#i'll be back soon and this is still open!

[roosterforme]

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 24 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley intended to take care of a few important things while he had the week off from work, but a quick visit to base brought with it a change of plans.

Warnings: Angst, fluff, adult language, smut, very hands-on Bradley, spanking, 18+

Length: 3500 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

The following day, instead of dressing in a uniform or flight suit, Bradley pulled on jeans and a tropical print shirt while he watched you get yourself ready for work.

"You look cute," he murmured as you wiggled into a dress and some simple flats. "And I like it that you're officially living here now instead of just staying for a few days."

"The commute is not ideal," you told him immediately. "But this is." You placed your hand on his abs before giving him the sweetest kiss that left him soft inside. "This is ideal."

Fuck. He was so in love it was insane. As soon as he was back in your presence for a few hours, having sex and eating pasta, he could barely remember how miserable he'd been on that deployment. It was like nothing else mattered as long as he kept coming back to you.

"Let me pack your lunch," he whispered, tilting your chin up for another one of those kisses. Then he was on his way to the kitchen before he could make you late for school. Before he got home, you filled the refrigerator with everything he liked to eat, and he inhaled two yogurts and some peanut butter toast while he made your sandwich. 

The notes you opened from the box he sent were on the kitchen counter, and he smiled. Nat covered for him big time on Christmas Eve so he could make that happen. He was excited to get to see her when he stopped by North Island, but he had to get you to work first.

"You don't need to drop me off. It's so far out of the way," you told him as you appeared with your tote bag. "I'll drive myself."

When he pouted, you laughed. "Come on, Gorgeous. I want to. I need to stop on base anyway."

"Oh, can you remind Marty and Nat about Career Day?" you asked, holding your bag open for your lunch.

"Nat's coming, too? You'll have the whole of the Navy there, Baby."

"The kids would love that."

Bradley narrowed his eyes. "As long as I'm still the favorite."

"You're irreplaceable," you promised.

You weren't exaggerating one bit when you said the commute was a killer. Bradley hummed along to the radio and held your hand, barely making it through the Starbucks drive-thru line and up to your school before the last minute that you needed to be there.

"I love you. Bye," you told him, kissing him quickly before jumping out the passenger door and running up the sidewalk with your enormous drink in one hand. He was absolutely addicted to the coffee now as well, and after he was sure you made it inside, he sipped his own cup as he drove back down the highway.

It was strange to be going through the guard gates this late in the morning, and when he approached the hangar in his street clothes, he heard Nat's voice and sassy whistle immediately. 

"Looking good, Rooster. Did you forget to do your laundry? Did you forget what time work started while you were deployed?" she called, and he made a point to mess up her hair when she gave him a tight hug. "You're the worst."

"I missed you too, Nat," he told her with a laugh. "Thanks for looking after my girl."

She shrugged and said, "I'm always in the market for drinking wine and talking about you behind your back. Plus, she's actually great. Hanging out with her is the best."

"Yeah," he replied, laughing harder. "That's why I want to do it all the time. I intend to do it forever."

One of her dark eyebrows shot up, and she smirked as she said, "Like forever, forever?"

He ducked his head and cleared his throat. "Yeah, but engagement rings are expensive." Natasha screeched and punched him in the shoulder. "Why are you like this?" he asked as she smacked him several times and jumped around excitedly.

Bradley was saved from being attacked when Maverick walked in with his familiar clipboard in hand and a frown on his face. "Phoenix, you're supposed to be in the tower. Rooster, welcome back. Why aren't you dressed?"

"My vacation days got approved," Bradley replied as Natasha quietly crept away. "I'm off the rest of the week. Didn't anyone tell you?"

"It's probably in my emails." Maverick's frown faded away as he pulled Bradley in for a hug. "I was a little worried for a minute there that you'd end up back in Norfolk." He slapped him on the back. "If you're off all week, why are you here?"

Bradley chuckled. "I just wanted to see everyone. Like you said, I was a little worried about Norfolk, too."

Maverick eyed him closely. "And did I hear you say something about an engagement ring?"

It wasn't like there was anything to hide. Bradley figured it was pretty obvious to everyone by now that his relationship with you was the real deal. Hell, Maverick even compared it to his own parents. "Yeah, I'm going to buy one this month. I just need to juggle some finances around to make sure I can get her something really pretty. But I'm going to start looking today."

A slow nod turned into a beaming smile, and then Maverick said, "Before you do anything, I have something you might want to know about."

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

You were dead on your feet at work. Staying up half the night making love and snuggling left you with a smile on your face, but you couldn't stop yawning. Your students noticed right away as you drained your coffee and groaned when the bell rang signaling the start of class.

"Did you have a hard time sleeping?" Jayden asked.

"A little bit," you replied, remembering the way you had to keep pinching yourself to make sure Bradley's strong arm wrapped around you all night was real.

"Was there a loud noise that kept you up?" Nia asked.

You tried not to snort as you thought about Bradley's moans and grunts in your ear as he fucked you from behind. "Something like that. It's time to review our spelling words."

Even though you insisted that Bradley didn't need to drive you to work, he did, and he promised he'd be back right on time to pick you up at the end of the day. But he was such a liar. He arrived at your classroom fifteen minutes before dismissal time with rosy cheeks and eighteen envelopes.

"Lieutenant Bradshaw's here!" Nia called out when your boyfriend knocked on the door before slipping inside. 

He made a beeline right to you, placing a rather innocent kiss on your cheek. "I hope you don't mind, but I wanted to drop these off," he said, holding up the envelopes. The top one had Jackie's name on it, and your heart soared. Butterflies took off. You had to work really hard not to kiss him again.

"We don't mind," you told him, and you watched him pass out the individual notes he must have written for your students while he was deployed. All eyes were on him as he walked around your classroom, delivering envelopes and answering questions.

"When did you get home from the Atlantic Ocean?"

"Was the food good on the aircraft carrier?"

"Are you coming back for Career Day on Friday?"

Bradley took everything in stride like he always did, but his eyes returned to yours frequently, and his flushed cheeks left you feeling dizzy.

"I got home yesterday," he said, voice deep and commanding as he set the last of his envelopes down on Violet's desk. "The food was terrible. So bad. Nothing like the Pacific Fleet. Nowhere near as good as what you ate on your field trip to North Island. I'm thinking about writing a letter to complain."

"You should," Violet told him seriously. "Yummy, balanced meals are so important."

"You're so right," he replied with a nod. "And yes, I'll be back on Friday for Career Day. Your teacher worked so hard on it, I wouldn't miss it for anything." You were gripping the edge of your desk now as he smiled at you.

"I didn't know you were allowed to wear anything except your uniforms," marveled Oliver.

Bradley looked down at his patterned shirt and laughed. "Should I stick with the flight suit for Friday?"

Then the dismissal bell rang, and your kids started to scramble. You usually had them packed up and ready to go a few minutes early, but Bradley was clearly more exciting than the end of the school day. 

"Don't forget about the spelling test tomorrow!" you called out as they all exited the room in a mass of chaos after high fiving your boyfriend. "Thanks for surprising us," you said as you spun to face him.

"Thanks for being so perfect that I can't stay away from you."

Your cheeks blazed with warmth as you ducked against his chest. Muscular arms wrapped you up in a hug as you muttered, "Did you remind Natasha and Marty about Friday?"

"Mmhmm."

"And did you get to see Maverick?"

He paused before squeezing you a little tighter and kissing the top of your head. "Uh, yes. I did. Now will you let me take you home so I can get back to my busy schedule of eating delicious food, napping and fucking you senseless?"

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

Bradley spent the following day unpacking more of your stuff while you were at work. You had all these fancy things he needed to make room for. Like an air fryer. And a rice cooker. Things he would have never used otherwise, but he didn't mind having them here now. 

He took breaks to read from the journal you kept while he was away, often smiling and laughing at what you'd written in your daily log. It was no wonder he fell in love with you through your writing; you were just the same as you were in person and so authentic this way. Then he read about the day you helped Edith with some chores, and he sprawled out on the couch with a groan.

You were the sweetest thing in his life. One time, Vanessa told him that Edith was annoying and only wanted attention. He rolled his eyes then, and he rolled them again now. She was elderly. Of course she wanted attention. But Bradley knew she also had arthritis, and helping her with yard work was fast and painless for him. He couldn't imagine you saying anything like that.

Bradley slipped into a hazy daydream, thinking about how he wanted to propose to you as his feet hung over the end of the couch. He wasn't going to last long now, and he knew it. Not with that ring tucked away in a Zip-lock bag which was duct taped underneath the bathroom sink vanity behind the pipes. If nothing else, he knew it was there, and he could rip it down any time he felt like asking you to marry him, but he wanted it to be special. Really special.

Maybe he could write something for you. Maybe he should take you out to dinner again. There had to be a way to make it just right so you couldn't say no.

After a few more minutes of indulging in the fantasy of having you as his wife, he stood up and attempted to use the air fryer to make lunch. Pretty soon he gave up and made a sandwich instead before walking next door to knock on Edith's door.

"Bradley!" she said, pulling the door open for him. "You're home. Your girlfriend told me you were deployed earlier this month."

"I just got back on Monday. A little bruised, but no worse for the wear," he told her with a smile. "I wanted to see if you needed help with anything."

"Oh, your sweet girlfriend already changed my light bulbs for me," she told him. Then she lowered her voice and smirked. "She's a looker."

"Yeah," he confirmed with a nod. "She's Gorgeous. She also moved in with me, so if I'm not home and you need something, you can always ask her, okay?" 

Edith fretted her hands, and Bradley leaned back out the open front door, knowing she wouldn't agree to his help unless she paid him in some way. Truthfully, he really did feel like playing the piano anyway. "It looks like you've got some weeds that need to be pulled, and your downspout is loose again. How about you think of a cool song to teach me, and I'll be back in like fifteen minutes?"

He ducked outside before she could answer, but he could hear her tapping away at the piano keys as he yanked some dried up weeds out of the soft soil. While he worked, he pictured the sheet music that Edith kept stacked up inside the piano bench, and he started to come up with an idea. The more he thought about the pages stacked up in his own house, the more he liked his plan. 

He was all smiles when he sat down for her to teach him how to play a Bob Dylan classic, and he was still whistling the tune when he went to pick you up from work.

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

On Thursday night, Bradley had you snuggling on top of him on the couch when you should have really been going over your final plans for Career Day. "You are such a distraction," you whispered, arms and legs wrapped up with his to keep warm since you were wearing nothing but his old sweatshirt.

His fingers flexed on the back of your thigh as he smirked and turned his head to face you instead of the TV. "And you're the best for helping me relax all week." His breath was warm on your cheek, and he kissed you there, saying, "Don't stress about tomorrow. It'll be perfect."

You nuzzled your cheek against his shoulder. "I still have to put all of my guests in order. I need to schedule the most impressive presentation last, for the grand finale."

"Okay, so put me last then, Gorgeous."

You grinned and tried not to giggle. "I was actually thinking Marty."

Bradley's hand slid up from your thigh, smoothing over your butt, and you knew what was coming even before you clenched with need. Bradley smacked you one time, and you moaned as he soothed away the sting with his palm. You were instantly aroused, fingers tingling and ears burning. Bradley's dark eyes were wide, searching your face, questioning what he should do next. When you nodded once, he grunted, and that big hand landed on you again, breaking the silence.

"Fuck," you gasped, rear end stinging as Bradley cupped and squeezed you, pulling you a few inches up his body so he could kiss you. His cock was getting hard in his gym shorts, pressing against your belly, driving you wild.

"You like that?" he whispered between heated kisses, but you barely wanted to take the time to breathe.

"Yes," you replied, mouth mashing against his. Both of his hands came up to your waist, yanking the sweatshirt over your head and dropping it on the floor. Then your lips were back on his as you moaned into his mouth.

The sex had been so sweet since he got home, and neither of you could be blamed for wanting so much of it after going so long without. But this was something else. Bradley's fingers dug into your flesh, and his kisses were rough. Demanding. You spread your legs a little wider, arching your back, silently begging for him to spank you again.

He did not disappoint.

You were aching, whining his name, enthralled by the cocky smirk on his face and the possessiveness in his eyes. "You want more, Gorgeous?" he asked, voice dark as his smirk grew. When you nodded vigorously, he kissed your lips so softly before he said, "You'll schedule me last for Career Day? I think it's where I belong, since I'm the most impressive."

Oh my god. He was playing with you now. You knew he wasn't actually jealous of Marty or Nat or any of the classroom parents, but he knew that you knew that your students would always think he was the most impressive. You would, too.

When you tried to kiss him, he pulled his face away from yours as he stroked your tender rear end with his fingertips. "Yes," you promised, "I'll put you last. You're the most impressive."

"Good girl." 

You gasped as he spanked you one more time, then he kissed you before pushing you up so you were straddling his thighs. When he yanked down his gym shorts, you were treated to the sight of his cock, thick and hard, smacking against his abs.

"Clearly I think you're impressive," he grunted, licking his thumb before running it along your swollen clit. It took no more coaxing before you had your hand wrapped around his cock, guiding him right where you wanted. You sank down on him, already a mess as he thrust up into you, hard.

"Bradley!" His hands were on your breasts, cupping you as he bucked his hips up again.

"Look at you," he rasped, fucking you rough while his hands were gentle. You bounced up and down, bracing yourself awkwardly on the too small couch. "Where do you want me to touch you?" he asked, eyes glued on your face and body. "Show me."

Without hesitation, you wrapped your fingers around his right wrist and moved his hand back to your butt. "A little more," you told him, voice shaking as he fucked you so good. Then he spanked you again and again, and you could feel it everywhere as you cried out. 

It was too much and not enough, and you bit your lip as he alternated between soothing you and spanking you until you were shaking, orgasm building. "Baby, you look and feel too good like this," he whined, wrapping his hands around your hips. "I'm so close."

But you were already there. You came as you leaned down and kissed him, those big hands sliding up, stroking your shoulders and neck as gently as you were used to while your ass tingled. You were making some wild sounds as you rode him until he filled you with his cum, then the two of you were panting in unison as your forehead came to rest against his.

You could feel him smiling, mustache brushing your lips as he said, "That was fun. Didn't know you would like it so much."

You moaned and said, "I'm as surprised as you are. And I'll put you last tomorrow. You're the grand finale. Obviously."

"Obviously," he agreed. "Just keep in mind, I'll be more than happy to spank you when you give me a hard time like that again." His lips found the side of your neck, his cock was still inside you as he murmured, "Got it?"

"Oh, loud and clear."

He chuckled, nipping along your skin as your butt throbbed a bit. You didn't want to move, but his stomach started loudly growling. Carefully, you started to sit up, brushing your fingers through his hair as you said, "It's been hours since you ate. Let's find something in the kitchen."

When you stood on wobbly legs, Bradley stayed lounging on the couch, guiding you and turning you so he could place one soft kiss on the spot on your butt where he had spanked you. Then he got to his feet as well, picked up the sweatshirt, and put it back on you.

He kissed the back of your neck and told you he never wanted to leave you again while you made him a grilled cheese sandwich. "Love you too much," he muttered, hand on your thigh as his leg brushed your tender rear end.

You thought about the weeks he was deployed without communication and how awful it was, but this right here was worth it. Making love in bed and rough sex on the couch. Learning what makes each other tick and sharing meals and enjoying how good it feels to have him hold you. All worth it.

When the sandwich was ready, you cut it into four triangles and took a small bite out of one before holding it up for him to eat it. "Thanks, Baby," he whispered, finishing it in one bite before you fed him the second one and then the third in similar fashion. He was finishing the last piece when he wrapped his arms around you and said, "Okay, Gorgeous, now I'm ready to help you get organized for Career Day before bed."

You laughed. "I just need to write a few things down and pick out an outfit."

"Oh. I wouldn't wear anything too tight," he suggested, smirking once more. "You're about to be sore tomorrow."

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

Okay, Maverick. Okay. Career Day is up next, and I need something nice to be there for Marty. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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[authorhjk1]

Punishment

(Handong X Male Reader)

"So what? It's not like you're my boyfriend."

"You're right. I'm not."

You take a good look at Handong's stage outfit. It was already slutty to begin with. A sports bra, a see through jacket, loose pants and even her panties sticking out.

"But I don't want everyone to stare at what's mine."

"Yours?"

Handong furrows her brows.

"Yes. Mine."

You take a step closer, the two of you standing almost nose to nose. Well, if Handong was taller.

"I might be Jiu's boyfriend. But you all agreed to satisfy me, whenever and wherever. And I don't like you showing off what is only ment for me."

"Really? What about Yooheyon then?"

Handong's snappy tone makes you roll your eyes. Here we go again. With this never ending I-throw-another-member-under-the-bus-so-I'm-not-the-only-one-getting-punished thing.

"I will take care of Yooheyon's ass later. But I'm here for yours now."

Handong's cheeks turn pink. She always becomes this shy and pure whenever you tell her that you want her. It's cute, no doubt. But it's the total opposite of who she really is.

Her eyes wander to the bag in your hand, which she glanced at occasionally since you walked into her room. And finally you open it up. The young woman can feel her whole body becoming warmer as you take out a big bottle of lube. You put it into her hand without looking up, too busy with taking out the next item.

Handong herself is still looking at the bottle, too focused on imagining if she can take your punishment. That's why she doesn't see the push coming. With a yelp, her back hits the sheets. You quickly get on top of her and turn her around. Stripping her off her jacket is just a matter of seconds. When Handong finally starts to struggle, you've already tied one of her hands to the bedpost.

"What aree you doing?"

"What does it look like, princess?"

Her cheeks flush once more, but she keeps up the struggle. Sitting on top of her, you press her into the sheets with your own weight. Handong is completely helpless as you tie her second wrist to the other bedpost.

"Wait. Can't I make it up to you?"

"Oh, you will. Don't you worry about that."

Your tone makes Handong fight back harder, but to no use. Moments later, her legs are all tied up too.

"Oh come one. It's not like I had much of a choice. The company gave me the outfit."

You don't answer, but instead raise her hips with one hand and pull down her pants with the other. Revealing the rest of her already partially exposed panties, you let Handong's body fall back on the sheets.

"I promise I'll be good from now on."

Despite being completely tied up, Handong still pulls on the ropes on her wrists.

"I recognize that bottle. Yooheyon said you used it on her when..."

She comes to a hold, once again putting on a shy act. You let your hands roam her cheeks, giving them a squeeze here and there. It makes her lift her hips off the bed involuntarily. In a swift motion, you pull off her panties.

You hear her gasp as you are greeted with Handong's ass and pussy. The latter already visibly wet.

"When you tried out that your new toy on her. She said she couldn't leave the bed that day, because she couldn't walk."

You place your hand on of her cheeks and reach down with your thumb to play with her folds a little. Handong's breath hitches at your touch.

"A-Are you going to use it on me too?"

"No, princess."

A harsh spank hits her completely by surprise. Her mewl makes you smile.

"I need to punish you properly."

Reaching for the bottle, you open it and tilt it on its head. The clear liquid hits Handong's cheeks soon after. You wait for a good while, probably emptying one forth of the entire bottle. Once you're satisfied, you let it fall next to you.

Handong lets a moan slip out of her mouth as you massage the lube into her cheeks. Her porcelain like skin starts to glow in the light of her room. Her ass looks so much better this way. You can't help but bite your lip. More moans leave her lips as you keep coating her ass with the lube.

After quickly getting rid off your clothes, you coat your cock in the same liquid. You scoot a little closer, now almost sitting on her ass, pressing her cheeks upwards a little. It makes them look slightly bigger as you push your cock between them. You see her grabbing onto the ropes, bracing herself for what's to come.

"Damn, princess."

You groan as you push your tip into the ring of tight muscles. Handong let's out a deep moan. You don't need to slowly ease her into anal anymore. By now, Handong is almost taking you inside her asshole on a daily basis. It's just the first time you've tied her up.

"Oh, gosh."

Her eyes are shut tightly as you push further. The lube making it easier for you, but you still have to come to a hold eventually, waiting for her ass to get accustomed to being filled. But eventually, you can start to fuck Handong properly.

Her mewls and whines echo through the room as you pound her ass from behind. She doesn't have a choice. She can only take it. Like the good little princess she is. Or at least that's what she is supposed to be.

You hold onto her cheeks for now. Slightly spreading them apart, the oily skin still glistening in the light. A gorgeous sight. You watch your cock going in and out of her ass, her tight muscles already loosening up. Shortly after, you can fuck Handong's ass as rough as you would fuck the other's pussies.

Too focused on her cheeks, you only notice after some time that her moans have become quieter. Looking at her, you see that her head as dropped. Face first into her pillow. You reach forward, grabbing her pink pigtails.

"Oh god, yes!"

Handong's cry makes you fuck her harder as you you use her pigtails as handle bars. Her tight ass squeezes your cock. Unlike Yooheyon, Handong can actually take quite a lot. So you don't have trouble speeding up, making sure your hips clap against her cheeks.

And idea comes to mind. You take both her pigtails in one hand and reach with the other for her phone, which she put down next to her on the bed, when you entered her room. Handong suddenly becomes quiet, when she hears the calling sound.

"W-Who are you calling?"

"Don't worry, princess."

"Hello?"

You hear your girlfriend's voice through the phone. Instead of answering, you place it right in front of Handong's face on the pillow. Taking her pigtails in both hands once more, you start to fuck her again.

"Hello?"

Jiu asks again. And despite her desperate efforts, Handong soon answers with a string of desperate moans. She is turning into a mess underneath you, while her leader praises her on the other side of the line.

"Good girl, Handong. I hope you're satisfying my boyfriend? Just take it and be good. You know how much I love you, right?"

You can't see her face, but you would bet everything you have on the fact that Handong's embarrassment is at an all time high. You bite your lip, feeling a familiar feeling in your stomach at the thought. You let go of her pink hair, making Handong's head fall back into the pillow and with that onto her phone as well. Her nose touches the screen, cutting Jiu's praises short.

Sooner rather than later, unfortunately, you find yourself nearing your orgasm. You wish you could fuck her tight hole for longer, but you know you can't take much more.

"Fuck, Handong. I'm gonna creampie your ass."

Only a moan leaves her lips, but that's confirmation enough for you.

You go faster and harder for one last time. Doing your best to properly pound her ass.

With a groan, you come to a hold. You lean down on her as you feel her ass milking your cock. Handong gasps as she feels your cum fill her puckered hole. After a couple of moments, you thrust into her a couple of times, making sure you push your seed as deep inside of her as possible.

Eventually, you climb off her used body. Handong doesn't move. Her face once more in her pillow, her face red in embarrassment. You find it cute that Handong becomes shy when you cum inside of her.

But when she hears the door open, she finally looks over her shoulder.

"W-Where are you going?"

"Like you said, Yooheyon needs to be punished too."

"And you're gonna leave me here?"

"Did you think your punishment is over already?"

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

Hi guys!

Just a short fic for Handong. I needed to get this out of my system, so I can get back to writing SNSD Village. Hope you guys enjoyed it.

Stay healthy everyone!

[avcdgrdn]

── .✦ [ FIC ]: coffee date with ford ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝

stanford pines x reader fluff // based off of this headcanon post.

˙✧˖° ༘ ⋆｡˚

you could tell that something was off as soon as you walked into the house.

the mystery (s)hack has officially run out of coffee beans ... and there's a grumpy grunkle to show for it.

"uuugh..."

six rough fingers moved to wearily rub the forehead of their owner: a sleep-deprived scientist who'd stayed up late last night working on a project. of course, whether the project was actually worth losing sleep over or not wasn't entirely relevant ... ford just didn't want to go to bed and deal with his thought-filled brain. despite his troubles with bill being behind him, there often are nights where he just can't fight the paranoia.

trudging out into the kitchen, the broad-built man leaned against a countertop with one arm, heaving a low and rumbling sigh.

"well, well. good morning, sunshine." a gruff voice called out from across the room, accompanied by the sound of cereal pouring into a bowl. stanley was ' making breakfast ' for dipper and mabel, who waited eagerly at the table. "didja get enough beauty sleep?"

"i'll answer that question after i have my coffee." ford huffed, eyes still half-shut and darkened with exhaustion. upon hearing those words, stan trailed out an 'uhhhh' and glanced towards the coffee machine.

"about that, sixer ... it's all gone. i was gonna grab another bag the last time i was out, but i got distracted."

if, by being distracted, he meant attempting to shoplift a twelve-pack of pitt cola and getting caught, he was technically telling the truth.

"what."

the corner of ford's left eye twitched. no coffee? how could he have overlooked such a possibility? great ... just great.

after a moment longer of taking in the unfolding scene from the open front door, you decided to speak up.

"uh, everything okay?"

everyone's attention shifted to you. you'd only been staying with the pines family for a few days as a temporary fix for your living situation, but somehow, it was beginning to feel like home. mabel grinned brightly upon seeing you, waving her small hands in the air.

