#hes got the same smile as their mom <333

[narsh-poptarts]

My computer in the shop.... The last little babies it could muster out before I took it in,,, my dearest Gozzi I'll do anything for yooouuu

[ashwhowrites]

OMG I CANT BELIEVE REQS ARE OPEN YAYAAYAYAYAYAYYYYY

okay so basically i was wondering if you could do something with popular!bully!eddie x sensitive!reader

okay okay. so reader and eddie like each other but its a secret from the other and eddie bullies her lightly (cos he doesnt know how to deal with emotions) and shes super insecure cos she has like no friends and stuff and he went prom dress shopping with chrissy and saw reader there and teased her about the dress she picked and she got sad and cried at home then its prom and eddie's rejected everyone cos hes waiting for reader to show up and finally confess but shes nowhere to be found so he goes to her house with flowers or smth and he finds her crying and he comforts her and has her put her dress on and they kiss

IM SORRY IF THIS MAKES NO SENSE!!!

but thank you SO MUCH ash your writing is literally amazing it always has me in my feels <333 thank you for bringing so much happiness (and angst LMAO) to my feed!!

You are so sweet!! Thank you so much 🫶🏻I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting!

Prom Dress

Eddie never had a good hand on his emotions, he never learned how to express what he felt correctly. All he saw growing up was expressing emotions through anger. His dad was never around to tell him about girls and his mom was never there to teach him how a girl wants to be treated. So he went with what came naturally, except he barely ever felt real feelings towards a girl.

Until he met Y/N

Eddie was popular, it was easy to have girls on his arm and in his bed. But he didn't have feelings for them, so it was easy sweet talk and then they wouldn't talk again. But it was like his brain froze when he was in Y/N's presence. His sweet talk was out the door as he stuttered out something to say, and it was always a comment that sent her over the edge. He just didn't know that.

Y/N was a very alone person. She wasn't the best at making friends, making peace with being her own friend. She was insecure, never telling a boy how she felt because she knew it would go the exact way she thought it would. And when she realized her heart raced when Eddie walked in the halls, she knew that one would never happen.

Plus she has a good damn feeling he hated her guts. He added fire to the hell she lived in but there was something about him that she wanted. She allowed herself to be his punching bag because she felt alive when his eyes were on her. He was practically the only person that talked to her, and she didn't want to give that up.

Because at the end of the day, she had Eddie Munson's attention.

~~~

Eddie groaned as Chrissy picked up another dress to try on. He looked at his watch, annoyed that they had been in the same shop for two hours.

"At this point, Jason won't care what you pick. Can we please go?" Eddie moaned, his head thrown back as he sat on the uncomfortable chairs.

"You're fine. I have two more dresses and then we'll leave!" Chrissy sighed, going into the changing room.

Eddie moved his head back and looked around the store. He blinked a few times when he saw someone familiar. He stood up and slowly walked closer, squinting his eyes as a girl walked away from the register with a puffy pink dress.

"Y/N?"

She froze as she recognized the voice. Already on edge as she turned out. Panic in her eyes as she met his brown ones.

"Hi Eddie," she said, a small smile as she greeted him politely.

"Is that your prom dress?" He asked, his eyes looking over her shoulder as she held it.

"Yeah," she said quietly

"So you are going to prom? What? Alone?" He scoffed, a mocking chuckle left his mouth and Y/N shifted on her feet uncomfortably.

"Um, I don't know yet. Depends if someone asks" She shrugged

Eddie felt his body burn, a sense of discomfort thinking of someone asking her. Some guy takes her, takes pictures, and spins her on the dance floor. Someone she would have gotten dressed up for. He wasn't sure why the thought made him so damn angry. But the good news for him, he knew how to express anger.

"Ask you? You know that's not going to happen" he argued, his eyes dark as he stared down at her. "And while you are wearing that? A puffy pink dress, you think you are some fairytale princess? That dress looks like it's for a five-year-old old" He teased, but it wasn't his usual tease. This time it felt like every word he said sliced through her.

The one dress that fit her like a glove. The one dress that made every problem wash away. A dress where for once she felt beautiful.

She didn't say anything, just turned around and walked out of the store.

She cried as she raced to her car, harshly throwing the dress in the backseat. She cried the whole way home, feeling helpless in this world. She wasn't sure why it felt like everything was always up against her.

~~~

It was the night of the prom, and Y/N ignored the dress that hung up in her closet.

She bought it a week ago, a week since Eddie ruined the one bit of confidence she had left.

She wanted to return it, but the store wouldn't take it. So now she was stuck with a reminder that she would never be the gorgeous girl who walked into prom and changed everyone's perspective of her. She would still be that loser everyone laughed about.

So she stayed home. Her parents weren't too involved with her life, out on vacation as she sat on the couch. She watched romantic movies, crying as she stuffed her mouth with chocolate ice cream.

~

Eddie checked his watch for the tenth time of the night. The loud music overwhelmed him as he kept his eyes on the door.

"Want to dance?" A girl from the cheerleading squad asked.

"No thanks. I'm waiting for someone" he said with a tight smile, then moved his eyes back to the door

The prom started two hours ago, and she still wasn't there.

He turned down about ten dances before he took matters into his own hands.

He grabbed his keys from his pocket and hit the road. The flowers he bought sat in his passenger seat, guess he was going to drive them to her instead.

He pulled up to her driveway, letting out a nervous breath as he got out. He fixed his suit, patted down his hair, and gripped the flowers. He knocked on the door, stepping back as he waited for it to open.

"Eddie?" She was surprised, her body mostly covered by the door. Some sort of protection for herself.

He looked up and frowned. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet. And she wasn't anywhere near dressed up for prom. Her hair was down, but no makeup on her face.

"Hey, can I come in?" He asked

"Why?" She asked, covering her body even more with the door

"Why didn't you come to prom?"

She was surprised he even noticed. But she was more curious as to why it mattered to him.

"Didn't want to go. Is that all?" She snapped. It was enough that he could torture her at school and outside of school. But at her own house is where she drew the line.

"Um, uh, these are for you," he said shyly, not used to her face looking so annoyed and a snap in her tone.

She eyed the flowers as he held them out for her. She opened the door wider to grab them. They were truly beautiful and it was the first time she ever received flowers.

"Oh um thank you, Eddie," she said, smelling the flowers

"Can I come in? Maybe we can talk?" He asked, he twiddled his fingers as he waited for her to reply

"Uh sure but don't you have like a date or something?" She asked

"No, I was waiting for you," he said honestly, for once just saying what he felt instead of turning it into a joke.

She didn't know what to say so she opened the door and let him step inside.

She walked to the kitchen and got a vase for the flowers. He followed without asking.

"So why were you waiting for me? Was a big bucket of red paint gonna fall over me?" She asked, watching as the water filled the clear vase.

"No, why would I do that?" He asked, his head turned like a confused puppy

She laughed to herself bitterly

"Because you make my life hell" She looked at him like it was obvious. Softly placing the flowers on the kitchen table.

"I don't mean to, I'm sorry" his eyes looked sincere but she wasn't sure what trap he was waiting for.

"Then why do you do it?" She asked, her arms crossed as she angrily looked at him. Maybe this was her chance to finally stick up for herself and tell him to shove everything up his ass.

"Because I like you, and I wasn't sure how to show that" he explained, a small blush formed on his face as he muttered the words.

Y/N stood frozen as she stared at him like he had two heads.

Eddie confessed he liked her?

What kind of prank was this?

"Which I can see now I did in every wrong way possible. I'm sorry for everything, I didn't know I was upsetting you."

She sighed as the apology lifted some weight off her body. It felt nice to finally be apologized to.

"Thank you for apologizing," she said, a small smile on her face

"Thank you for allowing me to," he said, a shy smile on his face

They stared at each other, neither knowing what the next move should be.

"Can I uh see your dress? I saw it in the store but didn't get to see what it looked like on you" he asked, his eyes moving to the floor

"Are you going to make fun of me?" She asked, her arms crossed. Her protection shield is back up.

"No!" He shook his head dramatically, "I know my horrible take on flirting was more hurtful. So I will keep my mouth shut" he said

"That was flirting? God, you are horrible" she joked, loving the way the air shifted into something lighthearted. He laughed with her and agreed.

She led him to her room, allowing him to sit on the bed as she went into the bathroom to change.

She slipped on the pink dress, looking at herself in the mirror. That same rush of confidence filled her body. It was like the dress was magical and healed every broken part of her. She tried to reach the back zipper but couldn't get it. Her face was already on fire as she realized what she had to do.

She walked into the room, Eddie looked up from his hands and his mouth dropped. His eyes skimmed over her dress, the way it hugged her body perfectly.

"Could you zip me up?" She asked, turning around as she tried to keep her breathing normal.

He coughed and stood up. Wiping his sweaty palms on his suit pants. His fingers danced down her spine, making her shiver. He reached the zipper and slowly pulled it up, her skin disappearing under the fabric.

The room felt thick as she slowly turned around. The ghost of his fingers was still on her back.

"You look breathtaking," he said, his voice a quiet whisper as he looked into her eyes

She gulped when his eyes dropped down to her lips. Then he was slowly leaning in.

His hand moved up to hold her cheek, and his eyes moved up to her eyes to check for a sign of rejection. But her eyes were zoned in on his lips.

He smirked as he noticed, slowly leaning in until his lips pressed perfectly against hers.

She wasn't sure where to put her hands so she softly placed them on his chest. Her head turned as he deepened the kiss.

She felt like he kept chasing her lips, sucking away her breath as she gripped his suit in her fingers.

Her body buzzed with electricity. His lips and hands were softer than she thought they would be. His kiss was gentle and slow. Her stomach fluttered and her head spun.

He held back his moans as he slipped his tongue in her mouth. Her lips were soft and warm. Her hands on his chest made his heart race and his face flush. He tried his best to not get carried away, not wanting to scare her. His free hand slipped to her back as he pushed her further against him. He never felt this way ever when he kissed a girl.

She pulled back when she felt like she couldn't breathe. She took a huge puff of air into her lungs as they kept their faces close.

Panting against each other as they looked into each other's eyes.

Like she said, it was a magical dress.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37 @bellaisswagger @arlx @ineedmentalhelp123

[ilwonuu]

hiii love all of your work btw!!

hear me out please!, this might be a long one😭

okay so you and jaehyun (or whatever idol you may want to use) are best friends. and have been since childhood! your a dancer and he’s a idol so your schedules are complicated. your very close with each other’s families. so one day you visit his mom like usual and surprisingly he is there with his group visiting home too, which you didn’t know he was visiting. you guys are excited to see each other and everyone can see your chemistry ( you get introduced to everyone) but you guys say y’all are “best friends” even his family see it. y’all flirt. (a lot) boom spend the night smut and boom😭😭😭.

(ik it’s a lot i’m sorry😭)

thank u for saying u enjoy my work ily<3 NO NO ITS NOT A LOT ITS OERFECT KSJSHA,,, i love this idea and of course i love rhis idea with jaehyun ehehshs!! i hope u enjoy,,, thank youu for requesting <3

multiply

⤑ jeong jaehyun

𖤓 pairing- best friends to lovers, idol!jaehyun x nonidol!femreader, softdom!jae x sub!reader, established friendship

𖤓 warnings- lots of cringe flirting, kissing, fingering(f receiving), dirty talk, slight smut heheheheh(dw lmk if you want another smut part), lmk what else<333

𖤓 a/n- hiiiii im fulfilling my lovely anon’s ask!!! im so happy that u requested something!! i based this fic off of some of the lyrics from this song<3 thank u for reading🙃🙃

you almost cry after finding out about your 4 days off. you’ve been working yourself to the core with dancing. of course it’s something you love but you really need a break. you decide to go your best friends house. you know he isn’t going to be be there but it’s fine because you’re just as close with his family. his mother always being there for you whenever you needed. today you could use the company. you knock on the door a couple times waiting for her to open the door. to your surprise your very handsome best friend opens the door with a big smile.

“get in here.” he pulls you into a big hug. “jae? you didn’t tell me you were free!” you roll your eyes at him, letting go of him to greet his mother. you hug her with a smile. “i came to see you.” you smile getting comfortable a little more. you wave to the other guys in the room. “hi guys! i’m y/n nice to finally meet you all. i’ve heard a lot.” jaehyun smiles as he introduces each of the members to you.

“yea we have heard a lot too!” haechan smirks at you and jaehyun, causing johnny and mark to snicker at him. “you’re so pretty!” jungwoo says after you compliment his outfit. you smile knowing that you two will be great friends. exchanging numbers with the guys as you and jaehyun basically have the same friends. jaehyun pulls your attention back to him when he grabs your hand.

“so you guys are friends?” yuta asks looking as you guys intensely. “yea- best friends.” you smile at jaehyun. they see right through what you guys are telling yourselves. “definitely.” doyoung says as he laughs at how red jaehyun got at the question. “okay! are you guys hungry?” mrs. jeong cuts the silence with a smile.

after dinner, you and jaehyun spent the night watching your favorite childhood movies laughing and fucking flirting. how could you not flirt with the boy? it’s hard having a hot best friend (a lot of people suffer from this!!!) he has you in his arms as he mindlessly rubs your sides. you are melting in his arms. “i missed you.” he says taking your attention from the movie.

“i missed you more jae.” you smile at him. he blushes hard at the gesture. “no like i seriously couldn’t wait to see you. i couldn’t stop thinking of you.” he holds you tighter. “ew you’re being cheesy all of a sudden.” you playfully push him away. “shut up you love it baby.” you choke on your spit. baby?? what the fuck he never calls you baby. obviously because you guys are just friends,,,,definitely! “im just messing with you.” he smiles at you innocently.

“you’re annoying.” he shakes his head. “you don’t really think so, you like me too much.” he kisses your cheek and at first it seems sweet until he moves his kisses down your jaw. “is this okay?” your breath hitches as he holds you in place. “jaehyun- what are you doing?” you look at him nervously. “tell me you don’t want this and i’ll stop right now.” he rubs your side gently. “no- i want this.” you nod at him and he smiles.

“relax baby.” he helps you out of your shorts leaving you in just your panties. your back is against his chest as you rest between his legs. “look at me- good girl.” he smiles at you pulling you to kiss him. “i’ve wanted you like this for so long.” his voice is quiet as it leaves his lips. he’s been trying to ignore his feelings as were you. anyone could see that you guys were more than friends.

“kiss me again.” you sighed against his chest. he chuckles a little kissing your cheek before turning your head to kiss your lips. you moan into the kiss as your legs spread. his hand snakes to your thighs rubbing it gently.

“jaehyun- touch me.” you whisper to him. he nods at you pecking your lips. you grab his hand to move it higher against your thigh. he just smirks at you teasingly. “you’ve been thinking about this for a while huh baby? my hands touching you like this?” he teases as he moves your panties to the side.

“look at how wet you are just from me talking to you.” you nod shamelessly laying your head back on him. you feel one of his fingers sink into your aching cunt. “dirty girl, you are soaking.” he smirks at you as he adds another finger inside of you. “feels so good.” you sigh at the feeling. he scissors his fingers inside of you making you moan out his name. “mm jaehyun-“ you start to squirm as you get closer to your high.

“yea, you gonna cum baby?” he kisses your neck as he curls his fingers. you cum undone on his fingers with a sigh. “fuck you’re perfect.” he pulls you into a kiss. “do best friends finger each other?” jaehyun asks with a laugh causing you to roll your eyes at him. “you ruined the moment.” he smirks at you. “come here baby.” he pulls you into his arms before smothering you in kisses. “i want you to be my girlfriend, not my best friend.”

[supernovafics]

I know in the I’ll be there for you universe it’s been established that reader and Steve both have not great relationships with their parents - was wondering how Steve would comfort reader if she had a bad go of it with her dad or mom or both angst and comfort?? Maybe this is too self serving tho so feel absolutely so free to ignore 😭

𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒

"i'll be there for you" universe masterlist

pairing: bestfriend!roommate!steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 1.5k words

warnings: explicit language, brief(ish) mention of reader’s mom being shitty, a bit of angst/sadness but with a wholesome ending<3

summary: in which you’re upset and steve tries to cheer you up

author's note: thank you thank you for the request!! i went back to fall for this one because it just felt fitting. enjoy<333

general note: everything in this universe/series can be read as standalone oneshots but to understand the full “lore” it would prob be best to read the other stuff too<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Fall 1985

There was something wrong, but Steve couldn’t tell what it was.

You’d been holed up in your room ever since he got home from his Family Video shift. 

At first, he thought it was something he had done, accidentally leaving Harold’s cage open or forgetting to put something away in the kitchen. But, you didn’t seem mad or upset with him; and he knew that if you were, you wouldn’t have shied away from saying something.

When he knocked on your door and asked what was wrong, he didn’t entirely believe your simple head shake and one word response of “Nothing,” but he decided not to press you further because he knew that you’d come to him whenever you were ready to talk about what was going on. But then hours went by and you didn’t say anything; you even passed up his offer to make a grilled cheese for you, which you usually never did. And that made him worried. 

The time was nearing ten and the only moment you had come out of your bedroom since he got home at six was to grab a quick snack from the kitchen. Maybe you were sad about another crush that had gone wrong or maybe it was something bigger. Steve had no idea, but he felt like he needed to do something for you.

He grabbed a random hoodie from his room and then went over to yours, knuckles tapping against your shut door a few times. When you let out a loud enough, “Yeah?”, he took that as his cue to go in. You were sitting at your desk, textbook and notebook opened up in front of you. 

Steve tossed the hoodie into your lap. “Come on, let’s go.” 

You looked up at him, confused. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” He said instead of actually answering your question.

Even though all you really wanted to do was continue wallowing in your room and keep half-focusing on an assignment that you couldn’t care less about, you decided not to protest his words and adamance.

You pulled his hoodie over your head and slipped on a pair of shoes before following him out of the apartment. 

The drive was quiet and you weren’t in the mood to fiddle with the radio, so it simply stayed on a station that seemed to play the same five “pop hits” on repeat. 

It wasn’t until the final few minutes of the ride that you realized where he was driving to. The roads and turns he made started looking way too familiar, and a small smile took over your face when he pulled into the Dairy Queen parking lot. The closest one was over thirty minutes away and Steve hated driving to it because of that, but you never minded it because even though its menu pretty much resembled the dessert menu of your and Steve’s beloved Third Street diner, there was something about this place that you loved too. 

You were always reminded of the summer when you finally got your license and you’d force Steve to come here with you most nights. You two would eat the ice cream in your car, or at one of the red tables that sat outside if it was warm enough; you loved those memories.

Steve put the car in park and then looked over at you. “I’ll grab everything. Do you want your usual?” 

Instead of answering his question, you inadvertently burst into tears. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked softly as he unbuckled his seat belt and reached over to hug you. It was an entirely awkward and uncomfortable position, but you still immediately leaned into him, arms circling around his neck and face burying into his shoulder. You didn’t mind the way the center console was harshly poking into your side, or the fact that your own still buckled seat belt was in the way. “I thought that coming here would definitely cheer you up. Did I completely misread everything?” 

All you could respond with right then was a barely audible “I’m sorry,” and then you sniffled and let out a breath that only made you cry harder. 

“No, I’m the one that should be saying sorry,” Steve said as he soothingly rubbed your back and the subtle action managed to calm you down a bit. 

You shook your head at his words before pulling out of the embrace and looking at him through blurry eyes. 

“Okay, please be a thousand percent honest with me right now,” You said, somehow finding your voice. You half-heartedly wiped away your tears with the sleeve of Steve’s hoodie. “Do you think I’m selfish?”

“What? No, of course not,” The certainty in his tone managed to wash away some of the shittyness you’d been feeling for the past few hours. “Why would you think that?”

You looked away from him then and slumped back against your seat. “I was on the phone with my mom earlier, maybe like an hour before you got home. She asked me to come to this work event for my dad on Friday night, like some sort of dumb party thing. I said that I can’t since I already told you that I’d go with you to take the kids to that new arcade a few towns over. And honestly, even if that wasn’t happening I’d still probably make up some excuse to not go because I hate going to those work parties. But, anyway, my mom called me selfish for saying no, and I know it’s stupid, it’s so stupid, to believe her, but there was a part of me that did. And still kinda does.” 

Usually, most of the things that your mom said to you went in one ear and then out the other, but for some reason, this comment managed to stick. You started overthinking things, feeling like the worst person ever because of something that wasn’t even true, but maybe it was? And you couldn’t stop thinking about that.   

Steve grabbed your hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You’re not. I promise.” 

You found yourself believing him and how sure he sounded. He was probably the only person you’d always believe entirely without question because he knew you better than anyone else. You suddenly felt stupid for thinking that your mom was right in the first place. 

“I’m sorry,” You mumbled and then met his gaze again. “This is all so dumb. I’m sorry that you only drove here because I’ve been acting like a sad idiot for the past few hours and you were trying to cheer me up.”

He shook his head and gave you a small smile. “What do you mean? I love coming here.”

You let out a breath of a laugh. “You don’t, but thanks for pretending.”

“Do you want me to get you something?”

You nodded and smiled at him. “The usual, please.”

“Okay,” He said before stepping out of the car.

Because of how late it was and since it was the middle of the week, there was no one in line aside from two teens and an older woman, so Steve was back in less than ten minutes with a simple vanilla cup with rainbow sprinkles for you and a cone for himself.

“Thank you,” You said as he also handed over the spoon and napkins that he had stuffed in the pocket of his jacket. 

“Remember those promises we would make when we were kids?” He asked and you were quick to nod, immediately knowing what he was referring to. 

You inwardly smiled as you thought about the slightly elaborate “running away” plans you two made when you were twelve and thirteen. It would always happen after he’d have some sort of disagreement with his parents, particularly his dad, and he’d sneak over to your house in the middle of the night. Or any night you found it hard to sleep because your thoughts were consumed by your parents and all of the pressure they put on you to do well in school, so you’d go to Steve’s place because talking with him was the only way to wash away some of your stress. 

“I still stand by all of it,” He continued. “One of us says the words and we leave. No questions about it. I still don’t know where we’re going, but we’ll figure it out on the way.”

It felt less likely to happen now because you two technically had “left;” moved out on your own. Not necessarily far away, but far enough from your parents that the shit that used to be almost too unbearable became a little bit easier; mainly because you two had each other. And moments like this one only further proved that— you’d always be there for one another. However, that didn’t change the fact that those silly little promises still always stood. 

You smiled at him. “I think our plans had something to do with joining a circus.”

You weren’t sure which of you had suggested it, but you still found it funny either way. 

“Ah, yes, the circus idea,” Steve nodded, laughing a bit. “Not one of our best ones.”

“Oh, wait, actually, I think we either said circus or rodeo.”

“Both equally bad ideas, but I’d still do it for you.”

“And I’d do it for you too,” You told him before eating another scoop of your ice cream. “Hey, I know it’ll probably be midnight by the time we get home, but is the grilled cheese offer still on the table?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

let me know ur thoughts<333

(requests are open for stuff you wanna see in the universe/series!🫶🏾)

[seeingivy]

labyrinth

satoru gojo x f!reader

**part of my satoru as taylor swift songs series

remember this speak now fic. now reimagine it, except YOU'RE the one getting stood up at the wedding. and then you meet your ridiculous neighbor and fall in love in an elevator months later.

an: I believe it was my beloved @satoruhour who asked me if I could do labyrinth for taylor as gojo! and here I am <333 truly one of my favorites on midnights that makes me so, so emotional I could vomit. anyways, enjoy pookies

--

You think Suguru Getou is beautiful. On all days, both blatantly and inconspicuously, absolutely and wholeheartedly. When he wakes up in the morning with a messy mop of hair on his forehead, when he slides into your shared apartment with a surprise bouquet of flowers, and when he gives you a cheeky wink every time you're both done screaming at each other after arguments.

