.

“Yeah, I was pretty badass when I was younger.” He joked, taking a step closer to you.

“Mhm.” You laughed lightly, words were becoming more difficult to think of as he got closer, the heat from his body reaching yours without even needing to touch you.

“So yeah, they can’t come off now.” He smiled and you slowly looked up to him. “Permanent fixture.”

He wasn’t standing over you, but he was definitely leaning over you and you could feel the pressure of his size. You sucked in a quick breath of air, unable to think of anything other than just how close he was to you as he moved his hands to rest on either side of you, lowering himself so his face was level with yours.

“Cute.” Your bottom lip slipped in between your teeth. At this rate your lip would be bleeding by the end of the class.

His smile grew and in this position it would have honestly been incredibly uncomfortable if it weren’t for the genuine comfort you felt constantly rolling off of him. You sucked in another breath and smiled at him. He was about to take a step closer until the instructor’s voice caught the attention of both of you and you turned to look at her.

“I see some of you out there getting closer!” She walked the length of her table, and went back to chopping. “This is what cooking is about! Being close to your partner, really tasting the food. It’s a sensual experience. You need to feel the cooking with your partner!”

You noticed Miche removing his hands from resting on the counter and turning to stand next to you, starting to chop the bell pepper to follow the instructor. You moved over to your cutting board to do the same.

“No one here should be feeding themselves!” The instructor started moving around again, lifting her arms in a gesture to show she wanted more. “All of the ingredients are fresh and juicy and delicious! Let your partner taste it from you!”

You were about to start laughing, turning back to the red onion you were chopping when you felt Miche staring again. Ignoring it was your first thought, but when he shifted his position, leaning his back against the cutting board, you couldn’t help but look up.

He was holding a small sliver of bell pepper in his hand and holding it up to you.

“I—uh… we don’t have to do that.” You spoke, flustered, looking back at your cutting board.

“Come on.” “We’re not even a couple, we don’t have to follow what she says. It’s more for the other people here.” You gestured with your knife to the other couples feeding each other.

“Something tells me even if we were a couple, you would still argue against this.” He put his hand on yours and you stopped chopping, your eyes moving to his. “You don’t get chances like this often. Live a little.”

You weren’t sure what he meant by ‘chances like this’ but whatever he meant by it, he was right. It was easy to forget that a lot of the time, especially for you. You had a tendency to take things too seriously and when you were uncomfortable, which was quite often, you passed up ‘chances like this’, chances to have fun, chances to try something new, chances to get fed by a cute guy you just met. It was strange that Miche had already figured that out that about you.

He moved the bell pepper towards you and back away in a little dance of temptation and it made you laugh. You sighed, resisting the urge to roll your eyes and you opened your mouth.

“Wait, do you want to try it with the sauce?” He asked as he pulled the vegetable away from you.

“Might as well.” You shrugged. He scooped a small amount of the peanut sauce onto the pepper and cupped his hand under it as he lifted it to your mouth. He had a weird look on his face as he watched you chew. You couldn’t tell if he wanted you to like the sauce or wanted you to like the fact that he fed you. “It’s good.”

You’ve had peanut sauce before, but this one tasted different. It wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t something you wanted to be sticking plain bell peppers in. You had to admit though, the instructor was right, the bell pepper really was juicy and getting it fed to you was pretty nice too.

“My turn.” He smiled and nudged your cutting board closer to you to feed him. You looked at him confused.

“You want me to feed you an onion?”

“With sauce, please.” He opened his mouth, lowering himself down a little. It made no sense to you but you weren’t really going to judge him. You picked up a slice of onion and scooped some sauce, slowly carrying it to his mouth.

You watched as his face started out happy and then switched to confused as he chewed more. From there it moved to almost disgust and you saw his nostrils flare as he finally swallowed.

“That’s not right.” He coughed, drinking a sip of water.

“You ate it with an onion, Miche.” You laughed.

“I think it’s the sauce.” He scooped a tiny bit on his finger and tasted it, his face immediately puckering.

“It wasn’t that bad.” You leaned forward to smell it.

“No, it’s definitely the sauce. Here, try it.” He scooped some sauce on his finger and brought it to your mouth. You were about to taste it, but stopped, looking at the sauce on his finger and then to his face. As the smile grew on your face, his smile grew as well.