"hiya, cutie !! back from your morning walk? how'd it go?"

you met her honey brown eyes, and a smile crept onto your expression.

"it was lovely, thanks." you made your way into the house, closing the front door behind you and promptly taking a seat beside the smaller twins at the table. the grunkles observed you, following suit and each coming over to fill the remaining empty seats.

"i hope ya like cereal, cause i can't cook for my life!" stan grinned, gave everyone a bowl of cereal, and the feasting began.

mabel scarfed down her bowl, akin to how waddles might eat his own breakfast. dipper and stan both ate slowly, while you were somewhere in the middle. the only odd one out was ford, who hadn't touched his spoon at all. his head was rested against one hand, and his eyes were shut, as if he were deep in thought or (more likely) dozing off. still, he looked like he should at least eat something ...

"ford?" you called from across the table, spoon in hand.

"i- wh- ... huh?"

he stammered, a faint shade of crimson tinting his cheeks as he snapped awake and stared at you like a deer in headlights. stan snickered.

"what's wrong?" your voice was concerned, with an undertone of amusement. it seemed unnatural for him to act so disheveled, considering how your first impression of him was extremely put-together and educated. although, you couldn't say you disliked this side of him.

he cleared his throat. "well, you see, we've ... run out of coffee. during days like these, i rely on the caffeine to keep me awake."

"i see." you crunched on another mouthful of cereal, swallowing with a thoughtful hum. "isn't there a good café somewhere near here?"

at that, ford raised his bushy brows. a café? that's a good point.

"it must be relatively new, because i can't say that i've ever been to such an establishment in town." he mused, stroking his chin stubble as he attempted to recall the various changes that had occurred in gravity falls since he'd returned after being gone for thirty years.

"i could take you, if you like."

"...what?"

and now, all eyes were on you.

blinking innocently, you restated your offer.

"i said, i could take you, if you like. i've been there a few times myself, and they've got a lot of good options."

"gasp !! like a date ??" mabel squealed, only to be elbowed by her twin brother. her comment earned a darker blush from ford and a choke from stan.

"u-um ... i wouldn't necessarily say a da-"

"ahem! i accept your offer. it would be good for me to get out of the house, anyway." ford hurriedly interrupted you, averting his gaze as he straightened his trench coat and adjusted his turtleneck. a stifled squeal of joy could be heard from the kids' end of the table.

and just like that, you found yourself strolling down the sidewalk, side by side with the tired scientist. he had freshened up somewhat, having taken the time to tame his bedhead hair and clean his dusty glasses. even while sleep deprived, he looked handsome in the warmth of the sunlight. catching yourself staring, you quickly averted your gaze to in front of you, focusing on where you were walking. ford had most definitely seen you looking, but chose not to say anything about it.

the silence wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it certainly was not commonplace for either of you. you've been living on your own for a while now, so you're acquainted with silence, but not the kind shared with another person. on the flip side, ford has slowly been learning to cherish peace and quiet again after getting rid of bill's voice in his head.

upon arriving at the café, the two of you took in the inviting atmosphere, inhaling the scent of brewing coffee and sweet pastries as the little bell hanging from the door jingled to signal your appearance. ford visibly relaxed, already pleased.

"you know what you want?" you questioned with a smile, glancing up to meet his eyes.

"mm, i think i'll have the cold brew with vanilla cream." he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging up in a somewhat shy grin. you swore you could feel butterflies in your stomach.

"alright." making your way up to the cashier, you put in your order for two drinks, pulling out your wallet and selecting the appropriate bills to pay for the both of you. ford was somewhat shocked that you had made the move to pay for his drink, and his bashful smile grew as you found a table to sit down at.

"thank you, that was very generous of you." he adjusted his glasses, sitting across from you and giving you a brief once-over. "i could have covered it, you know."

"ah, don't worry about it." now that you thought about it, this was the first time that you were spending one-on-one time with him, apart from the rest of the family ... was this really a date, like mabel had said? your face began to heat up at the notion, but you quickly distracted yourself by looking down to fidget with the edge of your sleeve.

feeling the need to break the silence, the silver-streaked man shifted in his seat. "so ... tell me about yourself."

he was clearly showing interest in getting to know you, which was flattering, and somewhat endearing. given his quiet demeanor, it was obvious that socialization was not his strong suit. still, you couldn't deny that he had a certain rugged charm about him.

staring out the window, you thought for a moment, then spoke. "for starters, you know that i'm working on moving into a house." there was another pause as you mulled over your next words. "i'm interested in the strange phenomenons here in gravity falls. i was raised in another state, but my family relocated here while i was in high school. that's what got me curious about certain ... abnormalities." you smiled softly, fixing your gaze onto him. "i think unusual things are wonderful."

stanford was practically slack-jawed, his dark brown eyes shining with the wonder of a child in love. any previous hesitation was completely abandoned.

"why, that's what i've dedicated my life purpose to for years!" his wide shoulders leaned over the table, bringing his face closer to your own. "i've been keeping journals-"

he was interrupted by a barista calling out your name across the café. regretfully, you had to tear your attention from his enthusiasm, standing to go collect your drinks from the counter. for some reason, the thudding of your heart was very loud.

returning to your seat, you put ford's cold brew in front of him before taking a swig of your own drink. he carefully picked up the cup, observing it from a few different angles before raising it to his lips. he took a long sip, then made a low, content hum. "yes ... this is exactly what i needed." you could already see the caffeine revitalizing him. "now, where was i? ah, yes! the journals."

the next hour and a half consisted of him infodumping about the journals and all of the wonderful things he's seen and done. he earned quite a few reactions from you, each of which inflated his ego even further. by the end of his rant, he was on an energetic and emotional high.

the two of you were laughing at some corny one-liner he'd thrown in, and ford leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his broad chest as it heaved with deep chuckles.

"you know, i haven't talked with anyone like this in a while, besides stanley and the kids, of course." a warm smile graced his features. "i'm glad that you invited me here. and ..." he trailed off, his eyes narrowing. "... i think you're an interesting person. clearly, we share the same passion."

oh, crap. why was he looking at you like that? why was it hot? you could feel yourself slowly losing your composure. why did your type have to be nerds?

"t-thanks. i think you're interesting, too." you blushed, smiling and feeling giddy.

"we should do this again, yes?"

"i would love to."

end (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

author's note:

expect more ford content from me (he's literally my pookie)

also if you give me feedback i love you

if you have any fic ideas, shoot me a request!

[maidflowery]

Good Morning, Have a Nice Day

Aventurine x Reader

You told your boyfriend, Aventurine, to wake you up early the next morning. But little did you know...

"-up. Wake up, Sunshine."

In your slumber, you faintly heard a voice. The tone was cheerful, almost rivaling the birds chirping outside the window.

"Mm..."

Is it morning already...?

"Oh, the Sleeping Beauty finally wakes up. Hey, don't go back to sleep."

The voice spoke, as laid-back as ever, as if trying to lull you back to sleep.

But... Why didn't I hear any alarm...?

"If you don't wake up by the count of three, I'll kiss you. One... Two..."

"What time is-GAH!!"

When you opened your eyes, Aventurine's dashing face was hovering a few inches away from you. It was apparent that he'd been watching you the whole time.

Close! Too close!

"Your response to your boyfriend's gentle wake up call is to scream to his face...?"

He sulked, but not for long. Soon, he was smiling from ear to ear again. Was the sight of you waking up that fantastical?

"Good morning~ if you sleep again, the counter will pick up from where it left off."

"...More importantly, what time is it right now?"

Seeing how bright the sun was shining outside the window only gave you bad feelings.

Pretty sure you'd asked him to wake you up at 6 AM. You even set an alarm at 5 AM. After all, your class started at 8 AM.

Aventurine looked slightly dejected for a moment, before answering.

"7.30 AM, why?" he asked as if it was someone else's business.

"7.30 AM!? But... Didn't I... Tell you to wake me up at..." You were so shocked that you could only stutter.

"Well, yes, and I promised to wake you up as early as I could." Aventurine innocently shrugged his shoulders.

As early... As he could?

Somehow, you felt there was a huge emphasis right there. The two of you stared at each other, one dumbfounded, one smiling nonchalantly.

Ah!!! Right!!!

He sucks at getting up early!!!

Actually, both of you were.

If this was a movie, then it was probably the moment when the main character shouted, 'I shouldn't have trusted him!'

Thus, you bolted out of the room and began preparing at the highest speed known to man.

"Aventurine!!"

A few minutes later, you dashed straight toward his room again. By that time, you had showered and dressed for college.

But the moment you stepped in, your jaw almost dropped to the floor.

Aventurine stood there with only a white towel draped over his waist. He'd clearly just stepped out of the shower, as his body glowed with a wet sheen.

Glittering droplets of water clung to his chiseled abs, some trickling down even further below. It took you everything not to follow them with your eyes.

Aventurine, who was drying his hair, finally turned at you.

"What's the matter? It's nothing you haven't seen before."

He cocked an eyebrow at you, a playful and tantalizing grin tugging at his lips.

"Aventurine... Why... What are you doing naked!?" you couldn't help but blurt out.

"Says the one who barged in without knocking. Anyway, need anything?"

Saying that, Aventurine approached you, his broad chest filling your field of vision.

Trying to block the view, you shoved your phone to him.

"I'm here to talk about this! Why did you turn off my alarm!? No wonder it didn't ring!"

"Ah, that... But weren't you tired last night? I just thought of letting you sleep a bit longer. How are you feeling now? Did you rest well?"

Aventurine stared at your phone, not trying to deny or affirm it.

Based on his words alone, he sounded like a caring, attentive boyfriend who was just looking out for his girlfriend.

Except you didn't buy it, because of two glaring contradictions.

"Whose fault is it that I barely got any sleep last night!? Also, if that's the case, you must've either disabled it right after I fell asleep, or woke up way earlier!"

"But in the end, I still woke you up, right?" Aventurine gave you an 'all's well that ends well's' smile.

"What do you mean 'in the end'? Were you planning to not wake me up?"

"In the end, I still did, right?"

"..."

He totally planned to!!

Seriously, why is he acting like this!?

In truth, you knew why. You also knew that underneath his nonchalant and flippant attitude, he was sulking.

As you stood there, fuming, Aventurine asked you, putting the towel around his neck.

"Won't you be staying for breakfast?"

"No. Thanks to someone, I have to skip it."

Despite the hint of wistfulness in his tone, you bluntly turned him down, averting your gaze.

"Then, will you be having lunch with your team leader instead? Say hi to him for me."

Hearing that, you raised your head and shot back.

"We've spoken about this! It's just an obligatory meeting to discuss the assignment progress!"

"One that you set a bunch of alarms and even skipped breakfast for. Totally not important indeed."

... It was because you'd ditched one too many of such meetings, missing the next one would totally get you axed. In your defense, that team leader was a prick.

Of course, there was no way you could admit that you often skip group activities to your boyfriend. Or that karma was finally biting you in the ass. That'd be super lame.

We are getting nowhere fast, and I'm running out of time.

"...A-anyway, I'll get going."

You awkwardly turned around, still trying to maintain a tough front.

"Hey, you forget something."

You turned around. "What is—"

His lips sealed yours, and you were unable to finish your words.

"!!"

Aventurine ferociously devoured your lips, leaving no inch untouched, as if imprinting himself. He nibbled on your upper lips, before gnawing on the lower ones. He allowed you a brief moment of respite to reclaim your breath, before resuming his onslaught from a different angle.

The delicate string that was holding your rationality together was about to snap. You were basically holding onto him at this point.

He stroked your tingly lips with the tip of his tongue, gently parting them. Then, his tongue slid in, coiling around your own.

Just as you thought of surrendering completely to this mind-blowing kiss, he stopped.

"...Aren't you going to be late? Whoops."

Aventurine caught you as you toppled forward, burying you in his chest. Immediately, the refreshing, masculine fragrance of his cologne filled your nose.

Embarrassingly, your legs had turned into jelly.

"Oh no. Can you stand? Should we call in sick?"

Within his arms, you could hear him suggest that a tad too happily.

"...No thanks. I'm still going."

You somehow managed to squeeze out those words despite the supple tenderness around you.

"What a shame. Even though your dear boyfriend is home at last."

He spoke in a deflated tone that you could tell was genuine.

Aventurine was a busy man. His business trip would sometimes last for more than a month. Today, he finally had a day off.

All you could do was stare at him as he wiped a trace of saliva from his lips, smiling provocatively at you

"Oh, well. We can always save it for later. If it gets too unbearable, you can always come back to me. Have a nice day."

The kiss that ended as abruptly as it started was his way of giving you something to think about.

As underhanded as always...

You wanted to wipe that smug look off his face!

You grabbed the towel around his neck, pulling him toward you. Briefly, you saw his eyes widen as he was caught off-guard.

"Mmh-!"

Then, you gave Aventurine the taste of his own medicine, but with your own finishing touch.

After the kiss had ended, Aventurine, seemingly taken aback, reached for his lower lip. A red mark had blossomed on his lip, turning it a deeper shade of crimson.

"...I told you, I'll sneak off in the middle, so please wait for me." You said.

Still tracing his lip, Aventurine stared straight at you, his violet-cyan eyes burning from within.

"...Alright. I'll be patient. But I won't wait for too long."

Extra

...Aventurine's patience lasted only until lunch break.

[wolfpackmuses]

      ❝Injured beyond repair, I know nothing besides this: I must resist the                     Dark Urge, lest it consume my mind.              I must discover who I was, and what happened to me.            Before my twitching knife-hand writes a tragedy in blood.❞

           ind. sel. Multimuse account revamped 04/03/2023.

             Featuring muses from Dreamworks, Disney,                   Baldur's Gate 3, and more.                      Written by Zombie.

     — Rules and Muses —  About Balasar, The Dark Urge — Meme Tag—               — Promo template made by calisources! —

[heavyhitterheaux]

“If you roll your eyes one more time.” For First Lady and Jack

From the moment you had woken up, it seemed as if you had an attitude with everyone and everything including your loving husband who was thoroughly confused by the entire thing. The previous night, the two of you had taken a bath together and watched a movie after putting all the kids to bed in their respective rooms. You fell asleep halfway through the movie and cuddled up to Jack the rest of the night. 

He guessed that he could blame it on your pregnancy mood swings, but he wasn't so sure. One minute you couldn’t keep your hands off of him and the next moment, you wanted to be by yourself surrounded by a tower of cheese curls. You were now in month seven of carrying your twins and everything on your body hurt and you were constantly annoyed.

Jack felt like he was walking on eggshells the entire day thinking that you were mad at him and it started when he told you that he was leaving out for a meeting and that he would be back in about an hour or so.

“Baby, I'll be back soon. But if you need anything just call me, okay?” He told you as he reached down to place a kiss on top of your head. You instantly let out a huff and rolled your eyes which made Jack turn up his nose.

“Is something wrong, babe?”

“Nope.” Was all you responded as you then turned on the TV to watch Netflix.

“Obviously there is because of that huff you just let out.”

“Jackman, you have somewhere to be so I suggest you get there. Don't be late on my account.”

“Yes, I will be late on account of you. You're my wife last time I checked and I want to make sure that you're okay.”

“I'm fine. Bye.” You said as you were struggling to adjust the pillow behind your back and Jack quickly did it for you. 

“Not leaving until you tell me you love me.” Jack said and you rolled your eyes once more.

“You know I do.”

“So? I still want to hear it.”

“I love you, Jackman Thomas, now get out of my sight.”

“Um, okay. Not what I was expecting. I love you too.”

It was now ten at night and there you were sitting with your arms crossed against your  chest as Jack walked into your shared bedroom from checking on the triplets and Nova.

“Baby?” He started to say and you instantly rolled your eyes, for Jack that was the absolute last straw.

“If you roll your eyes one more time….” He said and your eyes immediately snapped up in his direction.

“You’ve had a damn attitude from the moment your ass opened your eyes this morning and I’m tired of it. So what the hell is the problem? Are you mad at me? I obviously did something because every time I open my mouth, you roll your eyes at me. I will fuck that attitude out of you. So, out with it. NOW.”

“You got me pregnant…..”

“Um, yes? I know, babe. I was there when it happened the last time I checked. I was an active participant."

“I should roll my eyes again for you saying that. You got me pregnant and my body fucking hurts and I’m swollen and look like Shamu the whale.”

“And you’re mad at me about that? And you do not look like a whale so stop saying that.”

“Well who else can I get mad at? You’re the one who did it. And when you did the laundry last week, you shrunk my fuzzy pink socks that I’ve had since I was pregnant with the triplets and you know that those are the only ones I wear when I’m pregnant! I’m so just fat and tired of this. My belly is so heavy, I crave KFC all the time and I want to throw up at the thought…”

“Not too much on KFC now….”

“Shut up, Jackman and let the pregnant woman finish. As I was saying, carrying a mixture of genders is different than carrying just one. When it was the triplets, I was swollen but not like this. Nova, I didn’t even know about until it was damn near my due date, these boys are kicking my ass. I am DONE after this.”

“Baby, I’ll buy you more socks. I can fix that problem, but I can’t make them come out any faster. They still have to bake.”

“Did you just compare our children to bakery items?”

“They’re in a warm, safe environment, so same thing?”

All you did was stare at him as you sighed.

“Is there anything else I can do for my wife to make her feel better?” He asked as he scooted closer to you and kissed your cheek.

“No, and I’m sorry that I was a brat earlier. I just wanted you to stay with me all day, but I know you can’t do that.”

“Uh, yeah the hell I can. Meetings can wait. I have one wife and if she needs me, she needs me. Not you getting mad and having an attitude because you wanted me all to yourself today.”

“I always want you to myself. I can’t wait until this pregnancy is over.”

“It’ll be worth it, babe.”

"Sooo.... are you still going to fuck the attitude out of me?" You asked as you glanced over at him and he immediately smirked.

"Lay on your back."

[cinnabunwanda]

home alone - wanda maxamoff

content warning —

pairing — Fem Reader X wanda maxamoff

summary — Stark and yn discuss Avengers mission plans and yn's feelings for Wanda. They share a passionate kiss, share a shower, and strip off, amusing each other's beauty.

word count —

⚠︎ disclaimer; this is 18+, so mdni. I will be keeping an aye out on everything but again I dont care if you read this and you are underage you are the only one responsible for reading shit you aren't supposed too.

Stark sat across from me at the breakfast counter, loudly chewing his cereal. The sound grated on my nerves and I smacked my head against the smooth marble surface in frustration. "Why so loud?!" I groaned, rubbing my temples. Stark simply grinned at me, enjoying my annoyance. "Why so moody?" He chirped back in a mocking tone.

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my coffee, trying to calm myself down. "You're going off on your Avengers mission, leaving me alone in your fancy Stark Tower!" I exclaimed, feeling a twinge of jealousy at his exciting adventures.

Stark's eyes widened in surprise before he chuckled. "Oh relax n/n," he said, using my nickname that only he and a select few were allowed to call me. "You won't be alone, Wanda will stay to keep you in check." He smirked, clearly amused by my outburst.

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I tried to hide my feelings for Wanda. "Why Wanda?" I whispered, hoping Stark wouldn't hear.

"Hell, everyone knows you've got the hots for her," Stark whispered back with a sly smile.

In retaliation, I used my magic to send him flying off his stool. "Don't make such assumptions," I scolded him. "She's a stunning lady lately, anyone would feel flustered in her presence."

Suddenly, Wanda's sweet voice sang out from the doorway. "Who's a stunning lady?" She asked innocently.

"Oh uh...Natasha?" Stark replied quickly, trying to cover up our conversation.

Wanda raised an eyebrow but didn't press any further. "Indeed," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye. "She's a lovely woman y/n," she winked at me before opening the fridge to grab a snack.

I nearly choked on my drink at her words, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks once again. Stark seemed to find this all very amusing and laughed as he left.

Wanda turned back to me with a smile. "Oh Stark, Captain America said you have 5 minutes tops to meet him at the helipad," she informed me.

"Yes ma'am," Stark replied, smirking at me as he left.

"So...n/n, how are we going to spend our time?" Wanda asked, her tone playful and flirtatious.

I shrugged, trying not to let my thoughts wander too much. "I don't know, any ideas?"

"A few," she laughed seductively.

My heart skipped a beat and I couldn't help but feel drawn to her. "Like what?" I asked nervously.

"Oh, I don't wish to vocalize them," she smirked, leaning closer to me.

Before I could respond, she silenced me with a kiss. Her lips were soft and warm against mine and I couldn't resist kissing her back passionately. She straddled my hips and ran her fingers through my hair as we lost ourselves in the moment.

"How long will the Avengers be away?" She whispered breathlessly as we pulled apart for air.

"Until tomorrow evening," I stuttered out, still trying to catch my breath from our intense make-out session.

"Perfect," she purred before taking my hand and leading me through the halls of Stark Tower towards her room.

As soon as the door closed behind us, her back was against it and her lips were on mine again. We shared another heated kiss before she stepped back with a mischievous grin. "I'll run us a shower, strip off," she commanded playfully, swaying her hips as she disappeared into the bathroom.

I quickly followed suit, stripping down to nothing under the warm water of the shower. Wanda joined me shortly after, her toned and slender figure glistening under the water. I couldn't help but admire her beauty as she stood in front of me, water cascading down her body.

"Id love to stare all day, but I'd much rather join you," I smirked before pulling her into a passionate kiss. Our bodies pressed against each other, our kisses deep and full of desire. Her hands roamed my body, gripping at my hips and ass as we moved together in the shower.

I lifted one of my legs to wrap around her thigh, deepening our connection as we continued to explore each other's bodies with our lips and hands. This woman was going to be the end of me, I thought to myself as we lost ourselves in the pleasure of the moment. As if reading my mind, Wanda pulled back from our kiss and whispered breathlessly, "I can still hear your thoughts n/n."

"Sorry darling," I laughed, my voice filled with desire as I trailed kisses down her neck. "You forget, I can read minds too."

With her back turned to me, she pressed her breasts against the cool surface of the open shower glass. I ran my hands over them tenderly, giving them a soft slap before pressing myself flush against her firm ass. The sensation of my clit rubbing against her smooth skin was mesmerizing, and she moaned as I thrust my hips harder into her.

She rubbed at her own clit, adding to the pleasure that coursed through me. Her teasing lips slowly made their way towards my heated core, sending shivers down my spine. As she traced circles around my clit with her tongue, pure euphoria washed over me. Her small hesitations only added to the intense build-up of pleasure, and when she slipped a finger inside of me, I couldn't hold back any longer.

She was perfection incarnate. But when I voiced this thought, she chuckled and said "Stop reading my mind, love," before kissing my neck.

Clearly done with foreplay, she turned to face me with hunger in her eyes. Slowly dropping to her knees, my breath caught in my throat.

Her delicate fingers curled inside of me, while her soft lips worked wonders on my sensitive clit. The combination was too much to handle and I reached my peak almost instantly.

After catching our breaths, I pushed her back against the wall and hungrily sucked on her breasts. She growled in pleasure and kneaded my hips as I pressed myself further into her.

Lifting one of her legs onto my shoulder for better access, I explored every inch of her heat with fervor. Our bodies were a perfect fit, and as our clits rubbed together at an increasingly faster pace, I realized just how beautiful she truly was.

I leaned in to moan into her neck as she bucked her hips into mine, finally reaching our shared climax

[writeforfandoms]

Fast Car 2

Find my Simon Riley masterlist

Two years after the end of the world, you have a choice to make, and potentially a new life to settle into. One thing you definitely now have: a nemesis.

Warnings: Swearing, lots of grumbling, gentle interrogation, don't forget these guys are a trained very effective unit, dick-ish behavior, reference to cannibalism, reference to the wider zombie au.

Word count: 1k

You approached the meeting place carefully, slowly. Sure, you were planning to go with them. But that didn't mean you had to trust them. 

It wasn't terribly hard to spot three people, standing exactly where hat guy said they'd be. You didn't see tall and scary, but that was just fine with you. 

Maybe you'd get lucky and he'd been eaten overnight. 

“Took your time getting here.” 

Spoke too soon. Grimacing, you half-turned to see him emerge from his hiding spot, gun in hand but aimed away from the two of you. Small mercies. 

“I'm on time,” you defended yourself, planting your hands on your hips. It wasn't as effective given the large pack on your back, but still. 

“Means you're late.” He turned and strode off back to the others, clearly expecting you to follow him. You grit your teeth, momentarily tempted to just walk away. You didn't need a town. You were fine on your own. You could do it, keep on going on your own.

Except the empty windows and yawning doorframes of this town reminded you how hard it was to come across supplies. 

So you grit your teeth and followed him, footsteps light. 

You stepped directly in one of his boot prints, out of curiosity. His feet were much larger than yours. 

You walked a little faster. Just in case. 

Hat guy eyed you and nodded once. “We're taking the truck back,” he said. “You're in back.” 

