#i will be celebrating with spaghetti. thank you for being a friend and/or follower of mine. i do not actually know

[outlying-hyppocrate]

I now have 40 followers?????????

[ggidolsmuts]

Guilty Pleasures - Dreamcatcher Gahyeon

"Damnit Gahyeon I've been here for 30 minutes already."

"Sorry sorry! The train was late, and it was packed and I had to wait for the next one," Gahyeon sneaks in the real reason at the end. "And I overslept."

"Ugh, are you this late to schedules? Why do I even put up with you."

"Because that's work, unless you're paying me to be here, this ain't work. And I'm the most good-looking person you know, now shut up and follow me." Gahyeon pulls you into Dongdaemun Fashion Town. You and Gahyeon cut an odd pair—a fashionably dressed yet fastidiously anonymous woman dragging a shabbily attired man around the shops, the two of you stood out for very different reasons. The two of you were rivals in school, but Gahyeon went on to become an idol, and you went on to become an office worker. You suffer each other's company begrudgingly: Gahyeon because you weren't a star-struck fool who asked her for favors, and actually gave her shit when it mattered. You because she stuck around, made an effort to stay in touch rather than fade away and into her celebrity life.

"So who are you meeting? Do you have her insta? Does she have any exes on her profile?"

"Don't they delete all of those?"

"They might just hide their faces, I want to see what they dress like, see what her type is."

"Oh, anyways no, a friend set us up, I just have a name and a pic."

"No college, no background?" You tell Gahyeon what you know, and with a few taps she brings up an instagram profile.

"Is this her?" You're left to wonder if Gahyeon might just be in the wrong line of work as she starts scrolling through the pictures.

"I think so? Looks like the photo." 

"Damn, no guys, or at least guys that look like exes."

"Just pick what you think looks good then."

"Hmm okay, then let's go!" Gahyeon has you following her like a puppy as her head turns on a swivel, walking down the many rows of shops. Suits, t-shirts, outerwear, innerwear, the place had it all.

"This and this, try them together." "Do this one instead." "Try the black one again? It looked better than the navy."

It also happened to have sleek spaghetti tops, skirts, and pretty one-pieces.

"Hold on to these for me?" "How does this look?" "Wait here, I think I liked the other one better."

You swear by the time you exit the market at least half of it is Gahyeon's purchases, and that you're holding all of it.

"Omo, you're such a nice boyfriend, helping her hold all the shopping." An old granny comments at the two of you exiting the area.

"What?" "HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Gahyeon shouts loudly over you. "Some of it is his stuff too!"

"Aigoo, poor you." Gahyeon shoots a death glare as you kindly wave your hands at her.

"No granny, we're just friends."

"Do friends do that hmm? Have one person hold everything while the other one walks around like they own the place?" Gahyeon's flabbergasted, her mouth opening and closing comically as she slowly grows redder and redder.

"No no, this is me repaying a favor, she helped me pick some nice clothes!"

"Did she now?"

"Yes I did! Y-You shouldn't comment if you don't know anything!"

"Aigoo sorry, you know, kids these days, all of them are couples. Here, a little something for entertaining little old me." She pushes a box into each of your hands, and you nearly drop yours as you struggle to carry the bags.

"We don't have money," you say automatically, wary of being scammed.

"No no, it's just a little trinket, help you two grow closer together." Before you could thank her she turns around, disappearing into crowd, as quickly as she appeared in front of the two of you.

"Right— Hey!" Gahyeon grabs her bags from you, tossing the box into one of the bags unkindly before stomping off.

"Fuck it, I'll carry themself! Tch!" You watch her crash through the crowd for a little bit before switching to using two hands. You catch up to her quickly and take the shopping bags back from her.

"Come on, you just carry the bag with the box in it." Gahyeon continues to pout, and after some cajoling and a lot of dessert you finally see her off in a taxi, loading the bags into the back seat for her.

"Thanks, let me know how the date goes!"

It went well, we're having a second date next week! Gahyeon swipes away the notification without a thought—it only hinders her from the porn she's watching. She licks the same finger and slips it between her legs once more, your message a mere detour to her destination. A low breath slips past parted lips as she rubs small circles on her clit before pushing two fingers in.

The woman's legs are held open, held at the knees as her partner begins thrusting. The loud slaps of flesh are even louder in Gahyeon's ears. She is forced to stop watching the video as her eyes close, a soft groan as she reaches a peak—a weak one, but it'll have to do. A shower later she finally gets to looking at her phone again.

That's great, see, told you I could dress you well! Gahyeon's message lights up your phone screen, but you don't see it on your desk. You're too busy stroking it, reading smuts and watching porn. Your hand quickens and with a long exhale through your nose you spill into the tissue.

You don't get to her message until the next day.

*Days later*

Gahyeon's walking out of the shower, mostly dry. Something catches her eye as she towels her hair dry—the box the granny had given her. She had forgotten about it and left it on her desk unopened. Curious, Gahyeon flips it open and nearly drops it!

"What..." On the floor lay a simple dildo, innocuous and hopefully unused. Gingerly Gahyeon picks it up, examining it closely. She takes it to the bathroom and washes it before touching it more thoroughly. Why did the granny give her this? And didn't she give you another box, did she give you a dildo too? Gahyeon is lost in thought as the water continues to run over her hands and the dildo. Those thoughts turn dirty as she absentmindedly runs a finger up and down the shaft—fuck, how long had it been since she got laid? The dildo felt longer and thicker between her fingers as she got wetter and wetter between her legs.

Making up her mind Gahyeon cleans the dildo again before turning off the tap and heading to bed. The shorts and panties quickly come off, and Gahyeon spreads her legs, her breath catching as the hard tip of the dildo rubs over her slit—that felt too good already! The tip nudges left and then right, and it pushes her lips open. Gahyeon holds her breath and closes her eyes as she slowly pushes the toy in. Her pussy reacts greedily, swallowing the dildo and tightly squeezing every inch Gahyeon feeds it.

She curses under her breath when it's fully in, and immediately she starts pumping the dildo in and out of her, relishing in the satisfaction of being filled. Gahyeon's arm strains to saw it even faster through her, and the friction is enough to get her there. She plants her feet on the bed and lifts her hips, biting back a moan as she crests over the top, her pussy clenching around the dildo deep inside. She keeps herself plugged for a while longer, the last aftershocks of pleasure making her toes curl on the sheets. Eventually the dildo is extracted, and Gahyeon brings it to the bathroom. She feels the slick on the toy collect on her hand as she strokes it up and down—Maybe I'll keep it, she thinks to herself as she cleans it for the third time. Instead of putting it back in the box, Gahyeon places it in her bedside drawer. She doesn't think about it or take it out again for a long while.

*Said long while later*

I'm sorry, I don't think we'll work out, wish you all the best! You read the message with a sinking heart. You look at the clothes Gahyeon picked for you—all you can do is shrug and shut the closet. You notice an out-of-place box on the closet shelf. Right, that granny had given you the box, and you had simply left it there when you emptied your shopping bag. You open it, and on the list of things you expected to find, a fleshlight definitely wasn't on it. You wash it in the bathroom before placing it on the desk—what do you do with it?

"Fuck it..." you mutter, getting rid of your shorts. No better way to get over an unsuccessful match by stroking your worries away. You fire up the porn, but it is not needed at all. The fleshlight felt amazing, hot and wet around your shaft, and it seems to pulse with life, like a real pussy!

"Hnngh!" Gahyeon squeals as the dildo suddenly feels warm and fleshy inside her. She's still pumping it manually, but it seems to be moving with a mind of its own, getting deeper than she normally would. The intense pleasure sweeps through her body, and Gahyeon bites her t-shirt to stifle her moans. Her legs tense and quiver, and she's quickly rolling to an orgasm as the dildo seems to throb inside her, bigger and harder!

Then the worst happens.

"Gahyeon-ah, are you there?"

Gahyeon stills her hand, keeping the dildo firmly stuffed inside her.

"Y-Yes unnie?"

"I'm going to get some groceries, do you want anything?" Despite her staying still, Gahyeon feels the repeated thrusting of the dildo inside her, and she can't hold on.

"No it's— Ah!" Without the t-shirt to bite on, Gahyeon yelps before biting her lower lip. Her thighs close around her arm, trapping the dildo inside her. The orgasm rages through her, driven to violent heights as it seems to climax with her, throbbing against her clenching walls. Her abdomen seems to get warmer, and Gahyeon rolls over. Her feet kick wildly, and she screams into the pillow as she feels herself getting filled up, the impossibility leading to ecstatic insanity.

"Gahyeon-ah, are you okay? Can I come in?" The voice seeps into her consciousness from a mile away. The dildo has slipped out, taking its place above the wet spot on her sheets.

"N-No unnie, sorry, I stubbed my toe." Gahyeon wipes the drool from her mouth.

"Omo, does it hurt a lot?"

"It's fine, it's fine!" Gahyeon hastily replies. "Actually, can you get me some cola?"

"Cola? Okay sure, I'll be back later."

"Thank you unnie!" Gahyeon takes a deep breath as she hears the footsteps get softer and softer from her door. She grabs the dildo and examines it closely—it doesn't feel lifelike at all, and there's no moving parts, so how could it thrust into her? She dips a finger within herself, yet there's no sign of cum or any other foreign fluid, so why did it feel like she was getting filled up?

"What the fuck..." two people gasp simultaneously.

Across Seoul you're doubled over at your desk, having dumped your load into the fleshlight as it seemed to milk you with a mind of its own. No masturbation ever felt quite like this, like you were having sex with someone! You pumped the toy over and over until the pleasure finally ended. Only now do you remove it from your cock. It felt warm and wet earlier, yet when you look at your shaft, there was nary any lubricant, no slick, and yet you had definitely felt it!

You stumble into the bathroom and wash it clean. Fingers in the fleshlight confirm that there is no motor, no battery, yet it was definitely grasping and clenching around you, seeming to orgasm right before you did. You're too drained to think about it, and you leave it in the box again.

You don't throw the toy away however, and neither does Gahyeon.

The two of you reach an understanding with each other, not that either of you were aware of it—using the toy at certain times felt really fucking good, specifically when you two were both using it at the same time. You two assumed that the toy had some special function at those times, and so it became almost a routine to masturbate then. There were times when it didn't work, when Gahyeon was abroad on tour—timezones threw it off, but neither of you made the connection.

There was the nagging fact that the granny had given you both a box, but neither of you wanted to bring it up with the other person. How could Gahyeon ask you about the dildo she got? How would you even bring up the fleshlight with Gahyeon? The indulgence of the toy became a guilty pleasure for both of you, something intimate that should be kept at arm's length otherwise. The two of you remained blissfully oblivious about each other's nighttime proclivities until one road trip.

"Aish Gahyeon, we're not going to make it in this jam! How are you late on Lunar New Year's eve? You still had schedules?!"

"No I just overslept my nap okay? Blame our families, why do they have to live so far from Seoul!" The two of you are stuck in what could be called "traffic", although that requires some movement of cars. As far as you can tell, you have moved about a meter in the past hour, and the sun is already setting.

"What does the navigation say?" you groan and ask Gahyeon.

"Uhh, 3 hours."

"Fuck, we're gonna miss dinner."

"Yeah... Sorry." You bite your tongue, deciding not to further cuss out Gahyeon for making you miss your dinner with the family.

"It's fine, let's just see how far we get, then figure things out." You continue tapping on the steering wheel, but it doesn't make the cars go any faster, and an hour becomes two, and then two and a half. You make your decision, swinging across several lanes towards an exit.

"What are you doing?!"

"It's too late, we might not even make it before midnight. Just tell your parents you'll come in tomorrow. Let's find a motel or something to stay for the night, it'll be way less jammed tomorrow morning."

Gahyeon lets out a long breath and sighs, "Want me to text your parents too?"

"Yeah, thanks."

You manage to take the exit off the highway, and Gahyeon directs you to a motel she found on her phone.

"Room for two?" The concierge asks.

"No, two rooms please, just for the night." You ignore the weird look from the concierge and look at your phone, responding to your parents' message.

"Of course, here are your keys."

"Thanks." The two of you go to your neighboring rooms, but before you can slam the door in frustration, Gahyeon asks quietly.

"Do you want to do dinner together? Might as well." She's right, not like you have anyone else to eat with.

"Sure, might as well," you sigh. Dinner was a sullen and quick affair, the two of you a lonely duo in the otherwise empty fast food joint—the only place that was still open.

"What time should we head out tomorrow?" Gahyeon asks you on the elevator up to your rooms.

"7 am? Is that too early?"

"No, I won't oversleep, promise!"

"Good, I'll leave you here otherwise." You wouldn't of course, but just to scare her into actually waking up on time for once. Gahyeon sees through it easily though, offering you a hug.

"Liar, have a good night, and happy new year I guess."

"Happy new year, night." You sigh and flop on the bed. You check your messages again—more pics of the feast you should have been eating. Aimlessly you scroll through your phone, until you hear something you really, probably, shouldn't have heard.

"Mmm..." Gahyeon moans softly. She felt terrible for oversleeping, frustrated at herself for making you late, for making you miss your family dinner as well. She needed relief, so she's sprawled out on the bed, pushing the dildo into herself.

"Ah..." In addition to it being something you shouldn't have heard, you really shouldn't be getting hard at listening to Gahyeon get herself off. But you're too aroused you can't bring youself to put on earphones, so you reach for the fleshlight instead to work off your stress—might as well make the most of the "distraction".

"Nngh!" Gahyeon lifts off the bed suddenly as the dildo is "active" again. She checks her phone quickly—it's outside of the dildo's normal “schedule”, but she's not going to complain as it throbs and penetrates her delightfully. Propping herself against the headboard she sits up and plants her feet on the mattress. Gahyeon's toes curl and grip the sheets as she plunges the dildo into her with more purpose. Now she's going to get fucked.

You groan under your breath as you pump the fleshlight over your shaft. It is tight and wet, even more so than usual—surprisingly it is "working" at this time. Gahyeon's moans get louder through the wall, and you stroke it even faster, even harder.

Gahyeon's biting her shirt again, and she's starting to slide back down the bed as the pleasure overwhelms her. The dildo is particularly active, striking her powerfully deep, even faster than usual.

"Hmmmm!" Her hips lift off the bed in orgasm as she's driven to her first of the session. Gahyeon's body seizes up in pleasure, and her arm is rigid, keeping the dildo plugged firmly in her body. It seems to keep thrusting, and Gahyeon shuts her eyes and bites down on her shirt further.

The fleshlight tightens around you perfectly in time with Gahyeon's deep moan, and it urges you to your peak. You hear Gahyeon panting and gasping through the wall, seemingly riding out her own intense orgasm, and you squeeze the fleshlight so tightly you might break it.

"Yah! Mmmmm, mmph!" Gahyeon yelps as the dildo continues moving. Normally one orgasm would be enough, and the dildo would "orgasm" too. Little did she know that you are extra-motivated from her moans, and you last longer than your normally do. Gahyeon has to twist into the pillow, moaning loudly into it as she cums again. The sound waves make their way through the wall, and it becomes unstoppable waves of pleasure in your body.

"Fuck!" Your moan is short but loud, and you finally explode into the fleshlight.

Gahyeon doesn't hear your moan, too lost in pleasure as the dildo seems to finally "orgasm" too, going rigid before throbbing wildly inside her. The familiar warmth of a creampie, imaginary or otherwise, makes her sigh as she goes limp on the bed.

Separated by a thin wall, the two of you come down from your orgasms, toys thickly coated with bodily fluids. You eventually sneak out of your room with fleshlight in hand, looking to quickly wash it in the communal bathroom. You then go for a shower, and as you finish up, you run into Gahyeon leaving her room, and you hurriedly pocket the fleshlight.

"H-Hey."

"Oh it's you, umm hey. Have a good night!" Gahyeon blushes, and she's hiding something behind her back. She hurries by you, and though you don't see what she's holding exactly, you turn to see her placing a box on the sink—the exact same box you have, the one the granny gave you!

A crazy thought forms in your head, and you had to ask Gahyeon. You wait to hear her return to her room before jumping up and knocking on her door.

"Hey, are you sleeping soon? I have a question." Gahyeon peeks through the gap in the door.

"Not yet, come in." Gahyeon sits on the bed, dressed in a large t-shirt and shorts underneath. "What's up?"

"So umm, I happened to see the box you were holding earlier." Gahyeon's eyes widen and she blushes. "Is that the box the granny gave us last time?"

"Y-Yes? I was just using it to hold my makeup."

"Can I ask what was in your box?"

"My makeup!"

"No, when she first gave it to you. Was it a... An adult toy of some sort?" Now you're blushing with her. Gahyeon one-ups you and blushes deeper, nodding.

"Okay, so it wasn't just me. Listen, don't freak out, but does it feel really good sometimes, when you use it?" Her eyes widen in shock, how would you know that?

"Don't kill me, but I overheard you umm, using it just now, did it feel really good then?"

"Yes," Gahyeon replies hoarsely, her throat suddenly dry. No way, no fucking way.

"Okay so I, mmm, I was using mine too, just now." The silence hangs in the air, the implication clear.

"No, not possible. Bullshit."

"I know, I guess, but—"

"Get out, I'm going to sleep."

"Gah—"

"Out, I'll see you tomorrow." You sigh and get up from your chair.

"Okay, good night." You return to your room and bang your head against the door. That conversation went about as well as you could expect. Now you're just left with a burning curiosity—is the fleshlight connected to Gahyeon's toy? Were you "feeling" Gahyeon?

Little did you know that the same question was burning a hole in Gahyeon's mind too, and she tossed and turned as she tried to sleep. What, or who was she feeling? Was it you, no way, right? She didn't want to think about it, to continue using the dildo worry-free, but she couldn't help it, especially as she stared at the box across the room.

It was almost a little too much guilt in the term "guilty pleasure", and so you are surprised but relieved when Gahyeon wakes you from your sleep, rapping the door loudly.

"Who is it?" you mumble sleepily.

"Me, I want to come in." She barges in as soon as you open the door, and you see she's holding a dildo. "Where is it?"

"What?"

"The box, the toy." You hand her the box, and she takes the fleshlight out. You can't read Gahyeon's expression, and she's holding it so tightly you fear she might just throw both toys on the ground and smash them.

Gahyeon's more nervous than she lets on, but she keeps her voice steady and tosses you the fleshlight.

"Let's use it, let's find out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I need to know. Are you going to be able to use it if you don't?"

"I... No, same. Okay, how do we do this?"

"I-I don't know," Gahyeon admits, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Maybe we should just face away from each other?"

"Okay, I'll sit here then." Gahyeon turns to see you sit in the hotel chair, your back turned to her.

"Don't turn around, I'll- I'll take off my shorts." You hear the rustle of clothes, and silently you slip off your own boxers as well. "I'll go first." The slight breath she expels is more than enough to drive your imagination wild.

"Is it in?"

"I thought I should be the one asking you that," Gahyeon jokes shakily. "Go ahead."

"Okay, putting it in now." You groan at the wetness enveloping you, but is nothing compared to the erotic whimper Gahyeon makes. It is pointless for you to ask her if she feels it.

"Turn around," she orders you quietly.

"What?"

"I don't believe it, turn around, I need to see it."

"I'm not wearing my boxers Gahyeon."

"I know, please, I just need to see it." You settle for an inbetween, grabbing your discarded boxers and covering yourself best you can. You swivel the chair around, taking in Gahyeon—her t-shirt hides most of her body, but it fails to hide her smooth legs. The fabric bunches up at the very end, unable to hide the fact that her hand is between her thighs.

"Here." You push the boxers down your thighs, showing off the fleshlight over your cock.

"Move it— ah..." Gahyeon moans when you do as she says, giving the fleshlight one pump. You feel her moan, the toy clenching around your cock and getting wetter. She's bent over in pleasure, her long hair tickling her thighs.

"T-There, enough?"

"No, I need to see nngh— feel you move it, keep going." Slowly she shifts one leg, and then the other, on to the bed. Her hair still obscures her vision, but your gaze is unobstructed. Underneath her shirt you can see the dildo slowly moving in and out of her, copious coating of collecting contentment conclusive confirmation of her condition—close, so close! Soon Gahyeon disappears from sight as you close your eyes to relish the feel of her pussy clenching on you. The two of you silently masturbate, pumping fleshlight and dildo over and into your bodies.

"Fuck!" "Gahyeon!" The two of you harshly whisper into the room, and it snaps you out of it. You two look straight at each other, eyes wild and needy. Only one thought is in your mind.

Fuck Gahyeon.

The toys are tossed aside as you launch yourselves at each other. Your body weight means you land on top of her, and in an instant Gahyeon's grabbing your shaft, lining you up. Unreserved moans leave the two of you as you plunge straight into her. Her fingers grip your arms tightly, and her desire is clear.

Fuck me.

Her hand grabs your ass needily, trying to shove your dick into her like a dildo. Your hand is on her butt, squeezing and groping it, trying to use her like a fleshlight as you pull her towards you. It is less sex and more mutual masturbation the way you two are treating each other, as a tool for maximum pleasure.

Gahyeon is growing a taste for your meat in more ways than one—she's biting on your shoulder hard enough to draw blood. The dildo was good, but this real dildo is ten, no, a hundred times more intense! She came on the first thrust, and then the third, and then the seventh, and then she loses count.

The fleshlight felt more amazing than ever before, and you thrust madly into it. Gahyeon's cries feed your arousal, and you're pounding into her, pulling her up against you to stroke yourself faster. Her legs hook around your thighs, and her nails dig into your arms—she needed this just as much as you did. You never wanted to stop, but your body has its limits.

"Ah!" Gahyeon's voice cracks as you unload into her "fleshlight", flooding her with cream. She grabs on your dildo tightly, milking it to further that sensation of warmth—she finally feels real and thick cum coating her walls.

You collapse on top of her, and you are greeted with bare skin. It smells nice, and you bury your face in it, kissing and sucking on it. You feel lips on your neck too, and you groan in response. When your heartbeat finally stabilizes, reality sets in.

What the fuck did you just do? Who the fuck did you just do?!

You try to get off Gahyeon, but she holds you close, holds you in her.

"N-Not yet." She slips out from underneath you and gets on all fours. It was a sight to raise the dead, a sight to revive your spent erection—Gahyeon's ass presented in front of you, your load seeping out of her, A visible handmark is on a cheek, from where you grabbed her ferociously. She doesn't turn back to speak to you, instead taking off her t-shirt and burying her head in the pillow.

"Use me... Get us off."

Gahyeon's head is still in the clouds as you push into her from behind. How many times has she been in this position before, on all fours as she tried to shove the dildo deeper into herself? Yet her hands are free now, free to pull on the sheets as she lets herself get penetrated over and over.

This "dildo" is so much better! she moans to herself—she pushes herself deeper into the pillow to muffle her moans, in denial of everything she's experiencing. She doesn't really want to acknowledge the fact that it is you doing it to her, giving pumping her full of ecstasy. The dildo was supposed to be just a toy, and you are supposed to be just her friend, not her fuck buddy or lover. Yet here Gahyeon is, creaming herself all over your shaft like never before, letting you shove your cum deeper into her. It's so filthy it's good.

She prays you don't hear her squeal when you press yourself against her back and your hands find her peachy perky breasts. Fuck, no dildo ever felt her up like that! Squeezing and pinching and pulling at her chest, Gahyeon's careening into another orgasm, making you grow harder, ready to burst.

Through her climax Gahyeon feels you get deeper into her, far deeper than the dildo has done before. It's no longer mutual masturbation—you're humping her, having sex with her, fucking her now. Heat wells in Gahyeon's core, eager for you to reach your peak, she needed to know you felt good, that she's making you feel good, just as much as you make her feel good. Your tip bumps against the entrance to her womb, and she surrenders.

He's making me cum again!

Gahyeon finally moans your name, admitting the fact that you, not the dildo, are the one giving her all the pleasure in the world. It is the most erotic sound you’ve ever heard—your stamina goes to zero, and you're firing everything you have left into her. The two of you freeze in place, your hands still squeezing her tits, kneading them like her pussy massages your shaft. You line her walls with ropes of seed, and only when you relax does Gahyeon go limp, falling forward onto the bed with you closely behind. The two of you breathe heavily, exhausted and drained. Bodies tangled together you fall asleep almost immediately, too tired to even process what just happened.

You wake up the next morning to a loud voice message from your parents.

"Yah, I thought you're making it for lunch?! Are you on your way yet?" You check your phone—it's 11 am!

"G-Gahyeon!" You hastily remove your arms from around her, but she grabs them and draws them back around her.

"Mmm, just a little longer..."

"Gahyeon we have to go!" you hiss. She snaps wide awake upon recognizing your voice and throws your arm off her.

"Uh... Uh..." She's speechless, holding up the sheets to cover her body. She blushes when she sees her clothes strewn all over the floor.

"We should er, clean up, I'll see you downstairs in half an hour." You face away from her, and hastily she gathers her belongings and runs back to her room.

The two of you are a disheveled pair when you check out of the motel, and the final stretch back home is deathly silent.

