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call-sign-shark · 8 months

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Heaven in Your Eyes || Arthur Shelby x Reader!OC

Summary: When starting the vendetta with the Peaky Blinders, Luca Changretta didn't expect you, Arthur's wife, to be the one meeting him. Now that you're facing him, he's determined to make you understand who leads the dance. It's a man's world after all! || Featuring Luca Changretta x Reader

Words: 6.7k

TW: alteration of canon events, canonical violence, drug use, slight allusions to sex, canonical misogyny, quick allusions to domestic abuse, witchcraft (canonical since PB flirts with it sometimes), fluff, Arthur is as fucked up as cute, depictions of slaughter and body horror. The last part of this chapter is a flash forward. What happened will be described in the next chapter.

Notes:

✞ The mentioned character of Aurora, Luca's wife, belonged to @zablife.

✞ The bold sentence Heaven says comes from Lana Del Rey.

✞ This is chapter 15 of the Arthur Shelby x You series Heaven in Your Eyes. Usually, each chapter can be read as stand-alones but reading the whole series will make the experience far more intense.

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The dim glow of luxuriant chandeliers cast their orange light over the bar, their warm hue sublimating the rich notes of aged oak from which the counter had been sculpted. Standing alone on a barstool with your crystal gaze fixed on the swirling depths of your glass of red wine, you relished how the liquid gracefully danced and caught the light in a hypnotizing display of crimson elegance. Smooth as silk, its robe was deprived of lees and hugged your throat at each sip. It had been a while since you hadn't drunk such fine alcohol, and this experiment was almost enough to make you forget the curious glances of some noisy clients. As rare as it was to see a woman drinking by herself at the bar without the company of a gentleman due to the prohibited nature of such actions, no one had dared confront you about the matter yet. The waiter had thought of doing so because it didn't feel right to him but one look at the deadly frost of your eyes had been efficient enough for him to swallow his words and mind his own business. Wise decision, you weren't in the mood to be polite. There had been something off in the way you had stared at him, like a wild cat waiting for its prey to come just a little bit closer to pounce on it. He quickly lowered his gaze and went on with wiping down his glass, definitely not taking the risk of causing a scene. Bringing the expensive glass to your plump lips, you froze mid-movement at the sudden feeling of someone's presence behind your back. So, he came. Your mouth slowly curled in a cold, sardonic smirk. Your special guest didn't bother to greet you. Instead, he simply put his fedora hat on the bar counter right where the corner of your eyes you could see it.

"Isn't it the lady who should play hard to get?" You stated before drowning your sarcasm with a gulp of wine, its complex and refined taste displaying all its flavors on your tongue. So far, it has been one of the few places in which the wine was exquisite. And French, of course.

Swiftly slipping between two barstools, the man sat next to you — all his movements, measured and confident, denoted an indescribable elegance.

"So?" A collected and alluring voice inquired, wasting no time in futile courtesy nor in answering your taunt. He would have been surprised if his men hadn't warned him that you were the kind of woman to never be at a loss for words. Just like the two other harpies of the Shelby clan though.

"So, you spare my husband." You finished your glass and put it back on the wooden counter with a movement that translated both your firmness and determination. If there was one thing he had learned throughout his gangster life it was to pay attention to details. Since the very beginning of his criminal activities, Luca always focused on the way someone moved, especially because body language often said much more about people than words themselves. Contrary to prose, the body never lied, and concerning yours the signals were rather clear: you wouldn't cave in. "Oh, and you also spare Finn but it stands to reason. He's just a kid after all." Your request, spoken with a measured yet Artic calmness, snatched an amused snort from the threatening man. How did you dare bargain with him about who would die and who would live while your place wasn't in men's business? Luca slightly shook his head, disconcerted by the fact that the random wife of an enemy could behave so insolently with him while he could easily end her life with the gun he was hiding under his four-digit price jacket.

"In return for what?" His sharp eyes fixed intently on your dainty frame as he spoke. His expression, usually veiled in stoic composure, betrayed a keen attentiveness that mirrored his interest. Making himself comfortable on the barstool, he withdrew a matchbox from his pocket, its metallic surface catching the muted light. With languid grace, he extracted a match, the small stick cradled between his fingers, and brought it to his lips.

"Tommy Shelby." Your voice resounded like a chilling death knell when you pronounced these syllables nonchalantly as if selling one of your in-laws was nothing but one of the many formalities to retrieve your peaceful life. Such apathy was a bit chilling he reckoned. A ghost of a smile played on his lips as he held the match delicately between his teeth. After a while, you eventually condescended to look at the man, your iris meeting the splendid green of his. The same green eyes that squinted a little bit now that they had a clear sight of your doll face, whose cold beauty made him wonder what the hell such a delicate thing like you was doing here, involving herself in the middle of intricating gang wars.

"Well, interesting." He mused, a part of him genuinely excited at the thought of butchering Tommy, the other still intrigued by you and how you contrasted with everything else around. No, how you contrasted with everything he had ever seen in his life. Changretta's features, chiseled and unyielding, remained an inscrutable mask, but beneath the surface, a calculated mind sought to see right through you. His posture exuded a quiet confidence despite your unsettling aura and ghostly appearance, a testament to the years of navigating the treacherous underworld of crimes.

"And why should I trust you?" He asked, going on with his observation of every tiny detail of your face. To be honest, Luca didn't imagine you like this. All he had been told about you was that you were the French harlot Arthur Shelby had married, some kind of bratty young girl who came from nowhere. At first, he was convinced that you would be nothing but boring at worst, or entertaining in your way of begging for your husband's life at best but you were none of these. Now that he was sitting next to you at the bar, discussing as if he hadn't murdered one of the most important people in your life, he found himself enthralled by the pure snow-white color of your long hair. More than your unusual hair color, what had surprised him the most was how your coldness cut with the softness of your physical traits. You felt like a walking paradox to him, your appearance conveying a message at the antithesis of what you truly were.

"Because it's all in my interest to see him dead and cold." You replied with a little shrug. Admittedly, you didn't imagine him like this. Quite the contrary, your mind had created the picture of a rat-faced gangster marked with ugly scars and vicious black eyes by dint of hearing how Arthur talked about him. Yet, here you were, facing a rather attractive gentleman with such atypical traits and a charismatic aura that your eternal coldness was slightly shaken. Men of these kinds were always the most dangerous, you thought with full knowledge of the facts. Luca Changretta was something: as slim as Arthur yet standing taller, his face was adorned with a seductive charm and an aquiline nose which rendered his features even more unique.

"Principessa" He started, sneering. Luca pushed the match to the other corner of his mouth with his tongue one last time before his sly fingers grabbed it to put it in the nearest ashtray. Then, his hand reached for the whisky glass the waiter had just put in front of him, "Allow me to doubt that. You are a Shelby, and I've heard your clan is tightly knitted together. Don't think of me fool enough to believe that a Shelby would want to kill another one." Luca concluded his accusation with a little head tilt as he swallowed his whisky in one go. A small grunt of pleasure escaped from his mouth at the pleasant burn the alcohol left in his trail.

"The only reason I bear the name Shelby is for my husband, not for anyone else. If you aren't aware of it may I suggest that your informants only did half of the job otherwise you should have known that Thomas had been nothing but a bane to my existence from the first day we met."

"A bane? That's not a trivial world to use when talking about your brother-in-law." Changretta's fingers, adorned with sleek rings, tapped against the wooden counter as a clear manifestation of his suspicions.

"Well, he had tried to strangle me, then blamed me for his son's abduction, and also for his brother's death and now he is actively seeking to ruin my marriage. I think "bane" is an appropriate way to call him. Now," You said with a little wave of the hand, "if my offer doesn't stir your interest I'd rather leave." When you shifted your body to stand up, Luca's immense hand gently rested on yours to invite you to sit back. The striking temperature difference between his warm flesh and the iciness of your skin gave him sudden goosebumps. Once you did sit back, his unimpressed mask cracked and moved on to an amused and fascinated smile that danced on his thin lips. It was a heavily murderous speech for such a little thing. If it wasn't for the frost you were made of, you would have made him think of his own more fire-coded wife.

"Let me tell you something. My mother was a very patient woman you know?" He said out of the blue with a softer voice, "I've never heard her raise her voice during all my childhood except once. That was one of the many reasons she was a teacher every kid loved. When she did yell at me I was a kid and I just saw a magnificent creature in my nonna's garden. It was an albino ferret, the most beautiful animal I've ever encountered. Straight out of a fairy tale with fur as pure as freshly fallen snow and little beady eyes as red as precious rubies. Usually, wild animals are skippish but that little fella didn't move away when I approached it. It seemed so quiet and docile that I decided to pet it. And do you know what the ferret did?" Luca leaned over you at his question, his face closer to yours and his smirk stretching in an evil grin, "It bit me. That fucking vermin sunk its sharp teeth into my skin and gave me one nasty bite. I still have the scar carved deep in my flesh up to this day. A bite scar among the gunshots and stab wounds." He paused for a while, his green eyes momentarily dropping to your swollen lips and lingering on the white pearly fangs he could glimpse at when you "tsk" at him. The air suddenly crackled with a palpable tension that thickened with every second flying by. Each of his silences loudly echoed the rising intensity of the moment one of you would snap at the other. But it never happened, and the only thing Luca did was grin even more, his squinted eyes meeting yours again. "Should have known it though, this fucking sausage rat had a twisted something in its red eyes. The same vile and twisted something as you, Amore."

His words, coated with honey but cutting like razor blades, made the corner of your plum lips subtlety curl in a dangerous but brief smirk too at the realization that all the rumors surrounding the Italian were true: he was devilishly clever. Maybe that was why you didn't manage to completely hate him despite his horrible actions. While your dainty body, your small size, and the far-too-seraphic complexions of your face often misled people about the brutality that was coursing through your cursed veins and the sickening void of your coal-black pupils, Luca didn't fall for any of them. Not even the glittery makeup and your big round eyes could make him ignore the creepy murmurs of the underlying Devil living in you. After a brief and uncomfortable silence that seemed to last one awful eternity, you finally parted your lips.

"Let me tell you something too," Your voice was a gentle melody, "Arthur and John should have killed your mother." Each word flowed like a soft breeze, carrying a subtle allure that only enhanced the cruelty of their meaning. Your lack of consideration for potentially hurting his feelings had taken him aback. " But they decided to spare her despite Little King Shelby's ruthless order. They genuinely wanted to do it out of sheer compassion" You pursed your lips and backed up from Luca, rolling your eyes. "Fuckin' idiots, they should have killed her when they had the chance." The mobster quickly moistened his lips, the faint surprised expression on his face vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

"His ruthlessness was right." He agreed, "They should have." Luca concluded, yet elaborating an arrangement with you didn’t seem to be his top priority suddenly. The mobster already knew he would grant you your wishes, the idea of having direct access to Tommy was too alluring to resist after all. What he wanted at his precise moment was… Different. "You know, I don't fear being bitten anymore — the danger is a deliciously wicked part of the job I learned to accept and love. Considering this, Mrs, Shelby" He let his sentence hanged as he offered you the palm of his hand, long and bony fingers waiting for yours. "May I ask for a dance?" His eyes sparkled with an amusement that hinted at a hidden game, a dance of power between you and him. The seductive charm with which he invited you blurred the lines between rivalry and fascination.

"Do we have a deal?" You inquired with one brow raised, just to make sure he had taken notes of your terms.

"A deal for a dance." He slightly wiggled the fingers of his inviting hand. "Plus, you're already dancing with me in your own way."

A discreet and longer inhale escaped from your nostrils as you weighed the pros and cons but still you slipped your hand into his, which enveloped your skin with a tender strength. A little dance couldn't hurt anyone, you thought. Without further ado, Luca led the way to the dance floor as you both snaked in and out through the crowd until you reached a more spacious corner. It was the mafioso who initiated the dance. First, his grip strengthened around you: not to the extent of hurting you of course but definitely enough to make you understand that you were trapped. Then, his arm wrapped around your waist firmly like a snake. "Closer," He instructed and you obliged, taking a step toward him and placing your free upon his shoulder. After he set the rhythm, you started to move to the slow melody the orchestra was playing across the room. As the haunting music enveloped you, you moved in synchronized steps, your bodies entwined in a waltz that displayed outside tenderness while your eyes held a sharp glint of adversaries locked in an unspoken battle.

Come now, dance with me as the song plays.

With each twirl and turn, the odd and gripping tension you shared thickened, just like an intricate tango of conflicting emotions. As soft as the dance had started, it was gradually turning into a visceral yet elegant battlefield where intimidation and seduction engaged in a delicate but fierce fight.

Down down, dance with me stuck on replay.

Your heart leaped in your tight ribcage at a sudden dip, your hair hanging down like a silver cascade, and your gaze set on the golden sculpted ceiling that quickly flashed in front of your eyes before disappearing, replaced by Luca's intense green eyes again.

Down down, dance with me stuck on replay.

"Don't be shy Amore," He cooed with a charming wink before pulling you even closer to him until your body collided with his. You stopped breathing for a short moment, shutting your eyes when you realized that your face was almost nuzzled in the crook of his neck. In that fleeting moment, you relinquished a fraction of your resistance, swept away by the remote yet familiar feeling of letting someone guide you without any need to think— or maybe that was the sweet fragrance of his cologne which pleasantly tingled your nostrils that woke up memories anchored deep within your mind. From the way he moved to how he behaved, from the luxurious place to the languid melody of the piano, everything was bringing you years ago, back in the comforting arms of your first fiance.

And you hated how pleasant it felt. You viscerally hated it.

Both the song's tempo and Luca's steps fastened as he noticed the subtle change in your facial expression, slowly turning your graceful dance into a dizzying and confusing round. His piercing gaze bore into your soul, daring it to reveal its vulnerability. The room seemed to spin around you and yet, you clenched your jaw and forced yourself to maintain an unmoved facade. No. You wouldn't sink into melancholia. Gathering all your willpower, you chased away the panic that crept within you and felt a rush of anger toward Luca for daring to reopen an old wound you tried to heal every day of your life since you left France. And with anger came the end of your self-control.

To hell with Tommy's plan, you could put an end to this exhausting vendetta yourself by killing the infamous Luca Changretta right here, right now.

Guided by your murderous nature, you started to focus on his heartbeat as soon as you regained control of the dance, forcing him to slow down the pace. In a thorough study of his pulse, you could clearly hear the rhythmic thud of his heartbeat resounding in his chest, and even counted how many times it beat in one minute. And the more you listened to it, the more music faded away in the background.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Killing him would be a piece of cake considering the horrific magic that was coursing through your veins, the magic of blood and flesh. All you would have to do was accelerate his pulse until it became too much for his body to bear. In a minute, Luca would drop to the ground, limp and dead. No blood, no fight, just the sudden and inevitable consequences of a heart attack. Quite different from the gruesome and slow death you had wished to inflict upon Tommy the day he had crossed the line.

"You're a great dancer, Miss Shelby." The mobster stated, having no choice but to follow your slower pace. Now you were the one leading the dance, "Did your husband teach you? I must admit that I have all the trouble of the world imagining Arthur Shelby being good at waltzing." He had already trouble imagining how the most rabid of these Gypsy bastards could have pulled you, to be honest. His tastes regarding women might not encompass you but, God, he thought that your place wasn't beside a man like Arthur Shelby since you could easily be a trophy wife for a classy and far more powerful criminal. Or some blue blood, but these were the same except the latter legally robbed people.

"Arthur is far better at dancing than what he seems but it wasn't him who taught me." Your reply was sharper than intended.

Another dip, smoother this time.

"Another man?"

"Yes."

"So you've been married before." It wasn't a question, it was a statement for the mafioso had easily decypher your micro-expressions despite your best efforts to hide them.

"Engaged. We didn't make it to the actual wedding."

Kill him. Kill him now.

The fingers that were resting on his shoulder dug deeper into his jacket as you channeled the gift your mother had passed you the day of your birth. It could have gone unnoticed if you hadn't paid attention but Luca's eyebrows slightly frowned, not understanding why his heart had started racing like that all of sudden.

"That's a shame. And how does one lose a woman like you? If I had been him I would have rather locked you in the house than let you flee." Luca grinned, his charming voice steady but the way he clenched his jaw betrayed the building pain he was feeling in his chest. Men were all the same: too much ego to show that they were in distress.

"Well, that's how he lost a woman like me." No matter the exact nature of the impact your words had on him it did trigger something within his soul. On top of a literal ache in his heart, his wedding ring became suddenly heavier. In the dance's rhythmic embrace, your witchcraft went on with poisoning Luca's very core. Yet, as the enchantment unfolded, an unforeseen consequence took hold. The more you delved into your mystical powers, the more the mobster's pain echoed within your own body in an unexpected symbiosis. Except that it wasn't in the heart you suffered, but in the belly.

The baby.

You backed up from Luca with a movement so quick it looked like you had touched hot-red metal, hence putting an abrupt end to the dance. A discreet growl fell from the man's lips for when the physical contact broke his heart resumed to a normal pace and the pain mysteriously disappeared. As well as yours.

"Enough fun for tonight." You said with hast, and Luca hadn't the quick thinking to keep you from doing so — the odd and unpredictable behavior of his heart was too concerning for him to carry on with this odd meeting.

"Hm. Yeah, don't forget about our deal." He replied, smoothing the fold of his tailored suit before slowly and discreetly pressing the left side of his chest with the palm of his hand.

" And don't forget to send my regards to your wife Aurora, who seems to be exactly a woman like me." You spat one last taunt with the most polite smile you could make before turning your heels and leaving this damn room.

What the hell had just happened?

According to Tommy, everything went perfectly. Satisfied with the outcome of your mission — and genuinely surprised you hadn't fucked up everything by your rebellious attitude or just for the sheer satisfaction of getting under his skin —, the lead pack dog of the Peaky Blinders went on with the Vendetta. Actually, the one who fucked up the whole plan hadn't been you, but rather Tommy himself following the failure of his surprise attack against Luca. He might have killed a few Italians in the process, but his initial target was still alive and in very good health conditions. A flash of anger and frustration coursed through your body when he told the family about it: here you were back to the start, with Luca not willing to give you a second chance and being more enraged than he already was when he came to England. None of it would have happened if you had listened to your instincts and killed him yourself. Served you right for trusting Tommy's plan for once. And for being reluctant to use the monstrous magic nature gave you. But there had also been... Something else. That weird and unplanned pain in your belly when you had used your magic. With all of this, the cherry on the top was probably Tommy's decision to carry on with today's boxing fight despite it being an obviously awful idea but of course, no one listened to you. Why would they? Tommy always knew better. Tommy always won. Tommy this. Tommy that.

You sighed loudly as you walked through the empty corridor, the cacophony of the crowd turning into a hushed noise when you reached the huge squared mirror that was hanging from the wall. There were so many people gathered in the building that accessing the bathroom would have taken both your precious time and your thin tolerance to social events. That was why you decided to look for a mirror or a window further away to add a few late touches to your makeup as well as to rearrange your hair. You had just finished putting another layer of mascara on your Bambi lashes and grabbed your lip gloss when a gravelly and familiar voice resounded in the hallway.

“I went looking for you.” The voice made you instantly relax, its baritone lilt holding the unique power of blowing your troubles away, both the past and the present ones. With one small yet graceful spin, you turned around to meet Arthur’s slim silhouette that was standing in the doorway. His sharp face, usually displaying a strict look, soon turned soft at the sight of you about to apply gloss on your tantalizing lips, “I thought you’d be in here.”

"And you thought right." You replied with an enamored smile. Arthur was quite delighted by the boxing fight, so there was no need to impede his joy with your concerns. Moreover, he was surely the only thing that kept you anchored during this confusing and stressful period.

The gangster approached you with slow steps and his steel blue eyes shone brighter the more he closed the distance between you and him. “I knew it, always seeking quiet places before a party to doll you up and take a deep breath...” He concluded, visibly proud to display his infinite knowledge about his beloved wife, which made you melt. Then, he stopped right in front of you, "Got a lil' something for me angel." Arthur didn't leave you the time to wonder what it was all about for one of his large hands slipped from behind his back and pulled a white Azalea from it, “Look what I’ve found. Almost as beautiful as you, eh?” The way his face enlightened with the happiest and most genuine smile ever was something you never got bored of. Quite the contrary, it breathed life back into you each time. The ice of your eyes melted at such an endearing gift, turning your frozen traits into a child-like expression with your plump lips forming a silent ‘o’.

“For me? Really? Arthur, you shouldn't have!” You said with an excited but still quieter voice than his booming one. You couldn't believe he found the time to look for you in the middle of tonight's chaos.

"I wanted you to keep a little something with you in case you start panicking eh." He purred, low and gruff voice making his chest rumble. "Are you sure ya don't want me to stay with you?" You preyed the flower from his rough fingers delicately, actively trying not to break its fragile petals, and slipped it in your long silvery mane under your Arthur's tender gaze — he couldn’t help but smirk, enthralled by your beauty just like the first time he had met you, three years ago.

"We already talked about it. Go have fun alright? I'll stay with the women. Moreover, I know Tommy will ask you to stay near him and I'd rather avoid your boring brother, who can't crack a fucking smile for the life of his." You lift yourself on your tip toes to press a kiss on Arthur's jaw. His eyes half-closed at the silky sensation of your lips against his face.

"A very clever move that is. D'ya like the flower? The florist helped me, bet she took pity on me 'cos I looked very lost but she just made me even more confused with all the info she was dumping ay."

A sincere chuckle escaped from your throat at the thought of the lanky and rude gangster standing in the middle of a flower shop with a confused look on his face. Yup, it definitely sounded like something Arthur would do. “So how did you choose the Azalea?” You pondered with innocent curiosity.

“Well, I don't know jackshit about that flower language stuff. I only know roses and you hate ‘em.” He admitted with a smile, cupping your face with his two hands to lay a peck on your nose. As trivial as this detail was he still remembered it and the mix of attention paired with the significance behind your loathing for roses made you swell with love for him. It came even more surprising considering that you only told him about your dislike for roses once during one of the nightly walks you took around the church days after your first encounter. "So I just picked the one that made me think about ya the most, love." He admitted, his hands leaving your face to grip you by the hips bluntly as he peppered you with kisses. Another chuckle fell from your mouth at the tickle of his mustache against your skin.

"No, no, you'll ruin my makeup!" You playfully exclaimed. Trying to flee from his mouth, you tilted your head to the side and gave his stubbled cheek a gentle bite.

“Hey! I bring ye a flower and you thank me with a bite? Ye feral little thing!”

You gave him a second one without waiting for him to finish his sentence, "You're the one to blame. You’re so cute I just want to nibble you.” You replied, completely obliterating the remote noise as well as all the concerns you have been mulling over these past few days. Instead of anxiety, you were now possessed by joy and cuteness aggression, “I swear you look stupidly handsome.” You added with a pout, the target of your small bites shifting from his cheek to his sharp jaw. Arthur hummed, his lips sewn shut in a peaceful smile — he didn't even bother to flee from your teeth, "Alright, go find Tommy before I tear your suit apart."

"Wouldn't mind that, little one." His voice became raspier with anticipation. It seemed like your suggestion had already planted the seed of desire in his mind, for he already started pawing at your body. Nevertheless, your hands caught his wrists to keep him from doing so.

"No, no, no. My makeup is perfect and my dress too expensive for you to ruin it now." You reminded him with a soft laugh.

"Fuck me." The gangster complained but still obliged, keeping his hands to himself. However, the light mood was soon eroded by the question he didn't dare to ask you earlier. Caught in the weight of his demand, his smile dropped a little, "Eeer... Before I leave" He paused, "I wanted to ask you somethin'."

"Hm?"

Arthur let out a long sigh and looked for something inside the pocket of his trousers all the while rambling, "That's a rare occasion tonight. I mean, a good boxing fight with the new Gold lad I coach and an upcoming party that might last all night long y'know. A really great program that is. Exhausting too." His fingers nervously fidgeted with something inside his pocket. His usually relaxed demeanor was replaced by tense shoulders and furrowed brows. Despite his efforts to appear composed, the strain was palpable, lingering in the air as he gathered all his courage. It was after a long hesitation that he finally took a tiny blue vial out and the simple view of it turned your joyful face into deadly ice again.