Suguru Getou is the first person you’ve loved. The only person you’ll love. He burns hot, bright - like the gazing sun, opening a locked cage you weren’t aware of until he handed you the key. Opening a spur of emotions - intense, extreme, fierce, and great. 

It all builds up to this. You and him - at this altar together, despite it all. That every rotten part of you is okay, because Suguru knows and looks past it. That nothing can chase him away, because you’ve weathered it down. It’s your turn - to settle down and it's in the palm of your hands. 

Under the palely lit lamps, on this day, Suguru Getou has outdone himself. He’s gorgeous. His hair is nicely tamed back at the nape of his neck, his pink boutonniere pinned to his perfectly crisp suit, and a bright, soft smile on his face as you both beam at each other at the altar. 

“In tradition, this is the moment to speak. Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.” 

You look at Suguru and laugh - a moment the two of you left in the ceremony as a mere joke - as you look out at the stands. You both joked that one of your friends, like Haibara or Shoko, would stand up to make their last ditch efforts before you two got to continue forward to your vows. 

You turn your head to the side to give Shoko a wink, flirt with her one last time to get her to do it. Except when you catch sight of her, she has a horrified look plastered on her face. And when you scan the crowd, the same look is mirrored on everyone’s faces. Your mom, the girl you were best friends with in sixth grade, your neighbor from down the street, Haibara. 

That’s when you see her standing there. In her pale blue dress, hands shaking as she talks. 

“I’m-I’m not the kind of girl who does this and I-I don’t mean to barge in on such a big day but-” 

You feel your heart sink into your chest, the warmth and heat - any shred of elation, joy, bliss you were feeling mere seconds ago draining from your chest. You know what’s coming next. 

“But you’re not the kind of guy who marries the wrong girl, Suguru. You-it’s always been you and me. It’s never going to be anyone for me but you. And I know it's the same for you too." 

You swallow hard as you push your palms hard into the stems of the bouquet. You can feel your cheeks burning again - except in embarrassment this time. 

Does the preacher say something? Is Suguru supposed to say no? Is he even- 

You turn over to look at him, his hazel eyes moving to meet yours, the look on his face so blank, so foreign from the boy you’ve known for the past two years that you can barely recognize him. 

“Can we talk?” he whispers, nervously eyeing the crowd. You swallow hard, like burning acid is running down your esophagus and give a halfhearted nod. He takes your hand, giving you the tiniest of smiles, though it doesn’t reach his eyes, as you two nearly sprint down the aisle past where Hana is still standing, tears streaming down her eyes. 

He slams the doors shut behind him as the crowd breaks out into loud chatter behind you, shameful, humiliating tears falling onto your perfectly powdered cheeks. 

“Y/N. I-” 

Through the messy blur of tears, when you squint your eyes, you see it. Suguru Getou is beautiful. At all times, but not right now. His face is filled with shame, his shoulders hunched over, and his usual calm, delicate manner all haphazard, panicked. He’s fidgeting with his hands, pacing back and forth, words carelessly falling out of his mouth under his breath. 

“You-you want to go, don’t you?” you ask, your voice a mere whisper in the air. 

He wraps his arms around your shoulders, stifling your sob into the fabric as his shirt as aimless apologies fall out of his mouth, his once warm hands, scalding - burning your arms. 

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was going to do that and I would never mean to do it like this. But-but I was standing there and I saw her and it kind of ca-came together-” 

“Did you know?” you ask.

“I didn’t even know she was com-” 

“Did you know you loved her still?” you ask, your voice more firm. 

He looks at you, eyes narrowed, before looking down at his hands, twisting the rings you were supposed to exchange in a few minutes in his hands. And you suppose this reaction - Suguru Getou’s silence, his first time being something other than beautiful is answer enough. 

Ten minutes later, he walks past you - your sister, the nanny you grew up with, your college best friends - hand in hand with Hana as they nearly run out cheesing, his initial despair left replaced with bliss as he leaves you in your white dress. 

And you know that out of the infinite moments of your life, it’ll always boil down to this one. That you’ll be getting over this - how tasteless, how cruel, how evil the situation truly is. 

After a month of being encouraged by people to move forward, to bounce back, you do it in the way people don’t expect. You move away. And three months after the fact, when your pain is still raw in your chest, you meet Satoru Gojo. 

--

You lean against the wall of the elevator, pressing the faded star button, as you scroll through your errands on your phone - buy paint, email landlord, mail ring. 

Mail ring. 

You reach into your bag, the thought of it possessing a sudden will to see it. You yank it out and press your coffee into the crook of your elbow, focusing on the jewelry - a silver band with a pear shaped diamond in the middle. The ring Suguru’s mom wore when she was married to his dad. The one you were supposed to wear when he married you. 

Suguru asked you to mail it back last night. A roundabout way of course - initially filled with concern, deeply sincere and rehearsed apologies, before cutting to the chase. And you question the thought process.

You break up with your first love. Date another girl for two years. Get engaged, plan an entire wedding, walk to the altar. Just to stand up and walk away, because it’s always been her. 

And a mere three months later, reach out to ask for the ring back, because he has to propose. Again. 

You ponder your options, in earnest. Granted, you’re definitely in the anger stage of your grieving process, corny terms used by your corny therapist, who is trying her best. 

One. Mail it back. Tell them to go to hell. 

Two. Throw it into the ocean and say you lost it. And then tell them to go to hell. 

Three. Don’t respond and pawn the ring for a decent amount of money. Use the fortune to send an ungodly amount of ominous letters to their house, telling them to go to hell. 

The elevator bell rings, stopping five floors short of the lobby, as two kids and a tall, pale haired man shuffle in. You give the three of them a polite smile as you slide to the side, opening up the space for them. 

“It’s female rage, Gojo.” 

“Female rage? I thought using the word female was bad, Tsumiki.” 

“It is. But not here.” 

“So if I use female as an adjective it’s not a bad thing?” 

The girl, barely thirteen you’re guessing, groans in frustration as she approaches the shorter boy, who is quietly leaning against the wall with his nose stuck in his video game. 

“Megumi. Tell Gojo he’s being stupid.” she states.

He looks up at the two of them, giving a soul shattering glare, before nudging her to the side. 

“On a good day, you’re both objectively stupid.” 

She rolls her eyes as she shoves him, muttering how annoying he is under her breath. And now they’re both shoving each other, pushing harder with each consecutive push before the boy bumps into you. You land against the wall and drop your latte all over your clothes, the cold liquid staining your white button down shirt. 

You groan, knowing you’ll have to go back up and change because the stain is so blatant, putting a pin in your errands and heading to work. You look up to find the pale haired man, blue eyes widely staring into yours, as he starts profusely apologizing. 

“I’m so sorry. We- I’ll pay for your dry cleaning. You know. Kids. They were raised in a barn.” 

“We were both raised by you.” they deadpan. 

You sigh, lifting the wet cloth off of your shirt as you look up at him, waving your hand in the air. 

“Ah. It’s okay, it happens. It’s no problem.” 

“No really. We insist. And-and problem solved. You can take my shirt instead!” he says, brightly smiling at you. 

You frown, looking up at him. 

“You’re like six feet tall.” 

“I’m actually six three.” he responds, winking.

You stare at him since he’s now unbuttoning his shirt as the elevator keeps moving down, and hands it to you. It’s pale blue and definitely too big for you, but he literally grabs your hand and places it into your palm, giving you a boyish smile. 

That’s when you take your moment to indiscreetly ogle him. For three reasons. First, he’s a stranger who just stripped in the elevator. Surely, a nutcase. Or a sex offender. Two, he’s smiling at you like he’s the sun. And three - he’s ripped. Like full on, toned Greek God ripped. 

“Do you want a picture? It’ll last longer.” 

“What? No- I wasn’t even looking. And-and take your shirt back. Who just takes their shirt off in an elevator? This isn’t going to fit me and I’ll look like a rodeo clown with this on and-” 

He laughs as he takes the shirt from your hands, holding open the sleeves as he instructs you to stick your arms in. You shake your head, which he rolls his eyes at, as he drapes the shirt around your shoulders, moving forward to pull your hair out of the collar. 

“You talk a lot, stranger.” 

“Huh?” 

“You. You talk a lot. Just put the shirt on properly and tuck it in - it’s like oversized and female fashion or whatever.” he responds. 

“Quit saying female. You sound like a pervert. And you look like one too.” the boy responds, rolling her eyes. 

The elevator door slides open, the lobby bustling in front of you. You shuffle out of the doors, yanking his shirt around your wrists as you adjust it on your frame. You turn your head to find him absent from your side, the three of them still standing in the elevator. 

“Are you not getting out?” 

“Miss me already?” 

“What? No. No, I just- you bothered me the entire way down and you’re not even getting out?” 

“Have to go get a shirt. I gave mine up for a pretty girl.” he responds, winking again, as the elevator doors close in front of you. 

--

Five days later, you muster up the courage to mail the ring. It’s packed into an envelope, sans words or writing, because if Suguru gave you silence at the end, he doesn’t deserve your words at the end either. 

You lean against the elevator, twisting over the envelope in your hands, as you feel the sweat sticking on your palms, ignoring the sinking feeling in your chest that it’s really all over. 

It should be the end. But every sinking, disgusting part of that moment - the eyes on you, your family nearby, your dress made to perfection - make you think that you’ll be getting over this your whole life. That you’ll never move forward. And why should you?

The door stops, five floors short of your stop, and the same guy - the pale haired one from a few days prior springs in, a wide smile crossing his face as he sees you in the elevator. He leans against the wall with you, so close that you can smell his cologne - musky and fresh. 

“Hi stranger. How was the shirt?” he asks. 

“I don’t like the color you’re wearing. Please don’t take it off because I don't want it.” 

“I was asking about the shirt from a few days ago. Not the one right now. Though if you’re doing a reverse psychology thing, I’m more than happy to oblige.” he responds, laughing. 

You feel your cheeks burn at misunderstanding, reaching up to fidget with the ends of your hair as the elevator keeps moving down. The two of you stay in silence, the consecutive beep on each floor seemingly getting louder until it lands on one. 

You make your move to walk out of the elevator, except he’s blocking the entrance and very aggressively pressing the button that closes the door. 

“What? Hey, I was getting off on that st-” 

“You were getting off at that stop. And now you’re not.” he responds, pressing the shiny button marking the eleventh floor. 

You cross your hands across your chest, glaring bullets into this idiot's face. 

“Is it asshole day? What’s your problem?” you ask. 

“I need a favor. And I’ve been trying to catch you in the elevator for five days now and only just found you. Who knnows how much longer it would be until I saw you again?” 

“So you couldn’t ask like a normal person? You just had to trap me in here.”

“Obviously.” 

You groan as you lean against the wall, watching the floors beep as they go up again. 

“So what do you want, stranger?” 

“I’m glad you asked. And it’s Gojo. My kids - you met them the other day - I’m trying to do that whole touchy-feely thing with them so they open up more. And they’re learning how to apologize this week, stranger.” 

“So you want me to come so they can apologize to me? And it’s Y/N.” 

“Y/N.” 

“Huh?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to say it. But yeah, just make something up about how that day was really bad for you or something so that they feel even worse and sincerely apologize.” 

You glare at him as the doors open and he grabs your wrist as he leads you down the hallway. 

“Lying is all touchy feely and perfect for processing your feelings right?” you ask, sarcastically. 

“Of course! I’m so glad you get it.” 

You glare as he sticks his key in the door and then standing behind you, two hands on your back as he pushes you in. The two kids are sitting at the table, the girl with her nose stuck in a book and the boy flicking through his video games again. 

You give the two of them a smile as Gojo holds out the chair for you, taking the seat at your left. 

“Hi guys. I’m Y/N. Gojo tells me that you both have something you want to talk to me about.” you say, giving the two of them bright smiles. 

“Megumi. And he’s forcing us to apologize to you. I personally think he should be giving you an apology for getting naked in an elevator and then waiting for hours going up and down to find you again.” he deadpans. 

You turn your head to Gojo. Hours? You mouth. He profusely denies the claim by shaking his head, signaling for you to turn back to Tsumiki. You nod, turning to her. 

“I’m Tsumiki. Uh. What do I do first? Oh- OH. I just want to ask if there’s anything you want to tell me about what happened the other day. Like how it made you feel or whatever.” 

You try your best to conceal your smile at her bluntness, focusing on what Gojo had asked you to do. 

“Well, thank you for asking Tsumiki. In all honesty, that day was…not an easy one for me. It started out pretty rough, like a lot of days do lately and” 

You pause, thinking back to that moment. Of that morning - when you couldn’t make your bed perfectly, the sheets still wrinkled, the coffee not tasting just right, struggling to find an outfit and settling for whatever was closest, and that god forsaken sparkly ring. You can feel your eyes burning, your vision blurring as you clear your throat. 

“I-I was going to do something that was really hard for me. I-I got engaged. I mean I was engaged and I actually almost got married. Like, walking all the way down the aisle and white dress married. And then I didn’t. And then I-I moved here because everything there reminded me of it and the guy, god that idiot, called me and asked me to send the ring back. And-and he wants it because he wants to use it for the girl who stood up at our wedding. And yeah, I get it, they’re happy and whatever and they want to get married as soon as possible, but god, it-it’s just humiliating to have the same thing happen twice and for things to move forward so fast when I’m still stuck there, you know?” 

You feel one of your tears fall straight onto your hand, suddenly aware that you’re crying in this stranger's house and you’ve said too much to a fourteen year old who's supposed to be learning how to apologize. You look up to find the three of them staring at you - eyes wide and pinched expressions on their faces.

“You got stood up at your own wedding?” 

“Tsumiki. That’s rude.” Gojo responds. 

“It’s okay. Yeah, I did.” you respond, waving him off. He looks wildly uncomfortable at the entire thing - probably because he's one of those emotionally repressed guys whose never seen a girl cry. 

“Please tell me you did something crazy when it happened. Like screamed or something, oh my god.” she asks, excitement filling her face. 

“Tsumiki.” 

“Um. Well, I think I technically broke a bunch of candelabras? Does that count?” 

“What?!” she asks, her excitement only growing as she takes your hands into hers. 

“Well, after the two of them left together, I went back in. And everyone was trying to console me and whatever and I don’t know it was just weird. Irritating. So I was trying to gesture them all to move away and I accidentally knocked down the candelabras lining the aisle. Except they were all so close together that I pushed one and then they all went falling.” 

She leans back in her chair, mimicking the motion as she turns to Megumi, the two of them discussing how loud it probably was. Gojo’s leaning onto the table, cheeks resting against his palms, as he stares at the two of them, a soft smile on his face. 

“Tsumiki. Megumi. You forgot something.” 

“Oh. Oh! Right. We’re sorry for what we did, really. That day must have been bad and you were probably just stuck thinking about how lonely and lame the entire situation is, like really it’s got to be depressing on so many levels and-” 

“Tsumiki.” 

“Sorry. Again. For making a bad day worse. And for bringing it up again. But for what it’s worth, I think you’re really cool. And he’s lame. Like most men, obviously.” she says. 

“Cool, huh? I’ve never had someone describe my situation as cool, Tsumiki.” 

“That’s because you probably know idiots. You’re like the main character of a really cool movie, where you like commit a murder or create a heist or something.” she says, jumping out of her seat as Megumi follows her into the kitchen, the two of them giggling about spies. 

You turn to Gojo, giving him a half smile as the two of you watch them in the kitchen. 

“You know when I said to make up a story, you didn’t have to add that much detail.” 

“What? Oh. That was all real.” 

He puts a hand on your head, awkwardly patting your hair as he gives you a weird look. 

“Ah. Sorry? My bad. That really sucks, babygirl.” 

You laugh at the utter awkwardness of the moment, at this gangly idiots' efforts to console you. You’ve seen every effort of comfort in the past three months - the awkward pinched smiles from your moms friends, your angry friends promising to egg his house, the half glass full righteous parents telling you that everything you lose is a step you take. But you’ve never seen this. 

“Gojo. Were you raised in a barn? What’s wrong with you?” 

“Sue me. I’ve never had a friend get stood up at her own wedding. What do you even say to that?” 

“I don’t know. I’m not sure if ‘that really sucks babygirl’ is where I would start.” 

“My bad. Please let me know your preferred term of endearment and I’ll do better next time.” 

You give him a smile as he leads you to the kitchen, splitting the only thing he has in his fridge - an eight foot white sheet cake - with you as you both smile at each other over the counter. 

--

You sit in the stands next to Gojo and Megumi, the three of you splitting a bag of skittles as you watch Tsumiki walk up to the plate. You’re not sure how you ended up here, exactly. The timeline gets muddled in your head. Because that apology led to you returning the next day to show Tsumiki a video of you breaking the candelabras. 

Then you were eating dinner with them the next day, all fancy and so that Tsumiki could knock over some candelabras of her own. Then Megumi wanted to do a deep clean of the apartment the next day, which you helped with. And then you picked them up from school when Gojo was stuck in traffic and then he drove all the way to your job with an umbrella so you wouldn’t have to walk home in the rain and then you just saw him all the time.

And now you’re here, at Tsumiki’s softball game. She’s an aggressive player, the metal making loud cracking sounds against the ball when she hits, her determination to run off even faster.

“Gojo.” 

“Hm, pumpkin?” 

“Gross. 3/10.” 

“Pumpkin is a 3/10 but sugar is a 5/10? You’re ridiculous.” 

Ever since Gojo’s babygirl line, he’s been testing out different endearments as he talks to you. You give him a rating out of ten, which he is always offended by. 

“Sugar is like old money. Leather jackets, slicked back hair, Danny Zuko.” 

“Danny Zuko is ugly. I’m way hotter than him.” 

“Anyways. Do you ever think that Tsumiki is a little…intense? I mean, I don’t know she’s all about rage and the thrill and exhilaration and that’s okay but-” 

He frowns, looking out at her - a determined, intense expression pressed on her face at second base. 

“I guess. But, that’s just because of everything that’s happened. She-she’s used to being so smiley and carefree all the time. And I told her that when she’s with me and us, that she doesn’t have to be anymore if she feels the need to be. And I guess letting go of that, letting everything out is intense for her. And she’s just trying to feel it all.” 

You put your hand on his knee and squeeze, giving him a smile as you look out at her too. 

“I get it. I used to feel that way when….you know. I guess I just thought it was right to do it the intense way, to fight, to love like a knife, like a closed fist. That if I argued and felt and did all these things as intensely as I could, it would be right.” 

He puts his hand on your knee now and squeezes, leaning his head against yours. Tsumiki sprints two bases, scoring a goal as she jumps up and down - her chest heaving up and down from panting. The two of you instantly jump up, hands locked together as you jump up and down just like her and excitedly cheer her name. Over the cheering, he responds, eyes still focused on her high-fiving all her teammates.

“I get what you’re saying. But, I don’t want her to think about love that way. It would kill me if she did. I want her to feel these intense feelings but love should be soft. It shouldn’t be a war, it should be a home. I don’t want her to ever have to fight for it, I want it to creep up on her - build a place in her heart that always stays there. Don’t you agree, pookie?” 

You turn to him, glaring at him through his stupid light blue sunglasses. One of the best things about being friends with Gojo? That he so earnestly, so deeply wants the best for Tsumiki and Megumi that it makes your heart hurt. That his love for them is so unconditional, that you just want to witness it - have the sweetness rub off of you. 

He makes two sets of dinner each night, because they’re both picky eaters. And every time you tell him to just be more firm, to sit them down and make them eat it, he refuses. Because the thought that either of them would be so stubborn that they wouldn’t eat dinner at all and go to bed hungry is worse than taking the time to make two sets of food. One now, because you always make the other. 

He makes Tsumiki watch documentaries about famous female figures - politicians, music artists, writers. Tsumiki’s well versed in every feat of women - from Taylor Swift’s sold out shows to Jane Austens’ impact as a romance writer.  He goes out of his way to make sure that she has positive female role models, to try his best to give her things that he can’t blatantly offer. He loves them so much. He loves so much. It’s truly the best thing about him. 

The second? That he takes something serious but still manages to make you laugh at the end. 

“Pookie, Gojo? Really? That’s a 0/10. You can do better than that.” 

--

“The reservation is under Gojo. It should be two rooms, connected. Four queens.” you say, tapping your knuckles against the counter as Gojo ushers Megumi to the bathroom - who has been complaining of a very full bladder the entire drive down. 

The four of you had come down to the closest beach town for Christmas and Megumi's birthday, planning to spend a few days in the area until the new year rang in. The woman hands you two keycards and you give her a smile as you wait by the elevator for the two of them to return. 

Six floors later and the four of you are pushing into your rooms, Tsumiki and Megumi immediately flopping on the beds and eating the little chocolates placed on the pillows as you and Gojo roll your eyes. 

You unlock the connecting door and push your bag through to find one king bed in yours and Gojo’s room as Gojo joins you at his side. He wraps his arms around your waist, resting his chin shoulder as you both groan. 

“Fuck. No blanket hogging, snookums.” 

“Disgusting. Negative ten, Gojo.” 

He immediately plops his things down onto the left side of the bed and you land on the right, setting out your chargers and taking off your jewelry as you hop into the shower. Eight months ago, you would have been so opposed and appalled at the affair - having to share a bed with Gojo - but you’ve honestly seen too much of him now that it doesn’t phase you. 

Granted, when you met him, he literally took his shirt off. But you're so casual now that the boundary of sharing a bed is virtualy nothing. And you've literally done it before.

You get ready in the bathroom while Gojo takes a shower, despite the fact that he’s literally naked a few feet away. You’ve shared his bed when you end up staying too late - because you’re not breaking your back by sleeping on the floor and neither is he. He eats from your plate because you never finish his own and you always steal sips of his coffee even when you say you don’t want one. 

One time he used your toothbrush by accident. That however, the two of you never moved past. 

You pad into the bathroom, filling up the room with a decent amount of steam as you fill up your scalding shower and indulge yourself in all the fancy bath soaps and salts in the shower. Leaving with muscles soothed and pruney fingers, you towel your hair up and throw on your sweats to nestle into the clean sheets. Gojo’s now sitting on the right side, lazily flicking through the channels. 

“Gojo. I was on the right.” 

“Yeah, my bad. I realized I totally claimed a side first. I know you hate sleeping by the window because you’re convinced some big bad man is going to come steal you. Now he can come get me!” 

You look over at your side table, the things you set up before now switched to your side. They're all laid out perfectly, the way you had left the, except on the opposite nightstand.

“Gojo?” 

“Hm?” 

“How’d you know how to put my stuff like this?” 

“Huh?” 

“The chargers. The jewelry.” 

“Oh. Just noticed that’s all. You spend like a few minutes every night before you go to sleep making sure it’s all right. That your chargers aren’t tangled, the rings and earrings are together and stuff. Just figured I’d put it that way so you wouldn’t have to.” 

You smile, cheeks warm at the thought of Gojo paying attention enough to notice that you do that and going as far as doing it for you. After he remembered your irrational fear of getting murked in the night and moved when he didn’t have to. Granted, Gojo’s thoughtfulness is always one of the things you’ve loved most about him. 

. 

. 

. 

Oh.

Oh. 

You look over at him, knees hiked to his chest, messy white hair and that loose old t-shirt on his frame as he pokes through your stash of snacks. His eyes are so intensely focused on the movie - Danny Zuko dancing on the screen in Grease - as he nervously fidgets with his knuckles like he always does. 

No. No no no no no no no no no no. 

