#i have horrible horrible social battery

[zhongrin]

ugh i hate it so much when i speak and one sentence in my voice starts trembling and i can hear myself getting out of breath…… girl stop why are you so nervous…. i don't want to feel this way, but it's such an unconscious reaction, especially when i have to speak with multiple people whom i've never talked to face-to-face before….. and yes, this still happens even when i rehearse and write down a script to follow beforehand……

tldr; why can't i just be normal about speaking......... i hate this…............. (╥ᆺ╥；)

[torahtot]

worst rosh hashanah of my entire life im going 2 cry

[autisticlee]

whenever I go to people who are supposed to be friends and I say I need someone to talk to or hang out with or need help with something or etc and they just give me alternatives on how to Fine Other People, it always makes me feel super shitty. i'm asking you for a reason. if you can't give me the time and energy right now just say so but then also tell me when you can spare me some. don't keep me waiting forever and asking constantly just to keep getting told the same things. why keep trying to push me off onto strangers that take way more of my time and energy than I have just to get some simple, comfortable human interaction that i'm requesting from YOU?! why do I have to do the whole song and dance of small talk and getting to know someone for weeks or more just to have someone to watch an anime with for a couple hours one weekend? or chat about a game we both like and have similar feelings about? these strangers you push me onto don't even have the same feelings/opinions/etc so talking about a special interest with random people is always so awkward and unsatisfying!

it's so hard to not have anyone reliable and comfortable to reach out to when you need someone because they can't spare you any time and energy when you need it ever (and it's double stab in the chest when you tell them to come to you when they need someone and they never do/go to other people first all the time and use up their social battery and have none saved for you)

is this normal or am I making a big deal out of nothing?

[jpasionr]

bruh I don’t why the buffets near me decide that tuesday is when they’ll be closed on that day but

I am NOT buying fuckin shoes when I’m running on no fuckin sleep

[blueberrythefrog]

Will you join any discords?

Ah, sadly not! I am not that social to engage with a lot of people! I am perfectly fine talking to all of you via tumblr!! :)

[milo-is-rambling]

Sometimes I lay in bed for almost two days just taking edibles and neglecting the things I care about in daily life (like theater and family time) and then I go hmm wonder why I did that that’s so shitty and then I look at the calendar and go ah yes it is once again the 18th

[starstruckgrrl]

MORE TAMAKI🙏🙏🙏

who am i to deny you 🫡

ꕤ*. synopsis: tamaki doesn’t do so well at hero events, but he’s grounded with you there. not to mention you give him the perfect motivation!

↳ ♡₊˚.warnings: smut, car sex, he says “i love you”, exhibitionism, unprotected sex, sub!tamaki, pet names, established relationship, lil bit of edging, cute tamaki naps for aftercare :3

a/n: sorry if the way i capitalize some stuff has changed, i want to make it easier to read!! i really hope you like it, give me some feedback or suggestions pls!!

ever since he’s met you, tamaki has been doing a lot better at handling any event that comes his way. his friends take notice, praising him for sticking around “this long!”

he owes his success to you, who he will often scamper off to. you’re always with him at every event, keeping him grounded and confident(ish).

usually, he’ll take you everywhere with him, making you become his bodyguard against awkward conversations or slightly passive aggressive behavior. however, you know that it is good for him to do some things on his own so he won’t feel so horrible when you’re busy and can’t escort him everywhere.

so the pro-hero Suneater is here, after several minutes of you gently pushing him, at a table with Deku, Dynamight, Lemillion, Red Riot, Nejire Chan, and a few other names from high school. while he does feel much better that nejire and mirio are there with him, the potential comfort he might have had is ruined when everyone delves into questions about his personal life.

tamaki mentally curses mirio, who asks first, “Suneater! i haven’t met that girl you’ve been parading around yet? when will i get to meet her?”

“her name is ——, and you can meet her soon, i guess? she said she would follow me over soon.” tamaki replied.

“she’s very nice, Lemillion! i met her once while getting a drink at an event a week or so ago, and she was nothing but kind!” Deku shot out, happy to have met a nice person.

nejire never passes up an opportunity to talk about something happy, so she began her rambling, “she’s so preeeetty! can you ask her about what products she uses in her hair? does she have extensions? does she wear wigs? if so, where does she get such natural ones?”

the indigo-haired hero you cherished began to sink in his seat, visibly overwhelmed by the onslaught of questions that had begun after the mention of his date, but felt better when he felt your hand pat him on the shoulder.

“hi, baby. are you doing okay?” you asked, loud enough for people sitting near him to hear, but to him nonetheless.

he began to sit up in his seat, the pet name being comforting enough to help him regain some composure, “yes, i’m okay, how are you?”

you gave him a small smile as you sat in your spot next to him, confirming that you were feeling alright.

mirio was the first to speak to you, “are you ——?! i’ve heard so much about you!! well, pieces about you, tamaki is kind of private about your relationship, but pieces nonetheless!!”

“yes, that’s me! it’s lovely to meet tamaki’s best friend!” you replied, recognizing tamaki’s description of his grade-school friend.

“AWWW, Suneater, you’ve told her about me!” mirio shouted.

tamaki smiled up at him, how could he ever think that he wouldn’t tell everyone about the person who motivated him so much?

~

as the evening went on, you had been asked plenty of questions, mainly by nejire. you had no complaints, as you found everyone thoroughly entertaining and sweet.

the whole time, you were keeping physical contact, even in small ways, with tamaki. it was the best way to make sure he knew you were still there for him and thinking about him, even as you conversed with the others.

over time, your small touches turned into something else. clasping his hand turned into rubbing his thigh, slight pokes turned into tracing soft circles on his bicep. the little things meant the world to this man, so you knew he was getting your idea.

about 3 hours in, tamaki’s social battery had been completely sucked dry. he gave you a special look and squeezed your hand twice to let you know he wanted to go, a signal the both of you had come up with.

you cleaned up your area at the table, stacking your used dishes neatly for a waiter/waitress to pick up with ease, and stood up. you patted yourself down as your lover stood up, and you all exchanged goodbyes as the both of you walked out, your arm wrapped around his.

the both of you walked out to the car, and tamaki slid his hand down to your waist and pulled you closer. you were stunned, he rarely initiates things, especially in public.

“tama” you cooed in his ear.

tamaki led you to the backseat of the car, opened the door for you, and sat next to you. he kept the door slightly ajar for what he would call “ventilation” when you questioned him later.

you kissed him first, a small but sweet kiss. your partner, however, kissed you again. longer, deeper. he grabbed you and held you close to him, and he leaned against the back of the seat. he began to unzip his pants when you stopped him.

“are you sure, baby?” you asked, knowing his fear of having all eyes on him.

“yes, i love you too much, please.” he replied, asking you to please continue.

you nodded at him, and got on top of him. you gave him kisses on his neck and bit him softly as you pulled down his pants to let his cock spring out.

you flipped up the dress he bought you special for this event, and moved your underwear to the side. tamaki brought his hand down to rub small circles on your clit, getting you wet for him.

you softly pushed his hand away, then brought yourself up, then down onto his dick. he let out a small whimper and you shushed him, “shh, baby, we don’t want anyone to see, do we?”

tamaki swallowed thickly, and stuttered out, “n-no”

“maybe you’d like that, dirty boy.” you teased, and he whined in response.

you bounced up and down softly on him, the friction of the base of his cock teasing your clit.

then, suddenly, you heard voices outside, a mere 10-15 ft away.

“oh, hey, someone’s car door is open. should we close it?” said one of the voices.

tamaki’s eyes widened, but he never stopped bucking up into you, and you never stopped riding him. he whimpered quietly, and you put your thumb in his mouth to silence him.

“nah, let’s just leave it. someone might be coming back to it in just a minute.” said another voice.

the both of you heard their footsteps trail away, and you looked at each other. tamaki leaned up to kiss you, and you could tell he was getting close. he was rutting into you from below, and it made you giggle.

“don’t cum until i say, tama!” you reprimanded.

he nodded quickly, confirming his submission.

you were also getting close, and tamaki always knew that you should cum first. you slammed down onto him harder, making his tip kiss your cervix every time. his cock was rubbing against a sweet spot inside you the deeper you went, and you came with a moan of his name.

as you were going through the aftershocks of your orgasm, tamaki began to beg.

“please, can i cum? please.” he whimpered out, his legs shaking slightly.

you kissed his forehead and gave him permission, and his cock twitched as he finally let go of the orgasm he had been holding. his cum warmed your insides and gave you an extra, satisfying feeling as it began to leak down.

“i’ll drive us back home, sweetheart, you rest. i know you’re tired” you told him as you slowly got up, grabbing a blanket that rested in the back pocket of the car seat, special for any sleepy car rides.

you laid tamaki down in the backseat and covered him in the fluffy blanket. you adjusted his pants and his underwear to make him as comfortable as possible.

you got out, adjusted your dress, and closed the car door. you got into the front seat and turned the car on and the heating up so your partner would be cozy on the ride home.

~

[dontlookatmytmntcollection]

*saunters into your inbox and hands you a small bouquet of pink roses as I tip my hat at you*

Howdidoo friend! Just wanted to drop in and hand you a little token of my thanks and appreciation for the incredible gift of writing that you so willingly share with the rest of us.

In floriography, the Victorian Language of flowers, pink roses represent gratitude and admiration as well well femininity and elegance, which I think you represent wonderfully well. You seem like a very down-to-earth individual with a good heart, so I just wanted to say thanks for being who you are and being brave with sharing your talents. I know it's scary, but you're doing remarkably, honey.