"Are you serious?" Your voice, a freezing breeze, cut through the air with a stern cadence, "Are you fucking serious, Arthur William Shelby Jr?" Your grip around the small lip gloss you were holding strengthened so much that the skin of your knuckles whitened.

"Hey, that's okay love." Arthur leaned in close. With gentle eyes that mirrored his sincerity, he spoke softly, trying to convey reassurance in each word as your anger simmered. "I didn't take any of it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Nah. Told ya I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice." The gangster lowered his head just like a terrorizing but gentle mutt would do to show his submission, "I wanted to ask if ya allowed me to take some tonight? Ya told me I could if it remained occasional. Wasn't going to take it in your back, I swear." Wrapping yourself in threatening silence, you stood like a tempest in the quiet aftermath, your posture rigid with the echoes of anger. The storm in your eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a contemplative gaze that softened the hard expression of your seraphic face. As the storm clouds of your fury dispersed, a calm determination settled upon you instead. Arthur bit his lips, mustache twitching as he did so, for time seemed suspended as you collected your thoughts and tried to regain control over your fury. You breathed deep and slow while Arthur held his, awaiting your reply and wondering if your reaction would be born from the storm or from the calm eye at its center.

"Give." You said, your melodious and quiet voice breaking the silence, then you snatched the bottle from his hand. Quickly looking to your left and then to your right to make sure no one could interrupt you, you first opened the lipgloss and proceeded to pour the white powder inside your makeup vial. Once this was done, you handed back the empty blue bottle to Arthur and mixed the cocaine with your lipgloss with the help of the small brush, "I have to admit that you're making a great deal of effort. Thank you for asking, I really... Appreciate it." The gangster stood silent and dumbstruck, wondering what the hell you could be doing. "And I did say you could take some snow occasionally." You brought the brush to your lips and carefully applied a great amount of the glistening liquid on your flesh. "So yes, you can take snow tonight... But you'll have to lick it from my lips so that when you kiss me you think I'm God." You smooched your lips together and then smiled, a wicked and tantalizing smirk that sent a sudden wave of fever through his whole being. Arthur swallowed, his gaze fixed upon the enticing curve of your lips. In the stillness of the moment, desire stirred within him, a smoldering ember ignited by the mere sight of you mixed with the sinful words you just spoke. His breath caught in his throat as he watched the subtle movements of your mouth, each gesture a silent invitation that beckoned him closer.

"I already do." He breathed with a low growl, his fervid passion turning his lean body into a shaky mess. With each passing second, the intensity of his longing grew, consuming him in a fiery embrace. His heart pounded in his chest, every fiber of his being yearned to bridge the distance between you, to taste the sweet and spice that lingered on your lips. With no more persuading needed, Arthur grabbed your face rough and let his mouth collide with yours, the kiss as brutal as a car crash. His scorching and rapid breath fanned over your skin as he licked your lips from the right corner to the left, the caress of his warm tongue making you moan against his wet flesh. Caught in the fire of desire — and definitely aroused by his carelessness— your trembling hands found rest upon his back, your nails digging into the expensive fabric of his jacket. An immediate wave of euphoria unfurled in his brain when the cocaine saturated his synapses. As needful moans raised in the corridor, Arthur couldn't tell if that was the drug or you that kickstarted his heart and dilated his pupils, but in any case, he was experiencing the most exquisite high he had ever had.

"Fuck." Arthur grunted with pleasure and gave several other licks until none of your gloss remained, then his tongue forced its way between your lips, not minding whether you had time to catch your breath or not because you were the real drug in the end. His deepest and most maddening addiction. "A fookin" Goddess you are hm."

"Arthur, Tommy's looking for—" Johnny Dog didn't finish his sentence, eyes wide open. " I just interrupted something right?" He finally blurted out, the initial shock of walking into such a steamy scene turning into the most annoying smile ever.

"Yeah, yeah Tommy. Alright." He repeated as he tried to break from the haziness. Arthur grunted, his lips still a few inches away from yours and your erratic breath melting together. Giving him one last peck —far more delicate than what you were doing one minute ago— you mouthed a silent "go" and forced yourself to resist the attraction of the invisible magnet that was inevitably pulling you towards the lanky criminal. "Alright!" Arthur roared when he turned back to you, clasping his hands together and walking to Johnny Dog with a carnivorous grin and dilated pupils. The Lee man slapped the eldest Shelby brother's back and, right before he go, shot you a little wink.

Their voices could still be heard when they walked away.

"Gonna wait a bit longer before getting your dick wet, boy."

"Shut the fuck up you fookin' cunt ay and let's watch the fight. I'm feeling bloodthirsty eh."

Three bodies lay strewn like discarded puppets, their lifeless forms twisted and broken on the blood-flown concrete floor. The once clean backroom had transformed into a nightmare realm of gore and horror that made Tommy's stomach turn upside-down.

"Oh my God. Oh my fucking God — Arthur!"

Amidst the chaos, where the air hung heavy with the acrid and disgusting scent of blood, Tommy's screams echoed far away in the distance as you knelt there, eyes wide open and silent tears streaming down your cheeks, mixed with dark trails of ruined mascara.

"Arthur!"

You let out a muffled whimper, or at least you thought you did as your senses drowned in a deafening symphony of tinnitus, a relentless ringing that echoed in the hollow caverns of your mind. With each pulse of your heart, the sound intensified, threatening to consume the last remnant of sanity you had left. The world around you had seemed to fade into obscurity, your sight blurry and reduced to only one color: red. Vibrant red splattered everywhere, on the walls, and yourself but most of it was on the floor. In fact, the ground itself seemed to writhe beneath the weight of the corpses, as crimson rivers flowed freely, painting the concrete in shades of crimson that gleamed like freshly spilled paint.

"Oh lord please help us, oh Lord, oh Lord..." Polly cried, horrified by the bloodbath as well as by the sight of you clinging to Arthur's limp body. She had already lost one of her nephews and couldn't bear the weight of losing another one. Not her sweet Arthur. Not him, "Heaven!" She called, grabbing your shoulder and shaking you but all you did was scream. A haunting and otherworldly scream which pierced the darkness. A sound so agonizing and inhumane that it seemed to tear at the very fabric of existence. It echoed across the building, carrying with it the weight indescribable of sorrow and despair as your arms tightened your grip around your dying husband.

The tall Italian man twitching on the ground, choking in his own blood, should have been proud of his successful attack on the eldest Shelby brother. And yet, all he could do was stare at you horrified, his eyes reflecting the terror of his soul.

"D— Diàvulu..." He mouthed, as death came like the most wonderful relief, bringing his sinner soul far away from you, for even in Hell he'd feel safer.

Anywhere, as long as you weren't there.

✞ Any comment, review, reblog, or constructive criticism is welcome. Your reactions really motivate me and keep me alive, so please don't be shy. English is not my first language. gif by the wonderful @alicent-targaryen.

✞ Taglist: @adaydreamaway08 @theshelbyclan @jomarch-wannabe @esposadomd @woofgocows @anathemasworld @anastasia000 @kate654 @kxnnxy @babayaga67 @meowtastick @shelbyssins @sarai-ibn-la-ahad @bluevenus19 @raincoffeeandfandoms @kishie8 @zablife @alexandra-001 @dearshelby @alexizodd @helen06dreamer @kmc1989 @emotionalcadaver @peakyswritings @peakyltd @chaosinkest1996 @vanhelsingsbigtoe @cherubswhispers

#Arthur Shelby #Arthur Shelby x Reader #Peaky Blinders #Peaky Blinders imagine #Tommy Shelby #Tommy Shelby x reader #Arthur Shelby x oc #Paul Anderson #Heaven Shelby #Peaky blinders oc #John Shelby #Polly Gray #Luca Changretta #Luca Changretta x Reader #Arthur SHelby imagine

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stvharrngton · 1 year

Text

a lesson in romantics; lesson one

summary: a multi-part series where reader is the new art teacher at hawkins high and the history teacher, mr. harrington, takes a shine to the new girl. mutual pining ensues on their road to love 🥀

a/n: so here's the first part to the series! i hope you all enjoy <3 it takes place in the early 90s where steve and reader are in their mid-late twenties. disclaimer: i have very limited knowledge on the american school systems or how they work lmao so i'm sorry if it comes across as british-y sometimes but i'll do my best to be as authentic as possible :^) also special shoutout to @inkluvs who originally gave me this idea 1635272 years ago and @onceuponaoneshot who inspired me to actually start writing it hehe

characters: steve harrington x fem!reader, robin buckley

word count: 1.3k

warnings: none, just some introductory stuff, steve being a flirt

taglist: @inkluvs @dukesmebby @sweetbabygirlsworld @kennedy-brooke

SERIES MASTERLIST

HAWKINS, FALL, 1992

September. Fall semester.

A new town. A new school.

Hawkins’ newest resident and Hawkins High newest teacher. You’d spent the last month settling into your new home - a small apartment, nothing extravagant but it was enough for you.

You looked forward to the new start, to get back into the classroom. You loved to teach but the prospect of a new bunch of kids always made you a little nervous.

Making your way into the teacher’s lounge, you quietly said your hello’s to the fellow teachers you had met at orientation a couple days earlier. You silently went about making your morning coffee when a bickering pair burst through the door, a petite girl with a dirty blonde bob who you vaguely recognised as the music teacher and a taller guy, with pretty brown hair and a patterned tie slung around his neck.

You caught his eye as you turned to see the source of the disturbance, a soft but cheeky smile donning his lips. He struggled to keep up whatever conversation he was having with the girl he strolled in with as he finally tore his eyes away from you.

The blonde followed his eyeline to you, she smirked followed by a roll of her eyes. She swatted your mystery co-worker on the chest, followed by a hushed, “Steve! Are you even listening to me?”

He wasn’t. She knew he wasn’t. But at least your mystery co-worker had a name now.

Steve. It suited him.

“You’re such a boy.” She groaned, waving him off before going off the mingle with some of the other teachers.

Steve responded with a laugh as he swanned his way over to the kitchenette where you were stood. “First day?” he asked calmly as he grabbed his regular mug from the cupboard above your head.

“Oh, uh, yeah—“ you stammered, caught a little off guard.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, “I never even introduced myself. I’m Mr. Harrington. History.” He said with much more candor, holding his hand out for you to shake.

You accepted the hand shake, making a mental note at how much bigger his hand was than yours. “I teach art.” You said, after telling him your own name, “Am I supposed to call you Mr. Harrington, then?”

Any confidence and swagger he was sporting crumbled, his cheeks flushed with a pink tinge, “I’m such an idiot,” he confessed with a chuckle, fingers combing through that pretty brunette hair, “I’m Steve. You can call me Steve.”

“Nice to meet you, Steve.” You grinned, a toothy smile that made Steve’s heart thump in his chest. A smile he would be thinking about for days to come.

“Well, I better get going. Minds of the youth to shape and all that but I’ll see you around, yeah?” Steve said, grabbing his coffee cup as he gestured to the door that led to the school halls.

“Sure,” you nodded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear, grabbing your own warm flask. You couldn’t help but let your tummy go all fuzzy at Steve’s kindness, a smile creeping its way onto your lips.

“Have a good first day, newbie.” Steve joked with a wink before he called out to his friend as he walked out the door, “Buckley! Are you coming or what?”

“You’re crushing on the new art teacher, aren’t you?” Robin blurted out.

Steve cursed his best friend under his breath, thanking whatever God was up there that school was yet to start and the hallways were empty.

“I’m in my late twenties Robin, I don’t get crushes.” Steve waved her off, “I mean, sure, she’s pretty cute but besides, we’ve only exchanged two sentences.”

“Oh, come on, Harrington!” Robin chortled, hand on her stomach as she bellowed in the hallway, “That has never stopped you before.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” Steve hushed the girl with a roll of his eyes, “anyway, why didn’t you say hi to her? Not very nice of you, Buckley.”

Steve desperately tried to get the attention off of himself, his free hand perched on his hip as he brought his mug of coffee to his lips. His eyes narrowed at Robin over the rim. Like always though, it never worked. His friend far too persistent for his liking.

“Because, dingus,” her tone exasperated now, “I met her at orientation. You know, the thing you didn’t bother showing up for?”

They arrived at the door to Steve’s classroom which was one block over from Robin’s. He groaned audibly at Robin’s comment, “Come on, Robs! I told you I had a migraine,” he muttered as he fished his keys from his pocket, “you know, years of head trauma takes a toll on the ol’ noggin.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she began to turn on her heel to make her way to her own classroom, “it was your loss anyway, Stevie,” Robin teased, a playful undertone to her voice, “‘cause she looked way cuter the other day.”

Steve scoffed at the younger girl, simply not giving her a response, before he closed his classroom door behind him. He slumped in his desk chair as he wondered to himself how he was going to get through the day without his thoughts trailing to you and your smile.

You’d never been so glad to hear the bell ring in your life. You enjoyed your first day, sure, but it was a little overwhelming to say the least. A lot of new faces and names to learn and remember, a thick new syllabus you had to preach to these kids.

A sigh of relief fell from your lips as you gathered your things and locked your classroom door behind you. As you made your way towards the teachers parking lot, you dug through your purse for your car keys as you fell face first into someone’s firm body.

It was like a scene out of a movie. The papers and books that were clutched in your arms went flying across the hallway, your purse and the contents of it spilled all over the floor. A total cliche.

A string of curses tumbled from your lips as you apologised over and over to whoever it was you bumped into. You both knelt to the ground to gather your things when you finally looked into the eyes of who it was.

A pretty set of brown eyes were staring back at you with a coy smile on the lips of their owner. You could only laugh back at him.

Of course it was Steve.

“I’m sorry,” you giggled, scooping up the stray papers, “I’m a total klutz.”

“Don’t sweat it,” he reassured you, handing you back what he had gathered of yours, “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Right.” You nodded.

You stood back up, papers and car keys safely in hand now. Steve placed his hand on your shoulder, giving you a light squeeze, “You good?”

Plunging the butterflies in your stomach back down to their depths, you squeaked out a reply, “Yeah, yes. Thank you for not getting mad at me.”

“You kidding?” Steve asked all shocked, tone light and playful, “Can’t get mad at the new girl on her first day. That wouldn’t be very ‘nice and welcoming co-worker’ of me, would it?”

You giggled as you nodded, eyes darting to the floor, unable to meet Steve’s inviting gaze. You gestured to the nearby door with your car keys in hand, “Well, I better get going.”

“Oh! Right, yeah, of course—“ Steve stuttered, waving you off as you made your way to the door, “Hey! A bunch of us get together at a bar downtown after the first Friday of the semester if you wanna join us?”

“Oh, um,” you pondered, “I guess that could be fun.”

“Great,” Steve spoke, “I’ll get you the address. See you tomorrow?”

You nodded as you felt a blush creep on your cheeks. It wasn’t a date. It was not a date, you knew that, but you couldn’t help but wonder what Mr. Harrington would look like in casual clothes.

“You betcha.”

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington oneshot #stranger things fanfiction #teacher!steve #alir #k.fic

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bonafideyapper · 5 months

Text

THE TRADER'S DAUGHTER - cooper "the ghoul" howard x female!oc (part 3)

Warnings: weird age gap (Daisy is mid-20s, Cooper is…upwards of 200.); drug use (mentions of weed); mentions of alcohol use; badly written almost-smut; dbf!cooper (and as always, proofread to the best of my ability)

(This part takes place immediately following part 1, expect this series to be present/past/present/past)

part 1 part 2 masterlist

my requests are open!

As Daisy finished locking up the shop for the night, her mind lingered on the ghoul that sat upstairs with her father. Other than the obvious inappropriate thoughts about Cooper, she was looking forward to sitting and listening to his stories again. Forever the storyteller, Cooper could have her hooked for hours.

Securing the bolts on the door and taking the more valuable items with her upstairs, she met up with the two men in their living space. Coop had made himself comfortable by now, his hat off and sitting on the table as a sign of respect towards his hosts. Daisy took notice of the way his shoulders were tensed despite being in a safe space, coming up with a plan to help him… loosen up. The two men were trapped in a debate about who was the better shot when the girl walked in, and Cooper immediately took the chance to get a second opinion.

“Daisy, settle this debate we’re havin’ here. Your old man is sayin’ that he’s a better shot than I am, what do you think of that?” Cooper leaned back in his seat, the cup of whiskey held loosely in his hand as he trained his eyes on the woman.

Daisy flashed him a smirk and shrugged as she locked away their cap stash, tucking the key back in a safe space on her person. “Well I dunno, I think Coop’s a pretty good shot, dad.” She came over to the table and grabbed the cup from Cooper’s grasp, finishing the dark liquor in one smooth shot.

“I think I’m the better shot out of the three of us, though.” Daisy winked at Cooper and set the cup back down on the table.

“Damn, Daze, no vote of confidence for your own father?” Josiah stared at his daughter in fake shock, leaning forward to refill the empty cup for his friend before setting the near-empty bottle back on the table. Josiah had been saving that bottle for a long time, waiting for the right time to open it and celebrate something. Now was as good a time as any, seeing as how Cooper had made his way back to their corner of the universe in one piece.

Cooper watched the girl take the liquor down like it was nothing, not even the slightest grimace across her face as the burn slid down her throat. He had gotten tougher in the wasteland, but it was becoming clear that she, too, had gone through some things to conform herself to survive the world around her.

“Nope, I know for a fact I’m better than you, dad.” Daisy grinned as she pulled up a chair to the table, sitting down and reaching for the pack of cigarettes lying on the table. She rolled her own much of the time, and made pretty great money on the side by selling special hand-rolled cigarettes. She had found a dealer that specialized in old-world drugs like marijuana and tobacco, so she took whatever she could get. Daisy put the small stick between her lips and lit a match, holding the flame to the end and inhaling slowly to get the effects of the drug within.

“When’d you pick that up?” Cooper nudged her arm with his cup, gesturing towards the smoking cigar between her pretty little fingers. “Never picked you to be the smokin’ type, darlin’.”

Daisy would be lying if that little old nickname didn’t make her stomach ache with want as it slipped from the ghoul’s mouth, pretending like it had no effect on her as she took a drag from the joint. “I dunno, couple years ago I guess? Helps me sleep at night.” She joked, which wasn’t a full lie. Sometimes she smoked to help herself sleep, but a lot of the time she smoked to cope with the reality they lived in. Whatever, made her some extra caps on the side.

The three sat around the table until well into the night, only dissolving when Josiah spoke up and said he was headed to bed. He bid Cooper a goodnight and leaned down to kiss his Daisy on her head before he disappeared into his bedroom.

Cooper turned his attention to his little flower when he heard Josiah’s door latch shut, a smirk on his face as he watched her. “You’ve grown up a whole lot since the last time I seen you.” He emphasized his words, letting his eyes wander down to her chest again. Oh how he wished he could get her out of that thin tank top and godforsaken jeans, to show her what a real man was like.

“I guess I have, huh?” Daisy licked her lips as she tapped her second joint out in her ashtray, the motion like second nature to her as she never took her eyes off of the ghoul.

“Mhmm, I remember you bein’ a chubby little kid, wild as a June bug on a string.” Cooper moved his eyes over her body, smirking at the confused look on her face at the unfamiliar comment. Before she could open her mouth to inquire about the foreign insect, he was leaning into her space, close enough to hear her heartbeat in the quiet room.

“You’re a mighty fine lookin’ woman, now, little flower.” Cooper moved in to whisper in her ear, noticing how the girl had essentially stopped breathing. He watched as a bead of sweat dripped lower, lower, lower, until it disappeared into the space between her breasts. There was nothing stopping him from reaching out to her, putting his mouth against her smooth, delicate skin and licking the trail of sweat up to her neck. Nothing preventing him from putting his rough hands all over her tanned skin, nothing stopping him from bending her over the table in front of him.

Nothing except her father, and his closest friend, in the next room.

Daisy felt her cheeks go scarlet at the closeness of his body to hers, wanting nothing more than to jump the ghoul’s bones. “Come on, Coop, you ain’t even seen me since I was a kid-” she tried to argue, although she was beyond thrilled to find out he was just as attracted to her as she was to him. “Ain’t I a little young for you?” She looked up at him with those big ol’ chocolate eyes of hers, the words hanging in the air between them.

“Darlin’, I think any woman I meet up here might be a lil’ bit outta my age range.” Cooper snorted as he pulled away before he could really touch her the way he had been craving since the moment he saw her all grown up. He hadn’t been with a woman in a mighty long time, but he felt like he was on the verge of going feral when Daisy laid her eyes on him. He was itchin’ to put his hand on her thigh, wanting to see the way her eyes fluttered closed at the intimate touch. He wanted to slide his hand up her thigh, wanted to brush his fingers over that sweet spot that she’d be begging him to finally touch.

“You’re like a tall drink o’ water, and sweetheart, I’m just dyin’ of thirst.” Cooper moved back to whisper in her ear, smirking as he trailed his lips over the shell of her ear.

Daisy wasn’t a virgin, by any means. She had fooled around with many of the teenage boys that had presented themselves to her in her youth, but she hadn’t spent any time with a man since she was in her teens. At this moment, however, she was almost ashamed to admit that her body was reacting as if she had never been touched before. Her thighs clenched together to try and quell the ache between her legs, her hand reaching over to grab his as though she could read his mind while she put his large palm on her leg.

“Ohh, ya want me to touch ya, huh?” Cooper spoke in a hushed tone so as to not alert to her father in the next room what was about to happen. “What happened to you’re too young for me?” He squeezed her thigh with a strong grip, a wide grin coming to his face as he coaxed her thighs open.

“Coop, I-” Daisy breathlessly whispered, overwhelmed by the man and his voice and his hands. Lord have mercy, his hands, those hands that she had dreamed about touching her in ways that would make angels cry. The hands that had strangled a man to death for threatening her.

“I want you to touch me.”

a/n: Hello ghoulfuckers! There’s no smut YET but I promise it’s coming. This is the first part I’m posting on my new blog (find part 1 and 2 on my old blog) – Wanted to get something out to make sure people follow here instead of @sixx-sixx-sixx

taglist: @savanahc @one-of-thewalkingdead @silverose365 @neverendingdumptser

#ren writes #cooper howard x oc #cooper howard imagine #cooper howard fanfiction #the ghoul x reader #the ghoul x oc #fallout imagine #fallout fanfiction #fallout oc #cooper howard x reader #the trader's daughter #dividers by cafekitsune

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chuuyrr · 1 year

Text

every dead-end street

bungo stray dogs x scarlet witch! reader

masterlist of the series

╰➤ CW(s): spoilers for bsd, slight hurt/angst, fluff ending

╰➤ PAIRING(s): dazai osamu

╰➤ SYNOPSIS: every dead-end street led you straight to him, or in which you, the scarlet witch of the port mafia, fall in love with dazai osamu despite everything.

╰➤ SONG SUGGESTION(s): all of the girls you loved before

since then, nothing has changed for you. in fact you always found yourself at a dead-end street.

even if your position as the harbinger of chaos and the scarlet witch of the port mafia, together with your talents and gifts have shaped you into who you are.

all you could see was darkness, pitch black, a bitter ending, but only until you met someone with whom you could share that darkness.

dazai osamu—the demon prodigy and the port mafia's youngest executive, having already held such a position at such a young age.

a young boy who has veiled himself in darkness, living a life of death and carnage, similar to how you have lived your life since then, but his blood was thicker and deeper, fully black, whereas yours was still red.

you've always known about him because of the prestigious rank he holds, which is far greater than yours, and the whispers and gossip about him. you weren't deaf or blind.

mori constantly talked about him whenever he could, and given your ability to see into people's thoughts and read minds, you had long seen through that mask of his; of how much more of a demon he is than a human, and of how little he cared about life and morality.

you were well aware of how twisted and cruel dazai was, as well as the innumerable hearts and bones he had broken with sadistic scrutiny.

and yet, you just found it odd how someone like dazai appears to be none of those things at all whenever he came to visit you in your little office, which was either to whine and complain to you about his partner, nakahara chuuya, or mori.

"here again for the third time today?"

you furrowed your brow, looking up from the materials you were reading as you hover in mid-air, your red psionics raising you along with some papers in the air, "you do realize i'm busy, right?"