You’re falling in love. You’re falling in love with Satoru Gojo, you’re falling in love again and you shouldn't be.

Gojo looks over at you, bored blue eyes immediately filling with concern as he jumps up, arms resting falling against your biceps. You bring your fists to your eyes, wiping away the tears, trying to push them down as he whispers, softly broaching the subject. 

“Hey. You okay? The fake burglar scared you that badly?” 

You snort through your tears as he squeezes your arms.

Fuck. You’re down bad. Down horrendous. That joke wasn’t even funny and it made you snort. 

“What’s wrong, my little tater tot?” 

“Five.” 

“I thought that was at least a seven. You love tater tots.” he whispers, tucking you into the crook of his neck as he rubs small circles into your back, his soft voice vertebrates through his chest. 

What happened? When did you get like this? When did you start sharing beds and leaving a toothbrush and a spare pair of clothes at his place? 

Why-why is every part of you open with him? Why do you want to open it for him? 

You can’t. You just can’t. 

“Y/N.” 

“Yeah?” you murmur into the clothed fabric of his shirt. 

“Words please. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” 

You crumple the fabric of his shirt in your fists, burying down every feeling - overwhelming, endearing, warm and bright - and lie through your teeth. 

“Nothing. I-I just remembered. It’s Suguru’s birthday.” 

He pulls you out of his arms, bringing up his hands to your cheeks, as he gives you a lopsided small. 

“Sucks. Want me to kill him?”

“Obviously.” 

“Consider it done.” 

You smile as he lets go, dragging you back onto the bed with him. And you both watch the movie - you swooning over Danny Zuko and Gojo telling you that he’s way hotter than him the entire time - until you somehow end up nestled in his arms in the dark, his soft sleep breaths lulling you to sleep. 

You're screwed.

--

You and Gojo pad down to the little restaurant the hotel has the next morning, leaving a very grumpy Tsumiki and so fast asleep he’s nearly dead Megumi in their beds. You and Gojo opt for a booth, sitting on the same side, as you look through the menu. 

“Splitsies?” 

“Huh?” 

“Splitsies. You pick the savory, I’ll pick the sweet, okay?” 

You nod, cheeks burning as you look through the menu at the implication, trying your best not to focus on your legs pressed together, his hand so casually placed on thigh like it’s second nature.

It is second nature, he does it all the time. But should he, if he’s just your friend? 

Your friend that you’re in love with? 

“And for you, ma’am?” 

“Oh. Um-” 

You scan your eyes down the menu and pick the first thing listed, eggs benedict, earning a weird smile from Gojo as they walk away with your order. 

“Okay, my little eggs benedict. You’re paying because you hogged the blanket all night.” 

“Three. Unoriginal. And you literally stopped my circulation at one point, so you pay.” 

“Ugh. The things you do for love.” he responds, eyes focused on the window to his left.

“Excuse me?” 

Gojo looks over at you, a weird expression in his eyes. And you feel your eyes widen when you realize this is another one of Gojo’s jokes - like when he calls you his wife, says that you’re both two parents roughing it through the world - and feel the embarrassment rush to your cheeks as you bury your face into the drinks menu. 

He slides his arm around your shoulder, whispering into your ears with a smirk. 

“It’s eight in the morning. Are we really going to drink right now?” 

We. 

“Sh-shut up. I was just looking.” 

“What’s wrong with you? You’re being all squirrely and weird.” 

“No, I’m not. Yo-you’re being weird. You fucking pervert, always going on about some we this, wifey this shit.” 

He drops his hands on the table, squinting at you like he’s trying to discern the writing on your face. And after a few seconds his face lights up, replaced by a devious smirk that you absolutely hate. 

“What, Gojo?” 

“You just realized, didn’t you?” 

“Realized what?” 

“That you love me.” he states, matter of factly. 

You feel your jaw drop as you stare at him, a satisfied grin spreading across his face as you feel your cheeks burn, his closeness to you making you even more embarrassed. At him saying that, so bluntly.

“I don’t love you, Gojo.” 

“Oh, you totally do. Is that what you were crying about last night? Overwhelmed with your love for me?” 

Satoru Gojo. Fucking mindreader. 

“No. No, I don’t- I can’t-” you mutter, hands in your face as the entire thing bubbles out, your big secret wide open. 

You can’t love Gojo. You just loved Suguru. And you don’t love anyone like you love Suguru and you shouldn't with what happened and

Satoru puts a hand on your head, ruffling your hair. 

“Y/N. Just, stop panicking. I'm teasing. You don’t have to be all embarrassed and figure out what it means that right away. You-you have a lot of baggage that comes with feeling like this. I’m guessing your first line of defense is to run off or push me away, so I can’t do to you what Suguru did. But - just calm down, okay? Eat eggs benedict and french toast with me and then drive along the coast.” 

You stare at him, his expression so calm, so serene at something so serious that it’s off putting. 

“Can you do that for me? It is my birthday, you know?” 

"Your birthday was like three weeks ago."

"Yeah but it's still my month. You have to give in."

You nod at which he gives a bright smile, squishing your cheeks with his hand as the plates get placed in front of you. You both tangle your arms, the entire elephant you just spilled out ignored, as you share your plates of breakfast. 

“Do you like the food, my little strawberry?” 

“Yes. And that was a 8/10, not bad.” 

“That was horrible. You're blinded by love already.” 

--

The entire thing twists into a maze in your mind. A labyrinth of every moment you’ve ever shared with Gojo, with Suguru, with every complex feeling that comes with love - picking up the kids from school, him brushing your hair for fun, comparing hand sizes, doing a staring contest but instead just admiring each other's eyes.

Which is why when you come back out from your day with Tsumiki and Megumi, tuck them both into bed, and end back up in your room, you’re so anxious it’s all tumbling out of your mouth. 

“Gojo.” 

“Yes?” 

“I can’t do this. This thing- I-I can’t do this. I want to go home. Can I go home?” 

“What? Are you okay, you-” 

He stands up, leaning forward to press his hands against your cheeks but you immediately back away, flinching away from his touch. He frowns, the motion catching him off guard, as he steps back. 

“You want to go home? I mean, I can wake the kids and take you now but-” 

“No, no. I want to go alone, I don’t want you there, this is all a lot and-” 

“Y/N. I said not to think about that. You-stop thinking it into this big thing it’s not.” 

You crouch down onto the ground, hiking your knees to your chest as you cry into your bones, the tears spilling down the side of your legs. You can feel the sobs racking out of your chest and Gojo’s arms holding you still, the presence you’ve relied on for the past eight months burning you.

“Y/N.” 

“Gojo.” 

“Are you scared I don’t love you back? I- you know I do right?” 

You look up at him, blue eyes widening in shock as he pulls you into his arms properly, squeezing hard. 

“I love you. I’ve loved you for a while. Don’t- don’t doubt it okay because I do. And-” 

“It’s not that.” you whisper. 

He pulls back again, hands resting against your cheeks - which you allow this time - as he frowns. He nods lightly, signaling for you to talk as he rubs his fingers back and forth on your cheeks, the touch soothing. 

“I’m scared that I love you.” 

“Hey. I’m not that bad.” 

You laugh, which makes him smile, as he lightly applies pressure to your cheeks. 

“I’m scared because I don’t know how to do it when it’s like this. I-I handed my heart over and someone broke it and if you do that, I can’t-

“I’m not going to do that.” he responds, voice firm. 

“You love soft, Satoru. You- there’s so many parts of me that are hard, my heart is all rough and calloused over and yours is soft and perfect. I love like a knife, like a battle, like it’s a war and I’m fighting for my life. You love like it’s the air you breathe, like you’re watering flowers and building a home. You-you don’t want to love me when I don’t know how to do that and I’m like this and you should just leave when you can. I’m like a labyrinth, a big jumbled mess that you’ll have to spend forever figuring out.” 

He sighs, eyes clenched shut and shoulders tensed up. 

“Y/N. You contradict yourself in every sentence and it pisses me off.” 

“What?” 

“You’re right. I love like it’s air I breathe, like I’m watering flowers and building a home. I’ve been building ours for months now and you really think I’m going to walk out of here because it’s not perfect? I knew this was what I was getting into and I wanted it.” 

You can feel your ears ringing, tears rising in your eyes because you know whatever he says next is going to inevitably make you sob. 

“Gojo. You, it’s a mess up here. I can't do that to you.” you whisper, tapping your forehead. 

“A mess to you, right now. Nothing about you is a mess to me. There-there’s so much that’s happened, that’s twisted all these things that are supposed to be good into bad. But just-just work with me here, okay? We’ll untwist them. We’ll make your labyrinth into a nice little garden with a pond, okay? 

You push your face into his shirt, his heart pounding against your ears, as he wraps his arms around you again. 

“You want a garden and a pond in our litte love house?” you whisper.

“Yeah. Megumi always stares at flowers when we walk to school, I think we should do gardening when we move out of the apartments. And we can sit there together, you know?” 

“Yeah.” you whisper. 

“Are you letting me?” 

“Letting you what?” 

“In. In here and here.” he says, pointing to your head and then your heart, which is violently thumping. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.” 

He leans forward, pressing the softest kiss to your forehead, before whispering a soft thank you in your hair. You cry a great deal more, his soft words soothing you down, until you’re tangled under the sheets together, every part of your body vibrating with what just happened. 

“Go to bed, my love. We have to get up early tomorrow.”

You turn to the other side and he snakes his arms around your waist, his breath tickling the back of your neck. 

“Satoru.” 

“Hm?” 

“My love? It’s ten out of ten.” you whisper. 

You feel him press a kiss to the back of your neck before you both fall asleep, the warmth enveloping you in the deepest rest you’ve ever had.

--

the satoru as taylor swift songs series masterlist

taglist: @porridgesblog @k0z3me @kayleegomez @yihona-san06 @bsenpai @sweetenertea @skzismyhome @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @luna0713hunter @shotenvinsoot@itzmeme @squirrelspoetry

[anothertimdrakestan]

Hi Elle!! Hope all is well 💕💕

Can I request a headcanon or fic of where Dick and y/n have been in a serious relationship for a few years and OC has become a “mom figure” to all the other batboys. So when the batboys misunderstand Dick and OC getting into a big fight somewhere, they both come home (either to their place or to the manor) to find that the batboys have moved/thrown out all of Dick’s things because they love OC that much??

Thank youuu ☺️

Ahhh this is such a cute little idea!! Thank you so so much for the request it’s lovely to see an old friend <333

Found Family - Dick Grayson x Reader

Steph gave you a sympathetic smile as she poured the rest of the wine bottle into your now empty glass. “What’s wrong hun? Because if it’s boy troubles I will personally castrate Richard if he hurt you.” Which only made you sigh as you nodded. Her eyes widened, you and Dick never ever fought, and this foreign emotional territory was a shock to you too- hence the wine.

“Dick asked me to move in with him, but I’m not ready to leave my place! I love Gotham, and I’m not sure Bludhaven is where I’m meant to be. But I also know I could never leave him. I just told him I needed more time to think and I think he took it really personally. It’s not that I’m not ready to live with him, I’m just not ready to leave my life here even if it is just a town over.” You said, happy to put into words the emotions swirling in your chest.

“What?! You are NOT leaving Gotham anytime soon. What on earth would I do without you here?” Steph exclaimed, putting down her glass to pick up her phone, fingers typing frantically.

Less than a minute later, Tim was jogging into the Manor kitchen, “Dick’s tryna take Y/N from us? Over my dead body.” And before you could tell him otherwise, the young hero burst out the room, clearly on a type of war path.

“No! I love Dick and you guys, Bludhaven is great! I just need-”

“Taking down Richard has always been on my bucket list.” Damian’s snarky voice echoed through the manor as he stalked out the same door as Tim. You scrambled up and after him, but Steph side stepped in front of you, “don’t you dare try to fix this, we’ve got it!” Which only made you more nervous for the future of your relationship.

Before you knew it, another bottle was opened, and the colors of the Manor living room were awfully fuzzy. You were pretty sure you’d seen Jason, Tim, and Damian zipping in and out of the manor, each repeatedly promising an increasingly violent demise for your boyfriend, who’s radio silence was only making you more anxious. Steph, while physically with you, was terrifyingly glued to her phone, sending text after text- even taking the occasional call, but she was speaking quiet enough that your tipsy-mind couldn’t process the words flying out of her mouth.

You truly weren’t sure how much time had passed when Dick burst through the manor shouting “Stephanie Brown where the hell did you hide her!” And before you could shriek with excitement, Dick appeared in front of you, his eyes frantic until he saw you were okay.

“Dickie!” You cooed, outstretching your arms so he would scoop you up into a hug. And he did. He was breathing heavy, burying his head in the crook of your neck as he took a deep inhale. You were just giddy to see your handsome man, squeezing him tighter, wrapping your legs around his waist, happy to be carried as you weren’t sure you could stand in your current state.

“What on earth did they do to you sweetheart,” Dick mumbled, walking back towards the kitchen so you could place you on a counter, you leaned back to look up at his eyes. He swiped a hand over your cheek, you assumed you were still warm from the alcohol.

“She’s. Fine. Can’t say the same about you you selfish monster,” Steph slurred her speech, pointing an accusatory finger at Dick who gave you both a confused look.

Almost like a sitcom, the three other boys burst into the room, as if on cue.

“Step away from the woman Grayson!” Jason shouted as Damian lobbed the nearest manor antique he could get his hands on at Dick, who of course caught it effortlessly, setting it down next to you on the counter.

“What the hell is going on?” Dick raised his voice, but Tim was already in between the two of you, pushing Dick backwards as Damian hopped up onto the counter next to you, silently handing you a glass of water which you graciously took, enjoying the plot unfolding before you.

“No questions at this time Richard, as Y/N’s personal advisor I’m here to state the case.” Tim began, Jason and Damian nodding in agreement. Steph had her phone out, clearly filming the entire argument.

Tim continued, “it has come to our attention that you intend to take Y/N from us.”

“I asked her to move in with me?” Dick looked exasperated but intrigued by the way his brothers had turned on him in your name.

“And in doing so, you’d be removing her from Gotham, and therefore the four of us!” Tim concluded, and at the statement, Jason, Steph, and Damian mumbled angry agreements.

Dick scoffed, “I’m sorry, I thought she was my girlfriend, and you guys love coming to Bludhaven! With Y/N there it’s more reason for everyone to spend more time over there.”

Damian piped up immediately, “we hate Bludhaven Richard, Y/N is the only thing that makes it manageable.”

Jason snorted, “ever realized we only go over for dinner when Y/N is visiting you? Or that Steph only wants Sunday bagels in Bludhaven cuz Y/N spends the weekends there? Did you seriously think we just went over for you?” You cringed as the harsh tone, but Dick didn’t look offended, rather, proud?

Dick opened his mouth to retort, then closed it. Tim spoke up again, “Don’t worry Richard, I’ve already mended the problem at hand.”

Now Dick spoke up, “what the hell did you brats do now”.

“To the Zeta Tube!” Jason called, scooping you and Damian up in one arm and sprinting towards the teleporter, with Dick screeching for him to put you down following close behind. For once, Damian wasn’t squirming out of Jason’s grasp, rather he had quietly grabbed your hand, saying “I hope you love your new home” to you right before the Zeta Tube activated.

When you came through, Jason set you and Damian down happily, and you were situated in a fully furnished apartment. Furnished with your and Dick’s combined furniture. You froze for a moment, feeling like you were in a different dimension until you notice the window in the apartment. You recognized the block corner instantly.

“We refurbished an old safe house! It’s south west Gotham, so close enough to Bludhaven that Dick can’t whine too much, but only a couple minutes drive, or instant Zeta Tube to the manor!” Tim exclaimed excitedly.

Damian piped up, “we stripped Dick’s apartment to the ground to furnish it! Not like either of you will be needing it anyway!”

Dick had been silent, drinking in the new view. But he came up beside you to stare out the window, “I think they just made a compromise for us, but I do want you to love it. What I should’ve said earlier, is that I don’t need to be in Bludhaven, I need to be with you. You’re my home Y/N.” He pressed a kiss to your temple and you leaned back into his chest.

You spoke up, “I love it, and I love you, and I especially love you guys,” you turned around to face your family. Steph was grinning, Jason was nodding knowingly, Tim was off slightly adjusting furniture placements, and Damian was- wiping away a tear. Not worth pointing out, because he’d deny it anyway, but your heart was bursting knowing the little guy wanted you near just as badly as you wanted to be close to him.

“Tim! Get over here, it’s group hug time!” Dick called, throwing an arm around Jason and Steph while you scooped up Damian, who for the second time that day, wasn’t fighting back. Tim crashed into the hug and your swore you could feel your heart beating out of your chest with pride in your found family.

Tim’s phone vibrated and he shouted “Dick! You’re rich! The Bludhaven apartment just sold!” And Dick shrieked, “You put my apartment up for sale in a day!!” To which Damian shrugged, “not like there was anything in there after we were through.” Jason nodded in agreement saying: “yeah, you don’t even wanna know what plan B was if you said no to this place!” But Steph shushed him before he could divulge any more, most likely violent, secrets. You couldn’t help but grin knowing your family had your back no matter what, even if Dick was slightly concerned over his brother’s undying loyalty to you, it made staying in Gotham that much more worth it to you both.

“As your realtor I will be taking 15% of the profit! Gonna go meet the new tenants!” Tim called, beelining to the Zeta Tube before Dick could even try to tell him no. You gave Damian’s hair a ruffle, which he immediately tried to fix, as Jason and Steph nodded, knowing they could be over whenever, but you and Dick probably wanted a moment to get used to the new place.

And suddenly, it was quiet. The bustle of the Gotham streets was faint, and you walked through the apartment which was truly designed perfectly, imagining the dinner parties, late night adventures, and peaceful mornings you’d get to have in your new place.

“As much as I hate to admit it, they did good.” Dick broke the silence. You nodded in agreement, unable to wipe the heartfelt smile off your face, you gave him a peck and said, “They sure did, it feels good to be home.”

~

I hope you enjoyed!! Thank you again for the request!

[yesimwriting]

I love ur felix fics sm!! ur one of my fave writers on here<<333 and no I don’t think itd b crazy to write for Nate!! I’d love to see how u would write him!! (Maybe grumpy x sunshine hehe)

hi!! this is such a nice ask :)) i'm so happy you like my felix fics

omg i love ur train of thought for a nate fic!! i've been thinking about that kind of dynamic for them, but in a really niche way

anyways let's have some thoughts on nate jacobs and sunshine/kind of sheltered reader!!

----

thinking about the moment in which you find out nate jacobs is your assigned partner for a project that's worth 35% of your final grade. if this was happening to you a year ago, maybe even two or three months ago, you might have been nervous for an entirely different reason.

but you're not that version of yourself anymore. you go out to parties now; you wear shirts to school that your mom buys for you the same way she used to buy you impulse barbies, with a wink as the cashier scans them, making you promise that you won't show dad what you got at the store; you're friends with maddy and cassie...you're on your way to best friends with maddy and cassie.

so you can't dismiss the gossip and the stares nate gets in the halls as a standard part of high school, not the way you used to. you can't just see him across the hall at his locker and mentally acknowledge that you get why girls talk about him the way they do. you can't just get paired up with him for an extremely long assignment and think oh, at least he's cute.

every story maddy's ever mentioned during sleepovers, everything she's teared up about after one too many drinks hits you at full force when your teacher reads your name and then his off of her list.

would she see this as a betrayal? it's not like you picked him and asking for a new partner is out of the question, a fact your teacher made clear at the beginning of the year. but maddy's loyal...fiercely loyal, and she expects that kind of commitment to be symbiotic.

you don't move, can't move until jules leans towards you, so close her hair spills onto your desk. "no fucking way." she whispers it in a way that'd make you laugh if this was about someone else.

you're silent, eyes finally pulling away from a brightly colored poster explaining the roles of each branch of the US government. you turn your head enough to look at where nate sits, the back of the room with a few other football players.

he's already looking at you. and when nate realizes you're finally staring back, he has the audacity to let the corner of his mouth pull into a smug sort of smile you're sure another version of you would have considered swoon worthy.

you're all instructed to use the last few minutes of class time to talk to your new partners, to make some kind of preliminary plan. nate's standing up and you're still recovering from the whiplash.

helplessly, you look over at jules who's clearly trying to get to the other side of the room before nate can get to you. she mouths a "sorry" that feels genuine, and points at the girl she's supposed to work with in a way that feels like over kill. you roll your eyes, picking up your pen and pressing the pad of thumb against its side to have something to do.

nate's in front of you before you know it. he's so tall it's a little intimidating when he's right there, especially with you still sitting. "you're everywhere now." a reference to the fact that you were both at the same party last weekend. you can still hear maddy's slurred i can't believe he's fucking here, before she dragged you out to the house's patio.

he's probably seen you more places. you're around maddy pretty regularly these days and from what you've heard, you wouldn't put stalking above him. he's probably a stalker in the way guys from the news are stalkers, calm and untouchable until they feel like the girl they're watching is moving on. then they snap and some news anchor reports that there were warning signs for months beforehand.

you're partially aware of your potential exaggerations, but you can't bring yourself to care. you've never really interacted with nate, but you want to hate him as more than the monster you hear about when maddy feels like ranting. you want to viscerally hate him. it's such an instinctual tug that you can't pretend it's all about morality. you're craving innate repulsion the way an elementary school girl wants the other half of a magnetic necklace with the word "best" etched into cheap metal. it's kind of pathetic, but then again...

"not last year, or last semester--"

he's baiting you and you're completely aware and you still can't help yourself. "what? it's illegal to make new friends now?"

your tone surprises you more than the fact that you interrupted him. you've never been overly shy, but you've also never been much of a fighter on your own behalf. maybe this is like the parties and barbie-style-bought-shirts, just another facet of the improved you.

nate seems surprised too, only he wears it like there's something funny about it. "no, you've always been friendly."

he says it like there's a joke in there that'd make the football players a few rows back laugh. it digs at you more than it should. he gets under your skin in a way that bugs. maybe that means genuine hatred is on its way.

you look up at him, eyes as unimpressed as you can manage. "so," the word is definite, intentional. "the project..." you're glad for the excuse to turn your attention back to your notebook, "i don't know if you want to work out a time to--"

"i'm leaving in like five minutes." you're about to point out that class doesn't end for another when he explains, "football game." ugh. another thing you can decide to be annoyed about. your homework schedule is now going to revolve around high school football. "can i get your number?" the idea of existing in nate jacobs's phone feels so wrong you can't immediately reply. he picks up on your hesitation, because he tacks on the one phrase that could get you to do anything, "35% of our grade."

you nod once, expression as blank as you can manage as you write out your phone number on the corner of a page. You tear off the bottom corner and hand it to him. "don't save my number."

it's so rude, your jaw almost drops, "what?"

"you're going to see maddy before the project's over, right?"

the implication immediately makes your stomach knot. you're not--you can't not tell maddy. she won't like it, but she can't hold a random partnering against you. and--and it's worse if you don't tell her, because then it's like you're sneaking around with nate. and it's--it's all for school.

"i'm not going to lie to her for you." it's so ridiculous, you can't even hold eye contact. his silence adds a second loop to the knot in your stomach. "why would i lie?" your own genuineness sickens you, you're backtracking immediately. "and--and it's just a dumb school thing, so she probably won't care that much."

"and you're sure she's going to believe that?"

"yes," the word is firm because it has to be. "because that's what it is."

"she gets paranoid."

no, no--he's doing this to get into your head and cause problems. "if she's paranoid it's because you're crazy."