Well done 🙌🏼👏🏼🙌🏼🧡

I say that your requests were open and I'd like to give one a try if and only if you're up for it. (if not then no worries, do whatcha got to do to take care of that beautiful mind ok?)

This is gonna sound really silly, but I have these two off switches that like immediately shut me down. I found this out once ranting about a book to my friends in the library and my one friend just reached up, patted my head and then started playing with my hair. I immediately stuttered to a halt because it was like my brain short-circuited. The other off button for me, is just someone like cradling my head. I have ADHD so I'm constantly go go go. Just adding that little bit of pressure just makes me no joke zoink out, like there are no thunks in that brain whatsoever once you touch my head.

Learning this as Ive gotten older has made it so I'm quite protective of who touches my head because it can make me somewhat kind of vulnerable, so my question of the day is how would the turtles respond to accidentally finding out about somebody's “off” button like that.

You can do whatever you're comfortable with and feels easy to write as I'm not really expecting much. Once again, this is just a request, so please please take care of yourself, your mental health and social batteries please.

Just know I think you're pretty cool and I look forward to seeing what you come up with in the future 😊🧡✨

This'll be easy, because I have the EXACT same thing!

Rubbing my scalp or my face suddenly erases lifelong sleep or hyperactive issues! I melt into touches like that, knocks you out like a light. Sometimes it gets you feeling emotional, too, lol

Thank you for the sweet words, they made my day. Got me feeling seen too. Thanks again for the ask.

I hope you enjoy!

Touch-Sensitive Reader × TMNT

Mikey

-Mikey is less of a touchy guy while getting to know you.

-But he is IN YOUR SPACE.

-All the time.

-He's an EXTREMLY touchy guy.

-But he will wait for you to make the first move.

-Until then, it's all over.

-It will take very, VERY little time for him to find every. Single. Sweetspot.

-He knows where they are on himself, and he knows that everyone alive has a few.

-You had shyly crawled into his lap for the first time, him leanded all the way back on the arm while he pulled you into his chest.

-The movie had barely started by the time he noticed you had gone still. Something he rarely saw with you.

-He looked down, surprised to see your eyes close, your entire body limp in his arms.

-"Y/N?" He whispered, trying not to laugh. "Baby?"

-You didn't budge

-Didn't you tell him you were notoriously horrible at falling asleep?

-He smiled widely, glancing at his hand now hovering over your scalp.

-"Cool."

Donnie

-Nap date.

-He was on his first nap date.

-Sure, it was after a bit of a skwabble over his sleep schedule. Or lack of.

-But he finally gave into curling up in his hammock with you on top of him

-But to be honest, he had been wanting this too. All the naps he's been taking have been spent wishing you were there with him.

-Now you were!

-You had told him you'd stay here until he'd fall asleep.

-You'd asked him if you had his permission to listen to music and play on your phone, all efforts to keep you still.

-He'd agreed, just happy he'd somehow landed someone willing to touch him, let him fall asleep with them.

-His eyes had been dropping, and his fingers had begun to rhythmically comb through your hair.

-Geez, this was paradise. This was everything he ever could have hoped for. The warmth, the weight of your body, the texture of your skin- If life felt this good all the time-

-Your phone dropped from your hand onto his stomach with a soft 'clunk'.

-He hardly noticed until you didn't move to grab it.

-His eyes blinked open, squinting them hard at your head. He wasn't able to see your face, but he could now feel your deep, quiet breathing. How limp you were against him.

-He smiled, his head falling back to the support pillow.

-'Noted.' He thought.

Raph

-Raph could barely remember the times you didn't want to be touched.

-You were all over him right now, and while he didn't have energy to meet this amount of enthusiasm this late- he was defiently feeling as if he had died happy. Unbelieveing that this was his life now.

-Having a partner all over him on the bed. Kissing him everywhere mid conversation, trying to talk to him through your squirming about, trying to get comfortable.

-"C'mere." He whispered, pulling you against his torso, face to face. His right side, your left side on the bed.

-You're chattering went quiet, smiling wide while Raph ducked his face into the right of your jaw, his right hand going up to hold the weight of your head between the bedsheets.

-"Oh, hi." You said.

-"Hi." Raph closed his eyes, starting to brush his thumb gently over your left cheek, his enormous arm going around you tightly, holding you as close as you allowed him.

-He waited for you to continue with your vent- but when you didn't after a long moment- he pulled back to check on your expression.

-Your eyes were closed, lips slightly parted, your head sinking more and more into his hand.

-"Hey," Raph purred. "You like that?"

-You gurgled a noise out, making him smile.

-"Yeah?" He leaned back, lifting his right hand up to smooth over your other cheek, pressing just enough to smear the skin.

-You went completely unresponsive. The change sudden and new.

-Possessivness "You're so cute." He whispered, pressing a kiss to your hairline.

Leo

-Leo had never seen you cry before.

-Something about a confrontation with a scary coworker and HR.

-He felt awkward, too big, too dumb and useless to do anything about you sobbing into his chest.

-While you held tightly to the straps on his chest in substitute of wrapping your own around him- he fought the urge to rip someone's limbs off.

-"I'm right here." He whispered instead. "You're okay, you're okay..."

-His hands combed through your hair, his lips against your scalp, preparing to be there all night.

-It took just a moment, but Leo felt the change as if it happened in him too.

-Your sobs became deep breaths, and your desperate grip on him transformers into your weight laying limp against him.

- "You okay?" Leo asked.

-"Don't stop." You whined.

-It startled a smile out of Leo, and he resumed the petting.

- Because what works, works, right?

[russsiangirl]

dodge mason headcanons ( x reader included! )

okay so first writing post on this acc, yayy (^O^) i also recently finished panic and my brain has been FULL of dodge so here you go teehee pls comment if youd want me to write more stuff like this !!

he's bi ( like we all saw his scenes with ray, right? talk ab gay awakening..)

wants to build up the courage to get in touch with his father's side of the family & see what they're like!

horrible social battery ( me too )

like he can only hang out with certain people for a certain amount of time before he's like "nuh uh"

also has sensory issues when it comes to clothes, thats why his wardrobe isnt huge

he mainly buys clothes from the same place bc thats what he trusts

not really a touchy-feely person, he's more of a sit in silence and soak in each other's presence person

doesn't really like sneakers, sticks with his boots no matter what

oooh relationship headcanon time

when you're dating dodge he will try his best to spoil you, take you out on dates all that nice stuff. he's constantly trying to see what you like when y'all are spending time together because he doesn't wanna mess up!!

he's not huge on big romantic gestures,, he likes quality time though, just spending hours in his arms and with him

also you do NOT have to worry about him cheating he's like a lil lost puppy with you.. like OUGH he's obsessed he's never letting go

he does have his own issues with jealously that are not resolved so he tries to show that you two are in fact dating as best as he can.

he takes you to his rodeos and takes you out to lunch and/or dinner after

I LOVE COWBOY!DODGE it was not talked about enough

SKIN-TO-SKIN CONTACT IS DODGES FAVORITE HE CRAVES IT SO BADDD

he also would love reading to you

dodge definitely wants kids one day,, and a big ass ranch.. with horses and yes.

who knows i might do a part 2 to this if y'all like it !!

remember to like and comment if you enjoyed!

[thetorturedbuckydepartment]

chapter ten: i don't want you like a best friend

pairing: Bucky barnes x plus-sized!reader

summary: Six months ago, you were appointed to be Head Nurse to the Avengers by Tony Stark. Every day, you count your lucky stars, knowing the horrible past you quickly ditched back in England. It holds you back, restrains you, from getting close to anyone when on your new job.

That's until you met and fell in love with Bucky Barnes. The supposed assassin with a heart of gold, who seems to be eager to get to know you. To peel back your layers piece by piece, but could you trust him once you're laid before him raw and vulnerable?

masterlist

PREVIOUS PART -- CHAPTER NINE: TRUTH, DARE, SPIN BOTTLES

warnings: language, self-deprecation, making out like horny teenagers, very light dry humping, blood and stitches, Bucky being feral and a dom

word count: 2.1k

Taglist: @scott-loki-barnes @cjand10 @blackwidownat2814 @blackbirdwitch22 @laughterafter  @blackhawkfanatic @mcira @bxckybxrnes24 @rachellovesloki @toffeacademia @bean-bean2000 @lana525 @selella @lalalalokii

A/N: oh god I love this chapter!! and that's a wrap on guilty as sin? folks!! ive enjoyed writing this fanfic as a form of escapism from exams so much, and the love and support ive received is much more than I was hoping for, and im absolutely in love with every single one of you! there will be a bonus chapter uploaded this time next week, and the very final chapter will come out a bit after that....until then, keep your eyes peeled for a very special, very new surprise that I've been working on!!

The rest of the night is spent with the both of you in flushed silence, both knowing that you stand on the same shore, face to face. But neither takes a step forward. 

Why are you so scared? Where had all your self-confidence gone? But his hands don’t leave you, and neither do yours. You decide to take an early night, reminding Bucky he needs a good night’s sleep if he wants to get better, as if he isn’t already in perfect, tip-top condition, just with some pink marks that will disappear with the moon.

Even the motorcycle ride back to the compound is silent. But not awkward, and you revel in the time you can rest your head against the nape of his neck and just breathe, listening to the sounds of the city pass you by. It’s extremely peaceful, to have Bucky’s warmth envelope you without a single sound to overstimulate after your social battery has run out. When he unclips your helmet for you, his hands are right back on your face.

“It’s me, isn’t it?” The cold wind nips at your cheeks as you stare like you’ve been caught in a lie. But what’s the point in holding out now? In denying what’s clear as day to everyone?