"of course i'm here again, and i know that! that hat rack is annoying!" dazai grumbled childishly with folded arms and a pout, "are you sure you can't hex him just a little bit with those wiggly-woos of yours, [name]-chan?"

"no," you replied, now focusing on the documents you had with you as well as some other data and no longer gazing at dazai, "you know damn well my ability isn't for fun."

"not even if i give you my black card?" dazai smirked evilly as he waved his card, "don't you want to see the chibi suffer as much as i do?"

you twitched your fingers, taking the black card he was holding out to you with your red psionics, to which dazai's face brightened up, only for it to scrunch up as he let out a little "ow!" when you flicked the black card to his face along with a crumpled up paper.

given dazai's reputation, which you were aware of, you just ignored him. you merely stayed kind yet also aloof with him, which was difficult given how he kept coming back to you again and again, especially late at night, and often he would stay.

"do you even sleep at all?" asked the boy dressed in black and bandages as he entered your place this time, which was not far from your office in the headquarters, to find you still working on something despite the fact that it was late.

"if i was, then i would be asleep right now, genius," you groaned as you shook your head and interlaced your fingers, tugging at his hair with your red psionics.

"ow! you're such a meanie, [name]-chan!" dazai grumbled as he massaged his hair, "and here i was with drinks for two. you know, sometimes i wish i could nullify your "wiggly-woos" just because."

"quit whining and just sit down," you chuckled as you patted the empty seat on your sofa next to you, which he softly smiled at and sat down as he showed you the plastic bag of ice cold beers and food he had.

you two would then drink, eat, and talk about whatever came to mind, whether it was about your assignments, random thoughts on things like stars and plants, dazai's rants and complaints about his partner, chuuya, and his subordinates being idiots, and his failed attempts to get with other girls.

but then, dazai would already be gone when you woke up in the morning, may it be when you're on the sofa or in your own bed.

and eventually, dazai did stop coming back to you at the age of eighteen, and it was fairly literally speaking, given how he left the port mafia some time after sakaguchi ango's defection and the death of oda sakunosuke.

another dead-end street for you again.

you didn't care, and you wished you didn't, especially when you see him resurface in public as a member of the armed detective agency, not as the demon prodigy or a port mafia executive.

it was very amusing to say the least how quickly dazai seemed to turn over a new leaf, but in reality, you know you can do the same because you can alter reality if you so desire given your talent.

but, unlike dazai, you chose to remain in the midst of the slaughter, death, and the deepest depths of your heart, while he basked in the light that he seemed to have discovered and was now chasing following those happenings two years ago.

indeed, seeing dazai interact with his colleagues and be a lot more comedic and now intent on finding a lover to do an attempt with, you weren't exactly surprised given the amount of women he had but has left crying before, hence chuuya's previous comment of him being an enemy of women, even way back when he was still in the port mafia.

but then again, you didn't care, and shouldn't.

all those times dazai would stay late at night with you in your office, just talking to you about whatever, occasionally with the flirting and poking fun of your wiggly-woos, or whenever you were assigned together by mori, or even the times when you snuck out together from the mafia, holding hands, and killing time like the teenagers you guys were supposed to he.

you just couldn’t love dazai even if your heart said otherwise and hoped that he could have asked you to come with him that day before he left, and if he really did love you, he would have come back for you too, right?

you haven't had a drink in ginza, tokyo in over two years. you weren't a big drinker, but tonight felt like a good time. as you went down the flight of steps, you were greeted by a quiet, inconspicuous badger's nest packed with a counter, stools, empty bottles stacked up against the wall, taciturn regulars, and a bartender wearing a scarlet vest.

"ah, [surname]-sama. it's been a while. will you have the usual?" the bartender inquired as you sat down on one of the stools.

"i told you, just [name] would be fine," you chuckled quietly, shaking your head as your gaze flitted to the bartender, "but yes, the usual, please."

"very well, [name]-san."

you observed the bartender nod and make your drink. you sighed to yourself as you removed your red coat and bundled it nicely on your lap, clasping your fists together and resting your chin on your knuckles with your elbows placed on the bar table.

"looks like you never changed your taste for drinks at all," a familiar voice said, followed by the clinking of ice against glass as the seat beside you was occupied.

you didn't dare turn your head but a small smile tugged on your lips, "are you waiting for someone?"

he is silent for a moment before a smile pulls on his lips, a smile that didn't appear to change, just like your drink preferences didn't.

"yeah, you."

a surprised expression writes across your face, but it immediately fades. after a brief moment of chewing your bottom lip, you finally turned your head and stared at dazai osamu for what seemed like an eternity.

there he was again, there in front of you, dressed in a long brown coat instead of black, his black tie replaced with a bolo tie, and the rest of his garments a much lighter brown color, similar to oda sakunosuke.

dazai was no longer eighteen just like you, much taller than you, and had already lost the bandages and dark film over his eyes, though it was still there if you looked and dug deep enough with your ability as the scarlet witch.

"why?" you questioned, tilting your head and staring deeply into his eyes.

"because i want you to leave the mafia," dazai explained almost immediately before downing his beer, "you don't belong there."

"of course, i don't," you said, a little amused by his statements, "i know that very well."

"so, why stay there?" dazai asked, still maintaining eye-contact with you as the bartender placed down your drink in front of him.

"because i have nowhere to go, and besides, it's for the better," you stated as you stared down at your cocktail with a small sigh.

"but you can change that," dazai muttered.

"you need something from me, don't you?" you shook your head, a faint crimson glow apparent in your [color] eyes as you sipped your drink, "name it already. you know i don't like beating around the bush, dazai."

"i do need something from you," dazai said in a matter of factly manner, "i need you."

"how many women have you asked that question with, dazai?" you laughed, shaking your head, "i bet all of the girls you loved before are laughing."

"i'm not asking to die with you. i want to be with you, [surname] [name]."

"but why only now? what took you so long?"

"well, i'm asking now aren't i?"

following that exchange, there was silence between the two of you. you both held your breath while staring at each other, peering into each other's souls.

"i love you, and, yes, i know. i should have asked you to run away with me way back then," dazai said in a softer tone now, his hand slowly reaching yours, him giving it a squeeze when you don't pull it back, "and you're wrong. you're the only one i've ever loved like this at all and came back to. this, i swear upon my life."

you knew you and dazai were parallel lines, with the same past, and perhaps the stars did align tonight as they intertwined.

love. it's a foreign word to you.

with losing people being something that has always been a part of you like a curse, your fate of never knowing love was sealed the moment you lost your parents to a bombing, followed by your twin brother, and it was a curse you welcomed with open arms—a dead-street that you always seem to find yourself going into.

so you basked in the darkness of the lack of love, loneliness, blood, and death that has surrounded and been a part of you since you were a child, even more so when the port mafia took you in, particularly mori ougai given your ability to manipulate reality and psionic energy—a weapon he could harness for the port mafia's own good and cause chaos and destruction upon its enemies.

but this time, everything was different.

all you could hear and see in dazai's mind were memories he had of you, all of it from his perspective, from the moment he met you through the times you spent together before he left, and lastly, you being with him now, right to this minute.

it was right there; love, and every dead-end street led him straight to you, just as it had done for you.

you closed your eyes after witnessing everything, reliving it all with the power you were cursed and graced with, and sighed, a smile tugging on your lips, "i would have said yes if you had just asked me, dazai."

i love you more. that's what it actually was in between those lines you uttered, and catching that on, dazai's brown eyes twinkled with hope.

"i'm sorry to have kept you waiting, my love," he said softly with an even more tender and endearing smile, "but i'm here now, here to stay and get you out of there, okay?"

[ author's notes ! this wasn't a request but something that i wrote while listening to taylor swift's lover album in the middle of the night, particularly all of the girls you loved before, along with cruel summer and afterglow.

tbh, i think my writing for this one is kinda messy ngl, but hopefully it's okay-ish, because i kinda didn't know exactly what i was going for, but lmk what ya'll think (_ _ ") ... !!! ]

[ join my taglist, perhaps ? @atomi-mi @anonymousewrites @magpiemissy @anqelically @96jnie @lovesick-fairy @soleelia @celestair @irethepotato @idunnomynamesince2005 @nianre @sigmasdarling @lenasvoid @achlysyo @youdidntseemehere21 ]

#dazai x reader #bsd x reader #dazai osamu x reader #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader #bsd imagines #bsd scenarios #bsd oneshot #bsd dazai #bsd x y/n #bsd x you #dazai osamu x y/n #dazai osamu x you #dazai x you #dazai x y/n #port mafia dazai #pm dazai #dazai fluff #dazai angst

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ragzonacamrencruise · 5 months

Note

Azutara bending swap?

hehehehe i got it.

okie hear meowt-

Aang didn't know what to think of this at all. Here's Sokka and Toph explaining their 'excellent' plan that Aang sure knows can be done successfully. But the reaction they might get out of this could be deadly.

"I- I donno, Sokka. This could be dangerous." Aang hesitates. "I've never tried it before-"

Sokka interjects. "There's always a first time for everything. And besides, they wouldn't even know what hit 'em! See, all you have to do is . . ."

And so, that night, when the complete Gaang had finally fallen asleep around their makeshift campsite in their respective tents, Sokka wakes up Aang to carry out their mission. It's very simple in Sokka's head, but it's Aang who's sweating under his knees trying not think of what might happen if-

"Shhh." Sokka holds a finger up his lips. "We need to be sleek and stealthy." He guides them through the soft grass, trying not to make a sound.

Aang cannot help but shiver. Sokka has a brilliant mind. But sometimes, just sometimes, it comes up with shitty ideas like this one and Aang cannot help but follow through with them. Call it brotherly love, or genuine curiosity, it doesn't matter.

Sokka suddenly stops before a blue tent. "I'll go and check if she's asleep. Wait for my signal, and then you can come in and do your thing." He disappears quietly inside the tent.

Aang waits patiently for what feels like an eternity but he knows it's only been a few seconds. He jumps out of his skin in jitters when Sokka's head peeks out again. "We're on."

Aang gulps, stepping inside the tent slowly. It's dark inside but he can fairly make out a figure wrapped in blankets, sound asleep. Katara's figure.

He moves near her with surprising speed, suddenly filled with the urge to get this over quickly. He kneels down before placing one thumb on Katara's forehead gently and the other thumb on her chest wrapped in blanket.

A blinding bluish glow fills up the tent before dying down as quickly as it came.

Aang then repeats the process, and this time, an orange glow fills up the tent and dies down again. When Aang opens his eyes, Katara's still sleeping like a log, exhausted from the day's work and training.

One down, one to go.

---

Aang has always been an early bird. But today, he doesn't wanna wake up. Or at least, doesn't wanna sit up and join the others. He's been up all night anyways. Although, he can hear everything that's happening around the camp as clearly as a spirit lake.

That is, Sokka screaming his lungs out. "ZUKO! I CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE FIRE GOING FOR BREAKFAST!! WAKE YOUR LAZY ASS UP AND FIREBEND!!!!"

Aang knows Zuko's still in bed like an old lady. But what he didn't expect is to hear Azula's voice.

"I can help with that." She says smugly.

Aang peeps one eye open, not wanting to miss out on the fun but at the same time, not wanting to get caught in crossfire when things go south too.

Sokka gives her a knowing smirk. "Sure you can." He says sarcastically.

"Now, now, Sokka. Is this how you treat a Fire Princess who's trying to become go- GOO-" She chokes on the word. "God damn it! I can't even say the word!!"

"Well, if you insist . . ." Sokka trails off before standing up and moving aside.

Azula takes a deep breath calming her posture. But it really seems like Aang is the one who's supposed to be taking deep breaths cuz he fears after a minute, these are going to be his final.

When the Fire Princess jumps high, spinning mid-air to deliver a perfectly executed firebending kick, a hugh blob of water appears out of no where, and splashes on the firewood stacked under the pot meant for breakfast, drenching it wet. The force of the splash is so high, Azula gets drenched as well, following Sokka, who's jaw is practically on the floor by now.

Azula is the first to come to her senses. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Aang notices Toph's face turn red as she's trying to hold in her laughter. Azula, not believing her eyes, demonstrates a series of double-punches, all of which results in blobs of water splashing this way and that, hitting every single person present on site.

"What's going on here?!" Katara walks in, carrying another bout of firewood, before getting hit by a water whip straight to her face. "OW!"

Katara looks all around, amazed. Isn't she the only waterbender in their Gaang?! Then who hit her?! Then she takes in the scene before her, mouth slowly falling agape.

"Katara! Check it out!" Suki exclaims. "Azula's waterbending!"

"That's impossible." Katara lets the firewood in her arms drop down to the ground.

"Oh yeah?" Sokka crosses his arms over his chest. "Say that to the wood that is soaking wet right now. All I wanted, was a little fire to light up the stove. But guess who decided to waterbend and ruin it!!"

"Hey! I didn't even know I could do that!" Azula yells at Sokka's head.

"So, you're saying we all knew you could do that?!"

Azula looks confused, squinting her eyes in disbelief. "Wha-?"

"Sokka," Katara looks at her brother suspiciously. "Did you mix cactus juice into our dinner yesterday night?"

"No!" His voice reaches a higher octave. "Why would I do that?!"

"Why are we all seeing visions then?!"

Aang wishes he had some fire flakes right now, snacking on them as he watches this drama unfold. Ember Island Players could never. He's pretty sure Toph's thinking the same too.

"Guys, relax." Toph says, leaning back on Appa, sitting on the ground and crossing her legs. "Katara can easily take out the water from your precious firewood, Sokka. Don't be such a wuss. Right Katara?"

"Right . . ." Katara says, just as she takes a stance, readying herself for some concentrated waterbending. She turns towards the firewood kept under the pot, and moves her hand upwards in one fluid motion.

To everyone's disbelief and shock, the firewood first smokes steam and then suddenly bursts into violet-coloured flames, burning bright before turning to orange, then red.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Aang doesn't even have to look to know who said that.

"Okay, now I'm definitely worried." Katara's face is filled with horror. "I can firebend?!"

Azula pinches the bridge of her nose. "It's too fucking early for this shit-"

"Aang!" Katara calls out. "Get over here!!"

Aww man! Just when he thought things were getting interesting-

"Coming!" Aang calls out as he jumps up and sprints towards the crime scene. "What? What's wrong?"

"This." Katara says, before she catches hold of a screetching Momo and lights his tail on a violet fire.

Azula rolls her eyes before issuing a punch, that hits both Katara and Momo, putting out the fire and bathing them in water. "And this."

Aang knows he's supposed to be acting surprised. But he does a terrible job at it. "Maybe . . . you guys are the Avatars . . . ???" He trails off with a guilty look on his face.

Katara narrows her eyes. "Aang . . ." She threatens him, instantly aware that he somehow knows something. "What is going on?"

She looms over him, casting a glare. Aang tries his best to not pee his pants. "I- I- I donno, I- I just woke up!"

Sokka comes to his rescue thankfully. "Maybe somehow your powers got swapped?"

Katara turns to him, still not getting out of Aang's personal space. "How is that even possible?"

"Yeah." Azula chirps in. "How's that possible? I've got blue flames. That peasant conjured up violet ones."

"Maybe you're just jealous that I got the hottest burning fire." Katara crosses her arms at Azula.

"Maybe I can shut that flame up with a flick of my wrist!" Azula says, stomping her way towards Katara, standing toe-to-toe with her, nose almost bumping with Katara's.

"Uh . . . guys?" Aang scratches his bald head taking two steps back, growing increasingly confused and concerned. "Maybe we can calm down and talk about this-?"

"Maybe you're an idiot to think that you could ever shut me up!" Katara bits back at Azula. paying no heed to Aang's feeble attempt at peace.

"Maybe you're an idiot to think that I couldn't!!"

"Oh!" Katara exclaims. "Do it then!! I dare you to shut me up!!"

"Let's go, peasant. AGNI KAI!!"

"Oh, did you forget, little princess?" Katara asks sarcastically, inching closer to Azula. "You're not a firebender anymore. Maybe you need to get your memory checked."

Azula steps even closer, if that's even possible. "Maybe I don't need my fire to shut you up."

"Mayyyyyybeee," Toph interjects, finger up her nostril, picking her nose non-chalantly. "You two need to kiss and save us all the trouble."

"WHAT?!"

Both Azula and Katara turn to Toph with a panicked look on their faces.

"T- That's absurd! What are you talking about, Toph?!" Katara stutters, even as she looks at Azula's side profile for a second longer and takes a step backwards.

"I'm talking about what I'm seeing." Toph says smugly.

"You're blind." Azula states.

"Yeah, but my feet don't lie. Every time you two get heated, and trust me that's a lot of times, you both get in each other's face like this and spew out empty threats as if my feet can't figure out you two are lying! At least, I know you are lying, Katara. I got nothing on Azula except a faster heartbeat."

Azula's eyes narrow to slits, but other than that, there's no reaction from her. Katara steals a glance at Azula once again before she turns to Toph. "What does that have to do with our bending getting swapped?"

"Uh . . . I was the one who did it-" Aang raises his hand slowly, with a sheepish look on his face.

"AANG!!" Sokka cries out. "You made a personal Avatar promise not to divulge this information!!!"

Katara's anger immediately shifts to Sokka. "So you are the mastermind behind this . . ." A captivatingly pretty violet flame lights up in her palm as she slowly moves to Sokka.

"Katara . . ." Sokka gulps. "I can explain . . ."

"Zip it."

"Look . . . your fights were getting pettier and frequent and you both idiots couldn't see what we all were seeing so we thought-" Sokka begins to take steps back as Katara turns her back to Azula and advances slowly towards him.

"We're not giving your bending back until you either make up and be civil or make out and be civil." Toph states firmly.

But Katara wasn't showing signs of stopping anytime soon on her death walk towards Sokka.

Azula rolls her eyes. "Make up and be civil sounds too boring and wayyyy too long for me. And I want my bending back now. So . . ."

As quick as her own lightning, she moves behind Katara who's still advancing towards Sokka. Azula stops her with a hand around her delicate wrist, and pulls her flush against her body. Katara lets out a surprised yelp as she finds herself being whipped around by her waist to face Azula, her breath frozen inside her lungs, too surprised to even blink.

A soft smirk escapes Azula's lips before she places two fingers under Katara's chin, tilting her face up to plant her lips on hers in a gentle kiss. Katara's too frozen with shock to reciprocate. When she finally does, the kiss is already over. Nothing overdone at all. Just a soft chaste kiss against her lips and Katara feels like she needs to sit down, suddenly weak in her knees.

"There." Azula says proudly. "Now give us our respective bending back."

Katara blinks up at Azula, still stuck in a daze. "You . . . traitor! Who gave you permission to just . . . take advantage of me like that?! How dare you-?!"

"You're a terrible liar, Katara." Toph interrupts her.

"Oh, yes you are." Azula agrees with a smile.

"No, I'm not!"

"Oh?" Azula mocks disbelief. "Then why are you still holding onto me like this?" She gestures with her eyes down to Katara's hands.

Katara follows her line of sight and almost has a heart attack as she finds herself completely wrapped up in Azula's arms and her hands holding onto Azula's shoulder and neck desperately.

"UGH!!!!" She exclaims as she lets her forehead fall down to Azula's shoulder, burying her face in embarrassment. "You people are driving me insane!!!!!"

Everyone present on crime scene laughs except Katara.

Zuko walks out of his tent, rubbing his good eye and yawning. "Hey, what are we laughing about? What did I miss?!"

"Okay, who's gonna tell him?" Toph says before escaping the scene.

***

i keep writing mini fanfics instead of drabbles for these prompts and im so sorry 😭🖐🏻 it's like my mind wont stop until i spit out every little detail. it's annoying at this point.

okie lemme know what you think abt what i did with this one!!!!

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soulwrit3s · 1 year

Text

nothing more nothing less

Taglist: @desswright29 @imjusthere2readbruv @melanated-queen @pocketsizedpanther @uhwhatsay

Warning: it’s very slightly suggestive

I may or may not make this an actual mini series, what y’all think?

5:20 AM

“Riri,” You sigh, nudging your colleague with your foot. She’s sprawled out on the floor, only in a sports bra and shorts. She’s on her back, stretching when she feels the weight of your foot on her. You didn’t get to sleep as well as you’d like, there’s been horrible thunder and rains. Normally it soothes you but it’s been a nuisance with how thin the walls of this damn apartment are.

Riri’s eyes crack open and she looks like she never slept in the first place. The sun isn’t’ even out yet. She sits up, staring at you, irritated as hell. You laugh as you help her on the couch. She’s kind enough to let you have the only room in here while she takes the couch. You find a bunch of flash cards and a medical terminology book on the glass coffee table in front of you.

You shove a cup of coffee in her hands and she leans back as she takes a sip.

“You need to let your brain rest.” You advise and you’re shocked when you hear no clap-back. Her eye bags make her exhaustion even more obvious. She stretches, gently shoving you in the process before standing up.

“We gotta get ready, I’mma go shower first.” She says as she disappears into the hallway. Your phone buzzes in your palm and you receive a text.

‘Morning <3’ Shuri texts. You wonder what she looks like right now. Probably already dressed, a black silk dress shirt on, revealing the brown skin on her collar and sternum. Her sleeves pulled up and veins and tatts decorating her forearms. You see her text bubble disappear and then appear again.

‘The storm was pretty bad. Did you get any sleep?’ She questions. She’s always so professional and you can already imagine her long fingers stretching along the nape of her neck as she waits for a response.

‘It was hard, my roommate is pissed. Hbu?’ You text back, placing your feet on the couch as you stare at your phone.

‘Not really, get ready for work, I want to see you.’ She says and there’s no text after that.

You get ready for your day quicker than you ever have, eager to meet Shuri today. Riri chuckles at how fast you're moving as she tries to keep up with your fast pace. You’re both in her car by 6:00 AM. She gets aux this time since you decided to play your throwback playlist last time.

You’ve been dying to tell someone about you and Shuri. It’s no relationship, technically neither of you have asked each other out. You’re both just screwing around.

“Ri,” You mutter as she stops at a red light, lifting her MIT mug to her lips. She looks up from the road, one hand resting on the wheel and the other in her lap.

“Wassup?” She asks, mid-sip of her coffee from this morning.

You stare at her for a moment. You’ve known Riri since your last two years of Medical school so almost three years now. She’s seen your hookups, your failed relationships, she’s comforted you through heartbreak more than a couple times. You don’t know much of her love life, she’s never talked about it. You’ve watched her like a multitude of people and let them slip away.

“If Vision gave you a chance would you take it?” You watch her swallow the hot liquid before speaking. She’s always been one to fool around but she can tell by your voice that you’re being serious.

“Ion know what she’s like…I have a crush on her, I think she’s badass. Maybe…I would, I don’t know…Listen Y/N, Ion know if I’d want anything serious, sometimes hookups are all things should be.” She admits, You don’t want to tell her anything you don’t need to. Anything that could jeopardize what you and Shuri have. Whatever this is. Maybe you and Shuri are just colleagues that hook up every once in a while. Maybe you want more.

“Why?” She questions as the car starts moving again.

“Nothing.”

Shuri lingers in your mind.

…

9:15 AM

Shuri’s hands trail up and down your sides as she places gentle kisses along your jaw, leaving you breathless. You and Shuri have been paired up with her for the day and no one has questioned the two of you going missing. She pulls away from you as you shift your weight on her lap. She’s still got her scrub pants on but her top is long gone and the only thing left is black fenty bralette.

Her undoing of your clothes however, was hasty. Your baby blue scrubs are long gone, strung somewhere on the floor.

She’s already taken care of you and her slick fingers are already evidence of that. But your mind’s been elsewhere all day. Ever since your conversation with Riri, you’ve been wondering what Shuri thinks of you.

Her eyes are on your features, studying you before she finally speaks up.

“Is there something bothering you, Y/N?” She asks, cocking her head to the side. You look down at her before coming back to reality.

“No, Just didn’t sleep good.” You shrug while reaching for your scrubs on the floor. She moves your hands away back your thighs and lifts you off of her, settling you gently on the bed right after.

She picks your scrubs up for you, this time she doesn’t put them on for you. She pulls her scrubs on as well and leans back against the wall in front of you.

