#it's like what have i gone through this entire series for if you're just gonna be like AND NONE OF IT MATTERED

[rogersstevie]

i figure they’ll drop it in a few eps like they have with everything else but it would be a little funny if after all the barchie vs varchie shit that they just made beronica endgame

[loveshotzz]

I guess it’s never really over

mechanic!steve harrington x fem!reader exes to lovers

chapter two -

I might kill my ex, not the best idea

Eddie warned Robin that a game of never have I ever was a bad idea, and you should know better than to go snooping where you don’t belong.

warnings: 18+ drinking, smoking (hey it’s a summer time barbecue in the midwest), you thought there was a lot tension the last chapter? baby, you haven’t seen nothing yet. jealousy, spicy things are revealed about all of them during a drinking game.

wc: 9.5k

series masterlist | series playlist

June -

It’s been one week.

One entire week without even so much of a glimpse of that permanently messy head of hair, and god, you hated how much it bothered you. Ears perking up every time you’d catch the cadence of his voice through the receiver of Robin’s cordless phone the few times he called her to check in. Like an unwanted guest who wasn’t taking the hint, his broad shoulders and full pink lips that somehow always look like they need to be kissed haunt your unsuspecting dreams at night. 

You hate it, you hate him, and you try not to spiral about why it feels like the opposite.

“We’re going over to Steve’s tonight,” Robin practically hums around a mouthful of fruit loops, completely unaware of you already stewing about the boy whose name just rolled off her tongue this early in the morning. 

“What?” You snap, tearing your eyes from the slow pour of the coffee maker in front of you, grouchy and wound up from a dream about his big hands pulling your legs apart so perfect white teeth could nip at the inside of your thighs.

“Steve, you know that guy you told me you’d try and be nice to. The one who’s fixing your car?” Sarcasm drips from her tone as she scoops up another bite, “We’re going to his house.”

Of course.

“That’s cool with me.” You muster up enough effort to twist your lips up into a smile that feels more like a grimace. The smashed rainbow Robin reveals in her mouth when she laughs tells you it is.

“Do me a favor, and never go into acting.” Swallowing loudly, she drops her spoon back into her bowl with a clank. “I do appreciate you trying to pretend like you’re okay with it, though, and in all seriousness, we haven’t gone this long without seeing each other in like, forever. He says you're keeping me hostage.”

“I’m keeping you hostage?!” You scoff with a roll of your eyes, turning your back to finally pour yourself the cup of coffee you’ve waited so patiently for. “He’s the best friend stealer.”

“I’m not going to lie, I think I like you two fighting over me,” she laughs, looking a little too smug for your liking as she brings her empty bowl to the sink, Garfield slippers scuffling across the tile, too lazy to pick up her feet from the floor.

“Yeah, 'cause you’re sick.” A real smile curls up into your cup, inhaling the rich scent into your nose. “What are your plans to torture me with his presence this time?” 

Robin narrows her stare at you in a silent warning, pulling herself up to sit on the counter, orange cat covered feet dangling freely as you meet her gaze with softened eyes in a silent apology.

“Eddie’s off tonight, so we’re having a little reunion barbecue, and Steve’s gonna grill.”

Choking on your coffee, you sputter your sip back into your mug, turning her freckled face sour.

“Since when does Steve know how to cook, let alone grill?”

Wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, you know you’re skating on thin ice, but all the built up tension that tightens your muscles, and buzzes incessantly at your fingertips makes everything feel impossible to control.

“He’s not seventeen anymore - “

“Really? He had me fooled shoving his tongue down some pretty blonde’s throat at Rick’s the other night.” 

“That’s - come on, you know that's not fair. He didn’t even know -”

”Why stop at just the four of us, let’s invite Vickie, make it a real party.”

The name of your best friend’s ex leaves your mouth before you can stop it, instant regret making a heavy home in your chest that feels like it might cave in when her mood shifts with glassy eyes and it’s completely your fault.

“I take back what I said, I need you to start acting again.”

Jumping off the counter, you set your mug down so you can grab her arm before she can take those few steps out of the kitchen. 

“Hey! Look, I’m sorry, I’ll stop.” 

She doesn’t put up much of a fight, even though you deserve it, the blue in her eyes turn to ice when she looks at you.

“I’m sorry.”

She holds your stare until she can tell you actually mean it, melting glaciers with a heavy sigh. 

“It’s fine, I get it.” 

Her words come out soft, just like the lines that smooth on her face.

“I know this is weird and like totally against friend code or whatever, but I think that just goes to show how much he must mean to me or even a testament to how much he’s changed if I’m even asking you to just try and do this. Just try, that’s all.”

“No, you’re right,” you fluster, doing your best to reassure her in a shaky voice, “I just slept badly and had a really weird dream. It just threw me off a little. I’m being so awful and I’m sorry.” 

Flashes of the way his hands gripped your hips and the dirty things he whispered in your ear has your palms start to sweat, making you loosen your grip on her arm before she can notice. 

Robin searches your face for the reassurance that she needs before a small smile finally tugs at the corners of her lips.“This is why you’re my best friend.” She pulls you into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around your neck.

“Only if you tell him that.” 

Snaking your arms around her waist, you let out a shaky laugh, silently preparing to see the man who hasn’t left the crevices of your mind since you stepped foot back in Hawkins.

———

It feels like you’re back in high school the way you can’t stop looking at yourself in the mirror, the nerves still feel the same.

Your gaze wanders up and down your reflection, turning from side to side, overly critical eyes take in your curves that are on display a little more than normal and you wonder if Robin will notice. Tugging your bottom lip between your teeth, better yet you wonder if Robin will notice and have something to say about it. 

“You’re certainly spending a lot of time on an outfit.” Your best friend whistles low as she leans against the open bedroom door confirming your fears with a cross of her arms.

“Just trying to remember what I brought is all.” You don’t engage with the amusement that hides in her tone, smoothing down the short black skirt that flares over the tops of your thighs, before adjusting the straps on your matching tank top.

“Riiiight,” she snorts, earning the kind of glare that has her raising her hands in defense before a shit-eating grin cracks wide across her face. “I’m going to need you to hurry up, though. Do I need to remind you that we’re walking?”

“I’m done!” You huff, sock covered feet digging into her cream carpet as you make your way toward her, “I just need to put on my shoes.”

“You’ve got twenty secon-” she agonizes before three hard knocks on her front door cut her off. Her cheshire smile falters as she turns confused.

“You’re lucky you didn’t get to finish that sentence,” you warn in a harsh whisper, grabbing your Converse that had been haphazardly kicked off earlier in the corner. 

Robin puts a ringed finger to her lips, like the possibility of a kidnapper being on the other side is extremely probable, and it’s her turn to glare when you roll your eyes at her dramatics. Following her out to the living room, you plop down on the couch, watching her slowly creep to the front door. Both her hands find the blue painted wood pushing up on the toes of her Reeboks to look out the peephole.

“Steve?!” 

The name makes your stomach flip, a shaky breath pushing its way through watermelon flavored lips because you thought you had more time than this. Keeping a poker face, you take your time tying your laces as she swings the door open. Head down, your eyes keep their focus on how the dirty white strings move between your fingers. 

You’re not ready to look at him. Not yet.

“After taking you to school at 7am every day after I graduated, you really thought I was going to let you walk?” The smile in his voice is evident, a fond memory you’re not a part of but you can still feel the warmth inside it by the way he speaks. 

“Thank god,” she starts, the insinuation of the words that are going to follow making your eyes snap up, narrowed and shooting daggers at your best friend, catching Steve’s attention in the process. 

“We were going to be late.”

“Oh yeah?” He asks, his gaze claiming yours and holding it against your will, the beginnings of a smirk playing on his full lips and suddenly it’s so much warmer in her living room than it was two seconds ago. “Why’s that?”

He somehow looks even better than the last time you saw him, a bad habit you’re quickly learning that he has. The honey colored tips of his chestnut hair curl at the ends, sticking out of the sides of his backwards baseball hat. A well worn black cotton shirt with the sleeves cut out has the arms that you’d dreamt about on full display. The summer sun somehow dotting even more freckles across his shoulder blades that flex everytime he spins his car keys around his finger. The dark cherry red basketball shorts he wears hit the bottoms of his hairy thighs, the red mesh even more vibrant against his tan skin, just like the white leather of the Nike Cortez’s that cover his feet. 

“She’s just being dramatic,” you grumble, finally tearing your eyes from the dark moss that covers the chocolate inside his, doing your best to ignore the heat of them wandering the bare skin of your legs as you finish tying your shoes.

“You changed your outfit like sixty times!” 

This is the moment that you decide you’re going to kill Robin in her sleep tonight.

“Well, I’m ready so you both can stop being annoying now.” Standing, you tug down the bottom of your skirt that suddenly feels even shorter with his full attention on you like this.

“Wait, why am I annoying? I just got here.” Steve argues when your words finally sink in, snapping him out of his daze, catching the keys in his palm. 

“You’re always annoying, Harrington,” you sigh, hoping your deflections are working, but the small smile that never leaves his lips tells you it’s not.

“Shotgun!” Robin calls out like it’s something you would have argued over. Your shoulder brushes with his as you push your way out the door, sending sparks to the tips of your fingers and making your hair stand on end. Steve and the summer heat warm your skin. 

“It’s all yours,” you concede with ease, ignoring the butterfly wings that wreak havoc in your rib cage when the spice of his cologne makes its way into your nose.

It was going to be a night.

Steve keeps the windows rolled down, the muggy air making your bare thighs stick together and to the hot leather of his backseat. It drowns out the music as he speeds down the back roads, making the conversation between him and Robin upfront almost inaudible.

You don’t worry about what they might be saying, not even when they both start gesturing wildly with their hands. Taking advantage of the time left alone, you put all of your focus into preparing yourself for the next few hours, doing your best to push the lingering thoughts of your dream deep down to a place that no one can find. A task that proves to be much harder while avoiding his gaze that dares you to meet it in the rear view mirror the entire way. 

The memories you have of the back of his car don’t help either.

Pulling into Forest Hills trailer park, you’re surprised at the facelift they finally gave it after all these years. Lush green grass grows where the yellow and brown shrub used to be, and a wooden gazebo that looks like it’s missing a finishing coat stands tall, replacing the picnic table where you and the metal head used to smoke. Even the gravel that paves the road looks new and gray, not the dirt brown mud that it used to be. 

It’s still a struggle to wrap your head around the fact that Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington, the former king of Hawkin’s and Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson not only work together, but live together too. You would have laughed in anyone’s face if they told you this five years ago. 

The BMW’s tires crunch loudly against the rocks as Steve pulls into the driveway of a hunter green trailer. It sits in the back of the park, almost touching the edge of the woods behind it. A faded white line running along the length that matches the metal railing of their front entrance and the overhang that covers it. The paint peels from parts of the metal in the heat, revealing spots of the gray hidden underneath. A worn in deep maroon couch sits on the porch just like the dirty brown one at Wayne’s trailer, and you already know Eddie spends his mornings there. You internally groan when you catch yourself wondering if Steve does too.

“Home sweet home,” he hums, cutting the engine off and pulling you out of your thoughts. 

You dare to meet his eyes for the first time since you left the apartment when Robin jumps out of the front seat, and you immediately regret it. He smiles wide, finally catching your attention, those perfect white teeth baring themselves at you as he pulls off his hat to run a hand through his sweaty bed head. The long strand he’s always at battle with falls through the opening in the back when he puts it on again, because, of course it does.

“Good to see you finally slumming it with the rest of us, King Steve,” you snort, pulling on the handle to let yourself out, ending any chance of conversation.

If it wasn’t for your Eddie barreling out of the front door to greet you and Robin with a big dimpled grin and a freshly rolled joint, you would’ve thought a little harder about the way Steve winced at the nickname.

The Munson/Harrington Bachelor pad anomaly isn’t exactly what you expected it to be, but even then you weren’t entirely sure what that was. It’s cozy just like how Wayne’s used to be but where there’s hand me downs that have been through the short line of Munson men’s hands, there’s an equal amount of obviously perfectly well kept new. Like the shiny big TV in the center of their living room, and the well-loved lazy boy in front of it, that still had cigarette burns from its previous owner, next to the rich tan leather couch right by it.

It smells like it has just been cleaned, a sanitizing lilac still lingering in the air, trying its best to cover the smell of all grease stained clothing in their hampers and the smoke from joints like the one Eddie’s about to put out in an ashtray full of ones just like it.

He sits at the head of the table with a lopsided grin that pushes up the apples of his cheeks and reveals the deep dimples in the center of them. Droopy lids frame his bloodshot eyes that meet your own. Orange and pinks paint the darkening sky through the sliding glass door behind him. 

“I still can’t believe you’re actually here,” Eddie chuckles with a fond glint in big brown eyes leaning back in his chair that squeaks under the redistribution of his weight.

“Back by popular demand,” you smirk, pointing at Robin, who sits just on the other side of the table, glassy eyed with an unwavering smile. 

You try to ignore how the empty chair next to her bothers you, or they way your eyes keep looking toward the kitchen through the small opening of their little island, giving you the perfect view of Steve prepping dinner. His thick eyebrows are furrowed as he digs through spice racks and drawers, front teeth digging into the plushness of his bottom lip deep in thought.

“I think this calls for a fire,” Eddie announces loudly, bringing you back to the conversation with a slap of his palms on the wood of the table and the kind of smirk that tells you that you’ve been caught.

“We told Janice next door weekends only after last time,” Steve’s voice startles you, making his presence known, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. 

“It’s Thursday. Practically the weekend. Besides it’s a special occasion, look who’s here Stevie boy.” Something in Eddie’s tone makes Steve’s eyes narrow in a silent threat that only makes the metal heads' lips twist up into something more devilish. 

“You have to put it out before bed then, I’m not dealing with it like last time.” Steve accepts defeat quicker than anticipated, “And if she calls or comes over to complain at all, that's all on you too.”

”Deal,” Eddie agrees with five fingers across his heart, the silver of his rings catching in the low light of their trailer.“I think she’s got a crush on me anyway.”

“She’s married,” Steve dead pans with a deep sigh, taking his hat off to run another hand through his hair and you hate the way it has your thighs meeting under the table. “Who’s helping me with dinner then?”

He knows better than to look at you, so his gaze falls onto his roommate and best friend.

”Don’t look at me!” Robin argues, raising her right hand to show off the faded scar on her palm. “Last time I tried to help, I had to get stitches, remember?”

”The fire’s a full time job I’m afraid,” Eddie shrugs, standing up. Not missing a beat, they both look at each other like they're in on some secret that you and Steve aren’t apart of before their eyes land on you.

”You know I’m not a good cook,” you whine, refusing to meet the heat of Steve’s stare that burns against the side of your face.

”I’m sure Steve’s more than willing to help teach you, princess.” Eddie grins, and it makes you want to slap the dimples clean off his face.

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine, I can do it by myself,” Steve interjects with a sigh before you have a chance to respond with something that he knows will just egg the metal head on and get his ego even more bruised.

He’s not expecting the way your eyes snap to his, or the way they narrow with something fiery deep inside them.

”We’re grown adults, Steve. I think I can handle helping you cut some vegetables or whatever it is you need me to do.” Standing up with a shove of your chair, he doesn’t even attempt to argue about how that’s the exact opposite of what you just said.

”There we go! Problem solved.” Eddie’s grin is mischievous, and so is the wink he throws at his roommate before opening the sliding glass door, ushering Robin out and leaving you both alone.

The tension inside the kitchen hangs thicker in the air than the humidity outside weighing down your shoulders, making the words stick in the back of your throat as you try to navigate the close proximity to Steve. Neither one of you is sure of what to say first, and the sound of Eddie and Robin laughing outside filling the silence between you somehow makes it worse. 

The weed twists the knots in your stomach tighter, and the cedar that always seems to linger whenever he’s around turns suffocating without an escape. You lean against the sink across from him while he digs through the icebox in the fridge. Shoulder blades moving with the motions of his wrist, plastic crinkling loudly every time he moves a bag out of the way. Muttering to himself, you watch goosebumps rise on his tan skin from the cool air, muscles twitching from the shock.

This was a mistake. 

Biting the inside of your cheek, you tear your eyes away in hopes it will stop the dull ache between your legs from getting worse when you’re brought back to the way those same arms caged you in while his hips pushed you deeper into the mattress in your dreams last night. Looking out the small window at the beginning flames of the bonfire, a shaky breath pushes past your glossed lips, and you wipe your palms on your skirt before turning around to wash your hands.

”You don’t have to help, you know?” His voice comes out just loud enough for you to hear over the running water, the small smacking sound of the fridge closing behind it, “If you’re that uncomfortable, I can do it.”

Cutting the water, you shake your hands in the sink before tearing off a paper towel from the roll next to you. Working up enough courage to finally turn around to look at him, you finish drying your hands with a softer expression.

”No, I can help.” 

He holds your stare, silently giving you another out while his fingers make quick work of unwrapping a head of lettuce, an onion, and a few peppers from their plastic confines. No matter how much you want to look away, you don’t, standing firm in your choice despite everything inside of you screaming to run away, and it’s enough for him to nod his head. The slight twitch of his lips while he rolls the bags in his hands doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I just need you to cut the onion into thin slices for the burgers, and same with the jalapeños.” He instructs, turning his back to you to throw away the wrappings. 

The sudden movement has the deep cut sleeves of his shirt fluttering open, giving you a glimpse of the thick patch of hair on his chest, and how it tapers off and down past his belly button. Your thighs find each other again, and you look up to the ceiling silently, trying to regain all the strength you thought you’d just found. 

“And the lettuce - uhh, are you okay?” Steve’s confusion makes all the blood in your body rush to the apples of your cheeks as you try to hide your internal struggle with a smile.

