#im very happy with what I can come up with when surrounded by coffee

[wisteriainslumber]

TWST working at McDonalds

my credentials are i have never worked at mcdonalds

this is crack don’t take it seriously

warnings: swearing and cr*wley

Riddle

absolutely judges you for even coming to order at mcdonalds. there is no nutrition!! all of it is grease and sugar!!

refuses to work drivethru. yelling does nothing for his rage, his violent nature will not be contained

relax, riddle doesn’t have scarlet fever, his face just does that. is it healthy? probably not. 

is not the manager but when people ask for the manager they will call for riddle because he can do a better job

(if you hadn’t figured, the manager is cr*wley)

has the most monotone, dead customer service voice

if someone forgets to fill the coins or fails to lock up, you will be put on janitor duty to think about what you’ve done

understandably, it’s very effective

do not let him train the newbies. he thinks telling the instructions once/reading the employee handbook (THAT HE VOLUNTARILY MADE. insane man.) will prepare them. 

the reigns of training deuce and ace were then very quickly passed off to someone else

riddle gives emotional support hugs to kalim and cusses out the people who are mean to him with the fury of a thousand suns

if he weren’t so competent, he would’ve been fired

(he wouldn’t have been fired. cr*wley doesn’t want to hire new people)

he’s learning recipes from lilia on their break. after his attempt at soup gave him the flu, he has not tried to learn recipes from lilia since

a bit concerned by the screaming children. he’s never been surrounded by children his age so he thinks the scream-laughter is like a call for help

Trey

when he burns the batches of cookies he feeds them to the workers and tells them its the double chocolate chip cookies

the staff believe him because he’s never really done anything wrong

except for that ungodly amount of spare dental products in their staff washroom

normal people have toilet paper in the cupboard but their staff washroom has toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, all labeled with everyones names

no one knows who brought them, one day the cupboard was just full, but since trey keeps telling people to brush their teeth after eating the cookies it isnt hard to find out who did it

now because of him, if anyone runs out of toilet paper in the bathroom they need to text a co-worker to hand them another roll

trey finds the strongest types of coffee combinations for silver, but is getting increasingly concerned by the amount of espresso shots getting put into the cup

he will also coordinate group outfits for halloween or gift exchanges during the holidays

during the spooky season, you will find a free toothbrush in your bag or happy meal box

just... don’t ask

it was either that or licorice because trey clover is a black licorice enjoyer

Cater

makes promotional tiktok videos during his shift

specifically a “come with me to work ^^” videos where he films some things that can definitely get them in trouble. the words “health code violation” makes up 40% of the comments

hogs the stall bathrooms to break down and cry and send crying streaks to malleus

malleus hasnt learned how to use the app (yet) so cater has been treating their dms like his personal diary

he leaves sticky notes on the bathroom mirrors, lockers, and on the inside of the drivethru window saying some live laugh love kinda shit to mock trey’s white mom home decor

rook scribbles his own little stick figures of trey on them and adds speech bubbles

ace gives him the idea of summoning a demon at work and cater hopped on that without hesitation now there is a pentagram made of silly string on the wall of the bathroom

when taking orders he puts any additional notes in all caps. now deuce is staring at the order with the notes “NO DAIRY OR SHE WILL BLOW UP OUR TOILET” and “IF ACE FORGETS THE SAUCE AGAIN IM MAKING HIM CLEAN THE PLAYPLACE”

because of everyone’s incompetency, the receipt will contain these notes. sorry martha

when the manager had arrived to evaluate them, you will not find a single cater in sight

cay cay is slay slaying in hiding

Ace

hes the guy you should blame for never getting your dipping sauce or missing part of your order

he does trick shots in the back and if it lands in the bag, you get your stuff, if it doesn’t, rip

“i’m sorry you want how many chicken nuggies?? 200?? okay, word. wish i could spend that much on chicken nuggies”

will return bitch energy in the drivethru

he absolutely plays a game with deuce over if the person in the mic sounds hot or not

cater started that game, then he was kicked out for flirting with the customers

fortunately for the customers and staff alike, ace does not flirt with the customers

when someone asks for the manager he’ll walk away, then come back and speaks in a different voice and accent and cusses them out

kicked off from doing drivethru after he played cupcakke songs on there

he was raving over those minion happy meals and loved those banana cookies

it was a mistake to ask ace to do card tricks on their break because the items they gave up for the trick have disappeared

so sorry idia, your limited edition trading card will not be in safe hands

bribes the children with the happy meal toys for them to start calling riddle ronald mcdonald

riddle has no proof it’s ace’s doing but He Knows.

Deuce

he wanted to raise money to send back to his mama

how much money hes actually raising through this job though? is not a lot

brews riddle tea every morning just the way he likes it and he gets a premium riddle smile in return

takes so much time to count coins pls be patient with him

don’t tell azul, but if you’re nice, he will not charge you for any extra sauce or toppings

he “doesn’t know where the button is” wink wink

the only one who likes the easter egg mcflurries. when jack has free time, he will make one for himself and deuce and they chill on his break

(deuce doesn’t tell jack he’s still on the clock, and jack doesn’t tell deuce that he prefers oreo mcflurries more)

once got into a fight with ace over whether fish fillets were good or not and deuce threw a ketchup bottle hard enough to knock ace out cold

he apologized profusely but all ace cared about was how to throw like deuce. (he’s got some grudges and yes deuce received a ketchup bottle to his head)

in the back, you’ll find the rookies playing with that seasons happy meal toys joyfully

deuce defends the happy meal books with his life even though none of his friends agree 

its okay deuce they’re just jealous they can’t read /j

Leona

cheka filled in the mcdonalds application for leona after seeing the happy meal toys

he thinks working at mcdonalds would cheer up his unca

it does not

leona would really prefer if you just ordered at the kiosks

works drivethru and terrorizes everyone there

“can i get a umm..” “im sorry we don’t sell ‘umms’ we also don’t sell to people who cant speak properly”

dreads when he sees a group of teenagers in line. they have the most balls and he can only be recognized as the “prince working at mcdonalds” so many times before he starts throwing hands

refuses to wear the uniform properly. comes in with the most patterned ass fucking shirts. im talking leopard print, stripes, polka dots, pineapples. he’s an uncle and he dresses like one. see exhibit a

if it wasn’t a safety hazard he would also wear those uncle slippers so he can slip them off and hit malleus with them. this is the 4th time the ice cream machine is broken and cheka wants a mcflurry.

the slippers are also for his dogs to scare off judgy karens RUFF RUFF ARF BARK WOOF

stopped passing his work off to other people after vil tried to shave him bald. he shudders from the memory of the buzzing razor

Ruggie

he steals a fry before putting it in your bag

obsessively counting his earnings and will notice if he is getting paid less

makes him a very efficient cashier. if you give him strictly coins he will curse you on the inside but he’s quick to organize them all and give you the change

he also does not make you feel awkward when you’re taking longer to pay. there’s nothing to apologize for, go take ur time. helping leona has built up a looooot of patience in this guy

goes outside for his breaks, picks dandelions and makes wishes to PLEASE GET A PAY RAISE.

he wants to gtfo of this job he lives too far away from his grandma

some kid wanted their birthday at mcdonalds and ruggie personally went out to get lots of decorations for their special day

the place was filled with balloons and streamers and ruggie got floyd to dress like a clown to entertain the kids

the staff fr thought ruggie was taking revenge on them bc everyone was BEGGING to be the clown in fear of floyd being placed with the kids

ruggie knows floyd is great with kids but pretended he was the worst option for the Drama™

also because floyd bribed him with a wendy’s combo to do so. they both went to wendy’s after

he IS the christian autumn girl you WILL find him wearing infinity scarves and cardigans and uggs on the first day of september brandishing a PSL he bought with the card he stole from leona

when the staff had gotten enough of cr*wleys antics, lilia takes his car for a joy ride and treats everyone to the fountain soda. sorry, we kinda on a budget here

(ruggie pats his pocket in pride, cr*wleys credit card snug in place)

Jack

very devoted worker

believes that even if he hates his job, he can still be good at it

panics when a karen asks him why the ice cream machine isnt working but what kind of logical explanation can you give someone who won’t listen?

asks riddle to take care of it

yes those are his real ears no you may not touch them

sick and tired of hearing the jacob from twilight comparisons

jack thinks hes accumulated at least 3 mental illnesses from working here and it’s only been a few months

he’s put in the back to prepare orders instead of interacting with people which he appreciates very much. he’s kinda awkward, and people ask questions that make him uncomfortable

gets the orders out in record time. he wants them done and gone with

when vil is having another one of his meltdowns, they send jack to calm him down

the staff think jack have this magical healing power but really he just pat pats vil on the back and gives him some lemon water. 

they go out for walks if they have time and take pictures of nature and vil tells him about the plants

A+ therapy buddy, now vil needs a therapy buddy for his therapy buddy

Azul

after his plan on leaving the job failed he has a new goal: overthrow the company

even in minimal wage misery, azul will find a way to come out on top

he already is holding something over cr*wley in nrc, he will hold something over the bird man again to get a higher salary

he makes the bird raise all of their salaries actually, because he’s very generous

as thanks for his effort, he takes 2% of their earnings and no one puts up much of a fight because any salary increase in this job will do

azul may have started a revolution but he is not our comrade </3

he does not take breaks. its the sigma male grindset forever. until he’s forcibly dragged away from his coffee and his new menu additions

mans the cashier and refuses to give up his spot. customers either love him or hate him

he is constantly trying to get people to buy more food and he’s terribly good at convincing them

customers don’t know they pulled out their wallet until they already paid

he practices his charisma in the bathroom mirror. he has cue cards, and they all dictate his persona to the smallest detail.

riddle walks in just needing to pee and sees azul pulling out the shittest posh accent and language and is way too tired to care. but azul does get some tips and he walks out a little more confident

Jade

wouldve worked longer as the janitor if the washrooms werent so fucking disgusting

hey, you get to hear lots of stuff when you’re cleaning the place

most people do not acknowledge the janitor, so information gets tossed around without a care

helps kids fill their cups at the drink station, helps them put on the drink lids properly too

helps azul make bots to give this mcdonalds good reviews, specifically mentioning their names and how helpful they are <3 listen, a bitch is desperate 

in case someone is getting really annoying, jade reminds everyone that the bleach is in the bottom of the supply closet

to threaten? to drink? to poison? no one knows and jade likes being cryptic

teams up with lilia to make new menu suggestions. they aim to make one recipe that finally gets the OK

hey, mushroom oatmeal is a good idea! don’t kick it till you try it!

floyd got fed up once jade snuck mushrooms in his burger as revenge so they started a fight over the tables

there was hair pulling, shouting, biting, and a chair was thrown

apparently this is one of the tamer fights?? the only children are horrified

they’re lucky it was late because they got into big trouble with manager riddle

“big trouble” lasted about 5 minutes because floyd kept repeating “why”. with riddle’s attention on floyd, jade snuck out

thank you for your sacrifice

Floyd

the only reason hes not doing food prep jobs is to hide the fact that hes playing in the playplace

when his coworkers try to look for him he slithers in and hides in the tubes

when asked to look for a floyd, the kids cant point him out because he never tells them his name

is absolutely the ronald mcdonald mascot. he shows up in costume when he feels like it and it’s like watching the strangest joker sequel ever

does shitty magic tricks and turns off all the lights to entertain the children. staff hate him. 

once the radio stopped working so floyd brought it upon himself to bring a few hula hoops and starting hula hooping while walking and singing lady gaga

he brings in random shit to do trick shots and he moves around via hoverboard/skates at all times

he has an old lysol container he uses as his water bottle. to this day, floyd has managed to convince ace that drinking lysol will make you immortal

kicked off of the register because he will not shut his mouth. please stop hitting on customers and please stop calling people snowflakes, no matter how much they deserved it

he’s good at preparing drivethru orders even though he’s playing on his phone most of the time

(he’s texting kalim. all of them run like 3AM thoughts or shower thoughts)

Kalim

his union birthday card makes him look like a mcdonalds worker

don’t let him work in the drive thru he shouts

always hands you your food with “have a great day!”

if you are the most awful person and complain about kalim he responds with a hearty “aw shucks, sorry ‘bout that”. and while he bounces back quickly, how dare you.

he is the one that breaks the ice cream machine all the time

he Does Not Know how to operate it yet he is always the one there when someone needs ice cream

he brought sprinkles one time for the impromptu staff ice cream party he declared, but now customers think sprinkles are on the menu

he doesn’t have the heart to say they aren’t on the menu, so he personally buys sprinkles for this specific location

goes all out during parties. he will bring in a cotton candy maker and popcorn poppers and holiday treat bags

kalim drowning in riches, why is he here??

cater complained he was lonely, so kalim joined him.

they‘re always blasting the latest tunes in the back and treating tasks like a suggestion

but how can you get angry at the big, beaming smile on kalims face?

Jamil

the most efficient worker

hes so calm. hes used to stupid people.

uses his internal monologue to stay sane.

he looks aloof on the outside but he is actually screaming on the inside. everything is on fire. the floor is lava and there are no platforms.

highkey just complies to the crazy demands these bitches make because he has no energy nor mental capacity to try to reason with these people

however, he remembers every single face and name and it is going into his personalized death note

he’s on volume nine now

before jade and lilia propose their ideas to azul, they have to run it by jamil first. and jamil deems all their ideas as a one way ticket to a poison control centre

because none of them are reliable, jamil writes the numbers and names of emergency services on sticky notes and slaps them everywhere beside caters stickies

theres numbers for helplines, poison control, pest control, and electrical maintenance 

leona used one of them to write down contact information for a hitman (it is rook’s number)

jamil uses that number to call for help. it is life threatening matter (it was a cockroach)

jamil nearly whacks azul with a broom for being in the storage supply

azul hid there because alas, it is a small world and his bullies in grade school are now his customers

jamil, being a decent human being, chooses not to spritz him with rubbing alcohol and gives him some awkward reassurance

unfortunately, it works, and now jamil is azul’s emotional support human and the staff send him to find azul every time

jamil is getting an aneurysm

Vil

where vil wouldve ended up had he actually murdered neige

if a customer asks whats in their food he will give you a whole essay on where it came from, how it got transported, how its prepped, made, seasoned, and the nutritional value

he’s never felt greasier in his life. he’s gone through all of his oil blotting papers on the first week. what the hell is in the air

his makeup looks immaculate every day, its to cover up the look of “i just got my life sucked out” as soon as he clocked in

the radio doesn’t actually break. vil just mutes it whenever neige is starring in a new movie because that is all the radios will talk about. 

speaking of neige, if he and his little dwarves come in, vil will tell them he’s having a wonderful time and that this job is good for experience

if he had fewer morals he would be putting rat poison in cr*wleys morning coffee

he excuses himself to go in the storage closet and scream. epel joins him and it’s their biweekly bonding activity

very patient with the children and talks to them with an air of grace. he accepts suggestions for the types of movies they want to see him in

quarrels with leona daily. he gets called ugly, then vil’s heel will meet his toes. vil may be dignified but that doesn’t make him any less petty

sadly for leona, cheka loves vil and will tell his unca to be nicer to the pretty man

vils “yeah leona, be nice” earns him a very mature middle finger from leona

will refuse to even give this establishment clout. has their company account blocked.

after fans see vil on caters vlogs, vil changes the password to the company account so no one can post on it again. 

his true villain arc

Rook

he used to work as the janitor because he was immaculate at cleaning but the staff put him on register instead

he’s very good at appeasing people

if a customer asks whats in the bigmac he will give you a whole thesaurus but will not actually tell you whats in it or where its from

he will compliment everyone that walks up to his register. in fact, even if he didn’t speak to you, he will yell across the room and say your skin looks radiant today

his compliments are not normal, they range from “your teeth are so straight” to “you smell different...oh, you must’ve went to the walmart down the street!”

after enough complaints, vil gives rook a stern talk

it works, but now theres a new problem arising 

he’s been collecting leonas hair

it wasn’t “serious” enough of a problem to take action, but leona is preparing a restraining order

helps train the newbies the most. epel and ortho love him, which means the entire group has to

ortho follows him around asking him random questions every day because he thinks rooks answers are unconventional. he’s collecting data to help idia make friends!

Epel

all of his spare shipment of apples actually go to mcdonalds

since cr*wley doesn’t want to pay for apples he finds this the cheaper option and gives epel a slight payraise for it

epel sends the money to his mama

azul is Very Jealous.

do NOT let epel man the register he WILL throw hands.

even with his pronoun pin, bitches will still use the wrong pronouns and he Will Get Physical!

stop asking him for his number, he will cuss you out and insult your breath

also keeps tabs on these customers and writes them down on their clipboard. sebek is in on this and will very Loudly cuss out these people if they harrass epel again

he has been reported to the manager at least once a week but he can’t get fired bc cr*wley needs those applys

congrats epel, you got privilege

teams up with ace to prank the staff. they replace the coffee machine with coke cola and move everyones belongings in the wrong lockers

he brings scented candles into the washrooms, vil brings the lighter. they accidentally trigger the fire alarm but they sit there calmly staring at the candle wick

gets swarmed during the holidays because he has to help azul write down recipes (absolutely not the family recipes. those are secret) for the seasons. 

because of this he spends lots of time with azul and learns a lot about him. now azul has 2 emotional support humans

makes emotional support apple cider for azul. favouritism acquired! 

Idia

is banging the door to the bathroom cater is hogging and cater lets him in they lock the door and cry together

when a customer throws down a bunch of coins idia debates jumping off a building

why the hell does this customer want mcdonalds to do the catering to their party 

he IS the one silently judging everyone but he thinks everyone is silently judging him too

kids love to point at his hair and ask to touch it

please do not touch his hair. few people ever get close enough to touch him. idia will break down

they want 100 hashbrowns? damn bitch who is you feeding? idia cant fathom someone having that many friends

he quits being the cashier and decides to work as a janitor instead. at least no one will look or talk to him

he enjoys being the janitor but he soon finds out that people are heckin nasty. the messes he cleans up are ones he never thought would come from grown ass adults

once a kid dropped her toy and idia (after cursing his life and gathering all his courage) picked it up for her, and the little girl loved his hair so much. now he has the nickname of “flame princess” from adventure time

pulling for his favourite characters on his break as lilia makes summoning rituals for them

they work, so now lilia is invited to every kind of gacha pull idia does. he boosts the SSR rates up 10%!

Ortho

declining cards of people who laugh at idia for stuttering

he finds their cars, their addresses, their jobs, everything about these people. they’re prepared just in case idia wants them :)

ortho encourages rook to fly a arrow through their car windows

they have a swear jar and ortho funds it the most

absolutely steals some of the happy meal toys for himself and idia to play with

bonding with street cats and people of all ages

people think ortho is a walking ad for mcdonalds bc he invites them to visit his workplace, but he’s conducting exposure therapy for idia. these are friends you havent met yet!

technically he is under apprenticeship training but poses as an employee to get money

he wants the new PS5 👉👈

whenever vils new movies comes out, ortho prepares an entire fan review to discuss with vil. he’s his biggest fan!

vil takes the feedback and gives ortho candy as thanks for his support

ortho is the staff favourite and he even gets extra tips because of his cute face

gets convinced to give azul a dollar for every board game he plays with idia

Malleus

lilia told him this was summer camp

lurks around, says hi to people. wants to befriend idia but idia thinks mal is messing with him

one of the few who get to hear riddle bitching about his job. he doesn’t really understand, but is a good listener

will ask cater how to work the social medias and cater makes mal swear to not open his magisnap

malleus doesn’t even know what that is and apologized to cater for opening up his magicam page </3

sebek fr breathing down his neck and the only place to hide from him is in the bathroom

he finds cater and idia there crying in the corner and he joins them to fit in

they are now an unofficial group of social outcasts and they occasionally meet up to play pokemon (mal watches)

he’s in charge of refilling the ice but he just??? disappears from his shift midway??? and now theres no ice bc they’re too busy cleaning up the fucking silly string in the bathroom

people avoid him so he just does work in the back

and by work in the back i mean he’s terrorizing leona while he’s terrorizing the customers 

he’s stuck on tray washing duty bc it is too dangerous for him to do anything else

he is very unsafe near the hot oil, he practices no safety procedures near the hot steam and water. 

maybe it’s best to put him on ice cream machine duty... it’s always broken anyways

Lilia

hes experienced so many things in his long long life but he hasnt experienced customer service before

prefers this over being in the military actually

kids love to point out the little bat ears on his head

decorated the place for halloween one year but then it was transferred to azul because the skeletons hanging from the ceiling were scaring the children and the (fake..??) blood in the back was scaring the staff

do not be frightened by watching him drink ketchup in the back, he just Does That

babies literally everyone and everyone (reluctantly) calls him dad as revenge

it was weird at first but now lilia is asserting his new dad status and performing the most bass boosted, earth shattering sneezes known to man

on one of his dad status days, lilia goes “relax my sons, i am only fucking one of your mothers.”

silver doesn’t even know his mother but he dies a little anyways

if given a burger, he picks out the tomatoes and pickles and eats them. jamil is kind of horrified

he keeps making new suggestions to the menu but after the third rejection of turkey-tomato-cookie sandwiches, he cooks all the employees lunch every month to show off his spectacular culinary skill

the next staff meeting, they tell lilia to stop limiting his cooking to just them, as it should be “shared to the world on the secret menu”

Silver

was also signed up for ‘summer camp’

naps on the clock but is an excellent worker for the night shift

yeah this might have been his seventh cup of coffee today and yeah maybe that’s concerning but dw it’s nothing a few bathroom breaks can’t fix

riddle is staring in horror

very chill, never sounds stressed, and gets everything out at a reasonable time

only thing to complain about is that he gives an ungodly amount of napkins for no reason

the environment is dying singlehandedly because of silver giving you six napkins for a single ice cream cone

sings to himself to keep himself awake and it soothes the staff so much

on the less busy hours of the night shift, silver tutors deuce on science

as thanks, deuce offers to take silver to a build-a-bear

they get matching bunnies they both respectfully name “max” & “ruby”

silver and ruggie have a wordless agreement to cover each others shifts when the other is busy

they don’t hang out outside of work but they are ride or die on the clock

lilia is a Proud Father

Sebek

when he answered the why do you want to work here question he truly meant every word of “because i care about the company and its values” with his whole chest

was transferred to work drivethru because he was angering the customers but now he’s blowing up the speakers

if you ever wonder why your burger is so flat it’s because sebek uses so much force when wrapping it you’d think he was personally insulted by the burger itself

too much energy. he will always forget your ketchup and sauce packets bc he is speedrunning all of your orders

straight up locks the doors in front of your face and glares at you for trying to come in at 8AM on a monday

loudly chatting with trey about the importance of brushing your teeth because trey is the only one that will talk to him /j

sebeks too loud so any kind of secret or gossip cant be shared with him

leona absolutely hates being in his presence but will spread rumours about rook stealing dna to make voodoo dolls to sebek so everyone’s eyes will be on rook

now leona has free bodyguards 

he is the only person to order off of lilias “secret menu” to see him happy

sebeks life expectancy rate is declining by the day

Tagging the skrunklies!! Thank you for your excitement :D

@spadecentral​ @ruggiethethuggie @mellyteddy​ @theheavilyindulgentgoat​

[redrydersrequiem]

Reunited chapter 7

Updated 5/27/23

Some how I’m getting this story going. Again I’m in training so i don’t post a lot since i write this on paper then transfer it to my computer. I also as of may 27th decide to repost this chapter cause i wanted to add more to it cause i felt it would flow better. Once again thank you to everyone who even reads this, im a baby fanfic writer this is all for my own entertainment and to get these stories out of my head. Love you all happy summer.

Previous chapter. Next chapter

Ardmore pov

What?!”

“Yes ma’am the team wen sent out reported that the blue tea was attacked while surveying one of the first groupings of islands

“Any casualties?”

“No human casualties but unconfirmed when it comes to the recoms. The soldiers saw the colonel injured and the others captured, but couldnt say if they saw any of them die

“Fuck!”Ardmore exclaims throwing her coffee cup at the wall in her rage. She takes a couple deep breaths

“Fine well have to do this differently”

“What do you mean ma’am”

“That well locate sully ourselves”

“What about the blue team?”

“For now we continue our other missions, until we have the confirmed doa the blue team is simply out checking surroundings of pandora

“But what about?”

“WHAT about what soldier?”Ardmore states pointedly to the younger officer

“Nothing ma’am I’ll relay your commands”

“Good and send the commander of the delta team to my office”

Your pov

The team is hog tied and surrounded until we no longer see any of the rdas ships. Even though the ocean's calm helped us they still didn’t completely trust us. Miles had miraculously recovered from his “ fatal” wound and was now conversing slowly with Lyle not letting me or Spider out of his line of sight.A horn is blown once again, everyone turning towards the water as we see Jake, Tonowari and other warriors fly towards us on what looks like some type of giant flying fish. Jake quickly hops off and bounds towards us with a tentative smile on his face.

“Well that went well”

I just laugh at him as he and the others un-tie us all.

What now jake?” I ask he just pats my shoulder and gestures for all of us to follow him as he walks towards the other end of the shore line. A couple boats lie there waiting to whisk us away to our new life’s.

Jake tells us all to climb in as he goes back into the water swimming up to the front of the boats

“What are you doing”

“Well we gotta get you guys there Somehow so well use the ilus”

“Ilus?” I ask to go to the front of the boat to see the creature. It reminded me of a dolphin back on earth.

“Yeah these are some of the main creatures around here well show you later. Let's get you all settled first.”

Jake yips slightly and he and two other ilu riders pull ur boats forward into the sea. It takes some time to get to the metekiyanas clan home, me and spider and the others as much as they try to hide it, are entranced by the scenery around us. The beautiful blue water and glowing corals, plants and fish we can see through it. The closer we get the more people we see, some doing what looked like chores while others simply basked in the sun making trinkets and talking, watching the younger ones play gleefully in the water. It all is enough to bring a smile to my face

Jakes pov

“Ok here we are i say jumping off my ilu, as the team departs and are now standing on the shore awkwardly, just watching the village around them

“This way” quartich leads behind me, y/n and spider next to him.

“We’ve been able to get some new muris made in prep for your arrival. I say approaching the new grouping of four pods. I didn’t think you all would want to be far from another so i made the suggestion of making all your homes somewhat together.”

“Thank you Jake, that's very thoughtful, can i ask though why there’s four pods?

“Well y/n its cause excuse there's a shit ton of you.’ I laugh looking over my shoulder at the group of 13 people

“We didnt want you all to be cramped so there’s two pods for the guys to share, one for the ladies and who ever you want to share with if you even want to and this finally one over here is for you y/n.”

“What? He says looking down at y/n with a quizcal look

Yeah, think of this as my olive branch to you colonel. I wanted you guys to have a home for you, y/n and spider.” I look the colonel in the eyes as he comes to terms with what i've done.

“Every man needs a family and every family needs a home. So use this and make a home here colonel. A fresh start.

Quartich looks to me than back to y/n’s smiling face and back, his ears and tail twitching before breathing out a large exhale

“Fine sully thank you.” Quartich states clapping me on the shoulder as they move to go check out their new homes, I simply smile knowing that's a Huge step for Quartich to even say thank you.

Your pov

The homes are woven but sturdy, different posts and tapestries make rooms and spaces. In the middle there’s a fire pit for cooking and to keep the home warm. Mats and spots for hammocks are all over so I'm sure everyone would be comfortable.

Jakes voice make me turn as i hear him ask us what we thought

It’s beautiful "I say looking around Miles and I’s new home. For now only two rooms are made, one for miles and i and one for spider should he want it other than that its very open and inviting.

“Im glad yall like it i actually have some other stuff for you guys give me a sec. Jake runs off leaving all of us standing here

Miles pov

Everyone checked out the homes all claiming their spots before meeting in y/n and I’s home. Our home, I think to myself. I finally have a home with y/n. Her hand on my shoulder turns my head. I see her beautiful smiling face. I just pull her into my arms embracing her as i address everyone.

“Well I hope you all are ready. Learn what they teach us, earn your spot but stand your ground people, were soldiers and while this may seem all fine and dandy don't forget the rda is still here and will have to be dealt with”

“Yes sir”

“Till then yall go unpack and do whatever you want just dont cause any trouble”

“Yes sir” they all reply again A knock sounds turning all our heads to see sully had returned

“What’s up sully?”

“I got you all Some clothes, you’ll probably need something cooler but i didn’t expect you all to go full native so i had the weavers make some more covering items than usual.” Jake hands the giant bag over Lyle taking it and bringing it over everyone now rifling through it

“Also y/n when you're ready tiri wants to say hi and spider.” The boy perks up at the call of his name. “ the kids are all down by the beach”. The boy jumps up excitement on his face as he heads towards the door

“And where are you going kid” i ask the teen

“Oh come on dad, mom can i go?” he asks y/n next to me. She just smiles and tells him to go on and have fun but to not stay in the sun all day without some sunscreen

The scenes is so familial it shocks me, my family slowly falling into place, something i had only ever dreamed of never really thinking i would get it till i meet, y/n

Your pov

Come on love, let's get unpacked. I want to check out the island. I call out to miles seeing he's still watching spiders fleeing form. Everyone else had dispersed all back to their own lodgings. The bag of clothes Jake had left is smaller now that everyone’s taken their pick so I go over and see what's left. Miles for now chooses to just strip out of his shirt leaving him in his cut off pants, he says he'll be fine with the board shorts and stuff they brought with them before i see him wearing a Loincloth no matter how much i try to persuade him. I chose some tops out of the bag and a few skirts. I mean I've worn bikinis before so this shouldn’t be that different. I put everything but a nice braided brown top. It looks like a normal bikini top from earth but it's made of woven and braided strands of brown string with beads the color of gold in some places. It was beautiful and paired well with some brown shorts i pulled out of my stuff

We made our way out to the front to meet everyone, most dressed similarly to us except for Lyle who to our utter horror chose to wear one of the traditional clothes and was now demonstrating how breezy they were. Miles hand come to cover my eyes before yelling out at the man

“ god dammit lyle you got to ease us into having to see your blueberry ass. Lord.” Miles calls out his face scrunched in disgust from the display lyles putting on

“Just wait, Colonel, you’ll all be wearing one of these soon.”

I just laugh taking miles hands off my eyes and throwing a towel to lyle as we all make our way to the water. We all decided to speed the rest of the day recuperating from our dramatic capturing and frolic in the sands and waters around us. Some of the villagers stop to stare at us and whisper amongst themselves. Some greet us with smiles and some just simply stare. I notice some male warriors judging by their tattoos, going slack jaw at the sight of warren and z, making the boys around them snicker, but the sight of the water finally being a few steps ahead steps them all.

Their eyes turning big and all semblance of decorum is lost as they run into the water like the giant children they are now. Splashing at eachother or trying to wrestle the other in the water. Some simply float around enjoying the water. It’s truly a sight to see, formier hardened marines now overgrown blue 20 year old kids. But hey they, we all deserve this right?

The call of “sa’nu” breaks my derailing train of thought. Turning I saw a spider running towards where miles and I were standing, seven kids behind him. Four of them were the same blue as we were so they clearly must be Jake and Neytiri's kids while the other ones were a soft turquoise color and must be from the ocean clan.

“Mom i want to officially introduce you he says grabing my hand and dragging me over to the children, miles not far behind.(always so protective)

“These are Jake's kids? Spider says gesturing to the four dark blue kids in front of me

The tallest comes up and welcomes me with “I see you. I return the gesture with a smile on my face looking over the boy. He looked more like neytiri than jake in my opinion. But i see him flicking his eyes between me and miles behind me i step alittle closer trying to appear as not threatening as possible since all of our first meetings didn’t go very well, not that I remember much of it

“It’s a honor to meet you all again i do appologize for myself, miles and everyone else for how our first meeting went, we where all still trying to find our way. “

He looks taken aback turning to converse silently with the rest of his siblings,Before smiling back at me again

“We have agreed to forgive you. Eywa wouldn’t want us to dwell that moment instead why don't we start over. Hello my name is neteyam im the oldest of jake and neytiri sully's children.”