“You can talk to me if there’s something-“ She begins and the words force themselves out of your mouth before you can even hold them back.

“What are we doing?” You question as you stand up to pull your scrubs pants on. You keep your eyes on her which causes you to struggle while trying to tie your scrub pants.

Her hands caress your waist as she chuckles and ties it for you. Her fingers work diligently and tie them with speed and the right amount of pressure against your skin.

“We’re colleagues…” She begins while she wraps an arm around you.

“That are adults.” She continues before lifting your chin up so both of your lips are lined up together.

“That are attracted to each other, nothin’ more, nothing less.” She states and you’re at peace now that you have some sort of clarity. Now all you really wanna do is kiss her but she doesn’t give you that satisfaction. She tilts your head away with the fingers on your chin and kisses your cheek.

“I have a surgery, Y/N, I want you to complete your rounds and meet me in O.R 6.” She orders with authority dripping from her voice.

…

10: 02 AM

You watch Shuri hold her scalpel above her patients scalp.. She’s a sweet woman, too young to be under any knife. Too young to die as well. Which is where Shuri comes in, She’s done an endless amount of craniotomies and this is a breeze for her.

For you however, This is all new. You’ve seen too many videos and to see it up close is something else.

“Y/N, how wide should this cut be?” She questions. Not a single ounce of flirtatiousness or niceness. You think back to everything you know before speaking.

“One fourth.” You answer, your voice wavering as your unsure of your answer. Her eyebrows raise and you can’t see her mouth but telling by the sigh she lets out, you’ve said something wrong.

“Are you sure?” She questions.

“Y-yeah.”

“You don’t sound like it. Dr. L/N, I recommend you do some studying the next time you step into my O.R. One day, you’ll be taking my spot and the incision you make will decide whether this patient lives or not.”

She chastises you. You don’t say anything and all the staff in the room don’t either. This is nothing new to them.

By the end of the operation, you and Shuri are scrubbing your hands and she’s watched you be silent the entire time. The patient is okay and will be just fine. She hasn’t gotten any questions or anything from you.

“Y/N-“ She starts.

“I got it, I’ll study, alright?” You say before drying your hands and seeing yourself out.

…

10:32 PM.

It was one-fourth. You realize you were right the entire time. You glance at Riri next to you, who’s knocked out on the couch, curled up into a ball. You haven’t gotten a single text and the words from Shuri’s mouth earlier echo and it’s all you’ve been able to think about.

“nothin’ more, nothing less.”

Shuri’s probably had so many people she’s fooled around with over the years. She’s not old

By any means. 36 isn’t old. She’s just experienced.

Maybe Riri was right. Somethings are meant to be hookups. Somethings are meant to be a full blown relationship.

Lmk what y’all think PLEASEE

#black panther #riri williams #shuri udaku #shuri x reader #Vivian vision

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vintageshanny · 8 months

Text

Waiting for Love - Part Three

Nothing Half-Hearted

I have really appreciated all the feedback on this series! ❤️ Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed from the tag list.

Content: Mid-July 1970, marriage problems, infidelity, smut, some angst, some fluff, 18+

Catch up here: Waiting for Love series

Elvis lay in the bed of his Las Vegas hotel suite thinking about Vivien. And then Priscilla. But mostly Vivien. He’d been convinced for so long that ‘Cilla was his soul mate that he had ignored all the signs that maybe they weren’t really right for each other. She could be so cold to him. It was hard for him to get over the cruel comments she’d made about his spiritual journey. He knew their attraction for each other had diminished then, and he’d always had his little flings to try to fill the void in their relationship, but for some reason he could never fully let go. And then along came Vivien, with that book. That had to be a sign. She was on the same journey as him; she understood his need for answers.

As he tossed and turned, he really wished his mama was here to help him sort it all out. Maybe she’d just be disappointed in him though. That would be hard to bear. He really tried to do right by people, but he also needed to follow his heart. It was the only way he knew how to make decisions. And sometimes his heart led him all over the place. Sometimes it felt so empty that he’d do just about anything to fill it. The loneliness could be overwhelming.

His mind went back to Vivien and the way she always looked at him like she really cared about him so deeply. It caught him off guard to have someone care so much that they would fight their own desires. She had inspired him to fight his own that night in his bedroom at Graceland. He’d wanted so badly to taste her, to be touched by her, to grind into her until that carnal pleasure consumed him, but she deserved better than that. She deserved to have him move slowly and take one step at a time. She was somehow so sweet and innocent even when longing for him. He could feel his whole body warming up, beads of sweat dampening his dark blue pajamas, as he remembered the way her sparkly green eyes kept glancing down at his crotch in wonder. He slipped his hand down the front of his pajama pants, his long tanned fingers wrapping around the problem that had arisen, moving swiftly to take care of it. As the resolution spilled forth, he couldn’t stop himself from calling out her name. “Goddamn, Vivien, uhhh,” he moaned as he lay back in satisfaction.

A loud knock sounded at the bedroom door, followed by a hesitant “Uh, boss? You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Elvis called out, irritated.

“Okay, I thought I heard you calling,” Joe responded.

Elvis swore he could hear snickering after that. “Assholes,” he muttered under his breath as he longed for the comfort of his soundproof bedroom at home. He finally drifted off to sleep imagining that he was cradling Vivien’s head on his chest again. He had wanted to freeze time right then, to stay in that moment of warmth and intimacy for as long as he could.

************************************************

“Honey, I need ta see ya, I can’t wait no more,” Elvis’ melodic voice floated through the receiver and right into Vivien’s heart.

“I’d love to see you, but apparently flying to Las Vegas to visit my, um, Elvis is not a good enough reason for my boss to give me off work with such short notice,” Vivien explained, realizing halfway through the sentence that she was about to refer to a married man as her boyfriend. A little knot of guilt roiled around in her stomach.

Elvis just chuckled and pressed on, this time in a baby voice. “But what if your widdle Elvis weally needs ya, honey?”

“Well, I would do just about anything to take care of little Elvis,” Vivien said sweetly. She heard Elvis having some type of coughing attack on the other end. It almost sounded like he was trying to cover up laughter, but she wasn’t sure what was so funny. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Yeah, I’m fine honey,” Elvis tried to pull it together and not think about how she might “take care of Little Elvis,” but now he couldn’t stop laughing.

“C’mon, tell me what’s so funny,” Vivien demanded.

“Oh, baby, jus’ the way ya said that you’d take care of him is so sweet,” Elvis chuckled.

“Him? Now I’m confused.” Vivien tried to think of what exactly she’d said.

“Baby, Little Elvis is what I call m-m-my dick,” Elvis explained, finally calming down from his laughing spell.

Vivien was glad he couldn’t see how red her face had turned, but she decided to just say what she was thinking. “Well, maybe I’d like to take care of him, too,” she teased.

“Mmm, well, he was sure thinkin’ bout ya last night,” Elvis responded, turning a rosy shade of pink himself. “Why don’t ya at least come for the weekend? I really do need ya, honey,” Elvis added.

“I suppose I could try to get a plane ticket,” Vivien said, wondering how much plane tickets to Las Vegas cost.

“Oh, honey, don’ worry ‘bout that. I’ll have it all fixed for ya,” he said, making a mental note to have Joe get it all fixed for her. “I can’t wait to see ya.”

************************************************

Vivien landed in Las Vegas Saturday morning dressed in a blue halter-neck sundress and white heeled sandals, courtesy of Roxanne, and looked for Joe, who was supposed to pick her up and deliver her to the hotel. She spotted him standing off to the side, looking halfway irritated. She was starting to think that was just his permanent expression though. She tried to make polite conversation on the way to the hotel. “Elvis said this is being filmed for a movie?” she asked.

“It will be, yeah,” Joe said. “The camera crews don’t come until next week though, I think. Obviously you’ll need to be gone before that.”

Vivien tried to maintain her composure and just responded, “Of course. I’m only staying tonight. I have a job to get back to.” Joe looked a little surprised at that, but he didn’t say anything more about it. Once they got to the hotel, he took her to the rehearsal space and skulked off, which she was more than fine with.

She set her weekender bag on an empty chair and scanned the room for the man who actually wanted her here. She spotted Elvis sitting on a stool and singing “Love Me” while the band played behind him. She didn’t want to interrupt his rehearsal, but the moment he laid eyes on her, he threw the microphone to the side and jumped up. He was wearing the same red shirt she’d seen him in at Graceland with a pair of black pin-striped pants. He hugged her so tight that she could hardly breathe. Although he may have taken her breath away even without the hug. She was surprised when he leaned in and gave her a big kiss on the lips right in front of everyone, but no one seemed to care.

“This is my, um, Vivien,” Elvis gave her a teasing glance as he introduced her to his band and back-up singers, and she blushed at the realization that he had taken note of her awkward “boyfriend” catch during their phone conversation. Everyone was very cordial to her, especially the Sweet Inspirations, who were maybe just glad to have another woman around. Myrna complimented her dress and winked as she told her that Elvis probably loved it too. Vivien wondered what they all really thought of her being here.

She settled into the chair that Elvis had pulled up for her and watched him get back to work. Seeing him in his element was truly magical. He was involved in every part of making the music come to life. He had been so nervous about the shows that she wasn’t sure what the rehearsals would be like, but he seemed completely at home. She liked seeing him joke around, too. It reminded her of how much fun they’d had splashing around in the pool together. At one point, he shoved the microphone into his mouth while singing and turned to give her a wink. The innuendo made Vivien blush so hard that she had to duck her head down, hoping no one would notice. As the rehearsal wound down, she started feeling the nerves kick in. Nerves and anticipation of what might happen when they were alone in his room again.

************************************************

“Did ya enjoy the rehearsal, baby?” Elvis asked once they were alone in his suite. He had sent the guys out for some food and told them to just drop it off on the table and leave him to “rest.” He led Vivien into the bedroom, kicking off his boots and starting to unbutton his very sweaty red shirt.

“Oh, yes, I loved it!” Vivien exclaimed. “You seemed like you were having so much fun. I don’t know what you were so nervous about.”

“Well, I-I-I’ll be nervous when the actual shows start up. I do love performing in front of a live audience, though. I missed it a lot when I was makin’ all those movies.”

Vivien nodded. “That makes sense. Did you like doing the movies, too?”

Elvis grimaced a little at the question. “It was hard for me. I jus’ wanted ‘em to be better, y’know? Did ya see any of ‘em?”

“Uh, yeah, I saw a couple I think,” Vivien giggled. “Like 31? Is that how many I saw?”

Elvis laughed. “You did not see all of the movies I made!” Vivien nodded sheepishly. “Well, which one was your favorite?”

“Oh, that’s hard. Even the ones that weren’t too good, you did such a good job acting.” Elvis looked genuinely delighted at this compliment. “And you always look so good,” she added.

Elvis blushed at that and blurted out, “You shoulda told the studio that. They kep’ tellin’ me ta lose weight.”

“What? When?” Vivien questioned, trying to think of a single one of his movies where he’d looked too heavy. Not that he’d even look bad with some more meat on him…

“Uh, for Frankie and Johnny, for Paradise Hawaiian Style, and probably some others I s’pose.” Elvis looked a little embarrassed as he removed his belt and his sweaty shirt and draped them over a chair, as if he were reliving those moments of having his entire body scrutinized.

“I thought you looked great in those! Especially in those tight pants,” Vivien stopped herself from blurting out how Roxanne would always point out when you could see the outline of his…her eyes drifted down to the subtle bulge in his pinstriped pants.

Elvis chuckled a little bit, but his face had turned beet red. He swallowed and asked “Whatcha’ thinkin’ bout, honey?”

Vivien leaned up to whisper to him. “How bad I want to touch you again and to see, um, Little Elvis.”

“Can I ask ya somethin’, baby?” Elvis said as he set his tinted glasses on the nightstand. Vivien nodded nervously. “H-Have ya ever seen one before?” He hoped that she hadn’t so he wouldn’t have to explain why his might look different. It wouldn’t be the first romantic moment ruined by this hillbilly flaw of his. Some women just couldn’t appreciate what he had to offer.

“Um, not exactly. I mean, I did kind of see one by accident one time in high school,” Vivien tried to explain, feeling her face growing hotter by the second. Elvis looked at her quizzically. “I mean, what happened is that one day I forgot my glasses at home, and I couldn’t see the sign on the door, so I walked into the boys’ locker room and saw Bobby Lopez standing there naked. And then he yelled out, and then I screamed, and then I ran out. But I didn’t really see it…I mean, I didn’t have my glasses, so it was just like a blurry thing hanging there.” Vivien finished the story, sure that her face resembled a tomato, and looked at Elvis for his reaction. He had clearly been trying to hold back his laughter the entire time, and it now exploded out of him with a loud hiccupping sound. He laughed so hard that tears started forming in his eyes. “Elvis! It was so embarrassing!” Vivien yelped, but soon she was laughing too.

“P-p-poor Bobby,” Elvis couldn’t stop chuckling. “He had a beautiful girl look at his thing and then scream and run away. You ain’t gonna do that ta me, are ya, honey?”

Vivien stepped closer to Elvis, reaching up to touch his damp chest, running her fingers over his wiry little chest hairs. “Never,” she said, letting her hand trail down lower and lower until it hovered over the button at his waistband. “Let me prove it?” she asked, looking up into his exquisite face and deep blue eyes. He nodded slowly and she unbuttoned his pants and carefully unzipped the fly. She pushed them down over his hips, revealing a pair of plain white briefs underneath. Elvis gulped nervously. He would prefer to wait until he was fully hard to reveal himself, but her eagerness to see him was oddly endearing. Plus he was already halfway there; it was probably just a matter of seconds. Vivien tucked her thumbs into the sides of the waistband and pulled the briefs down very gently, crouching down so she could pull them all the way off. She was now face to head with Little Elvis, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He seemed to be growing bigger and firmer as she watched. “Oh, oh, oh,” she whispered, her heart racing. “Elvis, you look perfect. Can I, um, kiss it?” She tried to remember all the things Roxanne told her that a man liked.

Elvis looked down in surprise as Vivien wrapped her hand around him and rolled his foreskin back and forth. “Oh, damn baby, you ain’t gotta do all that,” he groaned.

“I want to take care of you,” Vivien said softly as she leaned in closer and pressed her lips to his exposed sensitive tip. She slipped her tongue out and licked his salty skin.

“Ohhh, shit, oh that feels good baby,” Elvis mumbled as she kept licking him. He watched as she wrapped her lips all the way around him and sucked on him, her warm wet tongue still lapping at the tip. She started to gag a little bit as she tried to take him in deeper, and Elvis reached down for her hands. “C’mere, baby,” he whispered.

Vivien pulled her mouth off of him and used his hands to help her stand back up. “Was that okay?” she asked nervously. “Did you like it?”

“Honey, I loved it,” Elvis smiled at her. “I wanna look at you right now, though.” He reached over to untie the halter neck of her dress, letting the straps and the material slide down and expose her bare chest. “God, you’re so beautiful.” He grazed his fingertips over her nipples before unzipping the back of the dress and pulling it the rest of the way off until Vivien stood there in just her pale pink cotton panties.

“Elvis, I don’t know if I’m ready to-” Vivien started, but Elvis put a finger to her lips.

“It ain’t time for that yet, honey. I want us to take our time with each other. Right now I jus’ wanna be close; I wanna rub up against ya, okay?”

Vivien nodded and let Elvis help her up onto the bed, still in her panties. He lay his naked body on top of her and grinded into her gently as he leaned over to press soft kisses to her lips, to her neck, to her chest. His wet pink tongue seemed to be everywhere at once. His penis felt so thick and firm as it pressed between her thighs, rubbing against her panties. She felt the same arousal and wetness that he’d made her feel with his fingers last time. Elvis’ body was starting to tremble as he panted, nipping at her earlobe. “Oh, Vivien, oh, baby,” he gasped out as his body seemed to tense and then she felt more wetness between her thighs as he relaxed on top of her. Rolling to the side, he reached his hand inside her panties and rubbed at her clit, whispering “I gotta take care of my baby.” The high was even better than what she remembered. “Next time, I wanna taste ya, honey,” Elvis smiled and winked at her as she recovered from the ecstasy. Vivien just leaned up and kissed his soft lips, making a mental note to ask Roxanne exactly what she should expect from a statement like that.

After they were cleaned up and had put pajamas on, Elvis peeked out into the living room area to make sure that no one had been eavesdropping this time. All clear. Just a bag of food left on the coffee table. “You like hamburgers, honey?” Elvis asked as he brought the food into the bedroom.

“Of course. Who doesn’t like hamburgers?” Vivien asked with a big smile. She was feeling famished after all the excitement of the day. And the excitement of the night. They curled up next to each other in bed and watched TV while they ate their burgers.

“Wild in the Country,” Vivien suddenly announced. Elvis looked over at her, confused. “You asked me earlier what my favorite movie of yours is. Wild in the Country. Your acting felt so personal, so real. I loved it. It made me cry,” Vivien said as she moved the food bag to the side and settled into the crook of Elvis’ arm.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Thank ya honey, that’s really sweet. I don’t think anyone’s ever given me a serious answer about their favorite movie before.”

“Elvis, you’re really special to me,” Vivien mumbled, her words starting to slur as her eyelids drooped and she drifted off, wrapped inside the warm cocoon of Elvis’ body heat.

************************************************

When they awoke late the next morning, it was already time for Vivien to start packing and head for the airport. “I wish you could stay longer,” Elvis pouted as she packed everything back into her bag. “I think I had my best day of rehearsals with you here. And the best night,” he added with a mischievous grin.

“I wish I could stay, too, Elvis. I love spending time with you,” Vivien said, wrapping her arms around him. I love you, is what she wanted to say, but she was terrified he didn’t feel the same. She felt tears suddenly springing to her eyes at the emotion of going home without him.

“You gonna be okay, honey?” Elvis pulled back and looked at her with concern. She was surprised to see his own eyes looking a little watery.

All she could think to say was a quote they’d discussed that first day at Graceland from the beginning of The Prophet. “Much in my heart remains unsaid.”

Elvis nodded in recognition and understanding and pulled her close again. “Love knows not its own depths until the hour of separation.” Vivien’s eyes darted up to his face in surprise. Could he really feel the same? Did he love her? Elvis just smiled reassuringly and continued, “Baby, I promise one day we’ll have the freedom to speak our deeper secrets. Ya need ta jus’ bear with me, okay? Hang in there with me. It won’t be like this forever.” Vivien nodded, but as she was leaving the hotel, she swore she saw a very petite brunette getting out of a limo with a little blonde girl. The guilt began to gnaw at her again.

Tag List: @whositmcwhatsit @lookingforrainbows @arrolyn1114 @thatbanditqueen @missmaywemeetagain @ellie-24 @be-my-ally @from-memphis-with-love @pebbles403 @deniseinmn @everythingelvispresley @little-laamb @annapresley8 @leapresley @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @atleastpleasetelephone @gatheraheart

#Elvis #elvis fan fiction #elvis fan fic #elvis smut #elvis x oc #i love this man

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bluehoodiewoozi · 1 year

Text

Dreamers

Lee Seokmin (DK) x fem!reader

Genre: mostly fluff, with a hint of anxiety

Word Count: 10.9k

Wanings: food mentions. adult language. a few parts may come off as suggestive, but not really. y/n is an environmentalist but not vegan.

[Series: Serenity Street 17] Sleepwalking is a nasty issue. You find yourself in the correct building but wrong apartment, sharing a room with a ridiculously cute boy who seems to find it amusing.

Note: This one goes out to all of my ambitious girlies! Keep working towards your dreams!

The moment you stepped onto the evening bus you regretted the decision.

With a bright smile, Sunny greeted you, rushing to move her bags into her lap so you could take the seat next to her, all while never once taking her eyes off you. Her brows rose in a questioning manner. You cursed under your breath as your neighbour’s usual warm smile morphed into a look of disbelief when you sank into the seat next to her.

With a sigh, you raised a hand to silence her. “I know.”

But she didn’t take the hint. “When was the last time you slept? Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Why do you keep asking questions you already know the answer to?” you whined and hugged your bag close to your chest. “I’m sure you heard me showering at 3 am.”

“The bags under your eyes aren’t supposed to make it look like you have a black eye,” she told you as if she hadn’t heard you at all, still eyeing you in worry. “How much did you sleep? You look worse than Jeonghan when he thought I was mad at him.”

“Does it matter?” You huffed. “At least I’m getting some rest.”

“I think it only counts as rest if you actually get 8 hours of sleep every once in a while,” she countered with a snicker, “which, by the looks of it,” she gave you a once-over, followed by a disappointed a sigh, “you haven’t had in years.”

“I sleep just fine. I’m healthy, I am productive,” you defended and tightened your hold on your bag. “Sleep is for the weak anyway.”

Sunny rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I wonder how you’re friends with me but not Jihoon. Your mentality is almost identical.”

“Listen, somebody has to do the work. And unlike some, I’d actually like my work to amount to something bigger than an average paycheck that barely covers my bills. I have ambitions. I want to make the world a better place.”

“Honey, at this rate you’re not gonna live long enough to see your ambitions come to life,” she grumbled under her breath and linked your arms. “It’s okay to rest every once in a while. Take a week off from work and actually just do something fun for a change.”

You grimaced. “I’d rather not. Messes with my groove.”

Sunny had no words left to say. She stared at you with a wide mouth for a moment before sputtering, “How– How are we friends?”

“Fate brought us together so you could nag me at all possible hours,” you joked, looking out the window now to avoid missing your stop. “But seriously, I don’t need to rest. I love my job and my colleagues and I’m making a change.”

“You should at least go to sleep early tonight.”

“Can’t. I have a big report due next week and I don’t want to miss my deadlines.”

Her gaze hardened immediately as she cursed, “Why, you little–”

“Hey!”

“I’m just worried about you,” she mumbled through a pout just as your bus arrived at your shared destination. With a begrudging sigh, she unlinked your arms and gave you an encouraging pat on the shoulder as the two of you stood up and walked over to the door “Well, I guess it’s your life. But I swear–” she pointed at your face, eyes squinted in a glare; she interrupted herself mid-sentence, “no, I vow that if you collapse under the stress, I’ll personally go and hand in a letter of resignation in your name.”

You scoffed at her empty promises, smiled, and stepped off the bus. You had no doubt you would be just fine and she was overreacting over nothing. She couldn’t wrap her mind around your work ethic and goals – she was built of an entirely different wood.

Then again, you couldn’t deny you often felt a little jealous of her. The nagging feeling hit once again when you looked up to find Jeonghan standing at the gate of your building, his smile widening the closer Sunny and you got to him. You envied that she had found – through trials and tribulations, you’d admit – a perfect man to brighten her days while you had no time to even contemplate romance.

“How was your day, my beautiful lady?” Jeonghan greeted your neighbour with a sweet kiss on her forehead before taking her bag and leading her inside with a hand on her back. He didn’t forget to offer you a welcoming smile and a friendly “good evening” as well, both of which you returned.

“Are you going to the 5th floor tonight?” you asked them as the three of you trudged up the stairs and they made no effort to walk to her apartment.

Sunny nodded. “It’s movie night and he has the bigger TV.”

Jeonghan let out a loud ‘ha!’ and grinned at her victoriously. “So you admit it. My TV’s better than yours!”

“That’s–” She sighed deeply. “That is not the point right now–”

“How is it not?”

Unable to continue watching their lovers’ quarrel, you hummed and waved them goodbye before promptly unlocking your apartment, walking in, and quickly locking it again as if their bickering or cheesy nicknames could otherwise follow after you.

You had far more important things to do, after all.

With a tired sigh, you warmed up some of last night’s leftovers and opened your laptop. The familiar Times New Roman font on your screen prompted a soft groan, but still you squared your shoulders and got to work.

If you were quick, you’d get this done way before the deadline. Maybe you could even go to work in the morning with a nearly finished report! You smiled at the thought.

But life doesn’t always go as expected.

You thought you were old enough to know this fact already. After all, when had life ever followed your expectations? It seemed to enjoy throwing curve balls right at your head.

You woke up with a splitting headache at 7 am, an hour before your usual alarm. It was strange – you concluded so as you stared at the time on your phone through a squint. With a soft huff, you let the phone drop back onto the mattress and your head onto the pillows.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” you then heard a voice.