“Yeah, we’re good. Never been better. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” you ramble, brushing past him to the station he’s set up for you.

“…Right,” he starts with a pause before choosing to leave it alone, “I just need you to kind of rip the lettuce up, you can cut it if you want but I think bigger pieces would be better.”

You aren’t expecting his voice to come from right behind you, so close that you can feel the heat of his breath against the back of your neck. Your own goosebumps rise, dotting across exposed skin and you hope he doesn’t notice but the way he lingers in your space for a little longer despite the nod of your head makes you think otherwise. The spice of his cologne grows faint along with his footsteps against the tile floor, finding a home on the other side of the kitchen, busying himself with what he had started before.

Eddie turns on the radio, easing some of the tension from your muscles, and relaxing your shoulders as you get a good grip on the handle of the knife.

You could do this, easy. 

You really start to believe it too when you cut all the jalapeños, even humming along to an old Judas Priest song that you and Eddie used to blast in his van after school. Peeling the onion, you pretend that you don’t see the reflection of Steve staring at you from the glass of the microwave as you sway your hips and bop your head to the beat.

“So, New York huh?” He finally breaks, and your eyes flutter to the reflection to see him putting away all the spices he’d pulled out while you were smoking. “You likin’ it?”

Your movements freeze for a second, and your tongue feels heavy in your mouth with all the things you’ve dreamed of saying to him. Years of coming up with all the ways you’d tell him how much better you were without him. A recurring fantasy of a ten year reunion where you’d show up with your famous screenwriter husband you’d met on the Subway, turning your nose at him and whatever Hawkin’s girl he’d managed to knock up. But instead, the universe has you here five years too early, and Steve isn’t the same guy you’d left even if you don’t quite trust it yet.

Picking up the knife again, you roll your shoulders with a quiet breath before cutting into the onion once more as you search for the words to answer.

“Yeah, I like it. It’s big and it can be a little scary sometimes but I can be myself there,” it comes out a little quieter than intended but you still twist your hips to meet his gaze from across the kitchen where he stands with crossed arms giving you his full attention. “No one really cares what you do.”

“Who are you trying to be out there?” He asks like he has no idea what small talk is, the greens in his eyes shimmering against the last bit of sunlight that shines on his face.

“Someone stronger than who I was in high school,” you whisper, turning back around to focus on the task at hand and not your ex trying to dig into the depths of your soul while you cut onions.

“You were always the strongest person I knew,” he counters, and you can practically hear the shrug that you know follows his words.

”You certainly liked to test it.” 

It comes out before you can bite your tongue, your knife slicing right into the center of the onion and hitting the cutting board roughly, adding dramatic effect.

”Ouch,” he hums with a small laugh, silverware clanking against the metal of the sink behind you as he finishes cleaning up his mess, “I guess I deserved that one.”

“Steve.” You stop cutting, dropping the knife to look at him, unintentionally swiping your eye in the process, “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that. I promised Rob- oh fuck!”

The burning in your right eye becomes unbearable, the tears spilling freely down your cheek blurring your vision with a harsh sting.

”Oh, oh no. Did you touch your eye?!” Steve sounds panicked, sneakers scuffling against the tile as he hurries to grab a washcloth from the drawer. 

“It was an accident!” You whine, closing your eyes as tight as you can, willing the burning tears to stop, the sound of water running from the sink filling your ears, “God it hurts so bad, Steve.”

”I know baby, I know,” he coos in a soothing voice, and in your panic you almost don’t catch the old nickname that slips off his tongue with ease. Long fingers wrap around your wrist, pulling you closer to him, “Let me see, stay still.”

The coolness of the rag provides instant relief when he presses it gently to your eye. Taking a deep breath, you feel the warmth of his palm rub up and down your arm soothing your irritated nerves more. The sting doesn’t fully go away, but it subsides enough for the tears to slow down as he applies a little more pressure before removing it to wet it again. Blinking past the burning, you finally realize just how close you are to him now. 

Chests practically touching, you can see the beginnings of stubble lining his jaw despite being able to tell that he shaved today. The vampire bites on his neck that used to be your favorite to kiss taunt you for what feels like the millionth time this week. With cedar and musk filling your lungs, it feels impossible to breathe.

He cuts off the water, turning towards you again, and you aren’t prepared for the depth in his eyes meeting yours from this distance. They’re soft when they look at you, the chestnut inside them warming gold as you stare back at him a little dazed. Calloused fingertips stop their path up your arm to gently grab your chin, tilting your face up to his so he can get a better look at the damage. He’s sweet with the way moves your head around, the pad of his thumb smoothing the skin under your irritated eye.

”I think you’ll be okay, I don’t see any seeds or anything trapped inside,” he whispers, thumb never stopping its movements while his gaze flicks down to your lips that pout on their own, something electric charging in the air.

The sliding glass door opens behind him before you can answer, Robin and Eddie making their presence known in a loud burst of energy. Snatching the wet rag from his hand, you’re quick to put distance between you. Placing the cool cloth against your face, you make your way out of the kitchen before anyone can ask you anything about what happened. Muttering a “thanks Steve '' on your way to assess just how ruined your makeup is in the bathroom. 

Your heart pounds in your ears feeling the ghost of his touch everywhere, chest tightening because your body won’t stop screaming for more.

You stay in the bathroom long enough for the burning to subside, mumbling words that resemble some kind of pep talk while scrubbing your hands. Fingers that still shake with nerves fix your smudged mascara, listening for the moment their voices go quiet behind the sliding glass door before you decide to finally venture out. The sound of Steve’s laugh catches in your ears, as you make your way through the empty trailer, the corners of your lips curling on their own as you tug on the handle that separates you from them. The humidity is quick to turn your skin sticky despite the sun disappearing behind the trees. 

”There she is! I heard Harrington tried to blind you,” Eddie chuckles from his place crouched in front of the fire. A half smoked cigarette dangling lazily from the side of his mouth as he ‘stokes’ the flames, the crackling wood competing with the buzz of the cicadas that surround you.

”Riddle me this, Steve, why is it that whenever someone ’helps’ you cook, they end up in the hospital or worse, almost BLIND!” 

From her spot sitting on one of the many faded red plastic lawn chairs they have circled around the pit, Robin doesn’t hesitate to turn it into a dog pile with dramatics that could rival an Oscar winning actress.

Steve rolls his eyes, the warm light from the smaller flame of the grill glowing underneath him, highlighting his sharp features. His gaze meets yours, ignoring his friends, and you swear even from here, you can see the green inside each eye shine. You know there’s a million questions he wants to ask but there’s only one that comes out, and it’s soft just like the way he touched you inside.

”Are you okay?”

It’s hard for you to look anywhere but his face, remembering just how pretty it was up close. Your eyes trace the straight line of his nose, and the curve of his full bottom lip before finally meeting his eyes. The small smile that tugs at the corner of his mouth reminds you that you haven’t answered him yet but he doesn’t say anything. He lets Robin’s low whistle do all the talking.

”Uhh, yeah, I’m good. Crisis averted,” you mumble, snapping out of it, cheeks warming up enough to compete with the fire pit you stumble around, landing in the seat next to your best friend. “No jalapenos on mine, I think I’ve had enough for today.”

Steve laughs again, just like the one you heard on your way out and the sound burrows in your heart, making it swell, giddiness roiling deep in your gut. You ignore Robin’s obnoxious toothy grin next to you, doubling down even more when she starts to wiggle her eyebrows. The two beer cans at her feet tell you everything you need to know.

Without a cloud in an almost completely dark sky, you start to see the twinkling of the stars you’ll always miss begin to appear. They battle for your attention against the fireflies that flicker through the tall grass and into the woods. Lighter fluid stings your nose when Steve squirts more onto the burning coals, switching from hot dogs to burgers like he’s been grilling for a family of four his whole life.

A couple of beers calm your nerves that threaten to give you away, watching Steve in his element like this, the holes cut in his shirt showing off every flex of his muscles as he flips the patties. Cheese melting over the burger meat, just like your body that sinks further into the lawn chair that sticks to the backs of your thighs. He throws you a knowing look, making you clear your throat. Straightening your posture, you try to join in Robin and Eddie’s conversation like you hadn’t just been caught. Taking another long swig of the bitter semi cold liquid, you hope it’s enough to get you through dinner.

It’s not.

Steve takes the seat across from you when he’s finished cooking, manspreading with his paper plate in his lap. You fight the urge to look at the tan line of his inner thighs that are revealed by his loose fitting shorts, laughing a little too loud at Eddie’s jokes, desperate to keep your struggle hidden. Even going as far as acting interested when Robin starts talking about her reasons why she likes to buy certain things from the three different grocery stores in town. 

It’s when a dribble of ketchup lands on top of Steve's hand after a large bite that you lose your cool. Right between his thumb and index finger, he hums with cheeks full of food before those full lips of his wrap around the spilled sauce, cleaning it with a flick of his tongue.

”I’m gonna throw my plate away, is anyone else done?” You squeak, standing up abruptly, your chair nearly falling backwards in the process. 

“Jesus, easy tiger,” Eddie snorts, finishing off the last of his beer before crushing the tin can in his hand, tossing it on his empty plate, “The trash isn’t going anywhere.”

“Just trying to be a good house guest is all,” you lie, making Eddie quirk an eyebrow, the dimples in his cheeks coming out to play again.

”Uh huh.” He smirks before handing you his plate that Robin quickly piles hers on top of. “Sure.”

”That’s very sweet of you,” Steve chimes in, with a lopsided grin on his face that makes you want to punch the air and get out of here. 

“She’s pure class Harrington, get it right,” Robin comes for the save with a knowing wink that only makes the heat growing in your cheeks worse.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” you mumble quickly turning on your heel, feeling all their eyes on you as you make your way to the back door of the trailer.

”Hurry back. We're gonna play Never Have I Ever,” your best friend calls out over her shoulder making you wish you could just stay inside when the sliding glass door closes behind you.

Embers spark and pop from the fire before they disappear into the night sky, the full moon’s white glow stopping just along the dark edges of the trees that surround the backyard. The four of you sit around the pit with fresh beers in hand. The buzz of the alcohol turning Steve’s gaze heavy as he stares at you from across the flickering flames. Tucking your bottom lip between your teeth you look everywhere but his direction, and hope he doesn’t see the way your thighs press under the heat of it.

“Are you sure this is a good idea Robin?” Eddie whispers, big brown eyes glancing between the both of you, and your bouncing knee.

”It’s fine, they’ll be fine. Right guys?” She waves the metal head off, nudging you with her elbow, completely unphased.

”Of course we’ll be fine, why wouldn’t we be fine?” You snap, tugging the bottom of your skirt down, all the built up tension turning into aggression. Steve smiles into his next gulp.

“Whoa, whoa. I was just asking, but you do seem a little tense.” She raises her hands in surrender, both her eyebrows disappearing behind her shaggy bangs while Eddie distracts himself by poking the fire.

“Relax, it’s just a game,” Steve sighs, settling deeper in his chair, the warm amber in the flames bouncing off the mischievous gold in his eyes that keep their hold on you. “Besides, we’re friends now, right?”

Your gaze narrows, the grip on your beer tightening enough to hear the pop of the metal.“Yep,” you manage to get out, shooting Eddie a glare when he snorts.

“If you guys say so,” he starts, ignoring your scowl while getting cut off by Robin who’s practically vibrating in her seat now.

”Let’s have fun already. I’ll start.” Robin shushes him before acting like she’s deep in thought, turning to face you with the kind of grin on her face that tells you she’s up to no good, “Never have I ever…let some Wall Street douchebag go down on me in the backseat of his Rolls Royce.”

“That’s weirdly specific- oh wait! Damn! Princess!” Eddie whoops when you take a swig with a roll of your eyes, flipping Robin the bird. 

“Gotta try everything once, right?” You shrug, holding his gaze with a smirk, not even trying to hide that you’re taking great pleasure in the way Steve’s jaw clenches at the new found information of your life outside of here. “He had a nice mouth when he wasn’t using it for talking.”

Steve takes a deep breath through his nose, the mossy greens in his eyes turning dark as you lean back in your chair smugly.

“She’s a wild one, I’ll tell ya,” Robin giggles fondly, passing the baton to you with a proud smile.

Maybe it was the beer or the incessant way Steve’s presence drove you to the brink of insanity by rageful lust. Or even just the way he sat across from you with his legs spread wide like he ruled the world, whatever it was, that's what’s to blame for the question that rolls off your tongue.

“Never have I ever taken someone’s virginity.”

Robin’s jaw drops, guffawing with a harsh slap on your leg, mouthing a ‘you said you’d be nice’ but the buzz of the alcohol keeps a lopsided grin on her face. Eddie drinks, nervously watching the staring contest going on between you and Steve. Like a dog and its owner trying to establish dominance, both of you refuse to be the one who looks away first. Taking two gulps for good measure, he smacks his lips loudly when he’s done, wiping the foam off his upper lip with the back of his wrist. Raising his eyebrows at you in a silent challenge.

“This isn’t awkward at all,” Eddie grumbles, taking another sip of his beer to help the uncomfortable tension that threatens to settle over the circle.

”Who’s next? Who's next?” Robin urges with a flick on your knee, forcing you to fold and give her your attention with a blink of your eyes and it feels like the first time in hours that you finally look at someone other than Steve. 

Your teeth clench, grinding at the thought that even after all this time he’s still got this kind of hold on you, and it has you riding the thin line between wanting to give him a black eye or have him take you for a spin in his beemer for old times sake. 

“Eddie,” raising your can in his direction, he meets you in the middle with a cheers that doesn’t quite touch before slinking back in his chair with an exhausted huff.

“Hmmm, what do I want to reveal about myself?” He hums deep in thought, metal rings clinking against tin in a familiar tune as he taps his fingers around his beer can, “Never have I ever… been in a threesome, despite being titled ‘freak’ of Hawkins.”

“Really?” Robin seems genuinely shocked, making you giggle.

“Yeah, I know. It’s crazy to me too.” Eddie shrugs, with a knowing grin that doesn’t quite sit right in your gut.

That’s when you see it. Steve taking a drink.

”WHAT?!” Your best friend squeals practically jumping from her seat, clearly something that's not common knowledge being revealed.

Jealousy is an ugly monster, and it finds a home deep inside your chest tonight, turning you green with it. Your half empty beer can crunches the more your fingers dig into the tin, eyes narrowing when he just responds to Robin with a coy smirk and a shrug bringing his attention back to you.

”Gotta try everything once right?” Steve mocks, full pink lips curling up at the corners as he takes another sip.

Your heart sinks with your stomach, the muscles in your face doing the same before you have a chance to stop it. Visions of red nails and pink lips that don’t belong to you dance through your head, and the smug smirk he probably wore while his big hands gripped their hips taking turns making them moan his name. The sound of your can completely collapsing in a loud crunch gets everyone’s attention, and you ignore the softened expression on Steve’s face trying to capture your gaze again. Eddie clears his throat, throwing you a life line before opening a new can of beer with a suggestion you’ve never been more grateful for.

”Alright Steve, your turn.” 

Steve nods with a tight lipped smile taking one last glance in your direction before sitting up in his chair with an idea that makes his cheeks push up and his eyes sparkle against the light of the fire. “Alright, never have I ever pretended to not only have a driver's license but also own a car that actually belongs to my best friend so I can hook up with a girl in the backseat.”

A quiet sigh escapes your lungs, shoulders relaxing just a little when Robin groans loudly at the attack that’s clearly focused on her. Oblivious to the fact that you’re hanging on by a thread next to her, you stare fixed on the way the flames lick up into the night. 

“Look, she was a college senior, okay? I was only a sophomore and she was way cooler than me. Judge me all you want, but it worked didn’t it?” She argues, lifting her beer to the sky before taking a sip proudly. “No regrets!”

Her smile is contagious, easing some of the tension when you and Eddie giggle meeting each other's eyes from across her honey blond waves. You can feel Steve’s stare burning a hole in the side of your head, the heat of it in direct competition with the fire that thrives off the light breeze that rustles through the trees. 

“Aright, alright, never have I ever faked getting off.” She wiggles her eyebrows with a toothy grin, looking at Eddie specifically who gives her a dead stare in response, clearly something told to her in confidence. 

Biting your lip, you really weren’t going to add more fuel to the fire but when you finally meet Steve’s eyes that have been begging for your attention this whole time, you can’t help but douse the flames with the whole can of gasoline. Another flash of different shades of lipstick staining the freckles you loved to kiss so much sending another wave of rage down to your core.

”I can think of a few times.” You snort loudly, holding his gaze and pointedly stealing everyone else's attention before polishing off the last of your crumpled can.

Steve’s jaw clenches hard enough that you swear you can hear his teeth crunch together. Nostrils flaring with a gaze so dark it threatens to swallow you whole, all traces of honey and warmth gone, leaving you chilled to the bone.

”I think we’re done with this game Robin,” he grunts, standing up with a kick of his chair and for once his eyes don’t search for yours as he stomps across the yard towards the yellow light of the trailer. 

“Seriously!” Your best friend groans, slinking back in her chair with a hand running down her face, “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

”Yeah, genius! I told you, but nooo, you didn’t want to listen to me.” Eddie scoffs into his beer can, using his free hand to poke at the fire.

”Can you go, like, talk to him or something?” Robin turns to you with an almost pleading look that gets more prominent the more your face turns sour.

“Me?! I have to go talk to him? Seriously? He’s the one who stormed off,” you argue, crossing your arms.

”Yeah, well you clearly hurt his feelings.” She points at his pacing figure through the kitchen window and it takes everything inside of you not to tell her that he hurt yours first.

The two of you stare each other down, the wills of stubbornness at battle until her eyes go soft, big and glassy. 

“Please,” she begs, pulling out the big guns, and jutting out her bottom lip.