“Okay, maybe we should go inside first, come on.” Bucky’s noticed you shivering, standing there in a summer dress and forgoing common sense in layering for fashion.

“What’s you?” You ask, feigning innocence as a default safety mechanism, as Bucky leads you by the hand to his room. Your heart is in your throat, pounding harder and harder with every step you take towards the bedroom, where it would just be…the two of you. You try and swallow.

“You were starin’ at me while singing that sexy song, doll. I’m not stupid.” He closes the door behind you with his metal arm, and in doing so traps you against it. You stare straight up, heat rising to your cheeks at his inevitable closeness. You need him closer. Your lips part, and the confession flies right out of the red lips he can’t stop staring at.

“Fine! Yes, Bucky. It’s you. You’re the one that I have a crush on.” You feel yourself tremble, wondering what will happen next. And so, you employ your most familiar defence mechanism.

“But I don’t want to ruin what we have already, as friends. That’s why I’ve been trying to avoid it, and to not tell you. Because, well, you’re my best friend. I don’t want to fuck that up by confessing I want you, I—.”

“What if I don’t want you like a best friend? What if I want you more, far beyond that? Have you ever once considered how obviously it’s painted all over my face that I’m completely taken by you?”

Your mouth drops open in shock. Despite the way everyone’s been teasing the both of you for months, you didn’t expect it to be real. You didn’t expect it to be such a fire, that when you look at him and into his eyes you see the flames lighting him ablaze, in just the way they’ve taken you.

“I…Bucky—.”

“You’re beautiful. You’re kind, you’re talented. You have a smile that could melt the fucking Arctic, and a heart that puts a saint to shame. Doll, it’s you. You’re the one I want, you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. You’re the only one I’ve ever needed like this, like it physically hurts me to be away from you for even a second. I— I’m yours. Completely, utterly, and probably a bit pathetically, yours. Always have been, always will be.”

And you believe him. Your brain puts itself into overdrive trying to figure out ways this could be a con, a get-love-quick scheme he’s the charming salesman for, but it comes out blank. Your heart wins and desire consumes and you just can’t anymore. 

“Kiss me.” It’s barely more than a whisper, but the two of you are so close, of course he hears it. He can hear your heart, and smell every part of you, from your intoxicating perfume to your pheromones. It’s driving him feral, wild. It has from the very first second he saw you, trying your best to stay balanced on a rickety ladder, so lost in thought you didn’t hear him come in and almost trip over his feet at the sight of you. 

And so, for once, Bucky Barnes lets go. Of his worries that he cannot be the man you deserve, of his fears that he will hurt you. Temporarily, at least. And his body spurs him on, tells him to close the distance and just act. 

You blink, and then his mouth is on yours. 

Your arms instinctively wrap around his neck, pulling him right into you because every atom’s worth of space between the two of you feeling like a fucking chasm, and you can’t help but sigh. For once, you got what you wanted. You got who you wanted.

His mouth tastes so sweet, a lingering hint of the cherry coke he was nursing all night all over his lips and it’s making your brain short circuit. His hands are on your face and then in your hair and then just blindly grabbing, pulling you as tightly to him as he physically can while he tastes, tastes the sweet nectar of reciprocation right off the lips he’s been dying to kiss all night. Like you’re a sacred artefact he’s been begging for his whole life to be able to touch, just once. 

Both of your hearts beat in tandem, pressed so close together than it’s almost like you desire to become one entity. And it drives you up the wall when he groans against your teeth, showing you just how much he’s enjoying this. Your head is beginning to spin, and you just need more. 

All your life you’ve been made to feel shame about sex and sexuality just because nobody is expected to be sexually attracted to you. And in one single sound from Bucky’s throat, all those notions are dispelled, cast away. You are wanted, you are cherished. You are valued, standing between Bucky’s warm hands and knowing there is no other place he’d rather be than against your mouth, desperately trying to melt the two of you together into one person so you never feel distance ever again.

He reluctantly pulls away first, feeling his chest burn from the lack of oxygen. He suspects you feel the same as him, maybe even worse, and he breaks your lips apart, reveling in the whine that slips past yours, a protest of the disconnection.

“You okay?” He asks, as you take in deep breaths, staring into his cobalt eyes that look almost black with how much his pupils are dilated.

You nod vigorously. “Please, Buck. I need more. I need you.” You all but beg, the grip on his shoulders tightening as you pull him close.

“You also need to breathe baby.” His thumb ghosts over your lips as you pant, and you realise you’re being too needy. It’s probably putting him off, and it makes your cheeks flush with embarrassment. 

You’re being too much. 

“Oh, I— Sorry, I’ll calm down, I didn’t mean to be too much—.”

His thumb slips past your lips and begins to caress your tongue, pressing down on it as a way of effectively shutting you up.

“Oh no. Don’t apologise, baby. I can’t get fucking enough of you. But I also don’t want you to pass out on me, doll. Can’t have that, can we? Just need you to catch your breath, then we can go right back to what we were doing, yeah?” His eyes are so dark, and his voice is so low, that it’s turning you on beyond compare.

You moan, and his expression shifts. You wonder if he hates the sound. “Fuck, do that again.” You let your eyes flutter shut and you heed his command. You’d do anything he asked of you, if he says it in this same tone he’s using in this moment. 

“Fuck. You sound so pretty, baby. All for me?” Your heart is beating out of your chest, begging to be freed, for you to get what you want. 

“Yeah. All for you, Bucky. Always for you.” You tug at his wrist, pulling him closer into you. God, he’s just never close enough. 

He kisses you again, and you almost sob, giving in. He’s more frenetic, hungry, this time. Anything soft and sweet he was planning to tease you with has now long evaded his mind, now claiming your mouth as his. He grabs at your thighs, encouraging you to wrap them around his waist, and you do so.

Forgetting any limitations that may have been in place, if Bucky were a normal man. But he’s not. 

And you’re too far gone to care. He walks the both of you backwards, and then sits down on the edge of the bed before he turns, laying your head comfortably on the pillows as he hovers above you, between your thighs. Your hips roll upwards, rubbing against his crotch, and then he moans against your mouth, pulling your bottom lip between both of his. 

You grip him even tighter, nails practically ripping through the leather when every part of you is suddenly too warm, and Bucky all but rips himself away from you.

You gasp, staring at his pink lips now completely covered in your red, swollen from the bruise of the kiss. “Bucky? What—.”

“Your hand. It’s bleeding.”

“Huh? No it’s—“ You pull your hand off of him and note the maroon colour, quite quickly seeping through the bandage. “Oh shit. How’d you know?” You ask, pushing at his chest so the both of you can sit. He kneels between your legs as you balance yourself on your hand, staring at the other one. You guess you must have ripped your stitches open, and that means…a trip to the infirmary. Looking like a hot mess.

Bucky watches you, drowning in his guilt that fills his lungs with polar molecules of I’m sorry and nothing else. “I think I ripped a stitch or two, I’ll need to go down to the medbay. Denise is on shift tonight, hopefully she won’t be too pissed at the sight of me.” You smile at him.

“Can I go with you?” You nod, and indicate for him to let you get up.

“Before we get down there, we need to wipe our faces, love. My damn lipstick’s not kiss proof after all.” You chuckle, gently cradling your hand as you stand. “Let me do it, please.” His eyes have grown somber, so far removed from the situation in his pants. You soften, feeling horrible at having brought it up again. 

Once he’s done cleaning your face, you voice your feelings. “I’m sorry, Buck. First it was Tony, now this. I promise I’m not doing this on purpose to make you feel bad, you know you’re not to blame, right?”

He smiles, placing a kiss on your now bare lips, soft and sweet and understanding. “I know. The guilt’s still gonna kill me, but it’s not because of you, doll. I know.” He presses a quick kiss to your cheek before putting one warm hand on the small of your back as he guides you to the infirmary, insisting on pulling all the doors on the way for you like nothing’s automated in this place. He even lets you sit on his lap while you get patched up, explaining to Denise that he’s here as your emotional support.

He’s with you every step of the way, as you get back to your rooms and he pulls you back into his, to his warm bed that’s too large for a man to sleep alone in, settling behind you with his warm chest against your back. He’s taken to muttering soft praises and compliments against the shell of your ear until you fall asleep.

He holds your injured hand in his metal one, completely encapsulating it so you won’t hurt yourself in your sleep.

And he does it all as more than your best friend.

But would he consider himself your lover? Your boyfriend?

You dream away the hours, full of red hot lust entanglements and ice-cream sweet love confessions with the man currently spooning you.

He listens to your heartbeat to calm him, as he too falls asleep in your safe hold, knowing exactly where he’s found himself, in this bed with you.

Home.

BONUS PART

[thebomb-thebird-andtheburntbitch]

Wishing On Golden Stars [1]

Welcome to Teyvat

genre: isekai, slow burn, fluff, hurt/comfort, humor(?)

warning(s)!!!: tenryou samurai being rude lmao (good cop/bad cop situation)

chapter w.count: 4k

a/n: welcome to the first chapter of my isekai, kamisato ayato series! buckle in buckos, it's gonna be a long ride c:

The final chime of the bell attached to the convenience store door rang as the shift lead more than eagerly crossed the room to lock the entrance for the day. Letting out a collective sigh of relief that the day was finally done, you both slump into less-than-ideal postures. You're left leaning over the counter, your company-issued polo feeling way too hot and uncomfortable from the amount of sweat it had soaked up from your last-minute rush of people who just had to wait until almost closing to do their shopping. Popping open a few buttons, you look up to see the shift lead heading back in your direction doing the exact same thing. 