“And most boring” i hear the younger boy mumble out from under his breath earning a smack from the older girl and a glare from neteyam.

He's quick to slap a cheeky smile back on his face, stepping up and holding out his hand to shake. The very image of a certain someone I know.

“Im lo’ak i'm the coolest one here.”

“And very humble I see.”/“No doubt who’s child he is.” miles says softly. I just turn and smile/glare at him. He just chuckles in response. Lo’ak clears his throat grabbing my attention once more

“I want to say thank you for taking care of Spider, he may not actually be our brother by blood but he is by choice so thanks.

“No thank you for considering him family, it warms my heart to know he didn’t grow up alone”

“Of course Spider is family.” The youngest girl says jumping up and down before running to hug Spider . He smiles and hugs her back even though she's almost taller than him.

“What’s your name sweetie? I ask the adorable young girl

“Im tuk”

“Well it's nice to meet you tuk”

“You too aunty.”

“The cuteness is too much and I just have to squeeze you.” the girl smiles her cute giggles filling the air, everyone else looking on with smiles on their faces.

Spider had moved from my side now going over to the last sully child she was still withdrawn from the group just silently watching, almost skittishly with how she held her tail infront of her. Spider simple overs her a smile before grabbing her hand and bringing her over towards me

“Mom dad this is kiri,”

“Oh the famous kiri huh”

“Dad”

“Hahaha i must say i don't think spider has stopped telling us about you i say to the young girl further embarrassing my son as he stares wide eyed at me a blush rising on his face that makes me chuckle more”

“Mom!”

“Im sorry my love, hello kiri its wonderful to meet you i must say you are the image of your mother.

“I can tell she is taken aback at my comment but blush’s lightly and smiles a thank you leaving her lips”

“She spoke of you in her logs”

“She did aww see i knew she always liked me no matter how hard she tried to deny it.”

“Yes she said you where a very kind person.”

“Well im honored grace thought highly enough to say that and i would like to give you my condolences on her passing. Just know the person that hurt her is gone and will not be coming back. “

Kiri chokes back a sob but nods her brothers all going to hug her lightly,

(Authors note in this story quartich isnt the one who shot grace instead it will be the jerk soldier form the first chapter thats why the reader says he wont ever come back.)

A throat clearing breaks the tender moment on of the other children a boy with his hair in a bun coming forward

“Mrs y/n these are chief tonowari and Ronald children aonung and tsireya, and their friend roxto they have been teaching us the way of water and have volunteered to help spider as well.” I see you i gesture to the trio, they reciprocated the girl smiling brightly up at me.

“Welcome to our village i hope you all find a home with us.”

“I hope so to thank you dear.”

“Your clan is big are you all warriors?” Roxto asks from behind tsireya

“Yes we are but dont worry no one will hurt anyone, at least not on purpose or with out cause. However I wouldn’t recommend getting in the middle of them when they’re all rough housing like that i say turning to see everyone still mucking about in the waters.”

Everyone simply chuckles and air coming around us as the atmosphere seeps into our bones leaving a smile on my face for the days to come.

Your pov

After meeting the kids we all talk for a bit before i usher them all off to go be kids. The sun setting the Team long since exhausted from splashing around. Now all just rest on the sand, some fruit juices and water the villagers gave us being passed around.

I'm currently curled in miles lap as he leans against a tree, the shade covering our blue skin from the blazing sun, us both just staring out into the horizon. Spider's laugh draws my attention as I see him being splashed at by lo’ak, the both of them pushing each other pulling tails the works as kiri and the rest look on with amusement. Tuk eventually flinging herself on the pile spider catching her both falling into the water. I see kiri go and help spider up, both sneaking glances as they try not to make it so obvious they’re both staring at the other, hearts in their eyes. Pictures of their possible future flashes in my mind, bringing a sad smile to my face. Miles noticed my deflating mood and asks whats wrong

“I wish Spider could have an avatar.”

“Me to darlin! He would fit in more.”

“So you’ve noticed it too?”

“I'm not blind dove. I can tell he likes that Sully girl.”

“Exactly wouldn’t they be cute together…. I mean can’t you picture it, his dark slightly curly hair combed back with some braids in it. A smile stretching across a maskless face as he explores and is finally able to be a part of this world, with no restrictions. I want that for him miles. If anyone deserves it, it's him.”

“I agree ,Well look into it darlin i promise”

A throat clearing turns our heads to see Jake and neytiri come up behind us.

“Corporal miles says nodding at jake”

“Colonel, y/n “

They both make themselves comfortable in the shaded sand beside us”

“What’s up jake?”

Nothing much, just checking in. Wanted to see how your first day is treating you.”

“We’re good, the big blue children are all just goofing off.” I say loud enough so the others can hear me all turning their heads and making faces at me, some adding a hand gesture or to in the mix. Jake just laughs at our antics miles joining him.

“Yeah I saw that and I thought I had a lot of kids you're going to have your hands full dove.

“It’s fine their ok most of the time.i say still laughing at the faces they where all making.

“Hey i wanted to let you know Tonowari wants to start your training as soon as possible, he wants to make sure you all will be productive members of this clan since they took us all in.

“Good ,well be ready, we all need to get refocused anyway.” Miles says grumpily behind me

“Speak for yourself, Colonel, a personal day in the sun every now and then won't kill you.”

“Well when the RDAs not hunting us anymore then i'll relax that work for you dove," he says cheekily pinching my side. I just shake my head at him narrowing my eyes to let him know hell pay for that later

“Actually Jake,” I say, turning back to my friend. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Whatcha got?”

“You and the others still research everything about the Navi and your avatars right.?”

“Yeah?”

“Well I want to know if it would be possible to make Spider and avatar body.”

Jakes spine straightens, as he looks quickly to the side at neytiri. The duo having a brief silent conversation

“What’s wrong for you to react like that?”

“No no Nothings wrong dove it's actually perfect its how do i say this.”

“Out with it sully.” Miles says behind me agitated at his slow response.

“He already has one.”

“WHAT!” miles and I reply at the same time.

“Yeah we were going to surprise him on his next birthday, but then you all returned and took Spider with you and my family had to relocate. It's just been a lot these last couple of months. But norm and the others have been working on it for the past five years”

My happiness is overwhelming. I can’t help but fly from miles lap to wrap an arm round both the sullys necks hugging them close to. Me as I whisper thanks.. my brain moves a thousand miles a minute as i begin to pace thinning of all the things my baby will be able to do, what stuff he'll need, how will he..

“Darlin relax.” Miles says catching my hand to bring me back down into his lap

“Sorry it’s just this is amazing I can’t wait to tell him.”

“Before you tell him y/n, i want you to know what all this would entail.” Tiri tells me cautiously,

“What do you mean.?”

“For spider to become one with his avatar form, he would need to pass through the eyes of eywa, where she will judge his soul and deem him worth to return.”

“That doesn’t sound bad”

“No, not at all spiders young, he has a strong heart and mind, he should have no issues but we always want to be on the side of caution sometimes especially when it comes to our kids. So i just want to tell you that there could be a possibility that spider could not survive the transfer

“Wait, are you telling us Spider could possibly die doing this transfer thingy Sully”. Miles asks jake sternly

“Yes there’s always the possibility that eywa has different plans for him.. neytiri says solemnly

“But as I said spider is young and strong with a good spirit,he has so many reasons to live, to stay with all of us, I wouldn’t even suggest the soul transfer if i didn't think spider would make it. I just wanted you to be aware that as his parents there’s always a risk.”

“There's a risk to him every day. He could run out of oxygen or something could happen to his mask. Hell, him just swimming around with the kids he could get hurt. I want the best for my son. That’s it “

“I understand y/n, here i'll contact norm and have him send you some files, and then you can decide if you want to tell spider ok?”

“I would appreciate that thanks.”

“Of course y/n i know a lot of stuff happened between all of us during the end there and i don't really know if you remember but i we”he says looking at neytiri and back. '' promised you we would take care of Spider, and i like to think we did an ok job, but eywa brought you all back for a reason and i couldn't be happier that she did.”

“Thank you, jake. Thank you tiri. You’ll never understand how much this means to me.”

“To us” miles says behind me bringing a soft smile to my face as I look up at the man I love trying to mend bridges.

“Your welcome colonel your welcome. Just let us know what you decide.”

“We will”

Just as the words leave my mouth a horn sounds. All of the blue team are up on their feet defensive stances taken as we look around for whatever danger was being signaled

“Woah guys chill. Its not trouble its the horn to let us know the food is ready and the party can start.”

“Party?”

“Yeah tonowari and elders came together to make a celebration party to welcome all of you to the metekiyana.

“Awww,

“Yeah, here yall gather up and we'll get the kids.”

Everyone gets together as we walk over to a large sand bank. The whole village is there, reminding me of a giant beach bbq. Family’s and friends sitting together laughing and eating. Babies playing at their parents feet. Elderly all sitting together reminiscing. It’s all so warm, welcoming. Tonowari invited us all to create a group with his and Jake's families. We all got comfortable formally introducing ourselves to the clan leader, tonowari asking us some questions, wanting to know what roles we played with the sky people and how we came to find ourselves in our current situation. He and the people all around. us listen on with rapt attention. All curious about the group of thirteen that now belong with their clan. As the night went on and some sort of liquor is passed around, everyone softened up the more they drank, enjoying the beginnings of their new life path.

I was currently walking back to our new home. Miles infront of me with a drunk spider hanging over his shoulder like a sack of squirming potatoes. 15 minutes ago i had found him Lo’ak, aonung even neteyam and some other younger village teens all slightly drunk in their own little clearing. They somehow got a hold of the liquor going around and were all slightly tipsy. However Spider was much smaller than all of them so what got them tipsy got him sloshed out drunk. Parents all shake their heads and gather their inebriated children before heading home. I pass my boys opening the flap of pur mauri and lighting the lamps before miles can set Spider down. I set up a spot for spider so he's comfortable where I can watch him from my sleeping spot. Worried the boy could vomit or accidentally take off his mask in his current state. I feel miles cuddle up behind me. One of his arms thrown over my stomach as he breathed into my neck, both of us just enjoying the calming sound of the waves in the distance, watching our drunk snoring son.

“I want to tell him.” I say into the dark

“Then let's tell him darlin”. Miles replies His arms squeezing me even closer as I just press kisses to the skin I can find. Sleep slowly finding me.

The next. Morning came quickly though we all had an excuse to stay and sleep but year living the military life disagreed. Most everyone was up early going through their routines before deciding to go and help gather some stuff for breakfast. I stayed behind to wait for spider to wake up. Said boy now wrapped like a burrito in his blankets after he kept moving around all night in his drunken dreams. I had no other choice. A ding sounds from my halo pad i see its a message from norm

Hey y/n good morning, Jake said he told you about Spider Avatar and that you wanted to see Spiders Avatar so I sent you a video and some of the data on him, but I also sent some other photos of spider I thought you should have. Let me know what you guys decide.

I type out a thanks before clicking the first file open. The image of a tiny toddler spider fills the screen. His curls are everywhere as he has the widest smile on his face. Both hands grasping on to norms as he looks like he's mid step. The next picture he's a bit older, maybe around three or four. He's asleep drooling on Max's shirt as he continues to look into a microscope just holding the boy on his lap. The photos continue on like that spider at different states. The older he gets the less the photos look like they are taken in a lab and the more of them there are of Spider with the sully kids all growing up together. One is even of neytiri holding spider both smiling at the camera.

Every picture brings a bigger smile on my face until i get to the last file. It’s a video.

As soon as the screen moves I can hear the beeping and pulsing of different machines. The lense hadn’t focused yet so all i see is a screen of glowing blue. Come on camera focus. Norms voice says slightly. The screen finally focuses and the feet of an avatar floating in liquid appear. The camera moves upward showing the body of a young but well built and athletic looking Navi, before coming up to his face. A gasp leaves my mouth as I see my baby. There's no doubt that it's Spider, just blue. From the soft black slightly curls framing his face while the rest is pulled back in a slight bun. The slope of his forehead down to the bushy eyebrows, and even his jawline, all of it is wholly spider. What was interesting to him was the marking covering his face that looked similar to mine and miles. Almost like eywa knew we would be reunited and wanted us to be a full family

“Who’s that?”

Spiders voice comes from behind me, scaring me as I drop the halo pad to the ground. The boy has the audacity to laugh at my scarred reaction

“Sorry mama”

“It’s ok baby,” huffing out a breath to recompose myself. “ How do you feel?.”

“I'm fine mama. My head hurts a little bit and i hungry but mostly I want to know why I'm wrapped like a burrito.?”

“Well your mischievous little ass got burritoed since he wouldn’t cooperate last night.”

“Sorry” I just laugh at the boy helping untie him from the blankets before handing him a pain pill and some water. He takes it quickly putting his mask back on before fixing me with a smile.

“So who was that on you tablet?”

“That is a surprise and a conversation we have to have later.”

“What’s going on mama?”

“Nothing baby it will be good news, so for now why dont you go get cleaned up your pa and the others should be back soon and we can all have breakfast.”

“Ok ma whatever you say.”

Ten minutes later Miles comes back, some fish ready to be cooked and eaten. We all eat pur fill laughter filling the air as miles makes fun of spiders drunken state the night before. The boy is currently trying to retaliate but being held at arm's length by his fathers giant hand planted on his face. I just laugh at the happy scene. The boys are getting along so well. Like that invisible barrier they had before has slowly disappeared.

After breakfast we all go about our day. Spider goes to play/train with the other children, while Miles goes to train with jake. I decided I wanted to look around the village some more before going to train, meeting up with neytiri and having a pleasant afternoon with her. Helping with chores and just talking, the day is long filled with laughter and learning. I watche as the rest of team works hard. Either learning the ways of water or helping villagers with chores. All trying their best to make this place recognize them just like we did when we started the in the RDA but this time, there was no ranks, only hard work that would get you anywhere.

I had spoken to jake to let him know we decided we wanted to tell spider, about his avatar and give him the choice if he wanted to go that route, but i wanted jake and neytiri and them to be a part of it to, they’ve been there for the past 16 years and i would not alienate them simply cause me and miles returned. So with a dinner planned i go to work on how to tell my son his whole life could change…… again.

Spiders pov

Today was fun. I learned the breathing techniques with the others, even though my mask I found works underwater so I don’t really need what I was taught but hey I'm always up for learning something new. After swimming around for a bit we took a break to go play with the ilus. The ocean was truly so cool, kiri helped me explore with her showing me all the places she's found so far, i don't even question how good she is at swimming and holding her breath already i just put it down as part of her charm, like always

The day goes on when mom comes and grabs me telling me and the others to all go get cleaned up for dinner. After yet another bath and mom coming through my curls. I changed into some new clothes, dad making a comment that i was wearing a thong again( spider doesn’t know what a thong is) and that just looking at me made him feel cold.

I simply laugh and tell him he “better get used to it old man before long you’ll be wearing the same thing” uncle Lyle has been wearing them off and on so has some of the other guys all trying out the local fashion. Aunt Z, aunt warren and mom simply switch bewtten their tops and the ones jake dropped off. But only mom has worn any of the skirts, like she has on now.

We walk over to the sully mauri, as soon as we get inside tuk jumps up, welcoming us all before dragging me over to where her and Kiri where breading some new necklaces. Lo’ak and neteya,m are talking about spear techniques behind us, roping me into their conversation. But I can’t help but look around instead. Seeing all the people i love and care for all a=under one roof, is like a dream from my childhood i never thought would happen come true.

Your pov

‘The meal is nice, fish and different types of meat grilled and passed out. Some sort of grain that reminds me of rice and some fruits and vegetables float around as well, its not till I see everyone’s had at least one helping that i clear my throat jake picking up on my signal.

“Ok, quiet down. Kids there's a reason y/n quartich and spider have come over to eat with us. We actually have some news for you, well mostly you spider.

“What, what's going on, mom is everything ok.?”

“It’s fine baby uts good news like i said earlier we just wanted to tell you all together.””

“I can start y/n if you’d like. “

“yes please”

“Spider we’ve watched you grow up, always enamored with the world around you. Always learning the Navi ways and doing your best to fit in. I know it wasn’t always easy for you, so me and the others all decided to try and fix that. And well.”

“Oh god im dying aren't i” spider asks out loud

“What no spider! I say reprimanding the young boy

“Here kid look for yourself” miles hands spider a halo pad miles seeing we were having a hard time telling the child so he was going to just rip off the bandaid.”

The kids all gather around the screen before hitting play.

“Hey that looks like/Oh my eywa/ BRO!!!��

The kids all talk over each other as they see the video Spider just sitting frozen as they react

“Spider?” The boy looks up to me his eye glossing over with unsteady tears

“Is this real?”

“Yes baby it is. Norm, Max and the others were able to make you your own avatar.”

Spider just continues to stare at the screen as a tear falls down his face

“Bro those better be happy tears this is Amazing.” lo’ak says shaking spiders shoulders, Neteyam scolding him. Tuk simply tries to hug spider , wanting to comfort her brother. It's not till kiri takes the tablet away and makes Spider face her that he snaps out of his blank state.

“Monkey boy, you're ok just breathe.”

Spider takes in a few breaths regrounding I self befor ethanking kiri. He stands coming over to were all the adults where sitting before jumping into my arms, hugging me tight before doing the same with miles, jake and neytiri.

“Thank you guys, thank you”

“Your welcome kid I can’t think of anyone who deserves this more than you.” Jake says, smiling at the blonde teen.

“When can i see it” spider asks

“I actually don’t know? what do you think jake?”.

“We could get norm and max to bring it here..”

“NO” miles vetoes loudly us all looking at him shocked “Sorry, no offense sully but that's exactly why we found these islands in the first place. I don't want to give the rda another excuse to look over here,

“Miles is right jake.”

“No no I agree, I forgot about that,…. Ok well then if they can’t come here well have to go there”,

“What really/ really dad”.. the kids all say quickly

“Yeah we'll go back to the Forest but we're not there to stay guys….not yet.”

The kids slightly deflate but I can tell they understand what their father is saying.

“We'll be able to see mo’at, norm and everyone and pick up some more of our stuff but we do have to come back. The ocean is our home for now”.

Yes sir, they all answer i reach over squeezing kiri shoulder giving them all a knowing smile that they reciprocate.

Would next week work.?

Yeah that would work. We can let them know where coming up let’s Norm and them get everything ready.

Yaaaa we get to go get spider an avatar tuk cheers cheerfully in the middle of the group, the big smile on her face finding its way to everyone else as we all grill with hope about the future.

Tag list

@dyingofcookies @ratchetprime211 @myh3artttt @ducks118 @navs-bhat @im-in-a-pansexual-panik

[mistydeyes]

Hi! I saw youre doing pairings and as a new follower I have been obsessed with your writing and was wondering if I could get a mw2 pairing? (if not just ignore this!)

I'm 5'6" with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. I'm a fairly introverted person but I prefer to surround myself with more extroverted people (I low-key thrive on chaos and like noise around me almost all the time it's bad lmao). Im getting my BA in communications and plan to open my own coffee shop later down the road once I find a good place far from home to settle. I don't want kids and I plan to travel a lot once I'm done with schooling. I have a dog but I plan to adopt more from the shelter nearest me once I get settled after uni. I read and write quite a bit in my free time and I've taken up collecting old/original but still very much usable vinyls for my record collection. I've also started crocheting and sewing with the intentions of making my own clothes. I also hate cardio. it's absolutely horrible and you can most defintely find me lifting weights lol...Im considered plus size weight wise but build wise I've heard a lot of people call me mid size. I usually don't pay much attention to those labels though just because it's better for my mental health. anxiety is a big struggle when it comes to my weight so I usually just do what makes me most happy that day! thank you so much and keep up the amazing writing!<3 (sorry this is so long lol)

( @hxad-ovxr-hxart for some reason it's only letting me send anons rn :/)

John Price (a/n love you @hxad-ovxr-hxart!! ur reblogs and tags always make me smile! i hope you enjoy :))

How you met: Civilian An iddylic coffee shop set in the countryside of Herefordshire was your dream. After uni, it took you a few years but you finally achieved your small slice of heaven. You made the short commute from your cozy cottage and smiled as you saw the sage green awning of your shop. You weren't alone as you were accompanied by your loyal Border Collie. You rewarded your companion with a treat as you stocked the small glass displays with baked goods and wrote out the menu for the day. The morning was slow as a few of your regulars came in for their usual brews and to pet their favorite employee. Eventually around noon, a man entered and greeted your pleasantly. "Just a black coffee, love," he said as you grabbed a mug for him. "It'll be ready right away, sir," you started to say, "you can wait for it at the end." He smiled and nodded in response and as you brewed his coffee, you could hear him happily "chatting" with your pet. "Well aren't you a beauty," he said and you could see your pup happily wagging her tail and leaning into his hand. "She definitely likes you," you said as you handed him his mug. He thanked you and went to sit at one of the tables with pothos vines providing an overhead cabana. Your dog followed at his ankles and sat at his feet as he casually sipped. Eventually, after a few more customers, he handed the mug back to you. "Best brew I've had," he complimented and you blushed slightly, "I'll definitely be back." With that he winked with his charming blue eyes and left your shop. You had to hold your dog in your arms as she tried to run after the man.

A peek into your relationship: You and Price were hosting the members of the 141 and their families at your coffee shop for a much needed reunion. Kyle's wife gently rocked their baby in her arms as you sat with her and discussed some crocheting projects. Their little daughter, Ivy, was cooing as she toyed with her new crochet sweater, courtesy of you. John was enjoying some spiked coffee with his men and Johnny's wife was entertaining the entire group with jokes and stories about their growing family. Eventually, John joined you as you saw his team enjoying the food you both had prepared and entertaining their small army of kids. Simon's daughter was trying to climb her dad's shoulders as he stood there chatting with Johnny. "Glad we never had to go through that," you remarked as you saw how Johnny's kids were now trying to chase your dog around. "Saved a lot of money," John replied and slowly sipped on his coffee. He was right, every year you were able to travel around the world and had crossed off every continent, including Antartica, off your list. The next few weeks you would preparing for a trip to Italy where you would both enjoy the beautiful coastline and the delicacies. As you both laughed at the antics surrounding you, Simon's daughter ran up to you and asked, "Aunt Sky, can you please make me a hot chocolate?" You smiled as you got up and gently kissed John on the cheek. You walked behind your barista counter and as you were preparing her order, you laughed as you saw that your dog had replaced your seat and was now sitting on John's lap.

[goldrushzukka]

aidays playlist breakdown: chapter 4 weekend at momo's

happy birthday aidays!! you know the drill by now let's go girls

here's the fic

here's the playlist

let's get married by bleachers

its not on spotify but the mitski cover of this song is actually what i intended for this chapter. nothing against the original it's just that the mitski version makes me want to bash my head against a wall

(ID: "Change me at all costs / Starlight and star-crossed / Take me so breathless / We could be reckless / Why don't you change me at all costs? / Starlight and star-crossed / Take me so breathless". End ID)

they are changing each other. they are growing with and because of each other. like, sokka has his life in order. he has a decent apartment, a good job, and the best people in the world. he's got everything exactly how he likes it. nothing needs to change. and then along comes zuko, this whirlwind breath of fresh air, and he starts to realise maybe change doesn't always have to be bad! sometimes it's good to let people in! because what if you fall in love! AND ZUKO..... zuko finally admitting to himself (and ty lee i guess) in this chapter that he likes sokka as more than just a willing body, after he's spent so long with that part of himself closed off! he's found someone who wants him, in more ways than he realises at this point, trauma and all.

a loving feeling by mitski

ok so. this song is technically about a one-sided/secret relationship, which is not what aidays is. but. it makes me crazy.

(ID: "Holding hands under a table / Meeting up in your bedroom / Making love to other people / Telling each other it's all good / Kisses like pink cotton candy / Talking to everyone but me / I'm staying up late just in case you come up and ask to leave with me". End ID)

for me this verse is about them saying again and again this thing is casual, while doing things that clearly suggest otherwise. it's a booty call on a saturday afternoon, a hookup in a dirty bar bathroom, a quickie in the shower before work. but it's also a key, a standing coffee appointment, a jacket as a blanket. it's sleeping together and it's. well. sleeping together.

(ID: "What do you do with a loving feeling / If the loving feeling makes you all alone?". End ID)

this is the anxiety. the dark cloud hanging over the fic. they've set these boundaries, and they've both quietly broken them, so where does that leave them? what do you do with love when you're not supposed to have it?

crush by tessa violet

this is theeeee "i like you more than i probably should" anthem!!!!!!!!!!! im falling in love and its so embarrassing dont look at me!!!!

(ID: "You think I'm tepid but I'm misdiagnosed". End ID)

this is the problem sokka and zuko face. they are both falling fast and hard while convinced the other is still fine and respecting the no-strings-attached rule. "if he wanted more he would say so" you want more, are YOU saying so? didn't think so, stupid

(ID: "And I'm just tryna play it cool now / But that's not what I wanna do now". End ID)

imagine you are zuko. your very casual sex friend (who you are stupid crazy about) gives you a key to his apartment and basically gives you an open invitation to be with him in his home whenever you want (which is always). and then you spend a weekend alone in said apartment surrounded by his cat and his pictures and the smell of his shampoo, and when he comes home he asks you to stay in his bed with him. and you are expected to be normal about this because one time in a bathroom at a dive bar when you were trying to get back into this guy's pants you said you would be.

(ID: "You make it difficult to not overthink / And when I'm with you I turn all shades of pink, ah / I wanna touch you but don't wanna be weird / It's such a rush, I'm thinking wish you were here, ah-ah". End ID)

this is the nature of a crush: every crumb of maybe, every inch in the right direction, hyperanalysed and overthought until you feel like you might explode. what did he mean when he said "how's my baby?" can he tell he makes me want to scream? is it okay to touch him, is it okay to hold him, is it okay to want him?

(ID: "But I could be your crush, like, throw you for a rush, like / Hopin' you'd text me so I could tell you / I been thinking 'bout your touch like / Touch, touch, touch, touch, touch / I could be your crush, crush, crush, crush, crush". End ID)

the predicament zuko and sokka have put themselves in is that they want each other so badly that they cannot imagine making the first move. because what if it goes wrong? what if they say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, and then the whole thing is ruined forever and they can never see each other again? they're both in this state of knowing that if it turns out their feelings are reciprocated, this is it, they are in this for the long haul, 104 years old dying in each other's arms -- but also knowing that if the feelings are NOT reciprocated, they are in for the worst heartbreak anyone has ever felt ever in the history of heartbreak. both equally terrifying options.

kill the director by the wombats

you know when you have a crush and everything is just pain all the time but youre also having the time of your life. yeah

(ID: "I've met someone that makes me feel seasick / Oh, what a skill to have, oh, what a skill / To have so many skills that make her distinctive / But they're not mine to have, no they're not mine". End ID)

i think one of the most important things in any ship dynamic is for both of them to think the other is the most divine creature to ever walk the earth. unfortunately for them (but fortunately for me) this is a perfect breeding ground for anxiety and "oh woe is me my beloved is a magnificent angel and i am but a lowly slug how could they possibly return my affection" type internal narratives.

365 by katy perry & zedd

katy perry literally always gets it right like every time she steps into the studio she becomes vessel for god

(You make the weekend feel like year / Baby, you got me changing / 24/7, I want you here / I hope you feel the same thing". End ID)

(ID: "I want you to be the one to stay / And give me the night and day". End ID)

I think this speaks for itself:

When Sokka crosses the room and slips under the covers beside him, Zuko says, “I can leave, if you want. I can go home.”

He says it, and doesn’t move a muscle. 

Sokka reaches across him to turn off the light. He finds the switch, and then there’s the moment of eyes adjusting to the dark, and then Sokka realises that his face is barely an inch from Zuko’s.

A small voice, rabid and impulsive from sleep deprivation, whispers in the back of his mind. Kiss him. Kiss him. Kiss him until you can’t breathe.

Sokka doesn’t kiss him. Instead, he tests the flexibility of casual another way.

He asks, still barely hovering over Zuko, “What if I don’t want that?”

Zuko swallows. “I can stay.”

“So stay,” Sokka says, and lays his head down on Zuko’s chest.

-

Sokka steps over his discarded shoes and slips into bed beside him.

“I can leave, if you want,” Zuko says, and doesn’t move an inch. “I can go home.”

Sokka reaches across him for the lamp, and now they’re chest to chest, and Zuko can barely breathe. His eyes drop to Sokka’s mouth.

The light goes out.

“What if I don’t want that?” Sokka asks. Zuko can’t see much in the dark, but he can make out the shine of Sokka’s eyes and the pleading shape of his brow.

Hesitation creeps up his throat. Zuko swallows it.

“I can stay,” he says. His blood pounds in his ears.

Sokka moves then, shifting downward. He lays his head on Zuko’s chest and whispers, “So stay.”

Zuko stays, and lets himself fall.

[stuck1nthelimbo]

im so normal about them — 📌 post | masterlist | ko-fi

5 》NTR - Drunk/Tipsy Sex - Fuck Machine ― Battering Past [OG Ryomen Sukuna x f!reader]

When a girl's tired and only has food on her mind, what should she do when in front of the opened door is her not-so-innocent ex? Well, let him in, he's a giant D.

TAGS!!! 2.1k, tipsy sex, teasing, rough, slight choking, idk how do people tag this shit

you cannot tell me sukuna wouldn't be that one ex you cant even talk about with friends, cuz you'd say "oh he's a massive dick but ALSO has a massive dick" /// the artwork is THE SUKUNA i had in mind, that's how he looks like in my head, without missing eye. oh he big and he bad (the art is to die for, man) id tag the artist but I'm shy its not up to their liking

also happy very belated new years, mfs

The incoherent jabbering of an anchorman cloaks me with heavy mantle: I loll my head and gently rock back and forth in an armchair. The pizza I’ve ordered should arrive any minute now, so I’m keeping myself as alert as possible, attention diverted from the 9 o’clock news to the front door. It’s been a tiring afternoon, and my mouth waters at the thought of the beer in the fridge.

The heavy, loud bang snaps me out of the weighty stupor, and I spring to my feet, stumbling to the door. Swinging it wide open, the performative smile dries up as, instead of the delivery person, I’m greeted with a large figure looming between the door frame wearing nothing but a sleeveless white “wife beater” and black gym shorts. I huff a sigh of revulsion: one man on this godforsaken floating green rock wears the aforementioned clothes outdoors, unironically.

“What the hell you want, Sukuna?”

“Well, good to see you too, sweetheart,” the bulky man strides without an invitation. I’m perplexed, chewing on lower lip, my eyebrows knotting in disgust and confusion. He slumps into an armchair, reaching for the remote, before jumping back up. My pizza has been delivered: I nod at the person standing outside, collecting my order. The lanky delivery guy politely smiles and I close the door, only meeting wide eyes, grinding teeth and a defensive stance after I turn around, “who was that?”

“Oh, dear God,” I can’t even muster a joke, he’s this insufferable. I place the pizza on the coffee table in front of the TV and head to the kitchen to retrieve the chilled beer. Out of courtesy, I bring several cans to share with the man stretched out on the sofa, “you need anything, mister?”

“Come on, can’t I check in on my girl?” His throaty laugh makes me scrunch my nose.

“Ex-girl, ex,” emphasizing the prefix, I flick the latch on top of a can and take the sip. Glancing at him from the corners of my eyes, noticing he’s already staring daggers at me, I turn my head, maintaining eye contact. He lazily averts the gaze, clicking his tongue and chugging the beer. Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, long calloused fingers dent the can, crumpling it between them like a piece of thin paper. “The last time you came, I had to call the police and the fire department,” I state, while he reaches for the slice of pizza and stuffs it entirely in his mouth. My lips press together, forming a thin line in frustration, and I guzzle the beer in a single gulp, whilst my hand reaches for the second can.