Your eyes snapped open. There was someone in your room.

The voice sounded apologetic as it continued in a whisper, “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to make any noise. Sorry. Let me just get my shirt and–”

You sat up abruptly to stare at the intruder – a handsome familiar-looking man shuffled around the walk-in closet. Worst of all – he was shirtless. You dreaded to think of what had happened the night before.

“Who– Who are you?” you stuttered out, instinctively lifting the blanket higher against your torso despite the fact that you were fully clothed. “Why are you in my apart–”

Then it hit you. The worst of the worst realities.

“Holy shit, this isn’t my apartment!” you screamed and jumped out of bed to apologise profusely. “I’m so so sorry! I had no idea! I don’t how–”

“Hey, hey!” The man – now wearing a crispy white button-up shirt – walked out of the closet hurriedly, a worried smile on his face as he rushed to comfort you with a gentle hand on your back, leading you to sit back on the bed. “It’s okay.” He let out a laugh. “I was going to let you sleep for a while more. It’s okay.”

You had no clue how he could be so calm about this. What the hell happened last night?!

You stuttered. You sputtered. You gasped for air like a fish out of the water. You were on the verge of a panic attack at 7 am in the morning and he was smiling, all while patting and rubbing your back like it was the most natural thing.

“Why am I here?” you eventually managed to breathe out. You hated to admit that his calm and friendly nature was helping you adjust to the situation.

He raised a brow, his soothing movements stopping. “I was hoping you could answer that.”

When you made no move to do so and only offered him a puzzled look, he shrugged. “I woke up to someone trying to unlock my door at 2 am. Almost cried, actually, but then I heard a knock and Mingyu telling me to open the door, so I did and you…” He gestured widely to his room. “Well, you came in and went straight to bed as if it was your own home. I didn’t know what to do but Mingyu and I figured you needed to rest.”

You stared at him with a dropped jaw. “You didn’t think to call the police?”

“Well,” he grimaced, “I was going to but you really looked like you needed to sleep.” He gave you a worried look, inspecting your face. “You still do, actually. Do you sleep at all, like, outside of my bed?”

“I sleep plenty,” you scoffed and got out of the bed, wiping your face with your sleeves as if to rid it of any evidence that might suggest otherwise. With an awkward look, you bowed and began heading out. “Well, thank you for… your hospitality. I’ll get going. I’m sorry for bothering you. This won’t happen again.”

Before he could say another word, you slammed the door shut behind you and began heading… where were you heading?

You looked around the hallway. It was still your building. You could recognise these hallways even in your sleep. A quick glance informed you that you had just stepped out of apartment 1D – the apartment directly below yours.

You groaned as the realisation sank in that you could never visit the first floor without feeling awkward again. With a sigh, you headed up the stairs to your own apartment.

“Isn’t that Seokmin’s apartment?” Sunny pointed out when you told her of your horrible adventure on the bus home from work later that day. She frowned a little as she tried to recall exactly who lived there.

“Whoever it was, at least it wasn’t Jihoon.” You shuttered to even think about it.

Sunny grimaced. “Yeah, I’d be bailing you both out of jail right about now.” She then shrugged. “Yeah, I think that’s Seokmin’s apartment. He really just let you stay the night there?”

“Apparently?” You wanted to laugh at the insanity of the situation. “I have no recollection of what happened or how I ended up there. The last thing I remember is working on my report in my kitchen and then waking up in a shirtless man’s apartment.”

“Shirt–” She almost broke her neck at the speed she turned her head to look at you with wide eyes. “He was shirtless when you woke up?!”

“He was getting dressed for work–”

“Well, is he hot?!”

You had never wanted to throw someone out of a moving vehicle so much before. “Is this what you’re focusing on right now? I’m going through a crisis here!”

“Yeah but–”

“You literally have a boyfriend!”

“Yeah, but–” She paused mid-excuse and nodded her head in acknowledgement. “Right. You have a point there.”

“How did I possibly end up in his apartment at night without remembering it?” you contemplated, leaning your head back against the seat. “I can’t think of a single explanation.”

“It is weird,” Sunny hummed in agreement as the bus rolled to your stop. The two of you got off.

“Where’s Jeonghan?” you wondered in surprise upon not seeing him all the way up to the second floor.

Sunny shrugged, still deep in thought about your predicament. “I don’t know. Probably causing trouble with Junhui again. Possibly getting on Joshua’s or Hyesoo’s nerves. Maybe he stole someone’s mail or took the hinges off someone’s door. Not my problem.”

You could only stare at her in absolute wonder. “He’s your boyfriend.”

“He’s his own person.” She then clapped her hands together in revelation, stopping in her steps in the middle of the hallway. “Didn’t you say you used to sleep-walk as a kid? I swear you mentioned it over coffee once.”

You nodded. “Yeah, but it hasn’t happened in a literal decade.”

“Who’s to say it didn’t happen again last night?” she suggested with a shrug. “By the way, do you wanna come over for coffee and cake? Jeonghan bought one on sale because the expiration date is today, but it’s sort of giant.”

After contemplating for a moment (more of a debate really, won by the grumbling of your stomach), you agreed and followed her into her apartment.

As the two of you walked into the kitchen, she continued, “All I’m saying is that there’s a lot going on in your life right now and maybe it all worked together – the stress, the lack of sleep, you get the gist – and now you’re sleepwalking again.”

“I sincerely doubt it.”

“You should see a doctor about that,” Jeonghan suggested. You jumped in your spot before finding him sitting at the dining table, fully focused on assembling a lego set. He continued without a care in the world, “Sleepwalking can be a serious issue.”

Your eyes narrowed. “Why are you here?”

He finally glanced up to offer you an amused look and a chuckle. “I’m her boyfriend. Where else would I be?”

“I invited her over for coffee and cake,” Sunny informed him with a kiss on his cheek. “Play nice.”

“Yes, princess,” he spoke in reply before turning back to you. “But I would really go to the doctor if I was you. If it’s bad enough that you wake up in someone else’s apartment, it’s bad enough to warrant a doctor’s visit.”

You felt yourself pale, your blood running both ice cold and lava hot. “How– Why do you know that?”

“It’s the talk of the town,” he joked before waving his joke off. “Just kidding. I met Seokmin on my way to the store earlier and he told me. He seemed worried about you.”

“So it is Seokmin!” Sunny cheered victoriously. “I knew it! I told you!”

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Good job.”

“Thanks.”

You sat down at the table and slumped in the chair. “But if I’m sleepwalking, why did I go to his apartment?”

“Isn’t it right below yours?” Jeonghan pointed out like it was obvious. “Asleep you probably thought you were going to your own apartment. You just mixed up the floors.”

“So,” you sighed and rubbed the bridge of your nose before meeting his eyes and maintaining eye contact, “what you’re suggesting is that I fell asleep–”

“Yes.”

“–in my apartment–”

“Mhm.”

“–then left my apartment for some reason–”

“That much seems obvious.”

“–and then went to Seokmin’s apartment–”

“For some reason, yes.”

“–one level below my own?”

Eyes widening, he hummed at the slight error in the logic. “You do have a point. Why would you leave your own apartment to go to your apartment?”

“My head hurts just listening to this,” Sunny informed the two of you while serving the cake. As a slice fell over on a plate she quickly assigned to Jeonghan, she suddenly suggested, “What if you thought you were going on a walk and then returned home?”

Jeonghan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he began recounting, “So, what you think happened is that she fell asleep–”

“I’m going to kick the both of you out if you start again,” his girlfriend declared all of a sudden, pointing a knife in his direction. “I’m serious.”

“It is a reasonable guess though,” you decided as Sunny placed a plate of cake in front of you. “I do love going on walks when I’m stressed.”

“Then–”

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. You watched in mild amusement as Sunny and Jeonghan silently argued over who should open the door and if they should open the door at all. Eventually, to your surprise, Jeonghan relented and got up with a slight groan. The moment he was out of the kitchen, Sunny stole his seat across from you.

“I think the worst part is that I don’t know how to face him again, like ever,” you started the conversation again while taking a bite of the cake. “It was so awkward.”

“Speaking of awkward,” Jeonghan announced and led the newest guest into the apartment. The now familiar feeling of both ice and lava in your veins made a new appearance as you recognised the visitor. Your spoon dropped back on the table.

Seokmin offered you a friendly smile and a wave. “Ah, so that’s where you are. I tried your door but no one answered so I wondered if I had the wrong place.”

“You–” That was the only syllable you managed to voice. Your brain was scattered, filled with pictures of the awkward morning as well as a single fluttering butterfly carrying an obnoxious sign that said ‘he cares’. You gulped.

Thankfully, Sunny stepped in. She smiled brightly and ushered Seokmin to take a seat while she found an extra plate.

“I wasn’t going to come and bother anyone–” he tried to reject the offer of cake, but failed to. He was too friendly for his own good – just like the rumours around the building often said. He sat in the seat Sunny had preoccupied just seconds ago, right across from you, and smiled at her. “Well, if you insist.”

“What can I do?” Jeonghan sighed and theatrically looked away as he started his monologue. “Everyone loves my girlfriend so much. How can I possibly keep her–”

“Stop being melodramatic and come eat, idiot,” Sunny laughed and took the seat next to you. “So, Seokmin, what brings you to my friend over here?”

Seokmin opened his mouth to reply before turning to you and softly asking, “Is it okay to talk about it here?”

Sunny chuckled. “About her waking up in your apartment? Go ahead. I think everyone in the building knows already.”

“Oh.” He offered you an awkward-looking smile. “Well, sorry about that. I only mentioned it to Mingyu and Jeonghan but I guess– Nevermind. I just wanted to tell you to not worry about it.” His smile brightened, genuine and full of warmth all of a sudden. “We all have rough days – and rough nights – and I’m just glad you got some rest.”

“I have one question,” Jeonghan raised his arm before asking, “where did you sleep?”

“Me?” Seokmin shrugged. “The sofa. There was a woman in my bed.”

You somehow felt both worse and better than before. At least you knew he didn’t hold a grudge – after all, he seeked you out just to tell you it had been fine – but at the same time: you made this poor man sleep on the sofa instead of his objectively comfortable bed.

“I’m so sorry–”

“I said it’s fine,” he laughed and reached out to pat your hand. “I really don’t mind. You looked like you were sleeping very well. But–” he tilted his head in thought, a slight frown appearing, “–is it possible you were sleepwalking? You didn’t react at all last night, to anything. You just… brushed past us like we weren’t even there. I don’t know if you even had your eyes open.”

Sunny all but slammed her spoon on the table to give you a haughty look. “Yep. Told you. You were sleepwalking.”

You frowned. “I guess it’s possible.”

“Should I…” Seokmin scrunched up his nose in thought. “Should I maybe keep a look out in case this happens again?”

Immediately you shook your head. “No. No need. It was a one-time thing. A fluke. It was nothing. Won’t happen again.” In your attempts to not look at him, you happened to eye the clock. Your jaw dropped. “Oh. I should go home. I have–”

“–a report due in a week and deadlines to meet,” Sunny finished for you with a laugh. “I know, I know. Go.”

Jeonghan spoke up as well, “Take the plate and another slice of cake before you go. I want to know you eat at least a little between your work.”

You did as you were told and made your escape without another word, not even a goodbye to Seokmin.

You had no time to feel guilty or consider that your heart fluttered a little at the thought of him coming to find you. Once again, you buried your feelings into lines of Times New Roman in your report.

“Oh, you come here too?” you heard his voice just two days later at the grocery store.

It was a little surprising to find him there: the store was a good mile further from the one closest to your building. Like a startled owl, you stared and blinked at him in the cereal aisle.

As you opened your mouth to respond, he chuckled and looked away at the cereals. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to talk to me. I just needed to get some Fruit Loops and figured I might as well say hi.” He placed the cereal in question into his basket and offered you one more friendly smile and a playful wave. “So, hi!”

“Hi,” you managed to drag out as you lifted your hand in a wave.

With a chuckle, he turned and headed away to the next aisle. You thought you were free from him for the day.

But alas: you found him again when you went to get eggs. He seemed to be contemplating between two brands. You tried your best to go unnoticed as you searched for your favourite local free range brand. To you dismay, he stood right in front of the eggs you seeked.

“Excuse me,” you started and tapped his shoulder when he didn’t seem to notice.

He smiled upon recognising you. “Yeah?”

“Could you move? I want those eggs.”

“The expensive ones?” He raised an eyebrow and handed you a carton. “They’re almost triple the price of the store brand.”

“But they’re free range and locally sourced. You should try them,” you explained with the slightest bit of enthusiasm before placing eggs into your cart and walking away in the direction you thought him least likely to follow.

You truly thought you were free of him when you went to the checkout, but once again, as if tasked by god himself to be wherever you went, Seokmin was in front of you in queue, meticulously placing his items on the counter. As he turned to put away his basket, his eyes found yours and a bright smile appeared on his face. “Oh, it’s you again!”

“It’s me again,” you replied with an awkward laugh.

“Are you leaving too?” he wondered while fishing his bag for his wallet. When you nodded, his eyes lit up. “Do you need a ride home?”

Your eyes widened. “A ride?”

Why was he offering you a ride home? Why was he so friendly with you at all? You had broken into his apartment – in the eyes of the legal system anyway – and he was smiling at you like you were a beloved friend.

“Of course. We should stick together, no? We’re neighbours, after all– Hold on,” he interrupted himself to respond to the cashier, “Yes, by card please.Thank you.”

“You might have to wait a moment then,” you finally relented when he turned to you once again, eyes resembling a puppy. His smile widened at your words and he nodded.

The ride home was short and awkward. You greatly feared he would try to retaliate for the emotional damage you might’ve caused by sleeping in his apartment. To your relief, he did not such thing and only continued cheerfully chattering.

“–but I feel like a dog would be too much work, you know? I love dogs but I don’t have that kind of time.” He offered you a glance. “Do you have any pets?”

You scrunched up your face in thought as the car rolled to a stop in the parking lot of the building. “I have a cactus.”

“... Does it have a name?”

Eager to not disappoint, you blurted out the first name that came to mind: “Bertha.” You shut your eyes in shame.

But as the two of you got out of his small red car, he laughed. “Bertha? Sounds lovely. Is she high-maintenance?”

“Very.”

“Yeah?”

You decided you liked his laughter and the bright smile that came with. “Easier than a dog though.”

He laughed louder at that and handed you your grocery bags. “I bet. Maybe I should get a cactus too.”

“I highly recommend,” you chuckled, finding his laughter contagious. “It’s very fulfilling to watch it do absolutely nothing all-year-round.”

When the two of you got into the hallway, he paused in front of the staircase. As you were about to ask him about it, he asked, “Do you need help with your bags?”

“No, I’m–”

“They look heavy.” He frowned before holding up a single finger, jogging over to his door, dropping his singular bag in front of it, and running back to you. Before you could formally protest, he grabbed the bags from your hands and began the journey up the stairs. When you froze in your spot, he turned to ask, “Well, aren’t you coming? Or were you going to sleep at mine again?”

Your face burned at the teasing comment. You decided following after him was the lesser evil.

“There we go,” he cheered when the two of you reached your door. He rubbed his hands against his thighs a few times, awkwardly like a schoolboy, before smiling and waving goodbye. “I guess this is goodbye for the day. It was nice talking to you.”

You didn’t manage to even thank him before he was already halfway down the stairs. Maybe you made him as nervous as you made him. As you went to sleep that night, you replayed the interaction over and over again in your head, failing to hide a smile at the memory.

The valley of the mattress had a hold over you. You had never been so comfortable waking up – well, with the exception of maybe once or twice.

The pillows were the perfect temperature, the blanket hugged you just right, the big teddy bear you hugged to your chest smelled fresh out of the washing machine–

“Since when do I have a teddy bear?” you grumbled in confusion and pried your eyes open. You felt all blood rush away from your face as you looked at the bear – light brown with a baby blue bow, its eyes shining up at you.

You had never even seen this bear before.

Cursing under your breath, you glanced around the room. You were back in your very own personal hell full of flowing beige curtains, white unfamiliar sheets, and teddy bears: the hell known as Seokmin’s apartment.

The realisation brought tears of frustration to your eyes, but you were too stubborn to let them loose. It was barely 8 am but you were already on the verge of crying – what a joke.

Wiping your eyes, you all but slammed the bear down on the bed (you’ll never admit you did feel a little bad about it seconds later and gave it a little pat on the head) and stood up. You stumbled out of the bedroom and towards the front door.

As you reached for the doorknob – the final obstacle on your journey out of hell –, you heard his voice, sweet as honey like always, “Oh, you’re not going to stay for breakfast?”

You froze.

“I made extra waffles and all,” he added, sounding a little dejected. You didn’t have the heart to tell him no, so you sighed softly and turned around to give him a tight-lipped not-quite-genuine smile. His own grin brightened at the sight. “Is that a yes? You’ll stay?”

“Only for the waffles,” you lied and took a seat at his table.

He laughed and placed a plate of fresh food in front of you before taking the seat across from you. “Not because you don’t want me to feel bad?”

“No,” you grabbed a fork and began filling it with food, “I just don’t like food waste.”

“Oh, right! Minghao said you work for an environmental company. That sounds cool.”

“Yeah?” You swallowed your food. “What about you? What do you do for work?”

He cleared his throat as though the question had caught him by surprise and he was too shy to say. After a moment of silence, he bashfully admitted, “I’m a music teacher at primary school.”

You blinked in surprise. “A music teacher?”

“Well, I wanted to be a singer– a musical actor, actually,” he explained, his voice fluctuating in volume and his ears bright red, “but I’m a little too shy to audition. So I just stuck with teaching others to sing.”

“That’s so cool though,” you told him with a smile. “Are you good at singing?”

His ears seemed to turn an even deeper red. “My friends think so but I don’t know. I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

“Then why not audition? You only live once.”

He seemed thoughtful all of a sudden, watching your increasingly awkward self. You were just about ready to apologise for your possibly intrusive question when he softly asked, “Why not rest and live a little? You only live once, right?”

The question felt awfully pointed and you didn’t fail to let him know with a glare.

“I’m serious,” he declared, his lips pouting a little as if he was actually upset at your lack of self-care. “Whenever I see you, you’re always rushing somewhere. The only person you seem to be friends with is Sunny, and maybe Jeonghan by association.”

You opened your mouth to defend yourself. “I’m also friends with Minghao–”

“He barely even leaves his apartment. He doesn’t count.”

“He counts!”

“Do I count?”

“Of course you–” Your eyes widened as did his smile.

“We’re friends now!” he declared while pointing an accusatory finger at you, his voice raising in excitement. You began to protest but he was having none of it. “No take-backs! We’re friends – you just said so!”

“I didn’t actually–”

“Nope. No. We’re friends.” He narrowed his eyes at you, his smile never fading. “Or do you just sleep in random guys’ beds?”

You wanted to protest, you really did, but there’s only so much you can say to defend yourself against such accusations. Besides, his bright smile at your defeated nod could’ve won awards.

Accidentally waking in his apartment didn’t end. No. In fact, it somehow got worse.

Once every week quickly turned into once every few days. You were tempted to start keeping track of how often you woke up in your own bed but one could assume the numbers wouldn’t be too impressive.

You grew accustomed to the smell of his detergent and the smell of breakfast in the mornings. Was this what it might’ve been like to be in a relationship?

“How come you’ve never dated anyone?” he wondered once over breakfast.

You shrugged. “I don’t have the time.”

“Too busy saving the world?” he teased like he often did. Over time you stopped finding it annoying (perhaps because he sounded almost genuinely proud of you every time he said it).

“I assume you don’t get a lot of dates either,” you bit right back between bites of pancakes.

He seemed to be taken aback by your observation. “What makes you think that?”

“You sleep with a teddy bear, Seokmin,” you deadpanned.

He pouted. “Fluffy is a premium sleep companion.”

You laughed. “Is he?”

“You steal him every other night!” he accused with a chuckle. “I’m sure you know how great he is by now.”

“He’s truly a– What did you say? A premium sleep companion?”

“That’s what the label said when I got him.”

“Maybe I should invest in a bear too,” you wondered thoughtfully between bites.

Seokmin raised an eyebrow. “Then why don’t you?”

“No ti–”

“If you make the ‘no time’ excuse again, I will scream,” he said with in utmost seriousness. You promptly shut up: Seokmin’s lung capacity was well-known by everyone in the building.

After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat. “You know, if it’s physical contact that you need to sleep– Nevermind. How are the pancakes?”

Whether it was to save your or his dignity, you chose to ignore his first comment and answered only the last question, “Their colour is nicer than usual. I like the golden colour.”

“I guess the free range eggs really do make a difference,” Seokmin mused with a chuckle. When you offered him a surprised look, he hummed in confusion. “What?”

“You bought free range eggs? Didn’t you say they were too expensive last time?”

He shrugged. “I figured I might as well try to make some more ethical choices while shopping. Besides, you recommended them–”

Your eyes welled up a little. “You bought more expensive eggs because I recommended them?”

“And because I care for animals,” he added in a little too fast.

You laughed and nodded. “For the animals, right. Me too.”

“Do you ever rest from your work?” he wondered after a moment. “What do you do outside of it?”

“I… don’t know. I read. I like to clean.”

“But what about going to festivals? Swimming? Cycling? Dancing?” He grew more and more desperate as you rejected every hobby he offered. “No wonder you’re so tired all of the time! You’re a workaholic.”

You snorted. “Sunny did say I’m similar to Jihoon.”

“I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“I think he’s worse though.”

“Oh, definitely, but he doesn’t go to sleep in his neighbours’ beds,” Seokmin pointed out with a look of worry. As he watched you for an exactly uncomfortable amount of time, his eyes eventually lit up again. “I have an idea. What are you doing tomorrow evening?”

“Working–”

“I swear if I hear that word one more time, I will scream.”

You, once again, promptly shut up.

“Great,” he beamed and clapped his hands together, “I’ll text you to details later.”

“You’re not even going to tell me what we’re doing?”

You sighed in disappointment as he smiled brightly and shook his head ‘no’.

A knock on your door notified you of his arrival. Despite being sure it wasn’t meant to be a date and knowing that Seokmin had seen you in far worse condition, you still took a deep breath and gave yourself a quick once-over at the mirror.

When you opened the door, he smiled at you brightly. “I see you’ve dressed up too.”

“I would hardly call this dressed up,” you told him rather sheepishly, suddenly even more aware of you appearance. “You look very dapper as well.”

“Yep, and do you want to know why?”

“Why?”

His smile widened so much you worried for his cheeks. “Because you and I are going to the theatre.”

“The theatre?” You paled at the mention and looked down at your outfit. “I feel like I’m underdressed then.”

“You look fine,” he laughed and grabbed your hand. “Let’s go or we’ll be late. And trust me,” he widened his eyes for dramatic effect, “you don’t want to be late.”

You gave in begrudgingly and locked the door as fast as you could while he practically bounced at your side in excitement.

“What are we going to watch then?” you finally remembered to ask when you entered the theatre less than 15 minutes later. “I swear, if you dragged me here to watch an opera–”

“It’s a musical, actually,” he admitted bashfully. “I love musicals and I don’t know much about other theatre performances so I thought– But if you don’t like musicals, that’s–”

“I don’t mind musicals,” you told him with a little laugh and pat on his shoulder. “But I have to admit, it has been ages since my last time at the theatre, and I haven’t seen a musical in a few years at least.”

“That’s fine. I’ll guide you through it.” And as if the last shy bone had left his body, he grabbed your hand and led you to your seats, all the while widely smiling at you and giving your hand periodical squeezes of encouragement.

His hand never left yours for the duration of the musical, not even for intermission, not even when he ordered cake from the theatre café to hold you over until after the show. His hand remained warm in yours, fingers squeezing a little tighter every once in a while, his thumb running over the back of your hand.

It was so warm, so comforting. Just his presence alone was enough to make you dizzy with the feeling of safety and happiness. His touch? You were floating on cloud 9 with zero regard for what was going on below – or on the stage, for that matter.

Frankly, you could barely remember to watch the musical because you were so busy marvelling at the feel of his hand in yours.

“That was so good,” he excitedly told you as the two of you returned to your apartment. “The music was phenomenal.”