You hold her gaze for a few more seconds before surrendering with a roll of your eyes, huffing loudly when you uncross your arms to stand up, making her face light back up.

”I hate you. More than anything.”

Eddie cackles loudly at your lie, digging in his front pocket for a smushed pack of cigarettes.

“We all know you don’t mean that,” she hums with a content smile, leaning over to snatch the freshly lit tobacco from the metalhead’s mouth, waving at you as you start to follow Steve’s path up to the trailer. “Please don’t kill him!”

Closing the sliding glass door behind you, a shiver runs up your spine when the coolness of the air conditioning hits your sticky skin. The sound of running water catches in your ears from the kitchen along with the murmur of his voice under its rush.You can’t quite make out what he’s saying to himself, even when you reach the doorway. 

Hunched over the sink, his shoulder blades flex with every harsh scrub of the pan. His hat rests on the counter, and you can’t help but notice the wild way his hair sits on the top of his head from wearing it all day, sun kissed tips curling from the humidity. Clearing your throat just loud enough to alert him of your presence, you watch the way his whole body goes rigid. It only lasts for a moment before he recovers, shutting off the water with a lazy slap of his hand. Turning around he grabs the dish towel next to him to dry off, meeting your gaze with a little more color in his eyes, flecks of gold trying to shimmer in a raging storm.

Having his full attention on you, alone like this, is enough for your tongue to go numb. The back of your throat turns into sandpaper, making it impossible for words to find their way out. A big hand runs through his hair, fingers getting caught on a knot at the end that he works out with ease, a gentle sigh deflating his defensive chest just a little before he speaks.

“Hey.” 

Anger still boils under all of the attraction, along with the jealousy you aren’t willing to acknowledge.You aren’t ready. You can’t do this yet.

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” you excuse yourself, turning on your heel and leaving just as quickly as you arrived.

You ignore the way he calls after you, seeking solace in the place that's become your hiding spot for the night. Fingers wrap around the handle to the familiar room, you stop in your tracks when a warm patch of light leaking out from a crack in a door that wasn’t opened before catches your attention. 

You can smell the cedar from here.

Glancing over your shoulder to see if he followed you, it changes the course of your direction when you discover that he didn’t. Taking a few steps across the hallway, you’re careful not to let the hinges creak when you push his bedroom door open a little more. Your senses quickly become overwhelmed with everything that makes Steve, Steve. You throw another cautious look down the hallway before crossing the invisible line. Closing the door like how you found it, you let your curiosity get the best of you. 

It’s cleaner than you thought it’d be now that he doesn’t live inside the Harrington’s massive house anymore. His bed is bigger, the twin sized mattress that you used to squeeze into traded in for a queen. The navy blue comforter that looks soft to the touch is laid out messy on white sheets, a digital clock with glaring red numbers that read 10:30 pm on the nightstand next to it. 

The carpet under your feet is a heather gray, and you can tell that it’s scratchy even with your shoes on. Patrick Swayze watches your every move from the Roadhouse poster hanging on his wall, the floor creaking as you make your way toward the small work desk in the corner. Your eyes linger on the impressive way all his dirty clothes manage to be in his hamper before they find the framed pictures spread over his desk. 

There’s one of him with the middle school boy you knew as Dustin Henderson perched on his back, only he looks much older than you remembered. The curls still give him away despite the braces free smile. Both of them grin hard enough for their eyes to crinkle in the corners like they had finally stopped laughing long enough for someone to snap this picture. 

You fight back the way your cheeks threaten to push up, not surprised to find one of him and Robin at what looks like Lover’s Lake, both of them striking the same pose with inflatable tubes around their waists wearing matching bucket hats and sunglasses.

The guy in these photos doesn’t seem anything like the one you remember and it’s hard for you to wrap your head around it. They look the same.

”I don’t think this is the bathroom, do you?” Steve’s voice makes you jump, heart stopping in your chest for a split second before you meet his questioning stare with a guilty face of your own. 

His arms are crossed over his chest as leans against the door frame, unintentionally pulling the collar of his shirt down giving you a glimpse of the patch of hair and the gold chain underneath. The softness in his eyes from the kitchen is gone as he stares you down, it’s replaced with something you can’t quite put your finger on but the intensity of it raking over your body has your thighs meeting for what feels like the millionth time tonight. His full pink lips twist into a sarcastic smirk as he pushes off the wood, taking the next few steps into his room.

”Did you really mean what you said out there?” He questions, dark eyes sparkling the more you squirm under the heat of them.

”Mean what? I said a lot of things out there. We all did.” Narrowing your gaze, you try to take back some semblance of control, squaring up your shoulders at him but the dark chuckle you get in response tells you it’s a futile attempt.

“I didn’t say anything about you specifically though, did I?” Steve counters, stopping just a few feet away from you, tongue poking at the side of his cheek, “No, I don’t think I did.”

He hums, uncrossing his arms to mimic your stance in a silent challenge, eyebrows raised waiting on your response.

”I didn’t say anything about you specifically either.” Jutting out your chin in defiance, it's your turn to cross your arms now. Maturity at its finest.

He doesn’t answer you, instead he holds your eyes with his own and it takes everything inside of you not to look away. Your tongue swipes against your bottom lip as he starts to take a few steps closer, broad shoulders making the room feel small when the toes of his sneakers meet yours.

“I don’t think you ever faked anything with me.” He looks down his nose at you, smelling like summer nights and everything you’ve tried to forget.

”You think or you know?” Cocking a brow with a shit eating grin that tells him you aren’t going to fold easy, the backs of your thighs hit the edge of his desk. 

He sucks at his teeth, rolling his shoulders with the kind of laugh that makes the dull ache between your legs turn into a throb.

“I know. Trust me.” He smirks, gaze lingering where the soft dough of your thighs meet before finding your eyes again, “Guess what else I know?”

It's hard for you to catch your breath when he looks at you like this and you wonder if he notices the quick heaves of your chest or the way your eyes glaze over from being this close to him.

”W-what?” Your stutter gives you away, but at least you tried to fight one last time before he went in for the kill.

The whites of his teeth show in the kind of smile that tells you he was hoping you’d ask just that. Leaning in, his palms land on his desk finding purchase on either side of your hips, caging you in. He’s close enough for the tip of his nose to brush against yours, close enough to smell the wheat from his beer on the warm breath that fans against your lips. 

“You wouldn’t still look at me the way you do, if I hadn’t made you feel good honey. And you know what else?” 

His voice goes deep as he whispers, nose nudging at your cheek before his lips hover right by your ear making you shiver, goosebumps making their second appearance of the day. Your hands find the edge of his desk, chest brushing against his in a deep breath feeling the slightest touch of his lips against the soft spot right behind it.  

“I know I can make you cum harder with my tongue than some Wall Street asshole, who doesn’t even know what to do under the hood of that fancy car he spent so much money on.” His grip on the desk tightens at the thought, wood groaning under the stress of it and it has your thighs spreading for him on their own.

“Steve -”

His fingers grab your chin like at the shop with just a firm enough hold for you to pull away if you want to but you can’t bring yourself to do it when his eyes threaten to swallow you whole. You wonder if it's just a mirror reflection of your own as he takes some of the new space you’ve given him, so close now that you can feel the heat of his body where yours screams for him most. His brows furrow when your noses brush and he swears he can taste the watermelon of your lip gloss, and then he knows he can when he feels your fingers curl into his shirt tugging him closer.

“I think,” he breathes into your mouth, hesitating just enough to soak it in a second longer before pulling away with an almost pained expression that he quickly tries to cover up, “I think it’s time for me to take you and Robin home.”

He steps back and out of your space, a nervous hand running through his hair like he did something he wasn’t supposed to do. His eyes meet yours again and there's something apologetic that swirls in the deep forest that watches you tug your skirt down straightening up.

”I’ll uh, I’ll give you a minute while I go wrangle Robin.” 

He takes one last look at you like he really needs to be sure of something before finally walking out and leaving you alone to wonder how the night ended with you here. Skirt rucked up, trying to catch your breath in Steve Harrington’s room.

———-

🌻 beta’d by @superblysubpar

🌻 chapter three

[tigertales9]

Hard Reset III

Pairing: Joe Burrow x Reader

Warnings: 18+ / Smut

Description: This fic covers the week 4 loss to the Titans.

Time/Place: Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 / Cincinnati, Ohio

A/N: This is the third fic in the Hard Reset series. It's also a shameless sex-fest. I promise there will be more actual plot (and sex!) in the next fic.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sunday, 10/1/23 (after the week 4 loss to the Titans)

You check your watch as you pace around the kitchen, your mind grasping at what to say to Joe when he gets home. You roll your shoulders to relieve some tension as you think back to the game.

~ ~ ~

The 27-3 loss to the Titans felt like a huge step back after the Monday Night Football win against the Rams. The entire game was a disappointment to put it mildly. Every single phase -- offense, defense, special teams, play calling -- was lackluster as hell. The only positive was Joe's calf injury didn't seem to get re-tweaked, but you never know how it will react from one day to the next. Joe had once again requested you and his parents not greet him if the Bengals lost, so y'all were already in the car heading for the exit when the clock ticked down to 0:00. You beat the team charter flight back by a couple hours, and Joe's parents decided to head home since they knew he wouldn't want company.

~ ~ ~

The sound of the garage door opening pulls you back to the present, your pulse picking up when Joe walks in and locks eyes with you. "Hey," you greet, quickly walking forward to give him a hug. "Hey," he mutters, dropping his bag before wrapping his arms around you. "Sorry you traveled all that way just to see a shitshow," he continues, giving you a look that's half grin/half grimace when you pull back and look up at his face.

"It wasn't a shit …"

"Yes it was," he interrupts, heaving a tired sigh. "Don't sugar-coat it."

"Yes, sir," you mumble. "How do you feel?"

He runs a hand through his hair before answering. "Physically, not too bad. Mentally, like total shit."

You swallow hard and give a quick nod, a little disconcerted that he seems to be looking right through you; before you can think of something to say he speaks up again.

"Listen, Sam's gonna pick me up in a few minutes. We're having a team meeting at his house tonight."

"The whole team?" you ask.

"No, just the Captains and a few other guys." He picks his bag up and heads for the stairs before continuing. "We've gotta figure some shit out, make sure we're on the same page then put it to bed." He pauses halfway up the stairs and finally makes good eye contact with you. "The entire season is on the line; somebody has to light a fire under our asses and …"

"You're just the man to do it," you interject, giving him what you hope looks like an encouraging smile.

"Exactly," he states, before disappearing upstairs.

He reappears a few minutes later wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, quickly checking his phone when it chimes with a new text. "Sam's here," he says, dropping a kiss on your forehead before heading for the door. "I may be late getting home. Don't wait up."

Your eyebrows head for your hairline as he breezes out the door. "Love you, too," you grumble under your breath after the door closes behind him. You try not to take his abrupt departure personally, but you're feeling a little sorry for yourself when the door slings open and he walks back in. "Did you forget something?" you ask.

"Yeah," he answers, striding up to you. He leans down and gives you a lingering kiss before pulling back. "Love you," he states. "Love you, too," you answer, giving him a big grin as he hurries back out the door. "Telepathic ass," you chuckle once he's gone. "I swear that man can read my mind."

~ ~ ~

A couple hours later you wake up abruptly and sit straight up in bed, your heart pounding for several seconds until you realize the noise that woke you is just Joe in the bathroom brushing his teeth. He eventually walks into the bedroom giving you a sheepish grin when he sees you. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up," he mutters, crawling into bed and basically faceplanting into his pillow.

"It's okay," you soothe, turning onto your side to face him; you run your fingernails up and down his bare back, smiling at his muffled groans. "That feels good," he mumbles into his pillow, a shiver running down his spine when you slide your hand into his hair to lightly scratch his scalp.

"Did y'all figure some things out?" you ask, admiring his tall frame which is clad only in a pair of black boxer briefs.

"Mmm-hmm. Mainly that I sucked today and we won't win shit until I get better."

"The whole team sucked today, not just you."

"Thanks for admitting I sucked."

You roll your eyes and give his ample ass a loud smack before rubbing it.

"Don't get me started," he warns.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I know where this is headed, but I don't feel like having sex tonight."

You withdraw your hand and scoot away from him. "Sorry," you whisper. "I just thought … nevermind."

"Listen," he sighs, flopping over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. "I don't want pity sex, and there's no way you're turned on after how awful I played today."

You narrow your eyes at the slight slur in his speech. "Have you been drinking?"

"A little."

"Then I won't tear your ass up about projecting until you sober up."

"What do you mean projecting?"

"You know exactly what I mean." You take a deep breath before continuing. "We've had this conversation before."

"Refresh my memory."

"Should probably wait until tomorrow. I'm in no mood to sugar-coat it tonight."

"Fuck sugar-coating," he snorts, "tell me what you're thinking."

"Fine." You push up into a sitting position and look down at him, the hallway light providing just enough illumination to make out his petulant expression. "When you lose a game you get really down on yourself, and you project that feeling onto me. But -- like I've said several times before -- the way I feel about you is not determined by whether or not you win fucking football games, okay? If you lose every single game for the rest of your NFL career, I'll still want you more than anything. Why is that so hard to understand?"

"I just …"

"I'm not finished," you interrupt. "I'm starting to think you're the one who doesn't want sex after the team loses, which is fine, but you need to quit blaming it on me." You slide out of bed as you finish your mini tirade. "I'm not sleepy anymore," you state as you head for the door. "I'm gonna go get some work done."

You walk down the hallway to your office, shutting the door behind you before dropping into your desk chair with an annoyed sigh; you click your desk lamp on and run a hand through your hair. "Way to overreact, dumbass," you grumble under your breath, immediately feeling guilty. "You know he always needs extra affirmation after a loss and instead you chewed him out. Better go apologize."

You stand up and head for the door, stopping in your tracks when you hear a soft knock. "Come in," you call, biting your lip as he walks into the room. "I'm sorry," you blurt before he can say anything, quickly closing the distance to wrap your arms around him. "I overreacted."

He returns your hug for several heartbeats before leaning back to lock eyes with you. "You don't need to apologize. I need to stop being an insecure brat every time I lose a damn game."

"You don't really think I lose attraction to you after a loss, right? I used to think you were just teasing, but I seriously can't tell anymore."

He shrugs his broad shoulders, the action causing his forehead curls to bounce. "I'm mostly teasing, but I've been feeling pretty bad about myself lately so I guess I've been fishing for compliments more than usual." He gives you a sheepish smile. "And I was def hoping to have sex tonight. I guess I laid the pity party on a little too thick, though."

"So -- to be clear -- when you said you didn't feel like having pity sex …"

"I really meant I wanted you to seduce me. To show me you still want me even though I played like shit."

"Okay, that's good to know. I mean, that's what I normally do when you get in this mood, but it's starting to feel like I might be boundary stomping."

"You're not boundary stomping." He slides his hands down your back and cups your ass before easily lifting you up, smiling when you wrap your legs around his waist. "If I really didn't want sex I'd let you know, but don't count on that happening anytime soon," he states, punctuating his words with a throaty chuckle that sets off a steady throb of arousal in all the right places.

He walks to your desk chair and drops into it with you straddling his lap, his lips immediately on your neck after he pulls your t-shirt off and drops it on the floor. You lean your head to the side to give him better access, moaning at the feel of his mouth on your neck and his hands on your breasts, his agile fingers teasing you with barely-there touches before pinching and tugging your sensitive nipples just hard enough to make you gasp his name. "You like that?" he whispers against your ear, his hot breath causing a gush of wetness in your core. "Yeah," you whimper, grinding your crotch against his obvious erection as he continues to tease you.

He eventually drops a hand down and rubs your clit through your panties before slipping his fingers inside to play with your wet folds, his deep voice in your ear sending shock waves of pleasure down your spine as he slides a long finger inside you, adding a second finger when you beg for more. "So wet for me," he growls, making a feral noise deep in his throat when you start riding his fingers, slow at first then faster, your breathless whimpers leveling up to louder moans when he latches his pretty lips onto a nipple, his cheeks hollowing out as he sucks on the hardened peak.

"Don't stop!" you urge, biting your lip when he pulls off one nipple and moves to the other, giving it a gentle nip with his teeth before sucking it into his hot mouth. "I'm so close," you whine as he grinds his thumb against your clit while pumping his fingers inside you, a steady stream of whimpers spilling from your lips as your climax hits. You bury your face in his fragrant neck and gasp for breath, feeling lightheaded by the intensity of the orgasm, existing in a state of total bliss for several minutes until your dainty desk chair gives an ominous-sounding creak.

"Uh-oh," you pant, leaning back to lock eyes with him. "I think both of us in this chair is too much."

The chair makes another, even louder creak and Joe raises his eyebrows. "Why do you have such a flimsy-ass desk chair?"

"Because it's cute and comfy. Plus it's perfectly fine when it's just me sitting in it."

"You calling me fat?" he asks playfully, sticking his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout.

"No, you goober," you giggle, easing yourself off of his lap to settle on your knees on the floor between his manspread thighs. "You're tall and muscular and big," you state. "Deliciously big," you continue, ghosting your fingers over his impressive erection while licking your lips. "Let's lose these," you whisper, pulling his undies off and tossing them to the side.

You take your time enjoying the view before dropping open-mouthed kisses up the long length of his thick thighs, his soft, blonde leg hair tickling your lips as you work your way up to his crotch; he sucks your essence off of his fingers as he watches you through heavy-lidded eyes, the look on his face making you want to do deliciously naughty things to him.

"You're gorgeous," you whisper, sliding your hands over his abs, smiling when his muscles tighten under your touch. The heat radiating off of his big, hard body makes you more than a little lightheaded, and his scent -- a purely masculine musk -- literally makes your mouth water. You decide to let him know. "You make my mouth water," you groan, continuing to drop kisses near, but not quite on, his hard cock.