“You really thought I would fall for this?” Shaking your head, you turned back to your cutting board and he laughed.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t realize what I was doing until after my finger was in your mouth.” He laughed again, licking the sauce off his finger. “The sauce is actually pretty good.”

“So what is it that you do?” You asked him, not looking up from your onion.

“I’m a drummer.” He finished washing his hands and leaned against the counter next to you.

“I mean, like your job.”

“I’m a drummer.” He laughed and you looked up, staring at him.

“Oh, you’re serious? I’m sorry. I thought you were being funny because the leather cuff thing.” You hoped your face wasn’t radiating as much heat as you felt like it was and that he couldn’t feel it.

“I like to think I’m funnier than that.” He laughed, crossing his arms. You could feel him looking at you again. “I get it though. Not a lot of people see it as a real job.”

“No, no, I—” You saw him smiling at you. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Ugh, I’m sorry.”

You set the knife down and closed your eyes. Perfect. You’ve insulted him. Sometimes you wondered why you bothered opening your mouth at all, stumbling over your words, saying things that come out rude. You’ve barely known him for twenty minutes and you’ve already offended him.

“I’m just teasing you.” He tapped your foot lightly with his. “You should come to a show. My band is playing in town tonight.”

“I should. It’s the least I can do.” The moment you said it, you knew how it sounded and you tried to correct yourself.

“The least you can do?” His eyes widened and he laughed. “Don’t do me any favors.”

“No, I know how that sounded. It’s not—I don’t pity—it’s not out of pity… oh my gosh.” You covered your face with your hands and faced the counter. Miche was cracking up next to you.

“I’m not offended, Y/N.” He tapped your shoulder. “Stop hiding.”

“It’s like I have a permanent foot in my mouth. I’m sorry.”

“Damn, you’re fun to tease.” He smiled and you stood up straight, taking a deep breath trying to pull yourself together a bit. You watched him lean over the counter and rest on his elbows, looking back at you. “What is it you do?”

“It’s not as interesting as being a drummer.” You leaned over the counter with him. “I’m a children’s book author.”

“Oh wow, not what I was expecting. How long have you been doing that?”

“Wait, what were you expecting?”

“Nothing, honestly. I just don’t meet a lot of authors.” You gave him a look with narrowed eyes. It was only fair that he offend you at that point. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone looked at your face and wondered how someone who looked so cold could write children’s books, but most people judged you too soon anyway. “Really, I wasn’t expecting anything. So how long have you been an author?”

“It’s basically been my only job. I wrote my first book when I was seventeen.” You shrugged. “So that’s, what?”

You did the math in your head. Math has never been something you’ve been good at. Miche was watching you try to add the small numbers in your head and laughed.

“You need help getting there?” He teased.

“Shut up.” You laughed. Math was hard. “Seventeen. Seventeen years.”

“I think you’re a little off.”

“Am I? Thirty-four minus seventeen is seventeen, right?”

“You’re thirty-four?” He stood up straight, his eyes wide. “I thought you were like twenty-five.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.” You smiled, knowing that’s not what he meant, but also wanting to enjoy being the teaser for once.

“No, not a disappointment at all.” He smiled and rubbed the back of his head. “Y—you… you look great.”

“Thank you.” That smile really did a number on you because you sat there staring at him until at some point you realized that twenty minutes had gone by and you both really hadn’t done anything as far as cooking. “We should probably keep cooking.”

You both went back to your cutting boards and continued working. Miche finished slicing the bell peppers and you noticed that he was staring at you quite a bit more than before. Not just that, but he was also moving closer to you. It’s not that you were complaining at all. Honestly, you were very okay with it, you were just wondering what the change was. You finished your onion, moving to boil the water for the rice vermicelli and starting on the cabbage.

Miche reached around you for the carrot, his chest pressed against your back, he set his hand on your upper arm and you looked up at him. His blue eyes sparkling so close to yours. You blinked slowly and looked down at his lips. He had the most perfect lips, full and soft and the most kissable shade of red. He was smirking and it made the corners of your lips turn up until you let out a silent exhale as you watched him lick his lips.

You felt like a kid. Like when kids see the ice cream truck and their face lights up and they start licking their lips and salivating, anticipating what that ice cream is going to taste like. That’s how you felt when you looked at Miche. A drooling child.

Each time you caught yourself staring like an idiot, you told yourself not to do it again, to keep your focus. But when he was brushing past you, touching your arms lightly, smiling at you, laughing with his big laugh, it was so hard not to look like a drooling child.