In the meantime, his posture straightens, he thwacks the crumbs off his lap, and shuffles closer to me. Large, veiny arms surround me in an attempt to pull me toward his chest. The beer gradually takes over me, spreading throughout my body, and knotting around each muscle and joint; The heat pools between my legs.

“Sukuna, you want something?” The straightforward question startles him: he lets up, flopping back, defeated, shoulders droop against the backrest of the sofa.

“Do you want an honest answer or …?” He mutters and I chuff; His lips pucker and eyes roll, “I want pussy.”

“Wow,” why did I expect anything from him? It’s a surprise he didn’t bend me over the railing outside my door. Shaking my head in disbelief, the cracked open third beer sizzles.

“At least I’m bein’ fuckin’ honest,” he grabs another beer can off the table alongside the slice of pizza.

“The fuck that means?” I blink.

“Womanizer ex, who cheated on you left and right?” ah, the stroll down memory lane, “cultist boyfriend, who almost got you killed?” Still remember the chanting and candles, gives me the creeps every time, “broke-ass man, who dipped when you loaned him money?” Just finished with the payments in the bank, “and technically –”

“Ok, enough!” I interrupt, “you can’t say shit!” I growl at him, and he snickers; I must resemble a chihuahua: tiny, trembling like a leaf and full of seething rage, barking up at a predator triple my size. He coughs, with laughter in between each gasp. That small percentage of alcohol must be dampening my anger, because I don’t feel like fighting him further.

“Why not, kitty?” Sukuna picks up the cues, eyes darken, he prowls toward me; his voice drops, cooing in deep raspy vocals. The shoulders flex when he sits upright, slowly towering over me, “am I getting on your nerves, sweetie?”

I sway side to side, eyes squinting, adjusting my glazed vision on him, while one of his palms finds way to my throat, the other clasps around my hand and brings it to his thigh. The rock hard erection struggles against the flimsy boxers, twitching under my fingers. I might choose toxic men to date, but one thing is guaranteed: they are toxic in bed as well. Energetic and toxic. Yes, Sukuna fights with everyone, recently charged with battery, however he fucks like an animal in heat. He has never laid a finger on me, was solely a jealous boyfriend, so I can blind myself for one evening.

“You’re so annoying,” unable to control the volume of my voice, I whisper and tug on his shirt, pulling him, while he simultaneously forces me on his lap; Both of the bulky arms embrace my waist, grinding the bulge on my clothed pussy. I whimper and the last fiber of coherence evaporates.

“I’m annoying and you’re a slut,” he coos, stifling a laughter. Nudging me from behind, his lips feast on my neck as I tilt toward him. My fingers slither in the hair and push his head deeper, teeth grazing the delicate skin on my throat. He roams and laps all around my neck, before I hear a winded breathing, “take it off,” he pants below my ear.

I crawl off his lap, lazily sliding the undies down my legs; He thrashes, yanking his boxers frantically, nearly unraveling at the seams, before tossing them away; Sukuna stretches his arms out, impatiently motioning me to sit back down. His enormous and girthy cock now stands tall and proud: trimmed thin line of hair, a happy trail fades around the thick base, faint blue veins run along the entire length, the bulbous tip leaks clear pre-cum.

“Happy to see me?” I ridicule him taking a seat on his lap, now beginning to brush bare pussy on the underside of his cock. He grunts, eyes glue to the area our bodies converge. His hands clutch on my sides, above the hips, guiding them; I’m purposely sloppy, propping up with hands stapled on his knees and tracking Sukuna’s expressions: shifting from worried frown to desperate stare, silently begging me. I disregard his pleas, until his hand scurries alongside the delicate skin just to grab me by the throat, pulling closer and staring into my eyes.

“Don’t play with me, slut,” his voice, deeper than before, hypnotizes. I raise myself without breaking the eye contact he’s forcing me to maintain and lower my pussy on his cock. The moment I painfully stretch to accommodate his huge girth, my eyes involuntarily unfocus, rolling back into the skull.

“Fuck,” mouth hangs agape as the same word spills through my lips repeatedly, my palms relocate from his knees to the exerting and flexed shoulders, nails prickling into the skin. The hands remaining on my waist push me down until his entire length’s inside, my clit brushing against his groin. The palm around my neck gets tighter, thumb and middle fingers pressing on the sides of my throat, cutting the blood circulation.

“You’re not lettin’ me go,” the breathy laughter steams over my face; jolting his thighs, the tip of rock-hard cock scrapes the deepest crevices of my cunt, and my legs jerk from the swirl of pain and pleasure, “did you miss me that much?” he’s quiet, spelling each word followed by brash thrusts, while synchronously pushing me down.

“Sukuna,” I muster the leftover strength in me to string two words, “it hurts,” the erratic rolls of hips imply otherwise. Each time he drags himself in and out, I feel the veins throb inside. Feels as if the brain’s about to melt and pour out of my ears.

“Aha, mhm,” he nods, mocking me with a scornful grin. Sukuna releases my throat, and both palms grasp my thighs, “touch yourself,” tone demanding, my hand glides on his muscular chest, toned stomach, and nudges on my swollen clit. I circle the sensitive bud, the warm pleasure pools beneath my navel. A helpless, dazed smile plasters across my face. Sukuna’s proud and sly chuckle echoes and blends with the background noises, “do you like it?” he’s a menace and I promptly nod.

His hands dig into my flesh, momentarily halting all motion, before stilling me midair, just to jackhammer from below. I let out a loud cry, my fingernails clawing at his now sweaty and damp shoulders, legs lose their footing: I’m completely at his mercy as he fucks into me with brute strength and without relenting. His eyes haven’t left my contorting expressions, fully immersed in the pleasure of breaking me. My finger doesn’t lay off the swirling over the clit, and the wet sounds echo in our ears. His thighs smack against mine from underneath, burying his cock inside me with each thrust.

The pain-weaved pleasure churns my stomach, make me go cross-eyed. I squeeze the eyes shut, indulging myself while Sukuna ravages my nearly limping body; His fingers bruise my hips, grunts indicating slight exhaustion spit through his teeth. The alcohol must’ve wounded his capacity, he slows down and after a while, halts all movement, staring at me star struck.

I whine and Sukuna rolls his eyes at me, urging and pointing with his jaw at the place where we’re connected. I pout, re-positioning, slowly raising and lowering pussy on his cock. Despite incapability to match his animalistic speed, I pamper myself with the sensation of being stretched around him, the thickness molding my pussy to his liking. Rolling hips, eyes shut, focused on reaching an orgasm, I fail to notice his hand creeping up behind me, hitching a fistful of hair and yanking my head back. Eyes flutter open, staring up at the ceiling whilst the gummy pussy walls clamp around him. I wince when something sharp grazes my nipple.

The fleshy tongue and supple lips replace teeth, sucking onto the bud. My pussy spasms each time his tongue laps against it, fingers firmly balled up in my hair. Another palm caresses the side above my rolling hips, pulling me closer. He nibbles on the nipple again, gently rolling between front teeth while jerking his thighs. I mewl, my hands blindly scouring his sweaty, damp shoulders and securing on his nape, twirling short strands of hair.

My legs about to give up, bouncing on his large body isn’t easy, and the tempo of thrusts slow down, drawing whimpers and sobs out of me. Suddenly my chest feels empty and body - light, I briefly notice the background shift around me. My brain doesn’t register the change until I’m sandwitched between the cold wall behind and Sukuna’s muscular torso. My legs dangling over his elbows, spread apart and his cock nudging against my sopping pussy. The tip grazes on the clit, my cunt spasms around nothingness and digits clutch on his face.

“Please, please, fuck me,” I cannot sound more pathetic and desperate than this. And as soon as he pounds into me, the cock painfully stretching my walls around it, burying itself to the hilt. I drop my mouth in a silent gasp, eyes shut as my stomach twists and turns in pleasurable pain. He rolls hips vigorously, pulling and thrusting in a manner, that makes my entire body bounce from the pounding. His grunts and low moans draw my attention and as soon I lift my head, his lips crash onto mine, tongue lapping against my own. My half-lidded eyes stare unfocused, entirely giving in to be used as a fleshlight.

My cunt gushes all over him, sucking his cock in, while my hips tremble and my brain melts into an ecstatic full-bodied exhilarating orgasm. My skin tingles, blank head swims in the sea of endorphins, I hardly feel him pump me full of cum, fucking it inside with spasmodic tremble of his thighs. He groans and grunts and whimpers beside my ear, boosting my ego. The thrusts slow down, viscous fluid seeps out of my sore and used cunt, smearing on the buttocks until droplets fall to the floor.

He slumps backward into the sofa and I - lifelessly on top of him, his ragged breathing brushes over my neck, chest raising and dropping heavily; My limp body rests on him, and his gruff throaty laugh reverberates in the room.

“Damn, doll,” his nasal huffs twist my stomach. The arms circle my waist, pulling me into a selfish embrace; Sukuna’s head presses against the back of the sofa, listless eyes staring at the ceiling. I murmur some insult, hopefully he hasn’t heard it. As my arms regain some strength, I prop my body up, glaring at him.

“Ditto,” he doesn’t look at me or move, only softly shuts his eyes, crooked grin plastered on his lips.

© stuck1nthelimbo; do not redistribute, repost, modify, or use in any way, form, and/or shape. re-translation by asking for permission first.

[hallworld]

but would that be betraying her? she told me she doesn’t know what she’d do if i betrayed her trust. but that was back when we talked. and back when she didn’t only ever tell me about him. every time.

i don’t think of either of them that much, when im actually out and about, doing things, doing school, running errands, living my life. (and also making friends is hard) (i never know if im being annoying or not) (but i guess that’s a thing you just learn with time) (and im just a kid) but i don’t think about them enough, really. it feels like a thorn in my side. when i like a boy— oh, that’s right, i have a girlfriend. but we never talk. and when we do it’s not familiar, it’s dusty, i wonder if she feels it too

he idolizes her to me constantly. and i can see why. genuinely, she’s good, she’s kind and interesting. and she has this quality around her that makes you want her to like you. which is attractive to a lot of people. but also i don’t feel that way about her. i don’t think of her as very special — would she like that? would she hate that? i don’t know if that’s good in a relationship or not. the only serious relationship besides this one i was ever in ended, permanently, only a month ago. the posts on are this fucking blog. and

i don’t think id miss her if i blocked her. we never talk, so there’s nothing to miss. but i would have to mourn what could have been. she was gonna visit me over fall break until he was gonna visit her instead

and she didn’t tell me, and neither did he, i don’t even think he knows she was supposed to come visit me first

would we even have fun together in real life? but she’s not going to visit me anyways. ever. it’s not going to be the same perfect dream it was back before, when she said we’d grow together and know each other for years to come. she doesn’t need or want me anymore, and i don’t need her, either.

i’ll have to think about it. but i don’t want to hold onto the idea of what could be and deny myself of the reality of what is. of my real, real life, of real boys and girls, without the safety net of some hypothetical girlfriend in alabama that i know both of her other partners fall back on so quickly

i don’t think it’s going to be That Way again and i guess that’s something to come to terms with, to live with, to adjust to. im here. im sitting in a coffee shop writing this surrounded by real people, real furniture, and it’s not a dream i made up in the shape of a girl

and i mean, for fuck’s sake, she spends every second of every day on call with the other two. and yeah, i am a little fucking bitter about it. i know it’s not fair to her, they’re both so fucking needy and im not, im like a plant you can water occasionally and leave to rot, but maybe i want some of her time. more than just sparsed in moments when she’s not talking to them or her real-life friends or. taking care of herself, which she’s probably not, and i wish i could ask make sure, and care for her, but does it matter? does it matter? does she matter?

and i talked to her about it, too. i mean i said we don’t talk a lot. i said we don’t talk enough for this relationship to be worth it. so she gave me her number to text, and i texted it, and she still only responds three hours after or not at all, and still texts me the same exact words every time to call me a faggot affectionately and then vanish for two days while he talks to me about all the words she gives to him so freely

i am trying to learn what i need. and what i need is somebody who will talk to me sometimes and let me talk back. and probably a lot of other things i don’t understand, because i am a child, and i don’t have a good concept of love and devotion and healthy relationships, but it’s not this: this hurts and it’s never gonna get better

i think… yeah. i think i’ll probably block her. and him. and then throw my phone in a rock quarry or something and go jack off to slasher films and talk to real people and write horror stories and do what makes me happy, instead of waiting for her to look at me

[spacedikut]

Can you talk about how happy spencer would be when he notices reader made him a space in her drawer without him asking? I just know he would be so excited about it and I'm 🥺

i don’t know whether you meant in the workplace or at home so i went with at home cause im a SUCKER for domesticity

he finds it on a lazy sunday, when the sun is bright but not sizzling and neither of you changes out of your pyjamas the whole day. his glasses are perched on his nose and he keeps yawning, hair ruffled to all hell and slippers that he mistakenly put on that are definitely yours cramping his feet. he’s in love. with the day and the world and you.

you appear from your bedroom a few minutes later, just as he’s poured coffee into your favourite cup and his new favourite cup - one you bought for him after shopping with penelope. he wanted to take it home but- on second thought, he could use the mug as an excuse to visit you and stay with you and that sounds much, much better.

you sit next to one another on the couch, drinking coffee and doing the newspaper puzzles together. it’s your favourite old person activity to do together - you curl up next to him, head perched on his shoulder as he scribbles and fills in the answers, playfully fighting with you over who gets the honour of putting in the very last letter of the crossword. 

he’s just writing cockatoo when the pen fizzles out, and before he even fully registers it you’re in the kitchen, opening a drawer he’s never seen you use before and coming back with a new pen.

which would be nothing, no big deal, if it wasn’t his favourite type of pen from his favourite company in his preferred colour. they’re not cheap, and to a lot of people not worth it.

“that’s a good pen choice,” he says, warming at the smile you give him when you wrap around him again.

“why thank you.”

and he thinks nothing of it, until later when he’s making you both tea and he can’t help himself - while the water is boiling he opens the drawer you got the pen from earlier and it’s like he’s looking at all the ingredients you’d need to summon your very own spencer reid.

sugar packets, pens, instant coffee, contact lense solution, even a microfibre cloth to clean his glasses. hell, there’s a ray bradbury book lying there, and a bookmark with a nikola tesla quote on it.

all his favourite things in one drawer.

he looks up, sees you on the couch mindlessly flipping through the finished newspaper. you’re blissfully unaware of what he’s discovered, unaware that his eyes are stinging and unaware that his heart feels like it’s about to burst out of his chest.

unaware that he’s just confirmed, irrevocably, that you are his person.

he skitters over in a hurry, plopping the cups on the coffee table and tackling you onto your back before you can even think about picking up your cup. you let out an oof but accept the love nonetheless, arms wrapping around his shoulders while he places chaste kisses on your neck. he hugs you so tightly, unable to put into words how happy he is, and you let out a confused laugh at it all.

“i have my own drawer?” he asks quietly.

“oh,” you realise, “you found that? it’s my little ‘spencer kit’.”

“’spencer kit’?”

“yeah. all the stuff you use the most.”

he pulls his head away from it’s hiding place; you brush his hair away from his eyes, happy lines surrounding them, and sigh happily when his forehead rests against yours.

“that’s really cool,” he sniffles.

“cool, huh?”

“yeah, cool. i say that now.” his nose brushes yours. “thank you.”

it’s a simple sunday, really, but it’s the first time spencer really feels he’s found where he belongs - hot drinks next to a newspaper with all the puzzles complete, the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with in his arms, and a whole lot of love in his chest. it’s a simple sunday, really, but he hopes it’s his forever.

[alluringjae]

au cours de l’été - jjh

⤑ translation: over the summer

⤑ summary: this is a story of an exhausted painter who needed a breather from the hectic city life. so aside from moving to the countryside, the needed air in your lungs also came in the form of a person. this summer meant for pure relaxation, perhaps your heart may dive into him too.

⤑ pairing: jaehyun x female reader

⤑ word count: 15.2k (so much for saying that i’ll be writing shorter stories)

⤑ genre: fluff, romance, smut | author!jaehyun, painter!reader, strangers to lovers!au, 50s-60s!au, summer love in france!au

⤑ warnings: me inserting some french phrases because I want to practice (feel free to correct me if I made mistakes, i’ll appreciate them), fictional interpretations of real-life people, explicit language, jaehyun being such a romantic pls im in tears, mentions and scenes of burnout (the worst)

⤑ playlist: everybody loves somebody by dean martin | c’est si bon by eartha kitt | it’s always you by chet baker | les yeux ouverts by emilie-claire barlow | a sunday kind of love by etta james | the most beautiful thing by bruno major | try again by jaehyun and d.ear (duh) | free love (dream edit) by honne | petite fleur by jill barber | plus je t’embrasse by blossom dearie | so this is love by ilene woods and mike douglas

⤑ author’s note: this was an idea that just came to me after pinterest kept recommending me poetic beauty/try again jaehyun, so here we are! i intended to write less than 5k words but sometimes plans don’t go as planned once you really invest in the story yet i’m really happy how this turned out!

the romantic exhilaration in my bones are off the charts because this is jaehyun we’re talking about lol enjoy!

⤑ masterlist

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism, or hellos!

3 juin 1957

The city life overstimulated your entire system, losing your brainpower and inspiration. Another exhibition that’ll feature your works with other influential painters was happening at the end of the year, and you had nothing prepared so far. You’ve crashed to the deep end of creative fatigue.

So you needed to get away again; somewhere quieter and surrounded by nature.

That’s why you ended up in the countryside down south, somewhere within Provence. It’s purely just for the summer, but extensions were okay as long you get back at least a month before the show. Filing that leave of absence at the studio you worked at was worth it.

You rented an apartment overlooking the marketplace, where the heart of the village was. After arranging things from your boxes and luggage the entire day, you found out that you lacked in the food department.  

So the succeeding day, the entire morning was spent on grocery shopping downstairs then stocking them inside your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Right after changing out of your pajamas into a flowy floral dress and sandals, you decided to bike to the bakery that locals suggested. A must-go place for newcomers, they all raved.

“Café des Étoiles Perdues.” (Café of Lost Stars.)

The clear chimes of the bell resounded through the small, cottage-like lobby as you entered inside. An old woman, whom you assumed was the owner, welcomed you openly.

“Oh la la, vous êtes belle! Vous vous appelez (Y/N), la nouvelle venue, n'est-ce pas?” (Oh la la, you’re beautiful. Your name is (Y/N), the newcomer, right?)

She complimented, making you shyly mutter your answer. Wiping off the flour from her apron, she introduced herself kindly.

“Je m’appelle Camille. Mes spécialités sont les macarons pisctaches et des croissants avec des amandes. Autre chose que tu aimes?” (I’m Camille. My specialties are the pistachio macarons and croissants with almonds. Is there anything else you like?)

“J'aime tout ce que vous suggères, Madame.” (I’d like anything that you suggest, Madame.)

A younger man, who went by Jaemin, was a part-timer barista who asked for your coffee order. As he directed you to the best seat of the café, which was outside overlooking the garden of blooming sunflowers, you pulled out your sketch pad so you could capture this dreamy view. It was nothing like you’ve ever seen in your life.

You’ve decided on a theme already for your exhibit thanks to your conversations with locals yesterday, which was related to freedom. After being chained to cities for so-called better living and financial standards, it’s actually how your inspiration to create squeezed the life out of you like a lemon. Although it was fun at first to see those tourist spots, it eventually got tiring.

Another matchstick to graze intensity through your bones was what you prayed for.

While you’re engaged in a rough sketch of the scenery, the dandy presence of a young man entered the café with his books. White shirt, red trousers with a matching beret, he sported freckles on his pale face. Despite visiting his favorite café numerously, Camille was overjoyed to see him and his serene smiles.

“Jaehyun! What brings you here?”

“Bonjour, Madame! I’m starving for your croissants because I ran out back home.”

“Not to worry! I’ll pack up some so you’re on your way.” She lightened him up like one of her kids, taking one of the bigger paper bags.

“No rush though, Madame. I’ll be reading and working here for a bit here.” Jaehyun affirmed, bringing it out his wallet and called out for Jaemin.

“Un café crème, s’il vous plait.” (One cup of cappuccino, please.)

Jaehyun’s usual chair was by the large window, overseeing the wide garden planted by the citizens of the village way before he was born. It was places like this he missed after moving to the city for his education and work’s sake. 

That’s the thing when you’re coming from a rich family; you don’t have much of say with what your parents order you to do. However, his recent request to stay in his childhood home (or mansion) again was fulfilled because he couldn’t search for what he needed in the cities anymore.

Jaehyun was a sucker for romance; an old romantic others would say. A lot of women mistook his kindness as flirting on many occasions, but ironically he just wasn’t looking for anyone yet. 

Starting as a novelist in the said genre based on real-life stories of people he met in Paris, Barcelona, London, and more, his stories were popular hits especially to young adults who aspire to find love one day.

However, traveling to the known places no longer felt fun as he got older. The stories he gathered were very similar, just in different languages. It took an enthusiastic dinner with his family, specifically his only older sister Krystal retelling fond stories from their younger years to get the idea of moving back for a bit. So consumed with the city life, he wanted to see things from another perspective.

What was the difference between a love story formed in the countryside than in the city?

It’s been a month since he arrived, but he didn’t hurry himself to do his research. He’s been reading books in his family library, revisiting monumental places, exploring around the village, and reconnecting with old friends as if he never left. 

Readjusting to his former life would make writing easier when he’s motivated enough to do it again. Besides, his books were profiting well enough to his taste; good enough for the next 10 years according to his personal accountant, Kim Jungwoo.

Jaehyun resumed reading this book his mother recommended him before he left. Entitled “Réessaye”, which was about a young man who reunites with his childhood sweetheart after his arranged marriage failed. After what she put her through, he’s hesitant whether to try again or let her go.

Jaehyun enjoyed reading books with realistic outlooks on love because he found them more meaningful, enlightening how exactly it makes you feel and do. Even if he enjoyed reading sappy, fairytale-like stories from time to time, he always returned to the real ones as they only displayed the truth.

That love isn’t always rainbows and sunshine, but something that can also break you especially if you go after the wrong person. This kind of mindset was how he toiled on his stories, which gained him a status outside of his unavoidable labels such as “the only striking son of the Jeong family” or “Valentine Boy”.

He diligently browsed through the climax, where the main male character confessed all his constrained emotions to his sweetheart. But it was until Jaemin pressed the bag of croissants in front of his face after placing down his childhood friend’s drink to disturb his peace.

“Reading again?” He taunted, snatching his book away and throwing the bag on Jaehyun’s lap. “When are you writing that book already? Everyone is practically dying for you to release something new again!”

Jaehyun flatly shook his head, drinking his coffee quietly. It’s not the first time anyone asked (or pressured) him about his next release, and it’s the last thing he wanted to think about. “Not in the mood right now, Jaemin. Now off to work before Madame Camille scolds you again.”

“You’re just stalling because you have nothing to write, don’t you?” Jaemin cunningly expressed, raising a brow. He’s known to catch onto the people’s bs easily; the last person you’d want to say your secrets too and Jaehyun realized too late. Though lucky for him, Jaemin shut the topic down right away so he wouldn’t pop a vein.

“Sais-tu de la nouvelle venue dans le village, d'ailleurs?” (Do you know about the newcomer in the village, by the way?)

“Une nouvelle venue?” (A newcomer?)

Being stuck at his mansion recently, news about village affairs were now late to him. Jaemin’s finger discreetly pointed outside the window, pertaining to a young woman sat outside painting her view in front of her.

That would be you, shading all the flowers in bright colors.

Seeing a new face amazed Jaehyun, especially when she was almost someone right out of a book. In a neat bun with white daisies printed in her dress, she crossed her legs whilst continuing her movements. She bit her lower lip, frustrated over an accidental smudge she made and trying to fix it by blending it with another color. When she accomplished it, she swapped brushes. A thinner one, to outline the shapes of the flower. Her lips curved to a smile after finishing another one perfectly with the rest.

“Jaehyun?”

Jaemin snapped his fingers to his distracted friend, zoning out the window. Still something he hasn’t stop doing, he pondered. With a final snap, Jaehyun broke away from falling hard from his abstract. Jaemin calculated the problem so quickly, analyzing his friend breezily like his medical school requirements.

“Elle est splendide, n'est-ce pas?” (She’s gorgeous, right?)

“Elle ressemble à une personne décente.” (She looks like a decent person.)

Jaehyun pushed it aside, flipping back to the page where he stopped reading. Before Jaemin responded, the door chimed open again to alarm him that a new customer came in. He excused himself to his friend, warning him that this wasn’t the last time he’ll talk about the newcomer too.

Jaehyun nodded along, not taking his friend’s cheeky words so seriously. However, the final result you attempted to create tickled his curiosity, so he slyly peeked from his book to the window.

You’ve freed your hair down, victorious to have started your collection this early in your break. A fantastic start, you let the paint dry first and munch on the croissant that served as your reward. However, you ‘re quick to notice a manly figure glancing through the window. From the side, his brown eyes appeared lively even if his entire face was hidden by the book.

Réessaye by Mark Lee; he must be a romantic. Every person in your studio read it, excluding yourself. Painfully beautiful, they’d summarize it.

Daring to meet more people, you locked eye contact with him. He didn’t expect it, almost flipping from his chair. Bashfully, you waved him a hello to somewhat break the ice. However, it broke his composure, and suddenly, he scurried off with his things from the café.

Now, you got quite worried. You checked your tiny mirror if he saw anything unpleasant with you, but you’d say you look relatively fine. Oh, maybe you could redeem yourself the next time you saw him. After bidding goodbye to Camille and Jaemin, the latter chased after you when you prepared yourself on your bike.

“By any chance, did you say hi to a guy with brown eyes and a red beret?”

“Well, more like I waved at him, then he zoomed out. Did I do something wrong?” You questioned with concern, putting your hands on the handles.

“That’s my friend, who’s quite reserved with strangers. I’m sorry on his behalf.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” You brushed it off politely. “See you again soon, Jaemin!”

Peddling away, letting the cool breeze fan you, your mind reverted its thoughts to that strange man. Maybe you’ll give it some time; you had a lot of it.

“Shucks, he was pretty cute.”

12 juin 1957

The world must really be on your side with these good decisions because you crossed paths with the strange man again in the café a week later. But instead of running away, he asked nicely if he could sit across your free chair in front of your table outside. It was a Saturday, and the place was packed.

“Joignez-moi, s’il vous plait.” (Join me, please.)

You insisted, giving yourself time to subtly observe his physique a lot more. Freckles dotted under his eyes like a constellation, bushy eyebrows, pink cheeks to match his pale complexion, and wearing a fuzzy knit sweater that meshed well with his green beret. He had some sort of necklace too; there was a heart pendant.

“Vous êtes une artiste.” (You’re an artist.) The small wooden palette of paint beside your small sketch pad was exposed, finding it as a great icebreaker.

“Une peintre, spécifiquement. Franchement, les visuels ici sont trés captivants qu'à Paris.” (A painter, to be specific. Frankly, the visuals here are more captivating than in Paris.)

“Je suis d’accord,” (I agree,) Jaehyun leaned against his chair, taking a better look at you with the remaining light from the descending sun.

“Oh, vous êtes comme moi. J’habite à Paris aussi.” (Oh, you’re like me. I live in Paris too.)

“Bon, je suis née à Londres. Puis, j’ai déménagé où je voulais en Europe depuis j'avais 18 ans. Mais oui, j’habite définitivement à Paris maintenant.” (Well, I was born in London then moved wherever I wanted in Europe for inspiration since I was 18. But yes, I live permanently in Paris now.)

You clarified, beginning to enjoy his comforting company. Initiating conversations with people you’re not acquainted with wasn’t in your range of skills, though he didn’t have an intimidating vibe. He looked too youthful to act like that.

“Je m’appelle (Y/N), d'ailleurs.” (I’m (Y/N), by the way.) You stuck out your hand as a sign of respect, which he enthusiastically obliged.

“Salut, (Y/N). Je m’appelle Jaehyun.” [Hi, (Y/N). I’m Jaehyun.]

He kissed it in a gentleman fashion, applying the manners he’s been taught since he was a child. Should you have been flustered, but no.  It’s been a long time since anyone greeted you like that, specifically back home.

Throughout your talk, you learned more about who he was, his job, and what his life in the countryside is like. He was an author of romance novels, yet you’ve never heard about him prior. Heavily prioritizing your work, you don’t keep up with the new releases or trends at all. Though after mentioning his last name, it piqued your interest.

“Jeong? As in the business, Jeong Tea Inc.?”

“Correct.”

His family was one of the most affluent families in Parisian society. Old money immigrants from South Korea, they brought their tea business to France and it boomed successfully. You’re quite sure you’ve seen his parents in past exhibits, but never did you approach them because you were a rookie then. But he reassured you that it was fine, and to just treat him like you’d treat your friends. Plus, it came to your knowledge that he was the same age as you too.

He opened up how this village was where he lived his childhood, so he asked his parents if he could hand over their mansion for a while for rest. It then shocked both of you at how identical your reasons were for staying in the countryside.

“I’m burnt out from the city, so I’m trying to regain my spirit here hopefully. Besides, I needed a change of scenery after living there for 3 years. My longest stay yet outside of London!”

“I need new ideas for my books. The cities don’t charm me anymore, so I returned here for peace and quiet. Maybe let these ideas come to me rather than me going after them.”

From a bigger lens, people would conclude your interaction as a sight of two artists who passionately talk about their art. But to you, you’d interpret it as two relaxed, young adults in their twenties who simply wanted to run away from the pressures of their art and enjoy the summer as every young adult should.

Not cooped up in the studio or office, but innocently waltzing around with your youth while it’s still there.

début de juillet 1957

“Dépêche-toi, (Y/N)!” [Hurry up, (Y/N)!]

Jaehyun yelled at your open balcony from downstairs, parking his mini car beside your bike. He planned on taking you somewhere a little farther this time; to absolutely feel like one of the locals.

The countryside urged you to wear more dresses and flat shoes, so you took out a turquoise dress with a white scarf to wrap on top of your head. Like your relaxed fit, your mindset too was calm. Upon meeting him, he wore his round spectacles with a red knit sweater over a white turtleneck long-sleeved top. His fingers were adorned with silver rings, then around his neck was a thin black ribbon. He curled some of his hair again, a style you really liked of his.

You can’t lie, but this man could pull any trend or style and still look extra pretty.

Out of all the locals you’ve befriended in your stay, Jaehyun was always your companion. He took you to varying places that those locals don’t visit nor tourists acknowledge in their reviews for the past few weeks. For someone who hasn’t been in the village for a long time, his memory didn’t disappoint. His childhood was only filled with cheerful moments.

Today, he was taking you to a peaceful district of shops in the farther part of the village. It’s where he’d buy sweets, journals, and accessories with his mother, Krystal, and one of his housemaids every other weekend.

All the stores there were currently bombarded with blooming flowers along their alley, bringing more enticement to those who were roaming around. There was so much life here; the head waiter of one restaurant smiling at every passing customer, one florist handing a free flower to anyone who asks, and a young lady showcasing her jewelry collection to a bunch of women who looked like tourists.

“Cette librairie vendent des livres enveloppés dans du papier. Ma mère m'a offerte l'un d'eux pour mon anniversaire tous les ans comme une surprise.” (This bookstore sells books wrapped in paper. My mother gifted me one of them on my birthday every year as a surprise.)

He trained his attention at a rustic shop with open wooden windows giving a glimpse of their shelves.

“Avez-vous fini les lisant?” (Have you finished reading them?)

“Du début à la fin.” (From cover to cover.)

He took you to this rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire plaza. Since he didn’t arrange a reservation yet didn’t get rejected, he must know the owner. Especially how a lot of the staff gave casual hellos and high fives.