"Listen—" you start as you reach Gahyeon's place.

"Thanks for the ride, let's talk soon okay?" Her glance tells you she did not want to talk about it right now. “Happy new year.”

"Yeah, happy new year."

Your parents fuss over you, stuffing you full of food, and the relatives visiting are a welcome distraction from Gahyeon. It is merely a distraction though, as you stop in front of Gahyeon's place mere days later to drive her back.

"Aigoo, thanks for driving Gahyeon back, are your parents well?" Gahyeon's mom and dad greets you warmly.

"Yes they are, thanks for asking, I hope you are well too!"

"Gahyeon hurry up, don't make him wait!"

"I know I know!" She dumps her suitcase in the back before taking a seat in the back. Well, she would have, until her mom slaps her on the hand.

"What is he, your chauffeur? Go sit in front! He'll get bored driving back by himself with no one to talk to."

"It's okay, she doesn't have to—" But her dad is already opening the door and shoving Gahyeon in.

"Have a safe drive back!"

"We will, bye!" Gahyeon's parents disappear from the rear view mirror as you speed away. She takes her mom's words to heart and eventually breaches the silence.

"Did you have a good new year? Are your parents well?" 

"Yeah, thanks, you?"

"Yeah, it was good, you saw them, they’re doing good."

"Yeah."

You stop at one of the many traffic lights on your way back to Seoul, and you take a deep breath.

"Can we talk about what happened?"

Gahyeon nods, and between the traffic and the lights, you two spend a long time talking.

*Weeks later*

Your phone buzzes, and the message prompts you to check your phone. It's 2 in the afternoon.

Hey, you up? 

it's 2 pm, of course I'm up

call?

ok

Gahyeon calls you, and you find the fleshlight before picking up.

"Are you busy?" she asks.

"No, why would I be busy on a weekend?"

"It's still Friday here." Right, she's on tour again.

"What time is it?"

"Dunno, like midnight? We just finished a show."

"Shouldn't you be asleep then?"

"That's why I called you didn't I? Video?"

"Sure." The screen flickers on to show Gahyeon's bare face, her eyes already drooping. She smiles sleepily when she sees you.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself, you look like you're already sleeping."

"No I'm not!" she opens her eyes wide in defiance, but as soon as her head hits the pillow again they close a little.

"Fine, are you ready?"

"Mmhmm."

"Putting it in." The two of you gasp in pleasure as you bring the fleshlight over your cock.

"You're wet."

"Well yeah, was trying to get one off before bedtime, but here we are. Hnngh slowly!" She whines as you pull the fleshlight out too quickly.

"Oops sorry! How's the tour?" you catch up with Gahyeon, watching her body rock slightly as she slowly plunges the dildo into herself offscreen.

"Good, fun, long, wish I was back home." You're slowly moving the fleshlight over yourself, the two of you having lazy sex from across the oceans.

"That sucks, how many more days?"

"A week I think, then I'm back."

"Cool, can't wait." You miss Gahyeon's slight blush, your eyes closing as she grips you tighter.

"Y-yeah, can't wait, now shut up and do me." The two of you move your toys more needily, and the call devolves into soft moans, quiet pleads of "Right there!" and "Yes!" You watch Gahyeon bite her lower lip, stifling a loud moan when she climaxes. Across timezones you feel her clench around you, and you grunt and cum into your toy. For your benefit Gahyeon keeps the dildo in her until you finally open your eyes again.

"Feel good?" she asks, almost mischievously.

"Yeah, you good?"

"Wonderful, thanks for the help."

"Of course, have a good night Gahyeon."

"Thanks, good night oppa."

The call ends and you go to wash the toy once more, questioning again what sort of twisted relationship have you gotten into with Gahyeon.

She gets back a week later and immediately drags you out shopping.

“Did I really just let you bribe me with food to carry your bags?” you mutter as Gahyeon drops another bag on your overladen arms.

“No, you let yourself let me bribe you with food to carry my bags, thanks! Oh, that looks good over there!”

"Hi there! Are you two a couple?" You and Gahyeon freeze in place, but thankfully it is not any granny, but a regular salesperson.

"Ah no, we're not," you answer for the two of you, stepping in front of Gahyeon before she could explode at them.

"My mistake, I'm so sorry, I thought—"

"What if we are?" Gahyeon interrupts the salesperson from behind you.

"Eh? Oh, well we just have a promotion for couples, it's a couple set, you get good food and it comes with matching cups that you can bring home with you. I thought maybe you two would be interested."

"We are then, shall we, oppa?" Gahyeon blinks her eyes cutely at you. “Remember I’m paying, so I choose,” she adds, threatening you adorably.

"S-Sure." You roll your eyes and let Gahyeon drag you away. When was the last time getting free stuff went wrong for the two of you?

You look at Gahyeon smiling back at you and your heart skips a beat—maybe nothing has gone wrong yet after all, but your life has certainly been turned upside down.

A/N: Happy lunar new year! Spent time traveling and with the family, so didn’t have much chance to write.

This is one of those rare ideas where I don’t even know how I came up with it, in what world does “magically connected sex toys” make sense, it doesn’t even pop up in JAV or hentai! Anyways, hope it worked well, somehow made it a little fluffy at the end too, thanks for reading!

[riptideripley]

I seen that your requests are open. Is it possible I could request a sub!rhea x dom!fem reader smut??

After Party

gif creds: @rebecca-quin

summary:There’s an Money in the Bank after party that you were invited to alongside the Judgement day,Rhea decides to be a little too flirty.

word count:1,261

Money in the Bank had just finished and every one was heading out to a club for the after party celebration. Rhea,your girlfriend,had decided to wear a skirt and a black spaghetti strap shirt. You wore a black jumper,pairing it with heels while Rhea wore converse. You finished getting ready and headed down to the club,Rhea following.

Once arrived,Rhea went straight for the bar to catch up with Dominik. You giggled and sat with the Usos,who were your friends since forever. “Hey Jey,see you’re celebrating your win tonight” you said smiling,giving Jimmy a small hug as he waved at you. “Yup! First to pin him in almost 3 and a half years,I deserve everything tonight” Jey spoke downing a shot of alcohol. You giggled and grabbed one of the shots that sat on a tray. You glanced over at Rhea noticing her tipsy and smiling a little too much with Becky Lynch. You noted this and continued talking with the Usos,drinking here and there.

You felt a hand appear on your shoulder and looked to see who it was,Damien Priest. “Hey Señor Money in the Bank!” you spoke giving him a small side hug. He smiled,”Hey (your name),thanks for getting the name right. But can I talk to you for a moment?” he asked. You nodded and got up,following him off to a small corner in the club. “Hey so um..Rhea..she’s been extremely flirty with Becky tonight. I just thought I’d tell you” he spoke,making you clench your jaw. “mm..thanks for telling me,but can you tell her she has 5 minutes before we leave?” you asked,smiling innocently as he nodded and left to go to report to her. You headed back over to the Usos and downed two more shots at once,making Jimmy’s eyes widen. “Yoo chill with all that,I know you can handle your liquor easy but damn” “Maybe she’s stressed uce,you never know what Priest told her” Jey responded,patting your back gently. You smiled,”Guys I’m fine,but I’m gonna head home. I’ll call you two in the morning like you asked I promise” you told them grabbing your purse and phone off the table.

You walked over to the bar,saying hi to everyone you knew over there. You grabbed Rhea’s hand as she stood up from the chair,leading her outside the club. “So we’re being flirty tonight huh?” “B-Baby I’m sorry ok? I didn’t mean t-“ you cut her off by planting a kiss on her lips. Since the club was a short walk from the hotel,you two walked there so you grabbed her hand and walked back to the hotel. Once in the room,you lifted her up and placed her onto the bed. “Strip. I want you naked by the time I come back,understand?” you told her,grabbing her chin so she would look at you. “Yes ma’am..” she responded softly,making you smile as you headed into the bathroom. You opened the cabinet under the sink,grabbing a box you had placed under there. You smiled as you opened the box and grabbed the largest strap you had,handcuffs,and a vibrator. You walked back in the room to find a naked Rhea sitting on the bed,making you smile.

Her eyes widen at the items in your hand,slightly squeezing her legs shut. “Oh no baby..open back up for me honey” you cooed softly,sliding your hand between her thighs spreading her legs back open. Before she could respond you had the vibrator pressed against her clit on the 2nd highest setting. “F-Fuck!” she yelped out,gripping your wrist tightly as she threw her head back slightly letting out moans. You took the opportunity to leave soft kisses along her neck,wrapping her thighs around you as you slowly scooted the both of you up closer to the headboard. “Oh my god fuck- please” Rhea whimpered out softly,already feeling her orgasm approaching. She whined when you suddenly stopped your actions,attaching the strap harness to yourself. It was the biggest one you owned(9.5),Rhea glanced seeing the size making her eyes widen. “Just relax baby..after all you asked for this” you cooed softly rubbing her thighs to make her relax,once she relaxed you entered her.

“S-shit! Mommy it’s too..” Rhea spoke,trailing off and her eyes rolled back when you began thrusting. “Too what doll? Use your words honey” you spoke softly,picking up the pace of your thrusts. “T-too big..mm!” she spoke throwing her head back. You grabbed the handcuffs and shifted your position,putting her on all fours as you kneeled behind her. You placed the handcuffs on her,making them tight as you then thrusted back into her making her yelp. “Oh baby..you know Becky can’t make you feel like this” you said giggling at her whimper,nodding at your words. “I-I know mommy..” she spoke softly,suddenly gasping as you turned the vibrator on and placed it onto her clit.

You continued thrusting,lifting her leg over your shoulder making you reach her g-spot. She was a moaning mess at this point,letting out loud moans and whimpers as she gripped the covers. Occasionally she would let out a scream when you rammed into her most sensitive part,but would bite onto a pillow to prevent it. You gripped her hair lifting her head up,smiling. “Aht aht baby..let Becky hear you next door” you said smiling making her eyes widen. You knew that Becky was next door when you booked so this was absolutely perfect. She tried her best to muffle the noises spewing out of her but couldn’t help it,with your intense thrusts and the vibrations from the highest setting of the vibrator she couldn’t help it.

This continued for at least another hour,denying her orgasm one last time. “m’cant take it! prism!” she yelped out,saying the safe word. You stopped and turned off the vibrator,throwing it somewhere. Rhea pants trying to catch her breath,”m’sorry mommy..” she whispered out. “It’s ok sweetie..come on sit up and let mommy help you” you spoke,planting a soft kiss on her forehead. She scooted up onto the bed and turned around to face you,laying back. You smiled and kissed her thighs,trailing down to her pussy. You noticed how swollen her clit was and frowned a little,”Baby if you would’ve told me earlier how bad it was I would’ve stopped..” you trailed off as you began licking her wetness. She whimpered and let out soft moans,it didn’t take her long to release all over your face which you licked up every last drop.

You sat up and crawled next to her,kissing her forehead. “You did so good for me baby,just be careful and remember who you belong to ok?” you spoke running your hand through her soft black hair as she laid her head on your thighs. “Yes ma’am..” she spoke yawning. “We should get you a bath first hm? Or do you just wanna wash up in the morning?” “In the morning,I’m too tired” she responded,following a yawn. You smiled at how gorgeous she looked and shifted your position,laying down with her head on your chest. You planted a soft kiss to the top of her head before trailing off into a deep sleep.

[versaceviagra]

Thursday 05/16/2024 1:30 AM

This is me now! A quick little update about me, I am now currently single after a long battle of toxicity and abuse (on both ends) from my last relationship with Joseph.

Anyways, I've been on this journey of 'self-healing' and basically trying to regulate my nervous system and trying my best to handle my emotions better.

I no longer smoke a pack (or two) a day which was normal for me last year. Actually, my last bout of smoking was this past January but quit due to the fact that it's really hard to smoke during duty hours of clinicals.

Im about to pass my 2nd year of nursing school and moving forward with 3rd year, how exciting! i will only have one more year to go after that and then its working, im excited to make my own money again and to get away from the hells and holds of my mother who has decided to only give me and Desiree 6k pesos a month (which is absolutely atrocious). Anywho, she will not actually go through with it because she is aware of the surging prices here in the Philippines and its at a small cost to her.

I know i've been real scared about hooking up here in the PH , especially since ive only had one partner but I did hook up with this one guy who is apparently a micro-celebrity or more so an influencer here in the PH and yes, we did have protected sex, and yes, his dick was big. Another experience was this foreigner named Hass (or Huss) and honestly? Did not wanna go through that shit because i only really went for free drinks and he ate me out for like 5 seconds and after that I came to my senses, washed up, and left. Honestly, what is up with foreigners going to a lesser developed country to get some pussy anyways? It never made sense to me and its reeking desperation, its also creepy.

Anywho, right now I'm just in bed and unable to sleep. I think ill be getting my period in the next following days because my cravings are so intense that I had a THIRD supper which consisted of hot milk, loaf bread dunked in, bits and bites of my nephew's spaghetti , and a mug full of Laing and rice.

I just know that when i get back to America, life will flourish for me significantly. I will be able to breathe again and be away from the stressors that I'm not bringing upon myself.

I survived a month of mama and Aya being here last month. Aya was an absolute fucking bitch and a nightmare and she still has to give me my $360.00 . Like. It's my fucking money, yknow? ugly.

I can't think of much else to type.

In my future, I just KNOW im going to be wealthy. Like, private yacht , beach front house that is tall over looking the ocean (wont be my only home), expensive skin care, makeup, purses, and shoes type of wealthy. With the 500+ count egyptian cotton threading that is super soft to the touch and with a tall gorgeous husband who only loves me and has eyes for me. That's going to be my future. Sipping wine by the outside of the restaurant and absolutely just loving the peace, quiet, and love that is pouring in. Of course, with my 2 kids that I love dearly and will have after I've accomplished my career goals and money that I was able to accumulate. Whatever it will be, however it happens, I will get there and I am 100% sure of it.

I think that's all I wanted to share for now :)

I'm happy of the person I am at the moment. Just absolute peace and quiet. I don't have any friends for that matter, but I am okay with it unless I actually want to go out and party.

Thanks for reading this, if you've come across it.

Thank you future Becky for everything you're doing for US and for me right now. I thank you for that. Don't be too hard on yourself because everything will fall into place regardless.

[thera-daydreams]

PLUS ONE

》 A TRESE TWOSHOT 《

[Maliksi x Reader]

📝 Summary: In which your beloved best friend snatches you from your apartment at dawn asking you to be his plus one for his cousin's wedding. Unbeknownst to the clueless you, everything is just going according to Maliksi's ultimate masterplan. With the help of friends and family, the Prince of the Tikbalang finally gets the girl he's been longing for. And oh, Señor Armanaz gets his dream daughter-in-law and the promise of grandchildren within the year.

📌 Warning: May contain some slight NSFW for spicy suggestiveness and cussing. No smut or anything super SPG—this girl can't write that for her life—but just be prepared. It's Maliksi we're talking about. We've got friends-to-lovers, obliviousness, pining, fluff, and a tikbalang simp. Figure it out. 😃

(word count: 7,454) ♥︎ Part Two: ?

》 AUTHOR'S NOTE 《

Not an Inday spinoff, but a lengthy oneshot in celebration of this blog getting 90 followers. Just ten more to 100, yay! Thank you so much for the love and support, everyone. I also promised that I'll be making this brainrot that @binibiningbabaylan and I have fangirled over a few days ago (find the original post here) when I finished the latest chapter of Inday. Here it is! 🥰

Before I forget, I was also inspired by the cute fic made by @crispybasil titled "Sunshowers" and the "Trese Boys As Things My Guy Friends Do" made by the amazing @smolla-than-a-bug (I bow down to your wonderful works in the Trese fandom). I definitely see Maliksi to be the type to go on spontaneous roadtrips and be the boyfriend to drive you around eveeeerywhere (while also driving you crazy). 🚘

There are also some songs mentioned throughout this work. You should probably listen to them while reading for the full experience. Ending was somewhat rushed but eh, I'm too exhausted and I've rewritten it too many times. Also, if someone makes some actual tikbalang smut, tag me please. Anyways, enjoy! 💕

The way it all started was hilarious. Absolutely fucking hilarious. It happened like a blur. Literally. One second, you were snoozing in your bed. The next? You had a seatbelt on in the shotgun seat of a sophisticated-looking car. Your brain didn't even get to process it yet.

"... So let me get this straight," you grumbled, still half-asleep from your sleep marathon. You just finished a hugely successful project at work yesterday, got promoted, and wanted to make up for the restless nights you spent overtime in the office. Of course you were irritated from being disturbed. You were on vacation leave for two entire weeks, originally planning to go into temporary isolation by deactivating your social media accounts and reserving a beach cabana for yourself in Batangas.

Well, turns out, you weren't going to Batangas anytime soon. All because your unreasonably spontaneous bestfriend of ten hectic years stole you from your apartment at 2AM. Was this considered kidnapping? Was this him just being more in touch with his tikbalang side, taking unsuspecting women in their sleep and leading them to their inevitable death? (He was going over the speed limit, so it was a valid thought.) Will wearing your shirt inside-out save you today? Lord, masyado ka pang pagod para mag-isip ngayon.

"Go on."

"You abducted picked me up in the middle of the night because you want me to be your plus one at your cousin's wedding in Tagaytay?"

"Yup. And technically, the venue is right on the outskirts of Cavite going to Tagaytay," he corrected you as a matter-of-factly.

"Same thing, whatever," you huffed tiredly. "Your cousin's wedding is at 6AM today. In a few hours. In four hours."

"Uh-huh."

You groaned exasperatedly, "Mal naman, eh! You didn't even let me bring anything. Could've at least given me a heads-up a few hours ago. I'm practically emptyhanded right now save for my phone! Sinungaling ka, you said this was just a normal midnight drive—not a freaking wedding!"

The Prinsipe ng Mga Tikbalang, son of the Great Stallion, heir to the Armanaz herd, and the Top Drag Racer of C-5 Expressway—if that was even one of his Game of Thrones-like titles—grinned as he continued driving beside you. He let you continue ranting in the passenger seat while he mulled over his ultimate masterplan that would change his entire life later on. He was a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, so all this wasn't his thing. But for you? He'll make plans, alright.

"Wala man lang akong dinalang masusuot o kahit konting makeup para maging presentable sa harapan ng buong pamilya mo," you exclaimed, in absolute despair. "Do you know how out of my league you are? Your rich-ass family might judge me—hell, your dad might see me as a hampaslupa if I show up there in my pambahay and tsinelas!"

"Psh, I'm not out of your league," Maliksi waved it off, smoothly turning a corner. "And calm down. We've known each other for a decade! My dad practically loves you as his own daughter. Heck, the entire family knows you and keeps telling me they want you adopted in already. Lolo Andres and Lola Perlita said they'd have the paperwork settled. You just need to sign them."

It would be even better (and easier) if you married into the family. To him, specifically (as if he'd let anyone else have you). God, he was already being so obvious in his advances, but you were just so damn oblivious whenever it came to romance. None of this needed to happen if you just got it through your thick skull that he was madly in love with you.

"That's not the point, idiot!" you slumped back into your seat, hopeless. "Do you think the bride and the groom will get offended? Shit, baka masumpaan ako kung magagalit sila, Mal. Mukha akong patay galing sa South Cemetery."

The long-haired tikbalang rolled his eyes, "Huwag kang mag-alala. Nothing's going to go wrong. Chill ka lang diyan. I've got everything under control, babe."

Babe. Yes, he even called you babe but you thought it was him being a himbo and a massive flirt. Now, it was his common term of endearment for you, but you still assumed it was him just being irksome to you and that you couldn't stop the man from saying it anymore. Thus, you let it be (the most obvious hint of his attraction to you, bestie).

"... Ugh, why didn't you ask Hannah or Amie to go with you?"

He just smiled knowingly, shrugging and making up an excuse, "Nagmamadali ako, eh. Hannah and Amie are also coming, but they already have the other tikbalang as dates."

"'Luh, ako pala ang backup choice mo?"

"Heh. Whatever you want to think."

Little did you know that you were always his first choice. Always. Even when he pursued Alexandra Trese many years ago, trying to convince himself you were just his best friend, it was always you. How did he come to that realization? Well, an international band he was a fan of released a song a couple years ago and he heard it being played in a club in BGC. The song title?

It Was Always You by Maroon 5.

Needless to say, after hearing the song and being unable to get it—get you—out of his mind at night, he stopped courting Alexandra. Unfortunately for him, that time, you'd started dating other men. Therefore, he was left on the sidelines... until your latest and most painful breakup, at least. That was five years ago. You still hadn't dated anyone since then, kind of traumatized from getting into another failed relationship like that.

In the present day, as if the fates were playing on you two, one of your favorite artists played on the radio. A very ironic song given the situation you two were in.

Best Friend by Rex Orange County.

Maliksi knew it was a favorite of yours. He knew it by the way your eyes lit up like a star brightening the twinkling night sky. Like the sun first rising in the morning at Apolaki's command. Like the moon extending its gentle rays from the magic of Mayari herself. If there was anything he wanted to ask of the old gods, it was you—everything else be damned.

"I wanna be the one that makes your day, the one you think about as you lie awake," you half-sang and half-screamed happily, somewhat out-of-tune. "I can't wait to be your number oooooone! I'll be your biggest fan and you'll be mine—"

Maliksi glanced at you, not minding that his eardrums were probably getting microscopic ruptures from your aggressive singing. As much as he wanted to stare at you all day, he had to keep his eyes on the road. But the lyrics you were singing were wrong; the Prince of the Tikbalang was already yours from day one.

"Babe, McDo drive-through tayo for breakfast. Let me make it up to you. Gusto mo ng caramel sundae for your promotion gift? Sige. Ako bahala. Chicken nuggets din? Mabubusog ka ba niyan? I don't think they serve those this early..."

》》》

"Sandali lang!" you shouted out from inside an empty room. You'd just arrived at the venue—the Alta Veranda de Tibig in Silang, Cavite (practically the gateway to Tagaytay)—an hour or so ago. The hired makeup artist just left so that you could privately change into the outfit that had been bought specifically for you. Curse Mal and his ability to buy anything (perhaps anyone) he wanted. "Bwiset, Mal, you didn't tell me we'd be part of the damn entourage. We have to be walking the aisle in thirty minutes, simbako! You just love rushing me, don't you!?"

If only you were the one walking down the aisle today towards him.

When you exited the room, Maliksi couldn't help but let his jaw drop as he skimmed your figure, clad in the luxurious, silky satin blush midi dress he bought in one of those fancy stores in Makati yesterday. He imagined that it would look great on you, but now, seeing it on you in person... you looked divine (and frankly, he wanted to see it off your body to see what was underneath—but don't get too ahead of yourself, Mal). It was a whole 'nother level from his imagination. The deep cowl neckline and thin spaghetti straps showed your lovely collarbones... as well as a peek of your cleavage. His favorite and the best part of it all? It was backless, allowing him to gaze at the tempting curve of your spine.

He hadn't realized he had grown silent until you smiled and closed his mouth, tapping his chin.

"Lalangawin ang bibig mo, Mal," you laughed softly. Never had you seen him so speechless. You then flicked your hair back, ridiculously posing for him like you were on the cover of Vogue magazine (haba ng hair mo, gurl!). "Do I look that good? Char lang."

"... You look absolutely ravishing—I mean, uh, stunning. Hot. Yeah." That was all he could say. He mentally punched himself for not showering you with more suave compliments.

Still, your face brightened up, not knowing that the man in front of you just fell for you a thousand times harder, "Wow! Really? Damn. Ang galing talaga ng MUA na kinuha mo, ginawa akong artista. Give me their contact number later! May work event pa naman ako in two months. I'm shocked, it's like they made me rise from the dead! Even my eyebags are gone, Mal! How'd they do that?" Heck yeah, your confidence was boosted. He offered his arm to you like a gentleman, making you half-heartedly roll your eyes (you took it anyway). From holding it alone, you could tell that your best friend was a sinewy man (well, you knew that already after seeing his tikbalang form before—the little shit didn't even wear a loincloth like all his clanmates; your poor eyes were eternally scarred).

You looked him up and down. You wouldn't lie—Maliksi is and always has been an attractive man. Now? With his hair in a ponytail (pun not intended), definitely one of the hunkiest men you've ever known. "You're not looking too bad yourself, horsey."

"Ako pa!" He puffed his chest out in pride. You chuckled at his reaction.

"By the way, how do you even know my dress size and my shoe size?"

"Babe, I've known you too long. You know almost everything about me, I know everything about you."

You snorted at his confident tone, "'Di nga? You don't know every single thing about me, Mal. Assuming ka masyado."

"Alam ko nga anong cup size mo. Wala lang 'yang shoe and dress size."

You slapped his shoulder, cheeks quickly flushing red, "Huy, umayos ka! Walang hiyang tikbalang na 'to." With this guy as your best friend? You heard dirty jokes at least once a day. "Don't be inappropriate here!"