“Thanks again for agreeing for the last minute cover,” the lead, who’s name tag read Max, comes to the counter and turns so his back is against it to lean and soak in the newly acquired quiet of the store. Max was a pretty good guy, taking college courses online on top of working himself to the bone for a company that would probably never remember his name if not for his badge. 

“It’s not like I was busy, so it’s fine,” you reassure. It wasn’t a lie anyway. Genshin had gone down for a 5 hour maintenance that day, and while you could’ve done something else to pass the time like watch a new show or even go out and walk, an extra shift for bringing in money didn’t sound like such a horrible pastime. Straightening out from your slumped over position on the counter, you direct your eyes to the flickering digital clock hanging on the wall that really needs new batteries soon. 

10:07 PM

Perfect. 

“I’ll make sure to have Sam cover for you tomorrow since she was the one who was supposed to work with me today.” Normally, this would be something you turn down since an extra shift would typically push you into overtime, and like it or not, that was more extra moola in your pocket. Still, the facts at hand were that the maintenance was finished and new stories and quests had been added to Genshin. And the kicker? New banners had just begun to run and you hadn’t been saving up for nothing!

“That’d be nice. I have some plans that take place far into tomorrow morning.” 

“Pulling another all-nighter on that one game you play?” 

“Yup,” you ashamedly admit. It wasn’t a secret that a big chunk of your down time went into your games. Why would you feel ashamed about something you like? Be it a game or tv show or anything else. It made you happy so of course, you’d work around it as much as you could. Besides, it wasn’t the only thing you did- you weren’t a complete shut in. It was also the middle of winter, so being outside wasn’t on your agenda. “The servers were down today, but it should be back up now. I’m going to be playing through some new quests.” 

Standing fully up, you stretch and start making your way to the back room where your bag and jacket sit patiently in a locker with your name on it via a tacky store-bought (and customized) magnet. You can hear Max’s footsteps fall in step with your own. You were sure he was eager to get home too. 

In the back, while you both gathered your things, mindless conversation that held no real topics came and went. Asking about how his classes were and if he had a paper due soon that he’d have to rush home and complete. He was more of a social butterfly than you, so he took the reigns on most conversations he found himself involved in. 

“Do you need me to walk you back? You live in a pretty nasty neighborhood don’t you?” 

“Oh, no, don't worry about it. I don't live anywhere sketchy like that.” You chose to leave out the fact that even if you don’t live in a sketched-out part of town, you do have to walk through one to get to your apartment though. If you told Max that, there’s no telling the lecture you’d get as he marches with you back home without argument. Besides, you’ve walked it hundreds of times back and forth already since you moved and got this job… and it wasn’t like you didn’t have pepper spray and a compact stun gun on you anyway. “I’ll see you later, okay?” 

“Be careful!” He calls as you start the normal trek back home. Normally the only weirdo’s out at this time were drunkards you could easily kick in the groin and give a harsh shove into a wall to make a quick getaway. When someone comes rushing around a corner of an alley, you yelp at the sudden appearance. Their shoulder checks into yours and from the sound of their (his?) gasp, he didn’t expect someone to be around the way either. 

Both of you stumble, and you feel him grab your bicep and yank you so you don’t trip off the curb into the road. His fingers catch onto the strap of your bag that rests over your shoulder and in the midst of making sure he wasn’t going to start yanking you around some more, you neglect to see the small object drop easily into the pit of your bag. 

“S̶o̵r̸r̴y̴” he mumbles before he’s rushing off away from the scene. You stand there on the sidewalk for a moment wondering what that was all about and what his deal is. And why his voice sounded so... fake to you.

‘Is it me, or did he sound kinda… weird?’ You stand bewildered for a moment longer before dismissing it all. Thinking about it would only make you nervous, so shaking the thoughts away was the best course of action. You promptly spin on your heel and with a little more speed to your steps, high tail it home. 

Your desk chair never felt more welcoming. You drop your bag on the floor beside your desk and promptly sit yourself down to boot up your computer. The game resources would take a few minutes to download, so while that was running, you rush to get a few snacks and drinks that would make an all-nighter easier to pull off. Shutting off your main light, you flick on the desk lamp you kept beside your monitor. By the time all was said and done, you remembered you should probably text Max that you made it back safely. He would go full ‘big brother’ mode on you if you didn’t. 

Digging around your bag for your phone, you pull it out, and with your action, a small item flings out of your bag with it. Hearing it dully hit the ground, you push your chair back and see a small hard object under your desk. Dragging it closer with your toes, you pick it up and examine it under the desk light. 

“A piece of candy? No, maybe a trinket or… charm? Where did this come from?” Looking around your room, you look to see if maybe this small item- which with its colors of blue and lilac weaved together looked oddly familiar- had fallen off something you forgot you owned. Coming up short with theories on the origin of the piece of (possible) candy or knocked loose charm, you shrug it off and toss it ceremoniously in the trash bin under your desk by your legs. “Whatever,” you roll closer to your desk and after a click of your mouse, that familiar entry door into the game appears and allows you entry. 

Instead of immediately starting to pull on the now-running Kamisato Ayato banner, you decide to knuckle down on some quests and dailies for just a few extra primos to up your chances of that beautiful, easy, golden 5-star man. 

Ayato’s banner was one you have been waiting for. Playing through Inazuma (as painstaking as it could be) and meeting Thoma and Ayaka made you excited to meet the head of the family, Ayaka’s older brother. Playing through his character story, you were happy to see that he was as appealing as you hoped.

A cheeky and clever man who has been through more than his fair share of situations that try to lessen his imposing image. Being able to come up with plans that can not only put him in the place of playing ‘villain’ but also not directly involving himself was appealing. A man with the means to put together such a ploy and solely devote himself to the role- Teyvat better thank its lucky stars that he wasn’t an antagonist. Of course, it helped that he was a looker to boot. An exceedingly beautiful man if you’ve ever seen one. 

“I’m getting him, come hell or high water,” is the mantra you keep repeating as your grind session continues until almost 3 in the morning. Feeling the creeping of about the hundreth yawn in your throat in the last 20 minutes, you lean your elbow on the desk before opening up the Wish menu. Curling your hand, it pushes into your cheek as your eyes droop dangerously close to shut and you yawn... again. 

“Why am I so tired?” You mumble. Normally, pulling all-nighters wasn’t too hard for you. You could usually last until around 6 the next morning on a good day. Maybe work wore you out more than you bargained for since it was an unexpected shift.

You feel yourself slipping further into your palm as your head feels heavier by the second. Your finger clicks for yet another round of 10-pulls. You could hear the sound effects of the transition screen, but you couldn’t bring yourself to pry your eyes open again. A golden color lit up your room behind your eyelids but you were already far past the point of wondering if the five-star screen was always that bright or if maybe your lamp was about to explode from some random burst of overheating- even if it never had any issues before. Nothing else registered in your mind before you were completely falling asleep. 

It was noisy.

Your mind wakes up before your body does, and that is the first thought you have. The noise. It was so loud. Way too loud for your bedroom that you know you just fell asleep in. You were playing your game, so maybe you were hearing in-game sounds and ambiance. Of course, that didn’t explain why you were on your back. 

You could feel the hard surface of the floor against you, and while still only half-conscious at this point, it still crosses your mind on why it didn’t feel like your bedroom floor. It was like planks of wood were digging into your shirt and threatening your skin with splinters like anxious tiny spears against a giant. 

Maybe you had fallen off your chair. If you had though, surely the fall would have woken you up. You weren’t so dead tired from working that you could stay asleep through the tumble of the chair to the floor. Not to mention you must’ve slept through the last few hours of the night because you could feel the sun warming your skin to a near-uncomfortable degree. It almost felt suffocating with the misty humidity hitting your face and assaulting your senses. The sound, feel, smell- all of it felt like you were washed up on some wharf. 

Either you were lucid dreaming, or you had sleptwalked into the bathroom or something where you somehow turned the shower on. 

Still, there was one thing you could try and rule out, and that was the occasional rough prodding of something solid jabbing into you every few seconds. A jab to the shoulder. A jab to your stomach. A jab to your leg. Even a nudge to your head that tossed your forward-facing position onto your cheek and hit that same wooden surface you feel under your back. Then the shouting starts to finally register in your eardrums. 

“..up… ‘ey!” It sounded like a man? What was a man doing in your house? A police officer maybe? But that still didn’t make sense.  For the first time since your consciousness started coming back to you, you groan. Your sideways resting head twitched and somehow you found the strength to swivel it back to face the sky. Eyes wrinkling at the bright sunlight behind your eyelids. 

You feel small vibrations before hearing accompanying footsteps along the floor before another voice starts speaking. It was much closer than the one you could barely make out before. 

“Miss.. ‘ear me… ‘llo?” It was softer, almost nicer to try and listen to. Good cop, bad cop sort of vibe. 

You manage to crack your eyes open for just a moment before the closed-eyed warmth of the sun turns into a blinding flash bang that assaults your retinas. You hiss, chest jumping as your shoulders and arms twitch and tighten. The first signs of movement must’ve startled the people around you since you could feel their rushed steps in startlement through the floor.  Moving your head slowly, you rock it from left to right trying to will a cloud over the sun; or if you were actually in the bathroom, for someone to draw a curtain or something. 

You got your wish of shade when something hovers over your squeezed eyes. When the shade persisted with no signs of slipping away from you, you try once again to crack your eyes open. 

Your vision was blurry. You could barely make out shapes, the world just a blob of converging colors and textures that started to register in your mind like code being processed.  You must’ve hit your head way harder than you thought if you fell off your chair. Groaning was all you could do to communicate how uncomfortable you were in the current moment; that and the small shuffling movements of your limbs you could finally start moving. 