“Alright class!” The instructor’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. “We’re coming up to the last ten minutes. I see some of you falling behind, but that’s okay! You want to start thinking about plating your food soon!”

“What the heck?” You looked to Miche with your eyes wide. “We barely have anything done. We haven’t even cooked the shrimp!”

“We still have ten minutes.” He reminded you.

“To plate!” You moved to the shrimp. “You take over the chopping, I will cook the shrimp.”

How in the world did forty-five minutes pass already? You knew you were having fun, but you both literally have only cut a bell pepper and an onion. Thankfully you had started boiling water for the stuff that took longer to cook. You dumped the shrimp in the pan and looked over to Miche eating the only vegetables you had cut.

“Stop eating it and plate it.” He jumped at your voice and you honestly wanted to laugh, but you were freaking out about how you were going to finish everything. He moved closer to you.

“Don’t worry so much.” He stood behind you and rested his hands on your shoulders. His hands were moving slightly as if he couldn’t decide if he wanted to give you a massage or not. “Do you want me to do that?”

He moved to take the spoon from you, but you shook your head. You were feeling the pressure of the time and you had a feeling he could tell. The big red clock in the front of the room that showed nine minutes wasn’t helping. It’s not like you wanted to ruin the fun, you were having fun before, but now… you just weren’t.

“Here, eat this.” He brought a bell pepper with peanut sauce on it to your mouth.

“Miche, I just want to get this done. We’re already—”

“We’re already what? This is a class we paid for, we can do whatever we want.” He watched your eyes move to the clock and back to him and he smiled. “You’re really bothered by that, aren’t you?”

“I just don’t want to be late.” You sighed. He lifted the bell pepper up again.

“You’ll feel better after you eat this.”

“I doubt that.” He pretended to frown at you and it made you smile. “I will eat it, but then you need to julienne the carrots.”

“Whatever you say.” He put the pepper in your mouth.

You chewed as you turned back to the stove and added the rice vermicelli to the boiling water, looking back over to how Miche was doing. He put the bell peppers on the plate with the onions and was cutting the carrots into cubes. Large, uneven cubes.

“Julienne, Miche, julienne!” You complained. Miche dropped the knife on the cutting board.

“Who the fuck is Julienne?” He whispered turning to you. You stared at him. He had a serious look in his eyes. He genuinely had no idea what you were talking about and it was so wholesome that it took everything you had not to squeeze him. This giant man was so adorable, it was killing you.

You put your hand on his shoulder and started laughing. Once you started, you couldn’t stop. Your shoulders were shaking and you put your face into your elbow, trying to muffle the sound.

“Did I say something?” He watched you, but all it did was make you laugh even harder. You moved to pull your hand from his shoulder to cover your face and he grabbed it, holding onto it and smiling at you. You weren’t sure if maybe you had just given up on making anything correctly or you finally realized it didn’t matter, but seeing Miche smiling as you nearly peed your pants from laughing seemed way more important to you in that moment than anything else.

You got yourself to stop laughing and didn’t even bother looking at the clock. Your eyes were watering from laughing so hard and you wiped them, still giggling when you thought about how ridiculously cute this guy was. He was still smiling and finally dropped your hand only to hold your cheeks, using his thumbs to wipe whatever tears you missed.

It was strange to you how oddly comfortable you were in that moment. You hated when people touched you, especially people you barely knew and meeting Miche less than an hour before definitely put him in that category. But standing there with him holding your cheeks didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. You hesitantly set your hands on his ribs, unsure if he was okay with your touch. It was a weird place to hold, but it felt like a natural placement until he moved closer to you and they slipped around his back and you let out a quiet gasp. It had been a while since you had been this close to a man and you were actually kind of enjoying it.

“How is everyone feeling?” The instructor’s voice pulled you back into the kitchen and you blinked, moving to turn your head, but Miche held your face. His smile widened the tiniest bit before he squeezed your cheeks lightly, squishing your face forward and he let go, laughing to himself. You narrowed your eyes at him, but couldn’t help but smile when you saw him laughing.

As you turned to the instructor, having missed most of what she said, you realized that the moment you and Miche just had seemed to give him permission to be closer to you because he was completely pressed up against your back, hands on either side of you as they rested on the counter. If there was a way to describe the feeling of being pleasantly caged in, you would use it to describe how you felt. Maybe cozy was a good way to describe it.