"fine." he shoves the scrap of paper into his pocket. "save my number, don't save my number. tell maddy, don't tell maddy."

you sigh. "why do you care?" they're broken up...even if maddy takes it the wrong way, the fall out will be a you problem.

"she's going to think i fucked you to hurt her." you hate this--the situation, the conversation, the fact that you can't completely dismiss his train of thought. "who's known maddy longer?"

you're about to try again, to defend your friendship with maddy and call him crazy again when the static of the intercom speakers interrupts you. all football players are being called out of class to leave for an away game. nate gives you one last look before turning towards the door.

when jules slips back into her seat and asks if you're okay with everything, you nod and attempt a joke about catching fuck boy germs, but it doesn't come out the way you want it to. she still laughs, so you do too, but that's not as natural as it should be, either.

----

lmk if you like this concept/want more of it!! i had fun writing this :))

[lushlovers]

The Prettiest, J Burrow

summary; joe never will let you forget how much you rock his world.

warnings; so sweet i've got diabetes, kissing in many different forms and all the pillowtalk in the entire worldddd&lt;333

word count; just under 400

note; i love fluffy fluff. especially with my fav wife

Your fingers strum to the beat of happy music in your head along his defined jawline. It's even stronger due to the smile on his face, so big it makes his cheeks hurt. The one of yours is even bigger though, if that's even possible, "How did I even manage to bag you," He thinks out loud, pressing a sweet kiss to your warming cheek.

"Dunno, I ask myself the same thing, Joey," you tease, earning an eye roll and scoff in response. Joe pinches your exposed hip at your cheap shot. "You were supposed to say something along the lines of, "Oh, Joe! You're so handsome and sexy. How ever could you ask that?!" He attempts his best impression of you, going as far as to flutter his lashes in your direction.

Now you're scoffing and landing a tiny punch on his shoulder, "I don't sound like that and who even talks like that?" This time, instead of responding to you, he kisses the crease from your eyebrows, "You don't and no one, just love getting a rise out of you, sweet girl."

Hiding your hot face in his bare chest, doing your best to shield yourself from anymore praise. If you here one more thing like that, it's definitely possible that you explode right here, right now. "Nooo, I wanna see your pretty face," he murmurs holding you face in his hands, making you look up at him, and pressing a long, slow kiss to your lips.

Joe loves seeing how easily he can fluster you, one of his favorite activities. It's completely his fault when you excuse yourself at event or team dinners because he just wont stop whispering the sweetest or nastiest things to you, just to see you flush or watch your breath hitch.

As he pull away every so slightly, putting just enough room for his breath to fan over your face as he whispers, "There's my girl, the prettiest ever." God, is it like a thousand degrees in here? It was difficult to come up with a response to that, especially when your mind goes numb and empty when he says the littlest of compliments.

"I'm gonna tell your mom you've just said that," you retort, "Go right ahead, I tell her and dad how gorgeous my girl is any chance I get."

[vmlnrznotfound]

Hello hellooooo first of all congrats on 300+ followers! I’ve been seeing ur fics all over recently and they’re so scrumptious omg ur writing <333

Saw that ur requests r open so i wanted to ask if u’d be willing to write sth for Hiori? Maybe like childhood friends trope where reader also has strict parents and they care a lot about academics/a certain extracurricular etc.

Congrats again and thank u for feeding the bllk community!!

maps we draw ourselves.

hiori yo x reader

a/n: thank you so much anonnie, im legit BLUSHING! i try my best!

the sun was bright and warm on a afternoon. at just seven years old, you and hiori were playing in the small backyard of his house, which had become your favorite hangout spot. the grass was freshly cut, and the scent of it mixed with the smell of the nearby barbecue your parents were preparing.

hiori had set up a makeshift fort using old sheets and a few wooden sticks. inside, it was a cozy little hideaway where you both could let your imaginations run wild. today, you were playing pirates, with hiori proudly wearing a pirate hat he’d crafted from cardboard.

“arrr, matey!” hiori declared, holding up a plastic sword. “we’ve got to find the treasure before the other pirates do!”

you giggled, playing along. “aye aye, captain yo! where do we start?”

hiori pointed towards the far end of the yard. “we have to sail through the wild jungle and avoid the dangerous traps!”

as you both pretended to navigate through the jungle of your backyard, you noticed hiori’s face turning serious. “hey, y/n,” he said quietly as you paused for a moment. “do you ever get tired of all the stuff we’re supposed to do? like school and... you know, everything?”

you looked at him, puzzled. “what do you mean?”

hiori sat down on the grass, “well, my mom and dad are always telling me i have to practice soccer. it feels like i don’t get to just play and have fun like this.”

“my parents keep saying i need to study hard to become a doctor. but i just want to play and not think about studying,” you explained.

hiori shrugged and picked up a small stick, pretending it was a treasure map. “maybe one day we’ll get to choose what we want to do, and we won’t have to worry so much.”

you smiled, feeling comforted by his words. “yeah, and until then, we can hunt for treasures, as pirates!"

hiori grinned, clearly pleased with the idea. “yes! and we’ll make sure to find all the treasure.”

the carefree days of pirate adventures became cherished memories. the small backyard fort was long gone, replaced by the responsibilities that came with growing up.

at seventeen, you and hiori were sitting on the front steps of his house, watching the sun dip below the horizon.

the conversations you used to have about treasure hunts and wild jungles had been replaced by talks about exams, future careers, and the weight of expectations.

“remember when we used to play pirates in the backyard?” hiori asked, a nostalgic smile tugging at his lips.

you laughed softly, nodding. “yeah, we really thought we’d find some buried treasure back there.”

“i wish things were still that simple,” he admitted, his voice tinged with the same seriousness you’d first noticed all those years ago.

“me too,” you agreed, leaning back on your hands. “it feels like everything’s been decided for us, like we’re just following a map that someone else drew.”

hiori glanced at you, his expression thoughtful. “but maybe we can still find our own treasure, you know? maybe it’s not about what everyone else wants for us, but what we want for ourselves.”

you looked at him, surprised by the familiar words. it reminded you of that day in the backyard, when he’d said something similar about choosing your own path. “yeah, maybe you’re right,” you said, feeling a bit of that old excitement returning.

“so, what do you say, y/n? one last treasure hunt before we head off into the real world?” hiori asked, his grin widening.

you smiled back at him, feeling a surge of determination. “let’s do it, captain yo. we’ll find our treasure, no matter what.”

tag list: @fishii28 @someprettyname @ikuaiku

[azlrse]

➳ kiss of death (yandere ghost prince!idia shroud x GN!human reader)

summary: was set in the ghost marriage event but instead of princess eliza, it was the ghost prince himself who fancied you to be his but first, you must be in the netherworld/underworld with him...

cw: yandere themes, forced marriage, major character death, mentions of the afterlife, captivity, alternate universe (idia didn't attend NRC), ooc idia & not proofread (there could be some mistakes, please point it out if you find some)

a/n: happy halloween everyone and thank you so much for the patience for this fic to be released. at first, this is mostly self-indulgent but decided to turn this into a halloween special fic. <333

He is a ghost. You are a human.

Two sides of the same coin from what he thought was a sign of his so-called fulfilling destiny. A destiny for you to be with him in the afterlife. It was quite unusual for the ghost prince to watch over you for months as he saw you on how kind and soft-hearted you are. The way you got along with everyone around you as you smile warmly but at the same time, snap at anyone who even dared to lay a hand on you or your heartslabyul friends is what makes you attractive to him.

Plus, his family are nagging him for him to find someone who can rule beside him as his loving spouse.

And they didn't tell him if the love of his life can be a ghost or a mortal.

He was a very lonely ghost; coped up in his room filled with so much technology, books and consoles as he gamed and studied day and night within the Shroud Palace. He didn't have friends to begin with, only contented with the company of his little brother who also nags him to go outside, visit the mortal realm to see if there's someone caught his eye.

At first, he contemplates about his own decision to his brother's suggestion. Floating around the dark hallways of NRC while overthinking endless possibilities if he goes outside. What if there's someone who would catch him? What if he accidentally spooked someone and died from a heart attack? What if he accidentally possessed someone? And so on and so forth.

"Let's go haunt a ghost! I bet Deuce's gonna run away like a chicken!" He heard a giddy voice out of nowhere, making the ghost prince flinch from the sudden noise. Ida was internally panicking, quickly scrambling to see which hiding spot was best for him. "I am not!" Another (angry) voice filled the hallway as the flashing light of the flashlight fills the right side of the hallway. "Hey guys, you two buy me lunch if (m/c) here runs away. I wanna stuff myself with that delicious canned tuna tomorrow!"

As the voices began to draw nearer and nearer, he goes through the ceiling of the building, only his face as poking through it's wooden surface. "Hey, I ain't scared of ghosts! Plus, we're gonna be in so much trouble when Riddle finds us ghost hunting in 2 in the morning."

And that's how he met you. His eyes caught a particular human and became intrigued by you like some kind of rare artifact he obtain from the games he played before. He felt like this was like a dating sim; him being a mysterious entity who fell in love with the protagonist and loved happily ever after as the couple consumate their marriage.

The ghost prince followed you everywhere to learn more about you. From your favorites, your strength and weaknesses, games you play, your birthday, anything!! And soon enough, he fell deeply in love with you. He would constantly tell Ortho about this mysterious human he fancied. How he wished that he would just appear on front of you and profess his love as he carries you into the deep depths of the underworld. Or perhaps, you would even fell for him when you knew that your admirer wasn't just a ghost but part royalty!

He thought that it was just some mere crush but Ortho tells him otherwise that he finally found himself some love. "Don't you get it brother? You finally found the love of your life! Isn't that wonderful? Now mom and dad would be so happy when they knew that you found your potential spouse!"

Idia didn't buy his brother's words but wants to secretly court you by giving gifts that was considered as courtship gifts from his kind. Trinkets of silver coins appeared randomly in different parts of your dorm. A bouquet of black roses was placed on your doorstep and heartfelt and sweet letters written by yours truly appeared mysteriously by the mail box.

And you made a mistake by accepting those gifts. You didn't reject those gifts but was looking forward to see what gifts your admirer has for you. At first thought, you guessed that your secret admirer was kind of shy and didn't want to reveal his identity until they're ready to reveal who they are in the first place.

But what you didn't know is that your admirer wasn't a human like you.

His guards came back to him with great news, telling the entire royal family that the human the future heir liked had accepted those gifts with open arms. Oh, how happy his parents was when they knew that their oldest son found his true love. His mother couldn't wait to see the future ruler who would rule beside her son. His father on the other hand, gave a silent nod, indicating that he approves of his future in-law joining the family.

Even more months has passed by, more and more gifts are sent by your doorstep but he guards didn't left those gifts but by himself. The way his lovestruck eyes glistened as you excitedly open the small box that was wrapped in a pretty black ribbon and has a label with your name on it with a little doodled heart at the end of your name.

While being invisible, he sat right beside you, waiting patiently as you opened the box to reveal the most beautiful piece of jewelry you've ever seen; it was a silver ring, embedded with sapphire gems around the band and a blue skull gem can be seen on top of the band. Idia watched in nervousness, watching you closely inspecting the ring as if you are jewel critic. Without hesitation, you wear the ring and heavily admiring it, making Idia sigh in relief, a weight of his shoulder finally lifted off when he saw that you accepted his engagement ring.

You didn't even know that you're now engaged to the ghost prince himself.

And you swear to yourself that you felt a small warm peck on your forehead but quickly shrugged it off, thinking that it was just the wind blowing from the window you've forgotten to close.

From that point on, Idia would constantly follow everywhere you go under the guise of him being your night in shining armor. In class? He's there by your side, and dropped a small flower he picked outside on the courtyard. Walking along the lonely hallways of the school? You can feel your hand being interwined by some invisible force. Felt even just a bit of hunger and craving sweets? No worries, for the ghost prince himself would provide you some sweets to satisfy your cravings.

For the longest time, he never felt this happy. Happiness was not on his list for a long time and the only way he seek his own happiness was by playing games on his computer. He never thought he could find somebody that would make him happy.

He felt empty and alone for a long time and it seems that you filled in the missing gap within his heart. As soon as the royal messenger told all the ghosts that the prince found a potential suitor, everyone was very excited to see their future ruler.

The ghost prince also appeared on your dreams whenever you went into deep slumber, now finally has the courage to at least hold you and giving you sweet kisses whenever he saw you. Idia would talk about on how pretty/handsome you looked and if you receprocate his methods of 'flirting', you can see his hair turning into a soft shade of hot pink as the blush on his face reddened up like some kind of tomato.

It was bittersweet if Idia was honest, sure that he can finally interact with you without freaking you out that he's a ghost but he's desperate for you to be one of his kind. To be right beside him and to be crowned as the next crowned royal of his kingdom. Oh how he imagined you in a formal attire, a bouquet in hand as the flow of your veil flows through the isle as he stares at you with heart eyes. He can feel his heart thumping non stop whenever he imagines you getting married to him.

But what he thought was a perfect fairy tale has turned into an absolute nightmare.

If love has its own enemy, it's not other than obsession itself.

For you see, Idia is a very envious man. He doesn't like it if some lowly NPC fawns over you from afar, would even talk to you or being friends with you, especially those heartslabyul brats. He doesn't like it how they would hug you or wrapping their arms around you, even if it's just mere platonic. He the only one who can do those acts for you. He's your fiancé for goodness sake! He's supposed to be the only man in your life.

Oh wait, you didn't know it yet but soon enough, you will soon find out that you are the reason why bad luck has occurred within the school.

Don't let his jealousy reach to the top because he doesn't hesitate to make that person disappear or driven to the brink of insanity to the point that they took their own life. He would constantly appear at the end of the hallway, the prince would either glare at you or giving you a sinister smirk and disappear when a person walk by your vision. It freaked you out and it didn't stop there; every single night, you would hear vague whispers of your name, old wrinkled papers that dated back centuries ago has little messages on it, smeared in black and red ink as possessive words were written all over the parchment.

And that's not all, your dreams with the mysterious entity has becoming a terrible dreams. Warning you that he'll come for you if the right time comes (the right time was today). His words made you absolutely scared the living daylights of you, and finally consulted the only teacher who has connections with the other side, Mr. S himself. You and your heartslabyul friends ran straight towards the small boutique at the side of the school, only to see the shopkeeper closing his shop for the day. "Mr S! We need to speak to you and this is urgent!" Ace heaved and panted, his lungs greedily intaking lots of air to breathe.

"Ah my little imps! What are you guys doing here? Aren't you guys supposed to be in the dining hall with the others? And what happened to them?" He pointed at you, eye bags and blood shot eyes as you trembled in fear, both your arms are placed around your arms as if it would protect you. "It's a long story, Mr. S but we want to know about a particular ghost that haunted not only the school but also our friend here. Is there a possibility on why (m/c) is haunted?" Deuce added while rubbing your back as a way to comfort you.

Sam inspected your entire article of clothing to see if there's something suspicious that could link towards the haunting and his eyes landed on the ring rested on your ring finger. His eyes stared at the strange looking jewelry that gives off this weird energy surrounding the four of you. He needs to confirm if his thoughts are true by inspect the band around your finger. "Hmm, may I see your hand, little imp." He inspected the ring and you slowly realized that the wrenching feeling on your stomach was confirmed when the tall man's eyes widen in disbelief. "So that's why you're being haunted.." he muttered. "What's the reason Mr. S?" Grim replied, worried for his answer.

"That ring. The ring you had on your finger belongs to the royal family of ghosts! And if a mortal was gifted with that ring, it was stated that you now belong to that particular family, precisely to their oldest son!" Looks of disbelief appeared on their faces, you on the other hand, felt the colors from your face drain off upon hearing such news. "So wait wait, if (m/c) has a ghost pinning after them, does it explain why they have gifts and flowers appeared on their doorstep out of nowhere?" Deuce asked, out of curiosity.

The shopkeeper sighed in disappoinment, indicating that not only that one of the students has been favored by a ghost but their life being at risk. "I'm afraid so, little imp. I'm so sorry."

In the far corner of the shop, Idia stood there, hands curled into a fist as his expression contorted into anger and possessiveness.

. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

You couldn't sleep tonight.

Staring towards the ceiling of your bedroom as you held your blanket for dear life after hearing what the shopkeeper has told you and your friends hours ago. Thank the heavens that Grim is asleep right by the chair because you couldn't handle him seeing your bloodshot eyes and tears are threatening to stream from your face. Even your body tells you that you need some sleep, you still convinced yourself that you are not tired, at least when the issue is finally solved.

Speaking of which, both your mouth and your throat are getting dry but you're still terrified on getting up from the bed. You've become so thirsty that you got up from your bed and began to wake Grim up from his peaceful slumber.

"Grim.." you shook the furry feline. "Grim wake up.." The feline only muttered in slight annoyance. "I need some company, I'm too scared on coming back down." Grim muttered and flipped on the opposite side of the armchair. "Hnggg go bother Deuce and Ace on the other room, I'm tired (m/c)." He replied, dozing back to sleep and coming back to his dream of his.

You didn't want to bother both of your friends in the other room, plus you don't want those two to be teased you off as the chicken of the group, so you went downstairs alone, armed with a flashlight to light your way into the dark hallways of your dorm. Normally, you are used to the eeriness of your dorm. The small creaks produced by the floor as the wind howled outside of the locked windows of your dorm didn't even bothered you but due to the fact that an entity now watches you, you became a bit scared. Every twist and turns of your head whenever you heard something ominous from afar. From the creaks below the floor boards to the falling book from the bookshelf from the hallways.

Finally, you arrived at the kitchen and felt like the atmosphere was cold; the fridge wasn't even open yet and it felt like -5 degrees within your home. You took out a pitcher and a glass to drink and all of the sudden, you heard a whisper on the left side of your ear.

"(m/c)..."

You've became startled, almost choking from the cold water you swallowed as you face the direction where the voice came from.

There's no one on your side.

You continuously drink the cold beverage when you felt something took a hold of your waist by both arms.

"So warm.... So soft...."

Out of fear, you dropped the glass, shattering it into bits of pieces and began sprinting back to your room. Your breathing quickens as you internally panic for your own safety. 'He's here!!' you mumbled to yourself. 'The ghost prince is here!!' You almost made it to your room but alas, your hand was almost cut off when the door suddenly closed in front of you locking it to prevent you from seeking protection from him.

"Darling..." It spoke, making you turn your head to face the entity. "Why are you running away from me? I just wanna see my darling dear's alright, especially when there's so many people tainting you of your innocence, a burden that needs to be obliterated like some kind of RPG monsters and I was doing my job on protecting the one person I cared and loved for." The entity stated. Your panic attack has gone of bad, you began shouting for your friends. "ACE!! DEUCE!! GRIM!! PLEASE WAKE UP!! I NEED SOME HELP!!" You shouted, pounding against the doors of the dark hallways of the dorm.

By luck, the three of them woke up from the sudden noise. "(m/c)?! What's going on-" The heartslabyul duo was about to open the door and that's when they noticed that the door was locked and closed tightly. "(m/c)?! Come on that's not funny, dude! Open the door!" Deuce spoke, ramming the door with his body in attempt to break it open. "I'm not Deuce!!" You also ram your body to the door to help them break it apart but alas, no luck.

The ghost prince watched in delight as the three of you pathetically ram each other's side of the door and sighed in pity. "There's no point in destroying that door, (m/c). If you keep on doing it, your HP's gonna decrease rapidly, especially when there a bruise forming on your elbow." You quickly stopped to see if the prince's claims were true. Rolling the sleeve of your pajama shirt, your eyes widen a bit from the surprise.

There's indeed a bruise on your elbow, it was swollen and a color of blue and violet begins to form underneath the tissue. But it doesn't stop you from helping getting your friends out from their trap. "So stubborn, so feisty as usual from my fiance." He spoke and his words makes you annoyed as he claims that you're his fiance. "I am NOT your damn fiance!! Open this door at once!!" You shouted, standing on your feet despite feeling yourself shaking from fear. The voice chuckled and every turn of your head, various objects are knocked out from it's place.

Tables are moved far from the corner, vases dropped into the floor and shattered into bits of pieces and the creaks of the floor boards has gotten worse as if many people are passing by you. "It's funny you could say that, my dear.." It replied. "You have no idea how much you drive me into the deep depths of jealousy. I hated the way those people whom you call your 'friends' glued by your side, their hands wrapped around your body and it pisses me off knowing that they touched something that belonged to me, and me alone." It sneered and many more items are thrown, either on the wall or on the floor.

"I thought that giving you that ring would make those people would stay away from you, to at least have common sense that the ring would symbolize the ghost prince's love and ownership of you but alas, I'm afraid that I wasn't that well known on your world." It sneered and it chuckled once again as he saw your figure, now sitting on the floor while your hand's still gripping on the door handle as the screaming of your friends kept on going.

"Look into the mirror, (m/c).."

You did what the entity told you and you couldn't stop yourself from shaking, your eyes began to widen in fear as you saw the creature's true form; wearing such clothes that reflected on the color of charcoal and ash, his face was pale as the blazing glow of his hair, tied in a ponytail, began to turn into blazing red from his anger. Finally, his bright yellow eyes that glows a bit from the darkness. His eyes glaring towards you but his smile says otherwise. His smile wasn't only showing his annoyance but something sinister's going to happen.

"I think it's time to wrap things up, my dear. Let's not wait for our marriage to go to waste, shall we?" You felt something that gripped both of your legs, ghostly hands forcefully dragging you away from the door as you screamed bloody murder for your friends. You felt your nails scrapping across the floor boards and your fingers began to calloused from the harsh friction of the wood. By the great seven, the door bursts open and you can see Deuce and Ace panting heavily. Their eyes widen as soon as they saw you being dragged away towards the mirror while you keep on screaming for help.

Deuce and Ace began to scramble on their feet and tries to take both of your hands, but the ghosts that accompanied the prince held them on their feet as they watched you helplessly. They will never forget the way your eyes internally screamed for their help and the last bit of your screams began to fade away, your body disappeared from the mirror bit by bit until you disappeared from their view. As soon as you're gone, the ghosts who also prevented your friends from rescuing you are released from their positions. Ace ran straight to the mirror and he viciously pounded the mirror, causing it to shatter bit by bit. Normally, Ace is the kind of friend whose chill during the ordeal but seeing you being kidnapped made his blood boil.

His fists are sore and bleeding from his strong punches as Deuce tries to stop him from landing the mirror another punch. "Ace, snap out of it! Punching the mirror won't to shit, especially when (m/c) was kidnapped by some ghosts!" Ace looked at his friend, breathing heavily, his hands are sore and bleeding from the sharp shards of the mirror. Hearing his friend's voice in an attempt to put a stop on his rampage calms him down a bit. He looked at Deuce with an angry yet vicious expression. "Gather Jack, Epel and the others. We have someone to rescue."

. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

It's been two days since you've been captive by the ghosts.

Since your capture, you've been nothing but a nuisance not only to the prince but also to his ghostly guards and servants who tried their best to get you dressed for this special occasion. You fought hard, struggling against the restraints of the ghosts while putting on the garment which can be describe as beautiful and pearl-like. Decorated with the most beautiful pearls and laces and to top it all off with a Vail that could leave a trail behind your dress/tuxedo.

Normally, you supposedly gonna rip out the outfit but seeing the guards burn your original clothes, you have no choice but to stay within this...horrible outfit. Despite it's elegance, you still hated the fact that you'll be forcefully married to their prince. You sat on the room, alone as tears continuously blink and stare towards the wall, tears still appearing on your face.

You tried escaping but the security within the area was quite difficult for someone who doesn't have magic, let alone for the others to rescue to you.