"What? It's only fair I know!" He looked down on you suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "You already know I always go commando, so of course I know that your bra is a size—"

"Shhh! Baka marinig ka, 'nyeta."

"So? Let them hear. My best friend has a nice set of melons!" he shouted. You were grateful there was no one around. Hopefully.

"Oh my God..."

Your best friend chortled at how flustered you'd become. He led you to where some of his family was waiting, with a couple of his relatives already greeting you. You instantly and quite easily mingled with them, your worries of them not accepting you far from even true (they all knew how much their prince loved the innocent you).

"Kayo na talaga, pare?" one of his older tikbalang clanmates asked while you went away to be fawned over by his aunts.

Maliksi chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched you from afar, "Heh. Hindi pa."

Another one of his clanmates—a younger one—laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Talaga? That's cap, bro. You two are like a married couple already and you guys still aren't a thing?"

"Ilang taon na ba kayong magkakaibigan?" the older one asked him.

"Almost ten years," Maliksi responded, a smile unconsciously pulling his lips up as he remembered your moments together. He watched you converse with his female relatives (who adored you the moment Maliksi brought you to a family event many moons ago).

The two tikbalang snickered as they saw the look on the Great Stallion's heir.

"You're down bad," the younger one said, snapping a photo of his lovestruck kuya. "You've got it so bad for her, dudeparechong!"

"Balak mong ligawan anytime soon?" the older tikbalang inquired.

"Heh. Balak ko na ngang pakasalan. Kung pwede, ngayon."

They looked at Maliksi as if he was crazy. He was very much serious, though, even if there was a huge, lopsided smile on his face. The Prince of the Tikbalang raised a brow at them.

"What? Don't give me that look. Our ten years of being best friends is practically the courting and the dating stage already."

"Eh... you're right. Don't waste anymore time. Go and marry her today, dude. Suporta kami sa'yo, basta groomsmen kami sa kasal niyo, ha!"

"Ge. Without question."

Meanwhile, on your end with the ladies of the family, they started pestering you on your love life (like all typical Filipino aunties). Chismis everywhere.

"O, iha, single ka pa ba?"

"Kailan ka magpapakasal? Malapit ka nang pumasok sa thirties mo."

"Do you want kids? How many?"

"Are you and Maliksi a couple? You look good together! Kayo na, 'di ba?"

"Will you be getting married next? Are you engaged? When's the wedding? Invite niyo kami!"

Before you could get overwhelmed by their questions, Maliksi swept you off your feet to lead you to the entourage that was lining up outside the chapel area. Again, it happened like a blur. He laughed at the partially nauseated look on your face.

"You okay there?" he asked, grinning.

"Your family thinks we're together," you muttered quietly, not meeting his eyes. You weren't sure why you felt... tingly about their statements.

He tilted his head at you curiously, gently setting you down on your feet and helping you stand.

"Do you hate the idea?" It hurt him to ask you the question, but he wanted your thoughts on it. Perhaps doing this was a bad idea. Maliksi was competitive in many things, including wanting you to be his, but if you were so opposed to it, he would never force you into something you didn't want. He let go of your hand; you didn't even notice he'd been holding it until he let go. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Your wide-eyed gaze snapped back to look up at him, "No! No, it's not that! And... it's not bad." Your hand felt strangely empty now that his was gone. Biting your lip, you disclosed, "You're not making me uncomfortable, Mal. Don't ever think that."

With that, you shyly interlocked your arm with his, tearing your eyes from his to mask the growing warmth you felt spreading in your veins. You two didn't say anything else when the ushers let you walk down the beautiful, petal-covered aisle together.

The man beside you was starstruck. Hopeful. Maybe both of you did have a chance. Maybe somewhere in the depths of your soul, his feelings for you were being reciprocated. For the rest of the sacred ceremony in the gorgeous main pavilion, both of you relished in short, comfortable, and low conversations. He even cracked jokes every once in a while—really funny ones that made it challenging for you to you stifle your laughter.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Maliksi fervently prayed to Bathala that he'd experience the same opportunity he was seeing with you someday. One day.

Even while the sun was brightly out, the sky began showering down light rain onto the land. You were in awe as you looked out the window.

"Hala, totoo nga pala! Tignan mo!" you laughed, tugging Maliksi's suit sleeve, pointing at the window.

"Na ano?" he curiously inquired, not understanding what you were referring to.

"Na kapag may tikbalang na kinakasal, umuulan habang may araw pa," you replied, eyes filled with childlike mirth and wonder. A rainbow had even begun to form by the clouds. "Look, it's magical! Ang ganda pala ng view dito kasama ang old Spanish architecture. Timeless na timeless. It's so pretty, 'no? Picture tayo 'maya, Mal."

Unlike you, it wasn't the sky outside that the prince was looking at. Amidst the loud cheers for the newlywed couple and the bubbles the guests were blowing, his vision could only focus on how magnificent you looked while being amazed. You were his best view. (Ed from 90-Day Fiancé, kabahan ka na, may katapat ka sa pickup line mo.)

》》》

"Smile for the picture!"

You giggled as Maliksi was dragged into a photo-op with the bridesmaids and the important older wedding sponsors a few feet away (funnily, he looked a little constipated around them). All of a sudden, when he was heading back to your direction, you were roughly pushed into the said man's arms. When you turned around, there was nothing (except maybe a gust of wind that came out of nowhere).

"Ooh, gotcha. Careful," the tikbalang steadied you, strong hands holding your biceps. "Natapilok ka?"

"... Huh, hindi naman," you wondered suspiciously, looking around. "I think someone pushed me? Parang tinulak ako... but wala namang tao."

"Weird. Maybe it was just the wind."

It actually was. Really. Maliksi knew for a fact that it was those two taong hangin who were spying on you from the corner, trying to pair you up. He gave them a thumbs-up while your back was turned in the opposite direction. Hannah and Amie returned the thumbs-up before vanishing. Suddenly, the two wedding photographers had moved on from the bridesmaids and were right beside you.

"What a lovely couple you two are!" she praised. Before you could correct her, she held up the black contraption she held towards you two. "Pose for the camera, lovelies!"

And so you did, the photographer guiding you two on what to do. Maliksi wrapped his arm around your waist and you leaned on his side, looking sidewards to the camera with one leg cocked in front of the other. Her assistant, who was holding a polaroid camera, printed out two photos for you.

"Thank you," you told him, taking the photos from his hands then flicking them rapidly to make the images develop. You and Mal were about to walk to the reception area when the photographer stopped you, handing the male beside you a business card.

"If you two need a photographer or a videographer for your wedding, call me," she signaled to both of you before running to another guest, bringing her assistant with her.

You gawked, "Mal, did you just hear what she said?"

"Loud and clear." A grin was on his face. He seemed very pleased at what he heard.

"... How can she even tell if someone is married or not?"

Maliksi's free hand took your left hand, tapping the ring finger, "Nothing here."

"Ooooooh. I get it now." Your brows creased. "Huh. This is like the fifth time today the people here have mistaken us for a couple."

Maliksi shrugged, teasing you, "Who knows? Baka may potential tayo, babe."

Before you could ask him what he meant, he was hurriedly towing you to the reception venue. While he was doing that, you stared at the now-developed polaroid photos you were holding. Huh. Maybe you two did look like a couple.

"Come on, they're serving some snacks at the welcome reception area. Peach pie and mango float-flavored. Paborito mo, babe."

》》》

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. You were actually enjoying the event—the host was great, the food was great, the music was great. Everything was great... that was, until the games.

"Alright! Now that the bride's garter has been removed, let's have the bouquet and garter toss... starting with the females!" the host announced. "Dear bride, please stay here in front. And all single ladies—and by single I mean ready to mingle and are not married—please rise and stand here on the dance floor. Let's play matchmaker tonight, everyone!"

"Uy, single ladies daw," Maliksi nudged your side. "Sign mo na 'yan." You snorted like a pig.

"Nope, ayokong madamay sa bouquet toss," you whisper-yelled at your best friend. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?! Besides, they won't notice if I don't join! Special tactic ko 'yan sa weddings: pretending I'm not single. Katabi naman kita."

More women came to the front, making you feel assured that you didn't need to participate. The host was about to say something, when the bride interrupted to whisper something into his ear.

"Hala, halaaa! Sabi ko all single ladies, pero may isang single lady na nagtatago pa!" he announced, making you freeze. Please don't let it be you. "What's her name, beloved bride?"

"Y/N L/N." You nearly spat out your champagne. You? Did they just call out your name? How did they know?

"Oh fuck," you cursed quietly.

"'Di ka makakatakas dito, babe," Maliksi jabbed, making you stand up. "Tinatawag ka na."

"Baka may ibang Y/N L/N dito," you resisted, attempting to sit back down. "I can't do this, Mal."

"'Sus, ikaw pa. And it's just a symbolic ceremony!" he encouraged, as if he didn't have any underlying intentions. "I doubt the bouquet will go to you anyway."

Sheesh, what a big fat liar you are, tikbalang prince.

You expressed your dissatisfaction with the situation, "Bwiset, fine. I'll just... dodge it. Or evade it. God, I swear..." You calmed down, confident. "I'm not going to worry. I've never caught the bouquet at my own friends' weddings anyway."

When you were at the dance floor, Maliksi snickered, seeing the bride—his cousin—wink at him. After all, he had thoroughly bribed her earlier.

《《《

"It's about time you settled down with someone, Mal," the bride commented while he slipped her the newest Hermés designer bag filled with a bunch of jewelry (plus some bills) two hours ago, right before the reception began and while you were in the restroom freshening up. "Hehehe, this is why you're my favorite cousin."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Of course. I'll make sure she participates. I'll also try to throw it in her direction."

"Good. Thanks."

"You better invite me to your beach wedding. I can tell how much you love her."

"Not a problem. I'll even make you a sponsor."

The bride stared at her bouquet, already practicing how she was going to throw it, "Tito's going to thank me so much for ensuring that he's going to get grandkids soon, hihi."

》》》

Back to the present, on the other end of the room, Maliksi saw a familiar duo give him a sign that they were ready. Bingo. Time to execute the most important part of his plan.

《《《

"I don't care how you do it," he told the two wind elementals after he bribed the bride. "I've already instructed the bride on what she should do, pero siguraduhin niyo lang talagang lumipad sa kanya ang bouquet."

"Mmhmm," Amie flipped her hair, a hand on her cocked hip. "And what do we get in return, oh great Señorito Armanaz?"

"Sagot ko bar-hopping niyo for one month."

The two girls pretended to think about it, making Maliksi roll his eyes. He had to pull out the big guns, huh?

"Fine. Magbibigay ako ng cash deposit plus pwede niyong gamitin ang black card ko for a one-week shopping spree in Ortigas." There. Bullseye. That's what they liked.

"Deal!" they exclaimed excitedly.

Hannah let a cool gust of wind enter one of the nearby windows, testing out how they're going to do this. "Ano pa bang pinaplano mo for Y/N mamaya?"

Maliksi hummed, "Basta."

》》》

You tried your best to hide within the densest part of the group of women. The bride seemed to have her eyes on you, weirdly enough, and she looked almost feral wanting to throw her flowers into someone's face.

That someone being you. Most likely.

"Target locked on," you saw her mouth move. She positioned herself like she was about to throw a football at someone (ahem, you). Holy shit, was she talking to you? Miss ma'am, it was a bouquet toss not a bouquet throw. The bride seemed to notice this, and once more regained her elegant composure.

"3, 2, 1," the host counted down. "Go!"

Surprisingly, the bouquet flew very high into the air (it was a wonder it didn't get tangled in the ceiling decor), but quite a distance away from you. You grinned, knowing it was too far to even touch you. Squeezing through the crowd of women eagerly awaiting the bouquet, you went to return to your assigned table.

Ah, what a wonderful evening.

Sike!

Something painfully landed right into your face, leaves and flowers getting into your hair and mouth.

... Wait, leaves and flowers?

Before you could comprehend it, the bouquet dropped right into your arms. What kind of ungodly, inhuman force allowed this to even happen?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our lucky girl for the night!" Everyone clapped, with some—those guests you knew—even cheering your name unbelievably loud. The host approached you, a glint in his eye which you couldn't understand. "Miss Y/N, kindly sit here while we await the lucky guy who catches the garter from the groom."

What just happened?

"All single gentlemen, please proceed to the dance floor. Remember, the man who gets the garter gets to slip it onto the lucky lady's leg later!"

Oh, God. You pinched the bridge of your nose. What you'd give to be back at home or to be in that resort in Batangas you'd planned on going to for a solo vacation.

"To make this even more exciting," the host stated, handing you a black blindfold. "Our lucky lady has to keep her eyes closed until her lucky man for the night captures the bride's garter! When the music plays, only then can she uncover her eyes."

See? Humiliating, just as you expected. Still, you wrapped the blindfold around your head (albeit hesitantly). You attempted to guess who it might be, thinking of all the tikbalang friends Maliksi had introduced to you back then whenever he invited you to his clan reunions.

"Groom, are you ready?" the host asked, microphone loud and clear.

"Ready na ready!"

"Single gentlemen, are you ready?!"

"Ready na ready! Awoo, awoo!" they loudly chorused, exactly mimicking Spartans about to engage in battle. You sweatdropped in the seat you were in. This was actually kind of scary. Maybe you felt a bit objectified.

"3, 2, 1, go!"

There was a brief moment of silence, which made you concerned. Ba't ang tahimik? Then, everyone erupted into roars and bravoes much louder than when you caught the bouquet—perhaps even louder by tenfold. What the heck was happening?!

The music played. Very raunchy, spicy, babymaking music. You expected it to be the typical Careless Whisper by George Michael or Pony by Ginuwine (corny songs which you could probably laugh at, at least), but no. Nuh-uh, this was probably worse. The DJ must be pretty young, the song of their choosing being a slowed, bass-boosted, sexier remix of Earned It by the Weeknd.

Ano 'to, bold? Fifty Shades of Grey? The hell was this?

Alright. This was embarrassing. Thank the heavens there were no children at this party. From the music alone and its implications, this was strictly for adults.

You removed your blindfold (that was okay now, right?) as the guests whistled playfully. You peeked one eye open reluctantly, then inwardly groaned. Oh, no. You should've expected it to be him of all people from how loud the reactions were. And all those yells from the crowd were from his family.

Son of a—

"Well, this has proven to be a very interesting arrangement!" the host proclaimed. "Our lucky man for tonight is none other than our great clan leader's heir, Maliksi Armanaz! Congratulations, sir! You get to slip the lacey little garter on Miss Y/N!"

The said very smug tikbalang stood a few feet away from the chair you were sitting on, smirking at you. His hair was no longer in that mesmerizing ponytail—instead, he'd tied it into a more sinfully attractive man-bun, loose strands framing his face and accentuating that sharp, angled jaw of his (say yes and thank you to Manny Jacinto's jawline, besties).

"Let's cheer him on in his new mission, everybody!" the host pushed. Was this that glint in his eye earlier? And was that a one thousand peso bill sticking out of his pocket?

The groomsmen, Mal's cousins and uncles whom you've met before, hollered words of encouragement to the tall man (who was, oddly enough, not one bit fazed). In fact, Maliksi seemed like he was famished as he stared you down.

You swallowed, feeling like you were going to get eaten (heh, say that again). Maliksi had shrugged off his dark suit blazer to the beat of the song (holy fuck, he also unclasped the suspenders attached to his pants right before your eyes—asdfghjkl). Were you prepared for this? No. Will you ever be prepared? No!

"Mr. Armanaz, before you begin," the host interrupted. "We have an additional challenge for you in this mission. Kaya mo ba? It was a request of the newlywed couple."

"What is it?"

"Use your teeth!" the bride and the groom cheerfully shouted, clapping with the other guests. Whatdidtheysaaaaay???

The cocky bastard didn't even hesitate, his smirk at you growing wider; those pearly whites of his on full display. Was it just you or were his canines a little sharper than usual?

"Anything for the newlyweds. Challenge accepted," he dashingly replied, winking at you. You sputtered indignantly. Pisteng yawa. Putangina. Putek. Pakshet. You swore you thought of every swear word in the book at that moment. What did that YouTube parody song about Filipino mythological creatures say again? About the tikbalang? Ah, yes. Half-macho dancer and half-stallion. Maybe the joke was true, especially when you saw what Maliksi did next.

He bit the shred of lace, loosening his necktie (bestie, you good there?), unbuttoning some top buttons, and rolling up the sleeves of his collared white undershirt up to his elbows (consequently showing off his toned, veiny forearms—those lucky bridesmaids behind him nearly fainted). Honestly, you felt like you were about to lose your mind from embarrassment. With how tantalizing your guy best friend was being? Let our response be: San Pedro, kunin mo na ako. Was he doing all this to tease you? To rile you up?

Because damn it all, it was working. In your ten years of knowing Maliksi Armanaz, withstanding all his daily dirty jokes and flirtatious attempts, never had you seen him like this. So... wolfish. Ravenous. Like he was a man that hadn't been fed in years.

He stalked closer towards you, falling to his knees in front of your legs. Your gown had a long slit that extended up to an inch or two below where your left leg began—your best friend was eyeing his target already, knowing where to place the garter. Normally, you would never even wear something as revealing as this gown. It just wasn't your type, but Maliksi was the one who bought this for you for this specific occasion, so you had no choice. It was this or your pantulog he stole you in just hours ago. At first, you were confident in the gown. Now? You felt too... naked.

Somehow, in the heat of it all, you'd muted out the noise of the venue. Maliksi teasingly lifted your foot up, fingertips slyly grazing the thin shoe straps around your left foot—his calculated touch leaving fire in its trail. Once the garter had been successfuly inserted past your high-heeled stilettos, the man kneeling in front of you kept his hands to himself. Despite the fact that now there was absolutely zero skin-to-skin contact between you and this man, your body felt hotter than it ever was before as he expertly slid the lacy bit of cloth up your ankle at an agonizingly slow pace.

Maliksi's warm eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown, a tinge of red in them—of his true beast—while he maintained striking eye contact with you, pulling the garter up your calf with his teeth. Smoothly tugging... tugging... tugging. Tangina, it was like he was undressing you with his eyes alone; like he was telepathically telling you to keep your eyes open.

To keep your eyes on him, where he was knelt inbetween your legs, his hands intentionally locked on his back. Did you ever imagine this? Him between your legs? Maybe. Once or twice. But you never thought about it seriously; Maliksi dated girls left and right in the past.

His lips... his lips were so close... so close to your leg that you could feel the heat of his breath along with the lace. Were you about to die? Perhaps you already did. Maybe you were in heaven. Up... up... up... snap!

Suddenly, he stopped, grinning up at you mischievously and letting the elastic bounce back to the skin of your left knee.

"I'm not going any further, don't worry, babe," he whispered, noting that your eyes had become misty and glazed over. Internally, he grew worried. "That's enough." Did he think it was from discomfort? From you being uncomfortable? Bitch, no. It was the exact opposite. You had never been this turned on in your entire life.

You felt like your soul had left your body at that moment. Did you just have a heart attack? Was your blood pressure okay? Before you or Maliksi could stand, however, someone bellowed from the wedding sponsor tables.

"Higher! That's an order!"

Fucking hell, it was Maliksi's father who shouted. He wasn't in the huge tikbalang form you'd normally meet him in, but he was still very intimidating in his humanoid form, commanding attention and subservience wherever he went. You could tell where Maliksi got it from.

Instantly, the other guests—already half-drunk and wanting the spirit of partying to continue on—joined in.

"Higher! Higher!"

The host cheered, "You heard Señor Armanaz! Higher!"

Maliksi gave you a questioning look. Even if it was his father who spoke up, he still wouldn't do anything you didn't want. Well, you two made it this far; there was no point in getting embarrassed now. You bit the inside of your cheek, nodding. You probably couldn't erase the redness on your skin with how much you'd blushed from this night. It was as if the heat was tattooed onto your skin.

"Go on, Mal," you whispered to him, bending your torso down closer to his face, eyes half-lidded from want. "Finish what you started, babe."

With those sultry bedroom eyes he'd never once seen you show him before—plus you turning the tables with that familiar term of endearment, how could he refuse? Like a switch had been flipped inside him, he immediately complied, taking the frilly scrap of stretchy lace between his teeth once more, moving it further up to your thighs until where your high slit ended—centimeters below the warming juncture between your legs.

Your legs felt wobbly... boneless, as you stood up from the chair, the fabric of your gown cascading over where the lace sat securely on your upper left thigh. The party was still going strong even after you two finished the garter wearing tradition.

"'Atta boy! That's my son!" Señor Armanaz blazoned, standing up and raising his glass for a toast. "Cheers to the newlywed couple! May they last forever!"

You guys weren't the newlyweds, but it did sure feel like it. If the clan leader was hyped up, everyone was hyped up. Heck, the groom and the bride didn't mind one bit what had just transpired on their dance floor. In all the chaos, Maliksi took you out of the reception area and somewhere quieter. More private.

You would need to have a serious, urgent talk with your boy best friend.

》》》

You two silently sat on a stone bench in a gazebo somewhere in the reserved venue for the wedding, trying to cool down and get yourselves back together (at this point, you needed ice from that steamy, half-scandalous event you just went through). Here, there was no one else except for the chirping of crickets, the lush trees surrounding the area, and the golden fairy lights strewn all over the roof. Awkwardness was something you'd expected after what just happened, but somehow, you still felt comfort in this man's presence. For the past thirty minutes, both of you just stayed still, lost in your thoughts and reflecting.

"Mal?" you finally spoke up.

"... Hmm?"

"Ano tayo?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

Your fingers instinctively reached out for his, just like they always did when you were anxious. Sensing this, he grasped your hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Soothingly. He massaged the skin of your fingers, distracting you from your nervousness. It seemed like both nothing and everything changed between both of you. The gesture was the same, but so different at the same time.

"Mahal mo ako." It was not a question. It was a statement. A truth—one that you'd been too blind to see before. One that you only discovered while you stared into each other's eyes in that party not as best friends. You realized with a jolt in your heart what he really felt for you, and now, what you really felt for him. In those thirty minutes of silence, you knew. You just knew.

"Yes. I do."

"... Just as a best friend?" you probed.

"..."

Finally, you gazed into his eyes, previously so dark and full of hunger. Now? Just reluctant. Vulnerable. Open. Unsure of what to do next.

Seems like you had to be the one to take initiative tonight. Taking out your phone, you opened your music app and pressed play on a certain song. Ikaw at Ako by Johnoy Danao. You removed your heels (which were starting to blister your ankles and toes), then pulled him up to stand.

"Dance with me," you murmured, grabbing his arms to wrap them around your waist. He was stiff. Tense. What was he to do when the woman he's been pining after for so long let him hold her? All his gallantry and ability to romance disappeared out the window the moment you let him touch you so intimately.

You two weren't even waltzing. Just swaying. Slowly, you leaned your head on his broad chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

"... I love you," Maliksi admitted in the middle of it all, feeling like he was dreaming. Your head on his chest kept him grounded to reality, however. "More than anything in the universe. I fell for you ever since you patched me up when you were nineteen and I was a reckless drag racer who didn't have a purpose in life. 'Nung dinala mo ako pabalik sa Armanaz Tower on the verge of death. Simula noon, ikaw lang."

"I realized that," you smiled, reminiscing the old memory. You were just a broke college student that time, coming back to your dorm from making your group thesis at a classmate's house. Imagine your panic when you found a half-man, half-horse bleeding out by some bushes on the way home at night. Despite your fear and your little money (only enough to feed you for the week), you went out of your way to buy a first-aid kit at the nearest 7/11. It was scary, but you managed to mend the creature's wounds by the side of the road. When he was finally able to speak, turning fully human (which you admit, freaked you out initially), you arduously carried him back to his address—to his father and his clan, even if you had classes the very next morning. Because of your heroic deed of saving their precious heir, the tikbalang clan had become indebted to you: a teenage girl on the verge of a mental academic breakdown, just making her way through the cruel adult world. How old of a memory that was, you thought, yet you still recalled it in perfect detail. "Just a while ago."

"Ah." He swayed you gently.

"Lahat ng ito, plano mo?"

"... Yes," Maliksi fessed up. "Except for this part where we're here dancing in this belvedere. Wala sa plano ko. Gusto ko sanang magconfess doon sa may fountain para sweet, pero..."

You lifted your head off his chest, smiling at him with one brow raised, "You know, between both of us, you're supposed to be the spontaneous one. Planning isn't usually your thing."

"I know. It's a failure, huh?" Maliksi sighed.

"Nah." You shook your head, then suddenly locked lips with him. It was so fast and surprising he didn't even get the chance to return your first kiss. For once, you caught him off guard. You pecked him on the lips again. "It's not a failure."

"Wha—"

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Maliksi. Ten years. We're twenty-nine now, and only tonight do I realize how blind I've been. We've been going around in circles, wasting so much time. Ayoko nang mag-aksaya ng oras," you whispered guiltily against his lips. How could you have been so blind? Andaming nasayang na taon. Making up your mind, you told him, "Yes. Sige, I accept. I'll be your plus one."