"No I don't," he scoffs, color rushing into his cheeks at the compliment.

It always amazes you when he gets shy about his good looks; in his mind he's still a nerdy guy, and he's not quite comfortable with the fact that he grew up to be a total sex god. You give him a sultry grin as you double down.

"You 100 percent make my mouth water. Want me to show you?"

He studies your face for a bit before responding. "Yeah … show me."

"Okay." You take your time gathering the excess saliva on your tongue before opening your mouth, letting the spit drizzle down on his shaft while holding eye contact with him. "So fucking hot," he hisses, his cock twitching as you lean down and flatten your tongue against it, licking base to tip before lapping at the precum on the plump, velvety head. The sensual, uniquely masculine taste has another flood of saliva pouring into your mouth; you lean back and lock eyes with him as you gather the moisture again, this time spitting it in your hand before wrapping your fist around his thick shaft, jacking him with smooth, steady strokes for a minute before dropping your head back down to tease him with your lips and tongue, slowly replacing your hand with your mouth as you take him deep, your gag reflex firing a few times before you hit just the right angle to deep throat him.

He buries his hands in your hair as you pleasure him, the words of praise spilling from his lips interspersed with soft grunts and groans that go straight to your core. Tears roll down your cheeks, and he brushes them away then lifts his fingers to his mouth, licking the salty liquid before hissing in pleasure as you lightly scratch your fingernails over his balls.

"Shit, babe, hold up a sec," he grits out. "I don't wanna cum yet." You pull off of his erection with an audible pop, wiping a hand over the spit and precum coating your chin while panting to catch your breath. "Just let me know what you need," you offer, your pulse picking up at the feral look on his face. He loudly sucks his plump bottom lip into his mouth, the action and noise so suggestive that you feel your core throbbing in unison with your racing heartbeat.

"I need to taste you," he purrs, his voice husky with desire. "Then I need to fuck you."

The throbbing in your core escalates, and you cup a hand over your soaked panties to try and ease the almost-painful ache; his gaze flicks down to your crotch before returning to your face, the carnal promise in his smile making your pleasure points hum with anticipation.

"How sturdy is your desk?" he asks, eyeing it as if sizing it up for a naughty, vigorous romp.

"Not sturdy," you mutter, gasping in surprise when he quickly stands up and reaches down, wrapping his hands around your waist and picking you up before striding for the door; you wrap your legs around him and bury your face in his neck as he walks to the bedroom.

He sits you on the edge of the bed and slides your panties off in one smooth motion, dropping to his knees on the floor between your spread thighs; you lean back on your elbows and watch as he lowers his head and flutters his tongue over your clit before plunging his tongue inside you, the noise you make causing him to lock eyes with you as he repeats the action. "I'm gonna cum in ten seconds if you keep that up," you whimper, biting your lip when he lifts your legs over his broad shoulders. "Then let's slow it down," he purrs against your most sensitive flesh, the vibrations from his deep voice causing a shiver of pleasure to shoot through you. "I'm gonna take my time," he continues, dropping delicate kisses and licks on your aching folds while avoiding your clit.

After what seems like an eternity on the edge, you decide to take matters into your own hands; you slide a hand in his messy curls and give a tug, using the leverage to grind your pussy against his face in a way you know he loves. "You drive me fucking crazy," he growls once you let him come up for air, his eyes dark with lust when he raises his head to look at you. "I'm seriously about to cum," he grits out, his breath catching in his throat when you quickly lift your legs off of his shoulders and slide off the bed, straddling him and reaching a hand down to line his cock up with your slick entrance before taking him balls deep.

He makes a noise that's half groan/half growl and 100% primal when your core clenches his thick length; you dig your fingers into his muscular shoulders and start riding him hard, whimpering on every down stroke at the feel of him bottoming out. He leans you back until your back is pressed against the edge of the bed, the new angle causing him to hit your sweet spot on every stroke. "Just like that!" you pant, moaning when he drops a hand down to tease your clit. "Fuck, baby," he hisses as his climax hits, the hot spurts coating your core as he pinches your clit with just the right amount of pressure to pull your trigger.

The sound of your mutual heavy breathing is the only noise you hear for several minutes; when you finally open your eyes and look at him, you have to smile at how totally fucked out he looks. "I think I passed out for a sec," you pant. "Me too," he chuckles.

~ ~ ~

Thirty minutes later -- after a shared shower where both of you laughingly complained about your shaky legs -- y'all are lying in bed, trading yawns and agreeing to sleep late the next morning.

You're just on the edge of sleep when he speaks up. "Babe? You still awake?"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

The silence stretches out for a minute before he speaks up again. "It's kind of stupid, I guess. Maybe I'll keep it to myself."

"What is it?" you ask, sitting up so you can look down at him.

He scrunches his perfect nose up. "We have two games left before the bye week."

"Yeah, Cardinals and Seahawks."

"If I play really awful like I did today, and we lose both of those games, will you still secretly marry me during the bye?"

You give a snort of laughter before you realize he's not laughing with you. "Are you serious?"

"A little, yeah."

You take a deep breath before responding. "Remember that convo we had earlier tonight when I said if you lose every single game for the rest of your NFL career, I'll still want you more than anything?"

"Yes, ma'am," he mumbles.

"Well, let me drive that point home a little harder." You brush his curls off of his forehead and give him a smile before continuing. "If you play like total dogshit in both games, throw twenty picks, lose fifty to nothing, and cut a huge fart in the post-game pressers, I'll still want you more than anything. I can't wait to secretly -- and eventually not-so-secretly -- marry you. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah," he laughs along with you for a minute before quieting down. "Sorry I'm being such a needy baby lately."

"You're being human instead of a robot," you soothe, leaning down to press a kiss on his lips. "It's a nice change," you say cheekily, giggling when he flips you over and lands a loud smack on your ass. "Don't get me started," you echo his words from earlier.

He rolls you back over and pushes up on an elbow, looking down at you in the dim lighting. "Meaning?"

"Meaning I know where this is headed," you purr, licking your lips just before his mouth captures yours.

[bokutosbiceps]

sakura blossoms (pt 2)

monkey d luffy x afab!reader | fluff | ~1k words

warnings: none !! pls enjoy 😁

a/n: this is pt 2 to the sakura blossoms series !! i will be posting pt 3, which is full of smutty smut, in an hour !! 😁

click here for pt 1 !!

click here for pt 3 !!

18+ MDNI

luffy’s heart is racing, it's gone around the earth twenty times and now it's shooting for the moon and landing amongst the stars.

he can't believe you're laughing at him. or laughing with him, hopefully. he honestly doesn't care what's making you laugh, as long as it's him. he wants to make you laugh like this forever.

“what'd you say?” you giggle, covering your mouth with your kimono sleeve. luffy finds himself subconsciously slightly bending to the side to keep your lips in his line of sight. 

“sing like that again—for me.” he demands. 

you're laughing again. he's delighted.

“what's so funny?” luffy can't help but chuckle himself, lips parting to make way for a gummy smile. 

“i've just…never been asked for an encore!” you smile at him. “i'm glad you liked my singing…?” you pause, realizing you don't know this cute stranger’s name.

but somehow it feels like you've known this man with a strawhat hanging off of his neck for your entire life.

“oh! sorry!” luffy becomes extremely aware that he's staring at you and he's completely forgotten to introduce himself. he remembers learning manners somewhere once. “i'm monkey d luffy! and i'm the man who's gonna become king of the pirates!”

your eyes widen and you take a step forward slightly, feeling an overwhelming amount of gratitude for this stranger—luffy. he's the man who saved your country.

you grab luffy’s hands and hold them to your chest, looking at luffy with admiration sparkling in your eyes.

“you're strawhat luffy, wano’s hero!”

“‘m not a hero. just wanted to help a friend, just wanted your country to have good food for whenever ya want.” luffy feels his face heating up and his palms produce tiny droplets of moisture when you hold him. 

you giggle at his indignance and step back, keeping his hands enclosed in yours.

“i'm still grateful! so, of course, i'll sing for you and your crew.” you beam at him and luffy’s heart soars. “i'm y/n, by the way.”

“not my crew.” luffy shakes his head. “just me.” he says firmly, a smirk hiding in the corner of his lips.

your eyebrows twitch in confusion, but you don't question him. instead, you take this time to really look at him. 

he has caramel colored skin, sun kissed on top of that, with fluffy black hair and a scar under his left eye. the strawhat, still hanging from his neck, seems like it's seen better days. but maybe not. wide chocolate eyes are staring into your own and his smile is all teeth and gums. 

he’s radiant. 

luffy then turns both of his hands outward, so that he's grabbing yours now, and he's pulling you.

“c’mon, we'll go somewhere else so you can sing for me!” 

❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。

you never end up singing for monkey d luffy.

he took you across a barren wasteland filled with beasts, one he promised wouldn't be barren anymore, then through a jungle in which a river flowed. he told you how that same river had made his friend sick after she'd given him her last portion of rice, and that's how he knew he had to help.

you end up in a small shack strewn up in the trees, and the conversations continue. luffy wove his story and you wove yours, working until the fibers of each were about to intertwine.

you've never felt so comfortable so fast with anyone, let alone a man. but luffy’s youthful exuberance and his ability to make you laugh with his natural honesty made you trust him.

and luffy, he likes you a lot. more than he thought possible. he'd always told himself he'd cast love and feelings and all that aside until he achieved his dream. now, he thinks that having two dreams isn't so bad.

he's curled around you, laying on his side with one leg braced underneath him and the other open on the wood flooring below. you're leaning back on him, his belly providing a hard yet somehow soft cushion for your head.

breaks in the conversation are never awkward. they're filled with little gasps whenever luffy would pinch your side or giggles whenever your fingers would find their way through his hair. 

but this break in conversation is different. it’s filled with a long stare on luffy’s part, a nervous glance on yours. luffy’s sharp inhale fills the little cracks.

“you wanna know what i first thought of you?”

you immediately feel nervous. you know luffy is blunt and you know he doesn't really think before he speaks, so you're dreading his next words.

he doesn't wait for you to answer. “i thought you were pretty.”

your heart is encircled in flames of all different colors. “i thought you liked my singing?”

luffy hums, shifting underneath you. you think he's going to pinch you again, but he instead brings his knees up so that they're touching your thighs and he props his head up on his hand to face you.

“yeah! but i thought you were pretty first!” and luffy is smiling again. 

“is that why you wanted me to sing for you alone?” you ask, keeping your eyes trained on the ceiling. you can feel luffy still staring at you. he gives an affirmative hum and you feel your heart rate quicken.

“i still haven't sung for you…” you say. 

“you don't hafta!” luffy sits up, effectively knocking your head from his abdomen but using his quick reflexes to catch your head and place it in his lap. “i want somethin' else now.”

“and what’s that, luffy?” your eyes glance up to regard the young pirate, who is still cradling your head in his hands while you rest in his lap. he's leaning forward, so close your foreheads are almost touching, and you can feel his ruffled hair tickle your face.

he stares at you for a second or two longer before his lips stretch out into a mischievous grin.

“you ever kiss anyone?”

“kiss?” you say dumbly, feeling your mouth go dry.

“yeah! sanji said that whenever i find someone i like and they like me, i should kiss ‘em!”

you can only blink at him. you have no clue who sanji is, but you're silently thanking him for saying such a thing to luffy.

“so, whaddya say, y/n? you wanna kiss me?”

i'm tagging everyone who commented on pt 1 saying they wanted a pt 2 or rb, also the regulars 😗

taglist: @lavenderhaze00 | @n1ght5h4d3-24 | @333vil | @scentisterror | @jaree101-blog | @louisechec | @luffysprincess | @usoppsstar | @lalalolojoot | @bfshoto | @nina-a-pines | @pileofmush | @anemptypuddingcup

[spinjitsuburst]

ninjago fic recommendations because i have so many Thoughts about them

gonna share some of my favorite ninjago fics bc they're so so so good and i want people to talk about them with me

Land of the Living by @captainbrookeworm - An evil scientist bent on using Lloyd's powers to resurrect his enemies chooses a poor one to start with - with Morro back alive he has to help Lloyd escape the facility, find a way to stop the bad guy, and keep the rest of the ninja from throttling him as everyone learns to adjust (pretty sure this has a sequel that i still need to read)

when you think you're all alone by @mondothebombo - A fic about a deeper look into what things were like for Jay aboard Misfortune's Keep. Lots of hurt, lots of comfort, lots of Jay needing therapy (TW: this fic contains depictions of torture and discussion of sexual assault so please be careful!) (also i've drawn fanart for this fic huehue)

The Ice Emperor and the Earth Dragon by @mcfanely - In the events of Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu, things are changed when Cole gets zapped to the Neverrealm alongside Zane. With two ninja trapped instead of one, we get a different look at how the Ice Emperor comes to be, and just how far Cole is willing to go to protect his brother (this fic broke my brain ngl)

Current Hunger by @thoriffix - After a mission gone wrong, Jay's behavior begins getting more and more unstable. Dangerous. He's hearing whispers in his head, things that aren't there, and the ninja are noticing. Little do they know the danger is much bigger than anything anyone could've imagined (TW: a lot of psychological and body horror)

Play to Win by @sadisthetic - A Skybound one-shot. After getting captured on Misfortune's Keep, Cole didn't expect to be thrown into combat, much less against Jay. A one-shot about Jay and Cole and the worst round of Scrap N' Tap imaginable (tw: violence duh)

Visionary by @k1ngtok1 - A fic about Lloyd, getting an innermost look at the history of the people he cares about most

Would You Like to Enter Prime Empire? by @finn-m-corvex - A fic where Prime Empire carries out somewhat differently, with the ninja separated from Jay and having to work with him from the outside of Prime Empire

There's a Smell of Stale Fear by @spinchip - A one-shot about Jay tending to Zane in the aftermath of a traumatic event. A lot of reflection on Zane and what he's been through. (TW dark themes)

To rise after the fall by @k1ngtok1 - A series of fics centering around Cole and his realization that he has oni heritage. It's so cute and good and yes please read this series i am Begging you

Would You Like to Enter Stardust? by @aureallegories - Something goes wrong when Jay enters Prime Empire. Becoming a corrupted code in the game, Jay forgets the ninja entirely and becomes one of the hardest bosses in all of Prime Empire (i've drawn fanart for this fic too huehue)

Masking and Unmasking by HelloThere3306 - A one-shot set in the movieverse, all the ninjas identities are a secret until Lloyd's gets revealed to the group by accident. The ninja have to set aside their biases to get their green leader back.

[bonny-kookoo]

Lock Me Up | Short #1

In which he realizes some things, but denies himself others.

Tags/Warnings: Detective Agust D my friends, Criminal Kitty!Reader, hybrid Yoongi, mentions of murder, mentions of violence, mentions of blood, mentions of past abuse, strangers to enemies to I don't even know, sexual tension?, dead dove do not eat

Length: Mid/short

-> Series Masterlist

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"Takehiko is under arrest currently, and is being watched until we can all agree on a court date. She's still with you, right?" The detective is being asked, as he takes a drag of his cigarette outside his apartment on the rooftop.

"She is." He agrees.

"But..?" His superior questions over the phone, knowing Yoongi well enough to realize when he's got something to say. "Don't tell me she wants to retract her statement. Tell her she's safe-"

"No, no that's not it." Yoongi denies, flicking the ash off of his cigarette while he leans his arms on the railings. "Rather.. unforseen circumstances that will probably push anything involving her back by a week or so." He explains with a sigh. "At least."

"So she's in heat." His superior chuckles, and Yoongi feels a bit irritated. Kim Seokjin might be a smart man, but he sure knows how to draw amusement from Yoongi's struggles every single time the chance is there.

"Not quite yet, but probably soon. She's medicated, but still, she won't be able to make any date you might have in mind right now." He explains, flicking away the smoked bud somewhere down to the ground while he checks your tracker- just to make sure.

Legally, any statement you make in court won't have any weight as long as you're in heat- so right now, you're pretty much holding the whole process in the air until you're no longer under the influence of any drugs or your hormones to say it bluntly. Yoongi himself entirely forgot about the possibility of this.

"Oh, I was about to ask how you wanted to handle that." Seokjin chuckles.

"Anything else would've gone against proto-"

"Ah come on Min Yoongi, everyone steps over the protocol here and there!" He laughs over the phone. "Do you not like her? She seemed cute when I met her, not going to lie."

"…" Yoongi can't answer. He wants to- but he realizes in this moment that he just.. never thought about it. Does he like you? Or has he just gotten used to you?

Well, he certainly doesn't mind you.

He neither minded going out to get your medications, nor does he mind how you sometimes reach for his hand at night when you sleep. He doesn't mind how you constantly try to rile him up or get on his nerves, and he definitely doesn't mind your presence when he works. But does he like it?

He.. kind of does, come to think of it.

"It's alright to admit it, you know." Seokjin hums over the phone. "I'm not testing you or anything."

"That would be exactly what you'd say if you were testing me." Yoongi argues back defensively. "Listen, I'll supervise her while she's on her meds, and I'll ring you up the minute she's through with it."

"Well, you do you detective blank-face." Seokjin jokes. "Have fun!" He laughs, and Yoongi rolls his eyes before ending the call and walking back into his apartment where you're laying flat on your stomach-

In the middle of the main room.

"And.. what is this?" He asks, though you just groan into floorboards in agony.

"I'm gonna die~!" You wail, and he sighs.

This is going to be the longest heat he'll probably ever have to sit through.

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"Stop- hey, slow down alright? One is enough for now." He tells you, taking away the pack of snacks from you. You immediately become teary eyed, grabbing after them- though his arm is longer, palm pressed against your sternum keeping you away.