Speaking of the owner, he walked out of his kitchen to introduce himself to you. He went by the name Moon Taeil, another one of Jaehyun’s childhood friends whom he used to play at his house whenever his parents came along.

Gobbling up in the appetizing food Taeil prepared beforehand, Jaehyun brought up your painting exhibition again. He loved hearing artists talk about their works, wanting to know more about their driven mindset and what their imagination is like. After all, it does vary for everyone.

“So far,” You poked your fork through the chicken, taking a bite of it. “I’ve produced 3 paintings. The garden of flowers outside Café des Étoiles Perdues, the kids playing hopscotch in the alley, and the peach tree outside your house.”

“Woah, you’re on a roll.” Jaehyun clapped across you, pouring you another glass of water. He recalled the nights you ranted not having any clue what to do for the exhibit. Then after taking you to more places, he’s rewarded to see you be creatively active again. “How many artworks do you left to make?”

“Around 3-4 left. I have ideas already, but I’m still brainstorming.” You internally rejoiced, loving how much progress you’ve made. “How about you, Jaehyun? How’s your progress?”

Unlike you, Jaehyun still felt stuck. Although he did find couples around the village, none of them intrigued him as much as his past stories. But he won’t give up easily; that’s not in his work ethic.

“Still searching, but I’ll get there.”

Recently, you got ahold of some of Jaehyun’s books from him personally since they weren’t sold in the village. You wanted to understand how he became so well known outside the labels people put him under. Reading his first novel entitled “Des Papillons” (Butterflies), it was about a couple separated during World War II without contact or knowledge about their well-being. Yet whenever they saw butterflies on the day they parted, they took it as a sign that the other was alive wherever they were.

You’re always hanging on the cliff when the scenes revert back and forth to the main male lead getting stuck in intense war scenarios, rooting for him to get out alive each time. In the end, it took 7 years before they were reunited and wed.

Jaehyun had a wonderful way with his words and descriptions, managing to enwrap you in as if you’re also a character in the book. Like how you rooted for that male lead, you’re rooting for him to find his spark again.

Following this uplifting conversation, Jaehyun finally took to your greatly anticipated spot. It was the main viewpoint of Gordes, one of the most beautiful hilltop villages in the country. The sunset was about to hit, and the lights from the city across you slowly turned on like a bunch of dominos.

As you marveled at its aesthetics, Jaehyun leaned against the hood of his car. He sensed how in awe you were, more than you ever were in the city he assumed. So used to the city that being surrounded with nature became foreign to you.

He took out his polaroid camera from his trunk and captured a photo of you from behind. The shutter sounds were obvious, turning your back at the commotion. Jaehyun fanned the freshly printed photo to dry, giving a mischievous smile.

“What can I say? While you’re fawning over the view, mine was more enamoring.”

Although Jaehyun felt overwhelmed the first time he locked eyes with you, he can’t resist the power of his developing feelings for you. The more time he took you around, the more his heart found different details about you to admire. After listening to all those love stories in the past, the people he spoke to shared how there will be some distinct moment where your heart decides who they’re longing for.

That exact view of you by the cliff, he already knew.

He’s infatuated by you.

“Tu es très ringard, Jaehyun.” (You’re so cheesy, Jaehyun.) You scoffed sassily, with a hand on your waist.

“Un gentleman ne ment jamais, (Y/N). Allez, il fait nuit maintenant.” [A gentleman never lies, (Y/N). Come on, it’s night already.]

He cleverly responded, grabbing his car keys from his pocket. The trip back to the village was energizing, putting down the roof of his car to relish the chill breeze of the night weather. You even raised your arms in the air, losing your scarf even from the speed Jaehyun went at!

The two of you belted along to the songs on the radio when the fields were the only ones surrounding you, no neighbors to shout at your rambunctiousness.

The late-night hours drew by so quickly almost like dinner with more of Jaehyun’s friends didn’t happen. Arriving at the front doors of your apartment complex, Jaehyun raced over to your side to open your door. Always maintained proper observation of manners, you appreciated that side of him. Rarely anyone in Paris that you’ve encountered treated you that way because you were a foreigner.

“Bonsoir, (Y/N).” [Goodnight, (Y/N).]

“Bonsoir, Jaehyun. Quand est-ce que je te revois?” (Goodnight, Jaehyun. When can I see you again?)

“Demain et après-demain. Appelle-moi quand tu es libre.” (Tomorrow, and the day after that. Just give me a call when you’re free.)

With a short wave, you entered your building and marched up to the stairs. A good day only meant being tired to the core, ready to crash and fall in your soft bed. Opening your wide windows to let more of the cool breeze in, your eyes easily caught Jaehyun’s classy car still there. As for the owner, he didn’t move an inch from his leaning position.

“Rentre à la maison, Jaehyun! C’est tard!” (Go home, Jaehyun! It’s late!) You shrieked, peeking side to side to make sure none of the neighbors scold you.

Jaehyun laughed wholeheartedly, not budging at all. “La nuit ne fait que commencer, ma chérie.” (The night has just begun, my darling.)

“Comment tu m'as appelé?” (What did you call me?)

Either your ears were fooling you or he addressed you by a divine pet name. The gasp you swallowed, as your entire body tingled with exhilaration. Your mind would simply disregard it like his former teasing words, but your heart begged to differ.

Rather than responding with words, Jaehyun’s voice serenaded you with a wondrous song, C’est Si Bon by Eartha Kitt, that played on the radio earlier. Out of the blue, a random guitar accompaniment followed his baritone vocals.

“En voyant notre mine ravie,”

Against the railing of your wired balcony, your body shifted forward to watch him better.

“Les passants dans la rue, nous envient,”

Your hand perched on your cheek, admiring his talent.

“C'est si bon de guetter dans ses yeux,”

It was like a lullaby, and here you were drowning in its peacefulness. Sensing the passion he gives off in his singing, your heart couldn’t refrain the strings inside from being swayed and tugged.

This was your moment of realization: that you too were smitten.

“Un espoir merveilleux, qui donne le frisson…”

À la mi-juillet de 1957

“Hello, nature!” You greeted brightly as your legs raced the huge garden in his manor. It was the first time he invited you over, too lazy to go out of the city. His social battery needed a recharge for the weekend, so a picnic within his home would do the trick. Additionally, it was an excuse to bring you over after the numerous times you’ve begged him to.

Jaehyun merely shook his head, enjoying the rush of childlike fun in your veins while you squealed and grazed your hands through the flowers.

He carried a wooden basket full of treats his family maids cooked, taking his time to venture through the rows of flowers. They were growing healthily and phenomenally these days, sometimes riding his bike to personally water them since he became busy with writing again. Lately, he found inspiration again, and so he wrote day and night to set them free.

“Voila!” You yanked out a sunflower, sniffing it a little. “Come on, Jaehyun! Pick up a few for our lunch!”

He followed your order, picking out some he found ideal. But just for fun, he put down the basket and carried you from behind out of the blue. You tried kicking him away, but his muscular arms can’t compete with your soft ones.

“What are you doing?”

“You said to pick up a flower, so I did. The prettiest of them all.”

His flirtatious words were never serious, yet you took it as a compliment. That’s how high your confidence is. Only we define our own worth, not others. The two of you chatted more about your lives until the first rain of the season poured down, chilling down from the raging heat. None of you had an umbrella; the weather was too unpredictable.

Deciding to just run for it, he gave you the wooden basket to protect yourself whilst he used the blanket you’ve sat on. Running with laughter to return to his mansion in the muddy dirt, the cool drops shivered your figure yet felt fantastic.

If you were in the city, you’d panic because it’d mess your appearance and your boss would be infuriated by your unprofessionalism. But in the countryside, it didn’t matter at all. The condition of the rain wasn’t budging to improve, getting stronger by the minute. His entire house even lost power, his housemaids having to bring candles to his bedroom and your assigned one once night dawned.

It was hopeless to return home for you, plus it’s dangerous to drive in in the dark, narrow streets too. Jaehyun handed you some of his fresh clothes so you’d be free from flinching from cold dress sticking to your body.

“Get dressed and some sleep, (Y/N).”

Nodding, you excused yourself to find the bathroom. You’d assume it’d be easy, but this was your first time in his house; a mansion even. Doors from left to right, long corridors that seemed never-ending, no maids were within the vicinity whom you can ask for guidance.

Resorting to return to Jaehyun’s chamber for help, you were taken aback by what your eyes laid on. In front of his full mirror, he discarded his now-dried shirt. Even with the dim lighting, you could make out that he was fit by the transparent view of his abdomen. Peeping like this was wrong, yet you couldn’t turn away just yet. The heat in your cheeks was inevitable, finding composure in such an unholy sight.

Though a gear in you suddenly twisted; a gear that straightened your nerves. You’re taking a bold move on the chessboard of your feelings. Wholly opening his bedroom door again, you leisurely sauntered inside without warning.

“Oh, (Y/N)! Ne peux pas trouver la salle de bain?” (Oh, (Y/N)! Can’t find the bathroom?)

Unbothered as he stood shirtless, you on the other hand silently dropped his clothes on the floor. Holding intense eye contact, your fingers graciously unzipped the side of your dress. Inch by inch, the tension built up like the strong tiny flames lit on the candles around you two. Joining the pile of clothes, all that remained were your white lace undergarments. Unplanned for the get-go, it’s the ideal set for your earlier outfit at the picnic.

“Je me suis perdue, mais je pense avoir trouvé quelque chose de mieux.” (I got lost, but I think I found something better.)

Your fingers grazed your arm up to your collarbones, faking your naivety. From your lust-filled stare, the glint in Jaehyun’s eyes darkened. He gulped at the revealing sight of you, brushing his hair back to restrain himself.

None of you could utter a single word, only the vivacious rain being the only sounds ringing around you. Thus, you allowed your actions to pursue precisely what you desired to do.

Taking baby steps towards him to test the waters, he met you right in the center and closed the leftover space. His hands cradled your face, whilst yours clung to his chest. His lips tasted like red wine, watching him pour in a glass for himself earlier. He did offer, yet you declined.

Your tongue darted his lower lip, gaining access after. Sensing the edge of his bed, you plopped yourself down the cushion. His knee urged your legs to widen, letting his body slide in. From your face, his fingers lowered to the back of your bra, snapping the clasps open.

“It takes skill to accomplish that in one try, Jaehyun.”

“I lived in Paris too, ma chérie. You out of all people would understand and have the experience.”

His palms massaged your freed breasts, throwing your head back even more to his pillows as his lips ravaged down from your stomach until the fabric of your not-so pure panties.

“Call me that again, please.”

“Ma chérie, seras-tu mienne?” (My darling, will you be mine?) He kissed and licked the tiny ribbon in front repeatedly, where your now-swollen clit laid. It electrified your bones, pulling on to his ruffled hair.

“Tu peux m'avoir.” (You can have me.)

Sex in the form of one-night stands were all you’ve invested; upcoming artists like you weren’t capable to maintain long-term relationships. Les plans à trois even if you’re extra freaky or drunk from the afterparties of your events. All that these occurrences had in common were not seeing those men ever again after sneaking out of their apartments in the morning.

This time, it’s different.

When they said that doing the deed with someone you’re romantically entangled with was more special, they didn’t bluff. You could plan bits of your life, but it can sometimes change aspects of it when you least expect it. Sometimes for the best or the worst, but right now, it went beyond your expectations.

It’s rewarding that the man you’ve slowly fallen for within your stay returned your affections.

Around late 3 am that night, your brain jolted with artistic ideas that awoken your sonorous rest. There are no hopes of sleeping them off because they tend to bother you for hours until you do something about it. But you’re already so cozy having Jaehyun’s arms around you, skin to skin under the duvet. His lips daunted right above your forehead, recalling his endless kisses there that helped you fall asleep.

Well, these ideas don’t work themselves unless you do. Untangling him tactfully, you stepped out of the blanket and wore one of his long white shirts he gave you earlier before pulling out your sketchpad and palette of oil paints.

Luckily, there was still one available candle to use as the rest have melted indefinitely. You slid the matchstick again to the sand surface, boring a flame from the friction which you placed on top of the wick.

All your ideas that night leaned towards one thing, or person rather: Jaehyun.

You spent a few minutes retracing how he vividly looked at the picnic, leaning back from the chair of his work desk. His outfit of a turquoise turtleneck underneath a white button-top with trousers matching the said turtleneck looked good together, how his ears tingled red after you complimented his newfound inspiration for his book, and the prominent veins in his arms when he rolled his sleeves due to the heat.

The thin brush you held defined the shape of his face, then paying attention to the messy strands of his hair. Stroking in a circular way to outline his eyelids, a hoarse grunt disturbed the peaceful silence.

“Get back in bed, ma chérie.” His eyes drowsily opened, lying on his side. The moment he no longer felt your warmth, he worried something happened. Instead, you’re working late at night after quite a rough yet romantic night.

“Shush,” You shunned him down with your index finger. “Give me a few more minutes.”

“Perhaps, are you painting me?” He hunched from the covers. “Your eyes looking back and forth would never lie to me, would they?”

“Maybe…” You teased, batting your eyes at him without any risky intentions. Or not?

He deeply chuckled, sluggishly removing himself under the covers. In his pure nudity, he advanced himself towards you. You shrieked, covering yourself with your free hand.

“Jaehyun, stay back! I told you I’ll be there soon!”

Not listening, he carried your bridal style, making you drop your precious palette to the fur rug. Laying you carefully, he popped each button open. By the sight of his cock hardening again, you knew you were in for another round with him.

“Wet again, ma chérie? Oh, this will be fun.”

Fin de juillet 1957

So this kind of summer romance concept that everyone fantasized about… it became your present.

Together you’d stroll in the smaller streets and immerse yourselves in the unique culture of the village. Whenever anyone saw you together, holding hands, biking, or what-not, they’d praise in the name of love for bringing you both together. A romance like yours in the countryside was a lively sight.

Remember how extensions were a possibility if your search for inspiration wasn’t found? Well, it’s not a question that you’d make one, except inspiration found you instead. And he had one arm around you as he slow danced with you in the open grounds of the village, listening to the live band covering song classics.

In particular, Chet Baker. He was Jaehyun’s favorite artist at the moment.

There was an ongoing week-long festival dedicated to summer, giving more plants their bloom and spreading gratitude to the hardworking people. Especially the students, off on their break.

The faint radiance from the post lights as Jaehyun swayed you around, making you laugh as he tried to mumble the lyrics of the song. All those glasses of wine he tried earlier with you from the bartender offering it for free had its effects, and you weren’t off the hook from them either.

Blisters started to form from your ankles, adjusting to the new pair of heels Jaehyun gave (or insisted to buy) you a while ago after staring at them like lasers. You’ve always provided things for yourself that being spoiled by someone else felt weird to you.

“If there’s anything you want me to buy for you, just tell me.”

“How can I buy you if you’re already mine?”

His smooth talk often made you punch his shoulder, but it’s just a mechanism to hide the exhilaration.

Under each other’s spells in your dance, you laid your head on Jaehyun’s chest. Feeling the strong beat of his heart, you were reminded of how much life he’s filled with. And you became a part of it, in the same way he crossed yours.

Jaehyun’s lips sank to the top of your head, pecking it affectionately. The first-ever summer where he wasn’t stuck at his desk working or drinking his life away with his rich friends in their Parisian homes, it couldn’t get better than this.

“Oiii! Flirtez ailleurs!” (Oiii! Flirt somewhere else!) The distinct voice of Jaemin, handing out pastries to passersby, shouted at the both of you, making you flip your middle finger at him.

“Trouve une copine d’abord, d’accord?!” (Find a girlfriend first, alright?!) You shouted back jokingly, almost falling due to the ache of your feet. Your immodest behavior was censored by Jaehyun’s large palms, not wanting the kids around to see it. Whispering closely to your ear,

“Tu es ivre. Laisse-moi te ramener chez toi.” (You’re drunk. Let me take you home.)

You changed back into your sandals as Jaehyun led you through the different alleys. Your vision was too hazy to navigate, so he had one arm wrapped around your shoulders. The weather grew cold too, shivering your bones so he draped you in his blazer.

“Wait,” You stopped, making him do the same. But before he could ask for your reason, your hands yanked him by his suspenders and your legs walked backward to reach the brick wall. Standing in his 5’11 glory, you were overpowered.

Yet your lips captured his effortlessly, raising to your toes to press yourself closer to him. He moved fast, one arm hugging your waist while the other hoisted your leg up. Tangling around his waist, the urge to move your hips against his crotch couldn’t be contained any longer.

Everyone was probably still out at this time or sleeping. The sloppy sounds you’ve produced were beyond suitable for any audience. Not to mention, the nasty words Jaehyun’s pretty mouth spoke in your ears desired you to fall to your knees.

“Not afraid of getting caught, ma chérie? You want me to ruin you right here, right now?”

“God, Jaehyun,” Your hands tugged his belt forward, the friction it gave to your core twitched the naughty side out of you. “Do it, please.”

The idea of public sex thrilled your mind into overdrive, yet you’ve never done it. In Paris, a city where several people started to know your name, you didn’t need a scandal to be plastered in your resume yet.

Jaehyun himself included, and still opted not to give it to you.

“Another time, ma chérie. Your apartment, now.”

The moment you unlocked your apartment door, Jaehyun was far from gentle like in the mansion. Ripping you out of your frilly dress didn’t take long, so was unbuttoning his trousers down to the floor.

On your knees, his hand gave you a makeshift ponytail as your tongue flicked the slit of his cock. Then slowly taking him inch by inch on your mouth, you’d let out a loud pop when you needed to breathe. Your hands fondling his balls, he groaned from the edge of your bed and tightened his hold on you. Tears formulated in your eyes as you got to swallow him whole, uncontrollably bobbing your head.

He felt like putty when he released, your throat taking the salty base. You hastily unhooked your bra in front of him when suddenly, his hand flicked on the fabric of your panties, cueing you to stop your motion.

“Keep them on when you ride me.”

Straddling on his lap, his head laid against the headboard of his bed. His arms roaming around your back to stabilize you, your fingers pushed your panties to the side as you pushed yourself down his protected length. Your moans became shaky. Up and down, you bounced while bracing on his shoulders.

Against his ear, your moans were harmonious. His hips moved against your beat, hitting your g-spot like the sexual ace he is. His thumb rubbing your clit, you shuttered your eyes at the impending high approaching you like a bus.

“I’m close.” You choked out, the overstimulation overwhelming your nerves.

“Fuck, me too.” He grunted, slapping your butt that made you shriek.

Soon enough, everything hit you both all at once. The knot snapped, and so did your body falling on his chest after a single scream. Panting, Jaehyun pecked on your temple as his cock softened up. Once you returned to your senses, you lifted yourself from his length, laying bare beside him.

His eyes started to fall, but before they did, he muttered huskily. “Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

It was the first time he’s said those words in the way they meant, and he’s more than certain that it’s what he felt with you. Sure, it started as mutual infatuation, but now, it can’t leave. Not on his watch.

Love was a concept unfamiliar to you, but Jaehyun slowly taught you what it was and how it felt like. Books and films may give sneak peeks, but to personally give and receive it back was made possible by him.

From this moment on, you could conclude that yes, you reciprocated it.

“Je t’aime aussi, Jaehyun.”

16 octobre 1957

Autumn made its way to the countryside.

The leaves switched into red-brown shades, the weather in the south was warmer, and the wine harvest was highly anticipated. Jaehyun’s camera was a common item in your outings, taking as many photos as he could so the two of you had something to look back on.

Planned and candid, his range was wide. These were moments that proved that your youth was as happy as you wished it to be. You wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Painting in his mansion was a regular thing, having new canvases prepared at his patio. There were so many items that amused you there like you could base your entire collection on his home. It’s not like Jaehyun could argue; it meant more time with you whenever you came over.

“Jaehyun, if you smudge paint on me, so help me Go-” He refused to listen to your “threats”, smearing black paint on your cheek.

“You were saying?” He cockily pestered, showcasing his paint-filled fingers. You dipped one of your brushes into the new paint and chased after him without hesitation. The entire evening became a paint war, a laugh fit even after seeing your reflections in the mirror. But before you could clean yourself, Jaehyun’s camera was by your face and he pressed the button.

“Still breathtaking.”

But the middle of the season arrived, that’s where your planned extension you’ve reached its end. The exhibit was next month, getting calls from your boss regarding your return and the paintings you’ll present. You informed her that you already had them mailed to your studio way back, so there’s nothing much to worry about.

All your bags were packed in the private car Jaehyun rented. Here, you’re bidding your goodbyes to every friend you’ve made outside the doors of your apartment complex, saving your last words with Jaehyun.

The night before, he stayed over and helped you pack your last items in luggage bags. He even brought extra clothes for you so you wouldn’t work extra. You’ve talked it out the whole evening through what happens next to ease your worries. In your bed, he opened the wide windows and pulled you under the sheets.

“Write to me.”

“Call me when you’re free, or whenever you feel like it.”

Leaning against the railing of the stairs, watched the sorrow in your face over this parting. He sensed how bittersweet everything was, but he wouldn’t change anything about it. He’s positive that your story won’t end here, not right now.

Sauntering to him, you sighed whilst taking your bag he held the whole time from him. His touch was tighter as the two of you hugged tenderly, nuzzling his head on your shoulder. The scent of his citrus cologne that implanted in your brain felt comforting, despite the uncertainty of everything between you.

You hinted a minty taste from the menthol candies from his home as his lips brushed yours, colliding it timely. He waited when everyone left, relishing these last seconds.

Stepping inside the vehicle, you waved your summer love farewell one more time before the driver hit the pedal. Your eyes couldn’t stray away from looking back, the distance between him and your former apartment widening. Only when he was no longer in the frame, you shifted your focus back in front.

Your fingers fiddled with the charm bracelet he gifted you from the market. It was custom-made by a jeweler who was great friends with his mother in his younger years. There were two pendants chained on it: a paintbrush and the sun.

“A paintbrush to remind you of your passion, and the sun to remind you of the summer we first met.”

The man was like one of his romance books, in human form. He knew how to catch your breath effortlessly.

Your stay, for now, may have concluded, but there was always next summer. And the ones after that. The village felt like a second home, one you can’t neglect like the other places you’ve lived. Then having Jaehyun here, the more reasons to return.

Undoubtedly the best vacation you’ve ever been in your adult years, one that didn’t sacrifice for your art so you could compete with other artists. The weight on your chest poofed into thin air, and you felt ready for what the next steps as a painter were.

Appreciating the greenery you passed by, you peeked over the side mirror of the car only to find Jaehyun quickly biking in your direction.

Now, what was he up to?

You instantly requested the driver to slow down his pace, rolling down the window of the car. Not caring about the strong winds, “You fool, what are you doing?!”

Although he trusted your last words, he had the greed to see your face again. It would be a long time until he’ll see you in person again. So he pedaled as fast he could to still reach you. Oh, the things you do when you’re in love.

“Mon cœur bat la chamade pour toi, (Y/N)!” [My heart beats loudly for you, (Y/N)!]

You giggled at his silliness, throwing out flying kisses.

“Je reviendrai bientôt, Jaehyun!” (I’ll come back soon, Jaehyun!)

21 octobre 1957

Only your friends at the studio gave you a warm welcome back, receiving comments like “get back to work” from your first encounter with your boss. Popping a champagne glass open after work hours on the rooftop of your studio, they interrogated you with all the questions they could think of.

“So this village in Provence…. was it beautiful as the tourists said?” Ten, who moved from his home in Thailand to Paris at a young age, expressed his curiosity whilst leaning against the railing overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

“Beautiful is an understatement, Ten. I miss it dearly!” You heaved a sigh, twirling your glass.

“So this inspiration you were looking for…” Amélie, your dear friend since your university days, created some tension as she prolonged her last word. Playfulness twinkled in her eyes, crossing her legs. “Was a person involved by any chance?”

For a moment, your throat almost gagged on the sizzling alcohol going down.

“What do you mean?” You acted clueless, pouring your now empty glass with more booze. But the moment Ten gave you the troublesome look coordinating with Amélie, you already knew you wouldn’t hear the end of it. These two were such gossips in and out of the studio.

Ten took the seat across you on the table and leaked all his pent-up information.

“So you know Seo Youngho, the only son of the Seo family. Rich, socialite, a total hotshot… yeah, all that jazz.” He dived in, seeing you nod over knowing that man. Someone in the past you’ve slept with, but that’s another story. “Well, Amelie and I attended one of his parties at his large penthouse. He had his usual crowd there; Kim Doyoung, Lee Taeyong, Nakamoto Yuta, and Lee Minhyung. But fun fact: there’s another member in that friend group who doesn’t go to these kinds of events.”

“Here’s where it gets interesting,” Amélie excitedly took off like the pipelette (chatterbox) she is. “Youngho, who was talking to us for a bit, asked where you’ve run off. Poor him, he must’ve missed you in his bed but anyway! We told him that you went down south somewhere in Provence for a break. Oddly enough, he mentioned how the mentioned member moved back there for the same reason.”

Ten and Amélie gave each other another frisky look, merely to piss you off. So predictable of them.

“Get to the point please!” You screeched.

“Jeong Jaehyun, ever heard of him?” Amélie imitated your tone of voice. “I mean, you should since you made a whole painting of him.”

“H-How,” Speechless, that’s what you were. Ten went on a fit of giggles, signaling the build-up of his intoxication.

“Youngho visited the studio to find a specific painting for his home, and we helped him in choosing. Then when your deliveries of paintings arrived that day and were unwrapped, the look on his face when he saw Jaehyun’s painting was priceless. Things started to add up, especially when he told us that he called up Jaehyun prior, he said that Jaehyun was seeing a girl during his stay there.”

“A young, burnt-out painter from Paris, to be specific.”

They’ve put you on the edge of the cliff, and it was too close to call it a coincidence. Of all things to be revealed, this had to be the first.

“Well, I was waiting for another time to tell you guys about him though.”

Their gasps of joy could give you guys a noise complaint by the neighbors, telling all about your escapades of him and you. During it, the more you missed seeing him daily either on his bike or his car. It was stuck in your routine, but now it’s reverted to your old one.

Could the next summer come any faster?

14 février 1958

Perhaps your newest collection at the Louvre was your most successful one yet.

Entitled “Inspirez, Expirez” (Breathe In, Breathe Out), your sceneries during your stay in the village varied. An old couple slow dancing under the night sky, and the quiet district of shops Jaehyun took you, those were some of your last additions.

A multitude of positive reviews on the newspapers and art magazines came in, commending on taking on a fresher, brighter outlook for a change whilst finding your spark again. As fulfilling it was, what you longed the most was the one responsible for it.

Lately, it’s been tough to contact him. His maids always answered the calls, informing you that he was busy with work or family matters. It’s so rare for him to act like this. Whatever it was, it wasn’t grand or serious hopefully.

Back to your collection, tonight was the last night of it. Just in time for Valentine’s day, where numerous socialite lovers embarked on this event, but you’re more fixated that it was also Jaehyun’s birthday. A boy full of love born on the day dedicated for it, things made more sense. In case, you’ve sent your birthday wishes to him through letter and passing the message to one of his maids. Even on his special day, he hasn’t reached out to you.

But to momentarily forget about that, there was a closing ceremony held for this exhibit with the other artists involved, and it was your turn to give your final remarks. More esteemed socialites and journalists were present, which didn’t halt your nerves the slightest. You were a professional after all, holding pride in your craft as you stood in front of the microphone wearing your new favorite custom-made gown.

There are perks when you have close friends in the fashion industry, specifically Kim “Key” Kibum from the House of Key. After defending him from a disrespectful client when you were picking up a dress for your boss during your internship years, not only did you earn his respect, but an invite to his shows and first claiming of new items from his collections. Dining in expensive restaurants in the metro was a plus, catching up on your lives. Sometimes calling each other out for your sexcapades too.

Speaking of him, he was in the crowd that night, ordering every photographer to take photos of your gorgeous self in one of his dresses. Or in your opinion, bribing some by how he stuffed a few thick stacks of Euro bills down their pockets.

Only one of it ever made. A dark green satin v-neck off-the-shoulder gown, where diamonds adorned your neck and ears and white stilettos kept your perfect balance. Also courtesy of Key.

Because it’s the winter season, he gifted you a limited edition white fur coat every socialite tried getting their hands on. Your hair was styled in a bun, emphasizing your dark tinted lips from this new lipstick Amelie insisted you buy.

Most people would get the first impression that you were one of the socialites, a child from one of the affluent families even. But you were a lot more remarkable than that, having inborn talent in the arts that you specialized over your youth and rising to the top without any parental help.

“Thank you to everyone for their endless support towards the magnificent collections of each artist present. As for mine, I am grateful to rechannel my creative side by taking a break. Rather than romanticizing overworking our bones to the core, there’s nothing wrong with taking a step back from the pressure. Being alive is a blessing, realizing further how our youth won’t stay with us forever. Being away from the boisterous cities, I found relaxation in the countryside of Provence.”

Your lips quirked into a grin as every single memory during that time reeled in your head like a movie. “The beauty of Provence cannot be simply put in words. The muses I’ve encountered were more than lovely, especially the man behind the Poetic Rose. With that, I sincerely thank everyone from my bottom of my heart and I hope to continue to support me in the years to come.”

The applause roared once you stepped down the platform, shaking hands with every esteemed guest with more gratitude as they praised you. These days, socializing with them was a lot easier. You’ve even taken more initiative to greet people first before they do, conversing with them easily about anything.

Key definitely noticed that as you toured him around your section, holding his nth glass of wine for the night.

“You, Madame (Y/N), transformed into a social butterfly.” He nudged your shoulder, smirking once he got a better view of his favorite painting from you. “I guess that’s the thing when you’re in love.”

“I beg your pardon?”

With this free hand, he motioned it up and down at the painting in front of you. “The Poetic Rose is none other than the youngest son of the Jeong family, whom I’ve met through his older sister, Krystal.”

“Am I really the only one who doesn’t know him?!” You stressed, jokingly. Key was elated to capture you in his trap, the changes of your personality too evident in his eyes. Figuring it out that it was love took a while, but being acquainted with Krystal, she’s the one who told him that her younger brother was in love with a painter in Provence. Do the math.

“I’ve met him through his older sister, one of my highly favored clients. He’s not much of a socialite like her, so I don’t really blame you for that.”

Searching for a waiter to refill your wine glasses, a surprise emerged the both of you.

“Madame Krystal, you’re absolutely stunning.”  Key complimented her, giving the engaged heiress of Jeong Tea Inc. kisses on the cheek as respect. Her recent engagement to Kim Donghyun, her childhood sweetheart and also the heir of Kim Couture, was the talk of the town.

They arrived at the event together, drawing the attention of everyone in the room earlier. Now, he was speaking to a few influential socialites he made a deal with this week about the art collections present.

“Key, you never fail to look fantastic,” She remarked positively, poking his necktie before placing her undivided attention on you. “So you must be (Y/N) (Y/L/N). You’re beyond bewildering in that gown.”

“Flattered to hear that, Madame Krystal. Such a pleasure to meet you.”

The three of you chatted as if you were the only people there. From art, passion, and love, pride filled in your chest when you toured your collection. It was like walking down memory lane for her, adding out how she used to climb the peach tree with her younger brother during their childhood. Once her eyes laid on Poetic Rose, she took her time admiring it.

“My younger brother grew up well. That’s all I could ever hope for as his only older sister.” She paused, noticing how silent you became when you stared at the painting along with her. She observed the passion lit in your eyes, yet there was longing behind it by the way your lips pouted briefly. “You must really love him, do you?”

“I do, truly. After meeting him, not only was I boosted with so much ideas, but my heart embraced him for what and who he is in this universe.” You professed confidently, earning an approving smile from Krystal.

“If that’s how you feel, why not tell him that yourself?”