The way the world shifted from blobs to shapes then into objects was astonishingly quicker than you expected and soon enough you were narrowly looking at a face you hadn’t seen before. Though, this stranger’s clothes looked oddly familiar to you. A cone-shaped hat that tied under his chin with a symbol on its front. Dressed in a uniform consisting of shades of dark purples- parts of it almost resembling armor. Laying on the floor- which you now see are planks of wood outside, so more so laying on the ground- next to him was a long spear-like object. 

“Wha…” is all you can articulate at the confusion personified in front of you. The shade you had gained was given graciously by the man beside you lifting his hand to cover your eyes from the sun. 

Your lethargic state was quickly swatted away by a sudden and painful jab to the stomach. Lurching up with a choked ‘Oomph!’, you jump into a coughing fit. Your arms come to fold over your gut as your body positions itself into a semi-half sitting-up angle. One of your arms comes to perch behind your back, holding you up and keeping you from flopping back onto the wooden ground as coughs scratch up your throat. You were parched. 

“What are you doing?!” The man who had been crouching beside you this whole time had not only said a full complete sentence that you could actually understand but had shouted directly next to your ear. His bickering aimed at a man who had the same uniform and weapon as him. The standing guard- Bad Cop you’re guessing- had apparently grown restless and impatient as he lifted his spear and hovered it over your stomach before letting the butt end of it jam you in the gut. Hospitality was in the negatives with Bad Cop. 

You felt Good Cop’s hand come to rest on your shoulder and you instinctively shrug it off. The realization of something being wrong finally starts to dawn on you. Maybe Bad Cop’s little assault was a good wake-up call after all… even if it was a jerk move. 

Eyes wide with a fully functioning brain and processing intuition, you look beyond Good and Bad Cop and all around the area you were in. It was a dock… a port? On the edge of a small little town, there was a starting crowd beyond the wooden dock. Far off to the left up atop a cliff was a statue, one that was carved into the shape of a person, and even farther and higher than that were the beautifully pink and purple sparks of what seemed to be a shrine rising above all else. 

With a yelp of recognition, your legs kick out and scurry your body back until you're dangerously close to toppling into the water at the edge of the dock. 

“No way… there’s no way,” you mutter to yourself. “This has got to be some freaky dream. There’s just no way..!” That was clearly your denial talking. You’ve felt your fair share of pain- although none of it was lasting- to know if that this is a dream you would have woken up well long ago. Bad Cop, with a click of his tongue, stomps towards you and bends to snatch your arm in his palm before yanking. His rude attempts to get you on your feet are met with well-deserved resistance. 

“On your feet! You have some explaining to do!” His voice boomed in your ear like it was bouncing off the ocean waves and back again. “Who are you? Where did you come from!” 

“Let go of me!” His grip wasn’t gentle and you could feel your skin pinching painfully from his grip between his gloves. Since he had at least brought you to your feet, you plant them as firmly as you can into the wood beneath you before yanking back. He must’ve underestimated a washed-up person’s strength because you had ripped free easily, but all that power you put into your backward retreat lands you back on the ground. You hiss as you land on your side and scrape up your elbow. You could feel the burning sensation of broken skin and probable splinters making a new home in your arm. 

You look back up to Bad Cop and your eyes shine with a glossy frustration. 

“I don’t know how I got here! And what’s with your attitude! I’m not telling you anything with the way you’ve treated me- someone who's just as confused as you by the way!” That was a partial lie. In your heart of hearts, you know you’re in Inazuma. You have no idea how or why or what the hell is happening, but you weren’t about to tell him that.  Good Cop- who had been anxiously kneeling with his arm barely outstretched in a poor attempt to mediate? Maybe. At least he was more or less kind. If not a tad whimpy.

“Outsiders are not permitted within the boundaries of Inazuma by demand of the Sakoku Decree! Now, how did you end up here!” 

“I. Don’t. Know.” 

While you and Bad Cop face off in the most pointless round of shouting roulette, there was a buzz circulating from the crowd that had fully gathered to witness the whole debacle. You took no notice of it or the person who had emerged from that buzz to step confidently onto the dock along with the three of you. 

“Ah, good morning!” A bubbly, warm voice breaks the extremely tense atmosphere of the argument between Bad Cop and you. Shattered it so much that you were both rendered speechless for a moment before setting your sights on the newcomer. You choke back a gasp since any form of recognition was strictly off-limits unless you want Bad Cop to pick up on it and thus pick another fight. 

In front of you, behind Good Cop who had finally risen to his feet with a relieved expression, was the ginger haired Thoma. His happy and friendly smile was present on his face like it was natural to break up fights on the street (on the dock?) with his hand raised in a relaxed, quick greeting. The Fixer himself had somehow come to your aid... you hope. 

Being harassed by the Tenryou Commission and having Thoma show up and hopefully save your butt? You’re really getting the Traveler Treatment. 

Thoma struts up to the three of you and claps his hand on the shoulder of Bad Cop, a small signal of ‘back up my friend, let's talk about this’. His quick glance towards you finally makes your shoulders slacken- you weren’t aware of just how tense your body was.  Even your jaw started to ache from all the clenching you were doing. 

“Let’s start from the beginning. Now, what’s the situation?” Bad Cop goes through the trouble of explaining- in his harsh tone- the sequence of events. They had shown up to the harbor for regular routine checks, and had found you unconscious on one of the wooden docks. They had tried waking you up, he leaves out that he had used his spear on your gut, and that when you woke up you started verbally attacking them. 

“Now, hang on!” You almost screech when he finishes his spiel. His glare is overshadowed by the quizzical look of Thoma’s. “I did not ‘verbally attack’ anyone! I'm just as confused as you are and you slammed your stupid little spear into my stomach to wake me up. Remember that? It hurt you know! Of course I’d yell at someone so hostile!” 

As you both started bickering once again, Good Cop anxiously tried to get a single word in, that was always drowned out while Thoma just watched.  He couldn’t see a trace of deception on you; your face was the dictionary definition of confused and scared. Sure, you were full of fire at the moment, but given the opportunity to calm down maybe you’d realize just how you're really feeling instead of being so fired up. So, he saw no reason not to help you. 

“For the time being, why not take them into custody of the Tenryou Commission?” Thoma pitches and your jaw drops in betrayal. Prison? You? Before, you could open your mouth to defend yourself, he starts again. “If they really have no memory of how they got here, then the safest place for them is a monitored location defended by guards. Right?” He looks at you and your jaw shuts with a small clack of teeth. 

“You… might have a point.” A stupidly good point. “Fine,” you relent. There was no point in drawing it out. You really didn’t have anywhere to go, so at least a cell is a roof and protection from the elements. Bad Cop was fighting back a smug smile, you could see it tugging behind his teeth. “I’m not going anywhere with Ba- I mean, this guy though.” You cross your arms adamantly and mutter, “he’s been enough of a pain in more than one way.”

At your attitude, Thoma laughs. Even though it’s amusing, the calming atmosphere doesn’t deter him from the slight trembling of your hand tucked under your crossed arms. 

“Of course. You can have your other Tenryou friend here escort you there,” he gestures to Good Cop and you nod. You can get behind that plan. 

With little conversation left to be had, Bad Cop leaves the dock, Thoma speaks privately to Good Cop for a moment, and then soon you’re ushered off to Tenryou property where you’re expecting to be good friends with iron bars for an unforeseeable, undisclosed amount of time. The small wave Thoma gestures at you to come over has you walking cautiously his way. Once at his side, his back curves down as he cups around his mouth to your ear. 

“Just bare with it. I’ll help you the best I can.” 

He straightens back up and with a pat on the back, sends you off. Your first morning in Teyvat- as absolutely asinine as that sounds- is ending on a pretty low note. Jail time.

|- prev. / INDEX / next ->

a/n: its a slow start but you hAVE to trust me gang

[gtgbabie0]

One of those days

{James comforts you when your social battery runs low}

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You have been quiet all day, barely speaking no more than three words today and you just seem so distracted, miles away, you didn’t even answer the phone when Marlene called and now James was starting to worry.

“Baby?” He opens the bedroom door softly, noticing you curled up on the bed knees tucked towards your chest, you look over at him with a small smile, trying your best to muster up any kind of energy you have.

James walks over to the bed and takes a seat next to you on the bed, his hand goes to brush your hair away from your forehead, “What’s up hmm?” He asks softly, and you close your eyes when the back of his hand brushes against your warm cheek.

In all honesty, you don’t quite know exactly what’s wrong, you just feel so… bland and can’t find the energy to really do anything, talking to anyone just seems like such a chore, and it doesn’t help that there’s this voice that tirelessly shouts at you, telling you you’re being an awful friend by ignoring everyone, telling you that you’re being a horrible partner by sitting in the bedroom all day.

“I just feel so— meh,” you say, taking his hand from your face and holding it, it’s a silent plea for him to stay here with you, “I’m sorry lovely” you whisper bringing his hand to your mouth to press a gentle kiss against his knuckles.

He looks down at you with a small smile, “You don’t have to apologize lovely, you’ve done nothing wrong” he tells you, but James can tell from the unsure look in your eyes that you don’t believe him, and he knows exactly what you’re thinking.

"No, I do, I've been ignoring you all day, and Marlene" you whisper, tears building up in your eyes, "I don't even know why I feel like this, I'm just being ridiculous James, I'm sorry" you wipe your teary eyes.

His heart aches at the sight, “I don't mind lovely, I understand that you need some time alone, I promise” he says leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead, “And Marlene won’t be upset just because you had an off day” he wipes away the stray tears that fall from your eyes, his heart squeezing in his chest at the sadness that fills your eyes.