The tikbalang was flustered and baffled from the kiss, as well as your revelation, "... But, you already are?"

"No, silly. I meant that I'll be your plus one for life. For as long as you'll have me," you laughed, now processing that you were currently dancing barefoot with your boy best friend and had just kissed him in a wedding you didn't even plan on going to. The universe had a mysterious way of doing things. "Guess I'm the spontaneous one now, huh?"

Maliksi was tongue-tied. "Seryoso ka ba? Is... Is this a marriage proposal?"

"Whatever you want it to be," you echoed his words back to him. "Best friend, plus one, girlfriend, wife—mmpf!"

He kissed you so hard your lips bruised. After an impromptu makeout session which was definitely more in character for Maliksi, you both pulled away, panting heavily in search for air, still desperate for passion. He cupped your cheeks, giving you a sweet, featherlight Eskimo kiss.

"You're missing one more title."

"Hm? What do you mean, Mal?"

"Love of my life." He kissed you again, this time lifting you off your feet and spinning you around (his sneaky right hand was resting on your bum, too, giving it a tight squeeze). You know in the Princess Diaries where the main character's foot just... pops whenever the prince charming kissed her? Yeah, that happened to you on that humid summer night. This was right. You two were meant to be together. Everything was falling into place.

The bungalow you reserved for your Batangas vacation leave ended up being the site of your very eventful honeymoon with the Prince of the Tikbalang (with his libido, it wasn't that difficult to continue where you'd left off in the garter toss; that scrap of lace came off your leg the same way it went on). Actually, nauna pa ang honeymoon sa actual wedding (it was definitely spontaneous). Right after your confession in that alcove, you two went to Maliksi's father to ask for his blessing (which he gladly gave, cackling and saying that it took you long enough) before you guys went driving off to Batangas that night. You and Mal indeed had lots and lots of fun in that resort (I'll let you imagine the rest). More beautiful memories were made from that point on—this time, not just as best friends.

All that and your small, intimate wedding occurred in early April. Just when you thought that it'd be impossible to fulfill Maliksi's life goal of having a baby within the year (nine months of pregnancy meant that the earliest you'd give birth would be January next year), the impossible happened.

Exactly thirty-two weeks later, on New Year's Eve, the Armanaz herd welcomed one prince and two new princesses into the world. Triplets who were instantly adored by everyone in the clan.

Señor Armanaz had never been happier, and so were you and your husband. Your best friend. The love of your life. Your forever plus one.

Maybe being spontaneous wasn't so bad after all.

Taglist: @belladaises @binibiningbabaylan @4kodzuk3n @sparklingmallow @severuslovebot @holyshxtangel @marinac15 @space-flamingo @pippethealien @kashasenpai @disappointmentpastry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @seijohoe @monimiin @ibelievein2dmensupremacy @tinybonksharkcop @methehipster @banisuoh @genshin-idiot @lemonnie-kimmie

[shemarmooresfedora]

Collision Course

Summary: You and Spencer were just bound to collide. Only fate could plan a first meeting that unique.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Content/Warnings: fluff, minor car crash (no serious injuries), swearing, sexual harassment (specifically cat-calling from a stranger), mentions of eating a lot of food, implied allusion to sex (not specifically stated)

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: this is my one-shot entry for @ellesgreenaway ‘s 1k follower celebration! congratulations! <3 i’ve had this fic in my drive for a while but i never got around to finishing it until now

Masterlist

The metro was down for scheduled repairs today. JJ offered to bring Spencer in but he politely declined. He figured he should drive his car at least every once and a while so it doesn’t just collect rust in his parking spot.

Leaving his apartment 15 minutes earlier than he normally would to account for his rather slow driving, Spencer cautiously reversed out of his space.

He sighed in relief that he had not hit the neighboring cars. Spencer began to pull out of the parking garage. Unfortunately, he was so relieved from his little victory that he forgot to check both ways when he drove out of the parking garage.

Spencer slammed on the brakes but it was too late. He hit a young woman jogging and knocked her to the ground. Luckily, his average speed was that of a snail so he hoped her injuries were not too bad.

Spencer put the car in park and got out, “Oh god, oh god, oh god. Are you okay, miss?”

“I think so,” you were on the ground, assessing your body for any damage.

“Can you stand?” Spencer extended his hand to help you up.

You carefully stood, wincing a little when you put pressure on your left ankle.

“Is there anyone I can call? Do you want me to drive you to the ER?” Spencer frantically asked.

Your eyes widened, “No!” you stated a little too loudly, “Um I mean no thank you. I should finish my run anyways. I have a 5k for Alzheimer’s research coming up and I need to run or else I don’t raise any money,” you politely waved and took off again, much slower this time.

Spencer cringed as he watched you limp slightly every time you stepped on your left ankle, knowing it was his fault you were in pain. He sighed and pulled out his phone.

“Hey JJ, have you left yet? I need a ride, I’ll explain in the car.”

-

“Pretty Boy, how was your drive in?” Derek asked as soon as Spencer stepped off the elevator with JJ.

“I got about 20 feet and then hit someone with my car and had to call JJ so not great,” he admitted.

“Boy Wonder, you did WHAT? Are they okay?” Penelope gasped.

“She insisted she was fine but then she was limping away. I offered her a ride but she didn’t seem too keen on getting in a car with me,” Spencer explained.

“I wonder why,” Emily chuckled.

-

So there Spencer was. In the park in his only pair of short athletic shorts and a hoodie.

He had asked Penelope to sign him up for the 5k as a way to sort of make it up to the woman he hit. Plus, obviously it was for a good cause that was near and dear to his heart because of his mother.

Spencer had to take a lot of water breaks, periodically stopping to walk for a bit.

In the distance, he saw you on a bench and he suddenly felt the energy again to continue running to you. As he approached, he saw you tightening an ankle brace around your left foot and to make matters worse, you had a wrist brace as well.

Spencer considered just leaving you alone but he felt the need to apologize.

“H-Hello,” he awkwardly sputtered.

“Oh, hi,” you replied.

“I am so so sorry. Please let me pay your medical bills and any other expenses that I caused,” Spencer apologized.

“Unless you meant to hit me then it’s fine,” you stood from the bench.

“I definitely didn’t and I wasn’t on my phone or anything like that. I just barely ever drive but the metro was down today,” Spencer explained.

“You don’t have to pay my medical bills. I’m friends with a nurse so she did this for free. However, I would allow you to sponsor me for the 5k,” you answered.

“Absolutely,” Spencer nodded, “And funny story, you inspired me to register as well. I got everyone in my office to sponsor me.”

“That’s so great! The money is certainly going to a good cause.”

Spencer saw you smile for the first time since he met you.

“I’ve never been much of an athlete though. I barely passed my fitness test for work,” Spencer admitted.

“What kind of job has a fitness test?” you asked.

“I work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI,” Spencer stated.

“Oh shit, you’re a federal agent? Maybe I will sue you and make bank,” you grinned.

Spencer’s face reddened.

“It was just a joke. You can laugh, then that means the incident is in the past and no hard feelings,” you smiled, “I’m Y/N.”

“Spencer.”

“Well, Spencer, if you ever need a running buddy, I’m more than happy to come along seeing as we both are training for the same thing. But I do have to warn you, this brace is kind of a bitch so I’m a little slower than normal.”

“I can assure you that you will probably still be faster than me with the brace on so maybe it was a good thing for me that I hit you with my car so you won’t be miles ahead,” Spencer grinned.

You laughed wholeheartedly, “See, Spencer! I’m laughing about it so no hard feelings, all is forgiven.”

“I’m just finishing up for the day but I was planning on being here again on Wednesday at the same time if you want to meet at this bench,” you offered.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Spencer nodded.

“See you around, Spencer. Hopefully not in your car though,” you winked and waved.

-

“Oh god, you’ve fallen in love with the chick you almost killed,” Derek groaned.

“Not love...well, yet anyways. She’s so pretty and easy to talk to and isn’t mean to me after everything that has happened and her laugh is like honey,” Spencer smiled softly, recalling the sound in his mind.

“Okay, lover boy,” Penelope giggled, “Did you get her number?”

“No but we’re meeting for a run tomorrow. We actually met at the park when I was training,” Spencer said.

“So she’s seen you in those short shorts and agreed to another meeting? Maybe you do have a chance, kid, cause you really put it all out there,” Derek smirked.

“Speaking of, I actually need to get more of them,” Spencer sipped his coffee.

“Just go all the way and get spandex. Leave nothing to the imagination,” Derek chuckled as Spencer rolled his eyes.

-

“Jesus, I’m going to have to hit your right leg this time if I’m going to have any chance of keeping up with you,” Spencer huffed as he bent over his knees to catch his breath.

“Well good news is that was four miles so you definitely will be able to run a 5k because it’s only 3.1 miles,” you encouraged him.

“Technically, it’s 3.10686 miles but I see your point,” Spencer heaved.

“I know a really good smoothie place nearby. Come on, it’s on me,” you grabbed his hand.

Luckily, Spencer’s face was already red from exercising so you weren’t able to see the blush that formed on his cheeks.

“No, it’s definitely on me. I know you said we’re fine but I am forever going to be indebted to you because of the incident.”

“Spencer, really just forget about it,” you assured him.

“I can’t, I have an eidetic memory,” he grinned.

“Ah, I see. Fine, you buy me one smoothie but then we’re even,” you conceded.

You were walking down the street to the cafe when you heard a whistle come from one of the cars driving by.

“Damn, your ass is looking sexy in those leggings,” a man hollered from his passing truck.

You flipped him off and tried to pull your shirt down as much as possible, crossing your arms tightly around your front.

Spencer unzipped his hoodie and extended it towards you, “Sorry, it’s a little sweaty but if you want to wear it, you can.”

You smiled softly and accepted the sweatshirt, feeling more comfortable now.

“I’ve got his license plate number memorized and I intend to file a police report. Unfortunately, reports like these usually don’t go very far but I’ll keep pushing it through. I’ll also call the company that was printed on the side of the truck and ask to speak to his supervisor,” Spencer spoke softly after a few minutes.

“Thanks, Spencer,” you leaned your head on his shoulder and sighed.

“You don’t have to thank me for that. I’m just doing what’s right. He had no right to make comments about your body,” Spencer said, wrapping a gentle arm around your upper waist.

-

“Welcome to Y/N’s carbo-loading extravaganza!” you opened the door of your apartment to let Spencer in.

“I brought dessert as requested,” Spencer held up a chocolate cake.

“I like how you think, Spencer. Dinner’s all ready,” you smiled.

“Spaghetti, meatballs, and crispy buttery garlic bread,” you pulled the bread out of the oven.

“Looks absolutely delicious,” he complimented.

“Eating carbohydrates before a race boosts the glycogen storage in your muscles allowing you to work out longer,” Spencer informed you.

“Interesting, I never knew the science behind it but I’m never going to complain about eating tons of pasta and bread,” you twirled some pasta on to your fork.

Halfway through the meal, Spencer accidentally got a sauce stain on his pale pink shirt.

“Oh no,” you said as he tried to dab it away.

“That needs to soak right away. I don’t want any casualties at the carbo-loading extravaganza. Give it to me to scrub and I’ll get you another shirt.”

Spencer unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it off. You gulped at the sight of him shirtless, grabbing the shirt and heading to your bathroom sink to scrub it with laundry detergent.

“You can just grab any t-shirt from my room that you think will fit,” you called out to him.

Spencer settled on a light gray shirt with a golden retriever on the front.

“Okay, the stain is out! It’s just soaking now-“ you immediately stopped talking as soon as you saw the shirt Spencer was wearing.

He noticed your eyes were beginning to glisten with tears, “I’m so sorry. I can pick a different shirt,” Spencer was already beginning to pull it over the top of his head.

“No it’s fine, Spencer. That’s just my grandma’s t-shirt. I forgot I even had it.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he spoke guiltily.

“You didn’t know, besides it looks good on you anyways,” you smiled, “My grandma is the whole reason I’m running the 5k.”

“My mom has Alzheimer’s too so I understand that it’s extremely hard to watch a loved one go through that,” Spencer pulled you in for a hug.

You cried into his chest as he rubbed soothing circles on your back.

After Spencer hadn’t heard any sniffles in a while, he whispered, “Do you have any tea I can make you?”

You nodded and Spencer guided you to the couch, wrapping you in a blanket before turning the kettle on.

-

Spencer answered the cheerful knocking at his front door early in the morning.

“Race day! Are you ready?” you exclaimed.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Spencer smiled.

“I promise we are sticking together the whole time because it doesn’t matter how long it takes us as long as we finish,” you held up your pinky.

“Together,” Spencer affirmed, locking his pinky with yours.

The starting line in the park was only a short distance away from Spencer’s apartment so you and Spencer decided to walk there as a little warm-up.

You and Spencer were doing quad stretches when you saw his eyes wander to something behind you and then widen. His face immediately reddening.

“What?” you asked, turning around to see a group of people with a sign that read ‘Go Spencer and his girlfriend!’

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t expect them to do that,” Spencer stammered.

The poor boy was so flustered so you decided to take it easy on him.

“I don’t mind,” you shrugged with a slight smile.

“You don’t?” Spencer clarified, “I’m not very good with words or flirting in general but I would like to see you again after the race is over. Maybe I could take you out to dinner?”

“Yes but my only condition is...I’m driving,” you smirked.

“Oh, you’ll pay for that,” Spencer grinned.

An air horn sounded, signaling the start of the race.

“I think you’re going to have to catch me first, Dr. Reid,” you giggled as you sprinted ahead.

-

“It’s in sight, Spencer! We can do this!” you pointed to the finish line in the distance.

“Y/N, you’re going to have to carry me. I can’t,” Spencer heaved.

“If you finish this race, I will…” you cupped your hand to his ear and whispered something.

Spencer immediately perked up and started running again.

“Hey, wait up!” you laughed.

You and Spencer crossed the finish line at the same time. Spencer’s legs immediately gave out which caused you to fall too, collapsing on top of him.

“I know I’m really sweaty and gross right now but can I please kiss you?” Spencer whispered.

Your lips were pressed on his as soon as he finished his sentence. You honestly didn’t know how long you had been kissing for but you didn’t look up until you heard one of the race officials shout, “Hey lovebirds! That’s very sweet but other people are trying to cross the finish line.”

“Sorry!” you and Spencer apologized, scrambling to your feet.

“Not really,” Spencer whispered to you and you jabbed him in the side with your elbow playfully, stifling a laugh.

what slightly inspired this fic is one time @samuel-de-champagne-problems commented on one of my posts “i could never stay mad at spencer” and then i thought to myself “same. i couldn’t stay mad at him even if he hit me with his car” and now here we are... 🚙

taglist: (just ask to be added or removed!): @samuel-de-champagne-problems @g0lden-cth @spencerreid9 @averyhotchner @coldlilheart @k-k0129 @ickleronniekinsemotionalrange @harrystylesandthegoobs @cmily @jswessie187 @rem-ariiana @hoodpankow @mochionly

[princessofprocrastination]

You Live In Sweatpants And Hoodies (GeorgeNotFound)

MASTERLIST

pairing : georgenotfound / george x influencer!reader. 

summary : george and your fans realize that under all the sweaters, you have a body. 

a/n : if you are wondering what dress i was talking about, search up jennie short black dress :)

before social media, you studied law and got a degree in it but ended up not using it due to your social media career sky rocketing. 

but you never thought studying was a waste, that could be your backup, after all. social media doesn’t last forever. and you were ready to accept any difficulties since you knew you had plan b. 

you, till this day, could not describe what you do on social media. it started with tiktok. everything nowadays started with tiktok. but you were one of the first people who was on it. 

and then tiktokers would make their way onto youtube to sustain their “career” and grow. so that’s what you did. you never abandoned that app, though. especially not now, everyone on that app is seriously hilarious. 

your content on youtube was all over the place. once, for a video, you talked to weird men on omegle and tinder. another time, you would try different aesthetics on yourself. 

but here’s the catch, you’ve never really worn revealing clothes. your mum had always told you to never deprive yourself from what she says “fun young girl things” which is dressing up, or down, in her say and go have fun with your friends. 

but since the pandemic hit, you have had no where to go anyways, and you never really liked to show off your body. it’s not that you felt uncomfortable doing it, it’s just that you’ve never had the reason to. 

you also didn’t grow up girly. you hated dresses, especially short and tight dresses. and you weren’t a fan of wearing shorts either. you always opted to go comfy. 

whenever you post a tiktok, you always wore your signature hoodie and sweatpants that were clearly sizes too big for you. but you liked it, it’s comfortable to sleep in. 

and whenever you had to pan down to show your outfits on youtube, you were always caught wearing jeans and a baggy shirt, just styled differently, according to the aesthetic of the video you were filming for. 

you heard your phone ring from the couch. you picked it up, knowing who it was anyways. “morning, cutie.” you stared. 

“morning b.” george greets you, hair everywhere, clearly just woken up. 

you and george met on tiktok, just like all good friends do. he had duetted a tiktok of yours and you found him hilarious. you quickly followed him on every single social media platform he was in. you even set an alarm in case he ever streams and you’re asleep. 

you two are close. some would say you two are dating, but you two haven’t figured it out yet. you two didn’t really want to disclose it anyways, you two knew your not so secret feelings for each other, anyways. 

remember when he called you ‘b’? yeah that stands for ‘bub’. he thought it would be cute for him to have a different nickname than the usual “baby” or “babe”. 

you two actually live very near each other, making it way easier as a couple, but since england was put into a quarantine order, you two didn’t meet often. 

some would probably ask why you’d have to set an alarm when he streams when you two clearly are in the same timezone? well, that boy had no sense of time and a terrible sleeping schedule. it amazed you at how early he got up today. 

that facetime call lasted about half an hour before you told him you needed to stream on twitch today, to which he responded to you that he’s watch it later. 

today, you had a surprise. for the world. you can’t believe you even thought about this but it was about time you showed off to the world what assets you’ve been blessed with. 

speaking of showing off. no, you weren’t a particularly insecure person, you were just comfortable in the clothes you’re in. but celebrating the long time you’ve been on social media, and it being your birthday, you thought it might be fitting. 

george and you agreed to not make anything special about your birthday. you hated parties and large gatherings, and since you were still in the middle of a pandemic, you used that as an excuse to not go out. 

you spent the longest time searching for a good enough outfit for this day. and you found it. you decided to pick a pretty simple dress, a black short dress that went to your mid thigh, that showed off your waist, spaghetti strapped and a little backless. 

you walked out the shower, your robe on as you walked to your bathroom counters to dry your hair. you didn’t really bother to style it, just leaving you straight long hair down. 

you put on the most basic white sneakers you could find to still make it casual, and you thought it went well together, anyways.

you finished you makeup and took a good look at yourself. you had been aware that you only wore baggy clothes, so this was a huge change. you twirled yourself, feeling confident. 

you couldn’t wait for people to have heart attacks. 

you sat on your gaming chair, getting ready to start your stream. 

before you started your stream, you made sure you left your facecam turned off first. 

you went live. chat was confused since this was the first time that you’re not on facecam. all they could see at the moment was the caption “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!” that you typed on your notes app on your computer.

“hi, chat.” you said, to calm them down a little. 

you heard your phone go off, a text notification. which you knew was george since he had a special notification ping on your phone. 

it said “did you forget to turn on your cam?” 

you laughed at that. “no, chat, i haven’t forgotten to turn on my facecam, just wait for a sec, please.” 

you felt giddy, excited for the reactions. 

instead of wearing your cute cat headphones, you wore your airpods instead to get the whole look going. 

you let out a sigh before moving your mouse cursor to linger on the ‘start recording camera’ button. you clicked on it, before moving your chair back to fully say hi to your chat. 

you brought your hands up to wave to the camera. you tilted your head slightly. “soooo, it’s my birthday.” you said. 

chat was going crazy so you stopped reading them so you wouldn’t get a headache. the donations went crazy too, but you tried your best to read them all. 

you thanked the people who subscribed to you or gifted you subs. 

“360 of this dress? sure, i’ll give you a twirl.” you replied a dono. 

you stood up, and rolled your gaming chair away so that they can see your whole outfit. you spun around once, quickly telling them where you got the dress from. 

you tried to hold your foot on one hand, balancing yourself to show them that you could go casual in this dress too. 

what you noticed was that, your phone hadn’t stopped beeping from a text notification, which belonged to the one and only georgenotfound. 

and since maybe he noticed that you won’t check your phone, he sent a donation instead. 

“WHAT THE FUCK.” the monotoned voice read out the donation, which was from george. 

you facepalmed, knowing exactly what his reaction is like at home. 

“I’M COMING OVER.” the voice said again. you laughed at his antics. 

“see you then.” you replied, laughing, knowing he was joking around anyways. 

-

GEORGE’S POV 

she thinks i’m joking, isn’t she? 

well, she gave me her spare key for a reason, and this would be the best reason. 

i knew i wanted to come around anyways. just after her stream. i promised her no going out, but not no gifts and ordering in. 

sneaky, i know. 

i had a plan brewing in my mind. to walk in her house as quietly as possible, to surprise her. 

after seeing her in that dress, i don’t think i can stand our fans not knowing we aren’t dating. 

i know, i haven’t really asked her out, but we kinda both agreed that there was no use, knowing each other’s feeling was good enough and that we didn’t need to do anything extravagant. 

i don’t know what she’s tell her fans but i’m sure i hadn’t disclose our relationship. the fans shipped us, sure, but i don’t think i’ve ever said it out loud. 

we knew we’d have to say it someday. so i thought, why not today? as i surprised her at her own house. 

her fans watching her stream are tweeting at me like crazy. no one had seen her like that. she practically lives in sweats and hoodies, constantly. 

the most fitting thing i’ve seen her wear is skinny jeans, but she would always wear a baggy top with it. people always say she drowns in her clothes, but i never complained, she looked good either ways. 

but seeing her in that dress, damn. i needed to be there and hug her, kiss her. i couldn’t wait to see her in that dress, right in front of my eyes. 

our observant fans or close friends have asked if she dresses the same at home, and my answer always stayed the same. that she lives in baggy clothes. 

there are some creepy people out there who would ask that question in a sexual way. thinking i’ve seen her in less. but truthfully, i haven’t. we’re not pass that stage, and we prefer it this way. 

what the fans see is what i see on the daily, too. 

and no, me going to her house to see her more clearly in that dress doesn’t mean we’re doing anything. i just want to observe her beauty. see what she’s hid from me. 

-

YOUR POV

chat was going crazy over george’s donation. but you still laughed it off. it’s all a joke anyways, him coming over. 

he was coming over later, after noon, so he wouldn’t just drop everything to see you right now. 

“geez. chill out, chat, george was joking.” you told them. 

you sat on your gaming chair more comfortably as you started playing a couple rounds of among us with your fans. you told them not to cheat and watch your stream as they’re playing ad lucky you, they listened. 

for some reason, your chat still kept blowing up with george comments. maybe they were still caught up on that comment he said earlier. 

but you hadn’t thought that he’d be behind you the entire time, telling the chat to not make it obvious. 

“happy birthday, b” you heard a very familiar voice from behind you. 

you almost had a whiplash from how quick you turned your head to see who was behind you. 

you stood up to hug him, almost falling to the floor, stumbling on your own feet.

with the way you ran to him, he almost fell to the floor. “you’re here, you’re here.” you kept repeating it to him, not believing that he actually came. you knew he’d come later, but not this early. 

george moved you back gently to see your full outfit. you two were aware that the facecam is still on, and pointing to you two, seeing every move. 

“come here.” he whispered to you before grabbing your waist, to kiss you. 

you two took a little while enjoying each other’s company, still in front of everyone on twitch. 

he moved you back a little, turning you to face your gaming monitors. “MY GIRLFRIEND, EVERYBODY. isn’t she so hot, oh my god.” he said to the stream. 

you laughed at his stupid antics, covering your face with your hands as you blushed. 

your chat didn’t stop talking about the interaction, not believing that their ship was finally sailing. 

you played a couple more rounds of among us with them, george taking over sometime or making funny comments to entertain your chat while you played. 

after the stream, george and you took time to enjoy the time alone, ordering in your favourite food and opening gifts that he bought you. 

you forgot to mention that both of your twitter was blowing up too much that you had to mute it for a while. you knew that a lot had screenshot the cute moment. 

you took note to screenshot some of the photos on twitter later. 

[jewels-jewels]

Rodrick Heffley x Reader

Warnings and Disclaimers:

Both Characters are consenting adults

Ice Play, Language.

Music was loud as me and my friends entered the club. The club we were at was in a predominantly black area in New York. It was my birthday, my twenty second to be exact. We all looked hot; I couldn’t deny it. I encouraged all of them to look their best, they deserved to get some dick this weekend. I was in a simple short, black dress that had spaghetti straps, black heels, and my braids went down to my waist. My braids were all black with a couple blonde strands scattered through. We’d already reserved a booth knowing that it was gonna be packed since it was the weekend. We claimed our booth and ordered our first round of drinks.