Her fingers gestured you to turn around. Stood in a grey suit with his brown hair slicked back, it was like seeing a completely new person. A handsome one though. His fashion in the countryside heavily differed from his fashion in the cities. So sophisticated and refined, he looked like a prince straight out of a fairytale.

Your fairytale.

“Jaehyun.”

It’s like everything stopped once he sprinted towards you, pulling you off your feet for a snug hug. Your arms threw themselves on his neck by instinct, not wasting a single second in his grasp. Your nose inhaled the woody scent of his cologne, something more formal than his usual fruity scent.

The smell of aftershave in his jaw couldn’t go ignored either, assuming that he must have had plans to go out tonight. Nonetheless, you squealed as if you were back in Provence, giggling at his boldness. Once he put you down, neither of you could get your hands off each other.

“What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you’d be in Paris!” Clutching your waist, you gazed at him with doe-like eyes, instilling confusion.

“J’ai voulu te surprendre, my chérie.” (I wanted to surprise you, my darling.)

He chuckled, pushing some straying strands of your hair behind your ear. His eyes evoked so much endearment towards this elegant look you prepared, making his heart race as if he were in the gardens of his manor again.

Hearing his petname for you again attacked your heart every time no matter how much time passed, he lifted your chin high. Jaehyun urged himself to kiss you senseless right there, leaning lower. And yes, you anticipated it by how your eyes instantly closed.

Only if it weren’t for Krystal to clear her throat, obviously ruining the mood. Flinching away from your sensual lover, you rubbed the nape of your neck. Towards an heiress like her, it must’ve been unprofessional.

“Couldn’t you at least wait until I left, younger brother?” Her fingers flicked Jaehyun’s forehead, a teasing trick they used to do as kids. Even if she was a lot shorter now, it didn’t mean the impact was weak. He cursed under his breath, covering his forehead.

Stifling your laughter was a failure, crinkling your eyes to unleash your emotions. So this is what their sibling dynamic was like?

“Now excuse me, older sister. You didn’t tell me you were visiting the exhibit after my birthday dinner with our parents?” He crossed his arms, exchanging a judgmental look. For his sake, he wanted to maintain his pride. “All you said after dinner was that you were going straight home with your fiancé after all the alcohol mother gave you because it made you lightheaded.”

“Well, you know Key and his persuasiveness. He insisted I attend this event last minute because all the collections were amazing.” She explained, shedding a subtle glance at you. “Plus, it’s an excuse to finally meet this lovely girl you raved so much through your letters.”

Jaehyun kept his family life private, so this piece of information was new to you. The unpredicted way the fluttering feeling drew in your stomach, all you could do was smile from the flattery.

“He spoke about me to you?”

“More than speak, my dear. He practically professed his love for you, asking me advice on how to court a girl, make them smile, etcetera. You’re the first girl he’s been this affectionate with, and I completely understand now.” She patted your shoulder, hopeful. She had such a strong older sister vibe, reminding you of your older siblings back home. “You’re a clever, talented woman. I look forward to seeing you more often.”

As you nodded in approval, she turned towards her brother with her recurring teasing look. “Yah, Jaehyun. You better take care of her. If she ever sheds a tear because of you, I’m hunting you down in the gardens.”

“Harsh of you, Krystal.” He planted his hand on his chest, feigning pain. “But no worries. Having you and mother around me kept me well-mannered towards women growing up.”

Playfulness aside, Krystal felt honored towards her younger brother. Men these days maintained their sexist beliefs and rudeness, especially those who doubted her high position in the family business once her father stepped down. Nowadays, it’s men like Jaehyun who could really challenge the patriarchy and make women pursue a lot more than being limited as a housewife.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now please excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

Krystal waltzed her way out without tripping from her slight intoxication, which Jaehyun worried about earlier. But anyway, that left him alone with you. Filled with so many questions, you didn’t know where to start.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Paris? Why didn’t you acknowledge my birthday wishes to you? Why aren’t you answering my calls and letters?” You blurted without wasting a breath, weren’t trying to come off as needy, but it became peculiar when he was contacting you like usual.

You pushed off thinking of the worst scenarios, not wanting it to ruin your drive and your emotions either. Yet you trusted Jaehyun enough to know he wasn’t the type of person either.

“Okay slow down, ma chérie.” His hands maneuvered for you to stop for a bit. “Ask me one by one and I’ll give you a solid answer for each while we roam around.”

He arrived in Paris last week, which was initially for work. Then his birthday clashing was a coincidence. It would be too lonely to go home and celebrate his special day alone, so he extended. But again, it’s his work that caused his abrupt contact.

When you were too busy delving into the success of recovering your inspiration, he also found his spur to write again too. Day and night, his mind kept him tedious with an endless trail of thoughts and words. Overall, he finalized it then brought the end product to the same publishing house where his books in the past went through.

In fact, he decided to publish them specifically today on his birthday. The only day in his itinerary he planned, where after publishing, he’d hang out with his friends, have dinner with his family then run off to reunite with you.

“I didn’t intend to make you feel like a second choice, so please forgive me for that, ma chérie.”

“All is forgiven, Jaehyun.” You held both his hands, kissing them tenderly out of habit. “I’m overjoyed that you rekindled your creative side again.”

You were so understanding and empathetic, and Jaehyun aimed to act that way too. He learned so much from you as his friend before being his lover. Quickly enough, you’re both back to his portrait in the center. Like a critic, he narrowed his eyes and scrunched his nose. Tapping his chin with his finger,

“This man in Poetic Rose, he’s quite dashing.” He commented with conceit, walking closer to it to view it better. “His freckles are on point, his dimples and dazzling eyes too. Why exactly is he described as a Poetic Rose?”

“Well sir,” You stood beside him, imitating his actions. “This man here always spoke so eloquently, like he had a very poetic approach on life. He reminded me also of a rose by his rosy tinted cheeks and his beauty. He was alluring inside and out.”

“Is he your favorite muse?”

“I never quoted him as a muse because he’s more than that. Muses can be replaced once they no longer serve purpose towards the artist. Though with him, he’s the never-ending flame that I want to keep for the rest of time."

You held on to his hand, interlocking your fingers with his. The apparent reddening of his ears proved that he was flustered, yet you spoke no lies.

“Joyeux anniversaire, ma flamme.” (Happy birthday, my flame.)

“Merci beaucoup, ma chérie.” (Thank you, my darling.)

Something about his new release piqued your attention so you brought it up again.

“So tell me about your new book.”

“Let me show you instead.” Inside the blazer, there was an inner pocket that sealed a small hardbound book. Taking it out, he handed it over to you. “This is your copy.”

The cover of the book had an illustration of two young adults running down the fields under the bright sun, with the title written in cursive and placed in the center.

“L’Été de 1957.” (The Summer of 1957.)

Like a child who received a new gift in the mail, you flipped the book open. Seeing the table of contents and credits to other important people involved in the process, there was a detailed dedication right before the starting chapter. It’s an unexpected page, noticing that he never put anything like this in his last works.

“Pour ma chérie, qui a peint les couleurs manquantes de ma vie.” (For my darling, who painted the missing colors of my life.)

Although Jaehyun planned to write about the couples he met in the countryside, he chose to change his perspective. Instead, he based this new book on your summer romance, installing more original characters who made your romance blossom more.

“I was once so engaged in listening to people’s love stories, hung up on what they felt.” He expounded, pacing around the floor whilst you skimmed through the pages. There were black and white photos from your adventures too to wrap the reader further in the story.

“While I was struggling to find the next story, I realized late that my story with you was a perfect choice. When I fell in love with you, it’s like I didn’t have to fret anymore about anything. Everything slowly yet surely aligned into place for me. Like how we found inspiration in each other.”

A poetic speaker meant having a poetic, wise mind. You kept an open mind whenever Jaehyun shared his thoughts on life with you, an intimate time that didn’t require using your bodies. Whether you were stargazing or drinking wine by his patio, his soulful personality never changed.

“So I recapped every single memory we had and compiled them,” He resumed, taking a closer step towards yours. His warm hands grasped your waist again, catching a glimpse of your astonished face. Mostly, towards your lips that he missed feeling against his.

“This book expressed my own take on love this time, the one I want to grow in.”

You’d care less if you dropped the book and your coat right there, your major desire to kiss him again was driving your senses to the edge of a cliff. Nothing could’ve braced yourself the second you fervently collided your lips with his. It didn’t feel like you were in this exhibit, but somewhere back in his mansion engulfed in each other’s presence.

Your legs almost melted by your daring move, if it weren’t for Jaehyun’s arm moving upwards to your back to stabilize you more. Your body tingled with goosebumps due to his relaxing fingers all over your body. His tongue caved in your lips, and you couldn’t ban its access.

Such an explicit sight, it felt forbidden as you were inches away from the public crowd. Yet it was the least of your worries if they made a big fuss over it. Jaehyun was here again with you, and that was more valuable to you. He savored every trace of your touches, taking his delicate time with you. No past birthday could defeat this, especially when it’s the first one to celebrate with you. The first of many.

As much you wanted to keep this up for hours, your lungs started feeling constricted of air so your lips timidly let go. Though your hands couldn’t, your overwhelmed eyes couldn’t shift away from the heart-stopping view of your lover. Wherein even after such a fearless session, his eyes fused with love and need with his plumper lips.

“Everything about Provence, especially you, that’s the life I want.” You confessed this concealed secret that’s revolved your head for a while now. Yet its certainty was true.

“Are you sure, ma chérie? What about work?” As an artist, he believed you should stay where everything is accessible. Yet as his woman, he wanted you to follow your heart. Jaehyun didn’t want you to choose or struggle.

“I’ve grown out from the idea that the city life was the only life meant of an artist like me.” You replied, confident enough to discuss it after deep thought. “Cities like Paris hold exciting, vigorous flames that will have you clinging on to them. But then, they’ll eventually die the longer you stay. You get burned in the process too. However, I stand by what I said earlier. I found an endless flame when I met and began loving you, Jaehyun. It doesn’t sting at all; it illuminates strongly every living day.”

Urging him to lower his stance with your fingers, you stated one last phrase. “Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

“If that’s the case,” Jaehyun acknowledged, sticking his arm out for you. “Let’s get out of here.”

Astounded expressions crowded the socialites in the event as they watched the both of you exit together. If the news of Krystal and Donghyun weren’t crazy enough, some journalists figured the mysterious man behind The Poetic Rose and spread it like wildfire.

How was the youngest son of the Jeong family turned renowned romance novel author connected to the impressive, up-and-coming painter from London?

What really went down in Provence?

“How can you miss out on the signs? Did you not see them share a kiss earlier?” Key protested to those who weren’t approving whatever relationship you guys had. He loved his tea but hated those who simply were money hungry. Wanting a chance to be a part of the rich family, only to fish them out of their riches sooner or later.

Meanwhile, the winter season didn’t stop any of you from roaming the streets of Paris. Moments like these were a preview of the future you’ve envisioned with Jaehyun. Youthful, free, and fiery, a love between two artists created more magic not just in their crafts but to those around them.

Promenading a street overlooking the Seine River, Jaehyun took out a smaller instant camera from his pocket and took a candid shot of you. Stunned, you slapped his chest with your bag.

“Hey! Just how many more things are hidden in your blazer?”

“Just my wallet and a few condoms. Why’d you ask?” He raised a suggestive brow, feigning good intentions.

You hummed, faking your deep thought mindset. “At this rate, I don’t think we’ll make it back to my apartment alive.”

Jaehyun tugged you by your coat, his lips hovering your ear to whisper. “If we call a cab right now, I can finger you in the backseat.”

You chuckled at his vulgar idea, but it seemed ideal. You loved the thrill of getting caught or having someone overhearing you two, just like him. Besides, his fingers don’t match up to yours when you touch yourself alone in your apartment. You bat your eyelashes, giving in.

“Deal.”

6 ans plus tard (1964)

Summer returned, the sun strongly smiling down to the plentiful flowers at your family garden. By the patio of your home, your canvas was already laid by the easel stand. Shades of yellow were applied first to symbolize the brightness of the day, following the outline of your desired scenery for this piece.

Dipping the brush in water to change colors, you took another glance at the breezy sky. Light blue with clouds resembling soft pillows, you inhaled gently as your brush faintly stroked the canvas again.

Your hair was tied in a bun, meaning that you’re in for a busy session. But a more soothing one as the jazz music flowed from the vinyl player inside. Stress was the last thing you needed right now.

“What’s madame artiste up to right now?” Your husband piped in from behind, placing down a tray of tea and crackers. With some top buttons of his white top left unattended, you glimpsed on his toned chest when he leaned down. But you mustn’t pry whilst working, even when temptation was calling your name repeatedly.

“The summer sunshine healed me of my discomfort, so I think it’s about time I painted again.” You chewed on the snack, looking back and forth to the view. As enchanting as all the flowers you and him planted over the years grew, you’re more amused by a little boy strolling around it with his magnifying glass and tiny wooden basket with his furry puppy by his side.

His tiny legs often troubled the two of you because he enjoyed spending time with nature. Only God knows what he found in the garden this time.

“Adrien est explorer encore. Devrais-je lui dire qu’il change de place, ma chérie?” (Adrien is exploring again. Should I tell him to change places, my darling?) Jaehyun cautiously asked, not wanting his 3 year old son to impair your perspective.

“Non,” (No,) You held on to his hand, kissing it sweetly. Although you peeved any unnecessary details found in your scenery in the past, Adrien was an exception. As his mother, it’s hard to say no to him unless necessary.

“Il est un garçon curieux, alors il devrait explorer et flâner où il veut.” (He’s a curious boy, so he should explore and wander wherever he wants.)

Life ever since you returned to the countryside shifted into something more precious than you imagined. From moving places constantly, you found a home to settle in for good. A home with overflowing love and inspiration. A home within Jeong Jaehyun.

Recently, you halted your work-related activities in Paris and came home because you were heavily homesick. It even affected your health as a whole. So you made adjustments with your schedules, postponing appearances to events to next year.

On the plus side, you could be more active as a mother to Adrien. It felt like you burdened Jaehyun to take care of Adrien most of the time because he mainly worked from home, wherein important people who wanted to meet him would have to fly out to the countryside.

Back and forth to Paris, your presence towards Adrien often lacked. Here came your biggest fear, which was Adrien forgetting you. But Jaehyun told you over and over again that it wasn’t the case. As he listened to every wrenching thought you had, but he’d combat it with heartfelt words of reassurance so you wouldn’t overanalyze things.

He vowed to love and take care of you when times get hard, and he will continue doing so.

Remember when you said how his mansion felt too big?

It no longer did after getting married.

It gave more room to grow and breathe more life into it. When Adrien was born, he was the prime reflection of your and Jaehyun’s love. He mirrored his father’s physical traits but with a daring personality like yours. A perfect mixture, the world worked amazingly to bring a boy like him into your life.

“Maman! Papa!” Adrien bolted to where you and Jaehyun stood. From the clothes he wore, it’s very much clear that his father was in charge of it whilst you slept in the entire morning. Suspenders, capri shorts, a white shirt, and a red beret, he deserved his title as Jaehyun’s mini-me.

Jaehyun swelled with pride and love for his only son, peeking over what he brought to show and tell you both. “Oh Adrien, what do you have for us today?”

In his basket, there were 3 sunflowers stuck out from the edge. It’s been a while since you’ve seen some in full bloom, lowering your stance to get a more vivid view. He took them out to hand them to you and your husband.

One flower for Jaehyun and two for you. You let out a gasp, scrunching your brows to the center. He always gave one of each item to you and Jaehyun, never more or less.

“Ooh, deux fleurs pour Maman. Pourquoi, Rien?” (Ooh, two flowers for Mama. Why, Rien?) Jaehyun let his nickname out for his lips while you grasped his small hand.

“Well, I heard from Olivier next door that on his birthday, he gave extra flowers to his mother so he could have another sibling. And it worked!” He spoke so innocently, yet it hitched a choke from Jaehyun’s chest. Your eyes widened from disbelief. The information he collected due to his curiosity, no boundaries truly.

“Le mois prochain, c’est mon anniversaire. Je me demandais si je peux avoir un frère ou sœur comme Olivier? Tu es toujours occupée, comme Papa. Je ne veux plus être seul, alors je veux une amie aussi.” (It’s my birthday next month, and I was wondering if I can have a sibling like Olivier? You are always busy, like Papa. I don’t want to be alone anymore, so I want a friend too.)

You exchanged looks with Jaehyun, not knowing how exactly to respond. Although you and Jaehyun did agree that you wanted more than one child when you were younger, neither of you brought it up again since your careers were always loaded with plans.

Adrien was a surprise child actually, conceived on the night where you and Jaehyun celebrated after L’Été de 1957 was announced to be the best-selling romance novel of the decade in the country.

In Paris at his family home, where his parents brought out all their prized liquor, the two of you drank the entire night away to the point Krystal and Donghyun had to push you away from each other from your public affections because their children were present.

But it didn’t stop you two once you reached his bedroom, far away from everything and everyone. And you’ll never change it.

“Oh, Rien,” You eased in, consoling him. “Je suis désolé. Mais c’est franchement une grande demande, n'est-ce pas?” (I am sorry. But that’s quite a big request, right?)

“Mom and I will think about it first, okay? Another kid is a big responsibility, and you’ll be their older brother. That’s another important job, can you do it well?”

“Yes, I can, Papa!” He beamed with glee, his covered head patted by his father after. As you placed the sunflowers beside your palette, Adrien then proceeded to ask you if he could paint with you like old times.

Never you refuse especially with his sparkling round eyes and chubby face that makes you want to squish every time.

As you lifted his light body to sit on your lap, you placed your brush between his stubby fingers and carefully aimed in whatever angle seemed fit so the painting process would run smoothly and perfectly. He let out sounds of amazement when the strokes get bigger, jumping slightly too because the picture became more vivid. You’d smile and coo at him, commending whenever he followed instructions well. As his mother, you only encouraged your child in whatever they want to excel in.

Adrien was the child of two artists, so it was only natural that he had an artistic side in his veins.

Too caught up in your fun, hearing the automatic shutter of the camera from your side was delayed. The source was none other than Jaehyun hiding behind his camera. Jaehyun’s heart soared at the heavenly view of the most important people in his life, wanting to treasure the moment as a lovely memory.

“Hey!” You shouted, placing down the messy brush by the palette. “Je suis très laid!” (I am very ugly!)

“Shh! Tu est rayonnant, ma chérie. Papa est juste, Rien?” (Shh! You are glowing, my darling. Papa is right, Rien?)

Jaehyun politely quizzed the peppy boy, nodding excitedly. His dimples deeply showed up, the main trait he claimed from his father.

“Oui, papa! Maman est toujours belle!” (Yes, papa! Mama is always beautiful!)

He exclaimed, pecking your cheek numerously. You squealed, attacking him with tickles and kisses back. His shouts of delight, then he was suddenly carried by your tall husband in the air like he was flying in the sky. Adrien enjoyed that motion highly, ending up on Jaehyun’s shoulders shortly after to play by the garden again.

“Go paint. I’ll take care of him now.” Jaehyun persuaded, roaming through the long rows of flowers in full bloom. Though seconds after adding some strokes to your piece, you let down your hair, put a hat and sandals on, and ran to the cute duo to join them.

And that’s how your family spent the entire afternoon. By the garden, running around and taking photos and short videos from Jaehyun’s camera. Freezing these valuable memories, this was truly the life you loved so much.

After your break, you could convince the company you worked at that you’d prefer fewer trips to Paris and stay in the countryside longer. How badly you’ve wanted to hold your exhibits here instead. Plus like Jaehyun, let influential people visit you. You’ve already made a big name for yourself now, so that should be valid enough.

Dinner time passed by quickly too, eventually putting Adrien to a smooth slumber as you massaged the roots of his soft hair while Jaehyun sang him a lullaby. This was your joint parenting technique with him since he was a newborn, and it worked quickly as lightning.

You redressed into your silk nightgown after bringing your canvas to the master bedroom, opening the balcony doors to invite the cool breeze in. You tweaked some bits of your painting, including a silhouette of your small family. Regarding where to place it, probably by the living room as it matched the theme.

“What a spectacular day, don’t you think, ma chérie?” Jaehyun conversed, admiring the calm movements of your brush. He noticed a quirky smile grace your lips.

“It’s been a long time since we had quality time like that with Rien. He’s a feisty ball of energy these days.” You replied with a nostalgic daze. “It’s so crazy how one day, he was still crawling to us. Now, he could outrun the both of us.”

“Comme le temps passe vite, hmm?” (How time flies fast, hmm?) Nodding, nothing braced for what your husband had in mind. You almost dropped your brush mid-way. Jaehyun’s lips impatiently devoured your neck, his huge hands fondling your breasts. Violently throwing your head back against his chest, a needy moan parted your lips.

“Jae-” His touches reaching south to where you desired him highly, dampening hastily as your legs naturally spread apart. Rushed exhales, “À quoi tu penses maintenant?” (What are you thinking about right now?)

“Rien se sent seul,” (Rien feels alone,) His hot breath whispered against your ear, his fingers dangerously trailing your thin panties up and down. With your hands tightly clutching on his bicep,

“Alors, donnons-lui une amie.” (We should give him a friend.)

Ever since Adrien mentioned such a daring topic, it hasn’t left Jaehyun’s mind the whole day. After seeing you in utter bliss with your son earlier, he found you so majestic and radiant. It’s a different kind of happiness, especially for parents.

Now you went on hiatus, he thought that it was the right time to have another. He enjoyed his younger years with Krystal, and he wanted Adrien to experience it too. 3 years was quite a wait, and it seemed ideal to try again.

From his nude chest, you flipped around to intensely clash his lips with yours. Draping your arms behind his neck, Jaehyun lifted your entire figure from the chair. His hands gripping on your butt, he delicately lowered you down your bed.

Drowning into his sensual kisses with his hands all over you, this could prolong for hours. Reddening love marks started to resurface whilst your fingers tugged on the drawstring of his pajama pants. Jaehyun’s fingers dove under the fabric of your panties, his index finger rubbing figure 8s the sensitive bundle of nerves.

You struggled to swallow your moans, not wanting Rien to hear it. You wouldn’t want to repeat history, covering it as Jaehyun massaging you after a hard day.

“I know you want one too, ma chérie.” His fingers began to drape down the straps of your gown, presenting your breasts in its full, perky view. But before his lips could suck on your erect nipples, you parted momentarily from him and got up on your feet. Pulling up your straps again, Jaehyun simply laid down but he wasn’t pleased from how you left him hanging.

“Où vas-tu, ma chérie?” (Where are you going, sweetheart?)

He was growing impatient. You were never to interrupt such a sexy atmosphere ever.

From one of your drawers in your vanity table, an important, half-opened envelope was hidden. You were supposed to give it tomorrow but now seemed like a perfect time. Reading it as soon one of the maids handed it to you gave you the jitters, but in a positive way. Sitting back down on the edge of your bed, you exhilaratingly passed it to your husband.

“Qu’est-ce que c’est?” (What is this?)

“Ouvre-le.” (Open it.)

Jaehyun slowly opened the edges and once he took out the contents. Reading it thoroughly, he couldn’t believe it as his jaw dropped, pacing from the letter and you back and forth.

“Vraiment, ma chérie?” (Really, my darling?)

It was from a doctor you visited in Paris a few days before you left, who confirmed just exactly what caused your health to go feeble suddenly. You already had one certain suspicion, which you addressed in your leave of absence letter. Amelié, who finally got the position as the head, couldn’t believe her ears and insisted you take all the time off you needed.

“On dirait que Adrien a reçu son cadeau d'anniversaire en avance.” (It looks like Adrien received his birthday gift early.)

Overall, it turned out the headaches and repeated vomiting you mistook as motion sickness from traveling was a surprise hello to your second child.

A girl specifically, thanks to the blood test she recommended.

“Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

“Montre moi combien tu m’aimes, Jaehyun.” (Show me how much you love me, Jaehyun.)

The whole night through, the two of you vigorously celebrated with the moonlight from the windows and a few scented candles set in the room. Wet kisses left on your collarbone, words of devotion exchanged, holding his hand as he groaned from heartily thrusting in you, the number of moans from your lips overlapped with the vinyl playing in the room. The intimacy between you two increased, almost as if you made love for the first time again all those years ago.

Excluding being drenched from the rain.

Once the two of you grew tired, Jaehyun lied down beside you. Wrapping one arm around, one hand trailed down your naked skin again. His wedding band flashed your eyes, reminding you of the commitment you promised each other. For better, and for worse.

Jaehyun promised to love you endlessly as a woman and his wife, and it didn’t cease when you became the mother of his children. He respected how strong you are, physically and mentally. He helped you in any way he could as you endured the struggling process.

At the end of the day, his family was his biggest priority. More than ever now, you needed him as you go through the pregnancy phases again. Specifically, his index finger lingered on your stomach. There was no bump or other signs of showing, except for that glow he complimented you earlier on.

“We met and fell in love over the summer, got married in summer, had Adrien mid-summer, and now found out about our daughter at the start of summer.” He smiled, blessed at all the good he’s received during this time.

“The summer gods must adore us.” Your vacant hand with your wedding band topped his. To love and to cherish. “Ils m'ont amené à toi.” (They brought me to you.)

His power on you was simply addicting, as if your early twenties revisited you. You straddled himself once again, your fingers caressing his face sweetly. When it reached his lips, he placed longing kisses there and pulled you closer again for another kiss on your lips. In between, you mumbled in a silvery tone,

“Then they led us to say I do. Pour toujours et à jamais.”

copyright © 2021 by alluringjae.

[bubsdolan]

PART THREE PART THREE PART THREE I LOVE YOUR WRITING PART THREE WHEN YOU CAN PART THREE 💥💥💥💥💳💥💥💥💥

{part 2}

approximately 2 weeks, 3 days, 17 minutes and 9 seconds had passed since you were first rushed into the emergency room and induced in a coma, taking grayson’s heart with you. not that he was counting, but grayson never thought he would cry for you as much as he did. he needed you back.

as he remained stuck to your bedside, his hand never leaving your cold, pale and lifeless one, he reminisced back to when life was perfect. when it was you and him agasint the world. happy, healthy and blissfully in love.

grayson missed everything about you, he missed the way you would play with his hair mindlessly as he drove, your fingers soothing his scalp and your humming a perfect melody to his ears. he missed the way you would constantly tease him with your playfulness when you wanted to cheer him up after a stressful day, he missed the way your smile lit up the entire room and had his heart beating out of his chest whenever your eyes met his.

he loved being loved by you.

he missed it. he craved your attention again.

grayson missed the way you would always give him the bigger half of montys burger as you knew his own order wouldn’t touch the sides for his large appetite and he missed the way you would sneak sips of his milkshake when you thought he wasn’t looking. he noticed everytime, but found it adorable the way you thought you were slick with it. grayson always ordered the cookie dough milkshake, even when he wanted a strawberry one as he knew you would regret ordering the coffee flavour and steal his.

he knew you like the back of his hand, better than you knew yourself.

“bro you gotta eat,” ethan pleaded with grayson, trying his best to get his brother to even look at him but his eyes never once left your motionless body. grayson hadn't touched a drop of water let alone food. he could bare the thought of leaving your side incase you needed him, incase you were ready to wake up and finally come back to him.  

“eat for her, gray c’mon.”

grayson felt utterly helpless. he was normally always so good at banishing your pain away, whether it be kissing away cuts and scrapes you get from being your clumsy self, to soothing your cramps and period pains, his hands were healing.

dispite all this, grayson had to sit back and watch you in a state he had no control over. he wanted nothing more than to trade places with you, to take away your pain and suffering away and save your life. but as we all know, life wasn’t always kind. he would wish upon a thousand stars if it meant he could stare into your eyes. he wished to fall in love with you one last time. 

“she's gonna be ok man, i promise” ethan didn't believe his own words, remembering back to the moment he had entered the hospital where your doctor had approached him, unable to speak to grayson due to his emotional state, and confined in ethan that there was a high possibility you wouldn’t wake up. you weren’t showing any signs of improvement yet ethan knew his brother needed to hear those reassuring words no matter the consequences they held further done the line.

grayson stayed slient, a few tears rolling down his face as the one hand that wasn’t resting in yours, toyed with the velvet box in the pocket of his sweatpants- it never left his side since you got admitted.

“it’s our anniversary tomorrow.” this was the first time in 2 weeks grayson had spoken to anyone besides you. although he waasn’t looking in ethan’s direction, his word were meant for him.

“gray-“

“i let her down bro. the one promise i made to her, to myself, to dad, and i broke it. she’s here because of me and there’s absolutely nothing i can do to save her.” growing frustrated with himself, his words stung yet it was less pain than what you were currently being put through. grayson felt selfish to think of anything else than you.

“i pushed her away, if it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t be here right now! if i hadn’t had lost my temper, called her those horrible names- i- she..no.”

“no fuck this. it’s now or never.”

ethan watched with wary unsettled eyes as grayson rose from his seat, pushing it agasint the wall and dropping to one knee. he lifted your hand to his lips and kissed every knuckle with such gentle pressure. sighing and preparing himself for what was about to come.

ethan got his camera ready, knowing his brothers intentions and although he believed you could hear every word, when you woke up it would be a make the troubling experience that little bit lighter once you saw the memorabilia.

“y/n, baby i know you can hear me right now so let me say this- i love you, more than i have ever or could ever love something in my life. you’re my purpose, your the reason ive been put on this earth. my job is to love you and i want to spend the rest of my life doing so.”

wiping his tears to clear his blurry vision, he takes a deep inhale and continues. you hear every word, your body fighting with itself to open your eyes and jump into the arms of your destiny.

“the story of our love is only beginning. let's write our own happy ending. marry me baby. come back to me and be my wife yeah?” 

after his speech, one he had gone over thousands of times in his head, yet when he came down to the very moment he just spoke from the heart, grayson delicately slide the custom made ring onto your finger. smiling for the first time in weeks as it was everything he had ever imagined, it was more beautiful than he had remembered and the fact it was you adoring it, made his heart swore with happiness. 

“congratulations man,” ethan pulls grayson in for a brotherly hug, wholeheartedly believing if you were awake right now, you'd jump into graysons arms screaming yes and declaring your love for him. a moment to treasure forever but the circumstances were cruel.

“thanks bro, i need to do that for me. for our future and hope that she makes it. she can’t leave me e.. sh-she can’t.”

“wake up for me pretty girl.” grayson resumes his place by your bedside, his hand clutching yours again as he prepares himself for another painful night without hearing your voice. “p…please.”

a while passes, it’s bearing on midnight with ethan passed out in the corner of the room wrapped in a a blanket he brought from home. grayson is resting his head on your hand and praying like he did every night, unable to allow himself to sleep when sudden he feels a sudden movement beneath him. 

you twitch. your fingers brushing agasint grayson as your body struggles to bring itself round.

“e-E! she moved- she moved!” grayson is frantic, startling ethan awake as he desperately tries to call out for you. his heart beat picking up, breathing erratic he would for sure need his inhaler any moment.

he caressed your cheek, hoping his soft touch would be enough to tell you he was there, you were safe and he was waiting for you.

“NURSE!” ethan yells, hitting the emergency button he was warned may times to hit in a case like this. he flung the door open and in stormed a whole crew of night staff. “she moved!”

“sir im going to have to ask you to stand back,” one nurse calmly addressed grayson, trying to respectfully break the contact he had with your hand to allow a thorough inspection to take place.

“baby, no.. no no what's happening- is she ok? im not leaving!” grayson cried, clutching desperately onto your hand in fear you would slip away from him. you loved right? that’s a good sign right? so why was your body swarmed with doctors and nurses screaming codes at each, surrounded by machinery grayson didn’t like the look off.

“don’t take me away from her!”

“sir. i won’t ask again, please stand back.”

“NO BABY, DONT DO THIS Y/N. you gotta come back to me, you hear me… you- you can’t leave me!”