You almost wanted to object to that, mildly outraged, but, well… all four of these guys was pretty big, in the beefy military esque kind of way. They probably needed the space. 

Still. Jerk. 

“So you're the mechanic, eh? I'm Gaz.” He held out a hand to you, and it took you a moment to remember what a handshake was. 

“Call me Soap.” He was next, quick to fall in on your other side so he and Gaz escorted you to the car. “Ye good with cars?”

“Dunno, you good with that thing?” You nodded to the big gun slung over his shoulder. 

He laughed, grinning at you. “Aye,” he confirmed. “Ye'll do just fine. In ye go.” He opened the back seat to the car you'd almost looted yesterday, ushering you in. Gaz slipped around the other side. 

Not only were they making you sit in the back, but in the middle. It had been a solid year since you'd been on a car, but you remembered how awful it was to sit in the middle seat. 

The only big plus was that the big unfriendly guy was in the front. 

“That's Price,” Gaz told you. “And Ghost.” 

So the big mean guy was Ghost. Easier to avoid him when you knew his name. 

“I'd say nice to meet you but I generally don't say that to people who almost dislocate my shoulder,” you snarked. 

“Shouldn't have messed with the car.” Ghost didn't sound the least bit apologetic. Not that you expected him to. 

Big asshole, for sure. 

“Ye traveled a lot?” Soap interrupted, breaking Some of the tension. 

“Eh. As needed.” You shrugged, uncomfortable as your shoulders rubbed his and Gaz's. “More than I really wanted to. Hard to stay in one place with cannibals around.” 

“Cannibals? Really?” Gaz sounded mildly dubious. 

“Really. Not like food is aplenty out there. Lots of canned goods are gone.” 

“We grow a lot,” Gaz said, glancing at you. 

“Not us,” Soap added with a cheeky grin. “Cannae grow shite, us. But the rest of the town, aye. Got a good lot of skills between us all.” 

“But not a mechanic,” Price interjected. 

“Least I'll have job security,” you joked, leaning back in your seat, refusing to show how uncomfortable you really were with the two men pressed close like this. “At least until everything quits working.” 

“We'll find work for ye,” Soap assured you, grinning. “Plenty to go ‘round.” 

That was not as reassuring as he intended it to be, but you didn't say so. That would just be fucking stupid, and you liked to think you weren't fucking stupid. 

“How'd you end up here?” Gaz asked, expression open, hands relaxed in his lap. Oh, he was good. Could've gone into acting, this one. 

Sure, he was acting all nice, but that was absolutely an interrogation question. 

At least he was being nice, and not threatening to break anything. 

So you told him. The short version. How you'd traveled for a bit with people, ran into cannibals, escaped with your life, and had been running from zombies ever since. 

The end of the world had made most people absolutely bonkers.

All in all, it was a pretty gentle questioning. And you couldn't blame them, not if they really were taking you to a whole town full of people. 

Price finally parked the car about mid-afternoon, and you got out gingerly, stiff from sitting still for so long. You stretched out, groaning softly as your shoulders and upper back popped. 

Ghost stood to one side, watching you. You ignored him, even as you noted yet again just how fucking big he was.

Price invited you inside, leading the way to the house. It looked well kept, at least, windows all intact, a pile of wood just visible to one side. You stepped up into the house, not sure what to expect.

The mouth-watering smell of bread and some kind of stew was not it. 

You swallowed back the obscene sound you wanted to make at just the smell of real cooked food, and wandered further in. A woman in the kitchen turned to greet everyone, smile wide and warm. 

You hadn't seen anywhere so homey, so warm, since… Well. Before the zombies, for sure.

It rather astounded you how fast they folded you into the routine, showing you where to wash up, offering spare clothes, assigning you a seat at the table. Truth be told, it left you a little wrong footed, and you kept quiet through dinner. 

So did Ghost. 

Ghost was the one that showed you to the couch, told you you'd be staying there a few days. You didn't object, still too full and happy from a hot meal. 

If they ended up being cannibals… Well, you'd die full. That wouldn't be so terrible.

[mama2bears]

No Christmas Vacation Part 2 (Final)

Warning: suggestive, talk of sex, injury, 18+ only

A/N: So sorry for such a long time between updates. I had major writer's block on this one. I wrote and rewrote a few different ideas trying to find one that I could write the best.

Catch up with Part 1

Part 2

You stood next to Tyler as the boat sped across the water, a light mist spraying up. He had one hand on the wheel and another wrapped around your waist as he looked over at you laughing, “Isn't this great, Darling.”

“It is.” you stand up on your tiptoes brushing your lips against his.

“This looks like a good spot.” he flashed you his world famous grin as the boat slowed. The sun was just starting to set over the lake. Clouds were rolling in, but the lake was still calm with only a cool breeze blowing.

Tyler hopped up to the bow of the boat and dropped the anchor down before slowly making his way back to you, his eyes never leaving you and a devilish grin that he just couldn't hold back.

“What is that look for?” you asked, a small smile tugging at your lips.

“You're so beautiful.” he whispered, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you to his chest, “And I love you, Y/N...with all my heart. You are my life. You're my everything. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you.”

“I know.” you whispered, leaning your head against his chest, before looking up at him, locking your eyes with his, “I couldn't imagine my life without you.” you whisper. “I have never felt so loved and protected. I just...I don't know....I feel like we were meant to be or were lovers in another lifetime or something.”

“Maybe we were, Darling.” he kissed your neck softly. “You are all I'll ever need...all I'll ever want. You are my shelter in the storm.” and with that Tyler dropped to one knee and was holding a box with a ring up to you. The golden band held a single diamond that seemed to sparkle in the light of the setting sun. “Y/N...all I want for Christmas...and all I want for the rest of my life is for you to be by my side. I love you with everything I have. Will you marry me?”

Tears filled your eyes and Tyler's heart beat faster. Were those tears of joy?

“Yes Tyler...Yes I will marry you.” You smiled and left out a scream of delight when he stood and lifted you in the air, twirling you around.

“I love you.” he whispered, slipping the ring on your figure and capturing your lips in a deep passionate kiss.

“Shall we have a glass of wine to celebrate?” you offer, picking up the two wine glasses.

“Of course.” Tyler smiled softly at you, opening the cork on the wine and pouring some in each glass. He sat the wine bottle down and raised his glass to a toast, “To the first day of the rest of our lives together.” he leaned over and kissed you softly as you clicked the glasses together.

You leaned against Tyler's chest as he draped one arm around you, sipping wine and almost being lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the boat.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, causing both of you to sit up and take notice of the approaching weather. Dark clouds were building back towards the cabin, despite the last rays of sunlight still sinking down over the horizon to the front of you.

“We better head back.” you reluctantly stood up.

Tyler reached for his phone with a concerned look on his face. He didn't like the looks of the clouds or the sudden drop he felt in the pressure.

“We gotta go...but not to the cabin.” he stood quickly, dropping the phone.

“What's wrong?” you ask.

“Looks like a super cell...from the hook I am seeing there could be a tornado on the ground or soon to be on the ground near the cabin. We can't go back there right now. Get the life jackets and put one on, just in case.” he instructed, as he hurried to pull up the anchor.

You scramble to grab the life jackets from one of the seat storage areas, but after searching all the seating areas, you only found one. “Aren't there suppose to be life jackets for everyone? I'm just seeing one life jacket and the four blankets we brought.” you begin to panic. “How many are there suppose to be on here?”

“I don't know. I should have checked before we went out. I assumed they had several.” Tyler looked at you, “Put that on.”

“What about you?”

“Y/N...just do it. I'll be okay. I am not leaving your side anyhow.” his voice was stern.

You slipped the jacket on and held on, knowing it was pointless to argue right now.

“Look for a little cove or cave or a house...anything that we can shelter in.” he called.

Scanning the lake, you wiped the tears away that started falling. Why did it seem that if you and Tyler weren't chasing a storm, then the storm was chasing you.

“It'll be okay.” Tyler's heart broke at the tears he saw streaming down your face. He pulled you close to him and kissed the top of your head, “We've got this, it's going to be okay.” he promised. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” you whisper, hugging him. “Hey...there. It looks like a little cave or something.” you point to a little cove to the right that looked like it might open up to a cave.

Tyler turned the boat and ran it as close to shore as possible, jumping up to the bow he tossed down the anchor.

“Come on.” he took your hand and led you to the rear of the boat. “Stay here, let me get in and see how deep it is.” with that he jumped from the back, landing in about waist deep water.

“Take your shoes off, roll up your pants and come here. I am going to carry you to shore then I'll come back for the blankets.”

“I am perfectly fine to walk.” you protest.

“Listen to me, Darling. It's going to get cold tonight. It's suppose to snow. We will freeze to death out here if both of us have soaking wet clothes on. ONE of us has to get to wet, but we both don't. Now come here.”

“This is ridiculous.” you mutter, holding your shoes in one hand and pulling your pants up to the knees. You make your way to the the back of the boat and Tyler scoops you up in his arms, holding you as high above the water as possible, only your feet dipped into the cold water. Carefully he sets you down once you reach shore and takes your hand, leading you towards the cave.

“Think there's animals in there?” you asked concerned.

“Let's hope not.” Tyler enters first peering into the darkness. “HEY!” he yells and listens...not hearing any movement. “I can't see any father back.” he says, looking at the ground, “But I am not seeing tracks or any signs of an animal being here. Just wait right here for me. I am going to go get the blankets, then we'll go in.”

You nod, watching him hurry back into the freezing water. Suddenly he yelps out in pain and falls into the water, his head disappearing under the surface for a moment.

“TYLER!” you take off towards the water.

“I am okay...I am okay.” he calls, stumbling to his feet. “Stay by the cave. This storm is moving in quick!” he yells, masking the sharp pain that was running up his leg. He made his way as quickly as he could to the boat, hoisting himself up and grabbing the blankets and his cell phone.

You watched him carefully, concern etched on your face, seeing him favoring his right leg, seeing how he stumbled though the water, and was now limping back to you. Thunder cracked overhead and the rain began to pour down.

“You okay?” you ask, wrapping your arms around him.

“Yeah, fine.” he offered you a smile and wrapped his arm around your shoulder, “Let's move back into the cave a little more away from the wind and the rain.” He checked the phone for signal, not expecting to find any, but thankful the flashlight worked. Using the flashlight on his phone, Tyler shined a light around the small cave opening. It wasn't a very deep cave, but there also wasn't any animals. “This should give us enough shelter from the storm.” he said as the winds suddenly roared outside.

“Get down!” Tyler screamed, hearing the all too familiar freight train sound. He pushed you to the ground, and covered your body with is, using one hand to cover your head and the other to wrap around you. He was thankful you still had the life jacket on, hoping it would offer you more protection from any flying debris.

You felt small rocks and dirt rain down then a sudden rumble. Tyler tightened his grip on you and pressed his body closer to yours, trying to shield you from the falling rocks. Total blackness took over the cave as rocks fell in front of the opening, blocking it off.

Larger rocks started falling around you and you felt one of them land directly on your ankle and you let out a scream as pain shot though your leg. “You okay? What happened?” Tyler asked, his voice full of worry. You started to answer when something slammed into your head. You thought you heard Tyler yelp out in pain just before you passed out.

The large rock had smashed into Tyler's hand and he was sure it was broken, but right now he didn't care. “Y/N? Darling answer me!” he yelled, feeling you go limp under him. He was cursing himself for not doing a better job at shielding you. He should have had your head covered more. “Baby please I need you.” tears were streaming down his face. It was pitch dark in there, he couldn't tell what was wrong or how badly you were hurt.

As quickly as it started, it stopped. The roaring winds were gone, the rocks had stopped falling. All Tyler heard now was the distant rumble of thunder. Quickly he rolled off of you and checked for a pulse and breathing, sighing in relief finding a steady heartbeat and normal breathing. Running his hand across your face and down your body, he tried to determine where the injuries were. “Hang on baby.” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on your lips. “We're going to be okay. I promise.”

The cold damp air of the cave chilled him to the bone, and he knew with the falling temperatures and with snow in the forecast for tonight, it was only going to get worse. He quickly removed his wet clothes and then carefully worked to remove the life jacket and then got you undressed, using the life jacket as a pillow.

“Y/N, darling, wake up. Please.” he pleaded, gently brushing the hair out of your face. “I am going to find the blankets, then I'll be right back.”

It only took a moment to find the blankets a few feet away. Tyler didn't waste time looking for the cell phone. Right now, it was more important that he get you covered up and that you both stay as warm as possible. Tucking one blanket under you, he laid against you and wrapped the other three blankets around the both of you, then held you tightly against his chest, his chin resting on top of your head. “I love you baby. Please be okay. I need you.” he whispered, tears coming to his eyes.

Tyler drifted off to sleep, only be be awoken by the unmistakable howl of a wolf, right outside of the cave entrance.

“Ty?” you muttered.

“Y/N? I am right here, sweetheart.” he held you closer, brushing his hand against your cheek. “Where are you hurt?” he asked, his voice cracking, “I am sorry, I tried to shield you. I should have had your head covered more.”

“I am okay.” you assured him, “My head and ankle are hurting, but it's okay. I am okay.” you repeated, wrapping your arms around him. “Because of you...I am okay.” you kissed him softly...”But why are we naked?” you asked.

“Body heat. It's best for body to body heat to prevent hypothermia.” he explained.

Another howl filled the cave and you shivered in fear.

“I don't think they can get in.” Tyler said, “but let's move back against the cave wall. With our backs against the wall we could fend off any attack from the front.”

You nod, but the cave was so dark, you knew that neither of you could see the wolves if they got into the cave. There could be a pack right next to you now and you wouldn't know it. That thought, of something stalking you in the darkness filled you with fear. Tyler felt you trembling next to him and pulled you closer to him. “It's going to be okay.” he whispered.

You both stumbled across the cave floor. Tyler with his hurt leg and you with what you thought was a broken ankle made quite a pair, you were certain.

Once you reach the wall, Tyler lays a blanket across the ground. “You lay on the that, press your back against the wall..” he instructed.

“You okay?” you asked, “I noticed the limp in your step.”

“It's fine. My leg is just a little sore from where I fell in the lake.” Tyler brushed it off and positioned himself in front of you, pressing you between him and the cave wall then wrapped the blankets back around the both of you again. You wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your head against his back as he faced outward, ready to defend you against any danger that might enter the cave.

“I love you.” he whispered, wrapping his arms around yours and moving his body as close to yours as possible.

“I love you too.” you kiss the back of his neck softly and snuggle into him.

Within a few moments, you fell asleep.

* * * *

“Hello? Hello? Anyone in there?” You and Tyler both were startled awake by voices calling.

“Yes. In here. We're trapped.” you call.

“Hang on, we're working to get to you. How many? Anyone injured?”

“Two. My fiancee has a bad cut on his leg. I think I might have a broken ankle.”

Tyler turned to you, “you're ankle in broken? Y/N, why didn't you tell me when I asked you?”

“I didn't want to worry you. It's no big deal, really.” you say.

“She was knocked unconscious last night by a rock slide. She might also have a head injury.” Tyler informed them.

You could hear workers on the outside moving rocks away, “We're almost to you. Get back, as far against the cave wall as possible, just in case these rocks start falling when we move them.”

Tyler presses his body against yours as the rocks are pushed away and crumble to the ground, making a small opening on the top.

Lights fill the cave as a man climbs in, “Ready to get out of here?” he asks with a smile.

“Sure are.” Tyler stands and helps you to your feet, making sure the blanket stays wrapped around you. He scoops you up in his arms, buckling a little as the pain shot up his leg. His hand sent waves of pain though his arm so he supported you with his arm instead.

“Ty, put me down. I can walk.” you protested.

“I got ya. I don't want you hurting your ankle worse.” he held you close to his chest and then handled you up to the rescue workers. Tyler tried to climb the uneven rocks, once you were out, but he couldn't get a good footing with his hurt leg and broken hand.

The bright sunlight hurt your eyes at first. Finally as your eyes adjusted, you took in the scene around you. The boat you were on was crushed and pushed ashore, trees were down everywhere, and about six inches of snow was on the ground. You shivered against the cold and rescue workers were there, wrapping a warm blanket around you, offering you hot chocolate and bringing a stretcher over for you to lay on.

“Tyler?” you stood and waited for him to come out of the same area as you did. “What's taking so long?” you ask, fear building.

“The rocks are unsteady. He's having trouble climbing up. His leg is weak and I think his hand is broken, so he's not able to get a good grip. We're putting down a rope for him to tie himself onto, but we gotta move slow as to not cause the rocks to collapse and bury him.” A rescue worker explained to you.

“TYLER!” you yell, trying to make your way back up the rock slide.

“Y/N, It's okay. I am going to be okay. It's just going to take a minute.” he called. “I love you. Go on with them. Go to the hospital. I'll be there soon.”

“I am not leaving without him.” you glared at the rescue worker who tried to help you back to the stretcher.

“At least have a seat so your bare feet aren't in the snow.” he tried to reason. “We'll let you stay here until we get him out.”

You nod, sitting down on the stretcher and covering your feet with the warm blanket.

“Can't you give Tyler a warm blanket too and some coco to help keep him warm?” you ask.

“We're going to have him out in just a moment.” the rescuer said and walked away.

Suddenly, there was a rumble and the rescuers were yelling. “Sir, can you hear me?” they were calling down into the hole that they pulled you out of.

You stand up and hobble over to the entrance to the cave, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around you and still holding the hot coco mug. “What happened?” you ask.

“Part of the wall inside collapsed.” one of them tell you.

“Tyler? You okay?” you call, your heart racing when you didn't receive a response. You scramble up the rocks ignoring the pain in your ankle.

“Miss, you can't be up here. The whole thing can collapse.” a rescuer tried to push you away but you shoved against him. “I am going back in there to help him.” you seethed, “Get out of my way!”

“Ty?” you call into the hole, still not getting a response. You slide down yelping out in pain as you land hard on your ankle.

You instantly spot him, face down in the dirt, partly covered by the rocks and dirt. “Tyler..” you rush to his side, brushing the dirt away from his face and cradling his head in your lap. He takes a deep breath and starts coughing. “Y/N?” he forces his eyes open and looks at you in confusion. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice weak and raspy.

“Are you two okay?” one of the rescuers yelled.

“I came back for you. They said there was a rock slide.” you felt the tears rolling down you cheeks. “If I didn't....you would...Ty, you were buried under the dirt..I..” you broke down in sobs, realizing just how close you came to losing him.

“It's okay. I am okay.” he slowly sits up and wraps his strong arms around you, holding you close. “I wish you didn't come back in. You were safe.” he muttered.

“If I didn't come back in you would have died, Tyler. You were going to suffocated in that dirt before they ever got to you.” you cried. “How could you say you wish I didn't come back in. Do you know what it would do to me if I lost you?”

“I am sorry, Darling. You saved my life and I am so thankful and grateful for that, but I don't ever want you putting yourself in danger for me. It would kill me if something happened to you, especially if you got hurt on my account.” he kissed you gently and you saw the tears in his own eyes. “I love you, Y/N. With all of my heart. Please though, please don't risk your life for me.”

“Hello? Is everyone okay?” The rescuer yelled again.

“Just figure out how to get us out of here!” you snap at the rescuer, then turned back to Tyler. “I wasn't leavening you alone in here and hurt.” tears rolled down you cheeks, “When they couldn't get an answer from you...no one was going to keep me out of here. You are always putting yourself in danger for me. I will always do the same for you.”

Tyler hugged you close to him, tears in his own eyes. “I love having you next to me, but I wish you had stayed where it was safe.”

“But then, you wouldn't be here now.” you whispered, resting your head against his chest, “and that in itself would have killed me.”

He held you tightly to his chest, thanking the God above that you two were together, and safe. “How much longer up there?” he called to the rescuers.

“We're going to be digging this whole slide out. Move as far back as possible and stay there. It's going to be a lot of noise and falling rocks.” the rescuer yelled.

Tyler stood and helped you to your feet and you both hobbled best you could to the far wall. He covered your body with his and pressed you against the wall as the wall blocking the entrance crumbled.

After several moments, the rescuers were running to you, having cleared the entrance enough to walk out of. “You guys okay?” he asked.

Tyler looked at you and smiled, taking your hand in his. “We're okay.” he smiled, keeping you close as you both walked out of the cave and to the waiting ambulances.

“I love you.” he whispered, kissing you softly,

“I love you too.” you whisper against his lips, “Once we get released from the hospital, wanna build a snow man?”

He grinned, “Of course I do. Then, I think we should head home and give everyone the good news.” he said, kissing the ring on your figure.

**** THE END****

[bteezxyewriter12]

Kryptonite

Pairing- Seonghwa x Named Reader

Word count- 6.6k

Includes- Lots of angst, Seonghwa's is a dick at first, blow job, pussy eating, cum eating, missionary, sex from behind, multiple orgasms, fluff

Tag List- @mingtina @jaxminnie @yeosayang @delightfulmoonbanana @tannie13 @y00nzin0 @marsstarxhwa

@yeosxxx @seokwoosmole @jjongsbebe @wisejudgedragonhairdo @meowmeowminnie @woo-stars @borntowalkaway @usagionthered @san-realblkwife @seonghwasstar @jejeyeppeo @soulseobi05 @kpop-bambi @prayerofthehaim @realisticnotes @insomniacatiny @stephy-nicole13 @mknae-jongho @bykeynote @amyz78 @blueie-things

Masterlists- check out for more fics

📝Masterlists 📝ATEEZ Masterlist 📝Seonghwa Masterlist

J POV

Opening her hotel room door, she meets his gaze

He steps in, closing the door, moving closer to her

"Seonghwa", she whispers, shaking her head

"I need you", he says, leaning his head down, his lips pressing a kiss to her neck

No he doesn't

He's made that clear

He just needs her to get off

Guess that new staff member he was kissing and flirting with backstage all night turned him down

Or else he wouldn't be here

"No Hwa. I can't", she murmurs, his kisses feeling so good

But she doesn't want to give in

Not again

Not when she cares so much but he doesn't at all

"Please jagi", he mutters, his arms moving around her waist, his lips against her jaw, "I'll make you feel good. You know I will"

She feels her resolve withering

And she knows that as soon he kisses her lips...

She's going to give in

Because he's her weakness

Her kryptonite

He turns her head to him, his lips giving her a searing kiss that bursts her whole body on fire

She melts in to him, her arms sliding up his chest to wrap around his neck

Her fingers go in the back of his hair, gripping the strands not in his ponytail as the kiss deepens, his tongue in her mouth, playing with hers

She whimpers against his lips, the kiss consuming her

His hands slide under her shirt, his fingers leaving fire across her skin as he pulls her shirt up

He breaks the kiss, pulling her shirt up and off, his hands moving around her to undo her bra

"Jagi", he murmurs, kissing her neck again, his hands pulling her bra off, "Can I have your pretty mouth baby?"

"Yeah", she whimpers, his hands groping her boobs, his thumbs rubbing over her hard nipples

"Please baby", he groans, kissing her lips again

Her hands untangle from his hair, sliding down his hard muscular body, to his belt, undoing it

She gets his jeans open, then slides her hands under his boxers pushing them and his jeans down

He kicks everything off as the kiss ends

She looks in his eyes, seeing only lust

Her heart hurts but still, she goes down on her knees

His cock is huge, so thick and so hard, leaking cum

She presses kisses along his hard cock, her tongue poking out and licking as she moves

"Yes jagi, fuck", he moans

When she gets to his head, she presses her tongue to the tip, licking and tasting his cum

She doesn't know how Seonghwa's cum tastes so good but it does

She's blown other guys before and none have tasted like his

She's never craved cum like she craves his

Her tongue licks over and over, switching between swirling it around his head and pressing into his slit for more cum

"Baby, don't tease. Not tonight", he whines, "Suck my cock"

Listening, she wraps her lips around his head and sucks

He moans louder and louder as she continues to suck, taking more and more of him in

His cock stretches her mouth, feeling heavy on her tongue but she enjoys blowing him

She loves how he tastes, how soft his skin feels, how hard his cock is when it's in her throat

She loves choking on his dick, loves hearing him moan and cry out in pleasure

She's always been all about him

In everyway possible

And he was like that when they first started dating

She doesn't know when that changes and right now she doesn't want to think about it

Sliding further down his cock, she takes him all in, choking and gagging around his thick length

"Fuck, good girl baby", he groans, "Fuck that throat feels so good"

Holding onto his hips, she pulls back off his cock just a little bit before sliding back down, taking him fully again

She bobs her head over and over, pulling back farther and farther on his cock as she moves

Tears fill her eyes, the feel of his cock opening her throat something she enjoys

And he definitely likes it

Moving down to his head, she sucks on him rapidly, breathing in, his cock a mess of her spit

"Yes, jagi, yes", he murmurs, his hands moving in her hair, gripping the strands hard

She slides back down his cock, bottoming him out, sucking on his entire shaft before bobbing again

Her watery eyes lift up to find him watching her, pleasure all over his gorgeous features

She moves faster, fucking her throat on his dick, feeling him throb faster and faster

"Good girl. Keep going", he urges her, "Suck my cock just like that. Yeah baby"

She knows exactly how he likes to be sucked off and she does that way every time

She knows she gives him the best blowjobs

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum", he grunts, "Gonna swallow it all for me?"