“It’s finally time to eat what you and your partner created so grab those plates and let’s get to the dining area!” The instructor danced her way to the dining area and you and Miche looked down at your plates and laughed, carrying what you could to the dining area.

The dining area was just a small room with a lot of windows, a wall of plants and ten or so bistro tables. It sort of seemed like a large greenhouse and was cute in a small café sort of way. The sunlight coming through the windows also added a great feeling.

You and Miche set your plates on an open table and sat down. He immediately slid his chair a bit closer to you and you both turned to the instructor, listening to her long-winded way of saying ‘enjoy the food’ and finally turned back to each other.

“At least we know the sauce will be good.” You dipped your rice paper in the hot water and pulled it out before it got soft, trying to put whatever vegetables you could in it, laughing as you sifted through the chunks of carrots. You rolled it up and dipped it in the sauce, watching Miche make his.

His rice paper was still hard and he folded it over instead of rolling it. The paper got too soft too quickly and he couldn’t get it off the plate. You sat there and smiled, trying not to laugh as you chewed your food. As his spring roll fell apart when he lifted it, you finally had enough.

“It’s not a taco, Miche. Here, let me do it.” You took a fresh rice paper and dipped it in the water, added the vegetables and rolled it up. You dipped it in the sauce, holding it up for him and he opened his mouth. “You need me to feed you?”

“I’m sure it will taste better this way.” He smiled, resting his hand on yours to steady the roll before taking a bite and sitting back, chewing. You didn’t want to sit and watch him eat, but you couldn’t get yourself to look away. The way his jaw worked and flexed as he chewed, the way his eyes closed as he tasted the food, the way he let out a small groan to tell you how good it was, the way he gave a little thumbs up, you didn’t want to miss any of it. “So good.”

“It would probably be better with carrots.” You teased.

“Let me make you one,” he said excitedly.

You weren’t really sure you wanted that. You saw his first attempt and you really didn’t want to be eating crunchy rice paper with chunks of carrots and onions. You eyed him as he started, he was definitely watching you make the last roll for him because this time his roll wasn’t that bad. You opened your mouth and took a bite, watching as Miche put what was left in his mouth.

“What do I have to do to get you to come to my show tonight?” He asked as he wiped his mouth.

“You still want me to come?” He smiled and nodded.

“Definitely.”

“Well class, it’s been a fun hour, but the next class will be coming in soon so it’s time to clean up!” The instructor spoke about how great everyone did and how we can sign up for her other classes at the front desk. No one was required to clean and you watched as everyone stood up to leave.

“Before we leave—” Miche put his hand on yours and you looked at him. He opened his mouth but nothing was coming out, he just sort of stared at you, trying to find words. “Do you… Um, maybe, do you want to get ice cream or something? I know a good place. It’s really close.”

He was asking you out. He was definitely asking you out. He even looked nervous and it was twisting your insides into the tightest knot you’ve ever felt. The excitement and shock sent a flush of heat to your cheeks. There was no way you could play it cool, even if you tried. Your heart was beating so hard against your chest in the best way and you opened your mouth to respond, but he kept going.

“It doesn’t have to be ice cream, if you don’t like it.” He added quickly, laughing to himself as his hand went to rub the back of his head and his cheeks tinted pink. “I just kind of want to spend more time with you.”

“I love ice cream.” You smiled, biting your lip. Fen might actually kill you for coming out of this experience with a date. Especially a date as amazing as Miche. He let out a sigh and smiled, standing up and taking your hand.

“Should we go?”

He was right about the ice cream place being close. It was more of a cart and only a couple blocks away from the cooking class. You weren’t actually sure if this was considered a date, but this ice cream cart location was certainly a perfect date spot. It was right next to a park with a cute path for strolling.

“What can I get you?” He pulled out his wallet.

“I can pay, you don’t have to pay for me.” You dug around your purse.

“I invited you. Don’t worry about it.” You stared at him. You hated when people paid for you. It felt weird and you felt like then you owed them something and you weren’t really sure where this was going for you to be able to pay him back. Miche saw your hesitation and smiled. “How about I buy you ice cream and you can pay me back by coming to my show.”

“Still trying to get me to go, huh?”

“I will keep trying anything to get to see you again.” He laughed. “I’ll even let you buy me a drink. Deal?”