Me and my friends clinked our shots together, tapping them on the table, and throwing them down our throats. I felt the burn of the alcohol coating my throat as I grabbed my best friends hands, getting excited to go dance. Everyone was dancing on top of each other. Girls grinding on girls, girls grinding on guys, etc. After drinking a couple of shots, I grabbed my friends’ hands and started to dance my way over to the dance floor. On and On by Erykah Badu was playing over the speakers. I swayed my hips to the rhythm of the song. The dim to dark lighting of the club shown on our golden skin.

The door to the club opened, and being the curious and nosy person I am, I turned my head slightly to glance at who came in. Before I realized who it was, I’d already turned around. I did a double take when looking at the band closer, the band Loaded diaper, I suppose tonight was the last night of the tour for their new album, the show probably just ended, meaning that this was a celebration.

We made instant eye contact and we walked away and broke eye contact to order his drink. Rodrick Heffley, the lead drummer of the band. I felt his eyes burning on me as I continued to dance. My friends found guys to go home with, I was vibing by myself at the point. I tried to pay the main drummer no mind, knowing that he was only here to bring someone home with him. He just wanted someone for tonight, he’s probably fucked a new girl every night of tour.

A new song was playing, and I felt someone behind me. It was dark, but I still had to be aware of my surroundings. I move up a little bit, not knowing if it’s a weirdo or not and continue dancing on my own.

“You look really beautiful, special occasion?” someone behind me says. I look back, startled realizing Rodrick Heffley was calling ME beautiful.

“Thank you. It’s my birthday actually.”

“Of course, How old?”

“Isn’t it rude to ask a lady how old she is?” I said, trying to make some sort of conversation. I didn’t want him to compliment me and then have it be awkward after.

“Well, I’d want to know in case I want to have you come home with me later.” He said in attempt to flirt with me. I’ll let him; he was being more polite that I thought he’d be.

“Twenty-two, I turned twenty-two today.” I wouldn’t mind coming home with him, I’d like to see what I was in for.

We started dancing together and he pulled me closer to him by the hand. At the point, I’d turned around and started grinding on him and he placed his hand closer to my thigh, not wanting to cross any boundaries and ruin his chances with me.

We were grinding to the beat, and he moved his head down closer to my neck, putting a hand on my chin and tilting my head to the side. He kissed at my neck and whispered in ear, “follow me.” He grabbed my hand and I followed him into the bathroom.

He locked the door behind us and held me against the wall. His hands were big enough to hold an entire half of my waist. He had a firm grip on me, one hand on my waist, the other on my jaw turning my head to the side to kiss and suck at my neck. It felt like all the wind inside of my body had been knocked out of me. I can see I’m going home with him tonight. My arms winded around his neck and pulled him closer to me to be able to kiss him. He licked my bottom lip, politely asking for entrance.

Shortly after he broke away to catch a breath.

“I wanna get out of here. I wanna give you a good time, treat you nicely. Only for the birthday girl. Right, sweetheart?” he said. I almost collapsed to the ground. He was so smooth with his words, I completely forgot that he was a random drummer, from a random band I barely knew the name to. It was okay, acceptable, a one-time thing.

“Okay, let’s get out of here. Let me – let me tell my friends first.” I said with staggered breaths, a little starstruck that he wanted to ‘get out of here’ with me. It would be too much of a hassle to find them, so I texted my friends that I was leaving, and who I was leaving with in case anything went wrong. My location was on the entire time.

Once he noticed I was done notifying my friends, he but his arm around my shoulder, and walked me out of the club and to his car. He connected his phone to the aux and started playing rock songs I knew. I was excited to hear those songs but tried to keep my composure.

‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails came on, and it looked like something changed in Rodrick’s energy. He had his left hand on the wheel and slid his other hand on my thigh. As the song progressed, his hand quickly slid up further. His hand was against my crotch, and he moved my panties to the side under my dress. My breathing was picking up speed due to nervousness. He was going over 95 miles per hour. He looked me directly into my eyes and put his middle finger in his mouth.

He pulled his finger out of his mouth and put it back in its rightful spot. He rubbed slow circles into my clit. It was hard for me to keep still, he started to move his fingers faster and faster, the faster he moved, the wetter I got.

A whine left from between my lips, my hips were moving back and forth to try and get more friction, he was moving purposely slow. He got off on seeing his partners in desperate state. He liked hearing them beg.

We pulled up in front of his place, it was big enough for me to want to be fucked in every room possible. That might be a possibility. He unbuckled both of our seat belts, eager to get his hands on me. He got out of the car, and quickly came over to mine. He opened the door for me and as soon as I got out of the car he put a hand under my knees and another one across my back and picked me up bridal style. I let out a shriek and laughed about it shortly after.

“I’m just too eager to get my hands on you. Like I said, I wanna give you a really good birthday present, dollface.” He said while kissing my cheek and neck and unlocking the door all at the same time. His house was gorgeous, there was huge skylight on the ceiling in the living room. It was amazing, you could see right through to the large kitchen, stocked with food. The kitchen was gonna come in handy in the morning, Since I do not have my car at the moment.

Instead of moving all the way upstairs, he laid me down on the couch. He pulled my dress off me, leaving me in only a bra and underwear. He gave me a couple hickeys in my chest and boob area. All of a sudden, he got up. “I’ll be right back.” He said, I was intrigued. 30 seconds later he came back with a cup of ice cubes. He grabbed one put it between his teeth and went back to his previous position. He looked deep into my eyes, as if he was searching for something more than lust and desperation. He placed the ice cube directly on my torso. He placed his lips on top of it and dragged it down my stomach, making me get overwhelmed and let a small whimper exit my lips.

The freezing temperature of the ice cube mixing with the growing heat spreading throughout my body was exhilarating. It helped neutralize my feelings in a way. He backed himself up slightly. He put my thighs over his shoulders, and while looking directly into my eyes, gently pressed the melting and cold ice cube against my clit. At that point in time, my jaw dropped and I sharply inhaled, letting a moan fall from my lips.

Like I said earlier, he enjoyed seeing his partners in a desperate state. With that, he whispered “I don’t want to hear a pretty little sound fall from your pretty little lips, until I fuck the shit out of you. When that time comes, all I want to hear is my fucking name. Got it?” All I could do was nod yes.

By then the ice cube had melted and he had to grab another one. He took an ice cube between his lips and pressed it onto my clit again. I felt the coldness on the sensitive area and couldn’t stay still. He told me not to make any noise, not to not move…thankfully. He moved the ice in circles, my legs were over his shoulders, and he was watching my every move. He placed the ice cube to melt on my stomach and proceeded to mix the water and my arousal together. By then, there was no problem with lubrication.

He started off slow, licking my clit gently but with enough force and speed to have me going feral in my head, since it was against the rules to go feral out loud. He started to suck my clit, at that rate, I couldn’t help but moan. I started to grind myself against him, noticing that he was trying his best to keep his composure, grinding his hips against the couch, trying to gain some relief through his jeans. I was grinding myself against his face, his nose rubbing against my clit from time to time, shocking me a little more.

“ah- fuck please just like that.” It was hard to keep my composure, he was doing so good. At this rate I wanted him inside of me.

“Please just fuck me Rodrick, please I need you so fucking bad.” I whimpered and whined for him. I was just too desperate.

He got up from his position, although he could probably eat pussy all day long if he wanted to. He took off his belt and took off his pants as well. He threw his pants to the ground to add to the pile of our clothes already on the floor. However, he kept the belt, and skillfully tied it around my wrists. That made it difficult for me, in situations like these I enjoyed touching the person, but having that inability would be a challenge for me.

He wrapped my legs around his hips and leaned down to kiss me, he rubbed his tip against my clit while making out with me, giving both of us some sort of tension release. He moved down to kiss my neck a little and leave a couple pecks on my collar bone.

He reached a hand down to grab his dick, rubbing my clit and finding his own pleasure and moaning at the feeling. I lifted my head closer to his ear, making his head down closer to my face.

“Stop fucking teasing.” I whispered in his ear.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop, I’ve tortured you long enough.” He was being truthful, I agreed with him, I was desperate to finally feel some form of pleasure.

He put it in and he moaned at the feeling. My back arched. He was thrusting into me and my wrists were tied with a belt, I needed to touch him. I clenched my fists and turned my wrist making the leather of his belt make noise. He heard this and decided to untie me. It only took him one hand to undo the entire thing, it was hot if I’m being completely honest.

As soon as the belt fell from my wrists, I reached my hand to his back to dig my nails into his skin. He hissed at the feeling, exhaling deeply and whining at the end. I let go, thinking that it was hurting him. But instead, he begged me to do it again. “Please do that again. Do it harder.” That amplified and brought the both of us closer to our climax. It only took him a couple more thrusts and I felt the tight knot in my stomach that was desperate to unravel.

After a couple more thrusts, both of us had climaxed and were sobered up from the long half hour that just flew by. We were sweaty, not the nasty type of sweaty that makes you want to shower as soon as possible, but the type that smelt (and almost tasted sweet). It only took a couple of minutes of us laying on top of each other to fall asleep. I tried to remember to pee after, but I couldn’t move, I was too tired, I’ll do it in the morning.

I let sleep fall over me, unable to move, not wanting to leave.

The night had quickly passed, and it had already been after noon when I found my phone. I looked around downstairs after picking up his shirt, just to cover myself up. I had to pee like I promised myself I would last night. After finding the bathroom and being nosy and looking through the rest of the house, I made my way back to the living room.

In order to get back to the living room, I had to pass through the kitchen. When I made it there, I found Rodrick standing in only his boxers, looking dead at me.

“I was wondering where you went. You look good in my shirt.” Rodrick said instantly making me blush and get shy. I think we both were still too sober when we let last night happen. “So, I was thinking that I could make us something to eat, and then let you get out of here..ooooorrrr I could make you something and hold you hostage. Which ever you prefer.” He was a very cheeky and flirtatious man, sober or not sober.

“Can I give you my number before you take me home?” I said, I didn’t want to leave, but I also couldn’t stay, I didn’t want to worry anyone, I hadn’t even checked all my notifications yet. “I will allow that, only for the birthday girl.”

He made us something to eat, gave me a pair of sweatpants, and I grabbed a post-it note and a pen. I wrote my number down and stuck the note to the dashboard of his car. Eventually he pulled up to the club where the adventure started, and I directed him to the best of my memory as to where I put my car.

“Text Me? If that’s okay, if you aren’t busy.” I said awkwardly, still wanting more of him, I wasn’t sure why, I barely knew him.

“Of course, maybe we can actually talk, get to know each other.” He said, from what I’ve heard about him, this sounded out of character. I was expecting him to make me uber home.

“Maybe.” I gave him a tight-lipped smile and existed the car into my own. Searching in the glove box for urgent Ibuprofen to get rid of this pounding headache and legs. I found some, found a surprising un-opened water bottle, and cured my temporary physical pain.

I checked my phone before pulling off, thank God I didn’t have work today. The girls had blown up my phone, over 150 messages of them asking how it was going, how it went, who it was, the usual. I figured I’d text them back when I got home. All of sudden I got a text from an unknown number.

“Hey it’s Rodrick, I never got your name?” I got excited, quickly saving the number.

“Hey, I’m y/n, nice to formally meet you.”

[mrstaeminlee]

Mission Complete Ch. 1

You had two goals in life. One: Complete your squad training without dying. Two: Fuck Levi Ackerman

Pairings: Levi/f!reader

Warnings: Swearing, eventual smut, lmk if I need to add anything~

You really had no idea what the fuck prompted you to join the military. Maybe it was to find some redeeming grace in the eyes of your dying mother, maybe it was because you wanted a life with as much stability as one could muster, maybe it was because you just fucking hated farming.

Whatever it was, you wished to any God that would listen that you would have buried it in the ground along with the countless friends and family members you had lost to the Titans.

The first week of the cadet corps was everything you knew you would hate and more. Between the foul smelling breath of the commandant threatening to make you puke up the bread you had managed to steal, to working your body to the point of sneaking away from one on one combat to puke behind the bushes, after seven days you had almost decided that maybe digging in the dirt for the rest of your miserable life wasn't so bad.

There was only one thing stopping you from making your own walk of shame to the wagon of regret.

Levi Ackerman.

AKA the man you fantasized about every night when you managed to find enough strength to finger yourself below the covers.

He was a couple of inches shorter, true, but you were willing to break your rule of not fucking anyone shorter than you for him.

You had only see him twice in your life by complete chance, the first had been when you happened to be by the gates in time to see the Scouts returning from what was undoubtably another failed mission, and you decided that what the hell, might as well have a look at Humanity's Strongest in the flesh. Granted, it hadn't been his best day; his green cloak was splattered with what could only have been the blood of his comrades as it didn't look as if he had a single scratch on him, but he looked like a god, albeit one that had just gotten his ass kicked out of heaven. His eyes seemed to be sunken in, and even from how far away you were you found yourself shivering from the intensity of his dead gaze. You weren't sure what possessed you to lift your hand as he eyes moved through the crowd, looking for whom, you didn't know, or what possessed him to raise those eyes to you, but you found yourself lost in haunted silver as you gave a soft wave. The way he seemed to look straight through you, not even seeing you even as you stared at each other, was enough to convince you that you needed to do whatever it took to see this man again.

You enlisted the start of the next week.

The second time was completely by chance.

Everyone was desperate for military recruits, and desperate times called for desperate calls to important people to make appearances in front of people that were well, not very important.

Erwin Smith, Dot Pixis, Nile Dawk, Levi Ackerman, Hange Zoe, Rico Brzenska, and even Darius Zackly graced the entrance ceremony of the new Cadets, and you thanked whatever bone in your body made you a teacher's pet because you had a front row seat to the man that had plagued your thoughts every single day in the past week. His appearance was brief and he didn't speak, just stared at the fresh faces, some cocky, some blank, but mostly terrified new recruits, and you could have sworn that you saw a tinge of sadness hidden in the silver, as if he could already foresee the deaths of everyone in front of him. He followed after Erwin immediately after the blond gave his speech about thanking you all for making the decision to serve humanity and you fought the urge to roll your eyes. 'I'm not doing this for humanity, I'm doing this for dick,' you thought as you signed your life away to this shit camp for the next two years.

How one man who was fucking shorter than you managed to convince you to trade the next 728 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes, and 15 seconds of your life for physical and emotional hell was beyond you, and yet here you were, standing proud and slightly hungover from the pre-graduation celebrating you did with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin the night before. They hadn't initially been your first choice in friends, but Armin was nice to you from the start and once you very quickly learned that flirting with Eren in front of Mikasa was not in your best interest, you had decided that they were alright; especially when Eren's Titan form had been revealed. If anyone was going to have to get close enough to keep an eye on Eren, it would be Captain Levi.

The very man you were thinking of walked on the stage along with Nile Dawk, Dot Pixis, and Erwin Smith as the three took turns giving their pitch. You hadn't made the top 10 but were happy for your friends that were, you were content with your place as 13th. In a class of over 500, you still considered it a win, and if your parents were still alive you knew they'd be proud. As the remaining members of the top 10 who had opted to join the elitest MP's went off to talk to Nile and the other scared fucks ran off to sign themselves to the Garrison regiment, you and around a hundred other members stayed where you were and you licked your lips, forcing your heart rate to calm itself. 'Calm down, you can't work your way up to fucking the strongest man in the world if you die of heart attack before-'

"Listen up you little shits."

Oh my God he was speaking you've never heard his voice before it's so fucking-

"Most of you are going to die. Are you prepared for that?"

Ah, so Humanity's Strongest was a sweet talker.

"Erwin is making me come up here and talk, so we're all going to pretend that I'm saying some meaningful bullshit. But here's the truth: If you aren't strong, you will die, and it will be painful. Imagine the thought of seeing your childhood friend's entrails being slurped up like spaghetti by a Titan, while the entire time he's conscious enough to reach his hand out for you, and you are able to do nothing for him because you spent exactly one second hesitating, or you were a moment too late to draw your blades, or react to the threat. If that scares you, then do us all a favor and put down that half assed salute and sell your soul to the Garrison where you'll spend your days fucking the best whores for a discount if you're in uniform and getting drunk on the clock."

After his touching speech you and your now dripping panties decided that you had indeed made the right decision in selling yourself to the Scouts.

One month later

It was moments like these, where you weren't quite trashed but definitely more than tipsy, that you had never been happier to be part of the survey corps. I mean, you were in peak physical shape (you still couldn't believe you had abs. Abs!), you were hot, you were fit, and you knew Sasha Braus, who had managed to steal a few bottles of top shelf liquor from the higher ups.

You were also horny as fuck. It had been over a year since you'd gotten laid, and you were using the dildo you'd bought on your first trip back into town as often as you brushed your teeth (twice a day, you didn't fuck with cavities). You briefly thought about enlisting the help of one of your current drinking buddies but after seeing your choices you decided to leave it to old faithful hidden in your pillowcase. There was Jean, who albeit was pretty hot even with the long face but was so in love with Mikasa it made you want to vomit. Marco, who you were almost one hundred percent sure was gay; Connie, who held the sexual appeal of a pile of horse shit, although he was super nice. Reiner almost looked promising but you knew underneath those stocky muscles was a shitload of emotional baggage you didn't want, and Bertholt was head over heels for Annie of all people. That left Armin and Eren. Eren you already knew was out, while your slut senses told you he'd be a great lay, you weren't quite ready for your life to end at the hands of Mikasa. That left Armin. You tilted your head, staring at him as you sipped on your god forsaken concoction and debated fucking him or not. He wasn't outright sexy, but he'd filled in well during the two years of training and you had seen glimpses of his surprisingly impressive muscles under his white shirt. He might actually do. He'd be shy as hell and you would have to lead everything, not to mention he'd probably cum in less than a minute, but it just might-

“Did you guys know that Captain Levi is a virgin?"

You spit the mix of vodka, rum, and whatever mixer Reiner had put in all over the face of the person you had just considered fucking.

"I'm sorry, what?" You turned your attention to Christa, apologetically handing Armin a napkin and patting his cheek.

Christa blushed at the attention and scooted closer to Ymir, who threw an arm around her shoulders and gave Reiner her customary 'If you even look at her weird, I will gut you' look. "W-Well, recently I started helping out in the infirmary because they've been short handed. You all know, it's that time of year where everyone has to get looked at and they give us that sheet of paper to fill out with all of our personal information to keep track of potential diseases. I was in charge of filing the paperwork the day they brought all of the officers in, and on the paper they ask you how many sexual partners you've had and Captain Levi wrote 0. But you guys, you have to promise not to tell anyone! This is private information, if it somehow gets out that I told you this I'll get into a lot of trouble!"

Ymir chuckled, placing a sloppy kiss at the top of the blonde's head. "Don't worry about a thing sweet cheeks, if any of these miscreants here says a word I'll kill them for ya. But we don't have to worry about that at all, now do we?" She glared at each person in the room, who all looked as if Christa were a ghost, and slowly shook their heads.

Your life was changed.

Captain Levi Ackerman.

The strongest man in the world.

Rumored former thug of the Underground.

The person responsible for killing as many Titans as a hundred soldiers.

The person whose squad every scout dreamed of being on, was a virgin.

You screeched out a laugh before you could help it, the alcohol doing nothing to try and make you quiet yourself as you fell onto your back laughing, cup long forgotten as it rolled across the floor. The person who initiated your drive to join the military in the first place, the person you literally dreamed of fucking, had never gotten his dick wet.

Clearly, you had your work cut out for you.

If you managed to live through the sight of Ymir reaching over to punch you in the face to shut you up.

[fridayfirefly]

Two Birds [Part Two]

Read Two Birds on AO3

Masterlist [All Works]

Masterlist [Two Birds Series]

For Maribat March Day 31 - Reunion

The school trip to Gotham was supposed to be fun. It was supposed to be a reward to the class, a celebration of the recent defeat of Hawkmoth by Ladybug and Chat Noir. Marinette wanted to celebrate. She really didn't want to cry on the trip. Yet, as the plane touched down in Gotham, Marinette was staring out the plane window at the rain and the setting sun, rubbing her eyes, trying her best to brush away the tears before they formed.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Alya looked over at Marinette, concern visible on her face.

Marinette nodded weakly, blinking away the wetness in her eyes. "I'm fine. I just... I have some bad memories associated with Gotham. One of my childhood friends... his parents were murdered on a trip to Gotham and I lost contact with him after that. It's always been a very raw subject for me."

Alya opened her mouth to respond, but before she could get a word out, Lila leaned across the aisle to interrupt the conversation. "Your childhood friend's parents were murdered on a trip to Gotham? It's okay to admit that you're scared of Gotham because of the supervillains. You don't have to come up with some outlandish story for why you're upset."

Marinette glared over at Lila, her eyes shiny from both her tears and her anger. "I wasn't talking to you, Lila, but for your information, I'm not making up a story. I wouldn't lie about the death of my friend's parents. I hate liars."

Lila flinched back, her eyes wide and innocent. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that you could tell the truth. We wouldn't judge you for it."

Alya frowned, giving Lila a stern look. "Lila, Marinette is seriously upset. I don't think that this is the right time to lecture her."

"Oh, of course." As soon as Alya turned away from her, Lila's expression was murderous. Marinette could care less. She turned away and ignored Lila, not in the mood to deal with the liar's taunts. If she could just hold back her tears until they got off the plane, maybe she could pretend that it was the rain that was making her face wet.

It took an hour to get from the plane to the hotel room, and that hour was torture for Marinette, who spent the entire journey holding back tears. As soon as Alya shut the door to their hotel room with a click, Marinette finally let herself cry, curling up into a ball on the hotel bed.

Marinette felt Alya wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "I've got you, Marinette. It'll be okay."

Marinette didn't know how long she cried for. All she knew was that when the tears finally stopped, the sky had gone dark outside. "What time is it?"

"It's a little past eight. I texted Nino to tell Ms. Bustier that you weren't feeling well, so she won't be bothering you with any class president duties tonight."

"Thanks." Marinette shifted herself from lying on her side to sitting up. "Have I ever told you what happened to Dick?"

Alya shook her head. "You've mentioned him a few times, but only that you two were friends when you were younger, and then lost touch."

Marinette sighed. "It all started when I was nine years old. My Grandma Gina was babysitting me for the weekend. She was old friends with the ringmaster of a circus that was in Paris, so she took me there to stay the weekend. That was where I met Dick and his parents..."

Marinette told the story in bursts, stopping to cry every few minutes when she got too emotional to continue. "...And I never spoke to him again after that. Gotham's foster care records aren't open to the public, and I stopped myself from Googling his name a long time ago. It just hurts too much to get my hopes up."

Alya wrapped Marinette up in another hug. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I wish there was something I could do to make this better."

"I think this trip might be good for me. It hurts a lot now, but I think once it's over I might finally feel a little more at peace."

"I hope so. But if there's ever any time where you need to just stop and let it all out, I'll be there for you."

"Thanks, Alya. You're the best."

Alya was Marinette's best friend, even if Alya was friends with Lila as well. That was Marinette's one regret - when she unmasked Hawkmoth and Mayura as Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancour, there was no way to unmask Lila as a liar as well. Gabriel refused to name Lila as an accomplice, aware that admitting to having manipulated a teen girl into performing acts of terrorism wouldn't look good for him. So Lila was free to continue her reign of terror, though at least now Marinette could be rightfully angry with her, without fear of being akumatized.

----------

The class trip was partially sponsored by the Wayne Scholarship Foundation. Usually, the Wayne Scholarship Foundation only awarded scholarships, given to students all across America to pay for college, but after Hawkmoth's defeat and the media coverage that followed, a rather large sum was awarded to Marinette’s class for their bravery on the front lines of Hawkmoths' attacks. The Wayne Foundation organized tours and shows for them all over the city, starting with a tour of the Martha Wayne Memorial Botanical Gardens bright and early on the first morning of their trip. Then the class would go on a walking tour of Gotham during the afternoon, ending at a high-end sushi restaurant for dinner, followed by a night exploring East Hills Park during one of their famous firework shows. The late May day promised to be warm and sunny, so Marinette put on her favorite red floral sundress with a jean jacket overtop to hide the thin spaghetti straps, and sturdy tennis shoes to handle all of the walking she would be doing.

"Marinette!" gasped Lila as soon as Alya and Marinette walked into the main lobby. "Are you sure that your outfit is dress-code approved?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Yes, Lila. With my jacket on, this fits the dress code. I wouldn't make something that I can't wear."

"Okay. I was just checking. Your dress seemed a little too short to me, but I guess I just prefer something more modest."

As Lila walked away, Alya placed her hand on Marinette's shoulder in comfort. "I'm sure Lila didn't mean to come off as slut-shaming. I think she's just lashing out because wants to make sure you don't get in trouble for your outfit." Even Alya sounded uncertain of her explanation, as not even she believed herself. Without the support of Hawkmoth, Lila was no longer a cunning and calculated mastermind of manipulation. Now she was just a scared bully, desperately doing whatever she could to maintain her power over the class.