"My lady/lord," a servant spoke, opening the once locked door as they bowed down from your presence. "The ceremony's about to begin and his majesty's ready to tie the knot with you." You are about to speak out that you'll stay within the room you are confined in until two of the guards took you by your arm and dragged you away despite your protests to let you go. You screamed and kicked but to no avail.

Carrying the bouquet of black roses by your hands, your entire body still shook in fear as you marched down the isle. Seeing Idia with a lovesick stare is making you physically sick and each march of your feet feels like you are marching to your death. Upon seeing you, Idia fell for you even harder and seeing you in such outfit is making him breathless. Every sparkle and flow of the fabric makes him quite dizzy when he saw his beloved in a wedding outfit he prepared just for you.

"You look absolutely breathtaking, my love."

After all, it was a very special outfit indeed, because it was once belonged to his mother/father ever since they got wedded years ago.

You couldn't stop crying, even after you arrived at the alter as the ghost priest carries on with the ceremony. You couldn't feel such emotions anymore other than sadness and fear. You couldn't feel the touch the prince gave you as he held your hand for the entire duration of the wedding. Ortho can sense his brother's excitement and couldn't wait for have another sibling figure in his (undead) life.

And now, the moment you've feared the most is finally here.

"Prince Idia Shroud, will you take (m/c) (l/n) to your lawfully wedded spouse? To love, cherish and protect them for all eternity?"

Idia looks at you in awe but is disappointed when he saw your solemn expression, eyes gazing downwards as if you refuse to even look at him but nonetheless smiled softly and answered the ghost in front of them.

"I do."

"And you, Lady/Lord (m/c) (l/n), will you take his majesty Idia Shroud to your lawfully wedded husband? To love, cherish and to accept him as your one and only true love?"

Silence fills the entire building, your eyes are looking straight towards the door, waiting for your friends to rescue you. You hoped and hoped that at least one of your friends rescue you from the hell of a nightmare you're trapped in. You can feel Idia's patience began to wear off as he grips your hands tightly, his expression contorted from being soft to being pissed off in just a second.

You waited and waited but to no avail.

"I do..."

You breathe and sighed sadly as you finally succumb to this deadly fate. Idia smiled at your answer as he slides a second ring and holds your hands tenderly, his eyes looking awestruck at you. "Before I joined the couple together, sould anyone here present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

......

"STOP THE WEDDING!" Epel shouted as the head of the guests turn to see who disrupted the royal wedding. From seeing your friends, a wide smile appeared on your face, shouting for your friends as thanks for rescuing you. On the other hand, the prince was beyond pissed off and angry, angry that his special day was beyond ruined, thank to those mere mortals. "We've come to make an objection that the prince forcefully married this poor human we call our friend!".

You are about to go down the isle when all of the sudden, Ortho stops you with a firm grip on your arm. His brother's hair began to shift to an angry, blazing red as the building shook on how angry their prince has felt. "How..." He spoke, arms shaking. "How DARE YOU DISRUPT MY WEDDING?! DID YOU KNOW THAT IT'S AN INSULT TO ME AND TO MY BELOVED ABOUT DISRUPTING OUR MOMENT?!"

"I'm not even your beloved nor I agree to be your spouse, let me go!" You said, struggling to be free from his brother's clutches but unfortunately, he didn't budge, not even one bit. "Your majesty!" Jack spoke. "Is there anything we could be to let our friend go? Like is there an object or an artifact we can offer to you?" The prince thought for a while then a sinister smirk formed on his face. "How about we play...a game?" Idia disappeared from their view, only to reappear right beside Ace, startling the poor student. "If you beat me in this simple game of mine, I'll let them go, return to their normal life while I return to the underworld without a spouse. Failure of answer and that resulted to (m/c) being my spouse and spend an eternity with me. Now then," He reached out his hand to seal the deal. "Do we have a deal and agree to my terms?"

The entire group contemplated for a while, making eye contact to you and seeing your distress still pushes them to accept the deal. "It's a deal then, prince." He smiled grimly as he began to walk pace by pace, shaking Deuce's hand and placing two of his hands behind his back. "Let's do a simple rock paper scissors with the score of 3. I'm curious to see what kind of tactics you guys up to..."

. ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Cold. The environment is cold and seems new to you. You couldn't help but to sink deeper into the soft mattress of the bed as the lingering smell of peppermint and lavenders invaded your senses, not to mention the gorgeous attire you put on and how light you felt throughout your whole body.

Wait.

This is quite unusual.

You didn't remember putting on such an attire, not especially when you are asleep

Unless you are married to someone else.

All of the memories that happened came rushing back as you got up from the bed, checking the environment and the room you are confined in. Each and every corner of the room was dark, bits of cobwebs can be seen and the amount of light that shines within the room. You are flabbergasted to say the least.

You got up from the bed to inspect yourself. Still on the expensive and elegant attire when you notice something very unusual about your appearance as you lift you hands in front of your face. Your skin has turned into the color of sadness and ashes. You begin to panic, scrambling to search for a mirror to see what on earth has happened to you.

Upon finding the mirror and see yourself for the first time, a scream erupted from you as you saw your newfound appearance for the first time.

From your screams, Idia came rushing from the door alongside with his younger brother. He found you, caught you in just a second after you fell on your knees due to your shock. Tears streaming from your bluish grey-like skin, continuously wrapping your hands around your face to check if you are hallucinating or not.

It turns out you didn't.

"Sweetheart!!" The ghost prince exclaimed, carrying your body towards the bed after he caught you from the fall. "Don't stand just yet my love. You aren't used yet being a ghost."

"....A ghost?"

Idia nodded, kissing your head. "Yes sweetie, a ghost. We just got married, remember? Now we belong in each other's side, ruling alongside me in the underworld as my spouse." His younger brother jumped up and down from excitement and hugged the both of you. "You look really good as a ghost, (m/c) san and I do hope that we got the time to spend some time together as my (in-law) sibling!" You on the other hand, still stiff as a wooden board, is still processing on what happened.

And you remembered it all, all the memories you remembered in the living realm before your life was taken by him.

"You cheating prick!! I didn't know you have the ability to read people's minds!!" Idia chuckled, gripping you closer towards him while the guards took them away from the two of you. "The rules didn't specify that I could use such powers to win the game? Remember?" Deuce can feel his delinquent sona began to resurface, his anger and wrath basically wrapped him like a blanket, knowing that the prince cheated from his own game.

"Now that I win the game," Idia turns to face you. "It's time for me to claim the price." His face has gotten closer and closer towards your own. You felt his excitement from his breathing alone and from the smirk he had on his face. "You may now kiss your spouse.."

"(M/C) NOOO!!"

The ghost prince kissed you in front of your friends and felt cold all of the sudden. You whispered Deuce's name for the last time, tumbling down downwards, finally closing your eyes as the beating of your heart took it's last beat before you died within their sight.

Their screams of sadness and anguish filled the entire building. Their feelings of agony and pain had turned into pure wrath. They failed to save their only friend and began to felt the guilt that they could do so much better for you. Idia reached down to your lifeless body and picked up your spirit from your physical form, carrying you in bridal style, smiling lovingly at your sleeping form. He kissed your lips for a second time before he left your body for the others to bury it.

"The kingdom awaits for you, my love. Rest well, for when you wake up, we have lots and lots of adjustment to amend to."

"Y-you..." At this point, your eyes are blown out, pushing Idia and his younger brother away from you.

"You killed me.."

"Sweetie, listen to me-"

"Dragging me here into the deep depths of this....hellish hole, stuck with you two for all eternity...."

"This is the only way for the two of us to be together!"

"And thinking that I'll be accepting with this new life of mine just because I've married and becoming a ghost like you. You are sick to think that I'll accept you as my husband!"

"I DID ALL OF THAT IS BECAUSE I'VE LOVED YOU!!"

You became quiet from the sudden outburst. Idia heaved heavily from his sudden burst of anger. Ortho came by his side to console his older brother.

"I-I am so sorry love, it's just that I've been lonely for quite sometime and seeing you for the first time is like being alive again. Can you at least open your heart a bit for us? Your newfound family?"

You scoffed and turned away from him.

"Well too bad, you will endure this kind of suffering. As long I'm married to you, I'm be making your lives a miserable one."

He just kept quiet. His eyes kept on looking at you as if he was a kicked puppy. "(m/c) I-" You swatted your hand away. "Go away and leave me alone." Ortho then tried to hug you but you just glared at the poor teenager, sending him off towards the door as tears began to appear on his face. Idia then followed pursuit, gripping the doorknob and kept on staring at you. Once again, your eyes gave a sharp and angry look towards him.

Before he left, he gave you one finale talk before he makes arrangements for your next garments to the dinner party his parents planned for welcoming you to the royal family (God forbid on how he hated attending this kind of event). "Since you're married to me, your last name is now changed into Shroud. I love you and I'll do my best to win your heart like the time I've gave you that ring back in the living realm."

You stared at the ring, still encased on your ring finger as the faint blue light still illuminated on your arm. "As if I'll ever accept you and your sick family. I hate you, I HATE YOU AND THIS HORRID PLACE!"

He sighed, closing the door behind you and locks it. He can still hear your screams of anger and paranoia from the shared bedroom, breaking his heart a bit. Down the hallway, his younger brother is waiting for him, giving him a small pat on his shoulder. "Not to fret, brother. They'll come around soon and realized that being one of us isn't bad." Idia gave him a small smile. "I hope so, Ortho. I do hope so."

And it looks like your entire life is doomed, all because you accepted the ring that could lead to the ultimatum of your once deadly fate;

To be the prince's lover and spouse.

Do not republish, edit, or repost to other websites.

Reblogs and likes are appreciated! 💕

[charlottecutepie]

☥ Bunny meat (William Afton x fem!reader x Michael Afton)

Summary: He was a likeable middle-aged man who had wonderful children, his dream job and a beautiful wife. He never blamed himself for his own actions, or to be more exact, he never thought about their consequences.

author notes: we are finally getting closer to smut <333

tags: darkfic, unhealthy relationship, angst, smut with plot, p in v, dubcon, oral sex, rough and gentle sex, daddy kink, blood play, knife play, fear play, hurt/comfort, violence, gore/murders, child abuse, follows fnaf lore, moral and physical abuse, virginity kink, anxiety disorder, age gap, daddy issues, unreliable narrator, hallucinations, hidden pairing, William is sick, psychopathy, unhealthy narcissism

Chapter 5

Chapter 4. Date

Michael froze. Elizabeth rushed towards her father. He looked at her sternly, nodding. Girl obediently got into the car. She knew that if her father talked in that tone and looked at her with that look, then she just had to keep quiet and do what he wanted.

“Dad, i—”

“Get in the car, now.”

Mike quickly went to the car, not even looking at you. You were at a loss what to do. The situation is terribly awkward. You haven’t even thought that Michael lied to his father for the sake of hanging out with you.

“Honey, get in the car, it's cold outside. I'll give you a ride home.” Afton’s face immediately changed, he putted on a wide friendly smile. You couldn't find words, so you packed up the rest of your things and just got in the car, at the same damn front seat. Afton's kids were sitting in the back, none of them wanted to sit next to their pissed father.

William started the engine and the car moved off. The cold didn’t recede, and you already regretted that you wore only a light t-shirt and shorts.

Michael was looking at the floor the whole time, nervously playing with the zipper on his backpack. He knew what was waiting for him. He knew what he was doing, but his stupid habit of not listening to his father's orders always played a cruel joke on him. He was most afraid for you and Elizabeth, because it was him who got you into this situation after all.

“We'll deal with you at home, Michael,” man behind the wheel said seriously. Michael looked up at the mirror in the car, meeting his father's angry gaze. “you’re grown-up guy, but framed yourself and your girl friend.”

You swallowed nervously, feeling uneasy. Is Afton really that cruel? Yes, he sometimes scared you in childhood, but he never showed any hint of aggression towards you or his children, at least in front of you. When you arrived at your house, you wanted to look at Michael, but he was sitting pressed into the car seat, so you hurried out.

Elizabeth waved goodbye to you, you smiled and said goodbye to her in return.

…

A few days passed after that incident, but you still felt uncomfortable, you felt kind of guilty in front of Mike, and this guilt was eating you up from the inside, forcing you to come up with terrible scenarios in your head. What happened when Michael got home? No, William can't be that cruel.

Unfortunately, Michael started avoiding you, as if he was afraid that someone would see you next to him. When you met on the street, he tried to hurry past with his head down, like a frightened puppy. But Mr. Afton began to visit you every day, every morning he stopped by and brought food to the house: eggs, milk, meat, vegetables. Once he even gave your mom a few hundred dollars so she could buy something for herself, from his words. Sometimes Elizabeth was with him, she couldn't get enough of your company. She kept asking you to play with her in backyard, not that you'd mind, but you couldn't get Michael's behavior out of your head.

On another summer day, you spent time with Elizabeth as always, she showed you her drawings. One of them had an animatronic, although all her drawings consisted only of these robots, but this one impressed you. It was robot girl in a bright red dress and two red ponytails.

“Daddy said he's going to make me one like her soon!” girl exclaimed, looking at your reaction. You looked at the drawing in detail.

“Lizzie, that’s really… great!” you patted her on the head, giving her back her drawing.

“Elizabeth, it's time to go home.” William came up to you. She nodded obediently and headed for the car. “wait for me there, honey.” He said kindly. Still, the way he treated his daughter left you hoping that nothing terrible happened to Michael that day. “Y/n, I have a question for you…“ he began, sitting down next to you on a bench in the yard.

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to go on a date with me?”

“Sorry?” your heart started beating at a furious rate, breathing became faster. You looked at his face, which expressed absolute calm. Your body tensed. Damn, when are you going to stop reacting like that? You must do something about your anxiety.

“I asked if you wanted to go on a date with me, honey.” William repeated.

“B-but you…” you didn't know what words to answer. He's a married man, what will Mrs. Afton think? And what will your whole small town think when they see you two together in some restaurant? “I don't quite understand you…”

“You don't have to worry about such things, bunny.” Afton said stiffly, as if reading your mind. “What do you say?”

You understood that you couldn't refuse. You didn’t knew how to. He was always there for you as if he knew when you were feeling bad and anxious. And how he calmed you down at the cemetery? And how he protected you from your drunken dad when you were little? And when he helped your mom with money and groceries? And in the end, when he gave you an unforgettable birthday in his pizzeria without demanding anything in return? You thought it would be just not right to refuse here.

At some point, he replaced your father. And you was grateful.

“I agree, William.” it was the first time his name came out of your mouth. William’s impassive face immediately changed to delight.

“Good girl,” he caressed your hair. “Ill pick you up tomorrow at 7.”

…

Her doe eyes symbolizing childlike innocence, purity. Such soft lips that he wants to kiss forever. Weak, frail hands. She's so pretty, so defenseless, like a child. William, what is wrong with you? He wants to kiss her, embrace her in his arms tightly, bite her, he want to bury his face in her soft hair, inhale the sweet scent of perfume mixed with shampoo. She's all playful, flirtatious. All for him. His porcelain doll. His little angelic creature. His girl. His fucking girl. His dream.

“Daddy,” she stands in front of him in a skirt and a snow-white blouse, seductively playing with the buttons on it. “What do you want? Tell me.” her voice echoed in his head.

“I want you.” the only thing William could say. “Fuck…”

That's fucking crazy.

His pants are tight as hell, his cock is about to explode, but she doesn't seem to be going to do anything about it. She brings her finger to her mouth, sucking it, then runs it along the jaw line, going lower and lower, drawing a line around her breasts. William has completely lost track of time, who he is, where he is, why, so many questions, no answers, and no answers are needed, all he wants is a continuation of this show. In an instant, the torn shirt flies to hell, and she, as little devil approaches him, sitting on his lap.

“William,” her whisper making the blood boil. “Take me…” her playful fingers run over his hot body.

He's about to suffocate from this unrestrained passion.

Williams’s eyes shoot open and he leaned on his elbows. He was breathing heavily, trying to figure out what just happened. His own wife was sleeping next to him.

…

Afton didn’t lie, he came to pick you up at exactly 7, even a little earlier. Oh, how it cheered him up to see you in the dress he gave you for your birthday. He chose it carefully and for a long time, as well as the necklace for it. William couldn't take his eyes off you the whole way, which didn't go unnoticed by you.

Your date started at a restaurant that he personally picked up. The place was so luxurious, all those tables for two with a white tablecloth, live music and an incredibly intimate atmosphere. All of this made you feel new, completely unknown feelings, but you liked them.

William ordered the two of you a fish fillet with a vegetable side dish, which he asked the best chef of the establishment to cook, because “my girl has the best of everything.”

Still, the growing feeling that someone of neighbors might see you never left, making you nervous again.

“Y/n, don’t worry," William said, cutting the fish in half. “Think of this date as… a continuation of your birthday.”

The waiter came up to you as soon as you finished eating, but dinner wasn't over for you here, William asked for dessert. Oh, yes, he knew you were a big fan of sweets. Even as a child, when you were visiting his family, your little hands were always reaching for the table with candies, because there was never anything at home.

“What do you think, Princess?” gently, lovingly, he asks, studying your expression. You'd be lying if you said you didn't like it. There was an ice cream in front of you: chocolate, creme brulee and vanilla, all three ice cream balls were covered with caramel. Afton knew your preferences perfectly well.

“That's wonderful, thank you!” like a hungry kitten, you started eating dessert. Your thoughts receded into the background at once, now you were most focused on the taste, it is so cloying, sweet, tender, as you liked. Under all this ecstasy, you didn't even notice William's gaze piercing you. Holding his breath, he watched your actions. You were so happy, so beautiful, so… desirable. Begging to be ruined. And when you licked the rest of the ice cream off your lips, he forgot how to breathe. You're the little devil that drives him crazy.

When dinner was over, William paid the bill for the two of you, leaving a tip for the waiter.

You were standing on the street, not far from his car. Despite the evening, this time the temperature didnt drop like back then, it was very warm. Yes, apparently, this summer will be remembered by you as the hottest of all time. William was talking to someone on the old phone, probably Henry, while you stood there and obediently waited, thinking about dinner tonight. There was no point in hiding it, you liked everything. Yes, there were terrible thoughts in your head that this whole romantic setting was not suitable for a girl who just turned 18 and a man who was already 50, but nothing terrible happened, did it? That date, in your head, was just a substitute for the words “thank you” for everything he did for you.

“Princess,” you didn't even notice when he finished talking on the phone. He turned to you, "I hope I satisfied your childish whims?" He smiled. You were right, William was normal and wasnt going to go any further, you can exhale. He just sees you as a child, like his other daughter… right?

“Of course, Daddy!” you giggled, joking. William however wasn't laughing, he fell into a stupor, what did you just call him? He got speechless. That picture immediately popped into his head, that image of you that has been tormenting him for weeks, months, years. Afton raised an eyebrow, laughing nervously back at you.

“Everything for my girl, let's go to the car.”

This time, the back seats weren't occupied, but because of the state of euphoria and delight, you decided that you could at your favorite damn front seat of this purple car. William got in next to you, but he wasn't going to start the car. He couldn’t get out of his head what you called him a few minutes ago. A joke, huh? Everything is burning inside, a wild, crazy feeling gripped his brain. Whole situation got worse when your dress strap fell off your shoulder, in his head it was like a sign to act.

With a light movement, touching your skin, he tucked strand of hair behind your ear and adjusted the dress strap. His touch caused pleasant shivers that spread all over your body. Heart stopped. His hands gently stroked your neck and shoulders with careful movements. Such a… strange, inexplicable feeling. It seems that you want to continue, but something in your head screams "enough, it’s enough", is this probably the remnants of common sense? Hundreds, no, thousands of butterflies in your stomach, the feeling that you are about to melt, like this ice cream. A pleasant shiver through your body from his touches. You stared into his gray-blue eyes, fascinated, with your mouth slightly open, as if begging him to kiss you.

“You… fuck, you're driving me crazy.” Afton hissed in your ear, from the wave of all these new sensations, you couldn't even answer him. His breath burned your skin. “Let's go to my place.”

[ryverbind]

Faceless Fixation (Sal Fisher): Bacon King [26]

TW: very slight smut & marijuana use. ALSO 100K ON WATTPAD I LOVE U GUYS SM WTF!!! seriously would not be here without all of you :,) <333

++++++

"Good morning sleepy little princesses!"

I scrunch my closed eyes, wincing at the bright light that pushes past my eyelids.

"Fuck, Ash," I hear Larry groan frustratedly. I open an eye and peek over, noting Emo Buff Daddy himself throwing an arm over his eyes. "It's too damn early!"

The Faces and I camped out in me and Ash's partially empty living room last night-- well, some of The Faces. Todd and Neil ditched us for their own apartment, which is fair. But the other two men decided to hang out.

I'll say that sharing an air mattress with Ash has been quite an experience. I've slept in the same bed with her before, but this kind of bed just causes her to naturally gravitate toward me. Every night lately, I wake up at some point with her legs wrapped around mine in some kind of sailor's knot that I never imagined was possible.

As for Larry and Sal, I have no idea. Sal goes to bed late and he wakes up early. He's a fucking freak of nature.

"Oh, come on, you whiny little bitch," Ash teases her male twin playfully, ripping the blankets off him. "It's nine in the morning! We're going to y/n's to start packing up her stuff at ten. It's wake up time!"

That's true. I glance at the stacks of boxes around the wide expanse of our living room. We don't have furniture yet-- we still need to buy some and wait for the last moving truck to bring the bigger things Ash is taking from Nockfell. But for the most part, we've got everything here, which means my stuff is next.

With a little more grumbled complaints from Larry, the four of us finally leave our new apartment and meet up with Todd and Neil to start heading to my apartment on the other end of town.

An Uber the size of a soccer mom's mini van drops us off in front of my apartment complex and the group of us file out. Todd is busy telling Neil about the diner I worked at literally about two weeks ago-- not that he knows that.

At the mention though, I look over at the diner, feeling a little nostalgic. That is, up until Ophelia walks bounds up to the front door. I blink at my friend, furrowing my brows. What are the chances?

I yell her name, let Ash know where I'm going, then jog over to my friend who looks so pleasantly excited to see me.

"Y/n, holy shit!" She exclaims when I'm close enough, careful not to say my name too loud since Mike undoubtedly told her that The Faces didn't know about me at the time. "Girl, where have you been?"

"Um, back in my hometown, actually," I tell her with a little grin, enveloping her slightly taller figure in a tight hug.

"I heard you got fired," she cringes upon stepping back, looking down at me worriedly. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yea!" I answer, retaining my easygoing smile. "I'm streaming with The Faces. It's proven to be good income. We haven't done any videos lately because we're busy moving into a new apartment, but things have been fine otherwise." I stop my ranting and focus in on the apology I've been meaning to give her. "Also, I am so sorry about what led to me getting fired. Please relay that to Mike, too. I thought he was going to have a heart attack in front of The Faces."

"I know," Ophelia cracks up, covering her mouth with a hand. "I was watching from the bar. Poor, Mike. He could not keep it together! The sperm bank thing was hilarious." She sobers up to tell me, "But congratulations on everything else. I'm happy for you!"

I laugh with her, giving her another hug. "Thank you. But seriously, once I'm settled in my new apartment, I'll invite you guys over to hang out. I miss you," I say honestly, holding her close.

"We'd love to!" She gasps excitedly, squeezing me tight before backing away. "Just send me a text and we'll be there."

"Sounds good," I tell her. "It was nice seeing you! Have a good shift."

"You too!" She says, waving. But she pauses thinking about her words, furrowing her brows. "You don't have a shift. Forgot," she giggles to herself as she backs toward the diner, giving me little finger guns. "Love you!"