“Deal.” The smile that grew on his face made your heart dance around in your chest. You got your ice cream and walked together along the park path. Whether it was a date or not, it was a really nice afternoon that you weren’t expecting to have had based on where you were a couple hours before.

“So you’re trying to become a vet?” You asked him. You were both sitting on a bench you found halfway through the park’s path as you finished your last couple bites of ice cream.

“Not really actively yet.” He laughed. “I’ve taken a couple classes and I love animals so I think I might do it.”

“It would definitely suit you.” You nodded licking your ice cream.

“You think so?” There was that smile again. He always looked so grateful and happy. You found it so comforting, but also confusing because you looked the exact opposite and couldn’t understand why he kept calling you cute. “If my apartment allowed pets, I would probably have a bunch of dogs by now. I guess it’s good that they don’t.”

“So how long have you been a drummer?” You ate the last bite of your cone. “As a career, I mean.”

“Not long. Maybe five years.” He shrugged.

“What were you doing before that?”

“I don’t know that I want to talk about that yet.” He laughed nervously.

“That bad?”

“Not bad. I just didn’t really like myself very much then. I didn’t… I wasn’t very happy.” He shifted in his seat and you worried that you made him uncomfortable, but he was still smiling so it must not be that bad. “Not all of us found our dream job at seventeen.”

“I wouldn’t call it my dream job.” You laughed. He was smiling, but his face dropped, looking almost worried. He started leaning closer to you which made you lean back away from him. Was he trying to kiss you? If he was trying to kiss you, he picked the most random time to do it. Not to mention, he had a look on his face that didn’t seem like he even wanted it. He held your chin and touched your hair and you looked at him. He wasn’t even looking at you, but you still waited for him to lean in more. Instead, he sat back on the bench.

“Sorry, there was a bug in your hair.” He flicked it away.

“Oh.” You looked down, internally laughing at yourself. “I thought you were going to kiss me.”

You quickly looked up in front of you, not meaning to say that out loud to him. You opened your mouth and a nervous noise came out. Miche started laughing and you looked at him.

“Don’t worry.” He tapped your shoulder. “I won’t kiss you without asking.”

“Oh.” There was definitely disappointment in your voice and you were hoping maybe he couldn’t hear it even though you thought it was painfully obvious.

“Would you let me though?” He asked.

“What?” You looked back at him.

“Kiss you?” That little smirk sat on his lips and distracted you from his question to the point that you had to look away.

“I think I would.” You nod slowly.

“Why did you lean away then?”

“It’s a reflex, I guess.” You explained and he smiled, his hand going to his facial hair and rubbing.

“So… then can I?”

“Can you what?” You looked back at him and felt stupid for looking back and forth between him and the ground. It was dumb for you to feel nervous when he clearly looked nervous himself. His hand was on the back of his head where he was rubbing, a slightly unsure smile on his face.

“Can I kiss you?” He laughed. It was amazing how good you were at making things so incredibly awkward. You were about to grab him and kiss him yourself just to end this conversation because you were sure it was only a matter of time before you said something really dumb. Like maybe ‘it’s the least you could do’.

You nodded your head, hoping that was enough for him to understand. He lifted up from the bench, leaning towards you, his face approaching yours quickly as his hand reached for your cheek. He was really going to do it then? You felt yourself leaning away again and tried to stop, but you couldn’t. His eyes closed as he got close enough to you and you panicked a little.

“Wait, wait.” You put your hand on his mouth and he opened his eyes. “I give you permission to kiss me, but not like this. Sorry. I don’t know why it’s awkward when I know it’s coming.”

“You want me to surprise you?” His eyes went wide with shock. He didn’t move back from how close he was to you, instead stayed right in front of your face and chuckled.

“It’s not like I want to be scared.” You laughed, shifting a little in your spot. “I just feel like I need to wait for the right moment to enjoy it or it’s awkward.”

“Why is it awkward?” He leaned back, his hand resting on your shoulder.

“I don’t know. I just… I don’t know.” You sighed. “I’m sorry. I guess I ruined this. I just…I take things too seriously.”

“Oh, I definitely figured that out.” He laughed, closing his eyes and laying his head back. “And stop worrying, you didn’t ruin anything.”

“Should we try again?” You sat forward and looked at him. You’ve only known Miche for an afternoon and he was already realizing one of your worst traits.