She nods eagerly, moving up and down his cock faster, harder, her jaw aching but she'll be damned if she stops

His cock throbs quickly, his sweet cum shooting down her throat as he burying his whole length in her mouth

"Joanne, yes baby", he cries, pulling her hair

She watches the utterly gorgeous sight of him coming as she swallows on his shaft over and over, making sure to milk his cock for all his cum

When he finishes, he pull her off him and she sits back on her heels, swallowing and breathing hard

She wipes her mouth and her eyes before looking back up at him

He holds his hands out for hers

She takes his and he pulls her up

"Get on the bed", he murmurs

She obeys, sitting on it, watching him pull his shirt off

She oogles his beautiful body, his chest muscles defined, his abs chiseled into his skin

He's been working out more and it's paying off

He moves to her, pushing her back on the bed, her pj shorts and panties ripped off her

He moves over her, his lips crashing to hers, kissing her hungrily

His hands spread her legs wide open, his fingers already touching her cunt

"Fuck", he groans into the kiss, "So wet for me already"

"Mmmm", she whimpers

Of course she's wet for him

He's everything to her

His fingers slide deeply into her, her pussy clenching around them right away

"Sucking my cock makes you this wet?"

She nods

Yes it does

And knows that very well

He pumps his fingers in and out, her body shivering with pleasure

She feels him smirking into the kiss and she knows that he loves the effect he has on her

He used to lovingly tease her all the time about how much she wanted him, about how her body reacted to him

And how lucky he was that she was his

Now he just uses her for sex

It's always rough sex, him leaving right after he cums

It hurts her but she's a fool for him

His fingers leave her and she's rolled over to her stomach

"Up jagi", he grunts, his arm around her waist, pulling her up

She moves to her hand and knees, feeling him get behind her

His cock pushes into her slowly, pleasure running up her spine as he groans

"Yes baby fuck", he moans, his thick cock stretching her hole wide open, "Fuck, this pussy is the best"

Her fingers grip the sheet of the bed hard, her pussy pulling his cock inside her as he slips in, drenching him

It feels so good

He bottoms out, groaning loudly, his hands gripping her waist hard

His head is nestled against her spot, her cunt locked down on him, throbbing

Even though he's so big, he fits perfectly inside her

Like he was meant for her

He pulls his hips back, the drag of his cock feeling so incredible it makes her body shiver

"Fuck, you feel so fucking good", he groans, thrusting back inside hard

He bottoms out, his head slamming her spot, her pussy splittling open for him

After that one thrust, he begins his harsh, fast pace, fucking her into the bed

She moans letting the pleasure of his cock inside her take over

He's so fucking big, so fucking hard, so thick, he's almost too big for her

Almost

"Yes fuck, good pussy", he murmurs, his skin slamming into her, her spot getting destroyed on his cock, each pound getting her wetter and wetter

"Fuck, look at that cream pouring from that hole", he murmurs, "My cock makes you so fucking wet. Bet no other cock does that to your pussy"

"No", she whimpers, shaking her head

He's right about that

No other guy has made her this wet, has made sex feel anywhere near this good

He continues to fuck her mercilessly, his grip on her hips so tight, her pussy making a loud wet squelching sound when his cock buries inside her

Bliss is taking over her body, her mind turning on as he brings her right there

"Oh baby's gonna cum", he murmurs, "Pussy got so fucking tight. C'mon slut, cum for my cock"

He thrusts in, throwing her into a intense orgasm, pleasure coursing through her

"Seonghwa", she cries as he keeps moving, fucking into her coming pussy

"That's fucking right. Yell my name. Louder", he grunts, slapping her ass

"Seonghwa", she yells louder, her arms shaking as they struggle to hold her up

"I'm not done with your pussy yet", he growls, somehow fucking her even harder than before

Each powerful stroke moves her up the bed and he has to keep pulling her back down towards him every time he pulls back

Tears of ecstacy are pouring down her face, every nerve, every atom in her body awake and in pleasure

He groans as her pussy clenches and throbs around him, wanting to keep him inside

His hand moves to her clit, pressing into it and rubbing it in quick circles

"Seonghwa!", she screams, stars blasting in her vision as complete bliss blankets her body

She doesn't know which way is up, all she knows is she wants to cum on him

"Yes my little cum slut", he murmurs, his fingers and cock working together to bring her as much pleasure as she can take, "So close. God, you're so fucking tight. Cum for my cock so I can unload in your pretty pussy"

"Sss..Hwa..", she chokes out, her body shuddering violently as her orgasm consumes her

She feels as if she's floating away, her head in the clouds as she squirts all over him

"Yes, fuck yes. God, your pussy is the fucking best", he praises

She doesn't even have time to come down from her orgasm when he's already pulling out

He flips her on her back, his cock thrusting back inside her, his pace brutal, his cock plunging in deep

His hands land on either side of her head, his body over hers, panting, his eyes closed

She looks up at him, her heart stopping at how gorgeous he looks

His face in pleasure, his hair wet with sweat

He's perfect

She can't help herself, she reaches up, touching his cheek softly, his eyes opening, gazing down at her

"Say it", he says, his hips not missing a stroke

She knows what he wants to hear

Although she doesn't know why he wants to hear only it during sex

The one time she said it to him, when they were cuddling on the couch, he stayed silent

And the next day he broke up with her

"I love you", she says softly, him groaning, his hips thrusting sloppily into hers

"Again", he murmurs, his cock pulsing inside her

He told her he didn't feel that way for her

That he didn't want a serious relationship like that right now

He wasn't ready and he didn't want to commit to her

She knew it was too good to be true

Why would an idol fall for his stylist, a staff member?

He wouldn't

He broke her heart, left her crying

And one week later, he was flirting with one of the makeup artists

And that same day, she found him making out with said makeup artist, effectively shattering the rest of her broken heart

He came to her a week after that for sex

She said no

But he came back again and stupidly she agreed

And that's how it's been for the last four months

Only recently he's been asking her to say it

Tell him something he didn't want to hear before

Something he still doesn't want to hear outside of sex

Something he just wants to hear that, for some reason, makes him cum

"I love you Seonghwa"

"Fuck", he shouts, sheathing his cock in her pussy, his warm cum filling her up

His body shakes on top of hers as she watches the utterly ethereal sight of him coming

As soon as he finishes, he pulls out and rolls off her

She watches as he lays on his back, looking up at the ceiling as he gets his breath under control

She knows what's coming

After a minute, he gets up and begins putting his boxers on, followed by his jeans

She sits up, watching him

"You're not staying?", she asks quietly, although she doesn't know why she keeps asking

It's the same answer every time

"I can't. I have some stuff to do", he says as he finishes dressing

She just nods because what can she say?

Nothing

"But thanks for this", he says, looking at his phone, not paying any attention to her, "It was great"

She doesn't bother answering as he turns away, heading towards the door, completely ignoring her

And just as swiftly as he came, he leaves

Tears well up in her eyes but she hastily wipes them away

She gets up from the bed going to the bathroom to clean up

After, she looks at the mirror, at herself and she doesn't like what she sees

A sad, heartbroken girl with tears streaming down her face

A girl who lets the guy she loves use her

'Not anymore', she thinks

She won't let him do this again

He can't have her body when he doesn't want the rest of her

When he doesn't want her love

No more

She has to fight her kryptonite

🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉

One month later

Seonghwa POV

He stares at her from across the dressing room, watching her smile and flirt with that guy

One of the male stylists, Hak-Kun

He hates when she smiles at Hak-Kun, when she speaks to him, when she's around him

Because he doesn't know what they are to each other

All he knows is that she stopped sleeping with him

After the last time they fucked, he went to her room the next night

This time she only cracked the door open a little

And when he asked, she told him no

He was shocked to say the least

He asked her why and she told him that she's not going to let him use her anymore

Then she closed the door in his face

He was surprised but he also decided to give her some space

After all, she refused to sleep with him after he broke up with her but she came around

He figured the same thing would happen

But he was wrong

He left her alone for three weeks and in the mean time he did fuck other girls

But none do it for him like she does

Which is why he kept coming back to her in the first place

After three weeks passed, he wanted her, he felt like he couldn't stay away from her and he decided to ask her to sleep with him again

They were doing a photo shoot and he went looking for her on his break

And he couldn't believe what he found

Hak-Kun holding her against the wall, her arms and legs around him, her pretty moans sounding in the room they were in

He knows what they were doing based on her moans

He had made her moan the same way so many times

And he was so shocked at what he was feeling when he saw them

Jealousy

And hurt

Complete utter heartbreak

He ran away, to the bathroom and once he got there he burst into tears

He didn't know what the hell was wrong with him

Why he was crying

He didn't cry when he broke up with her but he's crying at seeing her with another guy?

What the hell?

But he realized what it was when he walked into the main dressing room later that same day and saw her sitting on Hak-Kun's lap, laughing at something he was saying, his fingers playing with her long hair

Love

He's completely and totally in love with her

It hit him like a mack truck and he wondered how he could of been so stupid

How he didn't see it

And the utter fear that he lost her smacked him in the face

He had Hongjoong find out about her and Hak-Kun

Apparently her and Hak-Kun aren't dating because she doesn't want to be in a relationship

They're just hanging out with the occasional sleeping together

For now

But he knows that Hak-Kun is exactly her type

Muscular, long hair in a ponytail, tall, kinda like him

But Hak-Kun has tattoos

And piercings

And that's her thing

She told him that before they started dating, when they were just friends

She's got a thing for guys with tattoos and piercings

Hak-Kun's got everything she'd want

And apparently, according to her from what Hongjoong said, Hak-Kun is sweet, caring and hilarious

But Hak-Kun can't have her

Not while he's around

Because he will do anything to have her back

Beg, grovel, anything

He will fight for her

And he knows that if he gets her back, he will never let her go again

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

He shifts from foot to foot, waiting for her to open the door to her apartment

He's terrified that she won't listen to him, that she won't talk to him

And he's deserve it

After what he said to her when he broke up with her, then coming to her for sex knowing he wasn't going to get back with her, he deserves her slamming the door in his face

The door unlocks and she opens it, her eyes widening when she sees it him

"Jo"

"Why are you here Seonghwa?", she asks

"Please, I just-"

"Seonghwa, no", she shakes her head, "I already told you no"

He shakes his head, stepping into her apartment and she lets him, "That's not what I want jagi. I'm not here for that"

She raises her eyebrow, looking at him skeptically, as he closes her door, "You're not here for sex?"

He shakes his head

"Then what do you want?"

"You", he says softly

"Seonghwa-", she sighs, backing away from him

And my god it hurts so much

"Please jagi-"

"Seonghwa...you have to stop calling me that"

Tears well up in his eyes, as he chokes out, "I can't. You're my jagi"

"No I'm not Seonghwa. You-"

"I was wrong", he says, moving closer to her and thanking his lucky stars when she doesn't move away from him, "I was wrong about everything Jo"

"I...I don't understand what you're trying to say Seonghwa. What were you wrong about?", she asks confused

He reaches out and takes her hand, her eyes widening, "I was wrong about us"

"What?", she whispers

"I love you", he finally says

Her mouth drops as she stares at him in utter shock

"Please Jo, I love you", he says, moving his fingers in her hair, looking down in her eyes, "I love you so much. I was so wrong when I said I didn't love you. I do"

"How? What? When? How?", she stammers

"I saw you...with Hak-Kun...in an empty dressing room"

"Oh my god!", she exclaims, her hand moving over her mouth

"I didn't mean to. I went to look for you. I wanted to talk to you. And I saw....", he trails off, "And what I felt surprised me"

"What you felt?"

"I was heartbroken jagi. It hurt so much to see you with him", he explains, "And then when I saw you sitting with him in the dressing room, I just....I felt it. Or more like I realized what I felt. I love you"

She lets go of his hand, backing away from him and it's a knife to his heart

"You realized...after....you saw me with someone else? After I had to see you with other girls? How is that fair?", she whispers, her eyes pooling with tears

It's not fair

It's not fair that she saw him kissing other girls or that he blatantly flirted in front of her

He was a complete asshole and it's not fair that he comes to her now

But he hopes she can forgive him

"I'm sorry jagi", he whispers, tears running down his face, "I'm sorry for hurting you. I was so stupid, so blind. I'm sorry it took seeing you with someone else to get me to realize my feelings. But I love you so much and I've always loved you"

"Why are you telling me this?", she asks, tears falling from her eyes, "Why now? What do you want?"

"You. I want to be with you. Please I...I want to come back"

"What?", she gasps, sobbing, "Now you want to come back? After you broke my heart? After you flirted and made out with girls in front of me? After you fucked other girls? After you used me for sex?"

"I'm sorry. Please, give me a chance to make everything up to you. I swear I will"

She shakes her head, his heart dropping to his feet

"Seonghwa, this...this is a lot. How do I know you won't wake up tomorrow and decide that everything you're saying now is wrong? That you changed your mind? Again"

"I won't", he begs, trying to assure her, "I know I'm in love with you Jo. I know I want you. I know that I, all of me, is yours. Only yours. And I swear that I will show you every single day how much I love you. Just please, take me back. Please"

He looks at her through watery eyes, hoping and praying he can get a second chance

And he swears, if he does, he's going to love her for the rest of his life

Her tearful eyes move to his, wariness in her face, "If...if I let you come back, you...you can't leave again"

He nods, hoping rising in his chest

"You can't just love me then stop. I can't handle that. I love you, I always loved you and you...you can't hurt me again", she whispers, the tears falling, "You just can't"

"I won't", he promises

"You can't flirt with any girls"

"Never", he assures her

"You have to be sure. Sure you want this, sure you want a relationship like this. A serious relationship. One that means something. You can't run away again"

"I am sure Jo", he swears, "I want a relationship like this, one with love but only with you. I don't want it with anyone else. I won't have one with anyone else. Just you. I swear"

She breathes out a long breath then nods through tears, "Ok Seonghwa"

"Ok?", he repeats, hopefully, "We...we can be together?"

"Yes"

He launches himself at her the second her word sinks in, hugging her tightly, her face buried in his neck

Her body shakes as she cries and he just holds her, thankful she's his again

"Jagi", he whispers, tears of relief and happiness falling down his face, "I love you"

"I love you Seonghwa", she sobs, "Don't hurt me Hwa"

"I won't baby, I swear", he promises, "Never ever again"

"Promise?"

"I promise, I swear", he murmurs

That's a promise he will definitely keep

He lifts her face to his then leans down, capturing her lips in a kiss that he pours all his love into

He can feel her love too and he swears that he will do everything to be worthy of that love

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

Seonghwa POV

Kissing her neck, I drag my lips down her body to her boobs, where I suck hard on her nipple

"Fuck Seonghwa!", she cries

After that one kiss, we couldn't stop and ended up in bed together

But this time is different

I'm not using her this time

This time I'm being with her and I'm going to be the one to shower her in love

Licking her nipple, I squeeze her other breasts, pulling at her nipple ring with my fingers

God, I missed having any part of her in my mouth

But I really want her pussy in my mouth

I fucking miss eating her out

I will but first I'm gonna go slow, give her as much pleasure as I can

I kiss her again and touch her in between her legs feeling how soaked she is

"Fuck jagi", I moan, "I make you this way?"

"Yes Seonghwa. Fuck, you always make me like this"

I really really like that

Kissing her neck, I move my hand on her, playing with her clit

"Jesus", she moans

Her reactions to me are fucking amazing

Sliding my hand lower, I slide three fingers inside her, loving how she feels

"Seonghwa fuck!", she cries, shuddering

I laugh a little at her reaction, smirking against her neck

I slowly move my fingers in and out, pick up speed with every thrust

"Yes baby, god", she whimpers

Putting my thumb on her clit, I rub it while I fuck her with my fingers

"Seonghwa shit"

Kissing her neck, I whisper in her ear, "I know what my baby likes"

She nods, lost in pleasure

"I know my girl's body, I know how to make my girl cum so good"

"Yyyy....yeah. Yyy.... You do", she gets out

"I'm going to make my girl cum so much. You want that?", I ask

She nods her head rapidly, "Yes"

Moving down, I suck on her nipple and move my fingers faster, feeling her throbbing harder and harder

She's right there

Sucking harder on her nipple, she screams loudly as I slam my fingers in and flick her clit

"Seonghwa!", she shouts, coming hard

Letting go of her nipple, I move back to her ear

"Good baby. Again", I demand, keeping up the pace at which I'm moving my fingers

"Hwa", she whines

"Feels good baby?"

"Yes Fuck yes!"

I keep going, working her up again until she's ready

"Cum for me baby girl", I whisper

"Ohhhhhh", she whimpers, orgasming again

God, she's so fucking beautiful

"Good girl", I praise, kissing her cheek, "My good girl"

I pull my fingers out while she breathes hard, her eyes closed

I immediately put my fingers in my mouth, sucking her off them and moaning from how good she is

I need my mouth on her

Now

"Baby", I call, nuzzling in her neck

"Hmmmm?"

"I need you in my mouth"

"Wwww...what?", she breathes

"I need to eat you out baby. I need to feel you on my tongue. I need to suck on your clit jagi. I need to taste you"

"Fuck Hwa"

"Can you let me?"

"Yyy... yes"

I sit up immediately, opening her legs wide and laying down between them

Not wasting any time, I run my tongue up her pussy, moaning as I taste her again, holding her legs open

How did I ever stay away from her?

How did I ever think anyone would taste better than her?

I was a fucking idiot

She shivers against my tongue and under my fingers

Moving my tongue quickly, she gets even more wet

I can't hold back anymore and I latch my lips to her clit and start sucking

She screams in pleasure while I moan from how good it feels in my mouth

Her clit gets hard in my mouth and I absolutely love it

Letting go, I lick her clit to get her more wet, then suck on it again, pulling on her hard

"Ssss... Seonghwa", she groans

Sliding my fingers inside her to see how close she is, I suck faster and harder when I feel she's right there

Pulling my fingers out, I lick up her pussy slowly before sucking hard, fast on her clit

"Fuck Seonghwa!", she screams, coming in my mouth

I run my tongue by her entrance, licking her cum and swallowing

God fuck, she's the best thing I ever tasted

Maybe I'm crazy for thinking that but I can never get enough of her cum

When she finishes, I keep licking her, up and down

Her hands slide in my hair, pulling hard

"Give me more baby", I request

"Yeah baby"

I get ridiculously happy hearing that

Licking her faster, I grip her thighs, moving her along my mouth

"Baby", she moans

"Fuck, my mouth baby girl. I want it so much"

She thrusts her hips, pushing her pussy in my mouth right as Iick her, making me moan loudly

God, I love this

One of her hands move to grip my wrist that's on her hip while the other is still pulling my hair

She keeps moving, fucking my mouth at a steady pace while I slip my tongue in and out of her

"Hwannie!", she yells

"Gonna cum baby girl?"

"Yes Hwa. Fuck I'm gonna cum"

"Good girl"

My tongue flies inside her pussy, her breathing getting louder

"Seonghwa!", she cries, holding my head against her as she explodes again

God I can never get enough of her

I pull away, licking my lips

I need more

Christ, I'm like a fucking junkie

But I'm fine with it, I want to be addicted to her

My eyes land on her clit, watching it throb hard

I love when her clit does that

She's really horny when that happens

I put my mouth back on it and she inhales

"Baby-" she starts

"Please jagi. I need it. Your clit is throbbing and begging me to suck it. Please", I beg

She looks down at me, running her fingers in my hair

"Ok baby"

I smile at her, kiss her inner thigh then wrapping my lips around her clit again

She throbs against my lips, making me so much more horny than before

I suck on her slowly this time, just loving the feeling of her in my mouth

Fuck, I have some kind of fixation or obsession with her clit

I just love it

As I keep going, she moans louder and louder

Her body trembles, whimpering my name as I drag her orgasm from her

When she finishes, I slowly trail kisses up her body

Her skin shivers against my lips at every kiss, making me smile against her

"Baby's so sensitive?"

"Mmm hmm", she nods

When I get to her lips, l kiss her, putting my hand on the back of her neck, into her hair, laying next to her

She kisses me back and I love every second her lips are on mine

She runs her fingers up and down my back, her touch sending shivers down my back

It happens every time

Our kisses become more desperate, her tongue against mine, turning me on so much

I need to be inside her

I need it

"Please", I whisper in her ear

She kisses me again and opens her legs for me

Moving on top of her, I slide inside slowly and my whole body shakes from finally feeling her around me again

She moans loudly, her body pressing right against mine

She feels fucking amazing

It feels right

"Fuck", I moan, my forehead against hers, "My girl is always so tight and wet for me"

She whimpers, holding me close to her

I can't move

Not yet or I'm going to cum right away

"I...I... can't yet", I tell her, my body still trembling

"It's ok", she says softly, "You can stay as long as you want"

Fuck, I love her

As I lay with her, I get the overwhelming feeling I'm back where I belong

With her

My jagi

God, I was a fucking moron

Once I'm calmed, I start moving, slowly at first

Her body shakes under me and god I missed that so much

"Fuck, I missed you", I whisper, kissing her jaw, then trailing kisses along her neck

"I missed you Seonghwa. So much"

I'm so fucking happy she missed me

I'm still scared that she wants Hak-Kun

That she's just agreeing to be with me this time

I move just a bit faster and harder

I don't want to go wild right now

I want to show her how much I love her

"I love you", I tell her, looking into her eyes, "I love you so much"

It's my turn to tell her I love her

And I will never stop saying it

"I love you Seonghwa", she says, my heart bursting with joy

She holds on to me tightly as I kiss her, running her hands up and down my back

I miss her touch and she's sending chills up my spine that feel so good

Her hips start moving, meeting my movements, making me moan loudly

She looks at me so lovingly and I feel so guilty for what I did to her

"I'm sorry jagi", I whisper, touching her cheek softly

"Www....what?", she stutters

"I'm sorry. I was so fucking stupid jagi. I'm sorry I didn't see, didn't notice sooner"

She stops moving and I do too, staying inside of her

"Hwa what are you talking about?"

"I love you so much. I'm so sorry I didn't see it sooner. I had everything I could ever want right in front of me and I was too stupid to notice. It's always been you. I was so stupid to think anyone but you could make me feel like you can. I'm sorry. You're the only one who can make me feel this way"

"It's ok Seonghwa", she says softly

I shake my head

It's not ok

I hurt her and I hate that I did

"I'm sorry jagi, but I promise to make it up to you. Ok?"

She shakes her head, "No baby you don't have to. I just want you to love me"

"I do love you Jo. I love you so much"

"That's all I need", she whispers

Fuck she's an amazing girl

And she's mine

She moves up, her lips on mine and arms around my neck, pulling me down on top of her

I melt into her kiss, sliding my tongue in her mouth and touching hers

She moans and that makes me hard again inside her

Still kissing her, I start to move again, just getting lost in the feel of her

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

J POV

Oh my god, he loves me

I've never been happier in my life

He came to me and told me he wants me on his own

He apologized over and over and while it did hurt, I'm going to move past it

As long as he loves me and doesn't leave me again, we will be fine

He's everything I ever wanted and I got him back

He thrust in again, pleasure filling my body

He already gave me so much and wants to give me more

I'm so good with it

He thrusts harder and faster, feeling so good going in and out of

He kisses me, making me melt against him, his kisses everything

"Please jagi, cum on my cock", he begs

Holy fuck, he's getting me so close

He thrusts into my spot again, making me yell and pleasure hitting me everywhere

"C'mon baby girl. Don't you like my cock inside you?"

"Mmm", I whimper, "I love it baby"

He keeps pounding into my spot, making stars burst in my eyes

"Then show me how much you love me inside you. Cum on me"

"Fuck!", I scream, coming hard, my body arching into his and shaking hard

"Seonghwa!"

He wraps his arm around my back, holding me against him and holding us up on one hand, getting on his knees

"Yes, oh shit jagi, yes!", he cries, fucking me harder through my orgasm, "So good"

I cling on to him as I ride the waves of pleasure, my mind blank

When I finish, he moans, "No baby, again. More I need more"

I don't know how I can want more but I do

It's because it's him

I know it is

He slams into my spot, making me shiver as bliss blasts in my body

"Seonghwa!"

"Yes baby. Fuck, I know where my baby loves to be fucked."