"Whatever," Marinette sighed. "I won't let her ruin my trip."

"That's the spirit. Besides, anyone with taste would know that your outfit looks super cute.”

Marinette smirked. "Are you saying that you don't think Lila has taste?"

"Definitely not as much taste as you. You're the Queen of Fashion Trends. You always look good." Alya put her arm around Marinette's shoulder. "Plus, you know better than to wear cowboy boots to school."

Marinette giggled as she remembered the incident. Lila came to school showing off her 'authentic' cowboy boots from America, seemingly unaware that they were the ugliest shoes anyone in their class had ever seen.

"You'll have a great day today, I promise." Alya walked with Marinette to the bus waiting outside. They got a seat up near the front, by Nino and Adrien.

Adrien had been the most affected by Hawkmoth's unmasking, given that it revealed his Father as a terrorist and his Mother as a coma-patient. All seemed lost for Adrien, as a team of Paris's best doctors revealed that Emilie Agreste was braid-dead. They planned on pulling the plug on Emilie's life support until, Amelie Graham de Vanily revealed that by combining the twin rings she and her sister owned with Ladybug's power of creation, together they had the power to bring Emilie back to life. Marinette was skeptical, after all, Amelie seemed to have ulterior motives in everything she did, but how could Marinette refuse when it was the only thing that she could do to help Adrien. In the end, she decided to help, no matter the consequences. Miraculously, it worked. Emilie was brought back to life and Adrien had a mother again.

However, in the aftermath of her decision, Marinette realized one crucial detail. In all of the chaos of deciding whether or not to work with Amelie, when she based her final decision on Adrien, she did it because he was her friend, not because he was her crush. At that moment, she realized that the overwhelming crush she had on Adrien since the age of thirteen had faded. In its place was a beautiful friendship.

"Good morning," chirped Adrien.

"What's up, dudes?" chimed in Nino.

"I can't believe we're here in Gotham. I thought our class trip to London was cool, but this is just incredible. I can't believe that the Wayne Foundation organized all of this for us," Alya gushed.

Marinette smiled. She knew that her friends deserved the vacation. Alya, Nino, and Adrien (though his involvement as Aspik was brief) all helped in the fight against Hawkmoth, even though they never revealed their superhero identities to each other. "What are you all most excited about?"

"I can't wait to see the Superhero Museum," said Alya. "I can't believe we were invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new exhibition."

"It is a celebration of the defeat of Hawkmoth. I suppose they wanted some real Parisians there to see it."

"I'm excited for Super: an American Musical, with the original cast. Did you guys know that this is their last week in Gotham before the show starts on Broadway!" Nino cheered.

Marinette smiled. "That is cool. I've heard that it's a fan favorite to win a Tony this year."

When all eyes landed on Adrien to answer the question, he shrugged. "I just want to experience everything. And take a lot of pictures. I promised my Mom that I would send her some."

"How about we take one now?" Marinette suggested.

Adrien nodded and the group of friends squeezed together to take a selfie.

"How about you, Marinette?"

"The Wayne Foundation Fundraising Gala," Marinette answered promptly. "It's one of the most influential events in fashion. I've heard that celebrities wear their second-best outfits to the Met Gala and save their best for the Wayne Gala. I know that the Wayne Foundation is paying for a shopping trip to pick out an outfit for the Gala, but I made my dress own and brought it here."

Alya laughed. "I should have guessed."

Marinette smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't resist. This is the first opportunity I've had to wear my newest creation."

"Do you have pictures of it?" asked Adrien.

Marinette shook her head. "I'm not showing anyone until the Gala. I'm keeping it safe in my room. I don't want to jinx anything."

"Hawkmoth is gone. We're in Gotham, living it up. Life is good." Alya summarized, and the whole group chimed in their agreement. Life was good.

----------

"Is everything in this city named after the Waynes?" asked Nino as they stepped off the bus in from of the Martha Wayne Memorial Botanical Gardens.

"The Waynes are one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Gotham. When you're that rich, life is just a game of buying your name onto as many buildings as possible," Adrien answered.

"The Waynes and their extraordinary money are the reason why we're here, so I'm willing to forgo making fun of everything they put their name on," Alya decided.

Once they got through the doors to the Botanical Garden, Marinette was entranced. Flowers of every shade surrounded her, the sound of rushing water and the rustling of leaves was the only thing she could hear, the smell of pollen and fresh air filled her lungs. It was heavenly.

"I'm Olivia, but you can all call me Liv," spoke the blonde tour guide as she approached the class. "I'll be giving you a tour of the Botanical Gardens, the largest sanctuary for endangered plants in New Jersey. We're known especially for our orchid garden, which we'll walk through at the end of our tour."

As the tour continued, Marinette noticed that one hallway was blocked off by a sign reading: Hydrangea Exhibition Coming This Fall.

Liv pointed out the hallway. "Down that hallway is the upcoming Hydrangea Exhibition, which is replacing the old New Jersey Wildflower exhibit. Now, I know you're all from out of town, but if you're even in Gotham again, make sure you check out the Botanical Gardens. We're always getting new exhibits-"

Liv was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. One of the panes of glass making up the room had been shattered, and shards rained down on screaming tourists. Marinette's eyes widened as she recognized Poison Ivy, lowering herself through the now opened ceiling on her vines. "You thought you could destroy the native vegetation of this city and get away with it? Nothing escapes my notice. Now, I would like to have a little chat with whoever's in charge here."

Liv motioned for all the students to get down, whispering, "As long as we stay out of Poison Ivy's way, we'll be perfectly fine. Just stay calm and stay quiet."

Marinette watched as the Director of the Botanical Gardens came out to reason with Poison Ivy. He pleaded with the villain, "We won't destroy any of the wildflower gardens, I swear. I'll make sure myself that the wildflower exhibit will be moved to public parks all across Gotham."

Poison Ivy shook her head. "That's not good enough. You think you can wash your hands of these flowers so long as someone else offers to take them? How long do you think the wildflower gardens will last without any sort of protection?"

"We'll make sure that the gardens are protected, I promise."

Narrowing her eyes, Poison Ivy gave the Director a cruel smile. "I hope for your sake, Mr. Joseph Hoffman of 524 Shelton Avenue, that nothing happens to those flowers. Otherwise..." Poison Ivy let the threat hang in the air, using her vines to ascend back up to the ceiling.

The next few moments were so chaotic and full of movement that Marinette couldn't quite piece together what had happened. All she knew was that one second Poison Ivy was leaving the way she came and the next second, Batman and Robin were facing her down in the middle of the Botanical Gardens.

"Oh, hello Batman, Robin. It's so nice to see you. I was just leaving though, so unless you want to fight me where all these plants - and civilians, I suppose - could get hurt, I would step out of my way."

"Poison Ivy, we both know that I can't just let you go free after you threatened this man's life."

Poison Ivy sighed dramatically. "Oh well, I gave you a chance. Now it looks like I'll have to start getting civilians involved. The villain's eyes panned over the room, her eyes just happening to make contact with Marinette's for a split second before Marinette looked away. But that split second was enough. Marinette felt vines start to wrap around her forearms, yanking her forward.

Marinette was pulled all the way over to Poison Ivy, Batman, and Robin, until she was stopped in between the villain and heroes. "What's your name?" Poison Ivy asked, a menacing smile on her face.

"M-Marinette," she stuttered out, eyes wide.

Batman's expression was stoic and unyielding, while Robin looked at her with wide, stunned eyes. Batman spoke, "Why don't we move this outside where no one - plants or civilians - will get hurt."

Poison Ivy nodded. "I will require a head start, though, so I'll keep my vines wrapped around Marinette's throat. As soon as I'm out of range the vines will go slack and she'll be able to go on with her day. However, if you start to come after me before then, I'll tighten my vines and poor little Marinette might not make it."

Marinette stiffened as the vines grew around her throat, just loose enough for her to take shallow breaths. Poison Ivy disappeared from view, but Marinette continued to stay perfectly still, desperately trying to slow her breathing before she hyperventilated. No one made a move toward Marinette, no one willing to risk the consequences of making a move while Poison Ivy could still control the vines.

After what felt like hours, but was really only about five minutes, the vines relaxed and fell to the floor. Marinette collapsed to the ground, lowering herself into the seated position so she could breathe a little bit easier.

"Are you alright?" asked Robin, kneeling next to her. "Are you having any trouble breathing?"

"I'm okay. I didn't get hurt. I was just scared."

Robin got up and held out his hand to help her to her feet. "Why don't we get you back with the rest of your group. Are you here with your family?"

Marinette shook her head. "I'm here on a school trip."

Robin walked Marinette over to her class, handing her off to Ms. Bustier, who let out a sigh of relief as she gently placed her hand on Marinette's shoulder. "I know that was a very scary situation, Marinette. If you would like, I can take you and Alya back to the hotel."

"No way!" protested Marinette. "I didn't even get hurt. Plus, we have the walking tour of Gotham today. I don't want to miss it."

"Are you sure?" Ms. Bustier glanced over toward Batman.

Batman joined the conversation, saying, "If Marinette prefers to continue her day as normal, then I would advise following Marinette's lead. Often, the best way to recover from an encounter with a villain is to go on with your life as normal."

Marinette nodded. "I want to stay with the rest of the class and go on with our day."

Ms. Bustier still looked hesitant but conceded anyway. "Alright. I think our tour of the Botanical Gardens is over, though. I doubt that they would let us continue, what with shattered glass all over the floors."

Liv led the group out of the building, commenting with a sigh, "It's a shame that Poison Ivy came and ruined the tour. The orchid garden is such an amazing exhibit, and now none of you will get to see it. Unless..." Liv glanced around. "There's no broken glass in the orchid garden, so I don't suppose why we couldn't leave the Botanical Garden through the side-exit past the orchid garden. What do you say, Marinette?"

Marinette smiled. "That sounds wonderful."

As the tour group turned to enter one of the hallways branching off of the main room, Marinette glanced behind her one last time. She made eye contact with Robin, who was watching her leave, an expression of wonder on his face. Marinette turned back around self-consciously rubbing the back of her neck. She wasn't sure why Robin looked at her like that. It wasn't a look that one would give a stranger, and yet they had never met before. Marinette thought it was odd, but the thought was gone from her mind as soon as her class entered the orchid garden. I'm here in Gotham for a week to have fun, she reminded herself, so no more investigating every strange occurrence.

----------

The walking tour of Gotham was just as fun and informative as Marinette anticipated, packed with interesting facts and amazing sights. She got a bunch of high-quality pictures of Gotham, good for putting in the blog post that Marinette (as class president) was in charge of putting together to go on the school website. Best of all, Lila didn't bother her for the whole tour. Even Lila knew that she couldn't bully Marinette and get away with it, after what Marinette had been through the morning.

The sushi restaurant was amazing too. Marinette had eaten sushi a few times before, but never anything as high-quality as what was served in the restaurant. Marinette decided that if this was what a field trip funded by the Wayne Foundation was like, then she was incredibly excited for the week to come.

Aside from the unfortunate interruption at the Botanical Garden, the day was perfect. Yet, Marinette couldn't stop thinking about the strange look on Robin's face. Had she done something wrong? Was she really safe from Poison Ivy? The thoughts lingered in her head, pestering her every time she felt safe and content.

"Listen up, class!" called out Ms. Bustier. "You'll all have exactly two hours to explore East Hills Park. The firework show starts in approximately half an hour, and ends half an hour before you have to meet up here, which should give you plenty enough time."

Marinette followed Adrien, Alya, and Nino off the bus and into the park. The group of friends started to explore the park, stumbling upon the statues and fountains that were scattered about the grounds.

"I found another Wayne!" Nino shouted from a few meters away. "This statue was dedicated to Patrick Wayne, who was Mayor of Gotham City - this was before they changed the name to just Gotham - from 1896-1904. His most notable achievement from his time in office was that he built over thirty new schools and eleven new library buildings in the city. He was known for his dedication to educating the City of Gotham."

It had become an inside joke between the group to try and find as many things in Gotham named after the Waynes as they could. The task turned out to be much less difficult than they had anticipated, so the group quickly switched tactics and began looking up the various Waynes to see what they actually did with their lives, to determine whether they deserved their names on the various buildings and statues of Gotham.

"He actually sounds like he deserved a statue," said Adrien, looking down at his phone at the Wikipedia article he had pulled up. "Not like Augustus Wayne, who never had a job and gambled away nearly a quarter of the Wayne fortune, yet still has a bridge and a fountain in this park named after him."

Marinette chimed in, "My favorite is Georgiana Wayne. Apparently, a reporter was harassing her over the fact that she was a divorcee and Theodore Wayne was her second husband, and she told that reporter to, quote, 'Fuck off, you lousy son of a bitch. If my husband doesn't mind that I am a divorcee, I don't see why you should.'"

"I wonder if she has any statues in the park," said Alya.

"I doubt it. Her Wikipedia article is only four paragraphs long."

Alya frowned. "That's a shame. Augustus Wayne does nothing of importance with his life and gets a whole bridge named after him, but Georgiana Wayne is a total badass in the 1920s and gets nothing."

"We'll have to bring it up with Bruce Wayne at the fundraising Gala," joked Marinette.

"Good idea." Alya glanced down at her phone. "It's almost time for the fireworks show to start. According to the class groupchat, everyone is gathering on the south shore of the duck pond. There are benches there, and it should have a good view."

"I'll meet you guys there," said Marinette. "I just want to get a few more pictures before it gets too dark."

Marinette started taking pictures of the fountains and flowerbeds, wandering aimlessly through the park. She was busy getting the best angle to take a picture of a maple tree framed by the sunset when she bumped into someone walking behind her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry-" Marinette began to apologize, but as soon as she recognized just who she bumped into she was at a loss for words. "Dick?"

"Marinette?" Dick's voice was deeper than Marinette remembered, yet still hauntingly familiar. His wide blue eyes stared into hers.

Marinette couldn't hold it together. She burst into tears, launching herself into his arms. "Dick, I thought I would never see you again. What are you doing here?"

"I heard your name on the news when they were reporting about Poison Ivy's vandalism at the Botanical Gardens. I did a little googling and found out about your class trip. It took a little digging into the Wayne Foundation website, but I found the approved itinerary for the trip and decided to track you down at East Hills Park. I knew I had to see you again."

"You did that for me?" Overhead the fireworks started going off, extravagant flashes of color that Marinette ignored completely. She couldn't tear her eyes off of Dick. When she imagined her reunion with him, she never really considered that he would be all grown up. No longer was Dick the twelve-year-old boy that Marinette remembered from her childhood. Dick was now five years older and sixteen inches taller.

"Of course I did. Marinette, I've missed you so much."

"I tried to get back in contact with you but Gotham's CPS refused to release any information to me. I kept calling and calling but they wouldn't tell me anything." The tears returned with a vengeance, and Marinette started to sob. "I gave up on finding you and I'm so sorry."

"I don't blame you. You have to know I don't blame you. It's me who should be apologizing. I could have tracked you down but I never did."

Marinette sniffled. "Why didn't you?"

"I was a coward." Marinette opened her mouth to protest but Dick cut her off. "I was scared of losing another person I loved. I shut everyone out and by the time I was ready to let people in again, I was afraid that you wouldn't want to be a part of my life again."

"What made you change your mind?" asked Marinette.

"No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget you. It was stupid of me to think that I ever could in the first place. You were my best friend Marinette. You still are, if you'll have me."

Dick looked at her with such longing that Marinette knew she could never deny him. Her face softened. "Of course I will."

"Thank you." Dick held onto Marinette tighter.

Marinette closed her eyes and melted into his embrace. The fireworks show continued, bathing the park in beautiful colors, but Marinette felt no need to watch it. She knew that she already had the most beautiful thing in the park in her arms.

Taglist: @maribatmarch-2k21 @jayjayspixiepop @buginetye @ultimatetornshipper

[trentaafcsblog]

Writing Challenge - Fluff

“I didn’t think we’d last a week, let alone a year” - Anyone You Like

Thank you to the lovely for @avenirdelight this one 🤍

People usually do the most special celebrations for their first anniversary, sometimes the most excessive ones. Well, they’ve thought about it, a dinner at a fancy restaurant or a staycation at a five-stars hotel, they’ve had a long discussion about it all night until they fell asleep. But then they just sort of wondered if it was really necessary. Not because they didn’t think their first anniversary isn’t special because it surely is, but it doesn’t really matter how they celebrate the special day as long as they’re together.

Luckily, they both have a day off on the big day, so they can spend the whole day together. They do a grocery shopping in the morning, cook lunch together, eat lunch by the pool before having a swim, open the gifts they’ve bought for each other (which is the only “special” thing they agreed to do), spend the rest of the afternoon watching movies, until the evening comes and they decide what to have for dinner.

So here they are right now, sitting on the carpet of their living room, wearing matching pajamas, savouring a box of pizza, plates of spaghetti and lasagna, a bowl of salad, and a few glasses of milkshakes that the staff at the club won’t be happy about. But this day only happens once and she wants all of her favorite food, so he’s cutting himself some slack.

“I didn’t think we’d last a week, let alone a year,” he says out of nowhere, after finishing his latest slice of pizza, staring at her who’s busy devouring the beef lasagna she had been craving for.

“Have you started regretting giving me a call that following week after I flew back home?”

“Never,” he shook his head so undoubtedly, his eyebrows almost meeting in the middle. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“And my best decision is saying yes when you invited me to the match and stay for the weekend.”

They both smile as their minds fly back to where everything started.

She was a friend of a friend that he met on a holiday. She was just supposed to be a summer fling, a beautiful memory that he made in Greece. But he just couldn’t forget her after those crazy eight days that they had spent together. He craved more of what they had, so he flew her to visit him; he wanted to see if it was just a heat of the moment, or if he really wanted her.

But after spending a weekend together, he still craved more and so did she, so they started trying to make the long distance relationship work. A week turned into three, a month turned into four, and she didn’t even hesitate when she got the work offer that would place her in the city he lives in. He wasted no time in asking her to move in together, not wanting to be apart again from each other. They never imagined that they would be where they are right now, but they’re glad they made every decision that lead to this. The past eight months of living together have just been wonderful.

“Here’s to more years of us, baby,” she signals for a toast as she raises her glass, her strawberry milkshake almost finished. He grabbed his own, sipping to his vanilla flavoured one before raising his glass too.

“Here’s to more of me being the best boyfriend you could ever ask for,” he winks playfully.

She rolls her eyes, even though in her heart she knows that’s it’s one hundred percent true. “Here’s to more fights about toppings in our pizza.”

“And what song to put on in the car.”

They both chuckle, bringing their glasses together and they clink gently.

“I love you, woman,” he says, gazing lovingly at her, scanning every feature on her face; his mind stops to think about how gorgeous her lips are.

She doesn’t say the three words back, but he’ll let it slide this time, only because she’s looking so cute doing that nose-scrunch thingy she always does while she smiles, when feeling extra amused. But he knows how much she loves him. She’s the only one who can handle him, treat him with the most sincere love he has ever felt in his life.

He’s glad he made that call. A week has turned to one year, and he wishes this would be forever.

This imagine is in collaboration with the Pink Ribbon Foundation 💗 please feel free to follow the link if you would like to donate, but as always, there is no obligation 🦋 if you have the time, then please have a little look at their website and check out the amazing work that they do 🤍 they also have an online shop where you can buy physical products (bags, candles, afternoon tea) in exchange for your money going directly to the charity, which is a nice alternative to donating ‘normally’ as you get something back too x

[writteninkat]

i - your grandma must have been strong

word count: 2,007

"I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you."

index

You zipped your last luggage closed, huffing tiredly as you stood up. You looked around you- your empty room, your plain, pink walls that were once decorated with many posters and pictures, your floor that was once covered by a big fluffy white rug and some clothes and stuffed toys.

You sigh, smiling. You were surely going to miss this place. Your back tingles as you turn around to see your mother leaning on the door frame, looking at you with sad eyes.

"Do you have to go?" Her voice is soft and calming- it always has been. She's the only person who could ever calm you down especially when your father left the two of you to work at the Heroes Association in Japan.

"I want to be able to protect people. Children, women, the elderly... I wanna be someone people can depend on. Someone you can depend on." You place a hand on her arm which she covers with her own, he warm palm along with her soft smile about to send you to tears.

She nods, walking inside your room to help with your baggage. "The movers just finished loading up your other stuff. All we need is your excess baggage." She pushes the luggage towards the door, you mirroring her actions.

She cups both of your cheeks, looking you at you with adoring, glassy eyes. It's your first time being separated from your mother in you sixteen years of existence. The two have always been attached to the hip, you traveled everywhere together, even as the two of you had constant arguments you could never stay mad at each other for too long.

She was the only one you had.

"Stay safe in Japan, okay? If your father gave you a hard time, call me. I'll pick you up no matter what time it is, no matter where you are. I love you." She kisses your forehead and you finally let your tears fall as you wrap your hands around her thing wrists.

"I love you so much mom." You sob, hanging your head as your mother wrapped her arms around you. You hear a voice of a woman through the speakers, telling you your flight was taking off in a few minutes.

You quickly give your mother a kiss on the cheek before letting one of your guards assist you with your bags. You waved good bye to your mom and soon after, your trusted body guard.

You were on your way to Japan, to a new life, a new school, new friends and hopefully to reach your new goal: to prove yourself worthy of becoming a hero without your father's help.

You walk towards the giant gates of UA, taking a deep breath before finally taking a step inside the campus. Your heart thumped on your chest nervously as your palms began to prespire. You kept your eyes forward, not wanting to do anything with the teens around you as your only goal was to pass the entrance exam. You walked inside the building you were lead to, taking a seat at the very back in fear of attracting any unwanted attention.

"What's up UA candidates?! Thanks for tuning into me your school DJ! Just as your application said, today you will be conducting your exams in seven different locations! Your location has been assigned to you in the paper you were given." The loud blond man with long hair swept way to the back of his head announced, making you click your tongue. Not to be a mood buster, but isn't he being a little too loud?

You take the piece of paper he was talking about, eyes lower to read the letter that's written on it. Test Location: Battle Center C.

"Excuse me sir but I have a question." Your eyes fall to a purple-headed boy with glasses whose hand is raised. The blond teacher acknowledges him and he begins talking about how there are four villains in the paper you were given and not only three.

He then begins running his mouth about how a minor mistake such as this would be an embarrassment for a school such as UA. You scoff, muttering something about having a stick up his ass.

After the teacher ended his speech, you along with the other students began piling out of the room and to your designated battle centers. As you enter your specified location, you take out the black leather gloves from your pocket, wearing them. You clenched and unclenched your hands to make sure that it fit you well.

"Hey grandma." An unfamiliar voice catches your attention, unfortunately for you the rude nickname was directed towards you.

"Grandma?" You raise a brow, unsure what he meant by it.

"You white hair reminds me of my grandma's." He snickers, pointing at the white streaks of hair you have beside either sides of your face as a few other students chuckling behind him. He looks plain, very, very boring. "Why don't you give up on this exam, grandma? Your knees may start hurting."

The signal went off and the robots began moving behind you. As you kept a straight face, your hands begin glowing a blinding white light as a black with blue and silver accent claymore appears in your hands. You run to your left, applying your speed quirk as you ran towards the gigantic robots, swinging your sword vertically.

The slash creates the same blinding white light, the robots, the buildings and concrete ground that the light touches all disintegrating into nothing. You speed into the other robots, stealing the targets of other students as you accumulated your points. Once you finish and only a few robots are left, you return to your spot to where the plain-looking boy along with his little friends were still standing at, jaws hanging eyes blown wide.

"You grandma must have been very strong."

"I got in." You say into your phone and you hear your mother squeal in delight from the other end of the line. A smile breaks into your face and you feel your phone vibrate, signaling a new notification. As you pull your phone away to see what it is, your eyes widen in surprise as you read your notification banner.

'Mom' sent you $100.

"Mom what the heck is the money for?" You chuckle. "I'm not there with you but I want you to celebrate getting into UA. So go use the money and spoil yourself."

"Mom you don't have to-"

"Okay, mom mode off. I demand you go and award yourself eith the money I sent you." Your mom's tone switches from soft and caring to cold and demanding, making you chuckle. "That doesn't suit you at all." You laugh, you can practically /hear/ your mom pout at the other line.

"Okay, okay. I'll do as you say. Thank you, mom. I love you."

"I love you more my baby."

The call ends and you change out of your usual sweats and oversized tee. You put on a black spaghetti strap and high-wasted mom jeans. You hoop in a black belt and fold the ankles of your pants to show your white sock inside your checkered vans. You finish the look with medium-sized hoop earrings and a oversized red zip-up jacket which you leave unzipped with one shoulder hanging off.

You step out of your apartment, pocketing your keys and taking a deep breath in. Japan is just so beautiful, the scenery, the buildings, even the weather was perfect. You strut down your apartment building, scrolling through your phone as you searched for cafes nearby. It was a five minute walk of calm and relaxing vibes. You step into the cafe, eyes darting around the adorable cottage-core aesthetic it had going.