"Love you, Lia," I call back with a bright smile. She's such a character.

I walk back to The Faces quickly and lead them up to my apartment, unlocking the door and letting everyone in. I haven't been here in a while.

The day after we came back from Nockfell, Ash and I stopped by to grab some clean clothes and necessities, but I haven't been back since.

I haven't seen my dad since I left LA about two weeks ago. I called him to cry about Ash inviting me to live with her and he fangirled with me over the phone, but besides that, we haven't spoken much.

And Travis, that little ass. When I came back earlier this week, he had left a sticky note on my bed that said, 'Since you wouldn't let me send a dick pic to the singer, here.' He proceeded to scratch out three failures before finally settling on the most mediocre drawing of a dick I've ever seen in my life. But he tried, I guess.

The point is, being back home is nice-- even if it technically isn't home anymore.

Ash, ever the goddess, brought a ton of stuff to cook lunch today. I think pork chops, french fries, and snack packs of chocolate pudding cups. Though, I think it was Larry's influence that got us the snack packs.

Ash sets up shop in my kitchen, outraged at the fact that Dad bought normal salt and not Himalayan salt for her 'exquisite five star meal.'

I sit with the rest of my friends in the living room and make the split second decision to start streaming from my phone. Since I'm not doing anything right now, why not? I've got to make this bread.

I turn my phone around the room, earning a middle finger from Sal who's laid back on my couch watching some kind of play through of a Call of Duty Zombie's Easter Egg. Odd stuff. But he seems to enjoy it so I don't mind, especially given the circumstances of him moving here.

He's been really quiet this week.

Todd and Neil wave, and then I flip the screen to show me and Larry. The man has his face squished against mine so he can get into the screen. I have to adjust my mask with my free hand to make sure the squishing doesn't reveal me at all, but I have a good laugh with him anyway.

After about fifteen minutes, Ash finishes her lunch so I show my subscribers her lovely food then end the stream, grabbing a plate of food to eat with everyone.

As soon as I finish my last bite, there's a knock at my door.

I rush over to the door, ripping it open to see a grinning Nate with a plate of brownies in his hand. What a godsend.

I hop up on my toes to give him a tight hug, feeling about as giddy as I can possibly be. I haven't seen him in weeks at this point.

"Hey, Ducks," Nate drawls in that silky, deep voice of his. His free hand wraps around my waist, his head leaning down to rest against my shoulder. His voice is muffled by my hair as he continues speaking, "Looks like you didn't die back home. Shame."

I swat at his arm, taking an opportunity to snatch the brownies away from him. The smile I give him is a bit of a petty one, but it's a smile nonetheless. "You'd never get that damn screwdriver back if I died, just remember that," I remind him, breaking away from his embrace. His warm palm follows my body though, attached to the small of my back.

Nate rolls his dark eyes, tongue in cheek as he contemplates my reasoning. "Fair enough. I guess it's a good thing you made it back." His gaze has fallen on the rest of my friends now though-- the friends who watch us silently. Ash's cheeks are painted a lovely rouge color but she somehow manages to look our way.

Seeing Ash all flustered around a guy of all things is hilarious. She's so confident with women, and now she's fumbling for the right reaction.

"These are The Faces, as you probably know," I tell Nate, a happy sigh falling past my lips. I start naming them from left to right. "Sal, Ash, Larry, Todd, and his boyfriend, Neil."

Nate nods his head in greeting, lips pressed into a tight line-- his version of a smile at the moment. It's the best he can muster up, poor guy. He absolutely abhors meeting new people.

Larry cracks the code immediately, walking over to Nate and offering a hand. "Nice to meet you, dude," he starts with a cheeky smile.

Nate cracks a smile, grabbing onto Larry's hand and shaking it. "You too."

The rest of the males in the group shake his hand, but Ash simply waves from her spot across the living room. She doesn't move in.

Oh, so she's got it bad.

Still holding onto Nate's brownies, I move toward my kitchen to set them down on the cabinet. "Ash was nice enough to make lunch," I tell my friend, gesturing for him to follow. "We've all eaten already, you can have what's left."

Nate trails in behind me, watching everyone in my living room since the only thing that separates us is the island table. I put down the brownies then move around the table to sit down. Everyone else is busy watching Ash's stream from last night. She gave a quick tour of our new apartment, explaining why we won't be active for a few days and whatnot.

Plate in hand and still the sole occupant of my kitchen, Nate leans against the table opposite me and digs into his food. With just one bite of a french fry, his eyes widen a bit and he tilts his head as if he's just switched realities. "Shit's pretty good," he murmurs, focusing on his plate again to finish his bite.

I watch him with a fond smile, fisting my hands beneath my chin.

That is, until a tatted hand surfaces at my side and snatches a fry off the platter beside me. Nate and I both focus in like a cat to a laser, watching the hand move.

I follow that hand to see Sal leaning against the table, his hair hanging over his shoulders and prosthetic face aimed at Nate while his shoulder brushes mine. I search for his eyes to get a read on him-- figure out why he's here-- but with him facing away from me, the attempt is futile.

Worse though, he doesn't say a word. Just watches my friend. And Nate watches him, a contemplative expression beginning to take over his face.

Are they sizing each other up? My antisocial, shy Nate is actually looking Sal Fisher dead in the eyes without cowering?

I fight the urge to sink in on myself as I watch them and ponder what to say. I don't even know why they're looking at each other like this. It's getting tense. So tense that it suddenly feels difficult to breathe within the boys' general vicinity and I just have zero clue of what's going on.

Then, Sal snaps his head to me. I flinch when his vibrant eyes meet mine.

He looks into my eyes before his gaze begins traveling over my face. He glances here and there, taking in each curve and tilt of the mask shielding me from him. His hand lifts toward me, pushing a strand of hair away from my mouth and I blink at him. A torrent of abusive flutters infest my stomach and my body grows warm. I beg myself not to blush, wishing I could stomp down every single thought about Sal being sweet that suddenly floats into my head.

Everything begins falling apart.

"Oh," Nate mutters from in front of us. I turn to address his sound only to find his eyes a little wide and his mouth gaping a bit. "Oh," he emphasizes the word.

In my peripheral, I catch Sal switching his attention to Nate as well.

Nate immediately throws his hands up in surrender. "I think-- I think I get it." His voice is low, wavering. "We're just friends. It's not like that."

It's my turn to widen my eyes. Are they communicating telepathically or something? Is it just a weird, guy thing? Nate deciphering Sal's wordless claim is even freakier than him claiming me in general.

Sal ignores Nate's words at first, simply looks down at the plate full of fries and grabs another. "Good."

And he's gone.

I stare at the spot Sal populated just a moment ago, flabbergasted beyond belief. Just the slightest touch was a warning, a claim, and acknowledgment all in one. I can't quite process it, but thank God Nate did it all for me.

"What the fuck," he hisses lowly, leaning over the table to talk to me more privately. "You have something to tell me?"

I look at Nate again, noting his hyper finger-tapping and dilated pupils. He just got his drama for the week. No, the entire month.

Meanwhile, I'm short-circuiting. I'm still living in the moment when Sal's fingers brushed the corner of my lips and his gaze pierced through every layer of my skin. But the icy cold, overwhelming fear that suddenly slices through me like the dagger on Sal's neck brings me back to the present. Because Sal just told Nate that we're fucking without saying a single word. Now someone knows.

I can trust Nate with anything, I know that, but I'm dreading the conversation that comes with his knowledge of the situation.

Panicking, I leap up from my chair and lean toward Nate, slapping a hand over his mouth. "Not a word," I whisper to him, trying my best to keep my voice as quiet as possible. "We'll--" I pinch my lips together, shake my head. I can't believe this is happening to me. But I ground myself and do my best to remember that things are fine. Everything's okay. For now. "We'll talk about it later."

Nate nods vigorously beneath my hand, so I slowly pull it away-- watching and waiting for him to screw something up. He doesn't, but he starts conjuring up an evil plan. I can tell by the rabid smirk that begins to form on his lips. "You know I'm going to fuck with him, right?" he whispers to me, narrowing his eyes in some kind of psychotic glee.

Sighing, my head droops and I dread the full day ahead of us. "Please don't," I practically beg him.

"Even getting on your knees won't stop me from taking this opportunity," Nate cackles, grabbing his plate and moving around me to the living room. He even has the audacity to plop down beside Sal, giving him a cheeky grin before popping a fry into his mouth. Sal watches him incredulously before turning back to my TV.

The Faces, Nate, Neil, and myself spend the entire day clearing out and packing up my room. many of my belongings were already packed, seeing as I only moved to LA a year ago. We didn't have to go through the trouble of figuring out my drum kit since it's already in a bunch of boxes.

By the time nightfall came and went, we all grouped up in my living room. Surrounded by boxes and eating food that Larry so graciously ordered for us (Raising Canes, to be specific), Ash took the courtesy of trying to turn some music on to aid the relaxing atmosphere after a hard day's work.

My dear best friend is standing in front of my dad's speakers, scrolling through all of my music to pick a song while the rest of us sit in a circle. To my left, Nate, then Neil, Todd, Sal, Larry, Ash.

The balcony curtains are open to let in the beautiful city lights that manage to reflect into our apartment. Green's, blue's, and yellows engage in a passionate dance along the lines and grooves of my living room's ceiling. Such a hypnotizing light show for myself and my friends.

Ash finally settles on a song, grumbling when an ad plays as soon as she comes over to sit down. "I'm trying to play sad Bullet For My Valentine songs and Spotify won't let me!" she exclaims, plopping down on the floor beside me.

"Sorry," I snicker, dipping a fry into some sauce. "I refuse to give them any of my money."

"I'll pay for it," she scoffs, sending me a playful wink to say she's just joking. I simply roll my eyes and eat my fry, enjoying the lax atmosphere.

We fall into silence for a few minutes and I try not to look over to where Sal sits. He's been incredibly tame today-- so much so that I find myself worrying for him a bit.

He's sitting in front of my sofa, his head laid on the seat cushions. A few tendrils of his cerulean hair clash against the dark color of the fabric. And with his head bent the way it is, I can pick out just about every dip and curve along the length of his throat. A constellation to map out with my lips when the time comes.

"What's the craziest thing you've ever done?" Larry suddenly asks, probably put off by the silence or expressing his boredom.

I pull my attention away from Sal, especially when he picks his head up to look over at Larry.

I turn to Larry too, finding him fidgeting with his septum piercing and gazing at nothing. So his question was for anyone, then.

"I've got a story," Nate says from beside me, his tone a little too chipper for my liking.

I've mentioned before that Nate and I go way back. I mean, way back. So far back that he and I have witnessed the typical teenage depression and feeble attempts to be badass. The difference is that Nate and I went a step farther. We didn't just attempt to be badass-- we were badass. Not that I regret it, but it's something that I sickeningly assumed he would bring up at some point tonight to 'fuck' with Sal. And, dammit, Larry just gave him his opening.

In a moment of weakness, I grab onto Nate's wrist and throw him a look. Furrowed brows and wide eyes to portray that I really don't think this is a good idea.

Nate mimics my look though, leveling with me. This will be his one statement for the night and he's done. That's what his look means... but is it worth it?

I spare a glance at Sal and immediately regret it. His gaze is set on me and Nate's connected limbs, making me immediately let go of the man's wrist. Sal's already jealous enough as is-- I think that's more than enough.

But, my mind wanders back to the time Sal had a woman nearly sitting on top of him when we were in Las Vegas. All the times he was a jackass to me. You know, maybe he's better now, but that doesn't mean I can't screw with him a little too, right?

I wet my lips then turn back to Nate and give him a little nod.

I'll probably regret this later.

"Okay, so," Nate starts, scooting in closer with a winning grin on his face, hands in the air to accentuate his story-telling. I start counting my blessings. "Back in high school-- junior year I'd say-- y/n was dating this total asshole, right? I mean, this abusive, two-timing, unfaithful--"

I cut him off with an embarrassed cringe. "Get to the point, Nathaniel."

"Right, right." He rolls his eyes, waving me off. "My bad. So anyway, yea. He fucking sucked. He was also my best friend at the time." Nate tips his head toward everyone, earning lots of 'oohs' to add to his already hugely inflated ego. He continues with a dramatic bravado. "I caught him cheating again, so I let y/n know. Also cut off my friendship with him by that point."

Ash snorts. "As you should. Continue."

Nate's grin morphs into a bit of an evil smirk as he turns to Ash, talking directly to her now that she's shown more interest than everyone else even thought they're still listening intently.

"So y/n had finally had enough, thank God." He shoots me a pointed look that I only raise my eyebrows at. "And she broke up with him. She was mad. I mean, so mad that the next day she stomped up to me in the hallway, and-- get this-- with no hesitation whatsoever, said to me 'Let's fuck.'"

I hide my face in my hands at the same moment lemonade spews out of Larry's nose.

I hear a few muttered curses from Ash before Nate continues with the story.

"And I was game, duh, but I had to ask what the occasion was 'cuz the day before she was holding hands with my ex-best friend. So she explained everything to me, and..."

I peek through my eyes to see Nate who's smiling proudly at me, giving me an opportunity to continue the story. So with a breath, I lower my hands and try to ignore Sal's blazing gaze on me.

"What better way to get revenge than to fuck your ex's best friend?" I say tentatively, shrugging.

"Best part of that was he got a pic of me hitting it from the back." Nate leans away from the group with a content smile stretching across his face.

Ash giggles while Larry and Neil reach over to fist bump him. Sal looks a tad amused by the prospect too, but a completely different emotion overshadows his pretty eyes.

Todd, ever the scientist, has his own inquiries about the situation. "So, did you two ever date? I can't imagine neither of you were confused after something like that."

I shake my head. "We'd set up ground rules," I answer him. "Nate was a lousy lay," I can't help but chuckle when Nate lightly punches my shoulder. "But revenge made it erotic, I suppose." I continue, at least giving my friend a couple props.

"So no other feelings?" Ash asks, clarifying with her hands held out.

"Never," Nate declares. "No feelings other than the coolest fucking friendship in existence."

Aw, that's cute. I poke out my bottom lip and turn to him. "That's so sweet, Nate." He sends me a genuine smile that almost makes me feel bad about my next words. "But your mom's still cooler than you."

Nate groans, shoving a hand into my face. "The both of you probably beat me up together in your dreams. I don't know what the hell she see's in your evil ass."

I laugh heartily, catching Sal standing up in my peripheral. My attention leaves Nate who starts talking about the many times I was present for his chancla chucking mama's outbursts. Sal walks into my hallway-- most likely heading for the bathroom.

And you know what, I have things to confront him about right now. For one, I need to know how things are going to progress after Nate finding out about us and I can't necessarily wait to find out.

So I wait for a minute before getting up with an excuse about needing something in my room. Then, I wait in front of my bedroom door-- right across from the bathroom.

When Sal opens the door and shuts the light off, his head instantly snaps up to meet my neutral expression. He glances toward the sounds of our friends conversing from my living room then looks back to me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I hiss quietly, gesturing toward the hallway with a hand.

Sal takes leisurely steps toward me. "I should be asking you that," he challenges, voice low and words clipped. He's certainly not happy.

"I think I have a good reason to ask first," I counter, crossing my arms over my chest. "Nate knows about us, so what do we do?"

Sal doesn't answer right away, not until the toes of his shoes tap against mine. I suck in a breath and hold it when his prosthetic nose bumps my mask's. His nonchalant response is, "We fuck."

I swallow against the monsoon of butterflies that suddenly start flapping around my insides. We must stay focused, brothers.

"That's not--" I try to start, but cut myself off. I don't know what to say.

"That's not what?" Sal asks, stooping a bit lower and twisting the knob of my bedroom door. I stagger backward when the door gives.

My heart begins to race, pounding away at the fortress of ribs in my chest as Sal backs me into my room, softly shutting my door behind him. He follows me, cornering me against a wall. I can't even look at him, not when my face is flaming hot and my body is having these ridiculous reactions. I can't even confront him without freezing up now. His anger, his dominance, the upper hand he always has. Something about it is just so enthralling.

"Answer me," He says, voice a bit louder this time. "That's not what?"

"That's not a good excuse," I say quietly, taking a step to the side to move around him. But my attempt at an escape is met with a hand gently wrapping around my throat.

I swallow against his hold, imagining he can feel the action across each of his fingers. He watches me curiously as if that's exactly what's going through his head.

"It's not an excuse," he repeats my claim, tilting his head a bit to look me in the eye. "Was your story about fucking your friend an excuse, then?"

I open my mouth to say something, but shut it. I shouldn't have let Nate tell the story. It had the desired effect-- Sal is clearly feeling some kind of way about it, but I feel like it definitely wasn't necessary. What was the point?

"Are you going to fuck him again?" Sal asks, dropping every hint of emotion to portray how serious he is about the topic.

"No," I rush to say, tripping over the word. I catch my breath that won't stop running from me. "It was once. I was... I was being honest when I said he was a lousy lay. We were seventeen." I mentally apologize to Nate, knowing he wouldn't care either way because I doubt I was any good at sex either.

I haven't talked with Sal in a while. Not one-on-one. Not since right before we left Nockfell, which was nearly a week ago at this point. Everything else has been the two of us sneaking glances and scooting past with a quick 'Excuse me.' Was I so desperate to get his attention that I had to make him upset to do it? I could have just texted him on Discord or something.

Sal's quiet, letting me think about the consequences of my actions, I'm sure. But the longer he doesn't speak, the more I notice the aggression in his eyes lessens.

His thumb slowly begins to rub along my pulse point, feeling my erratic heart race the same way he did the first time he ever gripped my throat. The skin on his finger is rough, calloused. Guitar playing hands and all. The repercussions of art scratching along such a sensitive part of me.

He taps against a spot on the side of my neck, his gaze snapping to the area he's focused on. "I want to bite you right here," he murmurs quietly.

I guess he's been craving me too.

"So do it," I whisper, drunkenly taking in the way his eyes suddenly meet mine again. I don't need alcohol when Sal's around. He's proven to be more than enough intoxication.

"I can't," he replies lowly, a slight rasp to his voice. "If I do that, I'll fuck you."

I bite down on my bottom lip and think about my poor friends who are waiting for us to return. I also think about how much I've worried for Sal and how badly I've wanted to be near him all week. I can just tell them I dragged him over here to help me look for what I needed, right?

"So do it," I repeat myself, giving him the go ahead.

Sal closes his eyes for a few seconds, probably weighing his options like I just did. It seems that lust wins his internal battle though because within the next second, he leans toward me, buries his prosthetic face into the side of my neck.

I turn my head toward him, shutting my eyes when the scent of his hair envelops me whole. His azure hair, silky against my cheek, moves with him as he trails his nose lightly along the length of my throat.

"I've wanted to taste you all week," he admits quietly, the words a breathy whisper that I can hardly hear due to his prosthetic.

I try my hardest to suppress a shiver, but I can't help but clutch his hair in my hand, tugging at the long strands.

Sal hums, releasing my throat from his grip to hold me to him by the nape of my neck instead. His other hand ghosts up my body, softly trailing up my side and across my breasts all the way over to where he hides against me.

He pulls away from me just a bit, pulling his prosthetic over his head before returning to his place against my neck. I can't help but hold my breath as his scarred lips skim along my throat, leaving the smallest of kisses only when he feels the need.

I pinch my lips together and tug on his hair again when he drags on the slight touching for far too long. He chuckles quietly before finally obliging me, digging his crooked teeth into the spot he so desperately wanted to bite earlier.

I yelp, melting against him just as he pulls me closer to him with a hand on my waist. He slaps the other hand over my mouth to shut me up and I blink at the action, just a little miffed up until he licks the abused skin to soothe it.

He sucks the flesh on my neck into his mouth, leaving marks in a horrendously obvious spot that I know I'll regret later but... I don't regret it now. I can't even find it in me to care about having to hide the dark red marks he'll leave on me.

Sal continues mapping out his artwork along my skin, holding me hostage against his body. His leg finds its way between mine and he lifts his knee, creating friction against my clothed clit. I moan against his hand, making him press harder against my mouth. I grab at the hem of his shirt, squeezing the fabric in my fist as my other hand buries itself further into his hair.

I feel faint, not because of a lack of air, but because of a lack of him.

Sal moves his way up my neck kissing along my jaw before pausing in front of me, his marred nose brushing along mine. His lips are parted and swollen, the tips of his canines peeking past his top lip. And his gaze tethered to the hand that covers my mouth. I watch him, crumbling a bit as he pushes his knee into me again.

He smiles a bit, showing of a hint of that dimple that could bring me to my knees faster than anyone or anything else.

I gently bite down on his finger, causing him to slowly pull his hand away from me. I gasp for breath when his hand finally moves, running my tongue along my bottom lip. Sal's eyes track the movement and I watch his Adam's apple bob as he swallows.

His knee drops and he pulls me just a fraction of a centimeter closer to him by the back of my neck.

Something about the way his gaze doesn't leave my lips makes me freeze up.

No. No.

"Twitterpated." The word leaves my lips before I can even realize I thought of it.

Sal's hands are off of me the exact moment I formed the first syllable and he takes a baby step away. I warily watch the way his eyes widen, like he's surprised himself. And he's still close, just a hairsbreadth or two away, but he has room to regain some clarity.

I'm about to apologize when a knock sounds on my door, followed by, "Ducks? Can I come in?"

I gasp, my knees going weak for a moment-- and this time it's not because of Sal.

Unceremoniously and without reason, I shove Sal away from me. He stumbles backward, catching himself with a hand on my bed and an offended grunt.

I reach a hand toward him to offer help that's far too late, my eyes wide as I cringe at the sheer audacity that this situation has slapped me with. But remembering that my dad is literally outside the door, I motion to Sal's prosthetic that's limply hanging from his left hand.

"Put it on!" I whisper harshly.

Sal realizes I'm saving him, saying his thanks through wide eye contact alone as he buckles the prosthetic to his face again.

"Um," I say, loud enough for my dad as I glance around my room. I spot an Amazon box and chuck it at Sal, managing to smack him in the prosthetic he just finished placing onto his face.

He throws his hands up and narrows his eyes at me while I mutter an embarrassed, "Fuck!" To my surprise, Sal chuckles.

I take a breath and sit down in front of my computer, ripping the drawer on my desk open to look like I was rifling in it. "Yea, dad," I call and I watch Sal's body go rigid in my peripheral. "You can come in."

I glance back at Sal who frantically unfolds the flaps on the boxes, practically burying his head into it. I can't help but laugh at the visual.

My dad cracks the door open, peeking in with a hand over his eyes so he doesn't see anything unsightly. "Sorry, just wanted to check in. I'm stopping by to grab my laptop and, apparently, Raising Canes. Then I'm heading to the airport." He gives me a reassuring, gentle smile.

I stand up, ditching my prop excuse and walking over to hug my dad. "No problem, we were just..." I look back at Sal who's finally poked his head out of the box. "Looking for Nate's screw driver," I continue, turning back to my dad.

My father, Bruce, bacon king himself, slackens his expression to tell me he's not buying it and I feel like I'm going to throw up.

I rub a hand over my forehead before gesturing to Sal. "This is Sal," I tell my dad, "Sal, this is my dad."

"Good evening, sir. Nice to meet you," Sal says politely and it takes everything in me not to snap my neck on my way to look at him incredulously. Where the hell did these manners come from?

My dad smiles at Sal, waving to him. "Nice to meet you too, son."

Then he leans toward me, his grey eyes beyond amused as he says, quiet enough so Sal doesn't hear, "You have a hickey the size of Australia on the side of your neck, sweetheart."

Oh my God.

I loose a pained breath, slapping a hand over the side of my neck that Sal had attacked just moments ago.