“Thank you” you whisper, a sudden guilt creeps up on you and you hate the fact he has to deal with this, with you, feeling like he has to carry your burden with him, the only thing you can do is apologize.

“Sweetheart, you’ve got nothing to apologize for” he promises you and you wonder what you’ve done to deserve such a lovely person in your life, “I’m here and I always will be, okay?” He tells you, kissing the tip of your nose, you let out a small breathy giggle, and you know you won’t win this argument, not with James’ stubbornness.

“Are you hungry?” He asks hand threading through your hair gently and you nod with a small smile.

“Yeah” you close your eyes once more basking in his loving warmth.

“Do you want to make lunch with me or should we order something? Your choice sweetheart” he says and you hum debating the options in your head.

“Let’s go cook something” you decided, sitting up and he happily nods taking your hand as you both walk into the kitchen, you already feel a little more replenished.

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[autisticlancemcclain]

Whoever came up with the term ‘draining your social batteries’ was one hundred percent correct, because that’s the exact feeling. Keith feels like he’s physically dragging himself down the dark hallways of the castle, like his duracells are barely puttering along enough to get him back to his room.

God, Keith fucking hates having to go to diplomatic missions alone. (Well, he wasn’t really alone. But Retired Shiro is about as helpful as a rubber duck, so. He mostly just comes along so he can wear his horrible dad shirts in public and be complimented on them, and to tease Keith at every given moment.)

There is one good part about having such a draining day, though: when he finally makes it to his room, door sliding open at the press of his hand, the scent of Lance’s floral shampoo and the sound of his gentle humming is like injecting concentrated relief into his veins. Like all his batteries got zapped by Zeus himself.

It’s a great feeling, is what Keith is trying to say.

“Hi, baby,” Lance says with great amusement when Keith flops on top of him with a groan. “Long day?”

“You know it was,” Keith mutters, batting Lance’s book from his hands and securing them in Keith’s hair, face pressed into his chest and legs tangled together.

Lance takes the hint and starts carefully detangling the mess that is Keith’s helmet hair, laughing softly to himself.

“It can’t have been all bad, hm? I’m sure there were some good parts.”

The quiet, reflective optimism makes Keith smile. It’s such a Lance thing to say — to be so sure that there must have been a good side, at least some sort of silver lining.

“I guess so,” he relents. “There was this pretty interesting tour of their history museum in the beginning. You know how the Floxions have all those freckles?”

“They’re the pink ones, yeah?”

“Yep.”

“Then yes, I know.”

Keith shudders as Lance runs his nails through a particularly sensitive part of his scalp. “Well, they have this belief that each of the marks is a place where they were kissed by a lover in a past life. I thought that was kinda cute.”

“Huh.”

Lance pulls his hands away, making Keith open his eyes and pout at him in protest, because hey. He had a hard day. He deserves to be petted.

But Lance doesn’t notice — he’s busy looking down at his bare legs, pulling down the waistband of his shorts slightly the glance at his hip. Then he tilts his head down to his chest. Finally he looks back at Keith, brows raised playfully.

“You were a fuckin’ horndog in our last life, then, babe. I have freckles all over.”

And then he bursts into giggles, covering his mouth with his hand and scrunching his face so hard Keith can barely see the brown of his eyes.

It’s a joke. Lance is teasing him, poking fun at the way Keith likes to kiss him all over and mark him up when they make love. This is nothing new, really, nothing he hasn’t heard a thousand times before.

But that’s not why Keith’s mouth has gone dry, or why he stares at his lover in a quiet sort of awe. It’s that Lance heard about marks from a past life, of the imprints a lover might make on your soul, and he didn’t even hesitate before thinking of Keith. Didn’t consider any other option, exhaust any other possibility — he was as sure as the day is long that his soul is entwined, unquestionably, with Keith’s. As if they have been each other’s since the dawn of time, in every life, in every way.

“I love you,” Keith says, a little helplessly. It doesn’t feel like enough. How can three little words capture the intensity he’s feeling in his chest, his throat, his lungs? How can eight letters convey the desperate kind of devotion that burns through his veins? How could any combination of sounds ever be enough to press the all consuming fire that burns for Lance, in every one of Keith’s cells, in the very molecules that make him?

It’s not enough. It will never be enough.

But Lance seems to understand, anyway.

“I know,” he says cheekily. “You’ve apparently been showing me for dozens of lifetimes, to cover me in marks this much.”

Keith snorts, settling on Lance’s thighs and pushing him back on the bed, grinning as Lance’s breath catches slightly. He leans down to press a lingering kiss to the juncture of Lance’s neck, and then another, and another and another and another, kissing down his shoulders and collarbone until Lance finally gasps, hands gripping the fabric of Keith’s shirt.

“When I’m done with you tonight, your next life will have more marks than clear skin.”

[blingblong55]

Hello! I hope you've had a good day or night, I have a request. Been having a bad week thanks to anxiety (fuck you) and was wondering what the 141 boys + könig's reaction would be if a member of the team, named SunBun, who has social anxiety but is usually very chatty and full of energy stopped being themselves, was closed off, didn't talk as much, wasn't constantly showing everyone funny videos, etc. After a bit they find out the new member of the team was a complete Asshole to SunBun and told them to shut and that he didn't wanna talk to the "most useless member of the team". If this makes you uncomfortable you don't have to do it. Have a good day/night

Fourth of July- 141+ König

First of all, I hope you are doing great now, so here's so a little something to help ease ya.

A/N: please ignore the title...I might change it but for now its..well..that.

R/n is the human embodiment of golden retriever energy. She is everywhere, always spreading their kindness around the base. By now everyone has gotten used to this. She is always there when you feel low she's there. She has social anxiety, making friends back home wasn't easy. But here, she tries her best to as social as possible. Always talking the ears off of her team and any soldier that's near her. She has an amazing memory, and everyday she lets her tongue roll, filling her boys with useless information. "A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out" she says while sitting on the counter top of the bases small kitchen. "read it in a book back in 4th grade."

After training and meetings you'd show the boys videos that you would find funny. They adored how you laughed so loud it made your stomach hurt, your smile and laughter was contagious, and in their line of work this was the one escape they had.

SunBun had become your new name around base, but only your boys were allowed to call you that. The name started when you had told the team how back home you have a farm, all day you could show pictures of your bunnies, and quite frankly you reminded them of a bunny, so soft to touch, tiny and fast as one too. You had quickly become their ray of sunshine on missions. That was the origin of SunBun.

However the pasty 2 weeks were different. No one had heard you tell your jokes or useless facts, or random bursts of giggles. All day today you sat and stayed quiet. Only talked when needed, no jokes or a single smile. Soap even missed his daily bear hugs from you. Ghost needed your random bursts of energy. You went from your room to the kitchen and to the meeting room, and when no one needed your help you'd be back in your room. Even some rookies missed how you'd teach the about different flowers and how they can be preserved.

Price knew you always recharged your social battery at night, you'd go to bed at 9 and he knew you needed to be alone. But a week? That was too much. When asking around Gaz found out the new team member had treated you so horribly. His nickname was Steel, he was a good soldier and a recommendation from some of Price's old buddies.

Gaz had heard from some rookies that he had called you "the useless member of 141". They had reported seeing you greet him with a handshake and your classical smile. But after you explained your roll in the team he said "SunBun? what a shit name," he chuckled "oh. um" you went silent immediately. "And your role here is useless...you give us nothing to use...you just run around like a child...seriously grow up." his voice sounded so cocky. You just stared at the ground, tears threatening leave your eyes. "I better get going" you said and walked away. Ever since that encounter you have completely shut down.

This is how each one of them reacted:

Cpt. Price:

He looked for you everywhere, all your favorite spots, but soon found you in your room, reading some book

"Steel called you useless?" "yes. and maybe he is right"

He walked up to you and cupped your face in his hands.

"You my dear are not useless, think of how much you have helped us at base and in missions. How much your kind heart has made ours feel warm."

You started to cry and he wiped every tear, he would sometimes kiss your eyes and pretend your tears were very salty and make funny faces.

You giggled and hugged him.

He caressed your hair and whispered sweet nothings.

"I will always protect you from assholes like him, because nobody hurts my SunBun."

He kisses your forehead multiple times. As well as your hands and cheeks.

Once you have calmed down he lays you in your bed.

He lays with you and tells you stories of his past and lets you fall asleep in his arms.

The next day, steel is called to his office. where price lets him know he has been reassigned to a new team.

But before he left, Price wanted to spar with him.

Safe to say he let out all of his anger on him. Nobody stopped him.

He missed his ray of sun, your random noises while trying to do an activity on the field.

His way of love is like “Since we’re alone” by Niall Horan (if you don’t like Niall…we can’t be friends tbh he’s my Irish lover)

Sgt. Gaz:

the moment he found out why you had been acting so different he walked up to Steel, he confronted him.

with help of soap, steel received what I call "military discipline" (a lot of punching and a lot of bleeding (from steel ofc)).

He then ran to your room, covered in some blood he poorly tried to wipe off.

There he found you, laying in your bed reading a book.

"SunBun?" his voiced softened once his eyes met yours.

You knew why he was there and soon your eyes watered

you told him everything he had said.

He held you in his arms as you cried a little.

He took his phone out and showed you videos of ducks in ponds, or highland cows.

He saw how your frown had disappeared.

"I will always keep you safe from this cruel world my sweet darlin'" he whispered as he kissed your forehead.

He spent all day making paper flowers with you!

"you aren't what he said you were...to me you're the most intelligent, kind, brave, generous, funniest, loyal and most sincere person I've met."