"But I'm hungry!" You cry out. "I'll starve! You're gonna make me starve, is that it? Did I bother you so much that you want me dead now?" You ask dramatically, and he takes a deep breath.

"You're not starving." He clarifies as carefully as he can manage, putting the snacks back into the highest shelf where he keeps most of your foods at the moment since you use any moment where he's not looking to practically consume everything edible in his household. "You just feel empty, and you confuse that with hunger." He explains, and now you just look annoyed.

"Yeah well, who's fault is that?" You accuse with crossed arms. "Anyone else would've just screwed me already to get it over and done with." You say, and he looks at you with a blank face.

"I'm not anyone, however." He reminds you.

"I know.. I'm sorry- you're tryin'a be nice and I'm such a bitch for no reason.." you suddenly deflate, walking away from him to crawl underneath a blanket on your chaotic bed, hiding.

It's your medication- and he honestly feels sorry for you.

When you're not cramping and uncomfortable and most of all nauseous, you start to feel empty and hungry, not to mention the mess that's your emotions. One moment you're irritated by nothing, the next you're scared of everything. It's a little tough to handle, he won't lie.

Mostly because he wants to help as much as he can, but there's really a tough limit to what he can actually do without.. well, that.

"Here, drink something instead, that's more important right now." He offers, squatting down at the side of your bed with a bottle of water.

There's no answer.

"You're not asleep."

"How'd you know?!" You suddenly ask, throwing back the covers as you sit up, holding your heat quickly from the whiplash.

"Its not that hard to tell." He- chuckles?!- before he unscrews the cap of the water bottle. You drink eagerly- though you keep your eyes on him the entire time, as if you're thinking of something that involves him. "What?- no no no, my God..." he sighs as you try and talk without having swallowed down the last gulp of water, immediately forcing yourself to cough.

When you finally stop, he tries again. "First drink, then talk." He reminds you, and you nod.

"Can I ask how you got that scar? Like, who did that?" You wonder, finger reaching out to touch it- and he instinctively leans away from you. "Oh sorry, my bad." You apologize, and he shakes it off.

"Its not a cool story, really." He mumbles quietly. "Nothing what you might expect." He shrugs, screwing the cap back onto the bottle before he stands up to put it back into the fridge.

"..so?" You ask meekly, still wanting to know. "I mean you don't have to say-" you start, but he cuts you off as he washes some dishes in the sink.

"Me." He says, and you freeze in your spot. "You asked who did it." He says over his shoulder when he notices your silence, and at that, you watch him with an unreadable expression, before you get up. "What, you wanna look at it aga-"

But he's caught off guard when you simply quietly hug him from the back, soft purring trying to somehow get your feelings across.

And he understands.

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"What is it?" He asks when he notices you pacing again, not wanting to sit down at all it seems like. Your tail snaps upwards at the sound of his voice- but you're not answering for a moment.

"I need to go outside." You say, and he puts his pen down, ready to argue. You've already argued twice about this very specific topic- he can't let you outside like this on your own, the risks too high. And unbeknownst to you, it's not just because you're still a key witness to his case- but also because he personally doesn't want you to roam around outside while clearly still in heat, medicated or not.

He doesn't want to admit it yet, but his reasoning aren't just because he's a hybrid and therefore influenced by you.

"I know! I know you said I can't but I really need something and-" you argue instantly, standing in front of his desk with your legs pushed together suspiciously.

"I bought them already." He tells you nonchalantly, picking up his pen again to continue working. "They're in the bathroom, underneath the sink." He explains, and you stare at him for a moment, before you squint your eyes in suspicion, walking where he told you he'd pit what you need.

There's no way he actually-

He did.

It's definitely a more expensive brand you'd be using- but you won't question it for now, rather glad to be able to clean up and regain some comfort as you do your business and line your underwear with the hybrid-heat pads.

Maybe that'll help him, too.

You know he's affected by you inside his home even if he doesn't admit it- it's not hard to notice. He tends to go outside a lot more, he keeps a window open next to him when he works, he tries to keep any close contact to a minimum. You like that he stays respectful, sure- but you also feel awful about it, because you're just making his job and life so much more complicated right now. No one wants to willingly take care of a medicated hybrid in heat- it's exhausting, annoying, and most of all-

"Everything alright in there?" He asks through the door, knocking pulling you out of your thoughts.

"Y-yeah, no issues!" You call out, and he seems to leave at that, making you deflate. The detective seems to be a pretty good guy underneath that weird tough guy persona he puts up during his work- but it's clear to you that while he might tolerate you, and doesn't truly mind you, he doesn't like you either. He's still someone who despises his own genes, so it's a no-brainer that he probably doesn't like you either.

And you don't blame him at all.

Walking outside the bathroom, you rub your eye- and he immediately gets up to check on you. "What happened?" He wants to know, thinking you're crying, but you wave him off.

"..got.. something in my eye.." you mumble, making him click his tongue as he holds your face in his hands to tilt it upwards so he can see better. He's concentrated on his task, but his grip isn't rough or anything- he's awfully gentle, careful in locating and brushing the hair out ofbyour eye, before he lets go of you again. "..thanks." You mumble, and he nods, walking back to his desk.

"No problem." He simply answers, orange hue from the setting sun coloring the entire interior of his apartment.

"Hey, Detective.?" You ask, carefully pushing some things on his desk with your leg as you sit on the corner, making him furrow his brows at your antics- though he's used to them at this point. "Do you have like- hobbies?" You wonder, and he clicks something on his laptop before he closes the device, leaning back in his seat with crossed arms.

"Not really, no." He answers dryly.

"Boring." You huff. "Not even old-people-stuff like, I don't know, collecting stamps or something?" You ask, and he shakes his head.

"No." He simply answers, and you let your shoulders drop.

"Oh come on man, I'm trying to make smalltalk here!" You whine, and he chuckles- something he's been doing recently, and it fills you with happiness, in a way. "You gotta help me out!"

"Why would I?" He asks, leaning his head to the side a bit. "You're pretty entertaining like this." He shrugs.

You, in return, pull out your tongue, before jumping down to walk into the kitchen, attempting to climb on the countertop to reach your snack-stash.

"Hey- stop that!" He immediately calls out rushing to you, pulling you down but your middle before setting you back down onto the ground.

"But De-te-ctive~!" You wail dramatically. "I'm gonna-"

"You're not going to starve, I told you." He reminds you, but you simply suddenly fall limp in his grip, practically melting through his arms like liquid before you're on the ground, giggling. He sighs.

"Your life is gonna be so fucking boring when I'm gone." You joke-

And he knows, deep inside, just how right you are.

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"Pssst, Detective.!" You hiss- but he's dead asleep. "Detective!" You hiss again, but still, he's unconscious.

It's unusual for him to sleep this tightly, not even reacting to you when you're pulling on his arm. And it's freaking you out- because you know for a fact, someone's on the roof, and its a stranger.

You're just about to slap the man, when the window crashes, making you instantly try and hide- but it's no use, because his apartment isn't big at all, and gives you nowhere to truly go in the spur of the moment like this.

You notice how the detective's eyes slowly open, as if he's fighting to wake up- but he still doesn't move.

The food delivered. The young delivery guy at the door that seemed awfully nervous. The soda only he himself had drunk yesterday.

He's so fucking stupid, he thinks to himself.

You can feel Yoongi's grip trying to hold you close to him as you hold onto his hand- but he can't bring himself to do anything else as you finally slip from his fingers, a hit to your head making you go limp as you lose consciousness right in front of his eyes.

And suddenly you're gone, apartment cold and empty again.

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[glassartpeasants]

Run Rabbit Run .03

Yandere!Eustass Kid x F!Reader

Warnings: Physical abuse, Kid being a dick head, slow development of Stockholm syndrome, mention of not eating, thoughts of self hatred and death, branding, nonconsensual kissing, Kid experiencing the chop-chop slide from shanks, heat being a real one, soft kid???, edited as much as my sleepy self could

Trash Summary: After receiving another horrific scar, reader is starting to lose hope. But just when someone from the inside offers help, her captor has an accident. Leaving reader to suffer with newfound emotions

A/N: yeah this series has a choke hold on me. I've got another part planned and that Luffy fic is still in the works but my computer deleted it and i have to start over :,)

pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 pt.7 pt.8 pt.9 pt.10

@rebeccawinters

~~~

The bruises were completely gone after a while and you finally started to feel better after having such a nasty cough. It no longer hurt to stand and the bite on your shoulder eventually healed and there wasn’t a trace that it even happened. 

Of course, you still were gonna watch how much weight you put on your thigh just to make sure. But now, after you were convinced that it was safe, you started to try to work out again. While you no longer had the crates, something was better than nothing.

You look at the wall, and you see the tally marks you’ve started in order to keep track of the days. There were a few times where you think you forgot but it’d still give you a rough estimate on what the time to leave would be. That is if you didn’t escape earlier.

You weren’t sure how you were gonna escape the more you pondered on it. If you were on open seas, you couldn’t just jump off the ship! Sea kings, unpredictable weather, dying from exposure, or being kidnapped by another pirate group! 

What if you were to get on an island? You couldn’t know where you were or how to get back and you highly doubt Kidd would ever let you outside without him by your side again. Escaping would be so much more complex the second time than the first time. 

You had thoughts about using your body to break down the door but that’d be loud enough to alert the entire ship. Perhaps you could try to learn how to pick locks? Wishful thinking since you don’t have anything to work as a pick. Maybe try and undo the screws on the doorknob/door hinges. You could use that butter knife you hid between the floorboards as a makeshift screwdriver.

“Rise and shine princess, me and you have somewhere to be.” Your heart races as Kidd’s voice breaks through the silence you were enjoying.

“Where?” You sit up in your bed as you watch the door. Hearing the door unlock never fails to make your throat dry. When he stepped into the room, you see a piece of cloth in his hand. A blindfold, most likely.

“Stand up.” Sighing, you get up from under the covers and stand before him, not wanting to get on his bad side. His big hands tie the cloth around your eyes before he throws you over his shoulder.

“I can walk, damnit!” He could have easily just guided you to whatever hell he was bringing you. You hated being manhandled by him and it took everything inside you to not flail like a fish. As soon as Kidd left your room, a cold air hit your body causing you to shiver.

“Chilly princess?” His laughter only made you more annoyed.

“You never told me where you're taking me.”

“So impatient.” You roll your eyes behind the blindfold. Obviously, he wasn’t gonna crack so you might as well try to recognize each twist and turn he took. Soon enough, you had no idea where you were. His whole ship felt like a damn maze every time you were out of your room.

Just then, you hear keys juggling, and the sound of a door unlocking echo in your ears. Where could he have taken you? Why did you have to wear a stupid blindfold? When you heard the door relock behind you and Kidd is when you really started freaking out. Your body began to squirm to try and loosen his grip.

“Quit squirming or I'm gonna chain you to a wall.” Considering that was the last thing you wanted, you let out a huff before stopping. You didn’t want another scar on your ankle and it’d only make escaping 10x harder.

You feel Kidd sit down before your plopped down on his knee. The blindfold was tugged off quickly and your eyes struggled to get used to the brightness of the room. Once your eyes did settle, you see tools covering the walls and a big workbench in front of you.

“Where am I?” You couldn’t help but look around the room more. Even the last time you were kidnapped, you’ve never been inside this room. So why were you here now?

“The place where I made that collar of yours.” He must have sensed your soured mood because he got up closer to your ear to the point you could feel his breath.

“Now your here to watch me make a new one.”  The feeling of his lips pressing against your neck made you freeze, His lipstick staining your skin with each kiss. You didn’t pull away simply hoping that he’d get it over with it soon. Today you just didn’t have the energy to deal with an angry Kidd.

Kidd grabbed your hips and turned you around so you were facing him. Your heart was racing as you both stared at one another for a split second before Kidd pressed his lips against yours. On instinct, you press your hands on his chest to try and stop him. Instead, it seemed to only stir him on.

He kissed you like you were gonna disappear at any second. His hands made their way to your sides and slowly caressed the flesh there. His touch made chills run along your spine. The feeling of his lips against yours made your stomach churn in disgust. Even being so close to him felt like a nightmare. You wanted nothing more than to shove him away and tell Kidd to kick rocks, but this could be a crucial part of getting you out of that small room. So despite your disgust, you kiss him back.

You move your hands to slide across his chest to his neck before cupping his face. The small gesture led him to make a small sigh through the kiss. His tongue quickly swipes across your bottom lip. Without a second thought, you open your mouth for him. You feel his tongue run against your own and his hands pull you closer to him.

When you both separated, a trail of saliva connected the two of you as you panted for air. Your face felt ablaze when you saw how smudged Kidd’s lipstick was. If it was like that on him, what did you look like? 

The workshop echoed your heartbeat as you tried to hide your face from view by hiding it in the crook of Kidd’s neck. It’s hard due to the thick collar that adorned your throat. It always got in the way of sleeping, eating, and even trying to read got in the way.

“If you're gonna make me a new collar, can it be one I can sleep in?” You mumbled into his skin as you tried your best to plead.

“Do you know why your in that collar?” His tone of voice made him bite your cheek. You can feel him pull you closer so your chests are touching. His piercing eyes look down at you.

“I ran away…” His fingers dig into your skin roughly, causing you to wince.

“Yeah, you did. How can I trust you not to do it again hmm? This collar makes my devil fruit power work even better than the last one. So why should I give rewards to bad girls?”

“Can I do something to make it up to you?...” Your heart beats out of your chest waiting for his response. The fear of uttering those single words had you fearing his answer even more.

Kidd’s chest rumbles as he makes a ‘hum.’ You hated how long it was taking him to just decide.

“Take off your shirt.” Your eyes widen, and you feel your blood freeze.

“W-What?”

“You heard me. Take it off.” With a gulp, you leave the crook of his neck. Grabbing the helm of your shirt with shaky hands, you slowly lift it over your head. The cold air attacked your exposed chest. You quickly cover your chest as you feel your face heat up. Kidd never gave you any bra’s and the one you did have, he threw away! Hell, you’ve asked but he said no every time.

“Back to me.” Without another second, you followed his orders. If you were given the chance to keep his prying eyes away from you, you’d take it.

Kidd’s cold hands run against your sides before tracing your spine. The small touches made you shiver. You question what his motives were when he stood up and placed you back down on the chair he once sat in. Before you could ask him, Kidd grabbed a piece of metal and used his devil fruit powers to wrap it around you, effectively ‘tying’ you to the chair. You try to move but you were no match for the strong metal.

“Hey! What the hell!” Kidd snickered before going to a corner of the room to grab something. You watched him with an intense stare. The sound of metal rattling and being shoved around was nothing compared to the screaming inside your head. What could he possibly be looking for?

“You know, originally Killer talked me out of this, but since you want to be rewarded for bad behavior, I think it’d go nicely with your new collar.” There was a sinister tone in his voice as he faced away from you. You didn’t even need to see his face to know he had the look of insanity plastered on it.

“It’ll also show anybody who tried to take you away, that you belong to me.” When he finally turns to face you, you see a blow torch and a metal pole with a shape on the end of it. Simply with his words, you knew that whatever he was holding could not be good. You try scooting away from him by pushing the chair away but he grabs it and pulls it back.

“Don’t worry, princess, I did my research.” His laughter had you breathing heavily as you panicked.

“This is completely unreasonable! You can’t be serious!” You try to escape once more but it proved futile.

“You wanted to make it up to him? Well here’s your chance.” Every inch of your body starts shaking violently as you simply look at him in horror. Insanity swirling in his eyes as he grabbed the blowtorch and held it to the metal.

“There has to be something else! Please Kidd-” A loud smack could be heard in the room. The sensation of Kidd’s backhanded slap caused tears to flow down your face. You wouldn’t be shocked if you got a bruise from how hard he slapped you.

“Be fucking grateful I’m even giving you this chance! Those damn Straw Hats taught you that you can be a brat! I’m going to kill each one of those fuckers! I’ll do it in front of you so you can see what happens when you leave me!” His voice was evil and dark and despite how much you wanted to cower and cry, your thoughts spilled from your lips.

“You’ll never beat them! They're gonna come for me and kick your ass!” Your hair was grabbed harshly as your head was tugged back. Tears blurred your vision but you could see his eyes staring at you. Even through the blur, they haunted you.

Before you could say another word, a searing hot pain burned against your chest. It was something that you’ve never felt before as every nerve in your body felt like it was on fire. The pain of the metal touching your chest made you scream so loud that you thought you’d lose your voice. The metal was only on for a millisecond but it felt like a century. Tears pour down your face more than they’ve ever before as you wail from the pain. Your screams echoed throughout the room and your sure it could be heard from the depths of hell as well.

Kidd let go of your hair and you let your head fall. One of your tears fell on the fresh burn and you whimper from the pain. You could feel it throbbing, and it felt like hell even to breathe. The world seemed to spin around you as it felt as if your chest was being ripped open. Your vision slowly started fading to black as the pain soon became too much to handle.

~~~

Opening your eyes, brightness surrounded you. Squinting your eyes, you slowly lift yourself up and your chest burns at the simple movement. Rubbing your eyes, and taking in a sharp breath, you see that your in the infirmary once more. You let out a sigh as you turned to your right and saw someone you hadn’t seen since you were freed.

“H-Heat?”

“Hm? Oh, your awake-” You didn’t even give it a second thought before you got up to hug him as tears whelm in your eyes.

“I’m so sorry! I tried too hard but…” You whispered to him as you held him close, despite the burning pain on your chest.

“Don’t. I heard what happened. Life can be cruel sometimes.” You could only nod.

“You should sit back down. Putting pressure on your chest might not be a good idea after what happened.” Your eyes start to water as the events that happened earlier burned in your memory.

Letting Heat go, you look down at your chest. It was covered with bandages to the point where no skin was showing. Thankfully your breasts were covered in as well. You gently move your fingertips against the bandages before you make your way to your neck. The metal collar was gone and instead, a leather one replaced it. The bed squeaked when you sat back down.