"Other side, honey," Dad says and I think I'm seriously going to faint while I slap my other hand to the opposite side of my neck-- just in time for him to cackle and continue with, "Just fucking with you. You were right the first time."

I watch my dad with wide eyes, fumbling around my brain for words. All I manage to come up with is, "Is blood really thicker than water, Bruce?"

My dad chuckles lightheartedly, clapping a hand onto my shoulder as an apology and squeezing gently. "I'll leave you be, Ducks. I'm going grab my things-- I'll check back in a bit to say goodbye."

And then he shuts the door again. That bastard, I hate how much I love him.

I turn back to Sal with a troubled sigh, but I feel a bit revitalized when I see the mortified look in his eyes.

"Oh my God," Sal voices my thoughts and I laugh lightly, walking over to take the random Amazon box from him.

"Don't worry, he isn't crazy," I try to reassure Sal as I drop the box into the corner behind my desk. "Can't say the same for when he heard about me and Nate though."

"If you were seventeen, I can just about imagine," Sal murmurs more to himself than to me. "Sorry. About your neck." He says a bit louder this time, but remorse taints his tone. "About all of it."

His tone and words tug at my heartstrings. "Don't worry about it," I tell him, making my voice a little gentler than normal. "I was..." I pause, thinking of how to word my reaction properly. "Scared."

Sal snorts. "Me too. I didn't mean for it to look the way it did, I was just fascinated."

"When are you not?" I quip, closing the drawer to my desk.

"I thought we were being nicer to each other," Sal counters my statement with one that bites. I turn my head over my shoulder, noting the fire in his eyes. He's hungry for a fight.

"Since when?" I turn to him, leaning back against my desk with a minuscule, barely there smile on my lips. "I thought our arrangement was sex, not friends."

Sal tilts his head a bit. "We're not friends?"

I straighten, blinking at him as embarrassment flares within me again. A tremor of flutters makes my heart skip a beat at the same time and my mind goes completely blank.

"I--I mean--" I rush to say, swallowing past the stutter. "Yea, we're friends. I guess. If you want. I don't--"

Sal laughs. He closes his eyes as the lovely sound echoes around my room. Then he stands and saunters to my door, quick to make his exit.

He turns the knob, back to the door as he says his parting words. "You don't stand a single chance, y/n."

No, I really don't.

I sigh, grabbing concealer and foundation to dab onto the pretty mark on my neck, making sure it's covered as much as possible before I follow after Sal.

When I get through the hallway and resurface in my living room, I find my dad standing right outside my friend's little circle on the floor. He turns to me when I walk in, his dad radar making him look directly at my neck. When he finishes his visual examination, he throws me a thumbs up. I roll my eyes, trying to ignore the shame coursing through me.

"Hey, Ducky-Duck," Ash chirps from the floor. "The guys and I are about to head out. Are you coming tonight?"

I smile at my dear friend. "I think I'm going to stay here tonight, hang out with Nate before I move out for good."

Ash nods her understanding, bright smile still lighting up her entire face. "Sounds good! We'll start bringing your things over tomorrow, right?"

I nod back to her, "Yep, I'll be up bright and early."

"Cool," she says, looking over to Nate who watches the exchange. "And you're always welcome at our apartment too. Just so you know." Her smile widens a bit.

Some part of me thinks they're going to end up hooking up somewhere in the future.

I watch the moment Sal realizes he has nothing to worry about. Nate smiles wickedly at Ash, all but confirming that we can expect that to be a thing at some point.

I hug my friends and my dad goodbye, watching as they file out of the apartment. When I return to my living room, Nate's sitting on my couch with a joint between his fingers.

I fight the laugh that bubbles up my throat, especially when he glances up at me with raised eyebrows, asking an unspoken question.

"Let's go to the balcony. Dad would kill me if I burned his couch," I say, grabbing Nate's arm and pulling him up to drag him outside.

We keep the doors open, sitting beneath the clear night sky while passing the joint between the both of us. Smoke materializes in the air through various, white puffs that dissipate as they climb higher and higher.

It's quiet for a bit-- well, as quiet as city nightlife can be. Muted laughter, music, and car honks echo off the wall of my apartment. Makes my nights a little less lonely.

"You gonna tell me what all that was about?" Nate breaks our silence, taking a hit from the joint before moving it toward me.

I take it between my index and thumb and examine it. "We've been..." I pinch my lips together as I ponder the situation I've gotten myself in. I take my own hit before passing it back to Nate. I blow the smoke into the open air before continuing my explanation. "We've been fucking around for... jeez, like, two months now."

"Two months!?" Nate repeats, flabbergasted as he holds the butt of our shared joint between his index and middle fingers. "That long?"

I chew on the inside of my cheek. "Yea, it's been a while. It started online, shockingly."

"Damn." Nate releases an audible breath, dark eyes glancing between my own. "Phone sex?" He quirks an eyebrow.

I grin. "Yea."

He fist pumps the air, giggling to himself. "So, does anyone else know? You seemed a little apprehensive about me saying anything."

I shake my head. "The rest of our friends would tell us to call it off if they found out, which is why we haven't said anything-- or, well, that's what I think they'd do. No one else knows. Just you-- and my fucking dad now." I rub a hand down my face at the reminder, whimpering at the sheer fact that my dad knows that something is going on between Sal and I.

Nate chokes on a cackle, leaning forward in his chair to launch into a coughing fit. I watch, pretending to be unimpressed even as a little smile works onto my face. I guess it's a little funny. What are the odds, right?

"Your dad? That shit's priceless," Nate sighs, catching his breath. "Why not try a relationship?"

"God, no," I shoot the words out immediately. I don't even want to think about it. "He and I have an arrangement. It's just sex. Neither of us have hinted at anything else. And besides, I don't want a relationship." My voice grows quieter toward the end.

Nate's expression is filled with pity. "Y/n, I know your last relationship wasn't great. Hell, we relived that bullshit tonight with the story." He laughs lightly at the reminder of everyone's shocked reactions to him and I hooking up in high school. "But don't let that stop you from pursuing anything new. Sally Face seems to be pretty into you," he continues gently.

I snort, looking away. "It's just basic attraction. I think he has his own shit to work through and I do too."

"You're throwing excuses at the wrong fucking person," Nate says knowingly. "I saw you stealing glances every two minutes."

I turn my head to him, glaring. I throw a quick, discreet punch at his arm and don't feel bad about it when he hisses in pain.

But I have to think about what he said too. Sal and I had a rather frantic run-in with each other tonight-- one that ended just as frantic as it began. I used our safe word for the first and probably the only time ever. Part of me feels guilty about it, but another part remembers that I was justified. Sal has always been understanding. He wasn't mad, backed off as soon as I let him know.

I let the thoughts marinate for a few moments before expressing them to Nate.

"I think he tried to kiss me tonight," I admit quietly, cracking my knuckles as I watch the stars light up the sky. My cheeks grow pink as I voice the idea, afraid that it'll somehow prove to be true.

I catch Nate's head turning toward me in my peripheral. "And how do you feel about that?"

I laugh humorlessly. "Not great considering I used our safe word."

Nate sits up a little straighter, still looking at me. "Oh, damn. That bad?"

I nod, tilting my head down with a mixture of shame and fear. I don't know how to feel about it because a small part of me wants it, but the rest of me is terrified.

Nate takes a deep breath. "If it's what you said, a sex arrangement, then you have nothing to worry about. It's surface level, right? So what's wrong with a kiss? I'm honestly pretty shocked you haven't kissed at this point. Most people do, especially for hookups."

He has a point.

"I know," I tell him honestly. "When things started, the prosthetic was still a barrier. He's... he's started taking it off around me though. So we've been able to do... more."

"If he's taking the prosthetic off, then he trusts you. So why don't you trust him?"

Nate's question hits me a little deeper than intended. I gulp over the words, organizing them in my head and thinking hard about it. I do trust Sal. He hasn't led me astray, he's been kinder lately, he's always done exactly as I asked. If I express my worries about kissing, I don't have a single doubt in my mind that he'd take it seriously and accommodate me as best as possible. I just have to work up the courage to let it happen.

The next issue though...

"He played it off though," I sigh, shifting in my seat to face Nate. "He apologized, said it wasn't what it seemed like and that he was just fascinated. But, the way he was looking at me... I don't think he was telling the truth."

I peek at Nate through my lashes, noting his concerned, serious expression. "I think that your fear of it scared him. Maybe he didn't want you to call things off over that, so he didn't tell you the complete truth."

I tilt my head, considering. I've done the same exact thing with Sal-- fibbed and left out information to ensure that we'd continue our arrangement. It makes sense, as sad as it is.

"Are you sure you don't have any feelings for him, y/n?" Nate asks, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

I open my mouth to spit out a very loud 'no,' but I stop and think about it. Damn Nathaniel for making me actually think about things tonight.

Everything that made me hate Sal in the beginning is practically nonexistent now. All the anger, the pain, the fights. Sure, we still bicker here and there, but it's for fun now. It's never serious, never deep. It's a lot like Nate and I's friendly banter. Besides that, Sal has been excellent in pretty much every box on the check list.

So, do I like him?

"I mean," I whisper. "I definitely have a crush." I admit, albeit with a bit of force considering it's the last thing I want to admit.

"Well, duh. He's got a crush on you, too. Why else would you guys be fucking?" Nate sighs dramatically, flicking his wrist with a prideful flair I haven't seen from him in a very long time. I think he had fun tonight. The thought makes me smile.

I shrug in response even though the thought of Sal crushing on me does make me feel a bit gooey on the inside.

Wait, gooey?

I groan, slapping my hands over my face and grumbling a muffled, "Fuck."

Nate guffaws, his chair creaking as he sits up quickly. He shoves my arm. "You do like him!"

I shove his arm back, swallowing back tears of surprise, fear, and regret. The audacity of my own emotions. "If I do like him," I start, leveling a glare at Nate which makes him sober up quickly. "It's not enough. Nowhere near. And besides, he's still a shitbag." I don't mean those words as much as I used to.

"That's true," Nate mumbles to himself. "You two have a little feud online, don't you?" His brows furrow and he looks down at the small space between us. "Oh, wait." He snaps his head up to me. "What about that other guy? What was his name..."

"Oh, shit," I whisper, covering my mouth with my hand. I've been so blinded by Sal that I forgot about him. "North."

"Yea! That's it," Nate points at me, eyebrows raising now. "People online are saying you're dating."

I shake my head. "No, I've only met him a handful of times. Spoken even less. I think he's definitely got the hots for me," I snicker at the idea. "It's nothing like what's going on with Sal and I though."

"Doesn't seem like that online," he murmurs, brows raised suggestively. I scoff in retaliation, rolling my eyes at him. But then he narrows his gaze in my direction, scrutinizing me from the minute distance between us.

I watch with bated breath, waiting for whatever's brewing in his head to leave his mouth.

"Why the hell are you still wearing your mask? In fact, why are you wearing a mask at all?"

The reminder washes over me like a bucket of ice water. I suck in a quick breath, hold it as humiliation alters my expression. Nate takes my reaction seriously, sobering up the friendly banter we had going on for a bit.

"You're... going to get a kick out of this one," I whisper, chewing on my lips. At this point, the situations I've stuck myself in are becoming ironically hilarious. Who does this to themselves?

Nate's face drops as he seems to catch the hint that I buried myself in something stupid again. "What did you do."

Statement, not a question.

I suck on my teeth, averting my gaze to avoid seeing the dumbfounded look of pity and awe that'll take over his handsome face the moment I spit it out.

"I met him once. Before I ever talked to him online. He was at the diner-- he hated me. I... I panicked. So beneath the mask, my face is a girl named Lexi to him. She has no relation to myself or Vi." I spit the words out quickly, frantically, so much so that I worry he may not have been able to catch all of it.

I scrunch my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose as my body grows warm. Saying it out loud feels so much worse than thinking it.

Why am I doing this to him? Isn't this just... insanely cruel? To look Sal in the eyes and play with his head. To know he thinks I'm two different people and never say a word about it.

I mean, at least he doesn't think I'm three people anymore. And besides, he took my reveal as y/n well, right? So maybe the same would go for Lexi's reveal.

"You're such a dumb fuck." Nate shakes his head, flabbergasted. "What are you going to do about that?"

Tongue in cheek, I ask myself the same question. What do I do? Hope for the best, that he just somehow never finds out or grows curious? Wait until he gets tired of me?

I blink around the frustration and fear that starts to rip at my insides. "I really don't know."

Nate hums, pursing his lips. "Well," he says, voice much lower now. "Seems like you have a lot to think about, huh?"

"When I'm not high? Yea. Definitely." I laugh lightly as Nate sends me a reassuring, friendly smile before turning to watch the sky. I mimic him, gazing at the cloudless night.

Every once in a while, I find that the color of some of the stars matches Sal's eyes perfectly. I wonder if he'd think the same.

-------

A/N::::::::::::::: happy 100k everyone!! to ALL my readers, i want to start by expressing my immense gratitude. I just know that 14 year old ryver has tears streaming down her face knowing that we got here. never in my life did i think this would actually happen to me, but even more than that, i never expected to make such wonderful friends in all of you along the way. 100,000 views on a piece of work i created feels absolutely impossible, but i would not be here without all of you. through this process, you've all been so kind, helpful, loving, and wonderful. the right words to explain how much i love you do not exist. this feeling is incomparable to any other and not a single concept on this earth could possibly capture it's essence completely. THANK YOU! from the bottom of my little heart, thank you so much. i love you all with every fucking bit of me. we're all little fish floating down a lone river in appalachia-- we're all together in some universe or another and i wouldn't have it any other way <3

all week, i've been thinking hard about this chapter and how much i've wanted to give you guys a good one to celebrate! when it started i was like :/ don't like itttt. BUT i had a couple drinks (DO NOT RECOMMEND-- DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL FOOLS) and managed to pump out about 5,000 more words in one night! 5,000 that were completely unplanned, but ended up working out really well. i fell IN LOVE with nate and y/n's little interaction at the end :3

as of right now, it's 1:49am on wednesday, june 12th. we sit at 99.5k and i've been tweaking all day to come home and finish this chapter for you guys. i'm counting down the minutes, counting down the views left to go and listening to twenty one pilots. i feel like i'm living the life i've always wanted and it's all thanks to you. thank you for everything, my loves. i love you all with my entire heart and soul! have a wonderful morning, day, evening, night! until next time <3

p.s. you won't have to wait longer cuz GUESS WHO'S FINISHING A SAL LORE CHAPTER TO CELEBRATE TOO WOOOOOOOO!!!!

p.s.s. My little brother made a Sally Face mask (he's super duper talented) and let me borrow it for pics with my 100k cake. It's currently on Instagram (which is ryverbind)

[creepling]

hi! happy 1k <3 may i request a piece with johnny x single mom reader + the prompt “will you stay?” “of course, i’m not planning on leaving anytime soon.”? i thought it’d be interesting if reader was formerly captured by the sawyer family, while she was on vacation with friends, but johnny relented and decided to let her go because of how badly she begged for her life & at the time her baby was only 2 months old, which she told him. so johnny being johnny as well, he was able to track her down a month later — at first just to check up on her, but he decided he wanted to help her raise her kid & kind of switch up his life since the baby’s father is (willingly) out of the picture. also reader is a young mom (early 20s), around the same age that johnny is, he’s just a lil older. they’re still warming up to each other/developing their relationship but to the reader’s surprise, johnny’s really good with kids & has done a lot to help reader out to give her a break? AAAA THIS IS A LOT OF INFO IM SORRY but i hope it makes sense & that you have fun with making something out of this <333

AAAA ok no but i love this, idk it makes sense for the sawyers to spare a victim if they have a kid?? the whole "family" motto would get to them lol. i love all your info but i apologise if i've missed out on anything. i've made this drabble more like a time passing sort of thing so i could include everything.

tags: angst. single-mum!reader. reformed!johnny. kid is gn (use of they/it). descriptions of trauma. johnny feels a lot of guilt. mild blood ment.

“Drop the god-damn knife, Johnny. She’s got a kid for crying out loud!” Drayton barked.

Johnny’s adrenaline shot through his body, tensing his muscles and trembling his hands. “Is that true?” He growled, eyes shot out at your petrified stare.

You pulled a Polaroid picture out of your pocket, your bloody hands staining the corners. You beheld it to Johnny, trying to steady your shakes. Johnny gazed at the picture, the newborn clouded in white, its eyes closed in a peaceful sleep.

“My baby . . . My baby. I need to go home to my baby,” You sob, begging on your knees, hysterics maddening all parts of your manner.

Johnny’s knife dropped to the floor, and he thought about every bad thing he had done. There was no coming back from this.

It had been a month of silence. A month of sleepless nights and looking over your shoulder. Breastfeeding became agonising. Your baby’s cries sent you into uncontrollable alertness. Your hair was brittle and your skin shallow, the stress shivering through your body like a ghost entering your soul.

The letters came around that time. Off-white envelopes with a few dollars in cash. All that was left was a note,

For the Baby, I’m sorry.

Meeting him again after the kidnapping was an anxiety-driven step, bouncing your baby on your lap as you waited in the diner booth. You convinced yourself you lost your mind, wanting to rekindle with your kidnapper. But you hadn’t heard from anyone since the birth; the baby daddy became non-existent. Your family refuse to return your calls. The only person willing to help you was Johnny.

He was silent across from you for a while. The only words he uttered were to order from the menu. He shovelled down an apple pie while you bottle-fed your child, lulling them to their afternoon nap.

“Why are you helping me?” You remember asking. Visioning Johnny’s deep gaze, his subtle glances at your first-born, a tinge of sadness glazing his eyes.

He said he owed you too much. Your baby deserved to grow up with a male figure in its life, and you deserved someone to protect you. The sight of your youthful features withering away from stress, the permanent damage he inflicted on you, ached your eyes and down-turned your smile. It kept him up at night thinking about you, struggling with the fussing cries and flashes of his brute force. He wanted to step up. He was ready for redemption.

He drove you back home, watching over his new companions with careful eyes. His arm outstretched as he turned the wheel, hoping not to disturb the baby’s slumber. The rascal woke up eventually, full of energy the minute you invited him inside. “Would you like to hold them?” You asked, unable to ignore his loving stares.

He felt like crying, holding something so precious. Knowing he nearly orphaned this child, ridding it of a beautiful mother. He swore to protect the kid, holding its gentle head and leaning it into his chest. His gentleness surprised you, the warmth filling your smile for the first time in months.

Johnny never left the house. He hadn’t seen his family in months and had no plans on returning. Your little one was proliferating, and Johnny got used to using his strength to pry the ankle biter from dangerous objects. He ditched the knives and retired into swinging the kid until they were out of breath from laughter. He stepped up, got a job, and brought money in to keep you secure.

He was a different man, and he changed you as a mother. He repented for his sins. He begged for forgiveness with every stare your way, with every gentle touch. You finally forgave him, praying that his presence is destined to be everlasting.

“Will you stay?” He held you in his arms as you choked up, clinging to his body. 

“I’m not plannin’ on leavin’ anytime soon.” Johnny kissed the top of your head, his arms around you. Your loving touch soothing the aching heart he’s adorned for decades.

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 351.brb x oc

THIS CHAPTER IS 18+ IF YOU ARE A MINOR PLS DO NOT INTERACT!!!

a/n: :,) i just love them sm (comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: rooster. also LOVE MAKING WOOO

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

/316/317/318/319/320/321/322/323/324/325/326/327/328/329/330/331/332/333/334/335/336/337/338/339/340/341/342/343/344/345/346/347/348/349/350

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-

She hasn’t stopped smiling ever since they left her parents’ house. They got home at night time,  literally spent a whole day there, laughing, enjoying food, napping a bit because she was tired…and now she watched her husband from the door frame, watched as the white tee stretched on his shoulders a bit as he pours them some wine, “Wine,LC?” she asks, “This late?”

Rooster looked up from the wine bottle he was holding, a"Why not? A little late-night wine never hurt anyone. Plus, it feels like a perfect way to cap off such a wonderful day."

Beatrice smiled, her heart swelling with contentment. She walked over to him, feet bare"You know what, you're right. A toast to a perfect day."

He handed her a glass, their fingers brushing in a gentle exchange. The clink of the glasses filled the air as they made a silent toast, savoring the rich aroma of the red wine.

"To family, love, and the unexpected joys of life," Rooster declared, his eyes locked with Beatrice's.

"Cheers to that," she replied, taking a sip. The wine was velvety on her tongue, a perfect complement to the tranquil evening. They moved to the living room, settling on the couch with glasses in hand.

Beatrice curled up on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her. Rooster joined her, an arm casually draped over the backrest as he savored his wine.

"So," Rooster began, a smirk on his lips, "what's got you grinning like the Cheshire Cat all day?"

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Rooster raised an eyebrow, "Come on, gorgeous. You've been smiling from ear to ear since we left your parents' house. Spill the beans. What's making you so happy?"

Beatrice chuckled, unable to suppress her joy. "Okay, okay, I'll spill. It's just… she sighs, happily “ being with everyone today, with my family, with you—it made me realize how incredibly fortunate and happy I am. I have this amazing family, a wonderful husband, and a life that feels like a dream sometimes."

Rooster's expression softened as he listened to her words. "You deserve all the happiness in the world, gorgeous. I'm just glad to be a part of it."

She leaned into him, her head finding its familiar spot on his shoulder. "You are a huge part of it, Roos. I couldn't ask for a better partner in this crazy journey."

He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head.smiling against the brown tresses. "I feel the same way. Every day with you is a gift." he sighs, the lavender in her hair entering his nostril and he felt at peace, “...also, your mom forgot I got the promotion,huh.”

“She did.”

“Yeah…she screamed so loud I think it woke the dogs.” he hums,  “And she cried a lot.”

Beatrice chuckled at the thought, hugging his arm with the one that wasn’t holding the glass. "Well, she's always been the emotional type. I'm pretty sure the entire neighborhood knows about your promotion now."

Rooster grinned, "Should I expect a neighborhood-wide celebration or just a congratulatory cake from your mom?"

"Knowing her, it could be both," Beatrice replied, laughing. "But seriously, Roos, I'm so proud of you. You've worked hard, and you absolutely deserve this promotion."

His smile widened at her words. "Thanks, baby. It means a lot to hear that from you. And your family's reaction...I wasn't expecting that level of excitement."

"It's not every day they have a son-in-law climbing up the military ladder," Beatrice teased, nudging him playfully. “Besides,you know how they are, of course they’d be over the top,Roos.”

Rooster chuckled, his eyes reflecting a mix of amusement and gratitude. "Well, I'm honored to be the cause of such excitement. Your family has always been incredibly supportive, and I couldn't be more grateful for that."

Beatrice nestled closer to Rooster, her hand tracing absent-minded patterns on his chest. "You know they love you just as much as I do.” she whispers, inhaling his cologne and then looking up when he got quiet, ‘...Roos?”

He tried,feebly so, to hide his tears, wiping them with his fingers, “I’m fine,gorgeous.”

Beatrice, concern etching her features, propped herself up on an elbow to look at Rooster. "Hey, what's going on?" She reached out to gently wipe away a stray tear on his cheek.

Rooster took a deep breath, managing a shaky smile. "Sorry, it just hit me. The combination of the promotion, your family's reaction, and... I don't know, I guess it's a lot of emotions all at once."

She scooted even closer, her fingers lightly tracing soothing patterns on his arm. "It's okay, Roos. Emotions are a part of life, and there's no need to apologize for feeling them."