“gray, c’mon man.”

ethan had to physically hold grayson back, forcefully dragging him outside the room to allow the professionals to do what they needed to do. an emotional tearful grayson was only going to complicate the matter and ethan was sure you wouldn’t want grayson to see you this way.

grayson cried, screamed and reached out for you. so distressed and weak as ethan cradled him in his arms and held him. no words of reassurance or confidence as the truth of your fate had finally started to sink in. he had to listen to his twin cry and there was absolutely nothing he could do as an older brother.

ethan cried for you. he cried for grayson. he cried for the love his brother just hated his whole life for and lost in a matter of seconds.

you flatlined, your heart monitor sounding one continues bleep that grayson only ever heard in movies. you stopped breathing, your body stopped beating for him.

12:00pm.

“happy anniversary baby,” grayson whispered. his voice breaking and his body trembling with tears as he broke down in his brothers arm. falling to his knees as the warmth of life had been stolen by the cold embrace of death. grayson was pleading, screamed, fighting with you to wake up but his prayers seemed to go unanswered.

he had to watch the love of his life, his new fiancé, his soulmate flatline in front of his very eyes on your anniversary. grayson felt his entire world come crashing down around him.

[eloquent-apollo]

Remember how I said I would write about Nicky having ADHD and then I DIDNT well here it is

Quick disclaimer that this is based entirely of how I experience my ADHD. I dont speak for everyone and my experiences are not universal but this is how I experience my symptoms

He was so fucking hyper as a kid holy fuck like,,,,, chill, chill where do you keep finding this Energy™️ stop hoarding it ):

Got into exy to ✨release✨ some of that hyperactivity bc you just know his parents dont believe he has ADHD

Coffee to self medicate baby oh u gotta focus? Bam 20 espressos in my body

Speaking of using coffee to self medicate the foxes are always a little nervous when he does that, because Nicky is pretty hyper most of the time and coffee equals hyper, but it actually makes him really calm!

Still tho Matt finding Nicky in his dorm surrounded by a lot of coffee and just,,, fear

Nicky hyperfocuses on the weirdest things, its a little annoying (for him) bc these hyperfocuses jump from one thing to another. One week he is obsessed with pirates the next he is trying to learn how to play the lyre

Concentration who? Or concentration wishes it was me. No inbetween

Dolphinbraining like no other Kevin is talking about exy technique and Nicky goes “oh speaking of Exy!” And tells a story about??? A trip he took to some city once? How does this make sense? Hell if I know sometimes u connect A to Z at the speed of sound

ALWAYS REPEATS STORIES (this is my worst symptom in my opinion) oh you heard this story five times already? Well guess what im gonna tell it again. Nicky once told the story of how he met Erik ten times on the same day to Allison. It was their anniversary and he was so excited he couldn’t stop talking about it

Infodumps a lot, he has to sometimes bc if he doesn’t its just,,,, stuck in his brain and it is yelling to come out and he has to tell Andrew about how this obscure sport works that he found out

Hyperficates on series and books and stuff, gets super invested and then one day he wakes up and goes “huh, I dont like this anymore”

Extreme in his emotions, when he is happy he is super excited and jittery and loud and laughing but when he is sad its devouring and it hurts and it wont go away and it leaves him feeling numb

Very forgetful, has forgotten to pick the twins up at least 10 times. (Its okay they understand and its not like they can’t get home on their own. Sometimes they bully him a little about how he left them at walmart but you know)

Executive dysfunction is a bitch and Nicky hates those days when it kicks in and it is hard to get him to do anything. Sometimes its hard to just get up and do anything on the bad days. He wants to fuck he wants to do it so fucking bad but the very thought of getting up is hard.

Has a lot of weirdly specific knowledge because he spends a lot of time watching those youtubers that don’t show images but read scripts? This is hard to explain but thing those reddit channels that just read posts to you? They’re great he likes to put those on when he is cleaning, because extra stimulation makes it easier to do things

Is always, always moving his hands! He pulls on his lips, twirls his hair, taps on surfaces, cracks his knuckles he is always moving always in motion he has to stim in some way at all times because the ✨jitters✨

Funniest motherfucker you will ever meet. Yes being sexy is a symptom of ADHD 😘 /joke

He runs his mouth a lot. He doesn’t think before he speaks he just flaps out whatever comes to mind yes this has gotten him into trouble a bunch of times but he also cant entirely stop it

He doesn’t have an ADHD diagnosis, not for the longest time because his parents didn’t believe him, it isn’t until he goes to the foxes and he talks with Betsy a bit about it that they get him a professional diagnosis

Nicky: I have sexy bitch disease

Allison: get better soon

He learns to manage, he aint a fan of meds so he learns to manage his symptoms and sometimes its hard especially on bad days but it is what it is

Actually this is quite a lot of the “negative” aspects of ADHD so you know what here are some plus sides to having ADHD

Nicky is very creative! He has a lot of fantasy and as a kid he would “read” stories he came up with to his stuffed animals. He would tell the most vivid stories to his friends in kindergarten.

He is pretty spontaneous person, though changing his plans suddenly a minute before he was supposed to do it causes him distress

Impulsive,,,, but evil. He makes a good backliner but sometimes he is like “I should punch tbis striker who was mean to Aaron” and before he can go “wait no” his fist has made contact with the guys face already

Is very emphatic, is a good listening ear and helps his friends when they need someone to vent to

Surprisingly good problem solver?

Says he is gonna do something and then he doesn’t,,,, spends the whole day being like “oh I gotta write this essay tonight!” But he got distracted by his phone

Deadlines are fake ❤️ he will do everything the day before its due fuck that shit. You gonna make me do this three weeks before its do? I hear three weeks of no homework sir!

Just,,, I really like the idea of Nicky with ADHD man,,,, I just sometimes recognise parts of my ADHD in him and that makes me happy. I know it isnt canon but whatever I can project✨ again these are largely based of of my experience with my symptoms! This isnt universal for everyone with ADHD!!!

[seabass17]

All that’s left | Pt. 2

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem! Reader

A/n: So, this is... a different reader in comparison from the one in the first part but I kinda like it? Anyway, Im considering making a third part and im thinking it'll contain some smut. I used google translator so please don't judge me. Tell me what you think. Happy reading.

All that's left pt. 1

Warnings: angst, mentions of scars, swearing, implied smut?

Word count: 3.263

Summary: After moving from her life in New York, away from the Avengers and him, she finds happiness and a life that she actually enjoys, but that seems to last little when she spots the familiar jet on the roof of the building she lives in. Is she ready to face them? To face him?

*Three months later*

The warm air surrounding my body made me take a deep breath and unconsciously smile. I was happy, I was free, I was whole. I was with my neighbor drinking coffee in our usual spot, which was a cafe near the main street of the place that I decided was going to become my new home.

“Продолжай рассказывать мне о своем боссе, который сводит тебя с ума” (Keep on telling me about your boss who drives you crazy) Andrei said making me laugh and shake my head.

“Не о чем говорить, он просто засранец, который дает мне слишком много работы и заставляет меня плакать” (Nothing to talk about, he's just an asshole who gives me too much work and makes me want to cry) I laughed. I had met Andrei a week after I moved in and there was an immediate connection. No, it wasn’t in a romantic one, god no, we were just really good friends that had a lot in common.

“Now now, that was not what i saw the other day when i went to pick you up from work” He said with a playful smirk plastered on his light brown face. I gasped, a fake indignant expression on my face while my hand went to my chest. He laughed loudly. “Don’t play that card, I saw you!” he added

“I don’t know what you are talking about” I said, trying to fight the smile that tried to come out but failing miserably, we both laughed.

He and I had become quite close in the little time that we had known each other. He was an American with a Russian name. He explained that his mother was from the states while his father was a russian spy, they fell in love against all odds and eventually, Andrei was brought to this world. When he was fifteen his father died and he and his mom went to America, where he finished high school and surprisingly, entered the military. He did two tours before he decided that he had enough and returned to Russia. Hence why he could speak both Russian and English fluently. As for me, I told him that I was in some sort of organization that worked for the government, and that’s why I knew russian. He believed me, thank God,  I didn’t want to talk about how I was part of the Avengers and why I left. Obviously I will tell him when the time is right and I know that he can be fully trusted.

“Oh, come on Ames, are you going to tell me that you don’t like him one bit? Not in the slightest?” he asked, smiling and I shook my head. He stayed silent for a second and stared at me, like he was considering whether he should ask me something or keep quiet. “Is it because of him?” he finally asked, watching me closely to see my reaction. I felt my stomach twist at the mention of him. Of course it was because of him, because of them, I couldn’t afford getting hurt and betrayed one more time. Andrei didn’t know his name, or theirs for that matter, so I smiled weakly and nodded.

“Yeah, I know it sounds stupid but… I just can’t afford getting hurt, not again, not anymore” I said looking at my hands.

“I understand, believe me I do” he said, his hand reaching out to hold mine. I looked up to find his brown eyes looking for mine, I saw nothing but genuine love -the friendly kind- in them. I smiled and squeezed his hand. He was going to say something but his phone rang; a notification. He withdrew his hand to look at his phone and the moment he did, people around us started getting up and running in the same direction. I looked at him confused to find him frowning at his phone.

“What is it?” i asked.

“The Avengers are here…” He said and my heart skipped a beat and my body went rigid. Andrei noticed. “What 's wrong?”. Well, there’s no use keeping him from the truth anymore.

“So, remember when I told you that I worked for an organization for the government? Okay don’t freak out and hate me but, here it goes” I took a deep breath. “That organization was called The Red Room were they trained me from a very young age to be a perfect cold-blooded killer, years later i escaped and was on the run until i got a new identification, name, address, new everything and then joined the avengers to amend the wrongs I made in the past. To my luck, it didn’t go great because it ended up breaking me the same way The Red Room did, so I left to find a fresh start and came here where I met you. Please don’t hate me” I concluded in one breath. Andrei was silent with a straight face, which was hard to read, and eventually after a few seconds that felt like an eternity and shrugged his shoulders. WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN.

“Believe it or not, I've heard worse” he simply said

“Worse than finding out that your best friend is a train killer and former avenger?” i asked incredulously and he tilted his head and smirked

“US Agent mother and Russian spy father” He said. I laughed and he followed right after. “So, I'm guessing we are running away?” he asked. Say what now?

“We?” I asked, almost in shock to which he simply nodded, “You don’t think im just gonna let you go like that, please, is not that easy to get rid of me” he snorted. “And I'm supposing Amelia is not your real name either, given the fact that you ran off,” he added. Damn, he is good.

“Y/n, y/n y/l/n” I said and he slowly smiled

“Well y/n, nice to meet you, my name is Andrei Petrova” he said, extending his hand, i repeated his action with the same smile. “I’ve got to say, I like the name y/n more than Amelia '' he added and laughed. We were brought back to the matter at hand when the screaming of the people were getting louder. I snapped my head up and saw the familiar jet on the roof of the building where I was living.

“Here’s what we are going to do, I’m going to my apartment and buy us some time while you go get a car and,” i handed him my card “you are going to get all the money from my bank account. I will meet you in front of the cafe that’s two blocks away from my place”

“Are you going to be okay?” He asked with clear worry in his eyes. I smiled and nodded

“Yes, I promised. Now go” I said before he got up and ran. I sighed and went to my apartment. Was I really going to do this? After months, was I ready to face them, already knowing the truth? Well, guess I'm going to find out.

Once in the building I decided to programmed the lights to go out in 50 minutes and then I went to the elevator, wanting to appear as normal as possible even though I felt like my heart was going to explode from how fast it was beating inside my rib cage. When the elevator stopped at my floor I walked until I was standing in front of my door. I didn’t need to wait and confirm, I knew they knew I was here, now there’s only one thing left to do. But before I did anything, the door creaked open.

*10 hours earlier*

Bucky paced from one side to the other, finding himself incapable of staying put. Natasha sat silently on her chair, Tony was in the front with his head in between his hands, Steve was resting on the side of the wall looking at the floor, Bruce was just standing there holding his chin analyzing everyone in the room. Sam sat on the couch looking through his phone, Vision was sitting next to Wanda on the other couch, while Clint and Thor were sitting on the other chairs. Peter had some school stuff to deal with like the teenager that he was. They’ve been looking for her for the past three months, and about a week ago, a picture was found of someone that looked exactly like her, all except her hair that was a bit shorter and the color was different, but other than that, it was practically her.

Not wanting to get their hopes -or rather enthusiasm- up, they decided to look deeper and found out that the picture was taken a month ago in the city of Magadan located in Russia. They found out that before three months, the name Amelia Agapov, didn’t exist. The more they looked into it, the more they were convinced that it was her.

“The mission report from Agent Carter arrived, should i put it on the screen?” the voice of the AI filled the room. The team had been waiting for that report for days, the nerves of the question that lingered in the air ‘was it her?’ being present for that time only grew stronger as Stark asked FRIDAY to project the report on the screen.

Pictures were shown, most of them were about this woman buying in the market, having coffee with a guy, but there was one, where her face was looking straight into the lens of the camera, and it was that picture that left the people in the room absolutely rigid. It was her.

“We found her…” Tony said in a whisper. Everybody kept their gaze on the picture on the big screen. After months looking for her, they finally had found her. To everyone, it was like someone just discovered something new, a kind of relief and anxiety all at the same time.

“Suit up, we’re going to get her” Steve said to the group, but see, it was the choice of words from Cap that Bucky found unsettling.

“Get her? Like she is some kind of criminal?” he said, looking at his best friend dead in the eye. Steve opened his mouth to say something but Tony beat him to it.

“She was trained by The Red Room to be an assassin, we can expect nothing more from her '' He said, trying to calm Bucky down, but instead it only caused him to get angrier, and not only him.

“So was I” Natasha said, her voice low that could scare anyone to the bone if they weren’t so used to her.

"It's different" Tony said

“How is it different?” Wanda said this time, “It wasn’t when you practically recluded me after I helped Ultron and tried to kill you all” she added.

Tony sighed and looked down, realizing that he might be overreacting.

“Let’s just get suit up and get on with it” Steve said, cutting the rather awkward silence that filled the room.

The avengers were suit up and on the quinjet in less that forty-five minutes, and they were in Madagan in nine hours, it took them an hour to find her building, and once they found it, Clint landed the jet on the roof and they all got out and looked for her apartment. Funny enough, it was the same number as the one she used to live in New York; 108. They waited for what seemed an eternity until they heard footsteps just outside the door. Suddenly, the air felt thick with anticipation, but Bucky couldn’t wait any longer so he crossed the living room in two steps and opened the door. She was standing there. Silence took over the entire apartment until she broke it.

“Well, are you going to move so that I can get inside my goddamn apartment Barnes?” she said expectantly. Bucky realized that he had been staring at her since he opened the door. Her hair was different, more wavy and a shade or two lighter. He moved to the side and she was able to see the rest of the team. This was going to be one hell of an evening.

Breathe. In… and out…

It was hard. Fuck. Okay i can do this.

“Well isn’t this nice. All the team back together again!” I said with sarcasm dripping from every letter.

“What the hell did we ever do to you?” Steve said firmly.

“Damn, getting straight into it. That’s okay” i shrugged as I went to my room but the sound of the blasters of Tony's suit stopped me.

“Stop, don’t take another step” He said, lifting his hands and I smiled.

“Really? Well unfortunately i have to change, so i’ll leave the door open if it makes you comfortable” i said as i continued to walk to my room, and like I said, i left the door open.

“Y-you don’t have to do that, you can…” Wanda said but trailed off. I had taken my shirt off; my scars were shown.

“So, Steve” I broke the silence as I put on a black shirt, “the thing that you did wasn’t as bad as tin man over there, but you still let Hydra take me the day we took out the helicaries” i added. His face got pale and started shaking his head.

“What? No, you made it out safe, you-” He started saying but i interrupted him

“You sure? Who do you think stopped Rumlow when he tried to interfere with the exchange of the chip when you were in the helicarrier with Bucky?” He started thinking for a moment until he realized what I said fell into place. “Yeah, I took one hell of a beating, and if that wasn’t enough, I fell to the water. I fell thirty floors down, and I alone got myself out, because I didn't have anyone to cover me or have my back” i concluded.

“Your scars…” Tony said this time and i turned to him

“Yeah, thanks to you Mr. Stark” i said and he looked at me. “Doctor said that 74% of my body is covered with scars, along with one or two burns”

“You were that girl in The Red Room” Natasha said, causing me to turn my head to look at her and I smiled cynically, “You are Eliza” she finished.

“Давно не виделись с Натальей” (Long time no see Natalia) i said and she looked at me in pure surprise in her faced. That’s something coming from the famous Black Widow.

“What about the rest of us y/n?”  Sam said this time, redirecting my attention from Natasha to the rest of the group. Thor was standing there holding his hammer, Bruce was next to the fridge, Clint was by the sink, Wanda was with Vision beside the kitchen table and Bucky was by the door. They were all looking at me. I took a look at the clock, I have to leave in less than thirty minutes.

“Long story short, Clint, Bruce, Sam, Wanda and Vision are the ones that didn’t do anything, so just chill out, you are still on my good side” I smiled and waved my hand.

“Hold on, but what did I do?” Thor asked and I looked at him.

“God it really is unfair how such a little thing can cause such a big problem. The first time you came down to earth, met Jane, bla bla bla… when her stuff was under custody of shield, and you took that notebook; they blamed me. I know it may seem weird because, how? Thing is, I was undercover at that time inside Shield, so when the notebook disappeared, guess who was the one that got beaten for it. I couldn’t move from the pain.”

Thor was standing completely still.

“Lady y/n…”

“How is it possible? I was there  and never saw you” Clint interrupted Thor.

“It was before the avengers, i was on the run and a girl's gotta eat. Don’t worry, I never gave them anything. Got the money and then killed them, they were nobodies” I shrugged off.

“So, that’s all you needed to know, so if you please leave my…” I said but then he interrupted me.

“No” I would be lying if I said it didn’t send shivers down my spine at his tone, and I hate even more that he noticed it. “You’re missing one doll” Well fuck me

I turned to see him and he was walking painfully slow towards me and I was praying for my legs to not give out.

“Barnes” I simply said, thanking God and all the saints that it didn’t come out as a whimper. I took a look at the clock once more. I have to leave. Now. “Such a shame, wish you had fought for us, I would have gone through hell and back for you, Buck” his eyes were looking straight to my own and I felt like he was staring at my bare soul. In a way, he was. I smiled and I saw behind my back that the team was looking at us, we’ve never been this close, not in public anyway. I standed on my tiptoes and reached for his right ear, he instinctively reached down so it was a bit easier for me.

“If you want to know, you’ll have to find me first дорогой” (Sweetheart) I whisper. Next thing, the light went out just like I programmed it to and I slid beside Bucky to reach out to the door and to the hall. I could hear the team screaming ‘what the hell just happened’. I ran to the emergency stairs, and once out I could still feel him behind me, getting close. I went into an alley, having to detour, knowing that he eventually was going to catch up to me and I couldn't have him follow where I was really going. A few seconds later, I felt him caging me to the wall on the alley, both of us breathing heavily. His flesh hand went to my throat and his metal one rested on the wall.

“Given a different occasion, I would have loved this, don’t get me wrong, I still love how you…”

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked huskily and I smiled.

“I told you, you’ll have to wait until you find me again. Alone.” i said

“Come on Barnes, do you really think that the charade of being your personal fuck toy would last forever?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t like that, i…” he said but trailed off. The pain in my chest starting and clenching my heart.

“There it is…” i said lowly, the hurt in my voice evident, “listen, i’d love to keep talking about how you used me, but like i said,” i got close to his face, my nose touching his, “find me to found out” after that,  I raised my knee kicking him right in between his legs.

He let out a pained groan and fell to the floor, causing his grip in my neck to give out. I took advantage and ran. Two blocks away, I saw Andrei. When he saw me running to him, he immediately got in the car and turned the engine on, then I got in.

“Drive, fast” it was the first thing i said

“Where?” he asked while we took off. I smiled and looked at him

“You’ll see”

-

-

-

Taglist

@silentkiller2374 @vikingqueenlove @girlfriday007 @supraveng

[starsstruck]

i just know that something good is going to happen.

part of the cloubusting universe. a continuation of the story of painter!harry and barista!mc. cold decembers baths, too hot baths, and even hotter confessions.

pairing: harry x reader warnings: language, sexual content words: 7.8k

series masterlist

a/n: hi. im back. this is just pure sweetness because why not. more will be coming from them, more from earlier on and later on in their relationship and time together💕 happy reading, hope everyone enjoys and please let me know what you think !💕💕

What time are you off ?

You glanced at the time after reading the text from Harry. The morning was incredibly slow, the drab December weather not enticing patrons to come out for a hot coffee.

3pm but I might be able to get out early

You saw the three little dots appear and disappear as Harry was typing, briefly glancing up at the door between looking down at your phone. As suspected, no one had walked in and no one needed anything from you.

I’m just heading home now Come by when you can x

Finding yourself smiling down at the phone, typing back a quick response before shutting it off and placing it back in your pocket to do some menial cleaning around the café to pass time.

Sounds good💕

Time flew by far too slowly. Three people came in between one and two o’clock, and you were left to mindlessly dust inside of cabinets and overstock the counters.

Saya was just as bored as you, the two of you chatting until you saw the clock hit 2:30 and decided that it was close enough for your time to head out. You had loose plans with Harry, him having asked you if you were free after work since he had the day freed up as well.

Which is why you now found yourself walking up the now very familiar steps to his place, finding his door propped open with a book for you.

You knocked once on the door just to let him know that you were there, before picking up the book and letting yourself in.

You saw Harry sitting by the large window, his back facing you. Still wrapped in your jacket, you hung the straps of your tote bag over the back of a chair and moved towards him. You were sure he heard you come in, how could he not have, but he still didn’t turn back to face you until you were standing behind him.

“Hi there,” he smiled with a quick tilt to his head. Your hands fell to his shoulders, leaning your front against his back as you hugged him from behind.

“What are you working on?” You hummed, chin resting against his shoulder. You didn’t get a chance to see what he was doing, as he quickly flipped close the two large sketchbooks he had in front of him.

“Secret,” he turned around on the chair, tilting his head as you quickly moved from his shoulder to avoid his chin hitting your cheek. “How was work?”

“Work was so slow – which I guess was okay. M’tired.”

Your arm circled around the back of his neck, as one of his own landed to your lower back, pulling you around him. Your lips brushed his temple.

“Lips are freezing,” he murmured, tugging you further into him until you were sat over his thighs. Keeping your arm around his neck as he held your back, he hugged you closer after you came in from the chilled December air. “Is it that cold out?”

You cozied in the warmth coming from him, even as you sat still wrapped in your thick coat. “The heaters are still broken at work.”

He titled his chin, lips brushing your cheek. “Are you still cold?”

You unwrapped your arms from around him, tugging at the buttons keeping your jacket together as you let it fall open. “Not as much,” you laughed lightly when his hand around you helped tug the thick coat off, neither of you caring when it hit the floor. “Just caught a small chill.”

He leant in closer as if pulled by an invisible force towards you, eyes locked. His lips nudged yours, catching them in a small kiss as you revelled in the warmth of his face. His cold fingertips brushing over his cheek, he pulled away with an overdramatic shiver. “You’re freezing.”

“Warm me up then,” you teased, as his grip tightened around you and his head dipped in to rest in the crook of your neck with a series of little pecks.

“I’m trying –” he muttered against your skin, before rising his head so that your eyes could once again meet. You brought your hands up to his shoulders, mindlessly tracing the patterns in the knit of his sweater.

You could practically see the strain in the muscles of his cheeks as he tried not to smile. “But I don’t think taking your clothes off is the answer right now.”

He pushed his cheek against yours, breath fanning over your ear. He kissed the corner of your jaw once more while his grip grew even tighter around your back so that you were completely flush against him.

You tapped your fingertips over his neck before muttering to no one in particular, “how’re you so warm all the time.”

He pulled his head back to face you once more, the tip of his nose gracing over your temple before puckering his lips over the same spot. Another kiss was pressed over your cheek, following the curve down until smooth lips captured your own.

Your fingers had moved up from his neck to his scalp, mindlessly trailing them through his hair. “How was your day?”

“Slow,” he nodded against you. “Went for a run, did laundry – that kind of day.”

You only hummed, a small silence falling over you as you embraced each other.

“I love…”

Harry shifted slightly from under you, his voice getting as he fell back into the crook of your neck. “I love the way you smell like coffee.”

His hot breath was felt when he spoke, nuzzling his nose over you for a moment before looking up towards you once again. You let out a soundless laugh, smiling down at him.

“Hm,” you could feel the hum come deep from his chest. He inhaled in an exaggerated way, bending his neck down so that his nose brushed along the exposed skin above the neckline of your sweater. “Smell like honey actually – like honey and jasmine.”

You let out a little laugh. “You’re saying I smell like coffee and tea?”

Although teasing, you were aware of the hint of jasmine in the perfume that was spritzed onto your neck earlier that day and almost surprised that he could tell what it was.

“I’m saying I love the way you smell.”

Even from the slight unfocused way you saw him, you watched the way his lips curved around the word “love”, unable to help noticing how often he used the word.

Not answering, instead you lowered your head to rest against his shoulder as you simply embraced each other for a moment. From the way your neck was titling, a small pain was starting to grow in the corner of your neck that had you having to pull away.

Rolling your head back on your neck in a feeble attempt to stretch out the kink, Harry’s fingers squeezed your hips.

“You okay?”

“Just sore.” The pain that you got from your ribs and shoulder only seem to grow instead of subside, new knots forming every week. “Keep forgetting to make an appointment at the physio.”

Harry hummed, watching as you unlatched one arm from around him to rub over your shoulder. “Take a hot bath – it’ll sooth your muscles and warm you up.”

“I don’t have a tub,” you watched him, “you know that.”

“That’s true,” he smiled. “But I do.”

The two of you had been together for just over two months, but he still blushed slightly as you held his gaze and rolled your lips in against your teeth.

“If you want – we don’t have to bathe together or anything if you don’t want to. Would be nice for your back though.”

You only smiled at your partner. “That sounds perfect, actually.”

For some reason, the idea of taking a bath with someone else was so extra intimate to you. Showers were one thing – whether Harry’s hands were lathering shampoo in your hair or pushing you against the tile, there was always something a bit quick and rushed about them.

Baths were slow, and peaceful, and had the sole purpose to sit and do nothing other than let yourself relax.

Harry had a surprising amount of bath products, not that it was news to you as you were already familiar with the contents of this washroom cabinets. You found a lavender bubble bath that you poured in, and some epsom salts that were scented with some fresh smelling essential oils.

Waiting for the tub to fill, you rubbed make up remover that you kept at Harry’s over your skin. Taking your time with the process, patting small layers of moisturizer over your newly washed faced.

Sweater was already sitting on the countertop, you did your skincare routine standing in your bra and jeans.

Your attention turned away from your reflection in the mirror when there was a soft knock on the door, followed by Harry speaking your name just loud enough to be heard over the crash of the water falling into the tub.

You giggled lightly as you turned the knob to open the door, endeared by the fact that he knocked first.

“I found these,” he stood at the door way, two little white candles in hand. “One of them smells like vanilla.”

You hummed in approval, grabbing hold of them, bringing both under your nose as the soft sweet smell surrounded you.

He smiled softly, eyes dropping down to take in the already relaxed state you seemed to have settled into. “Take all the time you want – I’ll start making something to eat.”

You furrowed your brow. “You’re not joining me?”

“Oh – figured you want some time alone, no?”

You shook your head, bottom lip between your teeth. “No. The water is hot, I put way too much bubble bath in – it’s the perfect recipe for a bath.”

He laughed, walking past the doorway to near you and wrapped an arm around your back so that you wouldn’t move back. “I think just being in there with you is enough of a selling point.”

A kiss was pressed to your nose, and then your lips, before the hands on your lower back were smoothing over your bare skin. You could feel his fingertips fiddling with the clasp of your bra, undoing the garment and letting it fall free from your body.

He moved away, just far enough so that he could pull the blue fabric off of you and he let his eyes trail over the skin that was just exposed to him. “I’ll go grab some towels.”

When Harry came back, you had fully stripped down and already settled into the tub. Your back resting against one side, water hitting just at the middle of your chest with bubbles sticking to the skin of your breasts.

The water was too hot, but in a good way. In the kind of way that you took a bit longer to fully settle yourself in, but once you were in you didn’t want to leave.

“How is it?”

You only hummed in response; eyelids half closed. You could still see him move around the small space of the bathroom, shutting the door and flicking a lighter until the wick of the candles was crackling. He turned off the overhead lights, eyes glancing at you as if to check if you were okay with it.

The melodic songs of Francoise Hardy filled the room, echoing nicely around you. You could hear him shuffling around, and you peaked an eye open to catch him just as he was tugging his sweater over his head.

He placed it next to your clothes on the counter, already pulling up the teeshirt he wore under it. His back was turned to you, the orange glow of the candlelight lighting up his skin. Every dip in muscles was accentuated with a deep shadow, and you shifted a bit in the tub to get a better view of him.

His baggy pants were easily kicked aside, and it was just as his thumbs were hooking into the elastic of his briefs that he caught your eye through the mirror. “Enjoying the view?”

“I am, very much so,” you watched the smirk pull on the corner of his mouth at your words.

He kept his eyes locked with yours as he tugged the last piece of clothing off. He didn’t miss the way your eyes dropped, followed by you quickly looking away and shutting your eyes as if embarrassed to be caught staring. Although there was a smile that lingered on your lips, and the both of you knew that you were anything but embarrassed.

Your eyes only reopened when you heard a splash followed by a little hiss, and after peaking an eye open you saw him sitting at the edge of the tub with half a leg submerged in the water.

“It’s really hot,” he laughed a little, slowly sinking the other leg to join the other.  

“It’s nice,” you hummed, watching as he pushed himself off the edge and slowly eased into the tub. Sitting across from you, he extended his legs out.

Your limbs moved with a splash as you brought your knees to your chest, allowing him some room for his legs.

“Bring ‘em over here,” he hummed, a little wave of his hand as he motioned to your half-hidden legs. You placed them over his under the water, immediately feeling one of his hands gripping onto your calf to adjust you slightly.

He sank down against the back of the tub, settling in nicely. Your gaze remained on his, watching a little drop in his eyelids as he relaxed. “It is really nice.”

You opened your eyes further at his words, blinking some haze from your vision as you fully focused on him. “I should take baths much more often”

“Of course,” he continued, “it’s not the same when I’m alone.”

You couldn’t really see through the bath water given the amount of bubbles, but his hands never ceased moving over your legs. Small traces of fingertips mixed with the kneading into the skin, you found yourself subconsciously slipping deeper into the tub and closer towards him.

The peaceful silence settled around the two of you. The only sound was coming from the speaker, quiet lulling of the music fitting the mood perfectly.

Harry’s hand on your leg was mindlessly rubbing on your skin, dancing from your ankle to your knee with slow movements before repeating the same action on your other leg.

“Feels nice,” you murmured after a moment – a few seconds a few minutes, you had no idea.

“Yeah?”

“Mm,” you hummed, not missing the little twitch in his lip. “You know I love your hands.”

He laughed, thumb massaging into your calf. “And what else do you love about me?”

You knew he was teasing, but you felt your heart beat a bit faster in your chest. Only letting out a breathy laugh, giving him a shove with your foot before he joined in your laughter.

“You know,” he said, after a moment in silence. “I can try and massage some of those knots out your back if you’d like.”

“You think so?” You asked, even though you knew that he was probably right, you didn’t know why you’d never thought of it before.

He nodded. “Especially with your muscles all relaxed in this hot water.”

You didn’t need much convincing after that, the idea being one of the best you’d heard all day.

Turning a bit awkwardly in the tub, you moved until you were sitting between Harry’s legs with your back towards him. Rising your legs a bit, you leant forward on to rest your elbows on your knees so that you could expose more of your back.