He really really does

"I know my girl's spot, I can always find it and give it to you good"

"Yes Hwa", I moan

His hand moves to my ass, squeezing hard, his arm still around me, holding me tightly

And he's still holding us up on the bed with one hand

Goddamn it he's fucking strong and it turns me on so much more, the next pound in makes me scream his name, clenching so hard around him, shaking against his body

"Mmmm my girl feels so fucking amazing"

He kisses me as he still thrusts hard into me, the utter wet sound of his cock sinking into me loud and erotic

God, he feels so fucking good and he's going so hard

I love it

I want him to go harder

"Harder Hwannie", I cry, "Harder baby"

"Harder jagi?", he smirks

I nod my head rapidly

"Anything for you my love", he whispers

Happiness swells in my body hearing him call me that

He actually moves harder, ramming his cock so deep and hard inside me, I feel him in my stomach

God, it feels incredible

He thrusts a few times before I snap, ecstacy tidal waving over me

"Seonghwa!", I scream at the top of my lungs, my orgasm hitting me so hard, "Seonghwa!"

"Fuck baby, Joanne!", he screams, his arm giving out

We crash into the bed, him on top of me, his head buried in my neck as he screams, coming and shaking in my arms, his warm cum spilling into me

His hand grips my hip so fucking hard but I don't care

"Seonghwa!", I shout, feeling so fucking good, I don't know which way is up

"Oh my fucking god!", he cries, "You feel so good. Baby you feel so good"

I can't answer, I can only feel

When I finish and come back to my senses, I realize that I have my nails buried in Seonghwa's upper arm

He still hasn't lifted his head up from my neck, just laying on top of me breathing hard

We're both sweaty but I don't care

I still want him against me

Letting go of his arm, I wrap my arms around him, playing with the hair at the back of his head

His hand lets go of my hip, wrapping around my body instead

I close my eyes, holding the love of my life

"I love you", he whisper

"I love you l", I answer

He lifts his head up, looking in my eyes, his hand cupping my cheek, "You're my everything baby"

"You're mine", I whisper

He smiles, laying down next to me, pulling me in his arms, cuddling me as we settle down

"Are you staying?", I ask quietly

"Always jagi", he answers, kissing the top of my head, "Always"

[rjthirsty]

Bound Forever

Gilbert/Reader Roderic/Reader

Words: 2k

CW: Major Character Death. Angst. Tragedy. Grief. Smut. Route Spoilers.

A/N: @scummy-writes did a piece on Gilbert dying called Normalcy Bias that inspired this piece. We've spoken at length about our Gil headcanons, and I admire her as a writer, so I wanted to give myself a chance to mimic the depth of emotion I read in her works. I'm honestly hoping to cause some tears with this.

Gilbert had disappeared again.

It was always terrifying when he vanished, because you knew the only reason he had for leaving without saying a word - he was unwell. Like a wounded or sick animal, Gil removed himself from the palace to find a place he could rest until either he felt better or he perished. Thankfully he had always returned, but you still hated every time he left, feeling helpless and worried sick that you might not see him again.

Walter knew before you did. He always knew when Gil left, but he wasn't allowed to say anything. That, in itself, was a giveaway on why you couldn't find your husband. Just looking at Walter these days answered the question for you since you had danced this routine enough times to know when Gil had told him to keep things from you. Today, Walter refused to make eye contact with you when you visited his office in the medical ward, pretending like he didn't see you enter. You didn't even need to ask. That was enough.

Roderic knew, though he didn't know where Gil ran off to, or even if it was the same location each time. Walter was likely the only one who truly knew where Gil was. Roderic was painfully aware whenever Gilbert disappeared, scared that his master - his friend - would never return. Since you became a part of their lives, Roderic would stay with you on those long days that Gil vanished and the two of you would hold hands and try to keep each other's minds off the possibility. Neither of you wanted to voice that possibility.

As night fell, the black castle felt darker and more hollow without Gilbert's presence. Alone in your shared room, you restlessly waited for your husband's return. Some absences would span a few days, some only a few hours. Today turned to tomorrow, and a sleepless night passed you by with still no word from him.

Another day with Roderic for company. Another attempt to keep your thoughts from spiraling to the worst case. Perhaps baking would help. Gil could return to an abundance of sweets and maybe, just maybe he'll understand how hard it is for you when he goes off like this.

Another dusk leaving you alone with your fears for company in your shared room. Another sleepless night. Another morning that looks more gray than the previous. Three days was the longest he had ever spent away. It had only been two. There was still hope he would return, though that hope was a candle in the fury of a storm right now, barely keeping lit.

“You need to sleep.” Walter scolded.

“I want to see him as soon as he comes home.” It was a silly reason to keep yourself from sleeping, but even if you attempted to rest, you'd be haunted by the thought of him dying somewhere alone. He was alone right now. Alone and sick.

“I'll wake you when he gets back.” Roderic offered.

You're tired. A short rest would be good for you, but… “I'm scared.”

The tears start falling as you hug yourself. Walter looks away, cursing Gilbert for putting you through this. Roderic watches you, unable to offer any assurances. He's scared, too.

Laying on the large bed you share with your husband, it feels so cold and empty. The sunshine doesn't touch here even with the curtains opened. Your pillow is wet from your tears. You can't seem to quell them.

“I'll be right outside,” Roderic promises.

What good would that do? You're still alone in this large room. Exhaustion weighs your eyelids down until you fall into darkness.

You wake into darkness. The large windows are filled with the night sky. The room has no candles nor lamps lit. A shadow stands near the bed, far enough that his presence is hidden but the dull, midnight light from the sky beyond the windows outlines his form. His black hair shines like obsidian and you draw in a sharp breath.

“Gil?” You whisper his name, fearful that the slightest noise would wake you from this dream and he would fade away like an apparition.

He doesn't answer. He's not really there. Again tears well in your eyes and stream down your cheeks.

“Don't cry, Little Rabbit.” He steps towards the bed, out of the shadows. “Did you miss me that much?”

His red eye gleams from the starlight. His smile is perfectly placed. Now that he's closer you can see the layers he's wearing, still in his cloak, he must have just arrived. You glance towards the door, wondering why Roderic didn't wake you. The closed door gives no answers, though it is clearly late so perhaps he went to bed.

Throwing the blankets off, you jump out of bed and run to your love. You throw your arms around him and nuzzle into his chest and the tears come faster. “Yes, I missed you that much!”

Shakily drawing in breaths between your outpouring of feelings and the sobs you try to swallow down, you continue as you cling to him. “Everytime you leave like that I don't know if I'm ever going to see you again! It's been three days! I thought the worst and I couldn't sleep and you can't keep doing this to me!”

Slowly, Gil's arms wrap and you. Gently, he rubs circles on your back to soothe you. He leans down to softly drop a warm kiss to your forehead. He has no words to comfort you. He makes no promises. He never does.

“That was the last time.”

Except, this time he does.

He's warm in your arms.

You draw back as the horrible realization hits you. Looking up into his single red eye that holds more emotions than Gil ever expressed, you take a step backwards. Shaking your head as if it would do any good to convince yourself this wasn't happening, you back up another step.

“No no no. No. Please. No!” A third step has you stumbling into the bed, falling onto it. You can't even feel your legs anymore.

The man posing as Gilbert slowly came closer. The man who hadn't woke you on your husband's return, because he had never returned. Roderic delicately cups your jaw. Warm hands. He wipes your tears, even as new ones fall. Warm fingers. He speaks in such a sweet voice. A voice you love. “It's alright, Little Rabbit. You won't have to miss me ever again.”

Grief so deep you never thought possible drowns your heart and sobs wrack you. Warm lips kiss your eyes as your pain pours out.

Somehow he was on the bed next to you and you fall against his shoulder. Warm arms hold you close.

He murmurs words of affection and hushes soothing encouragement. And when your sobs finally die down to hiccups and gasps and shuddering breaths, you find a handkerchief already in hand to help clean your face. He guides you through the movements you are too numb to manage on your own.

His lips touch the corner of your mouth. Dazed, you turn towards him and your husband's face looks so forlorn. Fingers touch below your chin, lifting it for lips once again to touch yours. So soft. A slow blink from you and you find your voice.

“Roderic–”

“Gil.” He corrects, and the offer is so tempting.

You knew this was always the plan. You hoped it would be a long time from now, and you had pushed it from your mind. But the time has come and now… it would be so easy to close your eyes and pretend it was all a bad dream.

“Gil.” You repeat, your eyelids falling close.

“That's right, Little Rabbit.”

It's his voice that gusts across your lips. 

A nibble on your bottom lip and a longing sigh rises from your throat. It's his teeth that catches you, so familiar in pain and pleasure.

His tongue touches yours and you can almost believe that he's still there with you. Your mouths move together, chasing the memory of the man you love through clumsy movements that aren't quite right.

It hurts so much. Your chest aches and head throbs and you just want to forget. 

Fingers find clasps, and pull ties, and brush clothing from both of your bodies. Were they yours or his? Does it matter?

Teeth sink into flesh and tongue soothes the pain and your body responds to the training you've endured to appreciate the way his love feels on you. Marks blossom on your skin from his mouth that burns too hot.

Your eyes burn, tears forming between eyelids squeezed tight.

Your chest burns, bleeding out from the inside.

Your groin burns, desire whispering sweetly that if you just let go it'll be alright.

Think of him.

Think of him.

It hurts so, so much.

Your fingers tangle in his hair. His fingers push inside of you. You cry out his name as he rubs along your inner walls, exploring you for the first time, finding the places that cause you to buck into his hand and whimper and moan.

He learns quickly. He has always known.

New overlaps with old as your husband touches on memories from times before. Building that sweet ache in the pit of your belly. Causing your cunt to throb and drip making lewd sounds that your lusty moans overshadow.

You're on your back and he's over you. When did you lie down? He pulls his fingers out of you and you whimper in frustration. You were so close to covering the hurt in your heart with the pleasure of climax and he snatched it away.

He's gone.

A single sob breaks between your gasping breaths. Tears brim again between your closed eyelids. They fall hot, so hot down the sides of your face. You're empty. Alone.

His cock touches your wet folds and you crack your eyes to see your lover with damp lashes. He looks away and buries his face in your neck as he buries his cock inside of you. Your back arches and thighs cling to his hips, as he clings to you with strong arms and roaming hands.

He pumps into you and you can't help but rock with him to squeeze and drag and churn his dick inside of you. Fingers digging into his back. Nails biting skin. He gasps and whimpers and moans near your ear. You love to hear him. His teeth dig into you. It hurts so good.

You're not alone. Your voice grows louder. He's relentless. Pounding your sex and knocking every moan out of you. Biting you again, and again, and again. Your cunt clenching tight as the pressure in your pelvis reaches a tipping point.

His thrusts turn too eager. His rhythm lopes out of pace. But you're so, so close! Please! Just– “Ah! Gil!” His hot hands grip your hips and he slams into you finding his rhythm again and he moans and heat and orgasm and shivers and spasms snap through you.

Your thoughts go blank, flooded with relief from the throbbing from before. Euphoria washes over you, wave after wave as your cunt continues to clench sending another crashing over you, then another. Gil slowed down his pumping to ride out the squeezing milking his cock. And just as you finally thought you were coming to the end of your climax, Gil thrusts deeper, his pelvis flush against yours, trying to push further still as he spills his seed into you.

You gasp. He breathes heavily on top of you. You hold him pressed against you– too hot. So hot. He's stifling. He clings to you. He needs you to smother his own pain. Pain you understand because the both of you share it. Pain neither of you can ever talk about.

He's gone. The two of you are together but his absence in this room you share with your husband is felt, as if there was a void that could never be filled. You hold each other, your hearts bleeding for the same person. Silent tears will be shed and it hurts. So. So. Much.

[reshinless]

﹑♰ 　　﹒ 　www .kinktobahhh. com

⤷ ( ´ཀ` )　　director note. first time joining kinktober since i feel motivated this time around!! i might have additions to here, or i might not do some of them, shoot me an ask if you'd like to be tagged (specifically for kinktober)

⤷ 🕷 — spoilers (warnings). each of them are different! all content contained in each day will be tagged accordingly, and lastly english is my first language, sorry if some of the words i use don't make sense! PROCEED WITH CAUTION, you are responsible for what you see!

⤷ ( ´ཀ` )　　starring cast. what's a movie without a cast! this includes genshin impact, honkai star rail, jujutsu kaisen, haikyuu, zenless zone zero, blue lock (aged-up to pro players), & bungou stray dogs! list may subject to change, shoot me an ask if you have any ideas for characters as well, and i'll keep them in mind! no description yet = i'm still writing!

WEEK ONE: films have yet to come out! come back later!

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 1: can you rock my world?! ft. choso, sukuna, geto

in which your best friend geto offers you a job to become the manager of their up and coming rockstar boy band, cursed souls, and they happen to all like you in a way. (filming) plus inspired by @/narutoss_ramen on twitter with their fanart of these three that originally gave me the idea!

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 2: begging ft. kinich

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 3: temperature play ft. diluc

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 4: thigh riding ft. kuroo tetsuro

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 5: phone sex ft. jing yuan

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 6: shower sex ft. dr. ratio(?)

day seven my break :3

WEEK 2: films have yet to come out! come back later!

🕷 — day 8: marking ft. von lycaon

🕷 — day 9: rare sight ft. welt yang

🕷 — day 10: morning sex ft. sakusa kiyoomi

🕷 — day 11: sexting ft. dazai osamu

🕷 — day 12: lingerie ft. nanami kento

🕷 — day 13: pegging ft. xiao

day fourteen my break >_o

WEEK 3: films have yet to come out! come back later!

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 15: threesome/public sex ft. satoru gojo & suguru geto

when you meet the two notorious frat boys at the same time in a party, and the other just happened to be your roommate! inspired again by @/narutoss_ramen on twitter <33

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 16: eating out ft. chigiri hyoma

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 17: handcuffs ft. wriosthesley

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 18: corruption ft. blade

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 19: cock warming ft. iwaizumi hajime

(¬ ´ཀ` )¬ day 20: toys ft. ranpo

21 be my break day chat

FINAL STRAW: final week! films have yet to come out! come back later!

🕷 — day 22: hate sex ft. alhaitham

🕷 — day 23: fucking against a wall ft. sunday

🕷 — day 24: praising ft. choso

🕷 — day 25: this prompt ft. capitano

🕷 — day 26: mirror sex ft. tsukishima kei

🕷 — day 27: cosplay/striptease ft. kenma kozume

break time: day 28

SHHH!: a secret collection, none that you were supposed to see! (not out yet either!)

✧ . . day 29: fingering ft. hinata shoyo

✧ . . day 30: size difference ft. sylus (from love & deepspace)

✧ . . day 31: what kinda pie you want?! ft. toji

in which toji comes by to the bakery he always does, and has been doing since 3 years ago. but this is the first time he doesn't have the money to pay, and offers up something else.

i'll upload them as soon as it's the day it's assigned to, taglist open!

[narryffdreaming]

lia and harry's story (one)

summary: harry is a bartender and lia lives right across the street. rating: +18 || warnings: mental health (anxiety) and smut (here and there) word count: 14,7k

some parts are different. some parts are still the same. but here they are again. i'll post part 2 sometime soon.

“Rohan isn’t working tonight.”

The toneless, husky voice echoed in the dim lights, and Lia’s heart skipped a beat as she whipped her head to her left.

Harry walked past her and towards the sink, too occupied carrying a box under one of his arms. When he stopped, he turned his back to where she was and placed the item on the laminated counter, then put his free hand into his pocket and pulled a utility knife, not wasting any other second before using it to tore the cardboard in half. 

Lia’s belly fluttered. 

White t-shirt, black pants. Sleeves short enough for her to admire the multiple tattoos covering his arms, and fabric tight enough for her to follow the movements of the muscles on his back as he pulled a few napkins and straws out of the box. 

She only needed a second for things to click inside her, and for her to remember why she decided to go to The Wandering Triplet in the first place. 

Harry’s unkempt dark brown hair curled on top of his head and also a little bit to the sides, but it seemed shorter on the back. He had clearly gotten a haircut since last week, when she last saw him at the bar, and even though Lia couldn’t see his face, she already knew that it suited him. 

She knew that he looked good. 

Really good.

No, she knew that he looked great. 

Unfairly and painfully handsome. 

Like a dream. 

Like he always did. 

Lia sighed. 

Harry grabbed the box with one hand and turned around, briefly glancing at her. He didn’t say nor did a thing, seemingly completely unamused by her presence as he looked forward and headed back towards the black curtain. 

And that’s exactly when it hit her: she still hadn’t said anything to him.

Nothing.

Not even a word.

Oh my God.

A flush of heat creeped up through the back of Lia’s neck, and her belly turned into knots. 

She shifted on her feet, straightening up and pulling her elbows closer to her body as she watched him disappear behind the thick black fabric.

Rohan isn’t working tonight. 

Rohan isn’t working tonight. 

Rohan isn’t working tonight.

Lia frowned. 

Why did he even… Ugh. 

Of course Rohan wasn’t working that night. It wasn’t something hard to figure out—she had been to The Wandering Triplet more than enough times to realize that on Wednesday Rohan always started his shift later at night, meaning that Harry always opened the bar by himself. 

Besides, why did he have to start a conversation with her like that? Why couldn’t he just have said something simple like… Hello? 

She pulled the loose sleeves of her cardigan and covered her fingers, then crossed her arms against her stomach and scanned the three shelves at the back wall. Honestly, entertaining any useless thoughts was better than overthinking Harry’s actions. She didn’t have the strength inside her to try and understand his dislike for her. Not anymore. She had already given up on that a long time ago. All she wanted was to get something to drink, get comfortable on a table, and daydream a little before going back home and dealing with all the very real consequences of that pathetic and useless day. 

Lia shook her head. 

Ugh.

White rum… White rum… Where’s the white rum? 

Since she’d walked into The Wandering Triplet for the first time, Lia had stared at those shelves long enough to realize they had a system to place everything. The one at the bottom was filled with different types of glasses, all upside-down, while the other two above were used to perfectly organize rows of many different types of alcohol.

When it came to the bottles, the still unopened ones and also the most expensive brands were at the top, while the most commonly used were in the middle, closer to their reach. From left to right, they were also careful, matching not only by type, but also organizing by brands and colors.

Another sigh left her mouth, and Lia dropped her shoulders. She knew she’d agreed with her psychiatrist that she’d wait until her body got used to the new medication, but she could’ve really used a drink that day. Not just any drink, but a mojito—it was her favorite, and Harry always made the best one.

“Ok, then. What can I get you?”

Lia jumped slightly, batting her eyelashes and shifting her arms on the counter.

Harry stood next to her, cleaning the already-clean-bar. 

She recognized his white t-shirt as one of her favorites. The design, mixing palm trees and searchlights with shades of blue and green, reminded her of one summer she’d spent in Los Angeles with her family, and the faded orange words around it made her think of an old record store. 

Harry always looked cool with that t-shirt, especially when he matched it with those black wide-legged pants he was wearing right then. He looked like someone who could be in a band, like someone who could hold a guitar in front of a crowd and make people faint at the sight.

Not a popstar or rockstar, though. Nuh-uh. He was too snappy for that. 

If Harry were a musician, he would probably be part of an indie band. Or one of those groups people never heard of until they randomly shuffled through a rainy and foggy playlist on Spotify. 

And he’d definitely be the moody and mysterious bass player, bothered only by doing his own sound and ignoring all the screaming girls at his feet. 

Bass guitar player. Yes. That would be for sure—he had great hands, and they looked perfect for the four-stringed instrument.

Harry wiped the surface forcefully, then tightened his long fingers around the light-brown towel and threw the item over his shoulder. As he held it there with one hand, he finally faced her, grasping the edge of the counter with his other hand and stretching his arm. 

Leaf, intense, green eyes stared into her boring brown ones, and Lia’s heart skipped a beat. 

He was so pretty. 

So, so pretty. 

And to daydream and imagine things was fun, but Harry wasn’t in any indie band, nor even a musician. He was simply the sulky, pretentious bartender who worked across the street from her apartment. And the guy who she had the biggest and most stupid crush on.

Harry cleared his throat, raised his eyebrows, and flinched his chin down.

Damn.

Lia shifted on her feet. 

“It’s—I—I mean…” She shook her head and cleared her throat, too. “Sorry. Just water, I think? I—Yes. Water. Please.”

Harry rolled his eyes and turned around, scoffing quietly as he walked to the shelves. “Of course.”

Lia furrowed her brows and held her breath, watching him take his time while he put some distance between them. As if having to get her a simple glass of water was the most boring thing he could do. Or maybe the most annoying thing he could do. Or maybe the most tiring thing he could do. 

His reaction felt out of place, but she couldn’t be surprised, could she? After all, she was used to his awful mood, and she’d gotten really good at pretending it didn’t bother her—to the point where she almost believed it herself. 

In fact, to be honest, had it been any other day, she probably wouldn’t have even minded his behavior. She would’ve probably just accepted it and added it to the countless humiliating moments she’d lived so far. 

But it was the last thing she needed on that particular Wednesday evening, when everything had already turned out so shitty that she was both mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Lia exhaled through her nose and clenched her jaw. 

In less than eight hours, three people had already treated her with disdain and condescension, and four had made her feel inferior and weak. All she had done was to work on herself and try to step out of her comfort zone, like she promised Dr. Reisman she would do, and all she had gotten in return was… Nothing. 

So shame on her for needing some distraction, right? Shame on her for thinking that silently watching her crush from far away would help her forget about her stressful and dreadful day. Shame on her for believing that she would be able to feel at least slightly better after spending five minutes at the bar. 

A glass full of water emerged in front of her, and Lia blinked.

“There you go, princess.” Harry smiled, as blatantly sarcastic and careless as he could be, then turned around and walked back to the sink. 

Lia glared at him, tightening her hands into fists and letting her body be consumed by her heavy breathing. 

She hated when he looked at her like that. And she hated when he made her feel like a child. Harry almost never talked to her, but when he did, he seemed to always find a way to make her feel mocked or challenged to say something. Challenged to be different. Challenged to speak up. Challenged to react quicker. 

And Lia hated it. 

She truly hated it, because she wasn’t good with words. At all. And she was well aware of that. She was getting treatment because of that, for fucks sake! 

So she didn’t need anyone pointing out the obvious for her. And she didn’t need anyone making her feel even worse for not being able to actually get better. Or for constantly messing things up even though she desperately tried not to. 

Why… 

Why did it have to be so hard for her? 

And why did it have to be so hard all the damn time?

Why couldn’t she get things right? At least once in her life? 

And why on earth did she insist on nurturing that fruitless crush, anyway? 

Huh?

Why did she care about someone who didn’t know her at all? Someone who had never even tried to get to know her? 

Huh?

And also, why couldn’t Harry just let her be?

Why did he have to treat her that way?

What had she even done to him, huh? 

What had she done, besides moving across the street and being a regular customer at the bar? 

Huh? 

Huh?!!

Lia grabbed the glass in front of her and took a sip of water. Then another one, and another one. Desperately gulping down three quarters of it before putting it down on the counter again.

Harry was unbelievable.

Unbelievable!

The judgment behind every action and every word was completely unnecessary. 

So what if she was drinking water? Huh? Why did it matter? What difference did it make? She could drink whatever she wanted to, right? 

And why—why—calling her princess? What was the point? What did he even mean by that? 

Huh?

Huh?!?!

“Ok, look,” Harry said, standing in front of her with a frown on his face and arms crossed on his chest, “are you just going to stand there all night? Because I told you Rohan isn’t—”

“Oh my goodness!” Lia laughed, uncrossing her arms and taking a step back from the counter. “This is… I… You… I’m just… Ugh!”

She shook her head and looked down. Reaching for her bag, she watched her own movements as she put her hand inside it and rummaged through her things.

“I’ll go, okay? I’ll go,” she said, fishing around for her wallet. “But you know what, Harry? Considering I’ve been around here for almost a year now, and that so far you’ve never even cared to… I don’t know… At least know my name, you don’t need to try so hard to be an asshole to me all the time, y’know?” She found some cash laying around, then grabbed the notes firmly between her fingers and slammed them on the counter. “You’ve already earned the title.”

She turned around and gritted her teeth, feeling the heat reverberating through her skin as she mumbled, “Asshole.”

And then, she walked away, finally removing herself from the unneeded interaction and not even once daring to look back at his face. 

For the next three weeks, Lia didn’t go to the bar. 

It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t intentional. She was busy, and life was happening. She went back to her parents house for a weekend, enjoyed the quietness of hometown, worked some extra hours, had dinner with her friends, took some alone time for herself, and then… Well, and then she also didn’t make any effort to go.

Because why would she, anyway?

“Excuse me.”

Someone shoved her, causing Lia to stumble on her feet and snap out of her mind. She looked to her side, apologizing for standing in the way while shuffling on her feet to keep her balance. 

Nobody seemed to care about her presence, though. Nor to have the slight idea of how much wondering it took before showing up again. Or to know that the last time she’d been there she’d called a bartender out for not knowing her name—and that she might’ve used the word asshole, too. 

Lia let her hair fall on her face and sighed. 

Things inside The Wandering Triplet were… Different.