“So you can just go through the motions? No.” He smiled. “Kissing is fun. You don’t need to wait for any right moment to do it. You just take control and make it yourself.”

“I don’t know that I—"

“I’ll tell you what.” He sat up and looked at you. “I’m going to get you to make the special moment that you need all on your own and you are going to kiss me.”

“You—”

“No arguing. I’m starting now.” He laid his head back on the bench and closed his eyes and you stared at him confused as to how him doing the exact same thing he was doing was going to make you kiss him.

You waited, looking at him for a good couple minutes, but he didn’t move. You looked around the park, thinking maybe inspiration would come from the ducks in the pond across from you. You were honestly trying. Moments didn’t just come out of nowhere though. You looked back to Miche and he was still in the same spot and you really thought that he might have fallen asleep.

You sighed, setting your back to the bench again and Miche’s hand made its way around your back and pulled you against him. There was a moment where you tried to look up at him, but his hand was resting on your head and he guided you to lay your head on his chest. You tried to keep your breathing steady, but you did feel a little strange cuddled up to him like this. It wasn’t until he moved his hand to your waist that you felt like you could breathe.

You took a deep breath, trying to relax yourself into his body. It still didn’t feel like a moment, but it was definitely something worth enjoying for a little. You took another deep breath, bringing your hand to rest on his chest, just under your chin and closed your eyes. You probably could have fallen asleep. Between the slight breeze in the park, the warmth of Miche’s chest under your cheek, the slight scent of his cologne or deodorant or possibly really nice body odor, the continual rise and fall of his chest, the sounds of the ducks dipping into the pond water and the faint thud of Miche’s heartbeat under your ear, you could sleep. You focused on the rhythmic beat of his heart, slow and steady. The calm, even, unchanging drumming against your cheek.

You slid yourself a little closer, trying to position yourself to better hear it and you heard it change, shifting slightly. You stopped your movements, focusing on hearing the change. It was easier to hear in this position and you could not only hear the change, but you could feel it. His heart was beating faster, harder against his chest. You smiled and slid your hand across his stomach to lower your ear. He inhaled sharply and you felt his pulse race again. You brought your hand back over his chest and his hand lightly rubbed your waist.

Your entire body was tingling and you could only think that maybe his was too. Your heart was racing as you heard the speed of his heart beat. This was fun. This was more than fun. This was amazing. You were in total control. You were completely focused and in complete control of this moment. This moment was yours and it was going to be as special as you wanted it to be, as special as you made it.

You were at your limit, an unexpected pull forcing you to lift your head, look up at Miche, and smile. He finally lifted his head to look at you and when he saw your face, he smiled back. It’s as if you were a different person. Any other time, you would feel the need to wait an arbitrarily appropriate amount of time before you could kiss someone. But this time was different. There was no waiting, your hand moved to his cheek, your thumb rubbing his cheekbone softly before you hurriedly lifted yourself to reach his lips.

The moment your lips met, his free hand moved to the back of your head and he helped pull you closer to him. He had this weird way of holding you tightly, but at the same time so gently. He sat up a little more as his lips moved against yours. It surprised you that you were the first one to slip your tongue out and sweep it across his top lip. Miche sighed into you, opening his mouth, and quickly pulling you into his lap, his tongue quickly making its way into your mouth. He lifted you until you were straddling his legs and kept his hand on the back of your head to keep you close to him.

The reminder that you were sitting on a park bench in public flew across your mind and quickly disappeared as Miche’s hands moved up your back, bringing your chest to rest against his. The warmth of his cheek under your hand and the way he kept sitting up to get closer to you was making it increasingly more difficult to keep the kiss a suitable rating for any eyes that might be watching you. Your body was growing hotter and Miche’s tiny sighs into your mouth weren’t helping. A particularly loud sigh, bordering on a moan, finally had you put your hand on his shoulder and lean back.

Miche’s eyes were still closed when you opened your eyes to look at him and he licked his lips. If there was a limit to how handsome he could look, you were sure that was it. His eyes were fluttering lightly as he held them closed, his cheeks were pink and his lips were sitting in a small smirk, wet and still that perfect shade of red.

“Hm...” You smiled and his hands lowered to your hips as he opened his eyes. “You’re a much better kisser than I thought you’d be.”

“I’ll try not to take offense to that.” He smiled and leaned back into you, pressing his lips against yours again.