"Hey my name is Mio. What can I get for you this lovely afternoon?" The cashier beams brightly, your day becoming better and better with every move you make. "I'll have a strawberry shortcake as well as a strawberr frappe with extra foam, strawberry syrup and strawberries." You beam back at her and she takes your order with a bright smile, tapoing away on the computer's screen.

"Does your life depend on strawberries or something?" A rough and deep voice asks behind you, causing you to turn around. Once you do, your eyes widen at the sight of a young blond with vermilion eyes. He looked around your age.

"I like strawberries. Is it that big of a sin?" You ask, soft smile across your face as you cross your arms together. The guy had such piercing eyes, those red orbs looked like they could trap you in them forever.

"Not what I'm saying, but if you're that much of a strawberry fan, I recommend their strawberry pop tarts." His eyes drop to the display fridge beside you and your eyes follow his, landing on the adorable little tarts with red jam on top of them.

Just as you were about to order them, the cashier speaks up. "Your total is 1,500 yen." She smiles brightly, making you pout. You didn't want to cause more trouble for her seeing as your bill has already been printed by the machine.

You scan their QR code, paying virtually as she hands you your buzzer. "We'll give you a signal whrn your order is ready. You can find a seat and wait there thank you!"

You turn around at the blond who's looking at you expectantly, "I guess I'll have to try your recommendation some other time." You smile at him, walking off to the table catering two chairs. It was seated at the far back of the cafe, away from the many customers the cafe had.

You began scrolling through your social media, liking the posts of your past classmates and chuckling at some memes you saw.

A plate full of the same tarts with red jam is placed on your white table and you didn't have to look to see who it was. "Is this you way of flirting with me, rubies?" You ask, looking up at him with a teasing, smug smile. His face contorts into annoyance, "Hah? Flirting with you?" He scoffs, "Not a chance. And who're you calling rubies?"

"Your eyes remind me of rubies. They're pretty."

The blond's face relaxes and you push the seat across from you, silently telling him to sit down. He does as 'told', huffing as he watches you pick of a tart and bring it over to your lips. You bite on it, eyes widening as the flavor explodes in your mouth. It tastes sweet but not the sickeningly sweet kind, it's soft soft in the inside and lightly crunchy on the outside.

"You look like you just ate food made by gods." He chuckles, "You look dumb."

"But it really does taste so good!" You've never felt this much excitement since you found out you got into UA. And that speaks a lot given that you've only ever felt this kind of feeling with your mom.

"I should have bought the entire stock if I knew you liked it that much." Your heart skipped at his words. What is this feeling? You felt nervous all of a sudden, you can barely contain your smile and somehow, you didn't want to go home yet. This is a very new feeling for you. It's kind of... scary.

"I'm L/n."

Idiot. Stop it.

"L/n Y/n." You extend your hand towards him which he looks at for a few moments before taking. You shake both of your hands with a soft smile, your thoughts going haywire at how soft his palms feel.

"Bakugou. Katsuki Bakugou."

You pull your hand away, finishing the last piece of strawberry pop tart on your plate before your buzzer turns on. You pick it up, standing up. "Thanks for the tarts. See you around, rubies."

"Call me that one more time and I'll blow your face up."

You snicker, smirking. "Whatever you say, rubies."

[nct-lian]

people who have a crush on lian (outside of the group)

ERIC SOHN, THE BOYZ

duration: april 2020 — present

he actually developed a crush on her after he had watched the music video to her pre-release single, “stay tonight.” he thought she looked SO good and went on to talk about how much he loved that kind of concept on her for weeks on end.

eric obviously knew about her prior to his discovery of the song, having a member that’s been great friends with her for about a year.

he thinks that if kevin would stop hogging lian and actually let her interact with more of the members, he’d be able to “win her over” but according to kevin, she’s his best friend and his best friend only.

do fans know?: yes

fans of both the boyz and nct figured out that eric had a little bit of a crush on her after watching the english line’s episode of the k-pop daebak show with eric nam.

it was the section of which eric nam was reading out all the questions jacob, kevin and eric had sent in for each other, and one of kevin’s questions for eric was, “do you have a crush on my best friend?”

eric nam widened his eyes, “you have a best friend that he has a crush on?” he asked kevin, who was trying not to laugh hysterically at the question that had resurfaced. “he might,” kevin nodded.

“jacob, do you know who he’s talking about?” jacob nodded and suppressed his giggle by lifting the pillow he was hugging tightly to his chest and covering his face with it.

eric held a look on his face that screamed, “i’ve been personally victimized” as he shot his head back and forth between kevin and the other two older men in the room.

“i don’t have a crush on your best friend.. well- you know- like- maybe a celebrity crush.”

kevin cackled, “she’s not a celebrity-” eric nam laughed at that and shrugged his shoulders when eric turned to him for some help. “i don’t even know who’s he’s talking about, don’t look at me!”

“to you!” eric shot back at kevin, implying that he obviously wasn’t going to see her as a celebrity, given their best friend status.

jacob let him himself laugh, “eric, it’s okay, you make it so obvious sometimes.” he reassured his younger member.

eric stuttered over his words and kept shaking his head. “it’s a celebrity crush. no real feelings.” he stated.

the man across from him, again, shrugged his shoulders in confusion. “i still don’t know who we’re talking about?”

kevin apologized and clapped his hands together, “she’s actually schedules to come on this show.” he smiled and threw him a thumbs up. “is she really? oh, i think i know who it is, then.” eric nam made a face and looked at kevin and jacob, who both matched his expression.

then they all looked at eric, “why are you guys looking at me like that? okay, next question.” he smiled in attempt to change the topic. eric obeyed, feeling bad that they were sort of teasing him, while the two others just laughed.

current status: acquaintances (they met through kevin moon)

( FIRST MEETING ) lian had been waiting at the door of kevin’s dormitory for a minute too long, and no matter how many times she knocked, nobody would answer. they were supposed to be going on a walk in order to catch up before their weekly schedules. 

lian pulled out her phone and called kevin through facetime, him answering almost immediately. “kevin, why aren’t you answering? i’ve been knocking nonstop.” 

he rolled his eyes and told her to just come in and that he’ll be a minute because he can’t find any shoes that look good with his outfit. 

she hung up on him and walked inside, greeted with the sight of the boyz’s maknae on the couch. she stopped in her tracks and watched as he scrambled to his feet in panic. “s-sunbaenim, what are you doing here?” eric scratched the back of his neck.

“huh? oh! i’m just waiting for kevin to finish getting ready.” she smiled politely and looked at everything but him, finding the interior of their dorm rather interesting at that moment.

getting uncomfortable with the awkward atmosphere her and eric had created, she yelled out for kevin to hurry up. “moon hyungseo!” she called him by his korean name, knowing that he didn’t like it.

“don’t you dare call me that, bae haneul!” he shot back at her, stumbling out of his room while trying to put on his left shoe.

she chuckled, “hah, jokes on you, i actually like my korean name.” he stuck his tongue out at her, “okay idiot, let’s just go.”

he opened the door for her so she could walk out first, “uhh, bye eric.” lian waved at him with a tight smile before exiting the dorm, kevin following after her.

eric waited for the door to close before he returned her goodbye, giggling like a little schoolboy who’d just received a lolipop.

“she knows my name.” a bright smile replaced the awkward frown on his face.

crush percentage out of 100: 60%

BANG CHAN, STRAY KIDS

duration: unknown — present

chan can remember keeping up with smrookies while he was still a trainee, and he developed some sort of jealousy towards lian. he saw her grow as a person, not just an artist. 

he watched her debut first, he watched her transition from red velvet into nct, he watched her achieve his dreams before he could.

this jealousy overtime somehow turned into feelings, and he had no idea what kind of feelings they exactly were.

he hadn’t ever really experienced feelings like this before, and he was terrified to admit what he thought they were. eventually, chan opened up to someone and it was clear that he had a bit of a crush on her — and a big one.

chan began to update himself on smrookies daily, constantly wanting to know what she was up to and what her debut plans were, especially because of the sudden group change.

even now that they’re great friends, he’s always calling her to see what’s going on and if she needs help with anything.

do fans know?: definitely

no doubt do stays know about his feelings — he was bound to slip up once or twice while live streaming to them.

and that slip up just so happened to be while he was reacting to lian’s “play” music video. everything was going fine — bopping his head to the beat and humming calmly, but he couldn’t stop the blush from spreading onto his cheeks while watching her dance with another guy.

yeah, he was jealous, but that doesn’t mean stays had to know. he hysterically fanned his face, somewhat over exaggerating to play it off. “oh- woah- is the ac not working in here suddenly?” he playfully laughed at the camera facing him.

the song soon ended, and chan was back to reading all of the comments. he read some aloud, some in his head, but he accidentally let one slip through his lips.

“do you have a crush on neullie?” he nearly cursed when he realized the question he had just read to the entire live stream said what it said, allowing himself to sit back in his chair as he watched all the comments flood in.

“well, do you?” “CHAN OMFG-” “christopher bang..”

“guys, come on, of course i don’t.” the viewers definitely wanted to believe him; like, a lot, but they couldn’t.

the way he smiles whenever she was brought up in a conversation, how he looks so incredibly proud when talking about her — it would be a complete lie to believe otherwise.

current status: good friends

( FIRST MEETING ) changed out of the sparkly, sequinned dress she’d been wearing for the last couple of hours and now sitting in a pair of sweats and a zip up, lian couldn’t be happier.

finally out of the uncomfortably tall heels and being able to sit down on a cushy sofa while waiting to leave the venue, lian pulled out her phone to check notifications.

five minutes probably passed before her manager gave her the “okay” to start walking to the exit, the car already waiting for her outside.

leaving the dressing room, she saw taeyong, who decided to tag along with the driver (and taeil) so he could see her. “hey, oppa.” she greeted, grabbing onto his arm and leaning on his shoulder for support.

“did you have fun? were you able to see sunmi-sunbaenim today?” he patted her hand slowly. she nodded and made a noise in confirmation, way too tired to give an audible response.

taeyong chuckled as he made sure to keep her upright while getting closer to the exit.

meanwhile, bang chan was talking with felix a couple feet away. he felt bad watching as taeyong struggled to help lian balance herself on her, for sure, wobbly legs.

he saw how terrific she danced that night, completely dominating the stage with her powerful choreography and her clear vocals.

subtly walking in their direction, he put his hand out the minute taeyong’s arm wasn’t able to hold her up anymore. lian looked like she was sleeping at that point.

chan gracefully caught her in his arms, taeyong apologizing and taking her back into his own. “i’m so sorry-” he bowed.

“no, no, it’s okay. she must be tired- uh- would you like some help?” chan offered a helping hand, but taeyong was sure he had other duties to attend to, being the leader of his group and all.

“no! please, i got it from here. thank you for catching her, though, you have no idea what yuta would have done to me if something happened- uh, i’m getting ahead of myself. have a good night.” he noticed how he began rambling on, but chan paid no mind to it.

laughing and keeping the air light, chan nodded his head and bowed, about to walk away after wishing him a safe trip back to the dorms; but that was when lian decided to wake up from her slumber.

“huh?” she looked at taeyong cluelessly, but chan caught her eye. it was then that she noticed johnny’s grey zip up was halfway down her arms, spaghetti strapped tank top (pretty revealing) on full display.

she hastily pulled the sleeves up and looked at chan awkwardly, bowing to him and proceeding to ask taeyong if they were going home.

taeyong nodded his head and put a hand on her shoulder, “yeah, the car is waiting outside. taeil’s in the backseat with your pillow.” he smiled.

lian’s smiled back with a toothy grin, clapping her hands excitedly as she now knew she would be able to sleep on the way home. again realizing chan was watching, she looked back to him.

“it was nice meeting you!” lian waved her hand at him, grabbing onto taeyong’s arm and gently dragging him towards the door leading outside. he complied, but not without shouting yet another “thank you!” to chan, who was still standing in the same spot.

crush percentage out of 100: 90%

CHOI SOOBIN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER

duration: october 2018 — present

soobin was really able to learn more about the different variety of idols in the industry when he first joined bighit, and that surely included lian. he admired her so much; she became one of the people he looked up to most.

she was the only female member in a group that included eighteen other men, how could he not immediately think the highest of her after finding that out?

he would keep up with her scheduling and make sure to listen in on her radio show appearances so he could stay updated. he even bought all of her solo albums so he could put her photocard in the back of his phone case!

do fans know?: yes

moas aren’t even able to count on their fingers the amount of times soobin has said lian was his ideal type or his #1 crush. like, the first couple appearances he had on camera post debut, her photocard was literally still in his phone case.

“moas are asking if you still have a crush on lian-sunbaenim.” yeonjun nodded his head towards soobin, the members of txt all sitting comfortably on the floor of a practice room.

soobin lightly brushed his hair out of his face as he nodded his head, “yeah, she’s gotten even prettier lately. have you see her new music video?” beomgyu nodded excitedly.

“it’s super good! the album is amazing, as well.” he beamed at the phone that was filming them and clapped his hands.

“yah, don’t get too excited; soobinnie will get jealous~” yeonjun teased. soobin playfully hit his hyung on the shoulder and told him to be less embarrassing, a small blush now resting on his dimpled cheeks.

hueningkai and taehyun both laughed at their leader, agreeing that lian has certainly gotten prettier, if that was even possible. the topic was soon over as they began talking about something else, but moas definitely added that into their list of “soobin fanboying over lian” moments.

look forward to the fifteen million new youtube videos about it!

current status: acquaintances, idol x fan

( FIRST MEETING ) soobin almost jumped straight out of his seat when he noticed the goddess herself, lian, walk into the section him and his group were currently in. he watched her bow to the members of itzy before sitting next to them and placing a fluffy blanket onto her lap.

she had just finished performing, and he was still shaking at how perfect it was played out; the sparkly outfits, the amazing choreography, her powerful vocals yet again never disappointed.

the curfew for underage idols now being hit, soobin and yeonjun both bid goodbye to their younger members as lian, yeji and lia did the same for ryujin, chaeryeong and yuna.

the three girls sitting in front of their section soon ran out of things to talk about while waiting for bts to perform their stage, a comforting silence falling upon them. lian allowed her eyes to wonder around her surroundings and ended up unconsciously turning around and staring right at the two members of txt that were left.

yeonjun seemed to have paid no mind to her lingering gaze, but soobin on the other hand could have sworn his heart dropped out of his ass at that very moment. lian, now shaken out of her thoughts, noticed how creepy she probably looked.

bowing in apology, she quickly turned around to talk with lia once again in order to distract herself from the embarrassment that was currently enveloping her whole.

once he knew lian was too invested in her conversation to notice his quiet squeal, he excitedly began bouncing his legs up and down on the cold floor and repeatedly hit yeonjun’s arm.

“huh, what? what’s wrong?” confusion took over his face, wondering why soobin was practically having a heart attack next to him.

“hyung- she looked at me! right at my face! lianna bae looked at me!” yeonjun couldn’t help but scoff at how incredibly excited soobin seemed to be at such a little thing, but it was cute.

crush percentage out of 100: 78%

KIM TAEHYUNG, BANGTAN SONYEONDAN

duration: somewhere in 2019 — present

taehyung has seen lian here and there whenever he browsed twitter on his secret account, and he’s definitely noticed the constant shipping and dating rumours that went on between their fandoms.

the fanwars, the manips — they’ve all been seen by him at some point in time; but he has to admit that from the manips he’s been able to get a good look at, him and lian would actually make a pretty nice looking couple.

but you didn’t hear that from him tf :)

do fans know?: kind of

the calming beat of lian’s “my friend” played in the background of taehyung’s vlive, the viewers all watching him eat peacefully and answer some of their questions.

“are you a fan of lian?” taehyung slowly read out the question as he tried to slurp some of his soup up at the same time. “yes, i like her music a lot..” he trailed off, once again focusing on finishing his soup.

he ate his last spoonful shortly after, continuing his sentence, “i noticed she likes to experiment a lot.. it’s admirable.” he smiled fondly and switched to another song on his playlist after “my friend” ended.

“uh, she’s also really pretty; she fits my ideal type well.” he allowed himself to giggle, somewhat playing it off so the atmosphere on the stream stayed comfortable.

the topic of lian never reappeared that night, fortunately for him, but when he was chaotically woken up the next morning by jungkook, he saw at least five headlines about how he admitted to having a crush on lian.

current status: friends (?)

( FIRST MEETING ) venturing off and losing his members during isac was never taehyung’s intention, but he was able to see some of his friends, so it wasn’t exactly a bad thing. he met a few idols and befriended them, trading phone numbers with a couple new people before heading off to regroup with his six roommates.

on his way there, however, a girl with green sweatpants and a white long sleeved t-shirt caught his eye. he recognized her as nct’s only female member, who was currently running around with seulgi of red velvet.

if he was being completely honest with himself, he’d love to join in on the fun they looked like they were having, but he instead continued on with his journey towards bts. even after a couple minutes of searching around the large stadium he was still unable to find his members.

eventually giving up on his mission, he just decided to back to wherever he last saw some entertainment. he found himself now engaged in a conversation with johnny suh, looking back at lian every now and then to see if she’s gone anywhere.

after a little while, johnny seemed to have caught on, “why are you staring at lian?” taehyung jumped at the question, shrugging his shoulders awkwardly and turning to fully look at the older male beside him.

“uh, i can ask her to come over here if you want. i’ll be a wingman,” johnny winked playfully at the fellow idol, and went over to grab lian before taehyung was able to give a solid answer.

“hey, lian, taeyong wants to talk to you.” he grabbed her hand, and began to drag her towards the bts member, who was literally shitting his pants. seulgi on the other hand, was following the two to wherever lian needed to be, not quite ready to leave.

“noona, go away.” johnny lightly pushed seulgi away from lian, being a shot an “i’m incredibly offended, you’re dead to me” look as as she stomped away from them and over to joy and wendy.

lian silently followed johnny to where “taeyong” was but instead she was met with the face of kim taehyung. she looked back up at johnny with confusion written all over her features, but he shrugged his shoulders and walked away as well.

now, they were just standing there awkwardly looking at each other with nothing to say. “uh, hi, you’re not taeyong.” lian laughed to break the ice, taehyung following shortly after. “yeah, i don’t know what he was trying to do here.” lian nodded in agreement.

lian suddenly became aware of all the fans in the audience and the numerous amounts of fansites that probably had their cameras facing directly at her.

she was able to wrap up her conversation with taehyung pretty quickly, making a mental note in her head of the phone number he’d given her so they could talk later.

once taehyung walked away as he’d finally caught sight of yoongi, lian stomped over to the member of nct 127 and roughly pushed johnny into jungwoo, but he was far too strong to be toppled over like she wanted.

“you idiot, why would you do that? that was so awkward, i hate you and i’m not cooking for you ever again.” johnny simply laughed and ruffled her hair, turning back to hyuck, who was also laughing at her.

she huffed as she was engulfed into a hug by yuta, who almost immediately asked what the hell they were talking about over there.

crush percentage out of 100: 40%

[anxiouslyfred]

Created Holidays

for @dukexietyweek‘s final prompt of holidays

Summary: Remus used to create random holidays and get all the Dark sides celebrating them, but even though he tried to do the same when known, the holidays have stopped except for the ones on a normal calendar.

Today Virgil is going to change that, with Shelob’s birthday

Warnings: spiders, telling offs

/\/\

One thing Virgil had missed since being accepted and welcomed with open arms as soon as Remus was known to Thomas was the holidays, the celebrations, whichever you wanted to call them. It wasn't that the Known sides didn't celebrate things, but that everything was on a calender, predictable and in order. There were no mornings when you could come down to a bizarre breakfast and banners declaring 'Shelob's Birthday' or 'Cheese Rolling Day', or any manner of things Remus decided needed to be celebrated from films, stories, or random news articles Thomas might read.

He'd loved it when there was a 'Frozen day' weeks after the family movie night they'd shared, because it felt like the holiday were coming back. Except after 2 months Remus had stopped them all over again. He'd reduced them at first until they had just gone, and Virgil had no clue what could be influencing or controlling his friend to this extent.

Perhaps they weren't holidays with the traditions and history that Christmas or Halloween came with, but they were fun, and just a way Remus got his family to spend time together. That had been for a few years something Thomas wanted, that Patton had always been trying to encourage. Themed games and meals would only help with that, even if it came randomly rather than planned for weeks if not months in advance.

Still, Virgil knew something must have been said or done to stop Remus bringing his holidays out for everyone to share in. Whether or not he still held them in the imagination or his room was something Virgil kind of wanted to find out.

More than finding out though, he wanted them back, and if Remus wasn't going to do it, then Virgil damn well would. They deserved to bring their family time out from the hidden spaces of Thomas's mind and into the common areas, not matter what the light sides wanted.

With that in mind he began to plan, and felt some dark joy in deciding which holiday he'd like to bring back for them all. Patton would forgive him for it, surely?

/VR\

The first thing to make any of the other Sides suspect there was something different about the day was Patton's scream followed shortly after by his door being slammed.

It woke most of them up, and got the ones already awake quickly leaving their room to figure out what was happening, only to freeze in their doorways.

Virgil had only added a few spiderwebs and strands of silly string along the hallway, but in increasing density going down the stairs. It was only in the main common area that his decorations really took over, but before anyone other than Patton had seen them a delighted scream was ringing out.

“Shelob's Birthday!” Remus couldn't have moved faster if he was shot from the gun, but at least he stopped without throwing Virgil to the floor when tackling him into a hug. “Can't believe we haven't celebrated Shelob's birthday in so long. Better make this the best one ever. Hobbitsy Tacos and Limbus Bread for all.”

Virgil grinned, going to reply before a cough got his attention from the stairs.

“Remus, as I've stated before, there is not time enough in our lives to indulge in your-” Logan cuts himself off when Virgil starts hissing, eyeshadow darkening and growing down his cheeks.

“You don't have time for a family day, Logan? Yet when Patton suggests or simply decides to make a big dinner and insist on a family meal you drop everything for it unless there's a specific deadline to meet.” Virgil ground out, arms tightening around Remus, and moving them both onto the sofa.

Logan adjusts his tie, shifting uncomfortably in his spot. “That is not what this is. This is a nonsensical situation that has no reason to be celebrated beyond a whim of-”

“-Me! I did this because frankly following a strict calendar of celebrations is too many traditions and not enough family. Remus has always known how to bring our little family of Dark Sides into something fun to do with holidays and I was wondering why that had stopped when he was more than willing to include you all as well.” Virgil wished in that moment he could silence the others as effectively as Janus could, but talking over them to lecture their horrid behaviour would work.

Roman popped up then, seemingly having delayed reacting to the screams from 10 minutes before. “What the heckity heck, guys! A Prince needs his beauty sleep, and Remus I've told you a million, nigh a zillion times before that these-”

“That what? That you and Logan are the assholes responsible for Remus stopping trying to bring his family together? That you're the reason our random holidays stopped being created? Are you taking the blame for that, or should the next one play on your fears rather than one of the characters I loved reading about?” Virgil turned his glare to the other Creativity even as Remus pulled away to grab Janus and start cooking in the kitchen.

Neither Logan or Roman seemed willing to argue their points with Virgil combatting them so easily, clearly in defence of Remus. They share a glance though, silently frowning at the decorations around the room and remembering what had roused them that morning.

“Before you try to say I'm excluding Patton because of the nature of the event, I've already sent an apology to his room, as well as an explanation of what's happening; Specifically that I'm trying to bring something Remus loved to share with all of us back.” Virgil huffed out, catching the look. “Bad enough that you already try to treat him like a disease that shouldn't be listened to, you had to try and take away his version of family holidays as well.”

There are arms back around his waist before he could decide on whether they needed to apologise or just stay for the rest of the day. Remus nuzzled into his neck before twisting around Virgil to look at his face. “Games now?” He asked.

“Yep, games time now. What should we play to properly celebrate Shelob's Birthday?” Virgil smiles, posture completely relaxing as he turned away from Logan and Roman, leaning towards the coffee table expecting some type of game to be summoned to it.

Remus leaps over the back of the sofa, but remains wrapped around Virgil as an Operation game forms on the table, with the character looking distinctly dwarven. Janus is soon to join them, staring at Roman and Logan expectantly, although just what he's expecting they can't decide.

“Sit. Play. Some of these should be right up your alley, Roman. Everything is Lord of the Rings and fantasy or pure spider themed.” Virgil orders after a second.

/VR\

Through the day's games and snacks, Virgil had pulled Remus onto his lap, suggesting things they could do from previous times they'd celebrated Shelob's Birthday. They remained like that through attempts at cats cradle, passing the patterns made between their hands, and barely shifted apart when Janus declared the meal was done and brought out a pie that looked like it had spaghetti for the lid.

After the lecture from the morning neither Logan or Roman wanted to bring up the intimacy enough to ask about it though. As it stood they focused on doing a few things to include Patton in the day even while he was remaining in his room, too unsettled by the decorations to actually join in. It seemed to be the right choice to make since Virgil's warning and protective glares reduced as they carried on joining in with the holiday.