“The actors were very good.” And that was the only contribution you could make to the conversation because you definitely hadn’t paid any attention to the plot and your knowledge of music was simply not there.

But thankfully, that seemed to be far more than enough. His eyes gleamed as he sat onto your sofa and gestured widely while speaking, “Right? The leading woman was just– Incredible, fantastic. Her range! I’m a little jealous, actually.”

You took the seat next to him. To your surprise, his hand found yours once again, wasting no time in interlocking your fingers. And just like that, paying attention to anything else became difficult.

Were you really developing a crush on him? Just like that? You refused. You were too busy to be pining after a man.

But when slid closer to your side and looked at you like you were the most wonderful person to ever exist, you suddenly didn’t care about the lack of time. Screw it. You’d make time if it meant you got to see his star-filled eyes again.

“... Sorry, what?” you coughed out when he paused and looked at you expectantly.

He laughed. “You’re so cute. I asked if you wanted to go see another musical with me someday.”

“I’d love to,” you blurted out without thinking.

Yeah. Screw deadlines.

“Okay, perfect!” His smile brightened up the entire room as he rested his head on your shoulder. “Because I heard they’re doing Excalibur next season and I desperately need a friend to go watch it with me. I saw the premise and heard a preview of one of the songs and they’re holding auditions next month and I am already obsessed–”

Your brain was barely functioning at all, and yet you could recall one single memory from the depths of it. A dream he had shared. “Then why don’t you audition?”

He sat up abruptly, looking at you as if you were insane. “I couldn’t possibly–”

“Why not?” you asked. “I heard you singing the other day. You’re really good. I think you could get any part pretty easily.”

His ears turned more red with every word you said. “You flatter me…”

“I’m serious, Seokmin!”

“I’m not that good. And I have zero acting experience, aside from a few courses I did in college. Why would they ever pick me?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” you countered and he scoffed.

“I can think of a few–”

“You never know if you don’t try,” you told him and raised your hand to brush a stray hair off his forehead. “I’m rooting for you.”

As your words faded into the night and your eyes met, you wondered if he could feel the sparks flying and bursting all around you as well. Did he also feel that overwhelming adoration for you?

He sighed after a while, a bashful smile on his face. “You must be tired. It’s been a long night. Go to sleep.”

“I really should,” you yawned as if on cue. You shared a laugh at the timing.

He squeezed your hand one last time. “Well, good night then. I expect I’ll find you at my apartment in the morning–”

“Or you could stay here and we don’t have to worry about that,” you blurted without thinking. Your face flashed hot right after.

Had there been any alcohol in that cake he bought for you? Why were you feeling so bold all of a sudden?

“I–” He seemed speechless.

“I don’t know why I said that,” you rushed out and avoided his eyes. “I think I’m just really tired and work has been stressful and maybe my brain is just broke–”

He placed his hand behind your neck and led your head to rest against his chest as he rubbed comforting circles on your back. You could hear his body rumble with laughter as he held you. “I’d love to stay over. Besides,” he pushed you away just enough to look you in the eyes again, “I think it’s only fair that I get to sleep over this once, because you sleep over at my place a lot.”

You frowned and pouted. “It’s not like I mean to–”

“A lot,” he repeated with wide eyes and a teasing smile before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “But it’s okay. I don’t mind.”

When you recounted the half-embarrassing and yet half-lovestruck happenings of the previous night to Sunny on the way back from work, she stared at you in bafflement.

“You actually asked him to sleep over?” she gasped, hand over her heart as if she was a peasant woman of the 16th century hearing the most scandalous gossip. “You little vixen!”

“Nothing happened,” you insistently told her as the two of you stepped off the bus.

She huffed. “That’s honestly so boring. I mean, have you seen that man? What I wouldn’t give to–”

“I am once again reminding you that you already have a boyfriend.”

“You don’t know what we’re into in the bedroom,” she countered with a smirk.

You only now realised how much Jeonghan was rubbing off on her. She was becoming a second him, slowly but surely. Couple of the year.

“I’m taking away your friend privileges, Sunny,” you told her at that and rushed ahead to avoid hearing any more weirdly Jeonghan-like jokes from her.

She laughed at that before running after you. “Okay, okay, no more dirty jokes.”

“Thank god,” you sighed towards the sky.

“So, did any sleepwalking occur?” she then asked before humming in thought. “Well, I imagine if it had, I would’ve heard about it by now. It would’ve been quite a sight to see Seokmin running after an asleep you towards his apartment at 2 am.”

“I didn’t sleepwalk.”

And frankly, if you had, Seokmin must have done a very good job of getting you back to your own bed because you woke up exactly how and where you fell asleep – wrapped in his arms, head resting in the crook of his neck.

Sunny suddenly stopped in spot. Her eyes wide, her lips parted. She pointed an accusatory finger at you, “Wait, does that mean you two are dating now?”

You weren’t sure you had the answer. And you wouldn’t have time to find the answer for a while.

“Good morning!” you heard Seokmin’s voice before you even opened your eyes.

Unlike the previous few times, disappointment filled you as realisation hit. You groaned and turned over to bury your face in his numerous pillows, hoping you could suffocate yourself out of a mildly infuriating nightmare.

Seokmin clicked his tongue. “Not quite the greeting I was expecting, especially considering I was greeted with a hug the last time we shared a bed.”

“Shut it.”

“Oh, you’re mean today.”

“Did I fall asleep mid-work again?” you sighed and slowly sat up to glare at nothing in particular. Seokmin went to great lengths to avoid whatever direction to directed your deadly look to. “God, I bet I didn’t even make it to the second graph– I’m not gonna have time to go to the office for work today.”

He stared at you curiously. “So, work from home? I mean, if you have the possibility.”

“Yeah, but then I’ll get distracted and then I still won’t end up doing anything,” you whined before falling back into the pillows. You wanted to cry just at the thought of that stupid report waiting on your idle laptop.

“Why are you so stressed about this report anyway? I don’t think you were ever this upset over any other reports.”

“If this project report goes through, and we pull off this project – which I still have to plan, oh my god, I am so far behind–”

Seokmin laughed at your frantic movements and moved over to place his hands on your shoulders and keep you still. “Hey, hey, don’t get distracted. If the project goes through…?”

You took a deep breath. “If the project goes well, I will get a promotion. Less hours, better pay.” You sighed. “Then maybe I’ll be able to get a dog like I’ve always wanted.”

“That sounds wonderful! We should celebrate with breakfast,” he suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

But as tempting as it sounded, you simply didn’t have any time to chat. You had work to do. And so, you stood up, fixed your hair, gave Seokmin an affectionate yet half-hearted pat on the back and headed for the door.

You couldn’t wait to spend your day in complete lonely misery. At work you at least had friends to talk between sections. All you had in your apartment was Bertha and instant coffee.

And it was as if Seokmin knew it just from the way you spoke to him that morning.

When the clock struck twelve, you heard a timid knock on your door. Confused at the noise and a little disoriented from the five pages of words you had written, you stood up and went to the door.

Your heart grew three sizes when you saw him standing there, looking so awfully huggable in his large white hoodie and grey sweatpants, glasses on his nose accompanied by a kind smile. You were so surprised to find him there that you failed to consider why he came.

He had to nudge you with the plastic bag he was holding for you to even notice it.

“Sorry,” you stammered and stepped aside to let him in, “I’m just a little-”

“Stress? Overworked? Confused because you’ve been staring at a 15-inch screen for the past three hours?” he suggested and brought the bag to the kitchen. “That’s okay. Don’t even mind me.” He smiled as he nodded towards your laptop. “Go on. Work waits. The sooner you get to it, the sooner it’ll be done.”

Disoriented as you were, you didn’t dare argue and slowly walked back to your previous seat at the coffee table, all the while watching him cautiously.

As your fingers landed on the keyboard, he began lifting things out of the bag. You watched in awe as he stacked snacks and vegetables onto the counter.

Feeling your eyes on him, he lifted his head to glare at you. “Work.”

“Work,” you repeated on instinct and turned back to your laptop. He laughed a little at your robotic tone.

Some 20 minutes later, you felt a presence next to you. When you turned to face it, Seokmin was holding an fruit slice up at your lips.

“Eat,” he told you softly. You did as told.

“What are you doing?” you asked between confused laughter and chewing. Your eyes landed on the bowl of fruits he had placed in front of you.

He shrugged. “Taking care of you. You seemed so upset this morning… I thought it would be nice to spend my free day helping you.”

Your eyes widened. “It’s your free day? And you’re here? You should be resting!”

“Watching you is all the rest I need,” he winked playfully before lifting another fruit to your lips. “Now, eat up. This is lunch. I’ll make something better for dinner.”

“You don’t have to–”

He took this chance to shove a piece of apple into your mouth, effectively interrupting your speech. “I will, and I don’t care what you say.”

He glanced around the apartment as you began to eat the fruits on your own. “When was the last time you opened a window?”

You watched curiously as he stood up (with a groan because his bones simply weren’t as nimble as they used to be) and headed over to the windows, opening a few to air out the room. As he did so, he told you, “They say that good airflow and fresh air help the thought process. We air out the classrooms between every lesson so the next students won’t get too tired.”

“I don’t think I’ve opened any windows in here since I first moved in,” you confessed before turning back to your laptop. Before you could your train of thought again, a soft fabric was placed on your shoulders. You looked up to find him smiling at you brightly. “So you won’t get cold.”

“What about you then?”

He shrugged and winked. “I’ll just consider this my daily walk in the park.” He then looked around the apartment again, as if looking for something to do. You couldn’t help but find it endearing.

“Maybe… you could… make me a cup of tea?” you suggested.

He lit up at the idea. “Coming right up!”

Before heading to the kitchen, he leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead. It seemed almost like a reflex – like he didn’t even need to think about doing it.

Relishing in the leftover warmth of his lips and the feel of his hoodie on your skin, your work took a backseat for a while. Instead of thinking about your project of a lifetime, your brain was drowning in one singular question. You glanced towards the kitchen to watch him, a smile appearing on your face as you did.

“Seokmin?” you called out softly after a moment.

He hummed in response immediately, eyes lifting from the cup he was preparing so he could offer you an encouraging smile.

You took a deep breath. “What are we?”

He paused. “What do you mean?”

“You and I. What are we to each other?” you wondered, unable to look away from him. There was something you badly wanted to hear him say and yet feared at the same time. “What are you to me?”

The corners of his lips twitched. “I… I’ll be whatever you’d like me to be.”

“Whatever? A friend?”

“If that’s what you wish,” he breathed out, a little shakier than before.

“What about a lover?”

He smiled. “If you so wish.”

“Then… what do you want me to be?” you asked him quietly, a part of you praying your words would go missing in the incoming wind before they reached him.

“I just…” He bit his lip in contemplation, ears turning red, and avoided your eyes.

“What do you want me to be to you, Seokmin?” you repeated your question, a little bolder this time, hope sparking in your heart.

He looked up again, into your eyes. “Mine.” You let out a breath – of relief or fear, you weren’t sure – but he didn’t hesitate when he repeated, “I want you to be mine.”

You felt guilty for the words you’d utter next. “But we don’t have the time for that…”

“That’s okay,” he assured you with a kind smile. “We’ll take it slow.”

“Slow? How slow do we take it?”

“As slow as you need. I’m not leaving.”

“I signed up for the auditions,” he told you over breakfast a few days later. “Jihoon’s helping me prepare.”

You were still neck-deep in your project, struggling to meet the deadlines and coordinate your team. This seemed to lead the asleep you to Seokmin’s apartment more often than not. It was almost like you woke up in his bed every morning now.

But even in your despair, you couldn’t help but be excited for Seokmin.

Your eyes lit up and a squeal came out as you grabbed his hand over the table. “Really? You did?!”

He used his free hand to rub the back of his neck bashfully. “Well, you said I should give it a try, right? Who knows,” he shrugged, trying his best to seem nonchalant or even fake a little bit of confidence, “maybe they’ll give me a part.”

“I’m sure they will,” you insisted, squeezing his hand. “Your voice is amazing and you’re so handsome – the ladies are going to swoon when they see you on the stage.”

He laughed. “Will you be one of those ladies?”

“I’ll be in the front row,” you solemnly promised. “At every show. You’ll get sick of seeing me.”

“I could never,” he assured you.

Seokmin’s audition would take place two weeks later. You made sure the mark the day with a big red circle on your calendar – on all three of them, in fact. And now it was time.

Between your seemingly endless stream of project complications and Seokmin’s daytime job and audition preparations, you barely saw him. If it weren’t for your persistent sleepwalking problem, you wouldn’t have seen him at all. And so, the curse had became a blessing.

“You’ll do great,” you assured him minutes after waking up in his bed. You made sure to give him the warmest hug before letting him leave the room. “I believe in you. And so does Jihoon, apparently.”

Seokmin pouted. “Did he say that or are you lying to make me feel better?”

“We talked yesterday,” you told him, appalled that he’d even accuse you of such atrocities. “He said he has complete faith that you’ll do well.”

“I don’t believe you but–”

“Do you want to fight me? Already?” You raised a brow and he shook his head immediately. “Exactly. Just accept the compliment. And don’t forget to call me when you finish, okay?”

“Of course,” he promised.

He kept that promise. Just as he stepped out of the theatre, his shaky hands picked up the phone and chose your number.

You answered the call with prep in your voice. It had been a good day so far and you were expecting to hear his no-doubt joyous retellings of the audition.

What you weren’t expecting was: “Can you come get me? I think I might cry.”

“Why, why?” Despite your words, you didn’t hesitate to slam your laptop closed and grab your jacket. “Are you okay? Were they mean?”

“They weren’t mean,” he mumbled on the other side of the line, “but I don’t think I did well.”

“I’m sure you did wonderful,” you spoke while rushing down the street. Thankfully, the theatre was barely a five-minute walk from your office – half that at your current pace. “You’re just putting yourself down over nothing.”

Seokmin whined. “You’re seriously overestimating me.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“No, I’m serious. You overestimate me.”

As you crossed the street, you noticed a familiar figure dragging his feet along the pavement, head low and shoulders slumped. “Now why would I do that?”

“Because you like me a little more than you should,” he suggested while kicking a pebble. You could already hear his voice even without the phone. “I’m sure the directors think I’m a joke or something. God, I am so–”

“Don’t you dare say another bad word about yourself,” you scolded him with a gentle slap against the back of his head.

He stared at you in bewilderment – both from the fact that you might as well have appeared from thin air and the fact that you just did that.

But you were unrelenting in your affection for him. “Lee Seokmin, listen to me: you did absolutely great. You did your best. And even if you don’t get a part this time, they’ll value the fact that you now have experience with auditions. Take it in stride.”

Tears gathered in his eyes. Before long, he pulled you into his embrace, holding you impossibly tight. “You’re just saying that… Thank you.”

“That’s what I’m here for, silly,” you laughed and hugged him back just as tightly. “I think we should celebrate this occasion.”

“Even if I screwed up and don’t get the part?”

You scoffed. “Absolutely! A little cake can make everything better, no?”

He sighed. “I don’t think I can eat right now. I might throw up from the nerves.”

“Drink then?”

He contemplated and then straightened up. “I could go for some bubble tea…”

“There we go!” you cheered and gently pinched his cheeks, prompting a small giggle. “My treat because you did so well today and I’m so proud of you.”

This time it was you who grabbed his hand without any hesitation, more than happy to reassuringly squeeze it as you walked and talked.

“When will you get the answer?” you wondered.

He sucked in a breath. “In about a week, they said. Or maybe never–”

“Seokmin,” you scolded.

“In a week,” he corrected himself with some enthusiasm. “I’ll get answers in a week. And then I might actually cry.”

“And I’ll be there when you cry tears of joy, darling.”

“Tears of joy?” He raised a brow and smiled in disbelief. “You seriously put too much faith in me.”

You nudged his side. “As if you haven’t been equally supportive about my promotion.”

“Oh, right,” Seokmin gasped, “won’t your promotion interview be in a week too?”

You would’ve preferred he didn’t remind you. Then again, you guessed it was only fair.

“Will you come over to hold me when I cry too?”

“Tears of joy?” he teased and leaned over to kiss your temple. “I’ll be just a call away.”

The week somehow passed at both the pace of a snail and the pace of Junhui on a sugar rush.

After finding you in his bed every single morning, Seokmin resorted to just sleeping over at your place, tightly cuddling you to keep you in place. He now had a whole drawer dedicated to his things in your bedroom.

The day started okay. You were awoken not by a loud alarm like you had expected, but by Seokmin gently singing you awake.

For a moment, you thought you had died and gone straight to heaven – maybe working so hard to save the environment had paid off after all, you thought. But no, it was just your reality.

What a beautiful reality. You couldn’t help but smile as you cuddled into his chest.

“If you keep clinging onto me like that, I won’t be able to make my famous waffles for a lucky breakfast,” he whispered but made no attempt to push you away.

The delicious breakfast was followed by an encouraging hug on the way out of the building, him to the school and you to the office. You wore a smile the entire time.

Up until you made it to your desk. Then the reality began sinking in.

This was the day that could make or break your career. The day you had worked so hard for that you neglected your private life for so many years.

As the clock on the wall slowly ticked forward, your hands began to shake. Your throat was dry. Your head was fuzzy, full of nothing but anxiety. If someone had asked you about anything, you would’ve only been able to stare at them with a mouth wide open.

20 minutes until your scheduled interview. You were starting to feel sick.

When another colleague came to give you a supportive pat on the back, you excused yourself and grabbed your phone to rush outside to the balcony. You sat on a chair and willed yourself to take deep breaths as you tapped on his number.

You wanted to slap yourself when you realised that you hadn’t even bothered to check if he was on break yet.

But he answered on the first ring. “Hey, what’s up? Did you have the interview alread–”

“Seokmin, I can’t do this,” you whimpered into the microphone. “I can’t do this. They’re gonna realise I’m an idiot and they’ll fire me and–”

“Woah, woah, what happened to your positive can-do attitude?” he wondered. “You’ll be fine.”

“No–”

“(Y/n),” he said your voice so firmly that your breath got caught in your throat. “(Y/n), you will be fine. You’ve worked there for so many years, you’ve achieved so many things. If they wanted to fire you, they would’ve done that by now.”

You took a shaky breath. “What if it’s an elaborate prank?”

“Why would– Baby, listen to me. You’ve worked hard. You put everything you had into that project – I was there, I saw it. You and your ideas are invaluable to your company. They’re going to ask you a few questions as a formality and they’re going to give that promotion and then you and I are going to go to a celebratory dinner and it’ll all be over.”

“And I can get a dog?” you whispered, a small smile tugging at your lips.

“You can get two dogs if you want, baby,” he laughed. “You deserve it. Don’t underestimate yourself. I believe in you and I’m sure your co-workers do as well.”

“How do you always know the right words to say?”

He laughed once again. “Baby, I’m a teacher. I’m literally trained to comfort people. I’m just glad I’m able to comfort you as well.”

“Thank you.”

“No need,” he responded, “just go and ace that interview. Okay?”

“And then you’ll come and wipe my happy tears?”

“You already know the answer to that question. But I expect the same treatment when I get my audition results.”

“Will do.”

“Go and get them, tiger.”

You weren’t sure what it was, but something about the conversation seemed to have lifted the weight off your shoulders. When you walked back to the office, the upcoming interview no longer felt as taunting.

As the clock hit 2 pm, you squared your shoulders, took a deep breath and headed to your manager’s office.

When the day ended, you found Seokmin standing in front of the office building, a blinding smile on his face.

“Well?” he asked expectantly, though the look in his eyes said that he had every faith that you would only give him good news. You were glad to prove him right.

Your coy smile was replaced with joyous laughter as you ran to hug him and called out, “I got the job!”

“You got it? You got it!” he cheered with you, jumping up and down with you in his arms, not far from spinning you around in the air. “I knew you would! What did I tell you? Silly you,” he let you out of his hold to place his hands on your cheeks and pull your face closer to his own, “you thought you wouldn’t get the promotion. Look at you now. I’m so proud of you.”

You breathed out in relief. The smile seemed to never stop tugging on your cheeks. “I’m so relieved I could cry.”

“Then who will dry my happy tears?” he teased with a bright smile.

You tilted your head in confusion. “Wait–”

“I got the part,” he whispered, his smile only growing wider, eyes sparkling. “I’m going to become a musical actor, officially.”

“Oh my god!” you practically squealed and now it was your turn to hug him and jump. He was glad to join you, laughing in glee. “I knew you could do it! I knew it!”

As joy got the best of you – and who could blame you: this was the happiest day of your life so far –, you grabbed his face and pulled him closer to you to press your lips against his own. He melted into the gesture, arms wrapping around you tighter as if to will the moment to last forever.

When you pulled back, just enough so that your noses touched, he laughed in disbelief. “I thought we were supposed to take it slow?”

“Screw taking it slow,” you whispered and kissed him again. “Might as well make it a triple celebration.”

“I like the sound of that.”

BONUS !

While practically leaning out of their open window to watch you and Seokmin kiss under the streetlights on your way home, Jeonghan and Sunny argued.

“I told you they would get together,” Sunny declared, her eyebrows raised as if to dare her boyfriend to prove her wrong.

Jeonghan scoffed. “Please. They’re just kissing. It could be casual.”

“Just say you don’t want to owe me 20 bucks.”

“I don’t owe you 20 bucks! We have no confirmation!”

“Jeonghan, listen here–”

“No, no, you listen–”

“Both of you listen here!” Chan bellowed from the window above them. “If you don’t stop arguing right now, I will report you both to Jihoon’s parents! Some of us are trying to sleep!” Silence followed. “And pay her the 20 bucks, Jeonghan. They’re clearly together.”

Jeonghan grumbled and glared upwards before fishing a 20 out of his pocket and handing it to his smiling girlfriend.

#seventeenweeklyarticle #seventeen scenarios #seventeen x reader #seokmin x reader #seokmin scenarios #seventeen fic #dk scenarios #.avy writes #series: serenity street 17 💙

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backtothe99 · 4 months

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(18Trip Translation) Tao Kinouchi SSR: Kill Death Happy - Don't underestimate that aim

This translation uses the male protagonist's name (Kaede), but the story doesn't change regardless of the chosen protagonist

Part 1

Location: HAMA House 2F Hallway

Kaede: I’ve been working too much ‘cause the weekend is coming up…

Kaede: (I couldn’t sleep at my usual time and woke up too late…)

Kaede: What should I do today… Ah.

Tao: … If it’s nearby, it’s probably at that place. But to go there at this time…

Kaede: What are you doing, Tao-kun? Research?

Tao: Hey Chief. A new gun game was released today, so I was looking into which stores it’s available at.

Tao: It’s the latest installment in a popular series, so I wanted to line up for it first thing in the morning…

Tao: I overslept because I forgot about it and stayed up playing Anigun with Chihiro.

Tao: Now I’m super late. All the stores are crowded, and I probably won’t be able to play it today.

Kaede: Woah~ … I knew you were really into that Full Dive FPS Chihiro-kun invited you to start playing, but...

Kaede: I didn’t know you’re also into arcade games.You’ve got a wide range of interests.

Tao: I actually prefer the gun games at arcades. Think “Chronos Crisis”.

Kaede: Isn’t that a famous retro game from the Heisei era? You can play it even now?

Tao: There’s an arcade that’s only got games like this. It’s my favorite.

Kaede: There’s a store like that? Seems interesting…

Tao: We can go together, if you’d like?

Tao: It doesn’t have the latest release I was talking about, but I was thinking of going as a change of pace.

Kaede: Are you sure? Then, I’ll come and refresh myself too!

Location: Arcade

Kaede: Amazing, there’s so many retro games…!

Tao: This place has machines that are pretty much extinct, and they’re all operable. Let’s use them since we’re here.

Tao: Is there anything you’re particularly interested in?

Option 1: It’s gotta be the claw machine

Kaede: It’s gotta be the claw machine. Whenever I see one, I can’t help but peek at its contents.

Tao: I get it. Whenever I see big candy or plushies, I can’t help but want to get them.

Tao: Is there anything you want? I’ll do my best to get it for you.