With a splash in the water, Harry brought both arms out and placed his hands on either side of your back. His hands were warm, the entire bathroom was steamy and warm but Harry always seemed that much warmer.

You felt him trail his palms over the upper part of your back, gently pressing into your skin. He more or less knew where you had issues, but he wanted to feel it out first.

“It’s here?” He spoke, voice cutting though the comfortable silence after a moment as he gently pressed his fingertips under one of your shoulder blades.

You nodded, before speaking. “Yeah,” bringing one of your own hands around to press into a particularly tight spot just under your shoulder. “And here too, and then –” you moved your hand lower to the beginning of your ribs. “Here.”

He only hummed, both hands on one side of your back before he slowly pressed a thumb into the skin under your shoulder. You tightened your muscles on instinct, tensing up at the slight pain before willing yourself to relax back down.

“Relax, m’love,” he hummed into your ear, letting his lips brush over your neck before moving back again. You still hadn’t gotten used to the way he talked to you so affectionately, especially when he added “my” in front of his names for you. He really made you swoon in ways you had never thought possible.

You dropped your shoulder, doing your best to relax your muscles as much as they would allow. “Really tense,” he spoke again, few more seconds of rubbing into the knot.

It was already feeling a bit better, although the knot was tight and hurt when he applied more pressure you knew he could apply a bit more. “Can you press harder?”

He wordlessly followed your instruction, having your head dip down a bit until your chin hit your chest and your eyes were falling shut.

He massaged into your skin while slowly adding more pressure, both hands moving along the expanse of your back.

You hummed low in your throat when he pressed against the spot by your ribs. Shifting a bit in the tub, feeling Harry’s thighs squeeze your hips. “Is it okay?”

“Yeah,” your voice cracked, needing to pause to cough slightly before you spoke again. “Just a really sore spot.”

He didn’t say anything else from behind you, fingertips moving away from the spot for a moment. You could hear him shift in the tub behind you, water splashing as he readjusted himself.

Feeling a very light pressure, one that that wasn’t his fingers but rather his lips against the knot in your back as pressed a gentle kiss on your sin.

He pressed another, and another before his hands were back on the spot, tightly kneading into the skin. “Feels good?”

You only nodded with a hum, as he continued to work on the spot with the occasional kiss to your skin.

Minutes passed, and you were slowly relaxing further against him. Your legs unfolding and extending forward, feeling Harry’s legs on your side close you in further. Although there was still a small distance kept between your back and his front to make room for his hands, you found yourself shifting closer to him.

His hands moved around your sides, thumbs pressing gently into the sides of your breasts. He was kissing over every place his fingertips touched on your back, soft hums against your skin as his chin nudged your spine.

He rested his chin over your shoulder, cheek nudging your neck as he muttered close to your ear.

“Feeling better?”

You again had to clear your throat before speaking. “Feels a lot better thank you,” you hummed, turning your head slightly to catch the corner of his grin in a kiss.

He clicked his tongue. “No, no I’m not done.” His hand moved to your jaw, gently turning your head back to face forward once more.

You laughed lightly, following his order and facing the off-white tile of the wall in front of you.

Though he said he wasn’t done, he didn’t start to massage into your skin right away. Instead you felt his lips press on the crook of your neck, moving down to your shoulder as he trailed a series of kisses down your skin.

“Mm,” he hummed, sound low in your ears. “I love how you still smell like coffee.”

“I do not,” you laughed softly, lifting your hands from under the water with a splash.

“Yes,” his mouth moved against the curve your shoulder, “you do.” His teeth nipped over your skin.

He sighed heavy in his chest, lips sliding over to the nape of your neck. “I love how you always get goosebumps,” he spoke quietly. “Even now in the steaming hot bath.”

Your shoulders shook slightly with a quiet laugh, knowing he was right that you often got goosebumps under his touch, not matter the temperature around you.

His hands slid down your shoulders and to your front, wrapping around your tummy and pulling your closer to him along the bottom of the tub. “I,” he sighed heavy again, chest rising over your back. “Love how you feel with me – can’t seem to get enough.”

His thumbs grazed the underside of your breasts. His lips were still against your skin, feeling them move as he spoke and pressed random kisses over your back.

He murmured your name, sounding so soft off his mouth and deep from his chest. Your head was spinning; you didn’t know if it was from the heat in the air, from the lack of hydration or from the words the man behind you was kissing into your skin.

“I love you.”

The words were quiet, so quiet that if you weren’t pressed against him you wouldn’t have heard it. He kissed a spot over your spine as he whispered the three little words, no doubt feeling every function of your body come to a stop.

This time he didn’t stop you when your head turned over your shoulder to face him.

He quickly spoke again. “I don’t expect you to say anything, I just –” he paused with a slow exhale, like he was letting go of everything he was possibly holding on to. “I just wanted to tell you.”

You shifted around, legs moving so that you could bend them and fully turn around in the space of the tub until your front was facing his.

He moved as well, allowing your space so that you could sit on his thighs in a straddle. Hands wrapped around your back under the water, holding you in place on top of him.

His eyes were intent on you, jumping between each of your eyes as he tried to gage any possible reaction you could have to his words.

There was a small furrow between his brows, one that you wanted to smooth your thumb over and kiss. Lifting both arms out of the water, you gently wrapped them around his neck to pull him in even closer.

“You do?”

You felt drunk on him. The slight teasing tone in your voice wasn’t completely on purpose, you couldn’t help the words tumbling from your mouth.

Though, Harry laughed. A small laugh that came from his chest, as that furrow between his eyebrows disappeared and a smile graced his mouth. He dipped his down forehead falling against your shoulder for a moment.

“I do,” he hummed, pressing a kiss to the curve of your neck before lifting his head back up. “And I really – I really love you.”

Your shoulders dropped, letting go of tension you didn’t realize you were currently holding. His hands on your back squeezed your skin lightly, pulling your tighter against him.

Face nearing yours, you didn’t realize how close you had gotten as you were subconsciously leaning in closer with your eyes zeroed in on his.

Your voice came out a bit hoarse, a quiet little rasp from the back of your throat. “I love you too.”

His hands gripped your even tighter, causing you to shift over his thighs until your chest were fully pressed together. “Do you now?”

You wanted to laugh out loud, instead a quiet laugh shook through your chest as you felt your chest warm more than it already was. You pushed against him with your palms pressed flat above his chest. “Stop that.”

His hands slid lower on your back, squeezing the skin above your hips as he smiled wide. “Tell me again.”

“No,” you dipped your face against his shoulder, cheek pressed into his neck.

“Tell me,” he chuckled, gripping the soft skin of your hips with a nudge of his chin over your temple. “I wanna hear you say it again.”

You peppered a light kiss over his collarbone. One hand moved up his chest, cupping his jaw loosely as you pulled away from the curve of his neck. Not saying anything, you met his happy eyes with your own while following the curve of his cheek with your thumb.

Brushing over his skin, the tips of his hair falling forward ticking your hand as it moved up his jaw, parted fingers weaving through his hair. Your other hand repeating the same motion, this time lightly moving your thumb over his pinkened lips, keeping a firm hold of his jaw.

You pushed moved yourself closer to him once again, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth. His lips instantly puckered with yours, eyes falling shut when he moved to meet your mouth.

He kissed you lightly, although the firm hold that he had around your hips told a different story. Moving you closer to him, your knees readjusting under the water as they planted firmly against the smooth white of the tub.

Hips jutting into his, you gripped him tighter. Your lips parted with a subtle smacking sound that would have been inaudible to anyone else, kissing one, two, three more times on his mouth before whispering, “I love you.”

You felt his lips turn up against yours, his cheeks rounding under your fingertips.

One of his hands rounded around the back of your neck, pulling you back in to kiss him deeply. His tongue easily met yours as you sighed into his mouth, twisting your fingers through his hair. He quietly whispered your name against your lips, licking over your lips gently before pulling you in for another kiss.

Your hands now slid down his shoulders, down his chest under the water in the tub. You felt him shiver against you, unsure if it was at the affect of your touch on him or of the cooling water of the tub Your mouths parted with a wet smack, his lips nudging the underside of your jaw as he nipped at the sensitive skin.

Your own lips were resting against his temple, hands circling around his hips as you could feel his hardening length pressing into your thigh.

“You’re hard,” you observed, mumbling into his skin.

He laughed lightly, voice sounding a little breathless. “I got the most gorgeous girl sitting on my lap, telling me she loves me,” he pulled you forward, causing the water around you to splash against the side of the tub. “How could I not be?”

You giggled against his skin, letting him tug you closer until the bubbles stuck to your skin were getting squished between the both of your chests. Moving one of your hands from his hips to land it gently under the way over top of his thigh, letting your nails dig gently into his skin.

Lips slid against each once again, a bit more fire under your actions as your tongue slid against his and your chests heaved with heavier breaths. You could tell that he was extremely aware of the soft brushes of your fingers over his thigh, as you slowly inched your palm higher up.

You could hear his breath hitch and his mouth slack over yours when your hand slipped up to grab a light hold of his cock. Simply holding him in your hand for a beat, letting your lips fall from his mouth down to his jaw, before licking wet stripe under his earlobe. He was leaning into your touch, chest falling against yours as his arms wrapped tighter around your lower back.

His legs jolted slightly when you stroked your hand over him, his knees rising with a small bend in his legs that had you falling into him even more. He brought one of his hands from your back and up from under the water, taking a light hold of your chin to tilt your head back up to his.

His mouth was on yours in a matter of seconds, biting into your bottom lips before kissing your deeply. You tugged on his length from under the water, thumbing over his tip as circled around him. Your hand falling over him again, applying more pressure when he moaned quietly against you.

“Fuck,” he called softly, as you kept working your hand over him. Moving away from you again, he leant against the back of the tub with a blissed out smile over his lips and heavy eyelids. “That feels good.”

You leaned in to him, kissing over the skin of his neck that was newly exposed to you. “Good,” you breathed over his neck, your thumb following the vein that ran on the underside of him. “I love making you feel good.”

Leaning forward to kiss over his collarbone, tasting the slight remains of soapy bubbles on his skin as your lips moved over him. You grazed your fingertips along his sensitive skin, as he involuntarily bucked his hips up into your hand, soft moan coming from his throat.

His fingertips dug into your skin. “Do you,” he breathed. “D’you want to get out of the tub? The water’s getting cold.”

You hummed against him, not stopping the motions of your hands under the water. “What do you say we do after then?”

A quick tug at your hips had him bringing your attention back to his face. One of his hands nudged the bottom of your chin, further tilting your head up to his. “Going to take you to bed.”

You were both quick, not too quick as to not slip on the bottom of the tub, to get out and drain the water. Harry had wrapped a big warm towel around your shoulders, rubbing at your arms as he hugged you from behind.

His hips were pressing tightly into your backside, a quiet grunt was heard from him as you pushed back into his hardening cock. With his arms around you, he dipped his head down to quickly find your neck with his lips, gracing it with a smattering of kisses.

“Harry,” you murmured, tightening the towel around your shoulders. Watching him through the mirror, you brought a hand up to brush through his hair. “Harry,” you called, tugging lightly on the strands to get his attention.

“Sunshine,” he mumbled against the skin of your neck, arms tightening around your middle. You felt him pressing hard against your bum, teeth nipping into your skin over your shoulder.

“Thought you said something about taking me to bed.”

He took you off guard, spinning you around in his arms so that your backside was pressed against the ledge of the bathroom counter. He glanced at you with a glint in his eyes. “We have to get dried off first.”

His hands rested over yours, easily having you release the towel from your hold as instead he grabbed the soft material. Dragging the fabric over your back, letting the front fall open as his gaze fell along with the towel.

Bending at his knees slightly, dipping his head down to kiss over water drops that were running down your chest. You held your breath, already feeling wetness pool where you knew he was headed, and you were growing slightly impatient.

He fully dropped down to his knees, letting the towel fall down to your legs along with him. His towel covered hands ran along your calves, moving up over your knees in small motions. You glanced down at him, watching as he focused on ever small drop of water covering your skin.

“So soft,” he murmured, one hand skimming and pulling over the skin of your thighs. He brought his other hand with the towel to brush over the swell of your ass, gripping and releasing the skin a few times in his hand before letting the towel fall to the ground and wrapping both hands around your hips.

You couldn’t keep your eyes away from him, surprisingly not feeling cold as you usually did when you got out of a bath or shower. He wrapped a hand around your hip to pull you closer to him, one of your hands still resting against the bathroom counter. His other hand slowly smoothed around your inner thigh, pulling on the soft flesh as he prompted you to part your legs wider for him.

He leaned in closer, pressing a single kiss to your inner thigh with lingering lips. The simple motion had you in a frenzy, your heart starting to beat faster in your chest as you could practically hear his thought process.

In the time you had been together, although still quite short, you had quickly learned Harry’s affinity for getting a taste of you. Whether it was slow and deep as he edged you on, or quick and wet to bring you to a quick orgasm, he seemed to continuously enjoy going down on you.

Which was no surprise when he glanced up at you with a stupid little smile, telling you “I think I have to dry you off with my mouth.”

The comment was a completely ridiculous concept, but you didn’t have a chance to tell him as he nudged you against the counter, keeping your thighs parted with one hand and leant in to plant a kiss over your clit.

Wrapping a hand around your thigh, with the other pushing against your folds to part them further as he teased over you with his fingertips. Kissing over you once more, his tongue poked out from parted lips to flick over the sensitive bit of nerves.

You knew you were wet, had been before he had touched you and obviously, he knew it too, but it still sent a warmth through your tummy when Harry muttered “don’t think you’re just wet from the bath, angel.”

You whined into the air, not having the capacity to think of anything to say back to him as he licked over your slit, finding wetness pooling at your entrance. You jolted under his touch when he moved his tongue back up to your clit, lips circling around it with light flicks with the tip of his tongue.

A hand landed in his hair, gripping on his tightly when he dragged his fingers around your sensitive inner thigh and to where you wanted to feel them. As much as he liked to get a taste of you, he liked to tease you.

Keeping light movements over your clit, his tongue darted down to circle around your entrance once more with a muffled moan when you whined his name. Pulling back for a second, be placed a light kiss over your clit as you spoke a broken call for him once again, before he was pushing a finger inside of you.

As much as he liked to tease you, he loved to give you what you wanted just as much.

It was rushed, and messy, and just like two people who wanted to feel the other as much as they could, far too desperate for the other.

He had you gripping the countertop tightly with on hand, the other hanging on for dear life in his hair. You could feel the beginning of the burn in the pit of your stomach, and you tugged on him just a bit harder to grab his attention. “Harry,” you whined, repeating his name again.

Humming against you, he moved his mouth over to the fleshy inside of your thigh and bit over the skin with a wet kiss. “What’s that?”

“Take me to bed,” you breathed, wanting nothing more than to feel him inside of you. “Fuck me.”

He gazed up at you for a moment, dark eyes meeting yours before peppering another kiss over your thigh. Moving up slightly, slowly lifting himself from his spot kneeled between you. Grazing light touches over your hipbone, over your stomach, over your breast.

Pressing your palms against his shoulder, pushing him back slightly as you searched for one of his hands to grab. He easily complied to you as you pushed off the counter, sidestepping Harry as you pulled him by the arm.

He wrapped that arm around your chest, standing behind you as he let you lead him out of the washroom. Walking you to his bed with his arm swung around your front, keeping your back pressed closely against him while messily kissing the side of your face.

Blindly finding his bed, you turned and fell out of Harry’s grasp as you let yourself fall onto the soft comforter. You were both slightly damp, but neither of you cared.

Moving until your head rested by the pillows at the head of the bed, Harry didn’t follow over you right away, and instead walked around the mattress to stand by the side.

“C’mere,” you spoke quietly reaching out to grab hold of his hand.

He met the edge of mattress as you pulled him closer to you, wanting to feel him over you. He held your gaze with a slight grin, biting his lips before leaning down towards you and murmuring, “not going to fuck you,” his breath sent goosebumps all over your neck. “Gonna make love to you.”

“Come here.” You repeated, grabbing his hand and tugging him down as he let out a small laugh while he fell over you. His lips landed over the crook of your neck, as your legs parted to make room for him over you.

“That’s it,” he hummed over your skin, pushing his hips against yours as his lips danced over your skin and his hands roamed your sides. “D’you want me like this?”

You whined into the air, his palm smoothing over your breast as he pinched your nipple between his fingers and brought his mouth to yours.

“Yes,” you paused, hugging his waist with your thighs as you hooked a leg over his ass to push him further against you. “Just like this.”

His lips fell from your mouth, forehead pressing into your cheek. You could feel him over your folds, nudging his hips up so that his tip pushed over your clit. Involuntarily spreading your thighs wider for him, you whimpered at the light contact.

Impatient, you brushed your hand down from his shoulder and over his hips, reaching for his cock between the two of you to help slip him in. Rising his head from the crook of your neck, he glanced at you with a lazy smirk when you gripped his length in your palm.

Running him over you, you let one of your knees hit the mattress as he slowly inched inside of you. Each letting out sounds in unison; you a breathy moan at the feeling of him filling you and him a quick grunt as he bucked into you.

“Every fuckin’ time,” he groaned, lips mouthing against your jaw.

He gripped your thigh in one hand, fingertips digging into the skin as he hooked your leg tighter around him. Hugging him with your legs, you urged him to keep moving as the slow grinds into your hips were driving you crazy.

He seemed to feel the same way, pulling back and fucking into you harder each time. He had your head nudging the pillow under your head, your fingers holding on for deal life in his hair and you were moaning up against his jaw.

He was unable to go long without having his mouth on yours, stealing sloppy kisses as his hips pumped into yours with muttered praises along the lines of “such a pretty cunt,” and “taking me in so good.”

The way his lips grazed over your earlobe as he spoke, the way he let you hear every moan and whimper that left his lips, the way he spoke to you with a deep low drawl made you whine into the air with nothing but desire for him.

Having him so desperately and passionately made you feel drunk, like you were going to float off the bed. That is, if the feeling of your hips digging into the mattress with ever pound of his hips, and his weight over and inside of you was not making you bite your lip so hard at the sheer intensity of it.

“You feel good?” He posed it as a question this time, lifting his head from where he was biting into your neck as his nose nudged yours.

You repeated his words from before with a nod, a throaty moan when you met his eyes. “Every time.”

He groaned over you, catching your mouth in a kiss. “Love fucking you –”

You were pushed up on the mattress again, the pillow bending oddly under your head but it was the last thing on your mind right now. His hand smoothed over the side of your face, caressing your forehead lightly – a contrast to the fast and sinful pumps of his cock inside of you.

Blinking your eyes shut, you were surprised to find a damp coldness caught in your eyelashes. Realizing the small tears – only out of happiness – lining your waterline as you quickly blinked again.

He stole a kiss from your mouth, as you lifted your head up to meet him hallway. “Love making love with you –”

His hand left your hair, instead reaching up to grip the headboard with a quick desperation. Your head fell back against the pillow, a strangled moan past your lips as all you could do was nod in agreement. You raised your hand from his shoulder, reaching back as you blindly searched for where his hand had his tight hold over the worn wood. Covering the pack of his hand with your palm, both of you holding for dear life as you grew more desperate to cum.

“Oh –” you arched your back against him, meeting his movements halfway. His other hand was still holding a firm hold around your thigh, hitting a new deepness when your hips met up with his. “Like that – again.”

“Yeah?” His breath fanned over your chinned, his hair falling down over his forehead as his pace was unrelenting. “Wanna give it to you – fuck,” he cut himself off, feeling you squeeze him tighter. “Please tell me your close.”

You dug your nails into the skin of his back, calling his name into the air as his lips found your neck. “Yeah,” you voice was breathy, distant. “Just a bit more.”

He was hitting the perfect spot inside of you, repeatedly making you see stars. His hand unwrapped from your hip, sneaking between both your bodies as his fingers quickly found your clit. Collecting wetness from where you connected, then met the sensitive bundle with messy but effective strokes.

You loved every kind of sex with him – slow and passionate or like now, quick and both desperate for each other that neither of you cared it didn’t take very long to get there.

You were pushing your hips to his, gripping for dear life on his hand over the headboard while call after call of his name left your mouth.

“Love you,” he whimpered, lifting his head with a nudge of his chin over yours. “I love you.”

You felt as if your eyes were rolling into the back of your head. He felt so incredibly deep and close to you. Confessions of love over your mouth had your stomach flip and your core clenching around him. You realized you had never had a partner tell you they loved you during sex, you had never felt this intimately close to anyone in your life.

“Love you more –” the end of your sentence was cut off by your own moan.

Meeting your release around him, whimpering his name against his skin as he was unrelenting over you. Your hips bucked with his movements, pushing yourself against his hand that paid attention to your clit. It was all for too overwhelming, mixed with the confessions of love that ran through your head.

Your motions were getting slower, the hard pumps of his hips over yours the last bit of what he needed. Barely getting the chance to warn you, a quick breath of “I’m coming –” over your ear before he was pushing everything he had inside of you.

His hand let go of the headboard along with yours, flipping your palm in his to interlocked your hands over the duvet cover. He was muttering endless praise to you, endless breaths of your name as you both came down from your highs together.

With his chest pressed against yours, he gazed up at you with heart shaped eyes. He bit his smile down, a little laugh leaving past his lips as you raised a hand from his bicep to push his hair out of his face. You kissed his smile, his mouth easily opening for you as you both savoured the other in a brief calm moment.

He kissed the side of your cheek, leaving a small trail as he kissed over the corner of your eyes, not doubt noticing the small wet patches from the small tears that escaped your eyes in the overwhelming intimacy.

He didn’t say anything right away, but you could see the corners of his lips curve to a light smile. “You okay?”

A slow nod, you took a heavy swallow to help your dry throat before speaking. “Yeah, I just,” you paused, searching for the right words. “It’s never been like that. I’ve never… felt like that.”

He was silent for a moment, watching you intently. “In a good way,” you quickly added. “In the best way.”

“I know,” he muttered against your mouth, pushing himself up over you as you unhooked your ankles from around his thighs to let him move off of you. Withdrawing from inside of you, you could already feel him making a small mess over the crest of your thighs but you didn’t care, that was a problem for later.

You let out a breathless sigh, grazing his cheek with your fingertips as you watched his eyes flick over every inch of your face. Slowly lowering his face once more, pressing a soft but firm kiss over the corner of your lips.

He fell to his side, lying on his hip with his up half still supported over top of you. “Think I love you even more after that.”

[literaila]

crumbling feelings

spencer x reader 

summary: falling so hard. falling too hard. 

warnings: mentions of fighting, earthquake (?) refernences, they’re both idiots, kinda sad, kinda cute. 

a/n: okay so i got the urge and i was like ‘ huh i should write something short and sweet and then go to bed ‘ and then i was like ‘hahahahah no.’ sooooooo yeah. sorry if it sucks. im reallly tired and shouldnt be posting this. 

*

The earth was crumbling under their feet. 

You hear about ‘earth-shattering’ things. You hear about the kiss that matched no other, gave you butterflies down to your stomach until suddenly there were no words left to describe that feeling you got from those lips that shared secrets. You hear about that moment when you realize you love someone, when you finally figure it out. You hear about how everything changes at that moment, how everything just suddenly felt different. You hear about ‘love at first sight’ about that one glance that changed everything, about those eyes that told stories like no other.

There are so many ‘earth-shattering’ things, so many little things that can flip your world upside down and then change everything in a second that doesn't seem to feel all that long. 

There were just too many things, too many ways to classify the idea that your world was changing, so many things made up just to make people feel so much safer about change. So many made-up ideas that were only there to make the world seem a little bit less scary, to make change something that you weren't supposed to fear. 

But, when the world was crumbling under your feet. When the cracks in the earth wouldn't stop hitting the soles of your shoes, and you could feel yourself shaking while you tried to keep your eyes off of the ground. That was what made the change so scary. That was what made every other ‘earth-shattering’ thing seem so idealistic. So fake. 

She was afraid, so afraid that if she looked down, she would see the sky beneath her feet. 

There were no words to classify this moment, no words that she could think of that could explain the pure fire that was shaking her bones. Making her feel like she wasn't even really there. 

There were no words to classify the past few months, the days that went by when she could feel the earth shake for a second, when the earth was caught off balance and suddenly there was another crack underneath her feet. 

A couple years ago, she’d shared one of those ‘earth-shattering’ moments, one of those days that she thought should be in all the romance novels. She’d been a part of one of those movies, shared that kiss that was beyond anything else. That was something else she could describe. 

And weeks after that, she had another one. Another moment that made her knees want to collapse under her, a moment that made her feel so much different than she ever thought she would, she had one of those moments that she could barely think of without worrying that she would faint because all of the sudden she couldn't breathe. She’d been a part of that moment when you realize you’re in love. She’d seen it for herself. 

And weeks after that, she’d felt breathless when she looked at him. When she stared from what felt like miles away, years past him, when she’d looked and saw nothing but the man she couldn't stop thinking about no matter how hard she tried. She’d felt her world turn in a way she didn't understand. 

Earth-shattering moments were no stranger to Y/N, and she was no stranger to them. 

She’d lived in them for years. Years that felt like decades, decades that felt like centuries. 

The first time she saw Spencer, she didn't expect anything of it. She saw a man, and of course, she couldn't help but classify him as handsome in her head, couldn't ignore his messy hair and lovely eyes and very sweet manners. But, she’d been plenty of handsome men, plenty of people that she knew were unreachable. So, she thought nothing of him.

But he’d quickly become someone she could depend upon. He used to bring her coffee in the morning, setting it right on her desk while he sipped on his own cup. She used to question how he knew exactly how she took it. She used to wonder how he could’ve known when she’d never told anyone before. 

He used to call her late at night, wake her up from dreams she could barely remember, he used to let her know when there was a case, used to make sure that she was getting out of bed instead of falling back asleep like she wanted to. He was very considerate, very aware of that extra push she needed. 

He used to hold the elevator door for her, used to step back and smile when she walked into the small space with him. She liked to pretend that it didn't mean anything to her, that despite it being something he’d do for everyone, she didn't still get butterflies. She liked to pretend that his smiles meant nothing and that she was happy to have a friend. 

He used to save her seat on the plane, the one right next to him because he knew that it was her favorite. He knew that she liked to fall asleep on it whenever she could. Both of them liked to pretend that they didn't enjoy the warmth the other brought. Liked to pretend that a seat was meaningless, and that they could sit next to anyone else if they wanted to. 

He used to do everything for her. And even after a month of knowing him, she’d learned just how kind Spencer Reid was. She’d learned that the young doctor wasn't someone that she needed to look past, that she could perfectly enjoy time with him whenever she wanted. She’d learned that Spencer would be there, as much as he could, whenever he could, as long as she wanted him around. 

And from there, their relationship only crossed more boundaries. 

It was common knowledge that they couldn't be together, that with all the profiles surrounding the two, and the feeling that neither of them could keep a complete secret, they had to try and keep their distance. It was an unspoken rule between the two of them that they weren't supposed to do anything about the harboring feelings that made their way into the hearts of both of them. 

And even when they had dinner together, and spent their weekends off going to used bookstores, they made sure that there were never too many glances, that they didn't smile at the other for just a moment too long. It was a rule that both of them lived by, something that didn't need to be said out loud. 

But, there were moments. Just a step over the line they had put on the floor. Just a hand of his on her back while they were walking out the door, just the finger she used to wipe something off his face when they went to get dinner, just the icecream that they shared despite the fact that Spencer would’ve rather done anything else. 

There were tiny little steps that both of them took, barely noticeable ones, that made their relationship all that much closer. 

And then, as time went on, and suddenly the rules were being pulled back by an invisible rope neither one of them wanted to mention, suddenly they were stepping too far. 

Suddenly they were cuddling on the plane when no one was looking, sharing the same file on every case. They were texting each other at night, Spencer taking far too long to respond every time, even when they were in the same hotel. 

They were doing all these things that their unspoken rule had forbidden. 

And it was, far too good, far too much of a sweet thing to stop. Neither of them wanted to let go, wanted to move farther away. They had gotten used to the butterflies, to the nervousness that hit both of them in the middle of any day. They had stepped over and, neither one of them had any plans to go back. 

And then, one night, they fell into each other. It was completely on accident, completely by mistake when Y/N had laughed a bit too loud at something Spencer had said. An accident when Spencer had smiled, that little proud smile he got when he knew that it was only him that could make her laugh like that, when he had held onto her eyes with his, and then they were both leaning in. 

It had been raining, soft water falling on the both of them while they kissed for the first time. For what was supposed to be the last time. The earth had roared above them and they were kissing by accident, and while it was a mistake, not even the thunder could pull either of them apart. 

Their ‘earth-shattering’ moment had been so long coming, had been such an accident, such a happy mistake. 

And after, after when neither of them spoke a word, thoughts of their rules storming their brains, after, they didn't stop. 

She had meant to, she had promised herself that it was the last time, that they didn't need to be doing this, that it wasn't worth it to cause any tension at work. She had promised herself that an accident was what it was, that an accident wasn't allowed to happen again. 

But she was so prone to falling. 

And so they kissed again. In the elevator when both of them were trying to keep their eyes off of the other, they fell together, and they were breathless against the walls of the elevator, and suddenly the trip down to the lobby was far too short. 

And then they kissed again. When they were up late at night, coffee-filled their veins as they walked around the library they’d become familiar with together, when they were next to so many stories of other people falling just like they both had and it would’ve been rude not to fall again. Would've been a mistake to keep their feet on the ground like they were supposed to. 

And after that, it was impossible to stop kissing. 

They’d become so used to it, so captivated by the way their bodies felt when they were connected just like that, so captivated by the feelings they only got together. 

And then they loved each other. 

And then falling made so much sense. 

And then there were so many ‘earth-shattering’ moments that neither of them understood. 

And then they had a story that was worth writing down, one that should’ve been made into its own movie. 

And then they told their friends, and even with the broken rules, they couldn't help but feel like it was meant to be. Like this time they’d spent together was so worth it, that falling was only perfect when it was the two of them. 

There were no words to describe the way that any of it felt. No words except that Spencer used to whisper to her at night, when they were sitting under the stars. He used to tell her about the 66% of relationships that failed, used to make her gasp in fear, he used to tell her how he was smart enough to know that they were apart of the 34%. 

And those words, those words were enough. Enough to describe everything. 

But when he was standing in front of her, there were no words to describe the look in his eyes. No words to describe the disappointment that had carved itself into her heart. That tainted her lungs with the negative air she thought she wouldn't be able to breathe in for much longer.  

These past couple of months, had been so unlike, had been so familiar to the past couple of years. So similar and so different from before. 

There was something that both of them had failed to discover in the three years they’d been together, something that neither of them had known. Neither of them had needed to know. 

‘Earth-shattering’ moments aren't always like the ones you hear about in romance novels. They aren't always realizations that you want, change that makes everything better. They aren't always a person changing you for the better. 

These past couple of months, they’d both notice the growing crack in the foundation of the two of them. They’d both felt the earth sway underneath their feet when they shared a glance that was unfamiliar to both of them.

Y/N used to notice how dependable Spencer was, how dedicated he was. She used to notice all the little things he did for her, like getting her coffee in the morning, holding the elevator for her, saving her a seat on the plane, all these little things that he did just to make her smile. She used to notice the way he made sure to take care of her, to keep her warm and safe in the world that was so unbearably cold. 

And, she just, couldn't anymore. 

Suddenly, Spencer had forgotten how she took her coffee, he’d forgotten that they were supposed to grab breakfast together every morning. That it was a part of the rules they’d made together earlier in the year. 

Suddenly, Spencer was only waking himself up, his alarm was only loud enough for one of them to hear in the morning. Suddenly he was already out of the door when she had only barely just woken up. And there were no smiles, no reminders, no double-checking. Spencer was gone, and it was mornings alone she had to get used to. 

Suddenly, the elevator closed right when she stepped up, she didn't need to go home with him anyway. It didn't matter. They always drove separate cars in the morning. 