"if you only knew how much I admire your happiness"

God did he miss you. Although you were around base he missed the feeling of excitement you brought him.

That night he let you talk his ears off!

I want to srsly hug Gaz…i just know he gives the most warmest of hugs

He gives me “Lover” by Taylor swift vibes

Sgt. Soap:

You can't convince me this man wouldn't try to unlike steel

he would punch the living shit out of him and then guilt trip him to think he got that from an enemy at a mission

he'd make sure he would never hurt you again

"say it..and y'better mean it"

Steel *: "I'm sorry r/n, I'm sorry that I called you useless...I'm the one who is useless"

Soap would then take you to the kitchen and cook your favorite meal.

"Only for my sweet SunBun" he'd said as he serves your food

After you'd finish your food he'd take you to your room and read a book to ya.

You'd be cuddled against his chest, when he would feel your tears fall on his shirt.

He'd stop reading and just rub your back while giving you constant forehead kisses.

"Y'are smart. Y'are kind and y'are beautiful"

You'd cry even more

"Don't cry my angel...please don't cry"

He would tell you all about his family back in Scotland, how much they'd love you if they would meet you.

He would pull a blanket over you and make sure you stay warm and comfortable.

"If another person calls you 'useless' you tell me and I'll take care of it...because liars deserve punishment"

That night he stayed up with you, listening to you and those fascinating stories

I know for a fact this man would play Hozier’s “would that i” just to set a calm mood.

L.t. Ghost:

this man would have to be stopped before he kills steel.

he leaves him with cuts on his face, a bloody nose and so much more

he'd go and look for you, his anger would leave the moment he saw you. Like no joke he’d go soft the second his eyes found you.

His voice would go from harsh and loud to sweet and soft, as if he spoke any louder he’d hurt you

I know people say he is like emotionless but you’re the exception. You have him wrapped around your finger

He gives me cottage core vibes when he’s with you, (please tell me you get this)

When he approaches you he is slow, as if you’re a ticking bomb

Once he wrapped his arms around you, you lost it. Your tears fell on his shirt and he’d make remarks like: “such a shame..i liked this shirt” “can always buy a new one…so wipe that runny nose of yours”

God this man would be such a softie, he’d hold you close to him, and would wait for you to calm down,

He would listen to you all night and would say: “SunBun, you are the starts to my night sky, never underestimate your power, useless is the one who can’t be kind…and you my love are more than kind.”

When in his arms he’d rock you two, until you fell asleep.

He knows you are comfortable in his arms so he wouldn’t move all night.

While asleep, he’d also tell you sweet nothings.

He would probably cry a little, because how can human, as kind, beautiful, and so goddamn annoying (sarcasm babes), think they are useless?

Often while looking at you sleep, he would probably thank anything for bring you in his life.

Because of you this man knows what an angel looks like. He gives me “Take me to church” vibes yk?

König:

This man is already feared by everyone because of his height, so when he heard who was the reason for you acting so ‘off’ he immediately thought of two things

1. He had to find you, he knows how bad your social anxiety can get, he knows from first hand how that feels like, so when steel made you feel so little, he had to hug it out of your system

2. Had to find Steel, he wanted that man to pay for what they did to his “liebling”,

Price had to intervine and had steel taken to the infirmary for major damage

Gosh, the power you have over this man is insane, one second he is so close to killing another soldier and the next one he is on his knees, looking up at you

“König, get up, the floors cold” you said, still staring at some random book.

“I know what happened r/n,” his hands met your knees

“You are more than enough for this team…you aren’t childish liebling”

You started to cry, your sniffles filled the room.

”Please don’t cry” he cupped your face in his much bigger hands. He wiped your tears and proceeded to plant soft kisses on your face

You giggled a little, his heart stopped for a little. That giggle of yours drove this man crazy.

He for sure laid you down on your bed and after much hesitation laid on top of you.

He is like the best weighted blanket one could ask for.

He has always given me gentle giant vibes. Like everyone is afraid of him because of his height but not you, because you know all this man needs is a hug at the end of the day and of course a social battery recharge.

He for sure waited ‘til you feel asleep so he could get up and help you clean your room.

I know for a fact he brought some snacks and waited to you woke up.

He softly whispered “morning SunBun. I brought us your favorite” with his cute little Austrian-German accent poking through.

He make my heart melt because since he knows how bully and social anxiety do to one person, he makes sure for months on end to always be near you, always assuring you, you’re his best person (he can’t put his love for you into words…clearly)

He gives me “Fire away” By Niall horan…if you disagree..fight me babes bc i know for sure he is just..the sweetest.

I sure hope you enjoyed this!!

Tags: @g4y-gr3ml1n

Requests are open!!

[hmshermitcraft]

Etho isn't fae. Like actually, no tricks or puzzles or anything, he's a human guy just trying to get through this semester. Unfortunately his college is by The Woods and fae hunters and paranormal experts keep trying to Track Him Down or something. He can't get any peace!!

So no, he's not fae, what he is, is autistic and homeless. So all the strange social rules that fae follow and adhere to and the "lurking in the woods past any time people should be out" are explained with supernatural bullshit and not explained with the failure of the economic system and disability. He's got some weird texture stuff too, wind on his skin feels like knives and pins and needles so he wears a mask and covers up even when it's hot just to avoid the hell that is Air Movement.

He's currently squatting in an old abandoned bomb shelter from the ww2 days in the woods behind campus, he showers at the gym and eats for free with his meal voucher, it's honestly not too terrible. Yes the temperature control is shit but he'd rather be here than in a shelter somewhere, another failure of society he thinks.

Anyway, one day he's followed "home". The man's got a camera and is hell bent on "exposing the fae of the woods" or whatever. Etho didn't realize he was being followed, the man was sneaky and Etho had been on the edge of completely melting down for about 6 hours so he didn't think to check his back.

Bdubs kicks down the door to the shelter, not finding something unknown to the human eye and instead finding Etho, sat on the ratty couch that came with the place, shoveling plain crackers down his gullet by the light of a battery powered camping lamp.

Bdubs screams, Etho screams, Bdubs tries to run and instead smacks face first into the concrete doorframe, Etho laughs at him, they make introductions over a bloody nose and stale crackers, bdubs puts the camera away.

"what do you know about the fae of the woods?" Bdubs asks after a minute

"I am the fae of the woods, people are more comfortable with the thought of a supernatural being than the crisis of homelessness"

"dude."

Bdubs starts visiting after that, they explore the deeper areas of the bunker with a flashlight more powerful than Etho's lamp, he's stayed in the main room this whole time so the inner areas of his house are unknown to both of them. Bdubs can't solve Etho's problems but he can keep him company and bring him apple juice and a new pillow.

Bdubs clears his name at school too, saying that the "fae" was just a hungry raccoon or something. Without the rumors floating around school gets better and he and Bdubs get closer over the summer.

Junior year Bdubs gets a double with someone who dropped out the first week, it's already paid for and nobody else is gonna use it so Etho moves in. Bdubs gets him a bedspread and toiletries and even a stuffed bear full of beans, the weight is nice after a long day. With a stable housing situation Etho is able to get a job on campus, they go shopping together and Bdubs calls it a date more than once. Etho, now equipped with comfortable clothes, climate control and lots of feelings about his friend, asks Bdubs if he wants to go to Panera bread with him, as a date. You know, like boyfriends would.

They push their beds together a few months later and by graduation they move into a little apartment. Being the Fae of the Woods was horrible but it did end up getting Etho his husband, so. Upsides, y'know?

-s (who is so sick and tired of being Othered and seen and something to be avoided cause of disability. i'm projecting, can u tell?)

Bdubs likes to joke that he did expose the Fae of the woods... Just as a big softie that blushes every time Bdubs holds his hands! Etho whacks him, before hiding his face in Bdubs' shoulder like that'll save him.

There was a point that Etho didn't think he'd have his own space to decorate - nevermind somebody to share it with. Now, he can make it perfect. Acoustic cork panels on the walls, a weighted blanket at the bottom of the bed. Temperature that he's able to control! And surrounded by all of Bdubs' plants, and Bdubs himself. He doesn't think he could ask for anything more.

[absurdthirst]

Simple As That {Marcus Pike x F!Reader}

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Internalized homophobia/bi-erasure, actually homophobia, mentions of cheating, divorce, anxiety, panic, self doubt, Marcus being the best

Comments: Telling your boyfriend that you're bisexual when Pride month comes around isn't easy, especially when a friend is going through a horrible time because of their own sexual identity.

A/N: Happy Pride Month! 🌈 I know that I've had my own moments of panic and self-erasure and I'm sure a lot of you have as well. Be authentic to yourself. Live, laugh, love whoever you wish. Just know that I love you for who you are.

**Follow @absurdthirst-writes and turn on notifications to stay up to date on all new fics.

|| MasterList || Marcus Pike MasterList ||

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

You’ve talked yourself out of this conversation for so long, you wonder if it’s even necessary. After all, what does it matter? You are with a man who is bright, funny, thoughtful and caring. One who is empathetic to your hectic life, because he has his own full plate, and never seems to mind when you just don’t have the social battery to go out. He even asks if you have the energy to let him take care of you, or if he should spend the night at his own apartment. In short, Marcus Pike is perfect. 

Still, guilt hangs over you like a shroud, weighing you down and making you bite your lip when the topic is brought up or even represented on tv. Like there is a big neon sign flashing over your head that screams ‘LIAR!!’ in a pink, blue and purple hues. 

You tell yourself that it doesn’t matter if you're bisexual. You are in a relationship with a man. Even though younger you would be completely pissed off by the fact that you are self-erasing a part of yourself that seemed so central to who you are. 