It was when they were all just relaxing after Janus over-ruled Remus's latest game suggestion that Logan finally had to ask, “So why did you decorate to such an extreme? I know you wanted to have Remus creating nonsensical family holidays again, but he has never decorated since becoming known more than a banner, and a few strings of decorations.”

“If there's one thing you need to know about Remus, it's that when he's accepted others have rejected a suggestion it takes nothing less extreme than a battering ram and a cheerleading squad to convince him otherwise.” Virgil snorted, shaking his head. “And there was no freaking way I was doing something that noisy, but decorations that are impossible to ignore? Well I saw how you all reacted to my room and I'm pretty good at it.”

“You used Patton's scream not only to get everyone's attention and figure out which of us convinced Remus to stop but also to make the point you enjoyed them.” Logan observed after a moment thinking through his words.

Virgil rolled his eyes, “Der.”

“And he's gonna help me make wonderfully unnerving decorations for my next holiday, aren't you, Aragog?” Remus piped up, wriggling back so his hair was tickling Virgil's chin.

“We better decide what it is early then, make sure I decorate for the right holiday.” Virgil replied, nuzzling his head down for a split second before getting dragged off upstairs. “Thanks for a great holiday. I guess we're heading to sleep now.” He called back at them, laughing as his arm was both yanked and bounced ahead of him.

There wasn't much planning done when they made it to Remus's room though, since the easy affection Virgil had finally allowed himself to show was now being reciprocated with wild lips meeting his, and bodies pushing each other against the door.

“Holiday planning can wait, We've got a better date.” Remus rhymed, beaming when Virgil just nodded.

At the end of the day, Virgil liked the fact they had the random family holidays back, but even more than that he loved his new boyfriend.

[viviennes-tears]

A bit of both (Loki and x reader one shot)

18+ blog: It is YOUR responsibility, as a reader, to think about the content that you consume at your own discretion. 

A/N: Events take place after Avengers but Loki ends up living on Earth, instead of imprisonment like in Thor: The Dark World. Also instead of Loki dying at the end of said events he survives and he's there for the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which is where this story takes place.

~

Summary: You are Loki's best friend. Your friendship with him has grown strong over the past three years, that he's been living with you and the rest of the Avengers in the compound. Over the course of those three years, you've had a suspicion about Loki's sexuality. However, he has never expressed to you out loud about the subject, until now.

Warnings: some wearing

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

Tony was throwing another one of his many famous parties. This one in particular was to celebrate how successful his new project Ultron the global defence program had been. He pulled out all the stops, inviting a huge amount of people from Stark Industries, and close friends both Avengers and non-Avengers alike. Also Tony made sure the compound was fully decked out, including a disco ball, DJ booth and a shit ton of alcohol. And while the party was picking up with party guests you spotted Clint, Bruce and Steve chatting amongst themselves. You decided to head over to them with a glass of champagne in hand. Although, Steve was the first to comment on your outfit. You'd gone for a burgundy deep v neck, spaghetti criss-cross strapped dress, which is backless with a sparkly top half and a mesh bottom. With simple makeup, you wore (h/c) hair down and black stilettos. You thanked Steve as he kissed your cheek. Bruce and Clint soon followed up with compliments of their own. After a while of conversing with Clint, Bruce and Steve you went for a little walk around, quickly saying a few words to others as you passed. However, there was only one person or god rather who could make this party more fun. Your best friend, the God of Mischief himself, Loki Laufeyson. Yet, he was running late, which was making you wish that he'd hurry up. You were already on your second drink of the evening and recently you had been hit on by an asshole, with another one vastly approaching you.

"You look lovely, this evening." The guy said once he was by your side. He's quite jacked compared to the last one who approached you, although not anywhere as close to Thor's kind of level. This one was probably even slightly shorter than Thor too. He certainly has hazel wandering eyes, as he looked you up and down a few times already.

"Thanks, not interested." You replied flatly and you rolled your (e/c) eyes.

"C'mon, you haven't begun to get to know me yet!" He whined.

"I don't plan on getting to know you." You tried to edge away from him, but his hand was quick to grab your elbow and keep you in place.

"Now, now play nice." He growled into your ear. You were about to stab his foot with your stilettos but...

"Hands off what isn't yours!" A snarl came suddenly from behind you both.

As you looked over your shoulder you saw your best friend towering over you both. A smile spread across your wine coloured lips, as you looked between Loki and the other guy. Of course, it didn't take long for the guy who was hitting on you to understand the consequences, if he continued to pursue you. Once he was out of ear shot both you and Loki laughed.

"God, I hate it when men think they can get away with being all handy, when it's not wanted." You clicked your tongue and shook your head.

"Ehehe, you could have taken him." Loki said as he folded his arms over his chest.

"And I would have! Thanks though." You took a quick sip of your drink.

"He's right though." You frowned at Loki's comment. "You do look lovely tonight. No...exquisite!" Loki said honestly.

"You look handsome too!" You said while dusting the invisible lints off his forest green suit jacket. Which he paired with a matching green waistcoat over a black shirt. The first three buttons on his shirt were left undone too, allowing his chest hair to peek through. He also went with a pair of black slacks and shoes. His black hair was slicked back as always, but not heavily done with product, which gave it more of a bouncy look at the curly ends. "So, why are you late to Tony's party?

"I got held up on a last minute mission, or stake out rather...Stark sent me to check out a place in Chinatown. A possible lead on an unsavoury type of group with Hydra connections. Yet, I feel like he sent me there so he could get me out of the way, while preparations for tonight were ongoing." Loki explained in a dreary voice. The sound of his voice was enough for you to know there was something off about him, but you knew he'd come around when he was ready to talk to you.

"Ah, and did you find anything useful?" You inquired, while tapping your glass with your index finger a couple of times.

"Nope! It was pretty quiet, but I left an illusion of me to keep watch for a bit. Meanwhile I am here to brighten up your evening!" Loki said and conjured up a glass of champagne to clink him with yours. Which he did, then you both took a sip.

Sometime later Loki's illusion varnished from his position, after finding nothing usual. While the real Loki had you out on the dance floor, after a lot of persuasion and a lot to drink. You had to admit he had moves. And he knew how to roll his hips in the most sexy alluring way possible. Not only that though he has charm, wit, intelligence and devilishly handsome looks. You couldn't understand why he was still single. Although, you have yet to see him date anyone since coming to live on Earth. You supposed the attack on New York three years ago had its side effects, resulting in less people trusting him, and leading to less partners to choose from. In fact ever since you'd gotten to know Loki you suspected Loki to be bisexual. He just had that aura about him, not only that he never expressed or brought up his sexuality, ever. It was the only thing he hasn't spoken to you about, as everything else over the years he has talked about, once he knew he could trust you.

"Can we sit down for a bit?" You asked, after Loki had spun you around too much and you were a bit tipsy as it was.

"Yes, of course! Let's get you somewhere quieter." Loki wrapped your arm around his then he led you out of the main area of the party, next he escorted you to a more secluded area upstairs. Where it was a little quieter, but you could still see everything if you were by the railing, although you could mostly definitely hear everything going on.

Loki sat you down on the large white leather sofa and he took the one opposite you, with a rectangular black wooden coffee table between you. Your eyes closed and your head fell backwards onto the low back of the sofa, as you tried to recover from the horrible spinning feeling. Whereas Loki remained quiet while being deep in thought. Even though you weren't looking at him you could sense him thinking. Eventually your eyes fluttered open and you readjusted your dress as you sat up. Loki was still deep in thought and hadn't noticed you moving, not until you sat closer to him on the same sofa and....

"Hey!' You poked Loki's arm firmly with your index finger and gained his attention.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He replied with a half smile.

"Better. Too much spinning." You both chuckled. "How about you? You seem to be profoundly thinking."

"I'm fine. Just thinking about the stake out and being sent there, so I wasn't in the way....it's all I can believe to be the answer, because why would they be hiding out in Chinatown?" Loki shrugged.

"Don't let Tony get to you, he gets very angsty and his party mood is a way he deals with it sometimes. As for this group, they'd normally go somewhere less conspicuous for a base." You said leaning into his side. "Besides, do you think SHIELD knows anything about this group? Assuming they are a real group."

"Possibly and yes they are...although they all seem to be keeping their cards close to their chests. Yet, I have a suspicion that there could perhaps be a new agenda on the horizon..." Loki replied. Also he wasn't too keen on Stark's Ultron project, and he always seemed to grumble any time Tony talked about it. Albeit Loki quickly changed the subject, as he no longer wanted to discuss work.

After a while you were starting to feel peckish, so you had some food and sobered up a little. Loki also picked some of the food off your plate, earning a few looks from Natasha. Looks of childish assumptions that you two were getting close to couple territory. He glared back at her for even thinking of the sort. He does love you and you love him too, but not in the way Natasha was thinking. Neither of you wanted more than what you have. Friendship was the be all and end all of your relationship. Once you'd finished eating you went to the bathroom and picked up your bag, before you returned you took Loki by the hand, leading him out of the party. He was confused about why you were leaving so early, and he was surprised to see an Uber driver waiting at the end of the driveway. He gathered you must have made a call between going to or from the bathroom, which he had guessed right. Although he didn't ask any questions, which you thought was very uncharacteristic of him, you told him to trust you. Within the next twenty to twenty-five minutes you arrived at your destination. Loki looked up at the building once the Uber driver pulled up outside of it. Upon seeing it he frowned his brows with confusion. You'd taken him to the Fleur room, a rooftop lounge and a place he certainly wasn't expecting, as you both just came from a party. He knew you must have your reasons, but for now he wasn't sure. He hadn't even noticed you paying or getting out of the car, until you appeared on the pavement on his side of the car. You smiled and guested with your head for him to follow you. He hesitantly got out and joined you, allowing you to guide him up to the front of the queue. The bouncer took a look at you both up and down a few times. He seemed to glare more into Loki's direction, testing to see if he was going to cause any trouble, evidently it made Loki's body stiffen next to you.

"He's an Avenger now." You stared at the bouncer and crossed your arms under your breasts, while narrowing your eyes at him.

"Come on (Y/N), let's just go home." Loki said, trying to get you to turn around by tugging on your arm. Despite his great strength he wasn't very forceful with his tug.

"No! You have a right as anyone to be here!" You snipped a little at Loki, regretting it right away. You then calmed yourself down and returned your attention back to the bouncer. Loki didn't take your snippy moment to heart, as he knew you weren't angry at him."You forget that within the first few months of joining he saved over thirty lives during ..."

"OH MY GOD!" A female voice screeched and interrupted you from your point, causing everybody nearby to investigate where the voice was coming from. Suddenly, the voice had a body, as a woman at the end of the queue came running towards Loki. You guessed her to be in her late twenties to early thirties. She was dressed to the nines and wore skyscraper heels. She was wobbly too as she ran due to her heels, and possibly a large amount of alcohol she's probably already consumed. "OH MY GOD, IT'S LOKI!" She screeched again and then a couple of others, seemingly her friends, were slowly catching up with her.

Loki just stared wide eyed as the woman approached him and stumbled into his arms, as she tripped over her own feet. She giggled looking up to him through her long lashes. You rolled your eyes at her 'clumsiness' and huffed. The others in the queue were starting to whisper and laugh amongst themselves, as they continued to watch everything unfold.

"Thanks, handsome." She giggled again as Loki steadied her on her feet. But he became uncomfortable when she kept eyeing him up, and she ran her hand down his firm chest.

"You're welcome, ma'am." Loki said, while removing her hand and trying to get her to keep herself to herself. The bouncer seemed to be enjoying Loki's awkwardness, while you just wanted to go inside already.

"Wanna dance?" The woman asked as she tried to reach out to Loki again, but only to have her hand swatted away.

"Er..." Loki began to come up with an excuse, but ended up being interrupted.

"I'm sure he would!" The bounce chimed in and finally allowed Loki entry, as he probably had some funny images of Loki being stuck with her for the night.

The bouncer moved the rope to one side as the woman began walking his way, she took Loki's hand on her way and began to head inside, but he managed to grab yours too just in time. The woman's friends followed in behind the three of you, they seemed to be followers rather than have their own brains. Luckily you managed to help Loki get loose from the woman's grip, then lost her and her friends in the crowd, and made your way to the bar. The far corner of the bar was by far the best place, because it was crowded therefore, you could hide for a while.

Loki ordered a round of drinks and kept you close. As you sipped on your drink you began examining nearby faces over Loki's shoulder, yet, he was quick to block your view. He'd spotted the woman from outside prowling around ,and he was trying to remain hidden. You caught on and you became worried when she got closer, until you noticed a green shimmer around yourself and Loki. He was shielding you both from her sight. When she was far enough away Loki dropped the invisible shield, causing laughter to erupt from both of you as the woman was throwing a fit, and her friends were still following her around like lap dogs.

Some time later. Loki and yourself had consumed a great deal of alcohol already, and he'd gotten you on numerous occasions onto the dance floor. Despite how much you'd both drank, neither of you were completely wasted. Thankfully the woman from outside had long gone. As she got thrown out for her tantrum, after she couldn't find her 'godly hot mess' as she referred to Loki as, when she was escorted out. Also you were constantly trying to find someone worthy enough to date your best friend. You would sneak off from time to time in search of such a person, and try to cover it up with fresh drinks in hand upon your return.

"There's something....something I want to tell you!" Loki shouted in a slurry voice over the music.

"Go ahead!" You yelled back.

"Not here!" Loki replied and took your hand, leading you away from everyone and off the dance floor.

As you walked down a corridor Loki ducked you into a private room. A room you assumed was meant only for VIPS or a hire out kind of room. Luckily the room was deserted when Loki opened the door. He flicked his wrist and the lights turned on as he led you further into the room, followed by a second flick of his wrist and the door closed behind you. He got you to sit down next to him on the black leather sofa, while facing each other. He shifted so he had a leg up on the sofa, while the other was firmly planted on the floor, he proceeded to unbutton his suit jacket to get more comfortable. While you adjusted yourself a little and tucked one ankle behind the other.

"(Y/N)...." Loki stretched out a few of the letters in your name, before frowning as the play back in his mind didn't sound right. Although both of you just laughed it off. "(Y/N), you're the best-best mortal-friend ever. You trusted me when no else did, and you believed in me when not-myself did."

"Well, you are difficult at times, but really you're a big pussy cat at heart." You teased and playfully hit his arm.

"Ehehe, speaking of pussy cats....you've been sneaky, (Y/N)" He replied again, stretching out some letters in your name, as he pointed his index finger into your face. The way he was acting was far too amusing and you couldn't contain your laughter. "Heyyyyyy, I'm trying to be serious here." He laughed but groaned at the same time.

"Sorry, what are you trying to say?" You replied, the smirk not leaving your face.

"I nose-know why you wanted me to get drunk." You wanted to say something, but he held up his finger to your lips and smiled. "You wanted me to loosen up and see if I'd find someone tonight and not one of Stark's lot." The last sentence seemed to sound more than less like a sobered up Loki. Very little slurs could be heard, or anything else to point out how much alcohol he's had. "I admit I've never gone on any dates since living on Midgard, nor did I like you mortals anymore than mortals liked me. (Y/N), you're the one who proved to me how great you mortals can be. The others did too. I guess my fear of being alone has kept me in the dark...being accepted as an Avenger is only part of the battle. Being a god and a mischievous one at that, who can shape-shift, perform conjuration, astral project amongst other abilities...are all part of that acceptance. That you've all had to come to terms with. Including my heritage of being a Frost giant." Loki removed his finger from your lips and hung his head low in silence, as if he was thinking about his next choice of words.

"Loki?" You hooked your fingers under his chin and brought his head up, so you could look him in the eyes.

"One thing I've never told you or anyone..." Loki's jaw clenched as tears pricked his eyes, which was making you want to cry too. "I like a bit of both...I-I'm bisexual." You started to grind as tears did fall this time and your face confused him.

"I know." You said gently through your tears.

"You-you do?" Loki then began to cry. You quickly wrapped your arms around Loki and held him tight.

"Yes, I know." You said before pulling away, adding, "and I'm proud of you for coming out." Loki perked up right away. You wiped away his tears from his face and he did the same for you in return, and both of you smiled. Also he held your hands tightly in his, and his thumbs rubbing the backs of them.

"So, me being bisexual doesn't bother you?" Loki really needed to hear you say it again.

"Loki, you literally can be anyone you want to be and I'll still stand by you. You're my best friend and I will always support you. Your sexuality is apart of who you are!" You pulled him back into a hug and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, darling for accepting me for me." Loki couldn't stop smiling at you when you pulled apart again. "And, (Y/N), you haven't dated in a while." He teased me.

"No, I haven't. Not since David." You sighed.

"Humph...that was four months ago. Besides, he was a tosser! You deserve so much better than him!" He replied.

"Well this isn't about me, this is about you! And you say you've never told anyone, but I mean you must have had a bit of both back on Asgard?" You wiggled your eyebrows suggestively.

"Ehehe, yes I did indeed. Only very few men have ever shared my bed though, hence why not really anyone knew apart from them who were lucky enough." Loki said with a light smirk upon his lips.

Once the heart to heart was over Loki and yourself returned to the main area of the lounge. He even ended up enjoying himself more than ever after coming out to you. Which made you happy because he was happy. There were a few times when you still weren't together. Times when either of you popped to the bathroom, to the bar, or when Loki would sneak away for a while. You had noticed a cute bartender as well during the many trips over to the bar. He never got to serve you sadly, as he was always kept busy over the other side, no matter how many times you'd gone over. Although, you thought he probably gets hit on all the time, and perhaps doesn't tend to go out with people when he meets them at work.

Later, as you made your way back from the bar with another round of drinks, you suddenly halted in your tacks. You'd just passed the last of the crowd in order to get to your booth. What had halted you was the sight right in front of you. Loki was all cosy up in the booth as he was making out with another male. The guy looked to be of African-American heritage and from what you could see he was handsome. The guy's arms were wrapped around Loki's neck, while one of Loki's arms was wrapped around the guy's neck. And the guy's leg was hoisted over Loki's lap, and Loki's other hand was stroking his thigh. Seeing this happen may have surprised you at first, but it made you happy too, because Loki was being himself and not caring about anyone else at that moment. When the pair pulled apart Loki sucked in his lips and looked at you sheepishly. His shyness only increased when a brunette woman sat down on the other side of him, and she wrapped her arm around his waist, followed by a kiss to his cheek. A red lipstick mark was left upon his cheek.

"Hi." Loki eventually spoke.

"Hi." You replied knowingly. You put the drinks down and began to leave Loki alone with his new friends, however Loki quickly untangled himself and stopped you.

"Where are you going?" He asked when he stood in front of you, with his hands guesting you to stop.

"I thought I'd go home and see you...probably in the morning, after your little rondevu." You winked.

"Please don't leave, (Y/N). Stay with me, please." Loki begged while giving you puppy dog eyes. "If I can find someone, or two tonight ,then so can you." Before you could say anything he wrapped his hands around your forearms and added, "I'll even share Ismael with you!"He said as he stared hungrily back at Ismael, who was looking a little flustered because he was fanning himself.

You chuckled. "I'm sure Ismael is lovely, but he's all yours."

"Wait, one second..." He replied and quickly disappeared and reappeared with someone else. That ended up not being just anyone, but the cute bartender, who clearly looked as though his shift had ended. He seemed to be dressed more casually too, with a leather jacket on and shoulder bag hanging from his shoulder. "This is Jason, he's been working here for the last two years. He wants to get his doctorate in psychology, this job is helping him pay his way through school. He's been single for a year, a non-smoker, no kids and he's an uncle of three rowdy but adorable kids." Loki seemed to be rather proud of himself as he's trying to set you up.

Loki then left you alone with Jason, as he'd already told him about you on the way over. And Loki really wanted to get back to Ismael and Simone, who he named as he left. Of course, as soon as he'd rejoined them he wedged himself between them. Simone was all over Loki once he was back in reach, and she tousled up his hair as she pulled him into her, while kissing him hard. Meanwhile you and Jason found a free table nearby to get to know each other better. Occasionally you glanced over at your best friend going between Ismael and Simone, whether it was them laughing together or groping each other as they made out. After at least half an hour Loki approached you and Jason with a huge grin on his face.

"(Y/N), darling, we're wanting to head back. But I said not without you, because I want to keep my best friend safe." He said as he lent his forearm on the back of your chair.

"It is getting late." You said in agreement.

"Will you be joining us, Jason?" Loki turned his attention to him.

"Lo-"

"Yeah, I'll join you!" Janson's eyes seemed to light up at the invitation.

"Excellent! Come then." Loki replied enthusiastically and helped you pull out your chair. Followed by getting Jason to wrap his free arm around yours to escort you out, all before he went back to the booth for Ismael and Simone.

Ismael and Simone were linked onto each of Loki's arms, as he escorted the two mortals out, with Jason and yourself following behind. All of you ducked into the back of an Uber and made your way back to the compound. However, when the five of you returned to the compound you found out that it was completely trashed. And because neither you or Loki had your phones with you, the rest of the Avengers were mad at the pair of you, for not being here when Ultron turned rouge.

Loki Masterlist

Source: @viviennes-tears​

[yoditorian]

if you’re comfortable writing Santiago 👉🏻👈🏻 number 20 with him for your follower celebration?

special thanks to @brothersdrxke for reassuring me that my santiago isn’t terrible

20.wearing their lover’s clothes! (also, “can I get my shirt back? ’'no.”)

word count: 747 // warnings: for some reason i reference driving despite not having a car or being able to drive

main masterlist

FOLLOWER CELEBRATION!!

Oh god, you’re running late.

Like really late.

You don’t know why you forgot to plug your phone in and set your alarm - that is definitely not true, you’re pretty sure it’s the fault of the man still snoring beside you - but it doesn’t matter now. What matters is that your appointment is in thirty minutes, and you have three before you have to be out the door and in the car. 

A sensible person might text the client, let them know you’re running behind, and maybe cut a few corners in their usual morning routine. But, you’re not a sensible person most mornings. 

Still, you’re pretty impressed when you bundle yourself into the car with a whole thirty seconds to spare. Take that, past self. Part of you feels a little bad about leaving him sleeping, but a bigger part of you is annoyed that he doesn’t have to work today while you’re trying to find the address in your emails. You make it to the meeting by the skin of your teeth, thanking the universe for all the green lights.

You don’t expect to come home, tired and hungry, to anything much. The leftover pizza in your fridge is positively calling out to you as you slide your key into the front door, the mountain of work for this project can wait as far as you’re concerned. Right now, Netflix is more important. 

Except, your apartment is definitely not empty as you had assumed. In fact, it feels very much the opposite as the warm smell of pasta and sound of pots and pans emanate from the kitchen. 

You’re a little confused. 

Okay, so you and Santiago have never really talked about labels. Specifically. Not because you didn’t want to, or because you didn’t want one, it’s just complicated. You’d feel awkward bringing it up and you know he’d never want to put that kind of pressure on you if you didn’t want to label anything. But any time you’ve left him at your place while you’re working, he’s always left before you’ve come home. Spare key posted back through the letterbox to keep it safe. 

And now he’s standing in your kitchen, making spaghetti. 

“Hungry?” He asks over his shoulder, and it should be awkward. Oh, god it should be so awkward. But you find yourself moving closer, dropping your keys on the side, and leaning your head against his arm. 

“You have no idea.” You chance a look at him, hoping he’s more concentrated on the pan on the stove, but he’s looking right back at you and your stomach almost bottoms out. 

A fun date was all you thought you were getting when a colleague set you up with him, maybe a new friend. But you’d never let yourself imagine anything more with Santiago, not with the wistful way your colleague had told you about him. He didn’t seem like he was one for commitment. But here he is, spending more time in your apartment than he seems to be at his own, taking you to meet his friends, sleeping in your bed. 

“Grab some forks?” He asks in a hushed voice, far softer than you’ve ever known him to be. You clear your throat gently, move to the cutlery draw, and pray you’d only been staring for a few seconds. 

“You make lunch for everyone who lets you sleep in?” You laugh as he sets the plates down on the table. A terrible attempt at keeping conversation light, all things considered. 

“I think we both know there’s not been anyone besides you for a long time.” He’s deadly serious when you sit down opposite him. So much for keeping things light, but at least that answers the real question. 

Is it really that simple? Maybe it is. Something about the way he’s looking at you is blissfully uncomplicated, you can’t really help but lean into it.

“Can I get my shirt back?” He grins over the steaming plates, his stomach growls but he doesn’t look away. Not yet. You glance down at the faded t-shirt, you hadn’t even noticed you’d grabbed his instead of your own in your rush this morning. 

“No.” You reply with a sly smile and shovel a forkful of spaghetti into your mouth so you don’t embarrass yourself any further. Santiago beams at you and tucks into his plate as you drop your eyes back down to your food, maybe you should have asked sooner after all.

TAGLIST (add yourself here):

@brothersdrxke @keeper0fthestars @thevoiceinyourheadx @firstofficerwiggles @1800-fight-me @ew-erin @chatterbean