“They all fully know about you now. The rest of the crew.” Lifting your head up, you look at Heat who was sitting in the chair in front of you.

“He lied about your screams, though. He said you burned yourself. I don’t know if the rest of the crew bought it but I didn’t.” You let out a slight hum as you listen to his words.

“I don’t know if you saw what he burned on your skin or if you passed out before you could.”

“My vision was blurry. I couldn’t see through the tears.” Your hands grip the end of the bed with a crushing grip.

“Let it heal first, then before you look.” Looking at the ground, you feel rage bubbling inside you.

“I want to kill him, Heat…I want him to suffer.” Your voice only a whisper as hot tears start flowing down your face, biting your lips to avoid letting out loud sobs.

“He’s taken everything from me. I can’t even fight back to defend myself. He always manages to hurt me before I fully recover from the last wound I had. How am I supposed to get away and go home if I can’t even go one day without being in pain?” The infirmary went silent, and the only thing that could be heard was your sniffing. 

“I’m trying so hard to stay positive but-” The sound of familiar footsteps cut you off. You gave Heat a quick glance before laying back down. Closing your eyes, you do your best to fake sleep.

“Heat! Did she wake up yet?” Kidd’s firm voice had you clenching your teeth.

“No. She’s been out cold the entire time.” You could feel Kidd’s piercing gaze against your ‘sleeping’ form.

“Don’t mean to pry, Captain but why?”

“Fuck you mean why?”

“Why her? What’s so special about her that you're hurting her to the point where she doesn’t have the strength to leave you?” Heat question causes you to bite your lip. You desperately wanted to know the answer too.

“That’s none of your damn business, Heat.” Suddenly, you feel two strong arms grab you, only to start carrying you bridal style. The urge to wiggle out of his arms and run was strong, but you didn’t dare open your eyes in fear of what he’d do when you ‘woke up.’

You feel Kidd walk out of the infirmary and return to your little room. Hopefully, he’ll just put you in there and fuck off. Go back to being a sick bastard elsewhere. 

“Heat needs to mind his fucking business. I can do whatever I want to you cause your mine. He doesn’t know how much of a spoiled brat you’ve been.” The two of you must have different definitions of spoiled brat.

The sound of Kidd opening the door had your heartbeat calming down. At least you were in the only place you felt a sliver of safety. You’d take any compared to nothing at all. But the sound of him locking the door behind him meant he planned on staying in your room tonight.

Kidd pulled back the blankets and set you down before you heard him take off his boots and join you in the bed. Grabbing your body, he pulls you closer before covering you both in blankets. He snuggles his head on top of yours, and you feel his chest against your back, arms wrapping around your sides.

“I remember the look of fear you had when I got you in the grasp. It took me everything inside me not to fuck you right in the middle of your burning town.” You could hear him chuckle. Events of that day had you holding back tears.

“It’s like you wanted it to happen. You watched me kick your mayor and didn’t so shit about it. You didn’t even run until you saw me looking at you directly. You practically begged me to steal you away. But I couldn’t have you thinking about home when all you needed was me. Watching you cry about your burning town made my cock so hard that it hurt. Good thing after your town burned to ashes, I had my perfect little princess waiting for me to fuck her beneath the deck.” His words made memories replay in your head as you felt your chest get heavy.

“I was originally going to get rid of you when I got bored, but the scared look on your face gave me a high that nothing ever has before. How could I get rid of something that made me feel so powerful?”

“And soon enough, I realized you were meant for me. Your whole existence was meant to be with me. It took a while but soon, you finally understood that you were meant to be by my side. Even if it took a hit or two.” Laughter rumbled in his chest as you felt small tears silently slide down your cheeks.

“It was perfect…until you left me.” Kidd’s grip gets crushing, causing you to let out a cry. He immediately stopped, probably worried that he’d ‘wake you.’  The room was silent before he continued.

“Those Straw Hats took what was rightfully mine, They stole you from me.”

“So when I saw you running alone on Sabaody, I was given proof that you were meant to be with me. You came back to my grasp. You simply needed some discipline.” Beating you to the verge of death is the farthest thing from discipline. But how were you supposed to talk sense into someone so delusional?

“Now look at you. You simply needed a reminder of your place. So quietly and listening to anything I have to say.” His fingers brush a strand of hair away from your face, and he places a chaste kiss on your cheek.

“Cause I know your awake, princess.” 

~~~

It’s only been six months since you were taken on Sabaody. It felt so much longer than that, though. With every new fear and scar, it seemed to slow down time by 5x. No matter how hard you tried to close your eyes, the sleepless nights haunted you. Nights you stayed up crying in pain. From physical or emotional, you didn’t know. It could have been both.

You were trying so hard to stand up for yourself, to show that you no longer feared him. But anyone with eyes could see the fear that plagued you whenever you heard his footsteps. How venomous words died in your throat instead of reaching your target.

Your body was the weakest it’s ever been. With all the times you’ve been injured and how you refused food they had given you out of spite has taken its toll. It wouldn’t surprise you if you looked dead. Sometimes, you wish you were. Some days, when the nights were super cold and when the darkness suffocates you, you wish Kidd would just kill you. Wish that the warlord who took your friends would’ve taken you too.

When you felt your chest and how the scarred skin brushed against your fingertips, it only made you shove down the urge to vomit. Having such a demeaning thing scarred into your skin only fueled your overwhelming self-disgust. How could you even go back to the Straw Hats after getting it? There's no way they’d want someone as disfigured as you. The scars around your ankle and neck from being shackled, the stab wound scars, the scar on your face after hitting the crate corner, small scars from times he hurt you enough to break the skin. The horrific imprint of his jolly roger scarred against your skin was the worst of all.

What had you done to deserve such a fate? What past life did you live that made this life such a punishment?

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“...” You didn’t answer. Hoping that person would just leave. The last thing you needed was to see someone.

“It’s me, Heat. I brought you food.” The door opened, and his shadow filled the room.

“I’m not hungry.”

“I know your lying. You haven’t eaten in 4 days.” You hear Heat place the food beside your bed before hearing him sit on the floor. Turning around, you look at him with a brow raised.

“I’m not leaving till you eat.” You pout but give in, hunger taking over your spite. Sitting up, you start eating the food in front of you.

“The others have been asking about you.”

“Why?”

“A screaming woman doesn’t just disappear in the infirmary.”

“I guess. But why is it relevant?”

“Based on Kidd’s answers, I think he will let you roam the ship.” Your eyes widen at Heat’s words.

“Really? You're not fucking with me?”

“It’s just a speculation, so I’m not sure, but it sounded like it.” You were about to celebrate finally getting out of the small room., but the reminder of having eyes on your scarred body and that you’d still be stuck on a ship with Kidd plagued your mind.

“Can anyone swim on here? Like, how many of you have devil fruit powers?”

“Why?”

“I can’t tell you my evil plan.” A small laugh left Heat.

“You plan on swimming away? In your condition?” Despite wanting to argue, he was right. You were in no condition to do any physical activity.

“Damnit, your right. Guess my spite is my downfall.” All you could do was frown as you continued to eat.

“Did your burn heal okay?”

“Unfortunately. Now I’ve got that delusional fuckers jolly roger on my chest.”

“Well, you can lie about how you got them. If I didn’t know how you got them, I would’ve assumed that you got in some fight and got cool scars.” You let out a quick laugh. Heat’s words managed to somehow make you feel better.

“Anyone ever tell you you’d be a good therapist?” It was Heat’s turn to laugh now.

“You're the first. Who knows, maybe in another universe I am.”

“A therapist with some sick tattoos.” Both of your waves of laughter echoed in the small room. The smile you tried to hold faltered when you heard cannon fire roar across the ship.

“Must be Marines.” With a sigh, Heat stands up before grabbing the now empty plate.

“I better be off, or Kidd’s gonna freak.” Heat’s footsteps echo in your ears before he stops at the door.

“Instead of putting your body through trial after trial, recover first. Then I’ll help you.” Without another word, Heat leaves and closes the door behind him. Leaving you to ponder your next move.

~~~

Something felt off. There wasn’t any laughter on the ship or the sound of talking echoing in the halls. Killer only spoke one word to you all week, and you haven’t seen Heat or Kidd at all. You hated to admit it, but the silence and lack of human interaction worried you as you feared you might start hearing voices-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Who is it?” The door squeaks open, and Killer comes into sight. It wasn’t time to eat you based on the sun's position. You also showered earlier today, so it couldn’t be that either.

“Grab a blanket, pillow, and book, and come with me,”

“Bossy much.” Still, you did what you asked. Maybe it could be a better room he’s taking you to?

“Where are we going?” Killer closed the door behind you before telling you which way to go as he walked behind you. Probably to make sure you wouldn’t run.

“Kidd’s room.” You furrow your brows at his answer. Why did you have to go there?

It didn’t take long to reach this room. What surprised you was how a tall man wearing brown leaned against the wall next to the door. You’ve never met him before. At least that you could remember.

“This is Wire. He’s gonna guard the door to ensure you don’t leave.”

“That doesn’t explain why I'm here-” Killer cuts you off as he opens the door and gently shoves you inside.

“Hey!-” He shushes you and points behind you. Rolling your eyes, you turn around, and to your shock, you see Kidd lying on his bed covered in bandages. You’ve never seen Kidd like this before. Thankfully, he was sleeping, so he couldn’t see you holding back a smile.

‘Karma hit you hard, huh fucker?’

“Can I know what caused him to be a living mummy?” You throw your things on a chair conveniently placed next to his bed.

“We got in a fight.” Confusion fills you after hearing Killer's words. Even you knew that Kidd never lost a fight to other pirates. The last time a Marine ship came by, you logged it. You started logging almost every enemy ship the Victoria Punk crossed, and from what you can tell, Kidd always won. With how many bandages that covered him, the thought of him losing was still a shock.

“Since when does Kidd lose a fight? Plus, I didn’t even hear or see an enemy ship.” Killer simply sighed.

“Kidd simply bit off more than he could chew.”

“Well, now you have to tell me who gave him such a beating?”

“Kidd tried going after an emperor-”

“An emperor?!-” Killer shushed you quickly, and you hear Kidd moving behind you.

“Yes! Now be more quiet!” Killer flicked your forehead. You slap his hand before scowling at him.

“Anyways, Kidd’s gonna need someone to watch him till he wakes up and to make sure he doesn’t lay on his side.”

“Why?” Killer silently shuffles towards Kidd before pointing his head at Kidd’s side. With an eyebrow raised, you walk towards him. When you get closer to see what Killer is pointing to, your eyes widen, and your mouth drops open.

“Holy shit…his arm…”

“Yeah, make sure he doesn’t sleep on it.” With that, Killer starts moving towards the door.

“Hold up! How did he lose it?!” You whisper yell to him, but he closes the door before you can drag him inside to answer your questions.

Crossing your arms, you turn around and watch the redhead breathe slowly. You could only stare at him in his weakened form. Questions ran rampant in your mind. Which emperor did he go against? Why did he go against an emperor? Does he have a death wish? While it didn’t matter to you if he got himself killed, you wondered what was going through his mind. Then and now. Was he dreaming about the fight?

“Your such a fucking idiot Kidd. Going against an emperor thinking you’d win? You really are delusional.” You whisper to him as you sit on the chair before draping the blanket over you. Even if you were invested in the book you brought, all you could do was look at Kidd.

His hair was down, and his jacket was folded and placed on the end of his bed. A sheet simply covered him, letting you see more bandages under it. Whichever emperor he went against no doubt spared him. All those bandages couldn’t be hiding anything good.

~~~

It’d only been a few hours, but you could hear the telltale signs of Kidd waking up. Putting down your book, you quickly muster up some bravery as you look at the man lying on the bed.

“Fuck…my head…” With closed eyes, Kidd touches the bandaged area. Knowing Killer would have a fit if the bandages were messed up, you quickly grabbed Kidd’s hand. It was huge and rough compared to yours, probably from working with metal all the time and fighting. The feeling of your hand holding his had Kidd’s eyes shooting open. You see him go to speak, but you manage to interrupt him.

“Killer sent me here. Your in your room, obviously.” Kidd sits up quickly before you can stop him. You hear him let out a groan of agony.

“Careful idiot! If your wounds open, I’m not fixing them.” He sent you a glare that had you shutting up quickly.

“A few wounds isn’t gonna stop me from Killing Red Hair Shanks so fuck off-” Without thinking, you grab Kidd’s head and turn it so he can see the real damage that he received.

Just by the look Kidd held in his eyes, you could see horror behind them. Horror, shock, anger, every single negative emotion a human could feel, you saw behind his eyes as he looked at the missing appendage. His eyes widen, and his mouth ajar. In all the time you’ve been with him, you’ve never seen him like this. The sight had an unknown effect on you.

“Kidd?” Your voice soft as you know an aggressive one would have a negative effect on the situation. Still, Kidd didn’t answer you. You slowly move closer to him to try to see his face better. Another surge of shock fills your being as you see tears slowly slip down his cheeks. He didn’t even notice as he simply continued to stare.

You grit your teeth as a flurry of emotions explodes inside you. All of them saying that he finally got what he deserved. He finally feels what it’s like to lose something to have your world stop. But even at the sight of his karma, a slight itch wormed in your heart.

You felt bad.

“Hey…can you look at me?” Once again, no response. Biting your lip, you slowly move your hand as you gently place your hand on his bandaged cheek and softly push Kidd’s head to face you. Tears still poured down his eyes as he stared at you. It was so foreign. Seeing him so quiet.

“You should lay down, just to make sure everything heals properly-” Before you could say more, Kidd uses his one arm to grab you and pull you to him. His arm wrapped around your waist as he pulled you to his lap. Thankfully, there were no wounds on his lower half so you didn’t have to worry about that after he made you straddle him. You feel him place his head on your chest, and before you could say anything, you hear him crying.

You were speechless as you simply looked down at him. Never has he shown such weakness. Before your mind thought it through, you wrap your arms around him. One arm gently wraps around his neck, and the other hand you placed on his head.

You didn’t know what he was louder, your heartbeat or his sobs as he breathed heavily. His forehead was pressed against the branding he gave you not long ago. Silence covered the room as neither of you said anything. What could you even say?

Biting the inside of your cheek, you slowly start combing your fingers through his red locks. Despite his rough exterior, his hair never failed to feel like silk.

“Just breathe, okay? In and out,” You demonstrate your words in hope he’d mimic it. Hopefully it’ll calm him down so he could get some air as his face was beet red. Kidd manages to follow your lead, yet you still fear tears hit against your skin. Your shirt soaked in his tears.

With a sigh, you start to hum a gentle tune. Because of how tight his grip was, you knew you weren’t leaving anytime soon.

~~~

It’s been a few days since Kidd woke up. He didn’t let you go until he eventually fell asleep upright, holding you. Crying himself to sleep was something you never thought Kidd would do but yet there he was.

You managed to escape and lay him back down. It was getting late, and you wanted to ponder your thoughts on what had just happened. You told the man outside the door everything, and he escorted you back to your room.

You didn’t sleep much that night as your emotions and thoughts fought against one another for hours. All your hatred and rage seemingly disappeared when you saw Kidd crying. Why weren’t you laughing at him? Laughing at his Karma? Why were you so gentle to someone who’s never been gentle with you until then? Your pillow was victim to all the frustrated screams you wanted to let out.

“I’m going insane! I must be! Why else would I feel bad?!” You could feel your body shaking as if it's ready to explode. After everything Kidd’s done to you, why has your body betrayed you and made you feel bad for him? You should be cheering and dancing, but instead, you here laying on your bed staring at the ceiling. Counting the nails keeping the ship together in hopes to bore you to sleep.

Yet you couldn’t. 

Your finger tips gently skimmed over the branding that you were given unwillingly. Hatred burned in your soul, yet the parasite of sympathy remained.

Scare littered your body from what Kidd put you on, though. There were so many that even looking at your body in the mirror had you feeling disgusted at yourself. How can you get over everything when you still, and always will have reminders etched into yoru skin? The sound of your racing heart overpowered the footsteps that drew closer.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Come in?” Sitting up, you watch the door open. You were expecting Killer, but you were shocked to see a stumbling Kidd coming in. Bandages still wrapped around his body. The harsh smell of sake filled the room, and it was easy to figure out why Kidd was down here rather than in his own room.

“Kidd, your drunk. Your gonna fall and hurt yourself. Why are you here?” He didn’t give you an answer but instead continued approaching you.

Before you could speak, Kidd towered over you. You swallow the lump in your throat as you remain in eye contact. Kidd groans before he flops on top of you, knocking the air out of you.

“Kidd! Get off, asshole!” You scowled as you tried your best to push him off you. Yet despite all your effort, he didn’t move an inch. Gritting your teeth, you hit his back to get him at least sober enough to talk. Instead, all you heard were loud snores. You groan and rub your face with your hand. Having him use you as a pillow would not help your inner turmoil.

You look down at him and see him draping what remains of his left arm across your tummy. His head used your breasts as pillows, causing his untamed hair to tickle your neck.

“Mmm…” You could feel Kidd nuzzling closer to your body. The sound of sniffling echoes around the small room.

‘Great. What the hell am I supposed to do?’ With a sigh, you once again run your fingers through his hair, hoping of stopping him from sniffling.

You didn’t want to hear it. The sound of him being so weak in front of you had the deepest part of your heartstrings pulled. It told you that he needed you. That you were supposed to comfort him. The small voice only got louder and louder with every cry that left Kidd’s lips.