Really different. 

For starters, it was way more packed than usual, more crowded than what she ever expected it to be. People stood everywhere, talking and laughing even louder than any other time. And she wasn’t sure the place had at least once smelled that much like beer and perfume. 

On top of that, two guys seemed to be playing live music, something she had definitely never seen there before. Just like a lot of the faces surrounding her right then and there.

She swallowed, then rubbed her neck. 

It was hard not to notice the way her body heat had risen. Or how her entire outfit suddenly seemed like a bad call—because, honestly, how was she supposed to not sweat under that black turtleneck? Or under the tight fabric of her jeans? Even her feet were burning up, buried in those damn leather boots.

And it wasn’t like Lia was incapable of dressing according to the situation. It was just that, well, how was she even supposed to imagine that the place would ever be so crowded?

Especially on a Monday night! 

C’mon!

Monday nights were always their quietest nights. So much so that they didn’t even require two bartenders working at the same time. 

And Lia knew that. It was exactly the whole reason why she had chosen to go back on that particular night: because Monday nights were Harry’s nights off. 

Or, well, at least they used to be Harry’s nights off.

Shit.

There was absolutely no way Rohan would be able to handle that chaos all by himself, right? 

So… 

Oh God. 

She was going to see him… Wasn’t she?

The whole therapy session, with all the planning and thinking about how she could go back there without actually having to face him, had been a complete waste of time. Right?

It had been for nothing. 

And a complete failure. 

Right? 

Right?!

Her stomach fluttered, then shot a soft tingling to her chest.

Shit.

She didn’t want to see him, though. Of course she didn’t. Not after she’d humiliated herself. 

So… She should’ve turned around and gone back home, right? Try it again on a different night, maybe. Or just find a different bar. 

Right?

Lia sighed, heavier this time. 

She couldn’t run away, though. The whole point of going to the bar again was to challenge her own thoughts and beliefs, so she couldn’t give up now. She had to try. 

Right?

Oh God.

Sliding her tongue through her lips, Lia put her hair behind her ears and focused on her destination, then squeezed her way in to make it to the counter and order herself a drink—just as she promised Dr. Reisman she would do. 

To navigate her body through so many strangers wasn’t an easy task, that’s for sure, but she eventually managed to push herself all the way across the room. Once she found herself closer to the counter, a man walked backwards, holding three beers between his hands. 

Lia turned sideways, giving him more room to walk without dropping anything. It also turned out to be the perfect opportunity for her to place one hand on the edge of the wooden bar, hold herself, and step onto the new empty space.

After that, everything felt mostly like a blur. 

Rohan was there, but he wasn’t alone. There was also a girl helping him out. A girl she hadn’t seen there before. Short, blonde hair. Long legs and arms. Tattoos on her shoulder and piercing on her nose. She handed him empty glasses and chatted excitedly, while he grabbed each with a smile and put them all back on the bottom shelf.

And then a tattooed arm abruptly flashed in front of her, and Lia lurched back. Barely catching the color of the towel being yanked in circles right next to her.

Someone yelled an order, another person called someone’s name, and another one shouted an ‘excuse me’ a couple of steps to her side. Pop acoustic covers were still playing in the back and someone dropped a couple of spoons behind the bar. 

Everything was happening at the same time. Right where she was. And yet all she could pay attention to was Harry’s figure coming to a stop in front of her.

Harry blinked once, then turned his head slightly to the side, shouting the words without removing his sea-green eyes from her. “Rohan! Lia is here!”

And just like that, Harry turned around and walked away.

And she was all by herself all over again.

Lia frowned. 

What…

Did he… 

Had Harry just called her name?

Lia is here. 

Lia is here.

That’s what he’d said, right?

Lia is here.

Her stomach fluttered.

Considering how the last thing she had said to him—besides calling him an asshole, of course—was that he didn’t know her name, that couldn’t be a coincidence… Right?

Right?!

“Lia, heyyy!" 

She lowered her gaze to the counter and furrowed her brows.

How the hell had Harry been able to do that? To disconcert her in a matter of two seconds?

Four words. That was it. That was all it had taken.

All because he had said her name.

After three weeks of not seeing him.

“Hey, are you okay?” 

Rohan stood in front of her with worried eyes and puzzled face, and Lia blinked. 

It took her a moment to realize she was still frozen in place, but she finally shook her head and looked up.

“Uh, yeah… I… Yes. Oh my God. Sorry. Yes.” She chuckled and waved her hand. “I just... Long day today. Sorry.”

Rohan nodded and smiled, too. “Gotcha. No worries! It’s nice to see you again! You look taller today.”

“Oh.” Lia leaned back and looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes inside her high heel leather boots. “Must be the shoes.” She shrugged. “Don’t wear them often.”

“You should. You look nice! So, what can I get ya? Let’s cheer you up after a long day, huh?”

Lia sighed, then cleared her throat.

Rohan’s energy was always loud. His brown eyes always sparkled with joy, and every time he smiled his entire face lit up. It definitely made it really easy to talk to him, mostly because he never gave her too much time to speak and be awkward. He moved forward, simply worrying about doing his job and constantly making sure everyone was having a good time. 

“Actually,” she said, “I don’t... I don’t know what I want. Maybe a cocktail, please? Nothing strong, though. I just… Yeah… I haven’t been drinking for a while, so... I think I’d rather be careful? You know? Sorry.”

Rohan tilted his head and grinned at her, watching her for a brief moment before he shook his head and chuckled.  

A flush creeped across Lia’s cheeks, and she bit the inside of her bottom lip.

“Of course!” He nodded, watching her as he took a step back and winked at her. “One minute, yeah?”

Rohan turned around and walked away, and Lia let the air out through her nose. 

Always the same thing. She just had to find a way to embarrass herself, didn’t she? 

Dropping her shoulders and peeking at her sides, she found Harry standing by the other end of the counter, chatting with the new bartender while they mixed a couple of drinks. 

He hadn’t changed much—or at all. The hair had probably been trimmed and he had clearly shaved at some point just to let his facial hair grow again, because his scruff looked just the same as three weeks ago. 

Even his t-shirt seemed to be the same one—until Lia noticed it actually had different writing and design. 

Her belly fluttered, just like it always did when she looked at him. And then, when she couldn’t decide if the fluttering was a good or bad feeling, her chest always tightened as well. 

It tightened with a mix of amazement, delight, frustration, and sadness. All at once. 

Because no matter how oblivious Harry was to it, he was the whole reason Lia had slowly become a regular at the bar. 

Sure, a great therapy session had led her to challenge herself and get a drink by herself. And then, that spur of the moment decision had taken her to the bar across the street—the only one that was open that night. 

But walking into the bar and meeting someone who would make her insides blaze wasn’t on her plans. And even considering challenging herself for a second time just a few days later definitely wouldn’t have happened if, that exact same night, she hadn’t met him.

Eleven months had gone by since that night, and yet Lia still winced every time she recalled it. 

Harry had taken her order, but hadn’t even smiled politely when doing so. He also hadn’t looked at least one bit excited about making the mojito she’d asked for (which later Lia thought tasted delicious, anyway). 

Even after that, no matter how many times she had stepped into the bar, he never even flinched when looking at her. Never. 

It was as if she didn’t even exist to him. 

So Lia had a crush on him, yes, but she wasn’t stupid. Harry had never hidden his lack of interest in getting to know her, so she knew he wasn’t into her. And she was fine with that. Really. 

She was fine with it. And she was more than used to it by now. Even if— 

“That’s Sage.”

Lia turned her head and straightened her back, only then noticing she’d been openly staring at the interaction between the two bartenders. 

“She just started, so Harry’s going over our signature drinks with her,” Rohan added, shrugging and smiling. “I know it can be hard to believe, but he’s pretty patient. A great guy once you get past the frown on his face.”

Lia smiled. She actually didn’t find that hard to believe at all, but she didn’t want Rohan to know how she really felt about his co-worker, or how much she had watched all along, so she didn’t share the thought with him. 

Instead, she glanced at the cocktail glass he’d placed on the counter and asked, “A martini?”

“Right!” Rohan slapped his open hand on the counter, as if bringing himself back to the conversation. “Apple martini, to be precise. Or, as some would say, appletini.”

Lia chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve had one of these before.”

“Hope you enjoy it, then.”

“I’m sure I will. Thank you, Rohan.”

He curled his lips into another bright and cheerful smile. “My pleasure. If you don’t like it, next one’s on me, yeah? So lemme know.”

“Okay.” Lia smiled and nodded, wrapping her fingers around the glass and pushing her weight off the counter. “I will.”

— — — — — 

Sitting by herself, Lia took the last sip of her melted apple martini just as the two young boys finished playing another pop song from their acoustic set. 

People clapped next to her, and she left the glass on the table to do the same, tilting her head and smiling at how cute and shy the pair looked on the stage. Despite the obvious age difference, they somehow reminded her of her students when they had to perform for the first time in front of an audience, which was probably why she kept feeling the need to pay attention to them and reassure them with her eyes—a way to let them know how well they were doing up there.

They thanked politely and introduced the next song, and Lia rested her chin on the palm of her hand, paying attention to the first few chords of a song she couldn’t recognize. 

Truthfully speaking, Lia was proud of herself. Even though the place was way more crowded than she was comfortable with, and even though she’d thought about leaving multiple times, she survived the thirty minutes she’d promised herself she would try to stay. 

So she knew she had already made some good progress, and that she could now go home without feeling guilty. 

She hadn’t failed. Not that night, at least.

As a gift to herself, she allowed her eyes to wander around the bar, trying to get a glimpse of Harry before she officially left. 

She found him behind the counter, of course, all focused while chatting with his two coworkers. He listened to whatever Rohan was saying, nodding along while pinching his bottom lip between his fingers. But then, something in the story caused him to widen his eyes and drop his hand to Sage’s shoulder, holding the shock on his face firmly for a moment before he finally threw his head back and laughed. Loudly. Bringing his free hand to his chest while his entire body seemed to shake. 

Lia’s belly fluttered, and she was pretty sure both of her lungs had stopped working. 

He was just so… Attractive. 

So hypnotizing. It was like she couldn’t take her eyes away from him.

And she knew how silly she was for it. For wanting him that bad. 

She knew it. But she couldn’t help it. 

She just couldn’t. 

A group of people approached the counter, and Rohan automatically got back into work mode, walking towards them. Harry and Sage were left behind, then, but they quickly seemed to engage into more conversation. Happy, interesting conversation. 

Jealousy sparked in her chest, but Lia still watched him with nothing but fascination. She watched the way he crossed his arms on his chest, and also the way he kept raising one of his hands to gesture whenever he talked to Sage. 

Lia is here. 

His words echoed inside her mind, and Lia knew, right then and there, that later at night she’d be in bed and think about the way he’d said her name. Over and over again.

She’d think about the way he treated the new girl, and she’d dream about him treating her like that, too. 

She knew it, because she’d been there before. Because after that first night at the bar, watching Harry became like a hobby to her. And because in the eleven months she’d been there, even though it hadn’t been that often, there had been a time when Lia used to see him with a woman at the bar. A girlfriend, perhaps. Someone who was obviously older than him, but just as tall, and had shoulder-length, perfectly straight, dark auburn hair. Someone who’d always seemed too elegant and sophisticated for The Wandering Triplet, and yet had never looked out of place. Effortlessly delicate and powerful at the same time. Someone who carried herself in a way that screamed confidence, as if she’d never known what it was like to feel insecure about herself. 

During those nights, when that woman used to be at the bar, Lia always stood a little bit afar, not wanting to be disrespectful to them, but still allowing herself to catch some glimpses of a completely different version of him. 

A more natural, vulnerable version. Where Harry would laugh so loud he would drop his head back, or peck her lips multiple times, and even caress her cheek in between customers. Where he would whisper in her ear, make her smile, and stare deeply into her eyes when she did all the talking. Where he would also walk her out of the bar holding her hand, or hug her waist when guiding them to his car. 

It was obvious to Lia — and probably to anyone who looked at them, to be honest — how much they appreciated each other’s company, and how much he cared for her. It was also very clear how much Harry enjoyed the affection. How much he enjoyed being touched and taken care of. 

And embarrassingly as it was, more than once Lia had woken up highly aware of dreaming about him. Recalling false, vivid memories of her replacing that woman, and of Harry touching and kissing her, instead.  

Lia shifted on her seat, withdrawing her chin from her hand and rolling her shoulders. Hoping to push those thoughts away, but also praying people never find out they even existed in the first place. 

Focusing her sight on them again, Lia caught Rohan walking back to Harry and Sage. He stood with his back turned to her, and the other two resumed their attention on whatever he had to say. 

She watched a little bit more, just to enjoy those couple minutes before she left. Music played in the background, and people chatted jazzily all around her. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, though. She just couldn’t. 

So handsome.

Harry lifted one hand, pulling his short hair back and out of the way, and then crossed his arms again. He listened to Rohan, and to everything he had to say. He focused, nodded, and offered his own comments from time to time. Giving his co-worker all his attention, solely and purely. 

Until he drifted his sight to the side and met her stare. 

Lia held her breath and gulped down, freezing as his eyes settled inside hers. 

Oh God.

Her heart palpitated. And her breathing sped up. 

It was hard to be one hundred percent sure of what was happening when he was so far away, but it was also hard to have any doubts when he was so intense that she could feel him all through her body. And when he didn’t seem to make any attempt to avoid her gaze. Or move. Or look away. 

Oh my God. Oh my God. 

Oh my God!

A heavy and empty feeling spread in her stomach, and Lia looked away. 

What the hell was even happening?

What was she supposed to do?

Why was he looking at her?

Was he actually looking at her?

She glanced back at him, and their eyes instantly met again. 

He was still watching her. 

Lia closed her hands into fists, then forced herself to breathe. Deeply. Heavily. 

Harry lifted his eyebrows and tilted his chin down. 

It was an expression she’d seen before, and that it was enough to make every single one of her muscles quiver. 

She darted her eyes back to her empty drink and blinked. 

What the hell? 

To have him staring back at her felt even worse than him saying her name or her calling him an asshole. It was like breaking the fourth wall. It was like acknowledging her existence. And Lia didn’t know what to do with that.

She rummaged for something, but it was as if her thoughts weren’t there anymore. As if her brain stopped functioning and she went completely blank.

And just like that, before she could give herself a pep talk and calm herself down, Lia had already pushed her chair away from the table and ran to the door. Stepping outside and away from the bar. 

Curiosity killed the cat.

Or at least that was what one of Lia’s teachers always used to say. And also what crossed her mind on Friday night, when she walked into The Wandering Triplet followed by Jillie and Molly.

“Ohhh, I like this place,” Molly said, coming to a stop right behind the other two. 

“Yeah!” Jillie nodded, then linked her arm with Lia’s. “I can see why you like it here. Feels kinda cozy. Intimate.”

Lia’s mouth twitched with a smile, and she took one hand up to put her hair behind her ear. 

Dr. Reisman was so right about it. 

Going through life without opening up and sharing things wasn’t working for her. Not anymore. And yeah, it sucked that she had needed a push from her therapist and the assignment of a new task to do it, but at least she’d told them about it. 

At least she wasn’t keeping it all to herself anymore. 

“I’m glad you like it,” Lia offered, looking around and taking the place in. 

It didn’t feel too crowded this time, not yet at least. On her left side, most tables were occupied, and an older man was performing on the same tiny stage the two boys were playing the other night—his low, raspy voice blending with the soft chatting and laughing of customers. 

To her right, though, only a few people stood near the counter, giving her the perfect view of the three bartenders working behind it. 

Lia cleared her throat and diverted her eyes back to the stage.

“I guess it’s usually like this,” she added, ignoring the fact that her belly was suddenly turning upside down. “But it also depends on how crowded the other two bars are.”

“Hmm… Well,” Jillie said, turning her head to look at them, “should we get a table, then?”

Lia nodded and stepped forward. 

“Sure—” 

“Wait!” Molly placed her hands on Lia’s hips, forcing her to stay in place. “Let’s get a drink first.”

“A—Already? You sure? Now? Right now?"

“Yes.” Molly smirked. “Right now. C’mon. Wanna see that bartender of yours up close.”

“Oh God…”

Lia chuckled, mostly because she didn’t know what to say. Or do. 

Of course they wanted to see him, though. After all, it was the whole reason why they were there that night. 

At first the excitement and curiosity had happened through texts, when Lia got the courage to tell them about Harry. Their reaction had been instant, and it’d brought so much joy to her body that Lia ended up spending way more time on her phone than she should have. 

Despite letting them know it was only a crush, and that he didn’t really care about her, they both entertained the subject, asking details about the way he looked or how she’d met him. It was easy to get carried away with them, because they didn’t make it seem that deep, treating the topic lightly. Treating it as a joke. 

They also didn’t make her feel guilty or out of her mind for being attracted to him. And when she explained to them how she worried about being inappropriate for fantasizing about him, they both shared their own stories of moments when they’d fancied someone they probably shouldn’t have, and even of things they’d done with people that they probably shouldn’t have. 

It brought some sense of imperfection to her, and of humanity, and it made her breathe better. So before ending the conversation, when they asked to meet him, Lia didn’t want to say no and go back to her lonely and quiet bubble, so she agreed with them. 

And that’s how they ended up there. 

On Friday night. At the bar. 

“Oh, yes! I wanna see him, too!” Jillie let go of Lia’s arm and turned around. “C’mon.”

The idea of her gorgeous, tall, cheerful friend reaching the bar first and alone was enough to get a reaction out of her. 

“Okay, okay!” Lia looked at the floor and closed her hands into fists, then stepped forward and led the way. 

She had no idea what would come out of that night, but she knew it didn’t make sense for her to run away or avoid the situation—not even if it made her stomach swirl and turn. After all, telling her best friends about Harry and The Wandering Triplet had felt like a bold move, but also like a step she needed to take. 

And one she hadn’t regretted so far. 

"Heeyyy!” Rohan’s cheerful voice greeted as soon as Lia reached the counter, and she immediately glanced up. He approached them with a grin and open arms, easily leaving his co-workers behind. “Look who’s here!”

Lia curled her mouth into a closed-lip smile and cleared her throat. 

“H—Hi…”

“You good? It’s nice to see you! You almost never show up on Fridays.”

“Oh…” She chuckled softly, placing her hands inside the pockets of her jacket and shrugging. “I just… Yeah. I’m with my friends tonight, so… I wanted to show them around? I guess…”

“Of course!” Rohan widened his eyes, but his smile never faltered. He shifted his sight to the other girls and stood up straighter, then stretched his arm and offered his hand for them to shake. “How rude of me. Hello there, I’m Rohan.”

“Molly.”

“Jillie, hi.”

“Welcome to The Wandering Triplet, yeah? Hope you enjoy it. Any friend of Lia is more than welcome here.”

Lia shifted on her feet, then caught a glimpse of Harry moving towards the shelves. 

She hadn’t seen him again, but the intensity of his eyes was still engraved inside her mind. It had induced the most vivid dreams for the last couple of nights, and it brought a fluttery to her belly every time she thought about him. 

And she really didn’t know what to think about it, or if she even should think so much about it, but it was nice to see him again. It really was. 

He looked good, as usual, and even though she couldn’t see his face, she could see enough to know he was already frowning. Also as usual. 

For a change, though, Harry was wearing a black t-shirt. Black t-shirt, black wide legged pants, and black shoes. 

Black, black, black. 

Lia sighed. She wished he could be the one taking their orders and chatting with them. Him, instead of Rohan. At least once. 

Jillie elbowed her side, and Lia shook her head. Clearing her throat, she looked from Rohan, to Jillie, to Molly. 

They were all watching her.

She forced a chuckle out of her mouth and faced Jillie again. “What?”

“Nothing.” Jillie shrugged. “Rohan was just saying how you’re one of their favorite regulars. That’s all.”

“Oh.” Lia laughed—or tried to laugh—and shook her head again. Vehemently, this time. Almost desperately. “I don’t… No… Yeah, no… I don’t think I am.”

“Of course you are,” Rohan said, drawing all the attention back to him. “I mean, I know you’re my favorite customer, at least.”

Rohan winked, and Lia’s brain froze. Her stomach rolled before heaviness settled in, and her senses seemed to catch every detail around her: her friends coughing next to her, Sage patting Rohan’s shoulder as she walked past him, and Harry snorting and shaking his head behind him. 

Heat creeped up through her neck, face, and ears. And all she wanted was to get away from there. To be swallowed by the ground. To vanish from air. 

“Oookay…” Molly laughed, throwing her arm around Lia’s shoulder and pulling her close. “So what about getting your favorite customer and her friends two mojitos and a beer, huh?”

— — — — — 

“Your little shit!” Jillie hissed, sending her a glare and a laugh from across the table. “You’ve been hiding all this from us? I can’t believe you!”

Next to Lia, Molly laughed and shook her head. “Me neither.”

“And this Rohan guy? Oh my God! Lia! He’s so into you! What the hell?!”

“Yeah. How come you didn’t tell us about him?”

Lia shrugged. 

Rohan had always been nice, and maybe he had said a few things here and there that had made her blush before, but he had never been so straightforward with the flirting. 

Besides, she didn’t care about Rohan, so she never thought about mentioning him. Why would she? 

The girls  talked and laughed about her apparently “secret life”, but there was nothing Lia could think to say to them, so she listened. 

And as she listened, she hid her face behind the rim of the glass in her hands, then took the first sip of her mojito.

Mint and rum went down her throat, and she pursed her lips. 

It was good, but it wasn’t as good as Harry’s.

She twisted her neck and tried to catch a glimpse of the bar, but there were too many people in between. 

Her shoulders dropped, and she sighed. 

Was there even a way for her to interact with him again? 

Should she walk in early on a Wednesday evening again?

What if Sage was there, too?

Would he take the opportunity to ignore her, like he normally did?

Ugh! 

See?!

Harry was the one she wanted to talk about, not Rohan.

Why was Rohan the topic of conversation?

Lia faced the table and cleared her throat. 

Both Jillie and Molly looked at her, and she shifted on her seat. 

“Uh… So… What did you think of Harry?”

Eyeing one girl, then the other, Lia sipped her mojito again. 

Jillie shrugged.

“I was so focused on Rohan that I didn’t even pay attention to Harry, to be honest.” She stretched her neck, lifting her head towards the bar’s direction.

“I think… Damn he’s hot,” Molly admitted. 

Lia’s lips curled up. “Yeah? You think?”

“Oh yes.” Molly nodded. “The tattoos, the clothes, the hair... And not shaving but also not actually having a beard? Pft. The guy definitely knows what he’s doing.”

Lia’s smile turned into a grin. 

She had always been so afraid of her friends (and people in general) judging her, or making her feel embarrassed, that she never allowed herself to just share and enjoy things with others. And in that moment, sitting with them at the bar and gossiping about Harry, as ridiculous as she knew it would sound, she felt less alone.

Damn! She just couldn’t wait to tell Dr. Reisman all about it. She would be happy to know that Lia was finally considering her words to be correct: living outside of her tiny safe bubble could, in fact, be so good for her.

— — — — — 

A couple of hours later, Molly and Jillie hugged Lia goodnight and shared an Uber back to their homes. 

Lia stood near the bouncer and watched the car drive off, meanwhile tried to find her keys inside of her bag. 

She really needed to bring something smaller for those kinds of situations, especially considering she was only across the street from her own apartment. 

Why did she even need that much stuff?

She had never stopped to journal in the middle of a drink. And she had never done her nails outside her home. And she had never needed— 

“So she has friends, after all.”

Lia jerked her head to one side, and then to the other. It took her a moment to see him, standing alone in the darkness of the tiny alley next to the bar.

Harry was leaning on his right shoulder against the wall, his arms crossed on top of his chest and his head slightly tilted to the side. 

He smirked, and Lia’s chest tightened.

“You thought I didn’t have friends?” she blurted out, her tone softer and lower than she had intended to.

Harry shrugged, and his shoulders went up and down theatrically — dragging his crossed arms along with him while his lips curved down. 

Lia blinked and looked at the floor. 

She was convinced Harry didn’t care about her. A fact that implied he didn’t think about her, nor make assumptions about her.

Thinking again, though, she knew that wasn’t the truth. 

Because Harry made assumptions about her. For instance, he constantly assumed she went to the bar to see Rohan. He also tended to scoff and roll his eyes at her, as if she was too predictable. 

He didn’t know her, but he acted as if he did.

But... What kind of person he thought she was, then? What kind of person didn’t have any friends?

Did he actually think that low of her?

She was aware of how hard it was for her to be social, to feel comfortable around people, but she had never thought she could be perceived as someone who wasn’t capable of having any friends.

Did that even make sense?

Why did his comment make her feel so… Sad about herself? 

So... Lonely? 

So insufficient. 

So out of place.

Damn.

What was she even feeling? 