You’re scared. You can admit that. You’ve seen how some of your friends' relationships have imploded when their sexuality was used against them. Hell, even now, Anthony’s marriage is dead, going through the nastiest divorce that you’ve ever seen with Charlotte accusing him of sleeping with every single one of his friends. Apparently the gym was code for a gang bang in the locker room, and he called her ‘Charlie’ because he wanted to pretend his wife was a man. It didn’t matter that she was the one who offered that nickname when they met three years ago, it was being used against him now as some sort of weird, homophobic proof of his infidelity. 

Personally, you think she’s crazy and it was unlikely that the marriage would have lasted even five more years, but  the viciousness of her accusations managed to dig into you. Permeate under your skin when you had heard what she had accused him of, how immediately Anthony was untrustworthy around anyone and everyone, all because he was bisexual. The fact that she had known this before they got married was irrelevant. It mattered now and it was crushing your friend. 

Tapping your nail on the desktop calendar, you try to ignore the date. June first. The beginning of Pride Month. A month to celebrate who you are authentically. This month is different from the rest since you have gotten serious with a gorgeous FBI agent with a boyish smile. 

Instead of some kind of Pride event, you’ve penciled in a date with him. Knowing that he will be eager to see you since the latest case had taken him out of town for nearly two weeks. Two weeks of self doubt and second guessing. Two weeks of dealing with the fallout of Anthony’s marriage crumbling, since he is sleeping on your couch - even though it’s ironic she’s not accusing him of sleeping with you. Two weeks of deciding that you should never tell Marcus about that side of yourself and then chastising yourself in the same single breath. 

It doesn’t matter if you never kiss another girl again. Never sleep with one. That Marcus is the only person that you are intimate with for the rest of your life. You are bisexual. You are sexually and romantically attracted to both men and women. It doesn’t matter that on the outside you appear as a heteronormative couple, you’re not. Because you’re not. To deny that would be to deny a huge part of yourself. 

You sigh softly and consider canceling. Hiding away for the next few days, hell, maybe even the entire month. Just so you don’t have to be out with Marcus around the flags or the events that were planned throughout the city for the entire month. Pretending it doesn’t exist. 

Your phone lights up, buzzing as a picture of Marcus pops up. It was one that you had snapped while he was trying, and failing to cook dinner about a month ago. Looking adorably flustered, it had become his contact picture and it makes you smile every time you see it. 

You smile this time too, but it’s a nervous smile. Picking up the phone and trying to ignore the way that your stomach rocks and rolls like the waves of a turbulent sea, you answer. “Hey, babe.” You hum, hoping you sound completely normal to your boyfriend.

“Hey.” Marcus always sounds like he’s excited to hear your voice, the warm, buttery sound of his greeting relaxing you a bit and making the smile turn a bit brighter. “I just landed and wondered if I could come over.” 

It’s completely Marcus to want to drop everything and rush over to see you. Despite the fact that he might be exhausted from traveling, or working nonstop over the two weeks. Only one of the reasons that he didn’t know about your houseguest. You hadn’t wanted to talk to him about it over the phone since you couldn’t see his face. Watch his eyes as you explain. 

“How about I come to your place?” You ask, glancing back at the little flag that Anthony had stuck in your pen organizer. The lines of the damn thing mocking you, although you know why he is stubbornly being prideful about Pride month this year. “We can relax, and you can sleep in your own bed for the first time in two weeks.” Although you might not be sleeping beside him.

Marcus groans, and you can tell that he likes that idea. “I’ll pick up some take out on the way home.” He agrees quickly, so you know that he was offering to come over simply because he felt like it was the right thing to do. “See you in half an hour?” 

“Half an hour.” You agree, ending the call and trying not to feel sick about something that should be so easy. It’s not, but you need to tell him. 

****

“I’ve really missed you.” Marcus leans in to kiss you softly. Food consumed and he looks infinitely more relaxed after a quick shower and tossing on some of his oldest, comfiest sweats. Leaning into you on the couch and you can see that spark of desire in his eyes. It’s easy to see and you bite your lip, determined to tell him before anything else happens tonight. 

“Anthony’s getting divorced.” You blurt out, making him pause as he leans in. “He’s been staying on my couch for the past two weeks.” 

“Shit.” Marcus frowns and leans back, his brows pulled in slightly and he sighs. “Is he okay? What happened?” 

You don’t want to tell him the details, knowing that it’s not your place to say anything to him about Anthony’s sexuality since you don’t know if it’s ever been brought up before with Marcus around. He knows your friends and likes them, but it’s not like everyone is talking about who they are attracted to. Everyone is in committed relationships except for a few who are serial daters. “They- Charlie thinks Anthony is cheating.” 

Marcus’ eyes widen and he shakes his head. “Damn.” He huffs. “I hope that’s not true, I doubt it is, from what I gathered, he seemed pretty damn committed to Charlie.” 

“He is- was.” You correct. “But there’s no going back now. Not with what’s been said.” It was sad, the things that were hurled at him in anger or spite and you know it hurt him a lot. “He’s staying on my couch.” 

“Okay.” Marcus nods quickly, reaching out and rubbing your arm. “Let me know if I can help in any way. Or…” He shrugs slightly. “I do have another bedroom. He can crash here instead of your couch.” He offers. “No offense to the sofa, it’s comfortable, but a bed is more comfy.” 

You smile, shrugging slightly and nod. “I’ll tell him about your offer. It’s sweet, but he might say no.” You hum and Marcus tilts his head curiously but doesn’t ask why. He’s good about not prying. Especially for an FBI agent.

“It’s available.” Is all he offers before he scoots closer to you. “So I want to take you out.” He starts. “But I wanted to make sure that it was okay before I surprise you with it.” 

That’s unusual for Marcus. He tends to like grand gestures and this makes you look at him curiously. “Oh?” 

“There’s an event this weekend. And I always go to it every year and I was wondering if you would come with me.” He tells you, keeping his dark eyes on yours and you feel the dread that has been in your stomach all afternoon start to slowly ebb under the weight of his soft expression. 

“What’s that?” You wonder if it’s some kind of work event. Or even a marathon. Marcus has been groaning about needing to start running again. Apparently he has been running marathons every year, at least one, since he was in college. The beer runs had turned into more respectable 5 and 10ks. 

“Pride.” Marcus ventures, his brows raising up and he looks a little nervous. “There’s a pub crawl this weekend and I just always go to something, and I thought that it might not be as….large as the parade and I thought you might like to go…and if you don’t, that’s okay, but-” Marcus is rambling, something that you notice that he does when he is worried about what you might say so he feels the need to provide more details or arguments that back up his ‘case’ so to speak. 

Your own sense of having water poured over your head washes over you and you reach out. “Marc.” Touching his hand makes him freeze mid rambling sentence and you let the silence hange between you for a moment. You don’t ask a question, but you’re sure that your eyes are begging him to explain. 

“I just- I thought you might like to go since, well, yeah.” He blows out a breath and shakes his head. “I thought that since you are bisexual, you might like to go? Unless you don’t celebrate pride and your boyfriend is being incredibly insensitive? If that’s the case, I’m so sorry.” 

“You know?” Your eyes widen and abject horror is probably spreading across your features even though you can’t even feel anything other than your thundering heart. “H-how do you know?” Who told him, how did he find out? Did he go through your phone one night to find the small stash of porn you had saved for those nights when you wanted to think about a woman. Fantasy isn’t cheating, you’ve always believed that, and you know that Marcus has his own porn habit, but how does he know?

Marcus frowns, confusion clouding his face and he shakes his head. “I- was I not supposed to know?” He asks quietly, his hand sliding back to rest on the back of the sofa to give you space if you needed it. 

“I just don’t- who told you?” You don’t feel like any of your friends have said anything, but who knows? Your stomach feels like every bite of your dinner is going to come up. 

His look of confusion deepens and he shakes his head. “Babe…..you told me.” He tells you, completely confused as to why you seem so upset. 

“I told you?” You demand, voice creeping up. “When did I tell you?” 

“Our first date.” He shakes his head and holds up his hands. “Babe, what’s wrong?” He asks, obviously confused over your reaction to this conversation.

“I didn’t tell you on our first date.” You argue. “I would never just come out and say ‘oh by the way, I’m bisexual’.” You know that you’re getting emotional, but you can’t help yourself. You’ve been torturing yourself for a long time about this. 

“Woah, babe.” Marcus raises his hands and speaks soothingly. “I’m not understanding. On our first date, you told me about breaking up with ‘Sam’.”

“Sam is a boy’s name.” 

“You called her Samantha at one point during the story.” He tells you.

Your mouth drops open because Sam was Samatha and you hadn’t even noticed the little slip of the tongue. But he apparently had. “Oh.”

He doesn’t try to make you feel dumb, instead he just waits for you to speak again. 

“Why do you go to pride?” You ask quietly, unable to meet his eyes. 

Marcus gently cups your chin, tilting your head so you are looking at him again. Smiling softly at you, no judgment in his eyes. “Because I’ve had a lot of friends who are in the community and it’s important for me to support them.” He explains. “Just like it’s important for me to support my girlfriend.”

“Simple as that?” You ask, surprised that he doesn’t have questions, hasn’t questioned you about this before now or voiced doubts about your sexuality or faithfulness. Although maybe you shouldn’t be surprised. Marcus is a very thoughtful, rational man. Suddenly you don’t feel anxious at all, a little sheepish for your internal crisis, but the anxiety has melted away into utter affection for the man in front of you. 

“Simple as that.” Marcus promises, leaning in to kiss you softly.