She hated to think about how Spencer would rather drive, than ride with her. 

Suddenly, Y/N sat next to Emily on the plane, and when she didn't have her own file, Emily was always sure to share it with her. And suddenly, she didn't crave that warmth as much as she used to, suddenly she thought that maybe she could live without it. 

All of these things, these beautiful things that she had noticed when she was naive, when she thought so much differently of everything else, suddenly these things were gone. And she was left alone with independence, with thoughts that kept her tied to the ground. 

And Spencer was looking at her. 

They were both standing in their living room. 

She couldn't even remember how this fight had started, who had yelled first, how her eyes had managed to get as puffy as they were. She couldn't remember why this had started, where it had, she couldn't remember anything. 

But she knew that they could both feel it, that they were both aware of the ground crumbling underneath them. She knew that it wasn't a secret. Not something she could simply just hide. 

She ran a hand over her face, trying so hard to not want to pull her own skin off, trying not to want to crawl into herself. 

“What do you want Y/N?” Spencer asked finally, his voice raw as he stared at her.

She was almost sure that they'd been yelling for the better part of an hour, that their neighbors were awake and listening. She was almost sure that both of them had lost their voices, and that at any second either one of them would crash onto the floor and fall asleep. 

They were both so tired of fighting. 

In the past month, it was all they'd been doing. The only time they talked to each other. 

Before that, they’d just ignored each other. Shared awkward smiles and passing glances when they were in the same room, for months, that was all they did. They didn't go out for dinner or stay up late talking. They didn't do anything together anymore, and both of them could feel the distance living between the two of them. 

At any second, it felt like they would both implode. Felt like they might fall in a way so much different than before. 

She was afraid, so afraid that if she looked down, she would see the sky beneath her feet. 

There were no words to classify this moment, no words that she could think of that could explain the pure fire that was shaking her bones. Making her feel like she wasn't even really there. 

What did she want? 

Did she want that old Spencer back, that old Y/N back? Did she want things to go back to the way that they used to be? Did she want Spencer to be the man that she used to depend upon? Did she want to feel those moments again? Did she want to be that love story? 

It felt like a long time coming when she finally sighed and shook her head. Not needing the words to let Spencer know that she wasn't sure. 

“What can I do Y/N? Because I’m tired of standing here,” Spencer’s voice was quiet, his temper as in control as ever, his thoughts locked in a place Y/N was sure she would never be a part of. 

She was almost sure that she heard him mumble something else under his breath, that he had more to say. But she didn't want to ask, she didn't really want to hear anyway. 

“I don't know Spencer. I’m just-” she stopped, the tears gathering in her eyes as she felt herself at a loss for words. 

What do you do when the love of your life is standing in front of you, asking what you want, willing to do anything, but you have nothing to say? What do you do when you can't feel anything? 

She wished she didn't feel dizzy at how fast the world was spinning around her. 

“You’re just what Y/N? You’re just tired? You’re done? What?” Spencer was desperate, his body moving with his words, his hands gesturing with every word that came out of his mouth. If Y/N would’ve been looking at him, she would’ve seen the growing anger in his eyes. The frustration that had set itself on her shoulders. 

Y/N was thinking, thinking about those moments that she used to feel with him, that warmth in her stomach she used to get when he smiled at her. 

There was something in her, something small, reaching out desperately, hoping to grab onto that warmth again, trying to get that feeling back. There was something inside of her that wanted it all back, that wanted to breathe again. 

She wanted to not feel this fire rattling her bones. 

“Y/N?” Spencer repeated, his voice finally breaking away from the control. His voice suddenly angrier than she was used to. 

“I don't know Spencer!” She snapped, looking back up at him. 

And she could hear him asking why, but she couldn't hear a thing. 

Spencer was speaking to her, and she thought that maybe his voice was so loud that he didn't notice the rumbling under both of them. 

She thought that maybe he couldn't hear it. 

She thought that maybe he didn't notice the ground. 

Shaking, rocking against the two of them. Maybe he didn't see the cracks in the floor, the tear between the two of them. 

Maybe he didn't feel it crumbling under both of them. Maybe he didn't know. 

She couldn't look away, couldn't stop thinking about how it was finally happening, how the earth was really shattering under both of them. She couldn't help but start thinking about how fake it had all been, how different every moment had been, how none of it could compare to this. 

To this insanity, this madness, this terror that was shaking both of them. 

But Spencer was still yelling at her, he was still too angry to see, and she she just, she couldn't. 

“I want to be done.” 

Her voice was the final edge the world needed, the final single, the last second of the world falling between the two of them. 

And then, they were standing in front of each other again, the silence louder than the world, her words echoing in a place that neither of them were familiar with. 

Her words were just enough to make the world stop. 

To make everything stop. 

“What?” Spencer whispered against the silence, his voice too loud for both of them, his question rattling off of the pain both of them shared. 

They’d become so connected in the years together. 

“I’m exhausted,” Y/N whispered back, her words meaning nothing, nothing, and everything. “I’m so tired Spencer, and I don't-” she swallowed the thoughts becoming impossible. 

She could barely get the air in her lungs now, she could barely feel past this lump in her throat. But still, she had to continue. “I don't think I can do this anymore. I don't think this is good anymore.” 

And the earth, it would’ve been shattering. It would’ve. But, but, but, it was too late. But it had already happened. But their moments were gone. 

Itwasalreadyover. It was already done. 

And Spencer couldn't help but repeat his question, even his brain not latching onto her words. Not understanding something he didn't want to understand. 

“When was the last time you felt happy with me Spencer?” 

Spencer couldn't move. His eyes were stuck on her. “I don't-” he swallowed his voice getting smaller with every breath he took in. “I don't- We’ve been-” 

“We haven't been anything Spencer. We’ve been walking in circles around each other, trying to avoid each other. I don't think we’ve been happy for a while.” 

“We aren't-” Spencer could barely breathe now, her words ringing in his ears “Relationships get stronger with time, we just- we just need time. Just time Y/N.” He tried to take a step closer, tried to replace this distance between the two of them. 

He wouldn't have been able to get across the hole in the floor even if Y/N hadn't moved back. 

Her words were just enough to make the world stop.

“No Spencer. I can't do that.” 

And it hurt, it hurt so bad to say the words out loud, it hurt so bad to come to this realization, to this terrible thought that she’d never once thought she might have. 

But the nights alone, but the days sitting in nothing, but the loneliness that she had, but all of it, all of it hurt so much worse. 

It hurt so much worse to be alone when she was with him. It hurt so much worse to know that they were still supposed to be together. 

“Y/N, I love you-” Spencer tried, he tried again, he was trying so hard to hold onto her. But, she knew, she knew that she couldn't stay. That she wouldn't stay behind again. 

She couldn't depend on him anymore. 

“I love you too Spencer.” she interrupted, moving back, farther away from him. “I love you so much. But we can't do this anymore, we can't look for something that isn't there. 

Spencer stopped. He didn't say a thing.

Her words were just enough to make the world stop. 

He was looking at her, and he could feel it. He could feel the two of them moving apart, he could feel the mistakes of both of them, he could hear the things that were unspoken between the two of them. 

And then he broke down, falling to the floor, his body collapsing with him. 

Y/N moved over to him, falling with him once more, falling to the floor, their pain an equally shared feeling, their desperation exactly the same. 

For once more, they would break together. 

And they did, they both sobbed against each other, both felt the warmth that they’d missed, both understood the difference in it, the difference in this connection of the two of them. 

Their foundation had cracked until it wasn't stable, it had fallen into so many pieces, and now there was nothing left to stand on. 

They were done. 

And so, they shared one more moment. They stayed on the floor together, the rain outside reminding them of exactly how final it all was. 

And they stayed there until they both felt strong enough to stand, both felt like it was finally time to get up. 

And then there was nothing, as they looked at each other, they both knew the reality of the situation. They could feel the tension in the air. 

Spencer whispered again, his voice gone, his eyes pleading. “Y/N…” he said softly while he held onto her, trying to keep her there, trying to let her go, trying to do everything all at the same time. 

She whispered his name back, tears leaking out of her eyes as she watched him. 

And then she leaned into him, and she kissed him, she fell into his lips, created this connection between the two of them, she fell into him for the last time and she committed the taste of him to memory, she saved this moment in her head, this last moment of the two of them. She kissed him until she was breathless for a completely different reason. 

She kissed him one last goodbye. 

And then she let go. 

And she let the earth shatter under her feet as she walked out the door. 

*

my masterlist here. 

[prideful-sins]

Walking in on a GN! MC Masturbating (SMUT HC’s) Brothers

Tags: Masturbation, Voyeurism, SMUT

Masterlist | Buy Me A Coffee?

Lucifer:

He had wanted to ask you whether you had finished your schoolwork for the night, but in reality Lucifer just wanted to see you.

He raised his hand to knock the door but heard the most curious of noises

“Hah~ hah~” You were panting in, what seemed like, excitement. He was sure you were pleasuring yourself and turned to walk away but stopped when he heard something else, “lucifer! Hah~” he stood and smirked, turned back around, and hovered his hand over the handle and waited for the opportune moment.

Just as you began cumming, thighs twitching, hand covered in your juices wit the other clutching the pillow behind your head Lucifer decided to come in, he opened and closed the door silently and stood at the door frame admiring you.

As you came down from your high you stared up and the ceiling, panting like a dog you looked down and saw Lucifer staring at you with hungry eyes, his arms crossed, and dick hard within his trousers.

“Without me? How dare you MC, we shall have to find a punishment worthy of this” he says as he walks up to you undoing his tie.

Mammon:

Mammon never thinks when he comes into your room, his head is in the clouds and he just opens the door without thinking.

So when he bursts in and sees you dishevelled, sweating, and touching yourself he just helps out in surprise.

You scream in shock and pull the covers up over you, Mammon stands there with his eyes wide open and mouth agape, a deepened blush covering his entire body.

“I-IM SORRY!” He covers his eyes and runs out only to run into the doorframe, he whacks his head and runs out, slamming the door shut.

Mammon stands with his back against your door, panting and shaking with a red face, and a hard on raging in his pants as he plays the image in a loop.

More under the cut!

Leviathan:

Why weren't you answering your D.D.D.? He had very important news to share with you, 3 now that you had taken your time in answering him back, making him leave his room like this to find you.

Leviathan knocked on your door and waited for you to answer, which you didn’t, maybe you had fallen asleep? He opened the door and walked in anyway. You weren’t on your bed, or at your desk, so where were you? He looked around

He heard some noises in your bathroom, moaning and splashing around, and, stupidly, he followed. The door opened slowly and Levi’s eyes widened, there he saw you. You were sat on the floor of the shower, the water flowing down your body as your hands pleasured yourself, eyes closed and head solidly against the tiles

Leviathan stood there speechless, his face beet red, phone slipping out of his hand, you hadn’t noticed him staring at you yet and Leviathan wasn’t going to let you, he yelped and ran out, door closing abruptly and making him land on his ass outside of your bathroom.

He heard you say some words but couldn’t understand them through the heartbeats thrumming in his ears, his face was still red but he had another problem now. The fact his dick was hard as rock and he just couldn’t unsee that amazing image of you

Satan:

It was early morning and Satan had just finished the last book of his pile, he sighed and stood up to walk to the library. The halls were quiet and empty, a slight noise from Leviathans room as he spoke to his computer. At times like this Satan would wonder what you were up to, he had feelings for you, and you did for him, but both of you hadn’t acted upon them seriously.

He walked up to the door and saw a light from within, curiously he opened the door and peered within and was faced with a very peculiar sight.

You. Humping the side of the arm that Satan usually sits on and holding one of his shirts to your nose.

Your face was a picture and one he seldom enjoyed, you were there with your hips rolling against the arm rest, eyes staring down at your D.D.D. within your hand as the other clutched his scent against your nose.

He stayed there even after you had came, you were panting, still straddling the armrest and holding his sweater to your face. A tear fell down your cheek as your legs shook from your orgasm and this is when he decided to walk in.

Satan wasn’t that hard as he had already masturbated to you, the handkerchief in his pocket holding his semen as he walked up to you with a calm, slightly reddened, face, oh how he enjoyed watching you scramble to explain your current situation

Asmodeus:

Asmo always knew what salts and scents to use to spur you into masturbating in the bath, he used them all the time for people who had trouble getting into the mood, so when you come up to him and shyly ask for some advice he’s more than happy to oblige.

Asmodeus handed you some of the best ones he knew, extracts of specific plants, and calming oils. What you had failed to tell him is that you had planned on taking a bath in his bath, he didn’t mind all that much but only because he was able to view you in all of your splendour.

You were faced away from the door and Asmo stood at the door frame, he watched and judged your masturbation technique and before long he walked up and whispered into your ear.

“I know a much better way for you pleasure yourself” You yelp in surprise as his voice invades your thoughts, you sit there and come up with excuses but Asmo merely laughs.

“I didn’t tell you to stop, I’d like to see you complete what you started” You agree and begin to pleasure yourself once again, Asmo stands on the sidelines and gives you advice, showing you places you didn’t even think would give you pleasure.

Needless to say it was one of the best orgasms you had ever had, and Asmo wanted in on it next time.

Beelzebub:

He had found a new snack that he wanted you to try but Beel couldn’t find you anywhere, you weren’t in your room, the common room, or the kitchen. Beel looked through all of the house and couldn’t fin you for the life of him, so he walked back to his room defeated.

As his hand came to the doorknob he heard some sounds from inside, he turned the handle slowly and opened the door, Beel said under his breath “Belphie?” hoping his brother was having a good dream but instead he was faced with a much different picture.

You were on his bed, humping his pillow and smothered in his sheets, they were wrapped around you and your arms, nose deep into it as your hips rolled against the cushion

“MC?” Beel stood there dumbfounded, he was your boyfriend but he never expected this, you looked at him pleadingly for release, crawling slowly toward him and dropping the covers.

“All you had to do was ask MC” Beel licked his lips and walked towards you, dropping the snack in his hand, his eyes only on you.

Belphegor:

The attic was Belphie’s safe space, a place he could nap alone and away from his brothers, he shared it with you so that you could have a place of your own, too, or to share with him.

He walked up the stairs and yawned, hoping to catch a few hours by himself. As he came to the door his eyes opened again and he saw you amongst the the pillows, hand firmly in your underwear as the other grabbed as the cushions surrounding you. He stood there dumbstruck, not knowing whether to watch, join, or leave you alone, but as he was making his decision you saw him. 

A blush surrounding your face as you sheepishly removed your hand from yourself and spluttered to make excuses.

“I don’t care, can I sleep here?” Belphie makes it out like he doesn’t care but as he snuggles up to you his hip grinds into yours, making his erection known to you, and it was up to you whether something was to be done about it.

[plush-rabbit]

Sugar and Spice

Word Count: 2K

A/N: This is set after he passes the gym to Marnie:P I hope that you enjoyed it!! Im sorry for it being so late!! Also, since sunday was a lot,, pokemon related things will go on ao3 like tomorrow!!

Piers is a rather intimidating person. He’s tall and wears dark clothing, a certain look of disdain on his features to anyone who looks upon him. He won’t necessarily be rude to people but he has a rather flippant personality that makes it hard for people to approach him first.

You on the other hand, you try to meet him. You may not enjoy his type of music, but you do try to approach him, wanting to attend his concerts or even just listening to some of his earlier music that is different from the way he sings now. It’s softer, harsh lyrics that are whispered into your ear accompanied by static due to the low quality of the mic but you enjoy it.

Truth be told, he inspired you to start your own musical journey. Different from his genre obviously, but still. It was easy to write the music, to let the flow seep into you and sing with a lonely voice and cute look. If he could keep his dark, gloomy aesthetic, then you could keep your pastel, cheery one.

Yet, despite the hopeful encounter that you wish you could have had with him, ended horribly. He hadn’t exactly called you anything mean and while you were aware of the tone he held, it certainly didn’t prepare you to be on the receiving end of it. It was a heavy feeling that it left, an unmistakable uneasiness that made you squirm and want to leave.

And yet, you still hold a strong admiration to him. You still want to meet him and go against him in a battle even if it isn’t his strongest suit just for the fact that you believe like everyone else that a battle is what people go against, what they put all their might into and see how they can prevail at the end of it. You wanted to see the light in his eyes up close and see how he would fight.

You’re everything opposite to Piers. Where he dresses in dark clothing and has a rather cold demeanor, you dress in soft colors and try to appear friendly to others, often accompanied by your team of fairy and mostly pink colored pokémon. You spent a good portion of your youth hating pink, wanting to go against gender norms but as you grew older, you fell in love with the color and the frills, wanting to be dressed in a cute way that while others may have seen as overbearing, you just liked it and it made you happy. Where as he sang metal and rock, you stuck with pop, you wore your dresses and had even jokingly called the type of music you sang “bubblegum pop”, no real reason behind it- agains, it just made you happy to call it. Despite the differences, you greatly admired the ex- gym leader. He had been able to hold his own in a town that was failing- no fault on his of course- and had been a caring brother from what you have seen. He was an admirable person and while the music he made wasn’t exactly your taste, you could learn to enjoy it.

However, due to your rising fame and the type advantage against him, people around the region- who knew of both of you- had begun to jokingly call the two of you rivals, wanting to see you both battle it out and see who would reign above the other. And while you would have happily accepted the chance to meet Piers, a trainer you strongly admired, he had only sneered at the idea of you and him having a battle. To say it hurt would be an understatement. He’s a personal inspiration and to have him act that way to the mere mention of you left you deflated. 

It’s a mere accident that you both are in the same area. Mentions of him of you are sprinkled into your notifications, buildings that match in the background and while you aren’t proud of it, you take to following the buildings and the threads. You walk around, your white tennis skirt paired with a soft, baby blue pullover and pair or white tennis shoes, an obvious giveaway to who you are, a yellow star shaped bag that crosses over your chest, and a bow with trailing ribbons falling and curving around your shoulders, tickling at your neck with every step until you finally seem to be in a surrounding area that he was last seen at. While it left you with an odd taste, you wanted to run into him and express your admiration for him- just for a quick second, to tell him how much you liked the music he put out and how he stuck with the aesthetic- you could understand how expensive it could be to stick with something as money-consuming as clothing.

You find him by accident. It’s a completely stereotypical moment when you do. You both stand at the opposite ends of the fountain decorated with carvings of various water types from the region, the sun shines and you can see in front of you with his sister and the rising champions. You hold onto the straps of your bag, your lips pulling into a flustered line, heat that rises from excitement or general shyness- you aren’t sure yet, and you stare at him with wide eyes. In the pockets of your skirt, you can feel your phone buzz and in the corner of your eyes, you can see people hurriedly take out their phones. And just like that, the serene, very stereotypical moment is over when he turns around and your eyes meet. Where you widen and flush under his gaze, he hardens his stare and grows an annoyed look, brows furrowing and lips pulled into a thin line. 

Your resolve is broken. You gasp, and look around, seeing people stare and a small circle forming, whether for the both of you or the rising stars of the region, you don’t know and you don’t find out, choosing to leave the area. You jump a bit, standing on the tips of your shoes and you turn to leave. 

You don’t want to stick around and see what he might have to say, the thought of the smallest bit of rejection far too much on your mind. You manage to make your way into a bookstore, the scent of coffee lingering in the air and you greet the employees with a tight smile, wandering deeper into the store, hoping to distract yourself and walk between the aisles and find something to buy. 

You stand at the end of the store, against a corner as you trail your finger against the spines of the books. In your peripheral, you can spot a figure, standing tall and you pay no mind. There is no real reason for you to worry- you may not look the part, but you can certainly fight dirty and the store isn’t abandoned so you could always call for help. You hum under your breath, pulling out a book and pursing your lips as you read the synopsis. The figure at the end comes closer and you turn, a soft squeak sounds past your lips. You feel yourself stand straighter, your shoulders squaring and the book held close to your chest, fingers gripping onto it tightly, enough to pale your knuckles.

“You ran away,” Piers muses, his fingers trailing along the spines, his steps quiet against the carpet. “You must be really scared of me,” he says, looking away from you, chuckling lightly. He stands in front of you, his brows raising as he looks down at you. 

His dual colored hair is pulled into a loose ponytail, a thick part of it obscuring half of his face and you can only do so much to not cower under his gaze, eventually breaking from his eye contact and looking at the top of your shoes that differ from his. 

“‘S not that,” you mutter, biting at your bottom lip. “I just… panicked,” you end, licking at your lips. “I- I didn’t mean to offend you.” 

You were kidding yourself if you thought you could talk to him. Much less have a battle against him. Once he showed up, your resolve fell, further than it did before when he looked at you. You take a small step back, your shoes shuffling and messing at the carpet underneath, and your eyes still locked on his boots. Just a second ago, you wanted to proclaim your admiration to him, enough to go and see him and find him and yet, here he is standing in front of you without any distractions or prying eyes and you can’t bring yourself to talk to him with faltering. 

“You’re a lot jumpier than I expected, ya know?” His reply to you is done with a simple roll of his eyes. “I mean, fuck, I guess it’s expected for a type user like you.” You stay quiet and you can almost hear his smug grin. “Lots of people comment how you’re a pushover because of your, er,  type and all.”

You look up at him, your brows furrowed and frown against your lips. You lean towards him, the book still held in your hands. “It’s- So what? I like pink and fairy types! They happen to be cute and they’re strong!” Your voice starts to raise, slowly raising into a higher pitch, shoulders raiing a fraction to meet the ends of your lobes. “Plus, there are a few fairy that have a dark counterpart and Mimikyu is one that I’m going to add to my team!” Your eyes narrow and you pull away from him, crossing your arms in front of you, a scowl on your lips, face growing hot under anger. “I just happen to be,” you make a small noise of discomfort and bite the inside of your cheeks, “quieter.”

He looks taken aback, eyes wide as he blinks owlishly at you. His down turned lips start to twitch, forming into a wicked smile. He snorts and shakes his head, a pleasant sound ringing through the small corner, and you soften, your arms slowly lowering from their harsh grip. 

“You got some fire in you, huh?” He asks, tilting his head “Damn, didn’t think you had it in you to actually stand up for yourself like that.” You meet his eyes and he flashes a quick grin that reveals his teeth. “Nothing bad about it, I swear.” he holds his hands up and brushes a hand through his hair. “Anyways-” he waves a hand and you watch it with careful eyes- “you oughta be more careful about who you yell it at, as all I’m gonna say,” he muses. 

“Piers?” He hums in response and you swallow nervously. “Wh- Why did you come here?” You don’t want to accuse him of following you here, for all you know it could be a happy, little accident. “And why did you talk to me?”

His milky complexion turns into a bright pink that fills in his cheeks, a flustered look on his face where his eyes narrow. “Oh, hah, I- Marnie needed a book and I-” his hand swings around at a much faster pace, circling around in front of him with an open palm and you react instinctively.

You make a pained gasping noise, the book dropping onto the floor with a thud as your hands come up to block your face, back hunched as you try to cower under the minimal protection that you offer yourself. You whimper and take a stumbling step back that leads you against the wall, your eyes pinched shut and it’s a second too late that you realize you messed up. You gasp and straighten up, an uncomfortable heat running down your back as you meet his eyes.

He stands frozen, his hand still in midair and his eyes are wide, darting down to the book and back to where your hands still hold a semi-protective barrier against him. His eyes turn from shocked into pitiful and you break away from his gaze, mumbling an apology under your breath.

“Shit,” he hisses out, bringing his hands close to his body. “I didn’t mean to trigger you or-”

“It’s not that,” you respond quickly. “I- Can we not talk about it?” You turn to look at him, your bottom lip trembling ever so slightly, your eyes glancing back to the fallen book. “Please?” He nods slowly and you return it in response. You crouch down to grab the book and pull it close to you only to look back at it with disdain. You turn and place the book back into the shelf, your hands coming down to play with the hem of your skirt. 

It’s silent. The soft music that plays from the music is not enough to drown the silence between the both of you and you want to chastise yourself for ruining a moment with your fears. Your teeth bite into the soft part of your cheeks, painful and enough to make tears spring into your eyes. In your pocket, your phone buzzes and you fail to pick it up, too frozen to care about the outside world. 

“Do you want to get a coffee?” You look up at him and he gives you a hesitant smile. He jerks his chin to the other side, his hands inside his coat pockets. “I was thinking of getting a cup while I was here,” he clears his throat, “I could get you one if you want. We can drink it here too,” he adds quickly.

You give him a tentative smile, slowly pulling yourself away from the wall and taking a step closer to him. “Do you want to look for Marnie’s book first? I don’t- I don’t mind.” 

“Right,” he says slowly, “her book. The uh- you know, let me message her to see what the title was, yeah?” He nods his head and moves to the side, jerking his head to allow you to walk in front of him first. “Let’s just get a drink first, all right?” He gives you a nervous smile, laughing quietly with eyes that come to a close. You come to stand next to him, nodding softly, your hands flexing at your sides in an attempt to calm down. “Neat,” he says. “Let’s get a cup

[spacedikut]

Derek would ask Spencer to explain how he feels about u to try and get him to understand that he’s in love with you but Spencer would just be like... is that not friendship?

god this idea is so fucking good but. i didn’t do it justice cause i went down a way more serious route :p 1.4k words, gn!reader

the team have been trying tirelessly to get spencer to just... see. what the rest of them see. the longing, lingering looks and requests to work together, the subtle touches that are so sweet in themselves but, with the added knowledge that spencer is Spencer, its...well, the team knows what they see. spencer is just lagging behind a little.

they try a whole plethora of methods. everyone talks to him and spencer either doesn’t connect the dots or simply says “we’re just friends!” and emily gets so frustrated she flicks spencer on the forehead and leaves a mark (i ask you picture pure, innocent spencer sat at his desk, watching emily’s retreating form with nothing but a puppy-dog confused expression and a red dent in the middle of his forehead).

penelope is at her wits end, so derek decides to step up and retry a very basic method: talking spencer through how he feels for you. surely he’s self-aware enough that he’ll hear himself and hear how un-friendlike it all sounds and... tada! love.

but it’s never quite as easy as you’ll think it’ll be, is it?

spencer should’ve known something was amiss when derek asked him if he wanted to hang out and let him choose where they would go - spencer? being allowed to choose where to hang out after work? have you ever heard of something called a red flag?

so spencer chooses a cafe which - immediately, the second they step through the doorway - spencer has a joy to him, telling derek about the last time you and him came here and what you ordered and what you thought of it and all these details that even the most attentive best friend wouldn’t think were anything more than trivial matters. he remembers the shape you tore your napkin into, for goodness sake. in what realm is that friendly behaviour?

then, to make matters worse, spencer, mid-walk to a table in the corner by a large window, abruptly changes directions, making derek almost spill his coffee. spencer apologies, then says they can’t sit in that booth cause that’s where you and spencer sit and - well. that’s your and spencer’s place, you can’t disrupt that! friends! friendly things and friends doing friendly stuff. friendship.

derek gives this scoff that spencer is so used to he barely reacts. when they sit, spencer is acutely aware that derek is staring - furrowed brows and this intense, firm gaze that only appears when he’s thinking. spencer’s only slightly intimidated. 

he’s never been able to lie to derek. he’s never been a good liar, period. he’s good at omissions and burying himself and his emotions but, god, if someone asks just the right question, he’ll fold like the cheap deckchair he truly is.

and derek... derek knows spencer better than he knows himself sometimes.

(is there anyone else that has similar qualities? no. of course not. only his best pal derek and not a colleague/very pretty person known as You)

a question. a question is all it takes.

“so, you and y/n come here a lot?”

derek’s starting light and spencer is so enthralled at the mention of you every worry he had about why he’s here with derek and why derek is looking at him like that flies out the window. 

“we do! actually, it’s the perfect meeting spot; the most convenient distance between our apartments and we both have favourite drinks here. we’ve become regulars, actually, so we make a habit of coming at least once a week at a minimum-“

and he keeps going, sweetly reminiscing about the first time you visited to the silly games you’ve created - because you’ll spend that long here, sitting opposite each other and just each other - and derek wonders how spencer doesn’t see it. doesn’t see the way he lights up at the mention of you, rambles like you’re a statistic spencer’s known for years and can’t help but bestow on everyone at every opportunity, not to mention the physical reaction he has to you. you’re not even present and spencer is wide-eyed, rosy cheeked, permanent curl to either side of his lips that looks involuntary.

he’s in love with you. his entire self, from head to toe, from mind to soul. everyone can see it, except you and him, apparently.

“they make you happy, huh?”

“well, obviously,” spencer hehs, “they’re my best friend.”

there’s an opportunity here, shyly gleaming from the corner of the conversation and derek digs it out. “you got a definition for best friend, reid?”

spencer’s taking a sip of his drink, but is happy to share his knowledge. he’s not quite as bright when he’s saying it. “a best friend has many definitions. friendship itself is usually defined as a relationship of mutual affection between people - it is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an association, and has been studied in multiple academic fields-“

derek hums, encouraging him to keep going. he’ll get there.

and he does, after delving a little too far into the nature versus nurture debate.

“id consider you a best friend. jj, too. and garcia, of course. except... except with y/n it’s- it’s different.”

derek pretends to be shocked. “how’s that?”

“well... they have all the qualities id want in a friend - honesty, generosity, empathy...humour-“ spencer smiles to himself, small and intimate, remembering an inside joke between the two of you. “but they’re more than that, too. they’re there for me - not-not that you guys aren’t there for me too-“ derek just raises an eyebrow. “but...it’s different, with them. it always is.”

the shift of topic from friendship to you has spencer unfocused on his surroundings, eyes glazed over as he stares to the side of derek, who feels like he’s intruding - he rarely understands what goes on in that big head of spencer’s, vast in it’s knowledge and memories and self-perception, but right now he’s confident he does. 

it’s you. he’s thinking of you, the moments you have together - perhaps in this very cafe - that are reserved for spencer and spencer alone, a side of you derek will never know because it’s not his to know; it’s spencer’s, just as spencer is yours.

his voice is level but distant, the warning signs of that magnificent mind finding the pieces and putting them together. “i think-i think about them often. how they are, what they’re doing, if they’re thinking of me too. i know they’re only a text message away or-or, on cases, a few feet away... i guess i don’t want to seem clingy. or desperate.”

“they’d never think that. you know that, right?”

“i know. i-i know that. but-i don’t... i can’t.. i don’t want to risk losing them, i guess. one wrong move and they’ll realise what a-what a complete mess i am. ill unravel and they’ll see all the dark inside and they... they don’t deserve that.”

derek goes to interrupt, because god is spencer wrong, but he doesn’t have the chance.

“they deserve love and laughter and everything i can’t give them if they... if they get too close.” now, spencer brings himself to look derek in the eye. there’s a seriousness there, a solemn stand that spencer doesn’t often take. “i can’t lose them, morgan. i can’t.” his hands tighten around his coffee cup. “i want them here, with me, for as long as i can convince them to stay. i don’t want to be selfish, i don’t- i don’t mean to be, but. i want this. i want them. every day for the rest of my life, i want them. i choose them. im just terrified they’ll see me and... they won’t choose me.”

there’s an expected silence that befalls the two of them, the busting background noise of the cafe the only moving piece. does he get it now? does he understand what has motivated every thought and feeling? every worry and action?

“reid,” derek says, softly, in a tone that has spencer straightening his back. “that’s not... that’s not just friendship. you know that, right? you can see that?”

spencer blinks. 

no. you’re friends - close friends, yes, but friends nonetheless.

but he thinks back to what he’s just said - 

he’d say the same for jj, right? for penelope, and for derek. even gideon, perhaps.

except... no. he wouldn’t. it’s for you, he’s for you, all of it and all of him.

and then the picture is as clear as day. no fog, no obscurity, no hesitance - and spencer’s relieved. relieved that finally, finally, he can put all of his feelings into one simple sentence.

“im in love with them.”

“yeah,” derek says, leaning back against the booth. “yeah, reid, you are.”