Her chest ached, and her throat felt sore, but she couldn’t point out exactly what any of that meant… How would she be able to control her emotions, if she couldn’t tell what emotions she was dealing with in the first place?

“Oh c’mon…” Harry scoffed, and even though she wasn’t looking at him, Lia could hear his eyes rolling in his voice. “I was just saying. Don’t be a baby about it.”

He sounded annoyed. 

Or maybe disappointed. 

Or maybe bored.

Lia looked up and to the left. She focused on the bouncer sitting on the stool and took a deep breath in. Watching him scroll through his phone without a single care about their interaction. 

Or maybe pretending not to have a single care about it.

Maybe he was internally laughing about the whole thing. Ready to pat Harry’s back and agree with him. Ready to admit he had no idea why Lia kept showing up over and over again. 

Another deep breath in, and Lia looked at the ground, finding her own feet.

Her boots were dirty with beer. She needed to clean them up as soon as she got home. She also needed to wash her hair, because she could definitely smell cigarettes. Were people smoking inside? Was that even allowed?

“See!”

Lia jumped. And looked up again. 

Harry snorted and turned to the side, leaning his back completely against the wall and shoving his hands inside of his pants’ pockets. Shaking his head, he murmured, “I knew talking to you was useless.”

Lia’s heart shrunk. 

Harry looked defeated. And maybe he really was, because apparently he had finally noticed how boring it was to have an actual conversation with her.

God, he made her feel so, so small.

“You—” Lia closed her eyes. She needed to speak, or she would regret it the next morning. She batted her eyes open and took a couple of steps forward, stopping only when she was in front of him. Closing her hands into fists, she breathed in, and then breathed out. “You need to… Stop.”

“Stop?”

“Yes. Stop! Stop acting like you know a thing about me, because you don’t, okay? If you… If you don’t want to know me then… Then fine. Just don’t. But stop… Just stop being such an asshole to me.”

He took his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms on his chest. 

“Stop calling me an asshole.”

“Then stop being one!”

For a second, it seemed as if Harry’s lips twitched upwards, attempting to smile. 

But then he licked his lips, and shrugged. 

“How am I being an asshole? We don’t even talk.”

“Well… We… You… We clearly don’t, but…” She sighed and looked at the end of the alley, searching for a safe place to put her eyes and crossing her arms under her chest before she poured her honesty into him. “But when we do, you make sure to point out only the things I hate the most about myself, and that sucks.”

There was silence. A lot of silence. And if she hadn’t heard him sigh, or if she couldn’t see him through the corner of her eyes, she would’ve thought he had left.

Breathe in, Lia. 

Breathe out. 

“I know I am awkward, okay? And I know I am not fun to talk to. I know it takes me some time to answer, and I know people don’t want to be friends with me. I know all that. Trust me, I know. I know, and I hate that I am this way. But you… You have no idea how hard I try anyway. How hard I keep trying to step out of my comfort zone and just… Be different. Be better. So there’s no need to make fun of me, okay? Just let me be and I won’t bother you anymore.”

“Lia—”

“Don’t. Please. Just… I already hate myself for telling you all this. God… I—I haven’t told these things to anyone besides my therapist. And caring so much about it is another thing that I hate about myself. I know it’s stupid, I know I am old enough and shouldn’t care. I wish I didn’t but… It’s just… Anyway, I don’t need you being mean or making fun of me about it, okay? Finally talking to someone about this it’s... It was supposed to be good for me. It was supposed to… I don’t know… It was supposed to feel good and not... Not like this.”

“Listen—”

“No. Let’s just… Leave it like this, okay? Forget about it. It’s not like you ever cared about me anyway.”

There was a reason why Lia spent most of the time inside her head: it was better than facing the reality of her life. 

And for the last twelve months or so, her mind had created a very nice and safe bubble for her to distract herself with. A bubble where she lived happily and unbothered. Where she didn’t embarrass herself. And where she didn’t mess things up. 

Her bubble was hers and only hers, but she wasn’t alone in it. Of course she wasn’t. 

Since she’d met him at the bar, and even though he had no idea about it, Harry had been there as well. 

Lia liked to look at him, she liked to wonder about him, and she liked to fantasize about him. Because Harry was hot. And sexy as hell. And because although she wasn’t into the “dark and mysterious” vibe, she couldn’t deny that Harry made her insides come to live.

He really did. 

In her dreams, Lia was sure he was everything she always secretly wanted but never had. Especially in bed.

He looked like the type of man who wasn’t nice, because he didn’t give a damn about being nice. He looked like the type of man who didn’t get attached, who was just after having a good time. Who would sleep with her, send her home, and roll his eyes at her the next time he saw her around.

He looked like the kind of man who could have any woman, at any time, without even having to try.

And Lia had always wondered how it would be like to have sex with someone like that, but she always knew it was a dangerous path to actually walk through. So when he brushed her off, or rolled his eyes at her, or didn’t even acknowledge she was there, she fed her fantasy up. But she wouldn’t be that into him if she didn’t know that’s all it was—a fantasy.

A fantasy that kept her company in her nice and safe bubble. That distracted her. That allowed her to stay by herself without losing her mind. 

And a fantasy that ended up nowhere to be seen, because the bubble in which she had been happily living and nurturing all those dreams about him had burst right in front of her. And even though she’d been stupid in the past, there was absolutely no way she was ever going to allow herself to even think about something happening between them again. Nuh-uh. 

Not at all. 

Not anytime soon. 

Not ever again. 

Only hours had gone by, but Lia was already all over the place. 

She hadn’t slept at all, too busy crying and catching up her breath. 

She didn’t think it was fair that Harry had been the one who she’d opened up to, especially because it didn’t feel like opening up to someone. It felt like begging for him not to be mean at her because she was too insecure about herself. It felt like not being strong enough to just let it go. It felt like not being confident enough to act like a woman next to him. It felt weak. It felt sad. It felt awful.

Lia had never been so vulnerable to someone. Not besides Dr. Reisman, at least. So at that moment, when it finally happened — when she finally let it all out — all she had wanted and needed was a hug. And she couldn’t ask him that. 

Of course she couldn’t.

So she had to go back to her place and go through all of it all by herself. All alone. Just like she didn’t want to be. 

Damn. Her brain hurt from so much thinking. From all the embarrassment, all the judgment, all the regret. 

She was spiraling, all over again. And because of a man, all over again. 

Another man. 

Again. 

No. No, no, no. She couldn’t go through all that again. She really couldn’t. She needed to do something. She needed to handle the situation. She had to stop it before she ended up losing herself again. 

And she was going to do it the only way she knew how—creating a new, nice, and safe bubble for herself. A bubble that could be her only world for a couple of days. 

Or for as long as it took until she felt brave enough to step out of it again.

One day. 

Two days. 

Three.

Four. 

Five. 

Six. 

A week. 

And another one.

“They are all delicious.” Lia crossed her arms on the counter and smiled. “But yeah, Snickers was definitely my favorite one so far.”

“Really?” Cece smiled. The wrinkles around her face doubled, and her hand shook slightly as she handed Lia the card reader. “Thank you, dear. Will you be here tomorrow?”

“Hmmm… I don’t think so.” She waited for the confirmation that the payment went through, then added, “But I’ll definitely be here on Friday.”

“Good. I’ll have a slice of your favorite ready for you then. On the house.”

Lia’s smile got wider, and she was filled by this sudden need of giving that sweet lady the biggest and warmest hug. 

She couldn’t believe how long it had taken her to discover CC Tearoom, especially since it was right around the corner from her place. Cece’s hands truly turned ingredients into magic. So far, there hadn’t been a flavor that hadn’t made Lia close her eyes and hum to herself. This time, it was the Roasted Strawberries & Cream Cheesecake that had sent her over the moon, but on Monday it had been the slice of Chocolate-Peanut Butter, and the week before three other different ones.

So yeah, she should’ve been there and incorporated it into her routine a lot earlier.

Coffee and pies were so much better than mojitos, anyway. 

Besides, she obviously felt way more comfortable sitting on the corner of a welcoming and homelike coffee shop than surrounded by loud and drunk people. And the way Cece and the other baristas treated her? Wow. It only highlighted how stupid she had been going to that bar, pinning over a guy that gave her nothing but coldness and rudeness all the time. 

The mere thought of him brought a weird feeling to her belly, and Lia tried her best to push his presence out of her mind. She was getting better at it. Faster. Which was good, because it meant she suddenly wouldn’t even remember about him anymore, right?

She stepped into the summer night breeze and crossed her arms under her chest. Another day had practically gone by. Another Wednesday. Meaning it was almost the end of the week, and then a new one would start. And she would get to repeat everything all over again. 

Wake up, go to work, go home, clean up or go out for a coffee (and a slice of cheesecake), get ready for the next day, and go to bed. From Monday to Monday. With an exception here and there — like grocery shopping and doing laundry on the weekends instead of going to work, and also going downstairs and visiting Mrs. Jones for some knitting or a few rounds of card games. 

The latest activity had happened for the first time only last Saturday afternoon, but Lia was keen on the idea of making it a habit. Mrs. and Ms. Jones had been living on the second floor of her building for years. They were known by most neighbors as the couple who was always bickering, but could never stay away from each other. And despite Ms. Jones’ explicit complaints about everything and everyone, everybody seemed to like them a lot—probably because no-one took his grumpiness very seriously. 

She turned around the corner and looked down at her feet. Her hair blew across her eyes, blocking her view of the black sneakers her parents had given her last Christmas. They were kind of loose on her feet, but at least she wasn’t wearing those white shoes anymore. Or any other color, for that matter. At least she’d gone back to her black neutral low-key outfits. 

Taking one hand up, she pulled her hair over her shoulders, then tucked some strands behind her ear. 

She focused on the way her legs carried her back to her building, tracing the well-known path her steps absently followed everyday. 

There was nothing like a safe, quiet, and laid-back routine, was it?

No, there wasn’t.

It was all she needed. 

All she had wanted.

To be okay.

And she had finally achieved it, hadn’t she?

“Lia!”

Out of nowhere, the voice hit her like thunder. Her body staggered for a moment, and the sound lingered inside her. 

It was Harry, wasn’t it? 

Calling her name?

Her heart raced, and a flush of adrenaline tingled through her body. 

No. Of course not. 

How could it be? 

Why would it be?

“Lia, hey!”

Shit. 

Another thunder, and another shock to speed up her heart. Except this time she didn’t stop moving — she walked even faster. 

She was afraid to be right, she didn’t want to be right, but deep down she had no doubts. She knew it was him. 

She also hoped it would be.

“Wait!”

He sounded louder, and Lia knew that when thunder got louder, it meant lighting was getting closer. 

Her heart pounded inside of her chest, and a low buzz rang in her ears.

She closed her hand into a fist, tightening her fingers around her keys. Maybe she could get away with pretending she didn’t hear him. Maybe, if she just walked fast enough, she would reach the door and get inside before he called again. Maybe she could run up the front steps. There were only six of them... Or were they seven? It didn’t matter. Once she got inside her building, she would be fine. 

“Lia, please! Hey!”

Just get the key and open the door, Lia. C’mon… C’mon! That’s it! Now, just get inside. Go, go, go!

With shaking hands, she pushed the front door of her building and took a step inside. 

“Lia, c’mon! Just, please—Hey, stop!”

Harry’s hand banged against the door, and his heavy breathing echoed between the four walls of the tiny lobby.

Lia turned on her feet with a gasp, finding Harry with his mouth open and one arm stretched out, leaning his weight on the still open door while catching his breath.

Not fast enough, Lia. Not fast enough. 

“I just—Fucking hell…” Harry breathed out, chest going up and down densely. He looked down and shook his head, then faced her again. “We need… We need to talk."

Lia crossed her arms and stepped backwards. She pulled her eyebrows together as she looked at him and took her very own version of shaky breaths. 

Exact eighteen days had gone by since she’d last seen him. She knew it, because she’d been counting them — as embarrassing and ridiculous as it sounded. 

She had been counting them because she was determined to make the number get higher and higher. 

So, so determined. So careful, and so mindful of everything. 

That’s why she walked her own street with her head down — to avoid even getting a glimpse of him walking in or out of the bar. She lived as if the place didn’t exist anymore. As if she’d never stepped in there. As if she didn’t even care about what the place could be past the door. 

She hadn’t counted on the possibility of Harry running after her, though. 

After all, why would he? 

Why did he? 

He was there, flesh and bone, in the lobby of her building. Trying to talk to her. To her.

And just like any other time before, Harry looked just… Stunning. 

Absolutely and unfairly stunning. 

Wearing all black, just like the last time she’d seen him. Just like when she’d snapped at him and made a fool of herself. When he’d made her realize she needed to take a step back from him.

A tingle spread on her stomach. 

She swallowed down, then tightened the grip of her crossed arms. 

Under the black fabric of her plain t-shirt, Harry’s body seemed thick with muscle. His arms looked too big for those short sleeves, something she’d already noticed and thought about before. Something she usually enjoyed paying attention to. 

Breathe in, breathe out, Lia. 

Breathe in, breathe out.

Her stomach tingled again, except this time it heated all over her body.

His strong, imposing figure had always sparked inside her a flush of craving for him. It had been the reason for so many of her not-so-innocent dreams, and the encouragement for so many of her hidden fantasies. She couldn’t recall a time in her life when she had desired a man like that, and it saddened her to think there was nothing she could do about it. 

“Please?” Harry insisted, sliding his hand down through the thick wood, but still holding the door open. 

Great. She had forgotten to speak. Again.

Lia blinked. And swallowed. “W–why?”

Her voice was shaking just as much as her hands had been seconds before, but she couldn’t allow herself to think too much about that. She didn’t even care, to be honest. All she wanted to know and all she cared about was why. 

Why was Harry there? 

Why did Harry want to talk to her? 

Why couldn’t she just forget about it? 

Why couldn’t she just move on? 

Why couldn’t she just be different? 

Why couldn’t her life be different? 

Why couldn’t things be different? 

Why couldn’t they be easier?

Why?

Why?! 

Why?!

“Because you deserve an apology.”

Lia blinked again. Once, and then a couple more times. 

His words not only didn’t answer most of her questions, but also created a bunch of new ones. 

What was he even doing? 

Was he being serious? 

Or was it all just a joke to him?

“I just—I don’t—” She drew her eyebrows closer and closer, until her forehead creased and wrinkled.

"Look,” Harry said, pausing only to take a deep breath in and pull his hair back. “I know I don’t deserve it, and I get that you don’t want to listen… But I just need a minute, that’s all. Just give me a minute and I’ll be out of your way. I promise. Please.”

Lia bit the insides of her bottom lip. 

Generally speaking, Lia didn’t think she would’ve been able to say no to him, because she honestly didn’t want to say no to him. Still, any doubts that could’ve dared to cross her mind and make her second guess her decision disappeared as she looked at him—as she truly looked at him.

Because everything about Harry looked just the same as always, but somehow he looked completely different from any other time before.

Maybe it was because she’d never seen him in such a casual context—after all, they had never met or talked to each other in any circumstance that didn’t involve the bar. 

Shit. 

Would she even be able to hold a real conversation with him? 

A sigh left her mouth, and Lia dropped her shoulders.

It wasn’t even about that, was it? That is, what felt different. It wasn’t about the context or the place. Right? It was something else… Something about the way he looked at her, perhaps… Something about the way he seemed to carry softness and worry in his stare. Two things she hadn’t seen on him before. Not aiming towards her, at least.  

“Okay.” Her voice was soft, and it took her by surprise — she definitely hadn’t planned on speaking up.  

And apparently it took Harry by surprise, too, because he widened his eyes and asked, “Okay?” 

Lia swallowed, and nodded once. 

“Really?” he insisted. 

“Yes… Okay.”

“Ok,” he repeated, mimicking her previous nod. He stared inside her eyes for a moment, then glanced down to the floor. It was hard to tell what was crossing his mind as he silently shuffled on his feet, or when he took his free hand up and pulled his hair back. “Right. Yeah, ok. Let’s talk, then.”

Lia pressed her lips together and waited for him to speak up first, mostly because she couldn’t think of one single thing to say to him. 

Harry, on the other hand, stood there with furrowed brows and puzzled eyes, as if he was going through his own personal battle inside his own mind. 

Until, eventually, he shook his head and cleared his throat.

“Sorry.” He stepped forward, and as he walked inside, he let the door go and looked over his shoulder, watching until it fully closed behind him. 

There was a pause, in which he took the time to face her again and shove his hands inside of his pockets. 

And then, serious and determined, Harry spoke again. “To be completely honest, I didn’t think this through. I’ve just been thinking a lot about what happened, so I wanted to apologize to you. Because I’m really sorry for the other night. And also… Well, for everything else.”

“You don’t have to,” Lia said, and she hated how she sounded way more fragile and unsure than she wanted to. “Apologize, I mean. It’s fine.”

Harry squinted, and his forehead wrinkled. 

“Of course I do. Everything you said the other night was—”

“Please.” She shook her head and looked away from him, tightening her arms around herself. “I—I don’t…”

Her mouth was incredibly dry, and there was an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach that was getting hard to ignore. It was heavy, and it hurt. 

She closed her hands into fists, then dug her nails into her palms to prevent herself from getting lost inside her mind. She focused on the mailboxes on the wall to her left, looking for her name that had been printed and attached under the number of her apartment so many months ago. 

“I don’t want to talk about what I said. Like, I really don’t wanna talk about it.”

Harry sighed. 

“Lia…”

“It’s fine, okay? Let’s just forget about everything.”

“I don’t think that’s—”

The front door opened, and Lia turned her head to the new movement. 

“I said I don’t care,” Mr. Jones’ said, his unmistakable voice reaching her ears before she could even see him. He walked in with a frown, but stopped to hold the door open for his wife. “Told you I don’t like the boy.”

Harry looked at his feet and took a step to the side, getting away from the entrance.

“You never like them, Walter,” Mrs. Jones replied with her sweet and shaky voice, walking slowly right behind him. “You’re being worse than—Oh.”

As soon as the woman met Lia’s eyes, she curled her lips into a sweet, wrinkled and excited smile. 

“Good night, sweetheart! Didn’t see you there!”

“How?” the man muttered, closing the door while his wife walked a few more tiny steps forward. “They’re standing right in the way!”

Mrs. Jones kept smiling and rolled her eyes, waving her quivering hand in the air. 

“Forgive my husband. He finds pleasure in being rude. And grumpy."

Lia forced a polite chuckle out of her mouth, aware that the few hours she’d spent with them over the weekend had been enough to reveal how behind the grumpiness there was a very funny and very caring man. 

“‘M just telling the truth,” Mr. Jones muttered again. “Are they or are they not in the way?”

“Of course they aren’t, Walter.” Mrs. Jones dragged her feet through the lobby, right towards Lia and Harry’s direction. “There’s more than enough space for all of us to stand here.”

“But I don’t want to stand here, Mora. I want to go upstairs.”

“You can go ahead if you want. I still need to check the mail.”

Lia stepped backwards, giving the elder lady more room to cross between them and get to the mailboxes. 

Mr. Jones grunted at the same time Harry sighed, and Lia pressed her lips together to hold herself back from laughing—or even smiling. 

“I finished the scarf we started the other day,” Mrs. Jones said. “You should drop by for some coffee and see the result.”

Lia nodded. “Of course. This weekend, maybe?”

“Sounds good, dear. Do you like apple pie?” 

“Sure.”

“I’ll make some, then.”

Mrs. Jones was sweet, she truly was. But as much as Lia didn’t want to admit, they were the worst neighbors that could’ve shown up at the lobby and interrupted them. Because she knew how unhurriedly they lived their lives, and she knew how long it could take them to finally go upstairs. 

Besides, she didn’t think they were even aware they had interrupted something, so she also didn’t think they were aware that their presence was holding a conversation back. 

Mrs. Jones hummed to herself while finally going through the same mailbox she opened everyday, and Harry cleared his throat. 

When Lia looked at him, she found his eyes already watching her. He stood with his hands still inside of his pockets, but the previous softness on his face had been replaced by a clenched jaw and lips pressed together into a line. 

“I think I should go back,” he said.

“Oh. O-okay.”

“Yeah. This isn’t—” 

“Walter, look!” Mrs. Jones blurted out. “We got another grocery coupon!”

Harry shut his mouth, rolled his eyes, and looked up at the ceiling. 

“Those sales are garbage,” Mr. Jones mumbled, standing near the stairs. 

“Of course they aren’t,” the woman scoffed. “We get some very nice meals out of them.”

She opened the magazine, eying the content on the first two pages. 

“Let’s see what we find today,” she added. “Maybe they’ve got some apples. For my apple pie.”

“Ugh. I wanna go upstairs, Mora…”

Harry rolled his shoulders and faced Lia again, instantly locking his green eyes with hers. 

He looked frustrated, or maybe annoyed, and somehow she understood the feeling. Because she was frustrated, too—she didn’t want Harry to leave yet, and she more than definitely didn’t want to miss the opportunity to spend a few more minutes with him, or to listen to what else he could have to say. 

So whilst he had been interrupted, she had been denied the opportunity to be around him. And all she could think about was how much she wanted for him to stay around. How much she wanted to keep listening to him, and how much she wanted for him to keep talking to her.  

Lia’s fingers twitched, and her heartbeat sped up. 

She loosened up the grip of her fists, opening and closing her hands a few times. Then, still stuck inside of his green eyes, she took a deep breath in through her nose, licked her lips and voiced quietly, “We can… I mean… Do you want to go upstairs? We can talk there… Y’know, if you want to.”

Harry widened his eyes. 

“You sure?”

“Y-yeah. But it’s fine if you have to go. I just… I mean…” 

“Upstairs sounds great.” He nodded. “Thank you.”

Lia nodded, too. 

She didn’t give herself time to think about what her words could imply. 

She couldn’t allow herself to think about what Harry being inside her apartment would mean, because if she did, she would send him away. 

And after everything she’d been through, there was absolutely no way Lia would ever forgive herself if she just sent him away.

— — — — — 

The walk upstairs was awfully silent, but Lia didn’t know what she could say to him. She wasn’t good at small talk, and she didn’t want to be the one to bring up their previous conversation. So she distracted herself by fidgeting with her keys, cursing when she dropped them, and blushing when Harry picked them up for her. 

“Shit.” 

“Here.” 

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Those were the only words they spoke, then everything went silent again. 

Breathless and with a pounding heart, Lia couldn’t tell if it was from walking too many flights of stairs or from the fact that she was about to take Harry inside of her apartment. 

The moment she didn’t give herself to think before inviting him, hit her between the first and second floor, and it was only downhill from then on.

What was wrong with her?

What was she even thinking?! 

Well, actually she wasn’t thinking. Of course. That had been the whole point, right? She didn’t think, because if she did, she wouldn’t have invited him. She knew she wouldn’t. Of course she wouldn’t! Because she shouldn’t have!

How could she be so freaking stupid? 

It’s just… She didn’t even know him! And in the few and short interactions they’d shared in the past several months, he had been nothing but rude and unfairly mean to her. 

So, yeah, that was such, such a terrible idea!

She’d just spent days—weeks—deeply regretting sharing her insecurities with him. Pondering about how it was time to finally move on and forget about that crush. And yet there she was again: about to let Harry burst another one of her tiny bubbles. About to open up the front door of her tiny apartment and let him in; then turn on the lights and allow him to see the insides of her safest and most personal space.

So, so stupid!

Lia reached the landing before the last set of steps and exhaled slowly, letting the air out of her mouth as if she could also release all the tension out of her body. 

They were almost there. 

It was getting real. It was about to happen. 

And she’d have to deal with the situation. 

There was no going back anymore. 

Or, well… 

Maybe there was, but… 

Did she really want to go back?

No. Of course she didn’t. 

She lifted her arm and pointed her keys ahead, aiming at the second door. 

“We’re—” Her voice faltered, and heat spread through her cheeks. “Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “We’re here.” 

She walked forward, then focused on putting the key in the lock without trembling. Once she succeeded, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, then reached for the switch and turned the light on. 

“Sorry for the mess,” she said, hanging her keys on the wall. 

Lia wasn’t a messy person, but she hadn’t bothered with cleaning up her apartment in the last two days. 

In her defense, though, she wasn’t expecting any guests. Wednesday or not, people never showed up at her place out of nowhere. She didn’t invite anyone she didn’t feel comfortable with, and those who visited knew her well enough to always give her a heads up.

Two things Harry hadn’t done. 

He seemed an exception to absolutely everything in her life so far. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry said. He kept his distance, but still stood close enough for her to feel his presence behind her. “You should see my place.”

There was a playful scoff at the end of his sentence, and Lia knew he was only being polite by insinuating how messier his own place was, but still, the prospect of visiting Harry’s home made her insides twinkle.

She had absolutely no idea where he lived, or who he lived with—was it a house? An apartment? Did he live with his family? Did he have any roommates? Did he live by himself? Did he have any pets? 

Did he have a girlfriend?