Option 2: The medal games look interesting

Kaede: The medal game look interesting. But there’s so many of them, it’s hard to pick which to play…

Tao: You can just pick whichever you click with.

Tao: This store’s games are all set at a friendly difficulty, and they let you play for a good amount of time. I think even you could hit a jackpot, Chief.

Tao: It’s pretty much luck-based, but I’ll help as much as I can.

Kaede: Thanks, Tao-kun.

Kaede: But… I think what I’m most interested in is the game you said you like.

Kaede: Look, it’s the one over there, right? Can we go give it a try?

Tao: I don’t mind, but… I don’t know if you’ll like it or not, y’know?

Kaede: You’re worrying too much.

Kaede: C’mon, it looks like two people can play, let’s try it.

Tao: … Well, it should be fine as long as I don’t have a shotgun.

Tao: Okay. I’ll be 2P then.

Kaede: Okay. I’m getting kinda nervous… This is my first time playing, sorry if I die immediately.

Tao: It’s okay. I’ll protect you.

Tao: I’ll drive away any enemies that come at you, so leave it to me.

Kaede: (I know this is just about the game, but Tao-kun sometimes says things that make my heart race with such a straight face…)

Tao: Are you ready? … Here we go!

Part 2

Kaede: Sorry, Tao-kun! I missed!

Tao: ‘s okay, no problem.

Tao: Just focus on what you can shoot. I’ll cover you.

Kaede: Thanks! I’ll do my best not to be dead weight!

Kaede: Woah, there are so many enemies…! There’s the mid-boss too, which one should I shoot at…?

Tao: Let’s split up.

Tao: I’ll take the boss. Chief, please try to reduce the surrounding enemies.

Kaede: G-Got it. Bring it on!

Kaede: (We’re close to clearing the stage, thanks to Tao-kun, but this attack is the most intense so far…!)

Tao: Chief, to your left!

Kaede: Oh no…!? M-My life…!

Tao: As I thought, using a handgun’s pretty tough.

Tao: – No choice left!

Kaede: (He switched to a shotgun?)

Tao: Oraoraoraora~! Don’t you lay a hand on Chief!!

Kaede: !?

Tao: No matter how many grenades you throw at me, they're useless unless they actually hit me!

Kaede: (Amazing, he’s knocking down so many enemies despite their attacks! In quick succession, too…)

Tao: I’m the strongest one here. Thanks for making yourself an easy target!

Tao: All that’s left… is to end you once and for all!

Kaede: (Looks like he was lying about having a hard time. He took down the boss in no time…!)

Tao: Tch, it’s over already? They didn’t resist much…

Tao: Ah.

Tao: (I’m done for~~~!!!)

Tao: … I’m sorry you had to see that, Chief. Whenever I hold a shotgun, I act up like that…

Kaede: (Come to think of it, there was a big gunfight at the end of that survival...)

Tao: Oh, you must be tired, yeah? I bought some drinks! Would you like orange or apple?

Kaede: Uhhh… Orange.

Kaede: (The sudden change was definitely kinda shocking, but I think it just goes to show how he enjoys gaming above all else…)

Tao: …

Kaede: (Tao-kun looks sorta embarrassed…)

Kaede: You don’t have to worry about it. You were just trying to keep your promise, weren’t you?

Kaede: I wouldn’t have made it to the end if I was playing by myself, so if anything, I should be thanking you.

Kaede: You really are good at this, Tao-kun!

Tao: … If you enjoyed it just a bit, then I’m happy, Chief.

Kaede: Let’s take a break and then try some other games.

Tao: Yeah! What should we do next?

Location: HAMA Center

Kaede: Ah, we played lots~! I had fun!

Tao: So did I

Tao: We hit the jackpot, got souvenirs for the members from the crane game, it was great.

Kaede: I played lots of games for the first time ever, and they were all pretty memorable, but I had the most fun playing that gun game with you.

Tao: We went back and played it a few more times after playing other games, after all. I’m happy you liked it.

Kaede: To think you’d top the national ranking in just one day. That’s Tao-kun for you.

Tao: What are you saying? You also got better with every round we played.

Tao: You probably got a talent for gun games.

Kaede: (... I only made it to the rankings because of Tao-kun. I know I pretty much suck.)

Kaede: (It may just be flattery, but I’m happy he’s praising me.)

Kaede: By the way, when you registered for the ranking, you put on the username “O&A”.

Kaede: Is that the username you always use?

Tao: No, it’s not.

Tao: “O&A” means “Orange & Apple”... It comes from the juices we drank together.

Tao: I didn’t achieve this score by myself. It’s something we achieved together.

Tao: It’s a commemorative name, only for today.

Kaede: … There you go again. Are you aiming at me?

Tao: Huh? What do you mean?

Kaede: Ah well. Let’s go home!

Tao: Yeah. If we’re too late, Chihiro’s gonna start sulkin’ that I’m monopolizin’ you…

Tao: Ah! Look, Chief. The sunset’s so beautiful.

#18trip #translations #kinouchi tao #card story #tl99

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rogerswifesblog · 1 year

Text

1 - Better Than Boys

Series Masterlist

A/N: Hi! The first chapter of Better Than Boys! I Hope you’ll like it. There’ll be definitely a lot going on, def some huge dramas of course👀 inspired by this post and the many conversations we @jamneuromain had🤣

Please leave some feedback and reblog!

Pairing: Boyfriends!Dad! Andy Barber x reader

Warnings: boyfriends dad Andy, age gap (Andy mid forties, reader mid/early twenties) , smut, oral m receiving, daddy kink, ball and cock worship, cheating, guilt, angst

Friday evenings were movie nights at Jacobs. You were there. You brought popcorn. The movie had already started. You were cuddled up in a blanket on the couch in their living room. The pizza would be there soon, too.

Jacob wasn’t there.

Your boyfriend wasn’t home and forgot to tell you.

And you felt humiliated as soon as a confused Andy Barber opened the door.

“Oh hello Mr Barber! It’s nice to see you”, you greeted your boyfriend's father, who had just opened the front door. A slightly tired smile on his face, the dark circles under his eyes only confirming how little he slept in all the recent months he was busy with the divorce.

He opened the door a bit wider to let you in. “Hello, Sweets. Jacob left an hour ago. He said he’d be gone for a while”, he informed you, helping you take off your slightly wet jacket from the rain.

Confused, you looked up at the man. “He left? Oh, that’s…he’ll definitely be back soon. Fridays are movie nights, so he should definitely be back soon. I’d wait for him if that’s okay”, of course Andy let you stay. He’d let you stay any day at any hour, if he had to be honest with himself.

And he really shouldn’t feel like that.

“Jacob just called-he won’t make it. The rain is too heavy for him to drive so…he stays the night at his friends place..if you want I can drive you home”, said Andy entering the living room, making you jump in surprise, especially since you were currently watching a horror movie. You felt a blush creep onto your cheeks while you slowly looked back at the older man, before looking out of the window. The weather was awful, the whole world seemed gray and windy. It was raining cats and dogs. You definitely wouldn’t feel good making Andy drive in this weather.

Sighing, you shook your head. “No, I’d stay the night if that’s okay. It’s late and the rain is awful. I’d be worried when you’d have to drive home”, you shrugged, just when you turned your head back to the tv the possessed doll appeared scaring you enough to nearly make you drop the popcorn bowl.

At the same time Andy laughed in amusement. “ ‘Course you can stay. Do you mind if I accompany you? I’d love to take my mind off the horrors I’m going through and watch a real one-Annabelle, right?” “Yeah, I’d love some company”, you mumbled pulling the blanket higher to your face.

Andy sat down next to you with his own pizza, already having half of it eaten. “If you want some more help yourself, I won’t be able to eat both mine and JJs pizza”, you chuckled, but even to your ears it sounded stained.

“Sure, you can have some of mine, too, if you want”, he said, putting the box on the glass table in front of the couch. While he leaned back, his arm accidentally brushed over yours. Goosebumps erupted over your whole body. A shiver run down your back.

God, why couldn’t this stop? It happened every time Andy touched you, if by accident or not.

The occasional hugs to congratulate someone on your birthday, or well, Andy’s birthday. Every time that happened you felt your heartbeat quicken, your breath hitching and sometimes when he pulled you a bit tighter against him, even your pussy throb. He affected you in every way possible.

Twenty minutes later you decided to finally take a piece of Andy’s pizza, immediately feeling your mouth burn. “Holy shit-“, you coughed putting the piece back. Andy looked at you in surprise, partly because of the swear and also because of your coughing. “What-why is it so spicy”, you tried to clear your throat, but it only felt worse.

“Right I forgot-it’s probably because of the jalapeños and hot sauce, wait let me get you some milk. It should help”, with that he rushed to the kitchen filling you a glass of milk. As soon as he gave you the glass you chugged it down, some of the milk not even making it into your mouth, instead leaking from the corners of your mouth down your chin and throat, soaking the collar of your t-shirt.

And Andy was hard now.

He immediately looked away, not trusting himself with you around. Especially when you look like this. Wet from the milk, messy. What would happen if you’d suck his dick? Would you be this messy too? Would you let him finish on your face? Let him rub his cum into your skin? Mark you?

Fuck.

His dick twitched again and he really hoped you couldn’t see it when he covered himself with the blanket, also taking his pizza box to cover his crotch a bit more. Now you definitely wouldn’t notice it anymore.

“How can you eat these? I feel like my throat is bleeding”, you mumbled, drinking the last sip of your milk. “Don’t swallow-it will maybe help a bit better”, he couldn’t stop himself from licking over his own bottom lip when he saw your red, swollen lips. How badly he just wanted you to let him fill your mouth with- Andy, get a grip on yourself.

“Any better?”, he asked, feeling a bit bad having forgotten to tell you about the jalapeños on his pizza. You nodded slowly, feeling some of the milk leak from the corners of your mouth while you gulped down the milk again.

This time Andy couldn’t stop himself from brushing his thumb over the corner of your mouth, then over your lips before gently pushing his thumb into your mouth, pressing against your tongue. Noticing how you didn’t even move away. He could even feel like your tongue pushed against the tip of his finger.

You were looking right into his eyes, never breaking eye contact while you slowly sucked his thumb a bit further into your mouth. This time it was Andy’s breath that hitched. You were definitely doing this on purpose. Making him all hot and bothered.

Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn’t the first time you tried to tease him.

Maybe the first time you did it was when you walked around the house just in an oversized t-shirt, your legs on full display and when you bent down to pick up the napkin you dropped he saw the lacy panties you wore.

Or maybe it was when you left your phone on the table with a picture in dark blue lingerie. A picture of you. He recognised the necklace you had on. A necklace he quickly bought after Jacob told him he had no gift for you. So technically…the necklace he gave you.

There had been so many times he had to control his damn dick when you were around, always bending down right in front of him or brushing your ass against him while passing by him.

“You little minx”, he didn’t even mean to say it, but the smirk he received made it clear you knew exactly what you were doing. He pulled out his thumb from your lips, not being able to stop now. The switch was now turned over, he couldn’t control it anymore. He needed you. To feel you. Your young, pretty body is against him. You soft, plump lips on his dick. Wanting to hear you moan. Make you cum, over and over again. Maybe he’d manage to get you to squirt. He was sure nobody had done it before. Not his son. He could hear the two of you sometimes-the walls were thin. Even just from hearing your fake moans he could tell you were pretending.

He wanted to hear the real moans. He wanted you to orgasm on his fingers, mouth, dick, face, whatever.

Andy grabbed your shirt, pulling you against his chest immediately pressing his lips to your in a demanding and wanting kiss. His tongue didn’t need to fight for dominance, already having won it. A gasp escaped your lips when he pulled you over his lap, instantly thrusting against your core, the blanket pulling down from your bodies.

Panting you started kissing his neck, gently sucking gentle marks beneath his collar since you didn’t want anyone to see them. Or well, just one person. His son. His son shouldn’t see the hickeys you were currently leaving on his fathers neck.

Fuck.

Only then did you really start thinking about that. About the fact that you kissed Andy Barber. Your boyfriend's dad. The man you had a crush on since the day you met him. The cause of your wet dreams. The cause of your best orgasms when you fucked yourself on your dildo, thinking about him.

A moan escaped Andy’s lips when your hand wrapped around his thick cock. You haven’t even noticed when you had pulled his sweatpants down-or did he do that? It didn’t matter anyway.

“Let me suck you off”, you whispered against his neck, licking over the mark you just sucked underneath his collarbone. By the thought of having your lips wrapped around his cock his hips bucked against your crotch again. “Fuck, yea Sweets, suck Daddy’s cock.”

He didn’t mean to say it. Until now he never even thought about referring to himself as daddy. It just slipped. Like he couldn't control his own brain to mouth filter anymore. Now he definitely scared you off, just when it started to get…interesting. But then again, he could’ve expected you’d surprise him once again.

As soon as he said that your eyes widened, a tingle spread in your chest. And a little smirk on your face. You couldn’t stop yourself from biting down on your bottom lip. “Sure, Daddy”, your voice was only a whisper while you slowly leaned down to his cockhead, the red tip already leaking in your palm while you slowly stroked his thick shaft. Your thumb brushing right along the vein that you’d love to feel against your throbbing cunt.

And Andy…was definitely bigger and better than Jacob, thicker, longer and slightly curved, perfect to hit the spot that neither you or Jacob could find.

You licked over the slit, tasting his precum on your tongue. Moaning quietly you licked slowly over his length, down to his balls, making him gasp. God, his bells were always so sensitive yet no woman ever gave them much attention until now. You started licking and suckling on them, especially when you felt him press your head harder into his balls, making you suck and lick on them greedily.

You were all enthusiastic, lacking the finesse of a more experienced person but the eagerness made up for it, especially when he felt how you nuzzled against his cock. How you worshiped his dick, playing with him, slurping and lapping his pre cum up, before once again trying to get as much of his balls in your mouth as possible.

When he looked down at you, your cheeks and lips were glistening with his pre-cum. “Fuck, sweets you’re so pretty when you’re on your knees for me”, he mumbled grabbing you by the hair and pulling a bit away, his other hand positioning his cocktip at your lips. “Now let Daddy check your throat”, a grin spread over his lips when you opened your mouth wide, letting him slid into your mouth, slowly fucking in deeper.

You let him thrust into your mouth as he pleased, first slow but getting faster and harsher with the second, especially after noticing the lack of your gag reflex. “Oh what a treasure you are, any man would love to call you his, you know that?”, he moaned, pushing you further down, till your nose touched his pubicbone. “Oh fuck-and that’s what you can do? Didn’t think I’d be even more jealous of my kid-and here you can deep throat me”, you felt blood rush to your cheeks listening to his words, at the same time wetness drenched your panties. “-my filthy little girl, my perfect girl”, he moaned, letting you come up for air.

A few more thrusts and he felt his balls tighten, coming closer to his orgasm, which you also noticed, touching his tight balls and massaging them. “Daddy-please”, you moaned before suckling again at his cock, greedy slurping moving your head quickly up and down, till his grip on your head hardened.

“Fuck-open wide Sweets, daddy has a gift for you”, he grunted and you immediately opened your mouth wider, letting him shoot his load on your tongue and face, stroking himself to the last drop dripped onto your face, before pulling his pants back on.

You smiled at him bashfully, swallowing his cum, while he leaned down and kissed your cum stained lips gently, his hands cupping your cheeks, slowly massaging the cum with his thumbs into your skin. Marking you. Just like he wanted to do it since he had met you. The endorphins filled the air between you, both of you smiling against each others lips.

He pulled you back onto his lap after pulling his sweatpants back up. “You’re amazing sweets”, he smiled, pecking your lips again. Butterflies erupted in your belly, instead of being comforting, only making it harder to breathe, as the truth slowly sank in. While he grabbed some napkins from the table you felt your blood run cold. The guilt creeps up, making your chest feel tighter. You didn’t say anything while he wiped off the cum from your face, somehow making you even more humiliated than when you had actually sucked his dick and he talked about his son, your boyfriend.

What the hell have you been thinking?

Just when he wanted to kiss you again you backed away, your heart feeling tight at the confused and sad face he made, while you slowly stood up from his lap, stepping away from him. “Where are you going? Are you-Y/N? Are you okay?”, he started asking softly, but nervous.

You backed away from Andy when he stood up, trying to gently take your hands, but you hastily pulled away. “Don’t-this-this was a mistake“ you whispered, tears welling up in your eyes. Of course Andy noticed, feeling his own throat getting tighter, not being able to make a sound. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

Without saying anything else you rushed into jacob's room, the door falling loudly shut behind you.

Andy felt his heart break into a thousand pieces as he watched you run from him. He dropped back onto the couch the feeling of warmth and comfort now replaced by devastation and regret.

What the hell had he just done?

The tears finally started falling, the quiet sobs leaving your mouth while you slowly slid down the door, pulling your legs up close to your chest. The taste of his cum still in your mouth, reminding you of what you just did. The humiliation finally hitting you hard. Everything coming up. You were pathetic.

God.

No.

What have you done??

No, no, no.

This was such a huge mistake.

You cheated on your boyfriend.

You fucking cheated on your boyfriend with his dad.

The worst part of it was…

You didn’t regret what happened with Andy.

You regret being in a relationship with Jacob in the first place.

Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it and are curious what happens next!

Support your writers by reblogging and leaving feedback! Receiving feedback motivates a lot!

Questions? HC ideas? Drabble ideas? Thoots? (For this au or in general) -> flood my inbox!😋❤️

Taglist: @wintasssoldier @shmaptain-ashmerica [ I tagged you because I saw you commented/reblogged the series Masterlist once:)]

Wanna be tagged? Be active by reblogging and leaving feedback and let me know!

#andy barber x you #better than boys #andy barber x y/n #andy barber x reader #andy barber fanfiction #andy barber fluff #andy barber x female reader #andy barber fic #andy barber smut #chris evans character x reader #chris evans character fanfiction #chris evans characters

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r0s3s26 · 2 months

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@blu3cr3am your Match Up is…Yuji Itadori

<3 Yuji would be so perfect for you

<3 He would be such a sweetheart constantly and like your own personal ball of joy

<3 Everyones fav class clowns right here

<3 I headcanon yuji as pansexual or just queer, like I fully think he doesn’t gaf. Like if her thinks your hot your hot

<3 Literally the most gentlest of souls out there

<3 All he wants to do is show you how much he loves you.

<3 Yuji is only rude if they are rude first to him

<3 So you would not have to worry about the way he acts

<3 If yall were to ever get into an argument and he saw you were getting heated he would immediately like stop arguing and try to calm you down the best he can

<3 “Hey Sky its ok, im not upset anymore just take a deep breath for me, ok?”

<3 He is such a green flag

<3 I can’t find any faults about him

<3 Y’alls date nights are 50/50

<3 I think you guys alternate weeks on the things you wanna do together

<3 Like one week yuji is bring you to a new ramen restaurant in the city and showing you around

<3 And the next week you both are cuddled up with pizza boxes and soda cans on the floor around your couch, cuddling watching Saw or Scream series

(My personal favs are the Scary Movie franchise lol)

<3 He would BEGGG you to draw him, like all the damn time

<3 If you were to draw him he would 1.Take a picture and put it on his instagram story being like “My baby drew me and not you >:)” and 2. Ether put it in his phone case if it's small enough, but if it's fairly big he will frame it and put it on his wall.

<3 He would think your so smart(you are)

<3 Like listening to you talk about nature or the human mind would get him like “😍😍😍”

<3 Will share his clothes with you

<3 Like please wear his hoodies like he will melt and give you so many smooches

It was wintertime. The cold of the outside has slowly started to seep into your bones, you shiver, wishing Yuji would hurry up and meet you at the entrance of Jujutsu High. You look at your phone again, 7:30, he's 10 minutes late now. You hope that nothing has happened to him or he didn’t get called for a late-notice mission. “SKYYYYY” you hear someone yell in the distance, and you see a flash of pink and tan running over to you(he is fast as fuk boi). Before you even have time to react to this, Yuji is lifting you and spinning you around like your feather floating through the air(this dude has ungodly strength no matter what you think it's gonna feel like nothing to him). He leans up and kisses you on both of your cheeks “Hi baby, I'm sorry I'm late, Gojo needed me and of course, it took forever” he rolls his eyes “It's okay handsome, I'm just glad you ok” you kiss the top of his head. He sets you back down on the ground but his hands are still around your waist. “Now what ramen place did you wanna show me again?” you say with a bit of a shiver, yuji interrupts you mid-sentence “Sky are you cold?” he says while rubbing up and down your arms. “ I'm a little cold, yes, but not super” you lie through your chattering teeth as the cold starts seeping into your bones, your soul-, “No baby you taking my jacket”. Yuji starts to slip off his jacket, revealing a light zip-up hoodie underneath, “Yuji I couldn’t-” “Stop right there love, this isn’t a debate, you taking it”. Yuji slowly slips the coat onto your frame and immediately you are warmed up, yuji constantly hugging you “I forget how warm you run sometimes” “Yep forever a personal heater”, he turns to you, “Your personal heater” He says with a smirk. You burst out laughing “Is that your attempt to flirt with me?” You start laughing a bit more, yuji looks away a little embarrassed “What Aoi taught me” he grumbles, “Yuji, my handsome boy, never take whatever that man says seriously”. You now take his hand and start walking towards the man road to the downtown area, “Now tell me about this ramen place”

(Author Note: I hope you enjoy<3)

#jjk matchups #jjk hcs #jjk headcanons #jjk x reader #jjk #yuji itadori #yuji itadori x reader #yuji x reader #anime

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easternmind · 1 year

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TRIPITAKA - the lost spiritual sequel to Cosmology of Kyoto was found

This post is a compilation of a series of tweets I have composed over a period of weeks during this summer.

For years, it was uncertain whether TRIPITAKA 玄奘三蔵求法の旅, by Soft Edge, had in fact ever been published. I remind the more absent-minded readers that this is the studio responsible for the mythical CD-ROM Cosmology of Kyoto, originally released in Japan in 1993, later published in the United States by Yano Electric in 1995. Knowledge of this their second and final production comes solely from the online CVs of producers Hiroshi Ōnishi and Mori Kōichi. No other information could be found online, and no actual copy of the game was known to exist.

Earlier this year, this disc surfaced at Yahoo Auctions. It sold for nearly $300 after 24 bids.

As suggested by its tile, which translates to Xuanzang Sanzo's Dharma-Seeking Journey, it was always assumed that the game illustrated episodes of the life of the celebrated Chinese Buddhist monk, particularly his 7th century pilgrimage to India. The captures printed on the back not only show a character highly reminiscent of the ancient scholar, they depict a variety of scenes taking place in China and India.

According to the severely incomplete archived version of PD Inc's website, the Japanese publisher responsible for this digipack, it was available for sale at museums hosting the 1999 Silk Road Journey To The West exhibition, which suitably matches the date printed on the back cover. However, this date presents yet another open question, as the Ōnishi-San and Kōichi-San bios both list it as a 1995 production.

The technical specifications may provide an enlightening clue, as they refer to Windows 95, 640x480px resolution and an 8-Bit color mode. This indicates that TRIPITAKA was indeed developed sometime between 1993 and 1995, although it was never published in the CD-ROM game circuit, certainly not in the immediate years after its development was completed. Combined with the data retrieved from the publisher's website, the edition shown here appears to have been produced solely for the occasion, as a means to diversify the museum shop catalog for this major exhibit, given the shared theme.

It would have been nearly impossible, had the program been in fact published in 1995, for a single copy to not have been spotted or mentioned online by the many Japanese collectors who have attempted to locate it for decades, unsuccessfully. On the other hand, a CD-ROM that was sold at a museum exhibit is likely to be purchased by visitors who were entirely unaware of the item's relevance as an elusive multimedia gem.

If a tangent is permitted here, both productions are inextricably linked with the museum space, and as far as I can speculate, Cosmology of Kyoto was, itself, also published with the intention of being made available in gallery stores in addition to computer game retailers. I say this because this was a production made possible by collaborative efforts including a variety of Japanese museums, to the extent these are referenced by name in the game's credits.

Considering the price at which the item was sold at auction, I was fairly certain that it was purchased by one such video game collector who knew exactly what they were bidding for. Later in July, I was able to locate the buyer and establish contact. Initially, the buyer was only able to produce this screenshot of the disc program launcher. The title reads "Cosmology of Asia", validating the claims that Soft Edge was in effect planning for series of edutainment software prior to its demise in the mid-90s.