He nodded, taking a moment to collect himself. "I just... I never imagined I'd be here, surrounded by such love and support. It's overwhelming, in the best possible way." he frowns, sniffling again and groaning with annoyance, “With everything that went down I–”

Beatrice smiled tenderly, her gaze filled with understanding. "You've come a long way, Roos, and you've earned every bit of this. Your hard work, dedication, and the love you've given and received—it's all you.”

He sighed, letting the weight of her words sink in. "Sometimes, it just feels surreal, you know? Like I'm afraid I'll wake up, and it'll all be a dream."

"Well, I can assure you, it's very much real," she said, her voice gentle, because boy oh boy,does she know what he means. "You're not dreaming, I promise you"

Rooster's eyes locked onto hers,brown irises moving all over her face. "I love you, Beatrice. More than words can express."

Her heart swelled with affection. "And I love you, Roos. More than words can express.” she smiles, cupping his cheek, “I worry about you, handsome.” he laughs softly, wiping his eyes again and Beatrice took that moment to set her glass aside and slowly climb on his lap,  sitting atop of his thighs with her arms on his neck, “I truly do.”

He stops sniffling for a few seconds, then drops his hands on her hips - glass of wine immediately forgotten - when he feels her warmth on his jeans, “I know…I’m okay gorgeous.” he smiles, rubbing her chin with his thumb and leaning back on the couch, “...I like this view.”

Beatrice chuckled, a warm, melodious sound that echoed in the quiet living room. She shifted slightly on his lap, finding a comfortable position, and leaned in, her lips hovering near his ear. "Well, if you like this view, maybe we should make it a regular occurrence."

Rooster grinned, and the hands on her hips tightened their hold "I wouldn't mind that at all. It's the best seat in the house."

She planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "And the best company, too."Beatrice, still perched on Rooster's lap, traced the contours of his face with her fingertips, savoring the closeness. “It is a great view.”

“Trying to make me4 blush?”

“Is it working?”

His eyes squinted a bit, the dimples on his cheeks becoming prominent as he smiles. “...maybe.” he slides the hands from her hips to her thighs, feeling where the fabric ended and skin began, “A little yes.”

Beatrice's fingers continued their delicate exploration of Rooster's face, tracing the contours of his strong jawline and lingering on the scruff that adorned it. Rooster, in turn, relished the sensation, his eyes locked onto hers "I could get used to this," Rooster admitted, his voice a soft murmur. "Just you and me, enjoying the quiet moments."

“Well,it’s been a while since we had the time to sit down and…relax.”

Rooster nodded, his hands gently caressing her thighs as he reveled in the proximity. "Agreed. Life gets so busy, “she feels his fingers going tap, tap,tap, on her skin, drawing shapes as he speaks, “...and I missed you so much.”

"I missed you too, Roos," she confessed, her voice a tender murmur. "Life does get crazy, but moments like these make everything worthwhile."

Rooster's fingers continued their rhythmic dance on her thighs, "Hmmm…” and his eyes drop down from her lips, to her neck and then to her chest, seeing it rise and fall as she breathed in and out, “...yeah…yeah true.”

“You are not even paying attention,Roos.”

Rooster's gaze snapped back to her eyes. "Guilty as charged. But who can blame me when there's such a beautiful distraction sitting on my lap?"

"Flatterer. You always know how to turn a situation around."

He grinned, his hands now settling on her hips again, providing a comforting warmth. "Well, when you have the most beautiful distraction in the room, it's hard not to get a bit distracted." he smirks, leaning closer, “And I love turning you around too.” his hands slide down to her ass where he cupped both cheeks with gusto, groaning when his palms were filled by her flesh, “Fuck,”

She gasps softly, watching as he dropped his face on her chest and she had to admit…she missed him too and sitting on his lap was already doing things inside of her. She did use a dildo, but once you have someone - once you have a Rooster - she could orgasm but it wasn’t the same.

She feels his teeth gently scraping the upper side of her left breast and his tongue following the cleavage before he moves his lips up,kissing where her neck met her shoulder with a happy hum, “You still taste really good…”

Beatrice’s eyelids dropped a little and she tried to hear if the dogs were coming over or if the baby monitor squeaked with activity, but she heard only silence. Her shoulders dropped in relief just in time for her husband’s large hands slide under her shirt until he reached her bra strap, tongue still trailing up and down her neck, “Roos…”

“Yeah?”

“We better go to the bedroom–” she squeaks in surprise because he immediately picked her up, bouncing her body in his hold to keep her steady as he walks to the staircase, all the while kissing her neck, sucking the skin enough for a red hickey to bloom on her skin.

Beatrice gasps his name, her nails gently scratching his nape as he tried, quietly, to go to their bedroom without waking anyone. She couldn’t remember the last time they had sex, which was a god damn mistake since there was no way she’d forget him.

They got inside the room and Rooster blindly locked the door, his saliva glistening her neck and chest before he sets her down, only to slam their lips together. The absence, from both sides was finally hitting, and hitting hard.

Bea moans into his mouth, feeling his hands cup her cotton shorts and then pull on the elastic, “Take ‘em off.” he breathes against her lips, pressing hot kisses on her skin, “Get all nice and naked for me,gorgeous.”

And he’s looking at her so hungrily she only nods and smiles, backing towards the bed while keeping her eyes on him. She wished she could remove her clothes and remain gazing at her husband’s body, because that man was carved out of marble. He is naked within seconds saved for his dark briefs that now were just a bit tented, “...how long were you–”

“Ever since we started drinking.” he replies, chest heaving, “...c’mere.” he doesn’t give her enough time to react because he kisses her again, his hands sliding under her cotton shorts to slide them down her thighs.

She moans into his mouth as he grabs her ass again, digging his digits into her ass cheeks and leaning back just enough to slap it. The sudden crack echoed all around the room and Rooster swallows her surprised moan, his hand moving to her front. Beatrice gasps into his mouth as his fingers slide inside of her by just pulling her panties’ crotch to the side.

He’s so very pleased when his fingers immediately feel the moistness inside. “You are already so wet for me.” he coos, kissing his way over her ear, mustache scratching her skin as she leans into him, breasts squished against his chest as she feels his calloused digits moving in and out of her.

He can feel the dribble sliding down his hand and he bites his lower lip, because he missed this so very much. And normally, he’d be all up for foreplay but– “Roos,please,” she gasps, hips moving against his hand, “Please,I just need you…r-right now.”

Oh.

Well.

Who was he to deny her?

He has to breathe in to calm himself down, slowly pulling his fingers out - the gentle squelching wasn’t missed by either of them - and licking them clean, he just watches with lust heavy eyes as she smiles - god he loved her smile - and gives her back to him to remove her bra.

“I don’t know why i’m so nervous.”

He flicks his eyes back up at her, seeing how she suddenly hugged herself. Oh that wouldn’t do. He is quick to get rid of his briefs and step behind her,pulling her hair to the side so he could kiss her neck, moaning in pure raw need when her cheeks just wrap around his member as he steps forward “Wha-why are you– fuck – nervous?”

“I don’t know.” she repeats, “I think it’s because it’s been a while since we,” and his hands cup her breasts, fingers pinching her nipples and squeezing the soft flesh, “W-We had…s-sex….oh god.”

He smirks, moving his hips slowly, grinding his cock against her ass, “I love you.” he whispers, “All of you. You still look as fucking sexy as I remember.” he kisses her shoulder, “How do you want to do this?”

Her whole body is on fire, but she replies, “I missed having you on top of me.” she whispers, biting her lower lip when she feels his smile on her skin, his hands sliding down to the love handles on her hips. 

“Well,” he coos, “Get comfortable,gorgeous.”

She wastes no time in stepping forward and falling on the bed, grabbing a pillow to get comfortable and so she could see him better. He looked unreal, like a full body illusion with the sexiest swagger she had ever seen. She bites her lower lip again, flushing just enough to make him smile as he settled on top of her.

He kisses her lips, then her cheekbone, before he nuzzles their noses together, “Wanna do the honors?” he asks while gently prodding her entrance - his gland latches on the opening for a second before it pops out again, and Beatrice whimpers while nodding.

He doesn’t know why but feeling her wedding band touching him as she align his member to her entrance was unbelievably hot. He just keeps his eyes on hers, those green irises shining with unshed tears and those pink,glossy lips of hers parting as she finally achieves it…and he pushes forward.

Honestly it’s a feeling both missed and it’s hard for them to control how good they feel. He wastes no time in interlacing their hands together and pulling them above her head. Eyes still locked as his hips move. He watches her micro expressions, the way her lips part into his name, how she whispers it so reverently but as quiet as a mouse.

Rooster is mesmerized. He always is, honestly, when it comes to Beatrice. He’s so happy. he’s so happy. He couldn’t explain but the way this woman made him feel was out of this world. His hips meet hers and he’s slow, he’s languid, he wants both to njoy this, he wants both to remember how they felt to one another.

Her wetness was comforting and warm and nice. Nice, perfect, perfection.

Beatrice was perfection.

She gasps again, a bit louder and she bites her lower lip. He knows that the flesh will be redder because of the blood rushing under there. He knows there’ll be indentations from here her teeth dug into, he knows he’ll kiss those indentations over and over because he loves her.

He had planned for something else right now, but he didn’t care. He smiles so much when her eyes focus on his and those pearly whites greet him. He moves a bit faster and her breasts shake because of it, but he’s so latched on her face.

She mouths a very quiet ‘what?’ between moans and he shakes his head. He doesn’t know what other adjectives could be said to describe her right now. He missed her, missed this, missed them. Maybe it was the whole M thing, the whole investigation but…for a second he thought he wouldn’t be able to…well.

He drops his head on her shoulder, letting go of her hands for a second so he could wrap his arms around her waist while her own arms were around his shoulders. His hips moved faster, the gentle slapping of skin against skin was loud enough for them to hear but only them. He digs his fingers on her ribs, feeling the soft flesh dip under the pressure, he wants to keep her there.

He knows he’s about to orgasm but he doesn’t care. And seeing how Beatrice got her own before his was enough of a reason for him to let go. He does so by lifting his head and pressing his forehead to hers, mouth parted, panting heavily, “I love you.”

“I love you too Roos.”

“I love you so much.” he furrows his brows, moving his hips faster, “I love y–” he swallows his groan when his orgasm hits and teeth clench  as the shudder goes up and down his spine. Her soft hands caressed the back of his head, up and down, playing with the golden brown waves as he stutters with aftershocks.

He doesn’t move. Neither does she. He just inhales her sweet scent and keeps it to memory.

“i’m gad it’s you he thinks

I’m glad it’s you too. she thinks at the same time.

I’m glad it’s us.

[carlsainz]

𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 – 𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆

summary: your friendship was perfect, until it wasn’t.

pairing: alex turcotte x reader

warnings: none

a/n: okayyyy guess who’s back!!! i’m definitely nervous as hell because i haven’t been writing lately and this was a challenge for me but i really hope you like it. thanks to my baby reghi @tencrushesperday for reading and helping me while writing <333 so that’s it, enjoy and please let me know what you think !!

word count: 2,5k

lowercase intended

being in love with your best friend isn’t easy. at all. after knowing alex back in that summer while both were working at the theatre , your life turned upside down but in a good way.

•

you were bored in the theatre, the movement almost nonexistent, when your manager called your name. beside her, was a boy around your age and looking very good.

“y/n, this is alex and he’s going to work with you during the summer,” cara explained.

“hey alex!” you exclaimed. you’d finally have some company.

he blushed and waved at you, smiling and showing two deep dimples.

when cara left, he approached you and said “did you know palace theatre always keeps two seats open for the ghosts to sit in?”

“really?” you asked. “how did you know that?”

“well i just love random facts and didn’t know what to say,” he admitted.

“that’s cute, i like it,” you replied. “but i’m terrified of ghosts so please let’s not talk about them.”

alex just laughed and nodded, asking you to teach him how to do basic things there.

•

by the middle of the summer, you and alex were best friends, totally inseparable. you loved to do shenanigans, and it was in the middle of a boring afternoon that an idea popped on your mind.

“hey,” you got his attention. “we should get matching tattoos.”

“mom is gonna kill me,” he answered.

“so what?”

“ouch!”

“i’m just kidding,” you laughed. “but not about getting matching tattoos.”

he sighed and said “‘k, i’m in. what do you think we should get?”

“maybe yin and yang because we’re kinda each other’s balance,” you suggested.

“that’s actually perfect,” the boy said. “we should do them today after work.”

and that’s the story of how you ended up with matching tattoos on your little fingers as a proof of your friendship.

his cute little dimples were absolutely enchanting and his smile the prettiest in the world in your opinion. at first, it was just friendship. the conversation flew easily, you loved his jokes and the way he could talk about literally anything. he made working easy and joyful and it was the best summer of your life.

at the end of the summer, he had to return to his life and to hockey, but you kept texting every single day. you knew everything about each other, literally everything. it was the perfect friendship, until it wasn’t.

it all started when alex started playing for the kings and you moved in with him to study at ucla. the domesticity of living with your best friend started doing things to your head and, within a few months, you realized you were in love with him. alex turcotte, your turtle, your damn best friend.

of course alex noticed how you were acting all weird around him and, inside his head, he thought he did something wrong. while you were freaking out on a daily basis because of your feelings, alex was feeling the same but for way longer. it was something that was bothering him since that first summer and he simply couldn’t say anything because he was completely scared of losing you.

everything has changed in the middle of another summer after alex’s rookie season. you were with the ntdp boys in Michigan and someone suggested you all should go to a party and that’s where you are now, getting drunk with alex and the boys and dancing like your life depends on it.

the first beat of your favorite song dropped and you immediately grabbed alex’s arm.

“turtle, let’s dance with me!” you screamed on his ear so he could hear you over the music.

he just smiled and nodded, going with you and never dropping your hand. in a calmer spot, you stood in front of him and and put your arms around his neck, while he didn’t know what to do with his hands.

with your mind kind of fogged, you simply stood on your tiptoes and whispered “you can touch me, you know.”

alex felt his face burning while you disentangled your arms from his neck to guide his hands to your hips. “way better,” you commented.

he automatically squeezed your hips, bringing you closer and you started swaying them in the rhythm of the music. the tension between you and alex grew with the music and by the end of it, you were looking at each other, gaze averting from eyes to lips.

turcs bent down and touched your nose with his, his hands gripping your waist now. “kiss me, alex,” you whispered and he only heard because of your proximity.

his lips finally touched yours and it was like the world was slowly fading into dust around you two. his touch was soft and his lips hungry yet, somehow, gentle. your fingers got lost in his hair and he brought you even close as if it was possible.

you spent some time just kissing and only stopped to breathe. you, once again, stood on your tiptoes and provoked him “who would’ve imagined turtle was such a good kisser, huh.”

he smiled, showing his dimples, and you kissed them tenderly. he blushed and you found that completely adorable, while alex wanted to dig a hole on the ground and disappear.

“you wanna go back to the lake house?” he asked.

“yeah.”

he held your hand and went to the place where the other boys were and quickly told them you were going back home because you weren’t feeling very well. they all were worried about you but alex convinced them he could take care of you.

turcs called an uber and you two looked like two teenagers, giggling and holding hands in the backseat of the car. it didn’t take long for you to arrive at the lake house and you went directly to the backyard to sit in one of the adirondacks, where you kept kissing and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears.

“do you think that this, us… do you think it could ever… be something more?” alex asked.

“i’ve waited to hear this for so, so long, turtle,” you said, smiling from ear to ear.

he smiled, caressing your cheek. “so what’s going to be?”

“i’m pretty sure we can be something more,” you giggled.

“yeah?”

“yeah, mr turkey turtle.”

he laughed and the sound was like your favorite song ever. you’ve spent the rest of the night that way until the guys arrived and you had to hide once again like two teenagers so they couldn’t see you.

in spite of all that happened, when you woke up the next morning, last night was just a big blur for you two. the kisses and words all forgotten, a distant dream or something.

the next day was spent in the dark because of the hangover and soon the summer ended. you were back to your normal lives and to the old feelings, blind to what happened on that beautiful summer night.

now you were almost screaming on the window while studying for a test and that’s exactly when alex opens the front door.

“hey y/n, i brought us sushi for dinner-” he stopped seeing you on the verge of tears. “what happened?”

“just school stuff, i don’t want a degree anymore, turtle,” you started crying.

alex just dropped his duffel bag on the ground, put the food on the sink and sat by your side at the kitchen island.

“you’re just tired, darling, do you want a hug?”

you only nodded and he involved you with his arms, your head resting on the crook of his neck while you cried and he whispered gentle things, making you cry even harder because you started thinking that that man would never be more than a friend.

he held you until you stopped crying, only sniffling. he disentangled his arms from you and looked right into your arms, softly smiling just because he knew you liked his dimples.

“thanks alex, you’re the best friend one could ever ask for,” you said and it was like you were stabbing him right in the heart, but he only kept smiling and started redoing your messy ponytail.

“you need to take a break, let’s eat something while we watch how i met your mother, what do you think?”

you sniffled once again “yeah, we can do that.”

turcs grabbed your hand, helping you stand up and go to the living room and while you sat at the sofa, he went back to the kitchen to grab the food.

you put on your favorite episode and he sat beside you, handing you the food. you ate silently, just laughing at the funny parts. when both of you finished, you paused the episode you were currently watching and discarded the trash, going back to the sofa and curling yourself at turcs’ side.

it was a common thing between you two. you’ve always been emotional and alex was your harbor. whenever you feel defenseless or small, you curl against his side and he protectively throws an arm around you. it’s always been like this, but this time seemed different. it felt more… familiar and it hurts.

you watched three more episodes until alex started yawning and both of you went to sleep.

“sleepover?” alex asked.

“yeah, just let me get ready.”

another tradition of yours. it was common for both of you to sleep on the same bed in times like these, because you tend to have nightmares when you’re too tired and alex always calms you down.

as the days passed, it became harder and harder to fight against all the feelings, especially to alex. his friends on the team didn’t know what to do anymore and, as a last resort, decided to arrange a blind date for him. of course alex didn’t know where he was going and why, but there, he ended up having fun with brianna, one of the guys’ cousin and after a couple months, they were officially dating.

when the news reached your ears, it wasn’t alex telling you. it was one of the kings wags, in the middle of a little get together. you felt like the world was dissolving while thousands of knives stabbed your whole body. you faked a smile and, after a few minutes, left saying you weren’t feeling very well.

meanwhile, alex was truly happy with brianna, the feelings for you in the past. or at least that’s what he thought.

you stopped going to his games, just to avoid seeing her at the box and started getting more miserable every passing day. it was now a common thing to see you locked in your room, crying and listening to taylor swift. even the guys were worried about you.

after one of the practices, they cornered alex to ask him what he had done to you and he was totally blind to the reason until fiala said “my girl said she bet she’s in love with you, when did it start?”

alex tried to remember. “i think it was when i started dating bri.”

“are you dumb or what, kid?” another one said. “of course she’s in love with you,” and everyone agreed.

“what do i do now?”

“you break up with brianna and go chase your dream girl, we all know you’ve been in love with her for longer than you can recall.”

he nodded and thanked his teammates. at his car, he called brianna and said they needed to talk. it was after dinner he told her they should break up and explained the reason to be completely honest with the girl. of course bri wasn’t happy, but thanked his honesty and they ended up in good terms.

meanwhile, you were once again crying your heart out after class sitting at your favorite spot at the beach all by yourself. how could you be so dumb to ever think that one day you and alex would be more than friends? now he’s dating the perfect sweet girl just like him and-

your thoughts were interrupted by alex’s voice.

“i knew i would find you here,” he smiled, sitting by your side.

you didn’t have the strength to even disguise your tears so you just looked at him, your heart breaking even more just at the bare sight of him.

“why aren’t you with brianna right now? i thought you were going to have a dinner together.”

“yeah we did, but we broke up,” he simply said.

“what? why?”

“she’s not the girl of my dreams and i couldn’t keep doing that with her.”

“but- but she’s perfect for you, you’re sweet together and-“

“i don’t want someone that looks just like me, y/n/n,” he said. “i want someone to complete me, my balance.”

after saying that, he put your pinkies together, the tattoos completing each other like you.

“you know, i’m in love with you for so long, since we were younger and i know it’s a risk to confess my feelings because i don’t know you feel the same but-“ you started interrupting his rant and he asked you to wait. “i love you since i’m 14 years old and if you asked me to jump off of a bridge that first summer, i would’ve done that without questioning you. every moment with you is a core memory, lately they’re sad ones but still. you’re such a bright person, you deserve someone who loves and worships you and i’m completely ready to do it since we were teenagers full of things to discover. please know that i don’t want a perfect person that’s just like me, i want you and your mess, because your mess is mine too. i want you even when you slap me in the arm if i breathe too loudly when you’re stressed, i want you on days when you don’t feel like talking to anyone. but above all of this, i want you when you feel unlovable, i want to show you how easy to love you are, how adorable, how empathic and helpful you are. i just want you.”

at the end, you were ugly crying like a baby, alex still holding your hand. you were completely speechless while alex nervously smiled.

“i love you, turtle. even though i can’t say anything right now, but that’s your fault,” you said, making him laugh.

“so you want to be perfectly imperfect with me?”

“of course i want to,” you replied and cried even harder, the moon, stars and the sea as testimonies of your love.

he kissed you and it was so delicate, the salty tears adding something special to your first kiss. suddenly, alex stopped.

“what happened?”

“are you feeling the familiarity too?”

“yeah,” you replied.

“when we were at the lake house, i had a crazy dream where we kissed for the whole night-“ you interrupted him.

“i had the exact same dream.”

“well, i don’t think it was a dream anymore,” he said and smiled.

“it’s so crazy to think it all could’ve been different if only we remembered that night.”

“sad too, but everything happens for a reason and we’ll be very happy from now on.”

and he was more than right, your story was just beginning and happiness was present in every single moment of it.

[kithtaehyung]

gah this week has it out for me😭 i wasn’t able to get the merch i wanted, am missing yoongi, and now in the same week, i somehow got sick during my week in cali??? it’s okay though because the content that we got today filled me with so much joy. i love seeing yoongi smile and happy, and i loved that a bunch of army’s who won the video call let him know how much he means to them and that they’ll wait however long for bts to come back🥺

also!! let me tell you about this dream that i had about yoongi last night: so somehow i was also sick in my dream too and i had a sore throat, so yoongi brought me warm tea to help me feel better. then he drove us to my hometown and he met my mom and some of my siblings and she made him my comfort dish (idk if you like viet food but if you do, defs eat bun bo bue!! it’s my favorite dish ever :)) and he really liked it! he got along well with my family and was smiling and laughing a lot. AND THEN!! there was a firework show near us and we could see them more clearly on this hill at a park that was nearby and yoongi and i decided to go check it out and he held my hand the whole time that we were walking there. then once we got to the hill, he confessed how he felt and i told him that i felt the same way and we hugged each other super tight and then he turned me around and had his arms around my shoulders and was resting his chin my head while we were watching the fireworks😭😭 it felt lowkey so 3tanesk with the fireworks and i was just so in disbelief that i had a dream about yoongi (that’s the first time he’s come into my dreams) and i was shook that it was so wholesome and cute?? hehe now i’m gonna go rewatch those clips from the movie night and video call and try NOT to be a delulu😭😭

-🥮

Oh mooncake, hello babe🥹💕 first off: how are you feeling? Are you feeling better? I’m devastated about the merch situation too but we can try for online sales.. even though shipping will cut right through me.

The dream sounds fantastic and magical holy shit!! What a scenario.. a bunch of scenarios actually😳 It’s a fairy tale wrapped in a dream and the fireworks just made me so nostalgic😭😭

YESSS watch the clips!! Feel better soon, love<333