Harry had never given Lia the chance for her to ask anything about his life. He had never given her the chance to get to know him. 

If he had, Lia liked to believe she would’ve been brave enough to ask him everything she always wanted to know about him—about his family, his hobbies, his childhood, and even about his dreams. 

He had an accent, so was she correct by assuming he was British? Was his family from there, too? Why did he leave the UK? Did he have any siblings, or was he an only child? Did he see them often? If not, did he miss them?

“It’s really nice here,” Harry said. 

“Um… Yeah.” Lia shrugged. “It’s a good place to live, I guess.”

Up on the fourth floor, her rented apartment wasn’t big, nor fancy. To be honest, she’d always found everything about the place normal and simple, which felt more than enough for her. The space was limited, but it had never felt cramped. A living room and an open-concept kitchen, with only a counter setting the limits between them, and then a tiny hallway that led to the bedroom and the bathroom. 

And that was it. That was all she had to offer.

“You should… I mean,” Lia said, walking further into the living room. “Make yourself comfortable, and all that…”

She walked past the coffee table and the messy remains of her laziness from the night before. After the dark gray counter, she rubbed both hands against her jeans, then turned another light on. Just at the same time, the front door clicked, and she jumped around.

Harry stood awkwardly by the dark wood, his hands hidden inside of his pockets, just like before.

“Sorry.” She leaned her side against the end of the counter. “I’m not… I’m not used to having people over, so… I’m not good at this.”

Harry shrugged, curling his lips up just slightly. “I think you’re doing great.”

Lia snorted and looked down at her feet, then crossed her arms under her chest. “Sure.”

“Look, about the—”

“Who’s at the bar?” She blurted out. “Shouldn’t you be there?”

“Uh, yeah… I should, but Sagey is there. She’s covering for me.”

Lia nodded.

“Right.”

Sagey.

The way the nickname for his coworker rolled so easily out of his tongue made her want to crawl into his arms. It screamed affection, and trust, and for a moment she envied the fact that someone could so easily be part of his life.

She closed her eyes for a second, then looked over her shoulder and back to the kitchen.

“Do you want some coffee?”

“No, thanks. Actually—”

“Tea?” 

“I—”

“You’re British, right?” She faced him again. “Do you really drink tea or is that just a myth?”

Harry tilted his head to the side and pursed his lips, watching her. And then, after a moment, he just dropped his head down and chuckled. 

The joyful, beautiful, and yet discreet sound that came out of his mouth was unexpected, and it once again made Lia’s heartbeat get faster and louder. 

“I am British, yeah,” Harry finally said, then looked up at her. The remains of a smile still dancing through his lips. “But I’m good, thank you.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Maybe some other time, though?”

The chances of her and Harry ever meeting at her apartment again didn’t seem likely, let alone for them to have a coffee or tea together. But she wouldn’t tell him that. 

Instead, she nodded, and looked down at her feet. “Sure. Another time.”

“Good. Now, do you have any other questions, drinks to offer, or…”

Lia widened her eyes and darted her sight back to him.

She had been rambling a lot, hadn’t she? Not letting him talk and interrupting with awkward and stupid questions and… Shit.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, shaking her head and straightening up her body. That had been so rude of her! “Really, I… I didn’t mean to keep interrupting you. Sorry.”

“C’mon, it’s fine,” Harry said, taking a step forward and closer to the couch. “I’m just teasing you.”

“It’s just... I’m—I’m nervous, I think? I mean, usually when I’m nervous I just shut up? So I don’t… I don’t really know why I can’t stop talking right now,  but... Maybe... I don’t know. I guess… I guess this is a different kind of ’nervous’? I mean… I don’t… Yeah. I—I don’t know. Sorry. Shit. I’ll just shut up now. Sorry.”

She chuckled, but quickly regretted it, letting the sound fade in the silent air around them. It felt awkward, as if she was forcing the fun out of her body. And maybe she truly was, because she didn’t feel like laughing—she just thought it would be polite to do so. That it would be better if she looked happy, instead of insecure. Or nervous. Or sad. 

“Lia, I don’t…” Harry looked down, took a deep breath in, and shook his head. When he met her eyes again, his tone—along with his actions—was clearly softer, careful. Almost afraid. “Look, I’m the only one who should be apologizing here. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? And I am sorry Lia, I really am. Those things you said the other night were—"

“It’s okay.” Lia shook her head and stepped towards the couch. “Like I said, I really don’t want to talk about any of the things I said.”

She grabbed the blanket she’d left there the night before, wrapping it as best as she could and holding it onto her chest. 

“But I—”

“Those were very personal things for me to share okay? And I just— Please… I mean… I can’t—I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Ok. Yes. Of course. I shouldn’t… I don’t want to force you to talk about it. I just need to make sure you know how sorry I am for making you feel that way. Because I really am.”

Shit. 

She turned around, dropping the cozy and warm fabric on the armchair. 

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, c’mon. I was out of line and shouldn’t have treated you like that.” 

Lia sighed. 

What did he want her to say? 

Yes, he’d hurt her, but she was trying to move on. So relieving the whole situation wouldn’t help her. 

Besides, it wasn’t Harry’s fault if she didn’t know how to talk or interact with people. 

“Lia…” he called. 

She dropped her arms to her sides, then turned to face him once again. 

She really didn’t want to talk about it. 

“Can you please let it go? It’s just… I shouldn’t have said anything. And I’m really embarrassed about the whole thing.”

He hid his hands inside his pockets and shrugged.

“I’m embarrassed, too. Acted like a proper… What was it? Oh right, like an asshole.” 

Lia’s mouth curled up into a smile, and she bit her bottom lip to hold it back.

Despite the embarrassment, a part of her felt proud of herself for calling him out that night. Both nights. Standing up to people was really hard for her. She almost never cursed out loud, nor disrespected people in any way, so calling Harry an asshole—more than once—had felt like crossing a bridge.

Still, it didn’t mean she thought it was a nice thing to do. Or that he couldn’t have found it offensive.

“Sorry… For calling you an asshole.”

Harry curled one side of his mouth up. “I totally deserved it.”

There was a playful tone in his voice, but the way he was suddenly looking at her made it impossible for Lia to react.

Dark green irises fixed on her, they drifted all over her face. 

Even standing on opposite sides of the living room, Harry focused on her in a way he hadn’t focused before. Giving her all of his attention. As if he was studying her every detail. Or as if he had never seen her before. Or as if he was mapping every left and right to remember a path he’d trail later in time. 

To be honest, it would be difficult for Lia to explain, but something about his stare made her stomach flutter. It caused a flush of shyness to spread from her shoulders to her neck, and all over her face. 

At the same time, though, his gaze comforted her. It made her feel like he was trying his best to be gentle to her. It made her feel like he was being honest with her. Like he somehow cared for her.

“Shit,” Harry murmured, breaking the moment and looking down to his pants. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, staring at the screen as it flashed between his fingers. “It’s Sagey.”

Oh. 

He sighed, yet didn’t make any effort to act on it. 

“I should go back.” 

Lia cleared her throat, then crossed her arms under her chest. 

“Right. Of course.”

“I wouldn’t, but…”

“You have to work.”

“Yeah.”

Time froze as they silently looked at each other. 

It felt exciting, even though at moments it took everything inside her not to run away from the intensity of his gaze. 

“Sagey is still getting used to everything,” he suddenly added. “And I know she can handle it, but I don’t wanna leave her by herself for too long. Can be kind of hectic sometimes.” 

Lia shrugged, pulling her lips into the most genuine smile she could find inside her. “You don’t need to explain yourself.” 

“I know, yeah. I just…”

Harry looked down, and Lia tilted her head to the side.

What, Harry? 

You just... What?!

He sighed.

“You believe I’m sorry, right?”

Lia didn’t have to force a smile after his words—it came out naturally as she nodded.

“I do, yes.”

“Ok. Good.” He looked over his shoulder, towards the door. “I’ll get going, then.”

“Right. Let me open the door for you.” Lia walked around the coffee table, as fast and as far away from him as she could.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t mind the fact that she wasn’t going to walk him downstairs—she didn’t think she would be able to handle any more awkward conversations with him.

Harry followed her lead, taking a few steps closer to the door before he cleared his throat. 

“You should come by tonight… If you’re free, of course.”

As she opened the door, Lia furrowed her brows. She stepped aside, then faced him again. 

Harry chuckled, shrugging lightly and walking outside. 

“To the bar, I mean. Feel like I owe you a drink.” 

Oh… 

Lia rested her temple against the frame, half-smiling at him. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Yeah, I do. For being rude to you.”

“Harry, stop. I—”

“Look,” he said, raising both hands in the air and showing his palms to her, “all I’m offering you is a free drink. That’s all, ok? No pressure.”

There was no way she was going to walk into the bar that night, or any other any time soon. But he didn’t need to know that, so Lia bit back a smile, and nodded.

“Okay. Sure. Thank you, then.”

“Ok.” Harry smiled. “Great. Then… I guess I’ll… Well…” 

“Yes?”

“Bye, Lia.”

“Bye, Harry.”

“Have a good night.”

Lia chuckled. “Thanks. You too.” 

“See you soon.”

“See you.” 

“Bye.”

“Goodbye, Harry.”

“Actually…” 

He ran back up, and Lia laughed.

“Oh my God.”

“Sorry.” He smiled. “I was just wondering, and you can say no if you want, of course, but… Would it be okay for me to ask for your phone number?”

[isolaradiale]

. . . . .

"Mmhm, I see, I see... Your father did tell us you had a bit of a mishap with your art project. We couldn't help coming to give some advice." Solaris muses, circling the diorama of the city. Currently, it's been moved to a coffee table.

"Yes, he told me I should try and spin it as if I had done such a thing on purpose. But I don't see how I could possibly..." "Oh, we had an idea for that!"

Mimosa flutters from behind, resting her hands on Janus' shoulders. The glint of mischief hiding in her rosy glasses does not escape his notice.

"We could help you mirror it in the city proper, you know!" "What?" "It's an interesting theory. The structures you made still stand, but what gives them life and personality has been greyed out." "I wouldn't say that--" "So how do you fix it? Do you paint them with the hues and values they're supposed to be, or do you pick something new?" "What do you do with the spots where the paint bled together? Do you paint over that, too?"

As the two bounce back and forth in this terrible game of brainstorming, Janus begins to put his hands to his cheeks in mounting horror.

"Oh, no. No no no. Absolutely not--" "If we make someone look like an old black and white movie, what happens? Will they try to change to technicolour?" "Would they paint themselves the colour palettes they're used to? Maybe it's something entirely different. If we make those hues correspond with their personalities..." "I--I'll have no part in this! The last time something like this happened, everything--" "Ah-ah, don't worry."

Mimosa leaves Janus side to twirl next to Solaris, who makes an artful pose himself, as if framing the splotchy mess of a diorama in his hands.

"We have this one completely under control. Not like last time." "I'll make sure of it. Just a little bit of editing... ah, Mimosa, what if we..."

Janus can only move his head as the two take their leave, watching them scheme and snicker. He turns back to look at the model of the city. And in a scramble that almost makes him trip over his own feet, he rushes to his boxes of paints.

"--I have to at least put the base coat back on, or they really won't have anything at all!"

. . . . .

Welcome to another zany event for the fall season! It looks like Mimosa and Solaris aren't done causing trouble, but this time, it should be harmless. Right? (Right...?)

Taking inspiration from a creative mishap, the Stars have decided to effectively render the city in greyscale--including the people residing in it--to see what really makes everyone so colourful. Thankfully, most people will start with a base hue.

What does that mean, though? Here's a handy-dandy list of notes!

As soon as it strikes midnight that night, your muse will find that they've been completely greyscaled, save for one colour that represents who they are at their core, and only that colour! - Think of it like those 'what colour is your soul' quizzes. If your muse was only one hue, what would it be? For example, a character that is inherently cheery might turn completely yellow or pink, while a hot-headed character may turn red or orange to reflect their personality.

Your muse cannot help but feel and act whatever hue/personality they seem to be. However! The more your muse interacts with the people around them, the more colours (and feelings/facets of their personality) will open up to them. This will also physically reflect on them. - If your cheery yellow muse bumps into a sad, blue muse, you'll both have a new colour to express. Now you can feel happy (yellow) AND sad (blue)! And perhaps a sort of melancholy joy, like watching your best friend win that prize you wanted instead of you. Of course, you're happy for them, but sad you didn't win. - Or maybe those two colours mix into being green with envy... And suddenly, you have a new colour ;3

Any inanimate object your muse interacts with (except their Island Issued Cell Phone) will take on your muse's hue. Every step you take will leave a colourful footprint in its wake, every hand rail will have colourful handprints. More on that later.

With enough interactions and perspectives, your muse will be back to their old selves in no time! If, that is, they want to go back to their old selves at all. Maybe another colour palette suits them better than before...?

"It can't be that easy, though."

And, you're right! The experiment did more than reduce everyone to solid (or no) colours! Some other strange things are happening, too. Such as...

The NPCs of the city have not escaped unscathed. Unlike you, though, they have no hue to them at all. However, they'll absorb colours from your muses by proximity and action. - If your deep-green jealous muse is around, NPCs will turn deep-green too, and may want what you have--and might try to take it by force. But a calm mint-coloured muse may just leave you alone and soak up some vibes. - This extends to creatures of the island, too, so watch out!

Sources of water in the city (the ocean, lakes, ponds, swimming pools, etc) will wash away at least one colour from you. (You can still drink and cook with it without any effect, though.) Better not get caught in a rainstorm any time soon!

To combat this, you can find paint cans with a random colour paint in them around the city. You never know what you're going to get, though!

The city itself is completely greyscale, so navigating it might be a challenge without any colourful landmarks to stand out. That being said, your muse will leave colour wherever they go, like they're a giant paint roller. And so will everyone else's muses! Figuring out populated areas will be Very Easy, but you might get disoriented in places that don't get a lot of foot traffic.

These are the major issues...... for now :)

FAQ

"Do I have to pick a hue at the beginning? I can't decide on one."

It's entirely possible that your muse can start in greyscale, and just has No Personality. In that case, they'll take on the hue of the first person they interact with.

"What do we do if a colour has multiple associations with it?"

Each association of that colour is a valid one, and there are no incorrect colour associations. Each colour is whatever you need it to be in the moment. The definition of "red" for your muse may not match the "red" of your RP partner--and that's okay! What may be helpful is to make an event info post explaining your colour choice, how you interpret it, and how it would affect your character!

"Do we have to stick to basic colours like red, yellow, green, blue, etc?"

Nope. Maybe your muse is a mauve, emerald, beige, or aquamarine. Pick any colour you think is best for the moment!

"In theory, could we use the paint cans laying around to add hues to others by splashing them with it or something?"

PVP is enabled, if you want to be a menace! (with mun permission, of course)

"Is the comic in black and white for plot reasons?"

No, I'm just lazy :c

Have a question you don't see on here? You can message the Masterlist!

See you in a week! Make sure to get as many colour perspectives as you can, okay? :)

[dtmacgxstorys]

Floyd Leech X Reader!

This is a Floyd Leech X Gender Neutral Reader!

Note: I'm stuck on Idia's chapter,(chapter 6) sooo, yeah! Also, if you're somehow Not scared of the Leech twins, you're probably not going to like this!(I Think!) Yes, I love & fear this guy! Jade is scarier more, though!

... How long has Yuu been living at NRC!?

You have been living at Night Raven College for about 3 & a half months now. "Grim, get up or we'll be late for class again!" "*Merrrr* five more minutes." You make your way to the door of you'r room. "If you don't get up soon, I won't give you any tuna!" Grim sits up fast. "Tuna!? Don't take my tuna away!" He said as he jumped off the bed & on your shoulder. You walk downstairs & made your way out of Ramshackle. You walk through the gates & hear a familiar voice.

"Yo, morning Y/N! Do you want to eat breakfast with me?" "Morning Ace! Yeah, I'll eat with you." You & Aec walk to the cafeteria while making some small talk. You grab some food & sit with Aec & Deuce. You enjoy most of your food in peace,(surprisingly) until you hear a familiar voice. "Hhiiiii shrimpy!~" He says as he hugs you from behind. "Uummm hi Floyd." "Whatcha eaten? Anything good? ... Uumm No."

He says as he puts his chin on top of your head to see your food. "Floyd, please! Stop hugging me!" "Huummm fine." He said as he backed away from you. "See you later Shrimpy!~" After breakfast, Grim's & Your classes are pretty uninventful. Avter your clsses, you were on your way back to your dorm when someone hugged you from behind & someone else grabbed Grim.

"Shrimpy!!!?~ Why do you always have to babysit the catfish? I want you to play with me and just you." "Don't worry about Grim, I'll take good care of him for you." Jade said. "Hey Shrimpy!~ Do you have a swim suit?" ".. Yes, Why?" "Can you go get it?~" ".. Fine." He let go of you, but followed you to your room & looked around while you grab your bathing suit. "(Wispers).. this place is really in bad shape. .. Shrriimmpyy~ did you find it!?" "Yes. Where are we going?" "To Octavinelle! There are some rooms with some smallish pool in them!"

You quietly follow him to Octavinelle & go down a hallway in the front of Octavinelle. You go almost all the way down the hallway before he finds one not occupied. He opens the door for you & you walk in. As soon as you walk in, you can see the pool in front of you & to your right is a good sized bathroom to change in. "Shrimpy~! Can you please get changed, walk into the pool, then close your eyes when you have your balance in then! It has a rock bottom & leads out into the ocean, so you might also feel some fish swing around!"

".. Um.. O-ok." He walks over to the pool & you walk into the bathroom & change into your one-piece bathing suit.(like a diving suit) A little hesitantly, you do as he asked. Floyd is nowhere to be found. A minute went by & you still haven't heard from Floyd. Before you can call out his name, you feel around your left lage & hear: "hehe thank you for turning me Shrimpy!~" You open your eyes to see Floyd, but he looks very different. ".. Floyd!?"

He is holding himself up by the floor leading to the pool, making him seem shorter then you when that isn't the case. "Heha do you like my real form, Shrimpy?~!" He said, flashing his sharp teeth at you with a smirk. He slowly leans in a bit closer to you, waiting for an answer. ".. Un.. It's.. Y-yes!" You say as his teeth hovered just above your collarbone. You can't see, but his smirk widens. He moves up to kiss your chin.

You feel his tail unravel aroun your lag & rast it on the rock. He also moves to make himself eye level with you. "I'm glad to hear that, Shrimpy!~" You start to blush. ".. F-Floyd,... would it be weird to ask you if I could.. like.. pet your tail?" You see him move his tail out of the water & onto the floor next to you. As your giant petting his surprisingly soft tail, he moves closer to you & hugs you from behind & puts his chin on your right shoulder.

".. I love you.. Y/N!" You shiver from hearing him wisper your name. ".. Y-you.. mean it!?" "Hehe Did you think I wanted to eat you or something?" ".. kind of." "Hehe no. I just really like seeing your reactions! I don't want to heat you." He leans over to your left ear & wispers: "unless your into that!~ hehe" You gently push him away. "F-Floyd!?" You say, looking away from him, blushing even more now!

"Hehehehe You really are too cute all flustered like this!~" he said as he puts thumb just under your bottom lip & pointer finger under your chin to gently make you look at him. Ones you look up at him, he kisses you on the lips. You quickly returned the kiss, throwing your arms around his neck. His hands slowly & gently rub your back as you two make out. After a while, he pulls away & ask: "Will you spend the night with me and cuddle?"

".. I should check on-" "Catfish is fine! My brother won't hurt him! .. Do you really not trust us that much!?" ".. You and your brother scare me sometimes." "Because we.. I Love seeing you reactions! I know it's mean, but we're not evil!" You looked at him surprise. ".. I said scarey, Not evil!" "So will you spend the night with me?~" ".. Yes!" He kissed you on the lips reall quick & ask: "Can I whatchyou~" "No you can not which me change!" He pouts and says: "fine."

End!

Sorry for not writing for a while. I've been depressed because my mom believe that xx xy bullshit & I'm a trans man. I started this before I was depressed but... yeah. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! 🥰

[666writingcafe]

Greed (Part Two)

Lucifer

"Well, hello MC," Solomon merrily greets when he opens the front door of the cabin. As soon as he sees me, however, his expression grows more serious. "Lucifer, is everything alright?"

"I'm afraid not," I reply. "There's been an incident, and--"

"Tie me up," MC abruptly interrupts, their voice slightly strained. Solomon looks between the two of us, clearly confused.

"I'd do what they say," I suggest. He's still unsure, but he nevertheless lets us in and pulls out a chair from the kitchen for MC to sit in. He utters a spell that causes ropes to magically appear and wrap around them, effectively keeping them in place.

"There'd better be a good explanation for this," he warns, turning his attention back to me. "I'm not about to hurt my apprentice--" My phone suddenly rings, and I quickly excuse myself to another room to answer it.

"What happened?" I ask once I've answered the call.

"Mammon's lost the coin," Satan quietly responds on the other end. "The dumbass kept tossing it in the air, and it ended up rolling off somewhere."

"So you've haven't made it back to the House yet?" Satan sighs.

"No. We're still in the forest. He's making us look for the stupid thing."

"Asmo, I don't care about your fucking nails! We're not leaving until my lucky coin is back in my hands!" I've never heard Mammon scream that loud, and he's one of the more noisy ones in the bunch when he's arguing with someone.

"We're literally on our hands and knees, combing through every single thing on the ground. It's fucking ridiculous, if you ask me." I sigh.

"This is probably going to be a stupid question on my part, but has anyone tried to tell him to let the coin go so that you can get home safely?"

"Belphie." He pauses. "His statement caused Mammon to go berserk, and somehow he used magic to force us to the ground. If we even try to stand up, he makes the most excruciating pain shoot down our bodies." A faint whipping sound cuts through the air on his end. "And that would be due to him spotting someone taking a rest." This isn't good. Not at all.

"I'm assuming you've found a place to hide?"

"Yes, but I'll have to move soon. I hear him getting closer." Something suddenly starts rattling loudly, followed by various objects shattering on the ground.

"Lucifer, I think that's coming from your end," Satan nervously observes. "Did you at least make it to the cabin?"

"We did. Listen, I'm giving you permission to use whatever means necessary to knock Mammon out. Just make sure it's not fatal. Call me when you've done that." I quickly end the call and rush back to Solomon and MC, only to find the room they're in to be an absolute wreck.

"Let me go!" MC yells. Solomon looks like he's walked through a minefield with his hair in disarray and his clothes torn.

"As I keep telling you, I can't do that--"

"Whose side are you on, Solomon?! His?!"

"Look, I think it's unfair that he stole the coin from you, but--"

"But what?! You don't think he deserves to get punished?!"

"That isn't what I'm saying--"

"MC." They snap their head, focusing their attention on me. "Pull yourself together. You're being unreasonable." The air around them begins glowing.

"How dare you!" MC screams.

"Great, Lucifer," Solomon complains. "I was trying to calm them down, not provoke them even further."

"And how well is that turning out for you?" Silence. He may know MC better than I do, but I've dealt with Satan on the warpath many times before. Explanations mean nothing when someone is in this state, so the best thing to do is to be simply firm and wait for them to tire out on their own.

"Let me at him!"

"No."

"It's my coin, and I want it back!"

"No." Is it my imagination, or are the ropes starting to break?

"Of course you would side with Mammon."

"I will deal with him accordingly."

"Then why are you still here?!" In a nearly blinding flash, the ropes fly off MC, and they lunge themselves at me, knocking me down to the ground. I quickly spin us around so that I'm able to pin them down. They're thrashing about, but that's to be expected.

"Sleep." Their body quickly goes limp as the magic behind the command takes over them. I stand up and dust myself off. I don't have to look at Solomon to know that he's glaring at me.

"They'll be fine," I tell him. "It'll just be a few hours before they're awake again. Help me get them in bed." He's still seething, but he at least comes over and assists me. It's not until we've gotten MC tucked in and leaving their room that he reacts by slamming me against the wall.

"What the fuck is going on?" he whispers threateningly.

While I certainly have enough strength to throw him off me, I'm not about to get into another fight. Plus, I do understand why he's upset at me. In his eyes, I'm currently a threat to his loved one's safety. He has every right to protect them.

Especially since I'm trying to do the same thing. It'd be hypocritical of me to hold his feelings against him while experiencing them myself.

"Growing pains." If I gave that answer to someone else, they'd probably demand a more detailed explanation after chastising me for being so vague.

Thankfully, Solomon's smart enough to read between the lines of my short answer.

"They're affecting MC."

"Yes." The fact that he doesn't pose that as a question makes me suspect that he knows something that I don't. Then again, he did know MC back when they were human, so perhaps it makes some degree of sense.

Solomon steps away from me, allowing me to move freely.

"How much time do you have?" he asks.

"Enough."

"Good. Fancy a trip back to the castle?"

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr, @tenkobitch, @budbuddnbuddy