In my second contact with the owner, I asked if he was available to produce a disc image and share it online for purposes of software preservation. The owner politely declined, stating that this was not something he was willing to do but offered to record the following gameplay video instead.

youtube

At a glance, the art style of Tripitaka is unsurprisingly similar to that of Cosmology. Most of its episodes occur during the day, whereas the latter was mostly played under the dark cover of night. The first scene depicts a dying Xuanzang reminiscing on his journeys in the company of a young chronicler. Structurally, both games are also nearly indistinguishable from one another, producing ample historical information for context, including detailed maps and chronologies.

TRIPITAKA was considered to be lost media for decades. As such, the importance of this footage could hardly be overstated. I would not hesitate to compare this development to the unearthing of Osamu Sato's Chu-Teng, the Eastern Mind sequel that was also deemed lost for many years, miraculously found during the time this blog was inactive.

I am delighted to have played a minor role in the unraveling of this thirty year old mystery, and can hardly contain my enthusiasm, as I now find myself equipped with sufficient information to produce a full post concerning a game about which I could not have written more than a sentence, just last year.

I would also like to thank the author of the @mendelpalace Tumblr for his timely alert regarding the Yahoo listing.

#tripitaka #soft edge #lost media #cosmology of kyoto #Xuanzang #buddhism #Youtube #TRIPITAKA 玄奘三蔵求法の旅

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vanfleeter · 5 months

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Matched: Chapter 4 - The Fight

Characters: Jake Kiszka x Thea Foster Warnings: 18+. Fluff. Kissing. Angst. Language. Jealousy. Yelling. Arguments. Broken glass. Physical violence. Mentions of a car accident. Hospital. Drinking. Smut. Oral sex (m receiving, implied f receiving). Unprotected sex (p in v). Breeding kink. Author's note: Second to last chapter before we take a mid series break after chapter 5! And when we come back, there may be some huge steps being taken ;) Also if there are any grammar mistakes, I'm sorry, I edited all the ones that I could find.

I can feel her soft hand running along the skin of my chest. Her nails are gently scratching as she goes. Her hand moves further down my body, inching closer and closer to the waistband of my briefs. I knew I was already hard, but she’s making it impossible. I keep my breathing even, in hopes that she doesn’t realize that I’m awake but it’s growing incredibly difficult to pretend that I’m sleeping.

Though I gave myself away when her hand finally touched me and my hips jolted on their own. She giggles and leans over to kiss my cheek. I pull open my eyes and look down at her as she innocently smiles up at me.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“I could feel you against my ass.”

I snort and pull her against me. “Did you know that it’s a common thing for men to have erections in the morning? Happens more often than not.”

She giggles before pressing her lips to my chest. “Well I’m glad you do,” She says. “Morning sex is always the best.”

“Oh is it now?” I say with a smirk. “Considering we’ve done that, what–two or three times?”

She giggles again, nodding her head as she keeps moving down my body. My eyes flutter closed as she starts to kiss my length. My breath hitches and my hand moves down to her head and tangles with her hair. Her tongue slides up and down, curling and licking me everywhere. I can’t help the moan that escapes me as she sinks her mouth around me, devouring the whole of my cock.

She’s bringing me closer to my release. Sweat beads on my skin. I can feel my legs shaking, the warm feeling in my body beginning to fill every part of me. Curses fly from my mouth before I could stop them as she has me hurling into my orgasm. I finally released my grip on her hair, my knuckles aching as I uncurl them.

Her lips come back up my body until they meet my own.

I slide my own hands down her back and squeeze her ass in my hands. She moans against my lips and I smile. Rolling us over, I spread her legs before inserting myself. She moans again, her hands finding their place on my back. Her nails dig into my skin and I groan.

My thrusts become intense, the need for her growing. Pulling her hands off my back, I pin them to the pillows beside her head, locking my fingers inside of her as I continue pounding into her. She moans my name. Her body arches against mine, the muscles of her torso rolling against mine.

Visions of the children flash through my mind. I dreamt of them again, seeing their little faces, hearing their laughter.

The feeling of her tightening around me, pulled me from my thoughts. My second orgasm slowly creeped up.

“Come on Jake..” She breathes. “Fill me…”

“Yeah?” I say, burying my face into her neck and kissing her skin. “Want me to fill you so full? Give you a baby?”

She laughs, her chest vibrating against me. “As long as they have your nose,” She says. She cries out as her orgasm takes over, mine own following seconds later.

We spent most of the day apart again. I had some appointments to attend while she was off at work. Though I could hardly pay much attention because all I could think about was her. Even during the interview that Josh and I were paired up for to discuss the upcoming festival shows, Josh did most of the talking and sometimes nudged me to talk myself since I’ve hardly uttered more than five words.

“Look, I get it, you’re in love–you finally have what you’ve always desired–but damn, Jake. I can’t always be the one to be talking during these things.” I raise an eyebrow, knowing full well that he loves to talk. “Okay fine, I don’t mind it, but you were silent ninety percent of the time.”

“I’m sorry, I promise in the next one I’ll talk more.”

“Yeah you better,” Josh takes a gulp of water before sitting up in his chair and clearing his throat.

After finishing up all the interviews for the day, I quickly raced home after a trip to the store, and got started on making dinner. Thea texted saying she'd come back over only if I promised to make her burgers. So here I am, pressing hamburger meat into small patties to grill.

I can feel her arms wrap around my waist as she comes to stand behind me at the grill. “You look very sexy when you cook.” She says as she kisses my shoulder.

“Oh do I now?”

She hums before kissing my shoulder again. “Can I help with anything?” She asks as she slides over to stand beside me.

I shake my head. “Burgers are nearly done, I have everything ready on the kitchen counter. Go on in and pour us something to drink while I take these off and bring them inside.”

“Okay..” She softly speaks before stepping back inside the house. Plating the burgers, I carry them in and set them on the counter. She comes over and hands me a glass of wine and takes a drink of her own.

“So I met with Sam for lunch today,” She says.

“I remember,” I say, recalling the memory of her texting me during one of the interviews. “How did it go?”

“It went…okay,” She says with a shrug of her shoulders. “It was so sudden..”

“What was it?” I ask, noticing how her voice trails off.

“He told me that he still loved me…”

My hand tightens around the wine glass. “He told you..what?”

“That he still loved me..” She takes a sip of her wine and sets the glass on the counter. “I tried to tell him that I didn’t love him like that anymore but then he–”

“Then he what?” I say setting my glass down so I wasn’t tempted to throw it.

“He kissed me…”

“What?!” I could feel the anger boiling in my veins. I refused to let the dream invade my thoughts again. I had moved past it, forgotten it entirely. “Did you kiss him back?”

“What?”

“Did you…kiss him…back?” I repeat.

It takes her a couple seconds to respond. “N-No.. I didn’t, I swear..”

“Did you want to?”

“Jake–”

“Did you..” I heard my voice raise, exactly how it did the last time I yelled at her so I forced myself to calm down before I continued. “Want to kiss him?”

“N-No..”

“Thea.. Do not lie to me.”

“I.. I..” She stammers. When I look at her, I can see the tears filling her eyes. “No, I..”

“Dammit…” I curse as I swing my hand knocking the wine glass off the counter. “So close.. So fucking close..”

“Jake, it happened so quickly and–”

I hold my hand up to silence her. “I need to cool off..” I say calmly before going over to grab my keys by the garage door.

“Where are you going?” She calls after me as I throw open the door. “Jake!” Was I all heard before I slammed the door closed behind me.

I didn’t know where I was going. Had no destination in mind. The thought crossed my mind to go to Josh but I knew he would just send me back home. ‘Talk it out with Thea’, he’d tell me. And I should. I know I should and I know that I can’t let this jealousy cloud my every thought because I know at the end of the day, she still chooses me. But I can’t help but to still feel jealous of their history. Short history, but history nonetheless. He loved her first, and she loved him first. A part of me can’t help but to also think that she’ll also love him too.

I ignored my phone vibrating in the middle console from yet another call from Thea. Even as I pulled into Sam’s driveway, the anger still boiling in my veins.

How could he confess that he still loved her?

How could he kiss her?

When he knows that she’s with me now, how could he do it?

The door opens after I pounded my fist upon. Before I could realize what I was doing, my hands were on his chest and shoving him backwards as I yelled at him. “YOU KISSED HER?!”

“Jake, listen-”

“No, you listen!” I yelled as I pushed him into the wall. “You gave her up! You don’t get to waltz back in and confess to her that you still love her! I finally feel like she loves me completely and then you fuck it all up!”

“It just happened, Jake.”

“That doesn’t “just happen”, Samuel,” I say as I shove him again. “Don’t mess this up for me Sam! I went through hell because of her and goddamn it, I won’t fucking do it again.” My vision blurs over as the tears rise. “Just let me have this.. Please..” My voice cracks.

“I can’t lie, Jake.. I meant what I said.”

“Sam! I am begging you, let me have this!”

“Jake, I let you have everything! I gave up my own dreams for this band! We all did! And I know I screwed up with Thea and I gave her up, but I will always love her! And maybe–who knows–she might come back to me. You do have a bad rep with women, we all know that.”

My fist suddenly collided with the side of his face, sending him to the floor. The pain shoots through my arm and I clench my teeth and my hand.

“Stay. Away. From. Her.” I say as I stand over him. “I fucking mean it, Sam.”

“And if I don’t?” He asks from his position on the floor. He cups his face in the palm of his hand.

“I may be smaller than you, but I can still beat the shit out of you.”

“Oh..” He dryly chuckles as he pulls himself to his feet. He wipes the blood that dribbles down his chin. I probably knocked a few teeth, but I don’t care. “You can beat me all you want, but that won’t change the fact that I still love her.” He towers me over, just slightly before he raises his hand and points to the door. “Get out before I call the police.”

“You’d really call the police on your brother?” I laugh and shake my head. “You’re despicable..” I say before turning away and heading for the door.

“Says the one who charged in here and punched me!” He yells as I slam behind me on my way out.

My fist aches as I drive home. I clench and unclench multiple times, willing the pain to go away. She’ll see it when I come back home and she’ll question me about it.

Pulling into the driveway, I see the front door swing open and she’s running down the walkway to my car. “I can’t believe you went over there!” She shouts. “And you punched him?!”

“I don’t want to discuss it.” I say as I make my way up to the door.

“You’re lucky he didn’t call the police on you!” She continued once the door was closed.

“And what good would that have done?”

“Jacob, you can’t just do that!”

“No?!” I spin around to face her. “I pined after you for years! I went through hell because of you! I thought you choosing Sam was the end of it all! I believed that I wouldn’t ever get the chance to love you the way that you deserved or to feel you love me! And then he comes back and confesses that he still loves you?! And kisses you?! And then you stand there,” I raise my hand towards the kitchen for a more dramatic moment. “And try to tell me that you didn’t want to kiss him when we both know that you did want to!”

“But I didn’t kiss him!”

“But you wanted to! Admit it, Thea! Admit to me, right now, that you wanted to kiss him! That you still love him!” Our eyes are locked on each other’s, our breathing heavy as the air continues to fill with anger and pain. “Or you can just say nothing and leave, but that will just prove to me that you do.”

“You’re being impossible..”

“I’m being impossible?!”

“Yes! You!” Thea says. Her hands come to my chest and she’s shoving me backwards. “I came to you, completely truthful about what happened! What more do you want from me?!”

“To be truthful now!” I shout. “Tell me right now if you wanted to kiss him!”

“Yes!”

My fists instinctively clench into balls at my sides. The pain is still imminent in the one that I used to punch Sam. But that pain doesn’t compare to the pain I feel in my heart from her finally admitting that she wanted to kiss him. The next question I want to ask her again, I know I’ll regret it if she gives the answer that we both know is the truth. The answer that my heart won’t be able to handle again.

My voice shakes as I begin to ask it, “Do you… Do you still love him?” I feel a tear slip down my cheek. Her face is already covered in her own. “As much as I can’t bear to hear the truth, Thea, I am begging you to be honest with me.. Do you still love him?”

“Yes but–”

“Then go..” I say. “Please..”

“Jake.. Please, don’t-”

“I said go.” I say more sternly.

“Please, Jake, we need to talk-”

“And we will.. After we have our space.. I need you to figure out for yourself what–and who–you want..”

“I want you, Jake..” She says as she grabs my hands.

I shake my head, pulling my hands away and taking a step back. “You need to leave..” I say before taking another step back and turning away to go to the kitchen.

I noticed the broken glass was cleaned up and the food put away. I can hear the front door open before shutting a couple seconds later. Pulling open the fridge, I grab an ice pack and press it to my hand.

Just when I thought it was all finally working out, all it comes crumbling down again.

It’s been a week since the fight. I hadn’t spoken much to Sam, except for what needed to be communicated. Otherwise, we kept our distance. I hadn’t even spoken to Thea. As much as I wanted to, I knew what I did was right, despite how painful it is. In the end though, I need her to decide who she’d rather be with. Me or Sam? And I can’t compete with him. I won’t.

Today’s the first festival show of the year, and the first show all together. I wanted her there, watching us–me play from the side of the stage. I had forgotten I had asked for her to be placed in my room at the hotel and I had forgotten that I planned for the night to be for us when our set was over. When I stepped into the room that night, I found a bottle of champagne and two glasses. The bed was covered in rose petals. Cheesy but I wanted the first night to be romantic. Make it a great first show back. Start off the tour with a bang.

The room is quiet, save for the AC blowing from the ventilation system. Stripping out of my clothes, I start the shower and get in. The hot water nearly scalded my skin, but that didn’t matter much compared to how crushed my heart felt. Sounds so pathetic.

I thought we had this epic love. Now it's all just a bunch of questions that I don’t have the answers to. Answers that I don’t think I’ll ever have.

Finishing up the shower, I come back out of the room and clear off the bed, throwing each petal into the trash. I've been haunted every night since I made her leave, her face always there. Those tears that fill her eyes ricochet off the walls of my brain, constantly making itself known. I know I hurt her, I know I treated her poorly, but didn’t I also have a right to feel hurt too? To know my brother still loves her too, and will fight to get her back. Don’t I get to be upset too?

I hear my phone ringing on the nightstand and I go to pick it up, only to see her name. She hasn’t reached out at all since that night, nor have I.

My heart thrums in my chest. Anxious over seeing her name, her smiling face looking at me from the photo I used for her contact. I missed that smile. I wasted my time admiring her picture when it disappeared from view and was replaced with the notification bubble that I had one missed call. I waited to see if she’d try calling again, but nothing. Not even a notification that she left a voicemail or sent a text. Maybe it wasn't important enough, I try to tell myself as I get into bed.

The next morning comes quicker than I wanted it to as my alarm blares. Turning over, I grab my phone and shut it off. A few notifications pop up. All from Thea.

1:30am: ‘I’m sorry for bothering you so late..’

1:31am: ‘But I just really want to hear your voice..’

1:33am: ‘Sounds pathetic, I know.. Especially after what happened.. But.. I miss you…”

Doesn’t sound pathetic, Thea. I miss you too. I can’t tell you that because I’m still hurt, I’m still angry.

Reluctantly, I get out of bed and go to get dressed, when my phone buzzes. I pick it up, heart pounding in anticipation of it being Thea. But instead it’s a message from Josh asking if I’m ready to go yet. I type back a response before shoving my phone into the pocket of my pants.

Stepping out into the hallway with my bags slung over my shoulders, I find Sam waiting in front of the elevator with his things as well. He glances over, giving the petty action of looking me up and down before turning back to face the elevator. Huffing a sigh, I go over to stand beside him. Maybe I should talk to him. I can’t always be mad at him. He’s my brother.

“Sam, I–” I go to speak before he stops me.

“If you’re not going to apologize for punching me in the face, then I don’t want to hear it.” He says as the doors of the elevator slide open.

“I am sorry,” I say as I follow him into the elevator. “I resorted to violence because I was angry and I knew it wasn’t right but I still did it anyway.. I don’t like to fight with you, and I can’t stand not talking to you either.” I sigh, my shoulders dropping. “I don’t want a fucked up relationship with you.”

Sam stares straight ahead at the closed doors of the elevator. The only sign that he’s even aware of where he is is the blinking of his eyelids.

“Sam?”

“I’m sorry too..” He grumbles with an eye roll. “But I meant what I said.. I still love Thea..”

“Sam-”

“But I know you love her too. You always have.” He sighs and lowers his head. “I made a mistake, Jake, by letting her go. Though I guess I’m just jealous seeing you two together, so happy and in love. And I know I should just be happy for you, and I am, but there’s still that part of me that wishes that she still loves me back.”

“She does..” I say. “She told me she still loves you, right before I made her leave.”

His head snaps to the side as he looks at me. “You did what?”

“We got into this huge fight and I told her to leave..”

“Wh.. Why?”

“We needed space, to figure out what it is we both want. I mean, I think I made it pretty clear what I wanted.. But I know she needs to figure out for herself what it is that she wants.”

“It’s you,” He says. “She told me that after I kissed her.. I could see it, as much as I wanted to deny it. She chose you, Jake, and I guess I’m just gonna have to live with that. Sure she still loves me, but she only loves me as a friend.”

The elevator stops on the main floor and opens up to reveal Josh and Danny waiting in the lobby. “So.. Are we okay now?” I ask.

Sam nods his head. “Just promise to never punch me again?”

I chuckle. “I’m your older brother, it’s my job.”

“Of course,” He says with a roll of his eyes.

“I see smiles!” Josh beams. “I take it we made up?”

Sam nods his head. “Yeah, we did.”

“Thank goodness,” Josh sighs in relief. “All this tension has been agonizing.”

“Are you going to talk to her?” Josh asks me after we get seated on the plane.

I shrug my shoulders. “I want to..”

“So then what are you waiting for?” He asks. “Just call her.”

“It’s not that easy, Josh.”

“Not easy? Sam’s backing off.. So go get her.”

I shake my head. “She has to decide who she wants.”

“She wants you–”

“But she loves Sam.”

“She loves you.”

“She loves Sam.”

“Jake…”

“Josh…”

“You’re being difficult..”

I scoff and shake my head. “You don’t understand, Josh.”

“Then enlighten me, please–because I’m so lost in this whole thing you won’t tell me anything.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I say as I pull out my headphones and rest them on my ears. I can see Josh shaking his head before sinking in his seat and pulling out a book to read. Turning on music, I lean back in the seat and close my eyes.

Pulling into the driveway and cutting the engine, I head up to the front door. I start to unlock the door when my phone buzzes. Just one day, I just want one day where I won’t be disturbed. Taking my phone out, I see a phone I didn’t recognize so I decide to ignore it and go inside. Dropping my bags on the floor, I head into the living room and pour a drink when my phone beeps. Taking it back out of my pocket, I see a voicemail left by the unknown number.

Sighing, I unlock my phone and click on the notification bringing me to my voicemail. I barely registered most of it before I was running out of the front door and back out to the car.

Everything went by in a blur as I sped through the city. I didn’t care if I got a speeding ticket and I didn’t care if she hadn't made her decision but she asked for me. That has to mean something, right?

Coming to a halt in front of the hospital, I toss my keys to the valet and rush inside. “Can I help you?” The lady at the desk asks.

“I uh, I’m looking for Thea.. Thea Foster?” I say as I impatiently tap my fingers on the counter.

“Thea Foster, ah yes, she was admitted into the ER.”

“Thank you,” I say before heading off towards the ER.

After convincing the staff that I was her husband, even though I’m nowhere near having that title, they allow me back through the double doors. A nurse shows me to her room and leaves. Gently knocking on the door, I slowly open it and peer my head inside. She’s half asleep when I step around the curtain.

“Jake?” She says, her voice raspy.

“It’s me..” I say as I walk over to the bed. I pull a chair over to sit down. “What happened?”

“I take it you didn’t listen to the voicemail the nurse left you?”

“Just enough to know where to find you.” I say, earning a light giggle from her. She winces and clutches her ribcage. “What happened?” I ask again.

“I didn’t think you’d show after–”

“Thea..” I say, leaning on the bed. “What happened?” I ask for the third time.

She takes a deep breath. “Some idiot ran a red light, t-boned my car. Luckily it was on the passenger but it still fucked me over.. I’m sorry that I bothered, you were just the first person that came to my mind and I wasn’t sure if you were back home or not,” She intakes a deep breath. “I really didn’t think you’d come o-or even care.”

“Of course I care.” I say as I grab her hand.

Tears start to fill her eyes and her bottom lip quivers. “Jake, I’m sorry.. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was so stupid.”

“Let’s not talk about that right now, okay?” I say as I squeeze her hand.

“But-”

“Hush, you need to stay relaxed. Get some sleep while we wait for the doctor to come back.”

“Will you still be here when I wake up?”

I nod my head and kiss her hand. “I’ll be here..”

I didn’t know that I had fallen asleep until I was being awoken by Thea. She was sitting up in bed and carefully trying to tie her hair back behind her head. “Oh, I’m sorry,” She speaks softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay..” I grumble before I yawn. “What are you doing?”

“I need to walk,” She says. “I’m tired of being stuck in this room.”

I chuckle. “It’s only been a couple hours. Are you even allowed to leave your room?”

She nods her head. “The doctor came in a little bit ago to discuss my tests. Won’t be done for at least an hour, so I asked if I could go for a walk and he said it was okay.”

Standing to my feet, I help her put on her shoes before carefully lifting her off the bed. “Mind if I join you?” I ask.

“Please.. I’m gonna need someone to lean on.”

I smile and wrap my arm around her. The walk was quiet as we made our way around the ER halls. I kept my arm wrapped around her as she leaned up against me. How I’ve missed having her this close. If I can’t handle being away from her for a week, how can I ever handle never being around her? I suffered enough once before, I don’t think I can do it again.

I can feel her tapping my arm. I look down at her and she’s smiling. “You’re thinking..” She says.

“Better than seeing old men butts.” I say making her laugh.

She groans and holds her chest. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“What are you thinking about?” She asks.

“Umm..” I clear my throat. “You..”

“Me?”

I nod my head. “I don’t know what you’ve decided, but I’m being selfish and just wanting you back.. This past week has been hell not having you with me and this, right here, despite the unfortunate circumstances, makes me miss you even more.”

“I miss you too.”

I huff and stop walking. “I love you, and I get it if you still love Sam so.. If he’s who you decide on, then I’ll respect that, regardless of how painful it is.”

“Well I have made my decision,” She says. “Can I tell you?” I nod my head, preparing to hear Sam’s name roll off of her tongue. Instead she’s reaching up to kiss me.

“Me?” I say when we pull apart.

“You..” She says with a smile. “It’s always been you.”

I pull her in, careful not to harm her any further, and kiss her again. “I love you.” I told her. “I really do.”

“I love you too, husband.” She winks at me before slowly turning on her feet and continuing on down the hall.

“I only said that so they’d let me past the doors.”

“Feels good to say it though,” She says as she turns around to face me with a smirk.

“Now, most of your normal activities you can resume, except for anything strenuous.” The doctor says. “If at all that your pain persists or gets worse, please come back. Any questions?”

“Yes,” I lean forward in the chair. “When you say no to strenuous activities, does that include–”

“Jacob!” Thea hisses as she slaps her hand across my arm.

The doctor laughs and pushes off the sink in the room. “Not the first husband to ask, and definitely won’t be the last. Yes, you can–but be gentle. I am going to get out of your hair now, you have your discharge papers, come back if the need arises, but go home and get some rest.”

Instinctively I drove back to my house, convincing her to stay with me. “You just want me back in your bed.” She says as I carry her up the stairs.

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“No, not at all.” She says before starting to kiss my neck. Her hands travel to my shirt as she starts to undo the buttons, which weren’t much. “Just be gentle.”

“I can be gentle.” I lay her on the bed and slowly start to undress her.

“Well when he said to take it slow, I don’t think he meant this slow.”

I laugh and stretch up to kiss her. “Maybe I don’t want to rush it.”

“Jake, please..”

“Okay,” I sing as I move down her body. “But don’t blame me if we have to go back to the ER.”

________________________________________________________

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