“You piece of shit. Even in your sleep, you torture me.” You put your free arm over your eyes and feel tears forming. Your chest felt heavy as you held back the urge to start screaming in anger. Yet, tears were the only thing that your body managed to do.

~~~

Kidd was gone when you awoke, and a small sigh left your lips at the realization. You thankfully didn’t have to deal with him first thing in the morning after being used as a pillow that he could cry into. The only evidence that he was there at all was a scrap of a bandage.  That and the lingering smell of sake.

While you wanted to get out of bed, there wasn’t anything that you could do. You were stuck in a small room with nothing but books and which all books had been read. All of them read to the point of wanting to use them as a fire starter. 

All you had in that small room were your books and your thoughts, and both were pointless. No books to engage and take your mind off the world around you and your thoughts so divided that it was your own personal hell.

Things felt so pointless. Why read when you’ve read it before? Why daydream when all it does is make you sad? You only had human interaction when food was dropped off in your room or when you were in the infirmary after an injury. Even then, more than half the time, it was interactions with someone you wished would keel over and die. Hearing their voices only fueled the nagging thoughts and the overwhelming nightmares. It felt like sleeping was your only escape but you were safe in slumber either. Nightmares of how hot the flames around you were when Kidd kidnapped you and burned down your home. The nightmares of pain he had inflicted upon you. You couldn’t remember the last time you truly had a dream that left you smiling and not sobbing into your pillow.

With how delicate your sanity was, you couldn’t even handle loud noises anymore. It’d just remind you of Kidd’s angry footsteps. The sound of gunfire had your limbs shaking as it reminded you of the times that Marines shot cannonballs at the ship right where you were. Always instilling the fear that one day, one of them would burst through the wall and kill you. Or bring you back to the day when Kidd stole you back. It makes you wonder what you could have done differently.

If you let yourself get caught by Warlord Puma, would Kidd still get you one day? What if you had run the other way? Or ran faster? Would you still be lying on the cold floor of your personal hell?

The suffocating thoughts of how your relationship with Kidd would be after he showed you that he was capable of being ‘human.’ Would things go back to the way they were? Would he treat you better? Actually, give you some sort of freedom other than moving to and from the infirmary without a blindfold and no longer having a metal collar? You had so many questions that could only be answered in time, and knowing that, ate you alive.

Just while you were stuck in your thoughts, you hear commotion going on upstairs. You haven’t heard any cannonballs, so it couldn’t be another ship. Could it possibly be they were getting ready to dock at an island? The thought being near an island was exciting. But you knew that you wouldn’t be let out of this room to go on said island anytime soon. So, getting your own hopes up would’ve been cruel.

Your lip trembles as you start to breathe heavily. Trying to hold in the small tears that threatened to sleep. Such a small action had you feeling even more pitiful.

“I’m so pathetic…I can’t even go two hours after waking up without crying. Why can’t I be strong like Zoro or Robin? Why can I even call myself a strawhat when I’m so fucking useless that I can’t even defend myself from getting kidnapped!” Your desperate words slice through your already wounded heart like razors. Thick tears start falling down your face as you begin to sob loudly. You turn in your bed and grab a pillow, holding it tight.

You cling to the pillow as you drench it in your tears just as Kidd had done to you. The small room made your sobs echo all around you. Almost as if they were laughing at how pathetic you were. It wouldn’t surprise you if your cries echoed out into the hallway. Hearing your own voice had you wishing that maybe death was better than being stuck in such an endless loop.

You were stuck in Kidd’s grasp, and now his presence seeped into your soul. Infecting you like a virus to the point where you started giving the man who took away everything from you sympathy. It was horrible knowing that you were wasting your sympathy on such a cruel man. It’s already horrible how you slept better in his arms, but now that you were starting to feel a semi-positive emotion towards your captor, it's a whole other story.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Go away!” You cover yourself in your blanket as you sniffle into your pillow.

“It’s Killer.”

“What do you want?” The cracking of the door had light illuminating your room. Even from under your blanket, you could see it. 

“Kid wants you.” Pushing the blankets down, you wipe your blurry eyes as you look at Killer with an annoyed expression. 

“Why?”

“Don’t know. Now come on.” 

~~~

As soon as you open Kidd’s bedroom door, you see it’s empty. You turn to look at Killer, eyes still watery as you try to stop the tears.

“He’s not here.”

“Well, he just was. Give him a second.” With a frown, you roll your eyes before stepping in. You huff as you slam the door behind you, not wanting any more interaction with the masked man.

You jump in Kidd’s bed and start to get yourself situated the best you could. His bed was much better than your own, and you just wanted to sleep, even if your nightmares continued. You just wanted the day to fly by. 

Since Kidd wasn’t in his room, the atmosphere felt lonely and cold, much to your disdain. You couldn’t hear the sounds of waves that sometimes lulled you to sleep, so you try to hum a small tune so you weren’t stuck listening to nothing.

His room was quite clean compared to normal. No clothing on the floor, tools no longer scattered among surfaces. Metal trinkets placed normally and from what you can see through the crack of the bathroom door, it looks much cleaner as well. It had you scratching your as the whole scene felt off. Just then. Kidd’s bedroom door opened and you see Kidd walking through it from the corner of your eye. He must have went to get new bandages.

He moved to the other side of the bed, saying nothing as he kicked off his boots. The bed dipped drastically with a squeak as you felt the covers move. The smell of Kidd’s shampoo hit your nose as the silence seemed suffocating. While you usually had no desire to talk to the man behind you, the silence was just to loud.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like shit.”

“Sorry.” Only seven words expressed between the two of you and yet it still felt like a thousand. It could be that this would’ve been the most normal conversation you’ve ever had with him. A conversation that you started. You take a sharp breath before turning around to see Kidd laying on his back. Both of yoru eyes catch one another.

“Does it hurt to lay down?”

“Only at certain angles. It stings to move my face a bit.” You hum as you spot Kidd’s goggles holding up his hair, no doubt causing more pressure. Scooting closer to him, you reach your hand up to gently pull off his goggles. Kidd’s eyes went wide before going back to normal and looking at your face. You take his goggles and hold them in front of Kidd.

“This could be causing some of the stinging.” Kidd grabs them before putting them on his nightstand. He returns his attention to you before telling you lay your head on his bandaged chest. You just decided to listen, to tired to ignore his commands.

His body was much warmer compared to your own, leaving you to cling to his bandaged body like a koala, wrapping your legs around one of his thighs and laying one of your arms across his torso. His heartbeat echoed in your head as the steady rhythm had your eyelids growing heavy. You hear him gulp and before you could fully close your eyes, you feel Kidd intertwine his fingers with yours. The feeling made your heart drop cause while your mind told you to rip it away, your body stayed still. Enjoying the small gesture of deseperate affection.

“Do you have anymore books that I can read?” You mumble quietly into Kidd’s chest as you stare down at his hand holding your own.

“No. why?” The familiar gruffness in his voice finally coming back.

“I read all of them. Also, some of my clothes are missing.” You hope that you can take advantage of teh calm situation your in to potentially get more things that’ll keep your sanity for a little longer.

“I’ll get it tomorrow. Right now, we sleep.” You hum against his chest as you enjoy the warmth that Kidd gave you before you feel your eyes flutter shut.

[dckweed]

TORMENTED TRAGEDY, benedict bridgerton

summary: in which ruth archibald participated in her first social season in two years, re-introduced to high society after a years long retreat to a rest home after having had a horrid break down during her first season. she expects the whispers and sideways glances, the purely evident lack of suitors (what man wants a crazy wife?), however she doesn’t expect to find companionship in that of Benedict Bridgerton, and least if all the affect she so unknowingly craved.

warnings: brief mentions of abuse & attempted suicide. depression is going to be a heavy theme throughout the series so if you're uncomfortable, please do not read any further. cold and uncaring maternal figure, crazy twin brother who helps his sister be happy by sneaking off with her favorite bridgerton brother, loving father figure, its brigerton so ofc she's gonna be featured in whistledown and most likely bullied by the ton...eventual smut

series masterlist here. if you would like to be tagged in future parts, please comment on the separate taglist post!

i. seasons greetings

The sun rose over the blackened iron gates of the Archibald family’s city home, a grand structure (much too large for their family of five) situated on it’s own city block merely four streets over from the royal palace, and with it, Ruth Archibald woke to the sights of here own bedroom for the first time in two years.

The walls were still the peachy pink color of her girlhood, her room still decorated with that of the last things she’d touched, a book on the table next to her bed, her hairbrush and jewelry and in the corner, that god forsaken baby blue dress..She stared at the ceiling, unmoving from her bed despite the early morning light filtering in from behind the drapes. She felt like a stranger to herself in these four walls..Ruth had left a crumbling mess of a distraught girl, and had come home an entirely different person. 

Two years in a glorified mental facility could do that to a person, though deep down, she had always quite felt like this, like she was just going through the motions and painting a bright smile on her face while doing what was expected of her, and there was always so much expected of her. 

The Marquess and Marchioness were of one of the highest rankings, The Marquess, Lord Archibald serving as advisor to King George and Queen Charlotte. His children were expected to be intelligent and beautiful, sociable. They were expected to be prim and proper, to be knowledgeable in politics as well as being proper hostesses, fine horsemen and cordially impeccable. They were expected to be the most popular of the Ton’s high society, the most desirable for courtships and the perfect marriage for even someone as high ranking as a prince. 

All of which, Ruth had been. Perfectly perfect in every aspect..though it seemed never perfect enough for her mother. 

Marchioness Archibald was not an easy woman to please, the three of her children had learned that together, growing up competing for the womans cold affections their entire lives. It seemed that Ruth had finally won them two years ago when she had landed herself the fancy of a soon to be Duke, someone she had known her entire life..The boy was handsome, her mother had said, his father worked closely with the king and queen, he had troves of money..they would make a fine match, she had said. 

Ruth couldn’t do it. 

The soon to be Duke was not a kind nor caring man, something that Ruth had known growing up. Her brother had protested (having gone to eton and oxford with the man), her father had seemed angered by the arrangement that had happened behind his back. Ruth had tried to tell him no, but her other had already betrothed them, making the plans with his father,.the family would be receiving an ungodly amount in the form of her dowry. 

Ruth tried. 

She smiled politely, she wore her most flattering dresses, she spoke kindly and intelligently. She did everything she had been taught to, Cecil seemed to have responded well, though he spoke hardly in a cold tone not unlike her mothers. Her mother, though, had seemed quite pleased with her for once and Ruth basked in it, feeling the warm tickles of her conditional love. 

The girl had managed to keep up with it, her upcoming nuptials the talk of the ton. She kept up the smile, the ruse of love drunk bliss, had done all that was expected of her by society, and most importantly, her mother. She thrived under the pressure, until she couldn’t. 

It had happened on the eve of their wedding, the two families had been rehearsing how the next day was supposed to go, where each person would stand at the ceremony, what the couple would say as their vows..

Ruth couldn’t quite meet Cecil’s eyes as she repeated the vows after the priest. Something about the man she was set to marry the next afternoon seemed extra foreboding, his entire body looked rigid, tense, and his voice was cold and empty when he spoke his words. Short and to the point, as if he’d rather be anywhere else in the world. Honestly, Ruth couldn’t blame him, she herself would rather have been anywhere besides there. 

The rehearsal came and went easily enough, and the entire party went back to the Archibald manor, where the grooms family was joining the Archibalds for a friendly, but formal supper. 

Ruth had taken to her room nearly immediately, having politely mingled with her mother and father in law to be for a few minutes before feigning exhaustion and retiring herself upstairs, where se paced tirelessly, attempting to calm her nerves as she thought about the wedding, how in mere hours she would belong no longer to her own self but to a man that she had been afraid of when they were younger. 

It had terrified her how unhappy she already was. 

Ruth knew not how long she paced for, but a soft knock at her door brings her out of her reverie. At her approval the door opens and her lady’s maid Esther appears. 

“Yes, Esther?” Ruth asks, feigning a smile as she looks her young maid in the face. The girl was a shy thing, her face flushing at being put on the spot by her mistress. Ruth envied her something awful. 

“Your betrothed has asked me to come fetch you, Miss..your families are sitting down for supper and noticed your absence.” The girl can’t even meet her eyes, staring down at Ruth’s bare feet poking from under her skirts. “He seemed most irritated, Miss..” 

Ruth sniffs, turning towards her window. “Kindly inform my betrothed and his family that I will not be joining them for supper, I am unwell. I bid them good evening..” She says, voice stiff. “And then please help me prepare for bed..” There was noway she was going to get the stays of her dress or untie her corset without help..her mother had been insisting on her wearing them as tightly as possible the past few weeks. 

Esther rushes out, leaving Ruth alone to her thoughts once more. The girl, resumes her pacing, mind reeling about her impending nuptial. She so desperately did not wish to marry this man, but she saw no way out without facing her mothers wrath or ruining their family reputation, unless her father put his foot down of course..

An idea formulated as she paced, her mind working on what to say to her father that would make him give final say on the matter. The Marquess had always been soft on his daughters, so really, she knew it would be easy. 

A short moment later a sharp knock sounds on her door, thinking it her maid she’s quick to allow entry, not even bothering to glance. “I should like a hot bath prepared, Esther” Ruth says, opening her wardrobe to find herself a nightgown. 

“Well, i’ll be sure to let her know on my way out.” His vold voice sent her body rigid, a chill creeping along her spine. Ruth turns slowly to face him, offering a soft smile. His face was blank, eyes dark and empty. Slowly he walks towards her, as if stalking prey, until he comes to a stop merely inches from her. “Your young maid said you were unwell and had taken to bed, i thought i would do the husbandly thing and coem check on my bride to be..” His lips purse as he stares down at her, his hand raising to caress her cheek. Ruth felt no emotion behind what should have been a loving touch, and instead her nervousness increased. “Though it seems to be unnecessary, you appear quite well.” 

Ruth wondered where Esther was, they weren’t yet married and she knew they still require a chaperone. “My apologies, your grace,” She says, hoping the smile she wore would help her matter. “I am feeling unwell, nervous about tomorrow I suppose..I was hoping to prepare for bed early so I could be well rested.”

Cecil purses his lips, removing his hand from her face. A feeling of relief flow through Ruth, though it is only for a moment as her cheek is met with an open handed blow, skin stinging as her head is flung to the side. The metallic taste of blood hits her tongue as tears fill her eyes, threatening to spill over. 

Ruth looks to the man that she was meant to wed, eyes widened in fear as she presses a delicate hand to her smarting cheek. “I do not tolerate liars, darling. “ His voice is cool, uncaring that he had just struck his bride as if she were a man. “I will tell our families that you are unwell and wsh to not be bothered.” He caresses her cheek once more, almost affectionately this time, before turning on his heel and marching out. 

A sob wracked her body as the door slammed shut, crumpling to the floor in front of her wardrobe. Esther had nearly fainted at the sight of her, but had stood by her mistress through the night as she lay in bed weeping. It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning when Esther had gone to fetch something for the girls aching head that she had done it. Ruth wasn’t entirely sure what possessed her to take the ornate silver letter opener to her arm, but she had done it. Panicked by the sight of her own blood, the girl had collapsed to the ground, a heap of sobs. 

Her mother had shipped her off to the rest home quicker than she could eat breakfast. Hadn’t come to visit her but one time within two years, to tell her with contempt that it was time to come home and marry. That was how she wound up back here, with these memories plaguing her..

A sharp knock at her door moves her mind from the past and into the present as the heavy door swings open, a tuft of graying hair peaking around the edge. 

“Papa?” Ruth asks, sitting up in her bed, worried that something may be wrong. The man sighs and steps into the room, he had not entered it since the morning of the almost tragedy. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright, my dear..” The older man speaks, placing a warm and loving hand to his daughters cheek as he takes a seat at the edge of her bed, near her pillows. “I know that your Mama didn’t give you much choice in coming home, I begged her to at least move your room, or for god sake get the damn dress out of here..” His jaw ticked as he stared at the scrap of fabric as if he had wished to burn it on the spot. 

Ruth places a hand on her fathers arm, giving a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be okay, Papa..” Her voice was soft as she spoke, as was the smile that her fathers face bore. “I’m sorry to make you worry, but I promise, it won’t happen again..” 

A large hand covers her own along with a squeeze as he looks down at the smaller form of his youngest child, eyes watery. “I know my daring, I won’t allow it.” Another squeeze, an unspoken promise to do better. To protect her better. “What have you got there?”

And thus began a quiet morning of reading the novel Sense and Sensibility to her father, a fond memory of him reading to her in her youth crossing her mind. When she finally heads down for breakfast with her family, she notices her Mother and older Sister reading little leaflets, the words ‘Seasons Greetings’ emblazoned across the heading. 

“Mama, when may i see the dress for tonights ball?” She asks, sitting down across from her twin brother, who tosses a melon ball in her direction as she’s being served. She rolls her eyes, returning the warm smile he offers her. She had missed her twin brother something awful. He had been her best friend growing up, always getting up to no good with each other. 

Maybe being home isn’t such a bad thing, she thought. 

taglist: @cherrylovers-world @little-boats-on-a-lake @imgondeletedis

[sp0o0kylights]

aaaaaand we're back, where did I leave off again? oh yeah! number 14! (I'm a sucker for soulmate aus)

my soulmate AU, Illustrated, haunts my fucking life and has done so all year. I'm not gonna swear it'll be updated by the end of the year given how fucking long Chap 5 is, but it is actively being worked on.

Snippet:

Steve was his soulmate. 

Had been, the whole time he'd been in Hawkins. Just a class below. 

Then the same class and then gone from school entirely but--

Eddie's thoughts started and stopped wildly, as if his brain tried to follow several threads of thought at once. 

"Steve." He says breathless, hands trembling. Begins to reach out, to grasp onto Steves hand, show off the back of his own--

"Steve!" Henderson screams and fuck, Eddie is going to kill that kid! 

"Steve, Max is leaving!" Dustin howls this time and Eddie manages to shake off his annoyance as Steve launches off the couch.

Gets to his own feet as Max has her second show down of the day with Lucas and Dustin. 

"I will be delivering these." The redhead snips, a series of letters clutched in her hands and a challenge in her eyes. “I refuse to just stay here, with all my fingers crossed and my head down, hoping Vecna won’t take me.” 

“Hold on.” Steve calls frantically, eyes tracking the freshmen who are swarming around Steve’s entryway. 

Dustin has thrown himself dramatically across the front door, blocking access as Lucas tries in vain to calm down Max.

He’s trying to look into her eyes, her hands smacking at his as he tries to grab one to hold.

“Oh for fucks sake.” Steve grumbles, vaulting over the couch and striding towards the kids. 

“What the hell, Max? I thought we agreed I’d deliver the letters?” He asks loudly, bulldozing over the argument that's brewing. 

Max glares at him.

“I changed my mind.” She snarls, before taking one finger and purposefully jamming it into Dustin’s armpit.

“Ch-hee--ter!” Dustin shrieks in a forced laugh, folding right in on himself as he crashed to the floor. 

“Max. Seriously!” Steve barks, long arm reaching above her to slam the door closed. “I'm not joking, and I am not driving you anywhere.” 

Eddie doesn’t get to see Max’s face, but he does hear the raw fury in it, the way her back goes ramrod straight as though Steve is an obstacle she fully plans on plowing through. 

“Steve, if you think that I'm going to spend what is likely the last day of my life hiding out in your house like a vampire, then you're out of your mind."

She takes a menacing step foreword.

"So either take me where I need to go, or you're gonna have to tie me down which--” Max ducks right around Steve, to take hold of the doorknob. “is technically kidnapping of a minor and if I live to see another day, Steve, I swear to god, I will prosecute.”

She elbows him, hard enough to successfully get some room at the door. Wasting no time, Max whirls around to open it--and quickly finds herself struggling with the lock.

Eddie knows now is a terrible time to laugh, but just barely manages to hold it back when the redhead fumbles twice with the key before whirling back around to glare at Steve.  

“Open the door.”

"Yeah that's gonna be a no, Mayfield."

"Open. The. Door." Max grit out. "Or. I. Tell. The. Cops. You kidnapped me."

Steve stares at her in blatant disbelief, before running a hand down his face.

"Dammit." He hisses and Max gives him a smile that's more feral than anything else.

[eris-snow]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠

✨Hero gala

Tags: fem!reader x bakugou, angst, bakugou's birthday series 2023

This gala was stupid.

Bakugou hates doing this shit. He glares at himself in the mirror, trying to find comfort in these restrictive garments meant for formal wear.

Gone are his slacks and repetitive tank top and in are shiny, polished shoes and a tigh dress shirt. Irritated, Bakugou releases a couple of the top buttons of the shirt to relieve at least some of the confinement the suit brought him.

It’s better, but he still feels like a caged animal.

The blond finally tears his eyes away from the mirror and slips his phone into his pocket, before stomping to the lift to meet everyone downstairs.

Stupid gala…he’s gonna feel like a sleep-deprived panda tomorrow with how little sleep he’s going to get. He doesn’t mind giving up a few hours of his precious slumber, but he’d appreciate it if it wasn’t right smack in the middle of the examination period.

If he all he meets are heroes dolled up in dresses and suits wearing fake smiles and sugary voices, then he wants a refund, because there’s no way in the ever-loving hell that he’s gonna sit there and—

The elevator dings, and his eyes shoot up from the ground to meet whoever decided to join his lonely trip down to the ground floor. A dress swishes into the lift, the colours of Sakura blossoms.

You.

Instantly, he locks eyes with you, and his heart stutters in his chest.

He takes back everything he was thinking and tosses it out of the imaginary window.

Fuck, you look hot as hell.

Bakugou has only ever seen you with that semi-neat hairstyle you wear to school. Most of the time, he sees you with a messy bun, one of the only ways to keep your hair out of your face. But now, your hair's tied in a beautiful French braid, face adorned with whispy pink eyeshadow and raspberry red lipstick.

God dammit.

"Hey," You greet, eyes twinkling as he stares at you, starstruck.

"Hey yourself," Bakugou says dumbly, finally dragging his eyes away from you to glare hotly at the metal doors of the lift. "Dress looks good on you, Sunshine."

"Suit looks good on you too, Bakugou," You smile, radiant and genuine.

He's gonna fucking die.

--

"A few years ago, I actually stopped a villain from robbing a jewellery store while I was on patrol. It really taught me how to be-" Bakugou had to restrain rolling his eyes at the hero's blabbering. What did he think it was? Father and son bonding time?

The blond knew the drill with these kinds of conversations. I used to think yadda yadda, then yadda yadda happened to me, I learnt yadda yadda from this incident, yadda yadda yadda yadda.

Yep. Bakugou wants a blood refund, an exit ticket and his warm, comfortable bed.

He excuses himself as politely as possible and ducks over to the buffet table, yanking a plastic cup to fill it with fruit punch. He needs a fucking drink.

"You too?" A voice interrupts his angry downward spiral.

Bakugou gives you a lazy side eye midway through his drink. You're there too, leaning against the wall in that pretty little dress he picked out for you. "If you mean these heroes tryna preach about their entire life history, then yes, Sunshine. I'm having the time of my life over here."

"I can see the excitement practically oozing out of your face, Bakugou. Could've fooled me." You sip your drink with a straight face, humouring him.

He smirks at you, mood already lifting. "I'm guessing I'm not the only one who wants to ditch."

You shrug bringing the punch away from your mouth. "Just trying to be as patient as I can. These heroes have been out in the field for a while now, there's much we can learn from them."

There you go again, being all optimistic and cheery. Bakugou almost can't stand it.

Almost.

" I can't deal with these sparkly people anymore." He announces to you, stalking over to the fruit punch bowl to refill his drink. "I'm taking a fucking break." It makes you crack a smile (one that makes Bakugou's heart do summersaults), as you push yourselves of the wall. "I'm gonna go back." You say, punch in hand. "See you around."

You only make it a few more steps before he's calling you all over again. "Sunshine."

You stop and turn.

Bakugou's eyes meet yours. "Tell me if you ever manage to learn something from them, yeah?"

That beautiful smile adorns your lips again as you nod. "Right."

Bakugou watches you with piercing eyes as Midoriya stops you halfway, smiling broadly as he converses with you excitedly about what Bakugou presumes is the Heroes here.

Right, this is probably paradise for the hero-obsessed nerd.

He takes a sip of his drink, about to tear his eyes away from you...

And then a window shatters. One window turns into two, and then three and soon there are hordes of people threatening to enter the entire building.

Alarm bells blare loudly in Bakugou's head as he drops his drink onto the ground.

This is a god damn villain attack.

--

Well, at least something interesting happened at that goddamn ball.

With Shigaraki defeated, there's been a major decline in villains on the loose. However, some strays from the LOV that have yet to be captured are still stirring up havoc and plotting to kill All Might, along with some other dangerous villains, to disrupt the peace that all the heroes fought for.

That was how they got here. With the teenagers split up from the adults because the oh-so-powerful villains wanted to terrorise those of Class A to join their cause.

What a fucking joke.

But who was Bakugou to complain? He was getting bored of the washed-out heroes talking about their experiences he already read up about over the news. He'd rather them talk about anything else than their achievements of successful endorsements and how much their family gave up to get them this far.

He knows what that feels like already.

"Who the fuck are you?" Bakugou spits out, allowing tiny sparks to fly out of his hands as Kirishima hardens his arms. "And what the hell do you want?"

One of the 4 villains giggles, eyes glowing red. "Oh, I like you! I can't wait until you join our cause! I'm sure Boss would be so happy to have someone as dashing as you!"

"Toga 2.0" Bakugou grits out, clenching his fist, pausing. "Got it."

It was surprisingly difficult to take down all 4 of them. Kirishima was a good backup, so Bakugou didn't have to worry for him because he knew he could take care of himself.

The fight lasted longer than Bakugou could keep track, and by the end of it, his friend could barely stand. Bakugou had to admit his arms were aching like crazy as well.

His dress shirt was also completely seared off due to the over usage of his Quirk. Shame. He was just growing fond of it.

"Fucking losers," He jeers, giving the fallen villains a thumbs down to emphasise his point. "We'll never join your despicable league, assholes."

"Bakugou," Kirishima's voice rings through the empty hall, causing him to turn to his red-haired friend. "We should go check on the others. They-" He winces, flesh breaking and bleeding out after his Unbreakable. "They might have had it worse than us. I have a feeling Midoriya would break his bones again."

Bakugou straightens his back at the mention of his childhood friend, nodding his head. "Yeah. I hear sirens outside. Think the police finally showed up."

Come to think of it, where are you? When they got separated, the person he saw you talking to was

...Deku.

His blood pressure spikes. No way.

The ache in his muscles vanishes, and suddenly adrenaline is surging back as Kirishima and him bolt to a broken door frame. You have to be here somewhere, he doesn't believe that you'd get blasted out of the building like a human swatting a fly.

You have to be here.

And he's right, for the most part.

Because when he races downstairs and is finally reunited with his friends who are thankfully safe, he sees you, lying unconscious on a stretcher, with blood pooling from your limbs.

[icedmatchatae]

No Kisses | KTH Chapter I: Captain vs. President

Pairing: Captain of the Football Team fuckboi Taehyung x Class President goody two shoes Reader

Genre: FWB AU-ish, enemies to frienemies? with benefits to lovers, smut, fluff, angst?? I guess

Summary: It's championship week! The most anticipated week of the school year; however, leading up to the events, you and your council must collaborate with the football team to promote school spirit and pride. Unfortunately, you're forced to work with your number one enemy, Football team captain and fuck boy, Kim Taehyung, known for having a mysterious "no kisses" rule.

Chapter I: Captain vs. President || Series Masterlist

“Meeting adjourned at 4:52 pm.”

The familiar sounds of chairs scraping the council room floors tore the air. The soft sunlight beaming through the windows as the day dwindled down. It was in the middle of the semester. Around this time, the days got shorter and darker within a blink of an eye. Most people felt rather exhausted once the light was gone, but you were eternally grateful for your council to stay attentive and creative as ever. You stood in front of the room, observing as your members began leaving the room after another successful meeting.

You were the student body president of your college campus as well as the youngest elected in history, elected in your second year but inducted in your third year. You honestly didn’t think you were gonna win. You didn’t consider yourself well-known. If anything, everyone knew your outgoing cousin, so maybe you got a couple of brownie points. But sure enough, you won by a landslide after your competition; a pretentious business major got canceled for some reason.

Anyway, you were honored to represent your college and the student population. You took pride in it, and for the most part, in anything you did. If you were going to do something, you’d give your 125%. Call yourself a Type-A personality, but it has always benefited your life up to this point. You were top of your class in both high school and college, and you excelled with flying colors in classes and internships. Yeah, you failed sometimes and hurt like a bitch, but no one ever caught you slipping, which gave you the infamous nickname “President Goody Two Shoes.”

When people said that, they assumed it meant that you didn’t party, you were a prude and uptight, especially with talking about sex, you never got suspended or got called into the office for expulsion, and you always followed rules. You knew this wasn’t entirely true. You just liked staying at home and drinking, you weren’t experienced enough in sex to have an input, and you were so shy in that sense, and why would someone even want to get suspended at a place you’re paying big banks towards.

Judging by all of this and your status, you still wondered how you were president. But luckily, your officers, some of them being your best friends, helped reassure you that you were doing a great job. You eventually embraced what anyone said about you, well, almost everyone.

“Another job well done, Miss President.” Your vice president and best friend, Jung Hoseok, complimented you as he walked towards your large desk. “We must celebrate with some alcohol and a movie marathon at your place.”

“Are you making plans behind my back?” Your treasurer and other best friend, Min Yoongi, yelled from the back of the class. You didn’t understand why he always did that despite being an officer, but you let him be.

“Kinda because you usually fall asleep before you even come to my place.” You shrugged. “Either way, I can’t do this weekend. I have a huge paper to write in my child adolescence class.”

“Can you not do work three weeks before the due date?” Hoseok pouted, knowing that fact because he’s also in that class. “Give yourself a break once in a while.”

“I do give myself a break.”

“I mean, yeah, reading Crying in H-Mart and rubbing one out, but not in the standards of Hoseok and me.” Yoongi got up from his seat and walked up to you both.

“Yoongi, shut up!” You punched his arm, blushing at the information you told them in confidence. “Don’t talk about that, it was a one time long ago and never again. I’m sorry I’m your boring friend. This is who I am, and you’re not going to change me.”

“We want you to have a little fun. We’re at that age to fuck up and get away with it, but you don’t seem to like that.” Hoseok mentioned. You sighed, knowing how they have certain feelings about experiencing your goody-two-shoes role firsthand.

“Fine.” You were guilt-tripped into agreeing, but the smiles on both of their faces were absolutely worth it for you. You loved them to death and vice versa. They accepted you for who you were and were as passionate as you within this council. They stood by you no matter what, and you appreciated them. “But not today. I have a couple of things to handle. We can do it tomorrow.”

A knock from the door caught all of your attention. Your heads revealed your slit-eyed smiling cousin, practically brother, Park Jimin. Being a year older than you, he felt obligated to protect you and push anything potentially dangerous out of your way. When you were five and fell down, he cleaned your wound. When you were pushed by a bully at twelve, he scared them away. When you got heartbroken by your crush at sixteen, he comforted you and gave you advice. You were very close with him and were able to talk through any problems you may have.

“Ya ready, ____? You also hungry?” Jimin spoke as he waved to you and your friends. They knew the routine since Jimin offered to drive you back to your apartment after every meeting to avoid walking and riding the bus alone late at night. “We finished practice 30 minutes ago, but it was alright.”

“Wrong, we waited for almost an hour. We’re starving, waiting for your annoying ass.” The abysmal voice of the devil shattered your eardrums. Your eyes shifted from your cousin to the useless piece of existence coming from behind.

There he was, hair messy and dampened from showering after practice. He had on an oversized red hoodie with loose black pants and matching slides. He shouldered his crossbody bag and duffle filled with his dirtied clothes from practice. His cocoa-covered eyes eyed you with an amusing tinge, making you want to throw up.

Kim Taehyung, the captain of the football team and Quarterback, was the bane of your existence. It doesn’t help that he has been best friends with Jimin since they started college and joined the football team together, so he was there all the fucking time. You don’t know why though, since Jimin was sweet, affable, and caring. Once you got into college, he introduced you to Taehyung, and it went downhill from there. He ridiculed you, teased you, every negative thing you would think of because one, you were Jimin’s little cousin, and two, you were the goody two shoes, and three, the complete opposite of him. 

He wasn’t wrong, though. Everything said was who you were on a surface level. With your hair was tied up in a ponytail or braids every day without fail (anything to get it out of your face), followed by your gold-framed glasses because you can’t fucking see for the life of you, you walked proudly around school, knowing you were respected and somewhat well-loved by both students and faculty. If any insults came your way, your stoic expression gave you the power of being unbothered. However, with Taehyung, it wasn’t what he said, it’s how he said it, and you absolutely despised it. Taehyung was nothing but rude and egotistical. 

Long story short: he was an irritable popular fuck boy who liked to get what he wanted. An advantage of being president, you heard more things about him than you should. All give evidence on him being the best fuck on campus. They float around like mosquitos, and for some reason, unnecessary people told you. You heard from many cheerleaders, club officers, ravers, and the list went on. It was like a five-star review on Yelp that you didn’t care about (okay, maybe you did think about it). However, something that was constantly mentioned and really stood out to you in curiosity was that Taehyung never kissed his hookups.

The no kisses rule apparently started way before you came into college. Every person who encountered Taehyung sexually spoke about how adamant he was about not wanting to kiss. Some attempted to but were immediately shut down or never went any further. Maybe he wasn’t into it, maybe he didn’t want to contact mouth herpes; who knows, really? It was an odd thing but never got the full answer about it.

“Ugh, why did you bring him again?” You groaned. Jimin knew you weren’t as fond of Taehyung—or so you liked to say—judging by your disgusted looks and followed bickering every time he showed up with his best friend. He tried his best to make you both become friends, but it didn’t happen, so he just got numb to your hatred against each other. At least he tried, right?

“Always excited to see me, princess?” Ahh, there it was. The teasing that you most definitely hated about him. It was like his life’s duty to get some kind of reaction out of you in any way possible, whether it was getting you flustered or angry. He didn’t care and rather enjoyed it as that cheeky smirk morphed into his gorgeous face.

“Ecstatic, I can hardly keep myself still.” You said dumbfoundedly, trying your best to create holes in his head through your intense bored glare.

“Don’t move around too much. Save your energy when you’re alone with me.” He smirked before winking, causing you to groan angrily.

“F-fuck off, you’re so annoying!” You could feel your cheeks heating as you quickly grabbed your backpack and two large boxes of office supplies to bring home. You’ve never met someone so forward in such a way. Was this how he was able to get people in his bed? If so, they may need some therapy.

“Taehyung and I wanted to get some burgers after practice, hence, why he’s here,” Jimin replied. “You ready?” You nodded and were about to carry the boxes out, but Jimin offered to carry them to his car, leaving you with Taehyung and your best friends.

“I’ll see you two tomorrow.” You bid goodbye, but Hoseok stopped you before you could leave.

“Can you hurry up? I’m hungry.” Taehyung whined.

“Shut the fuck up and starve! I don’t care!” You rolled your eyes before smiling cutely at your friend, not noticing Taehyung clenching his jaw.

“I forgot to tell you that you have a meeting with the dean on Monday. Last week, the admin’s office told me to tell you, but I forgot.” Hoseok giggled nervously, knowing how annoyed you get knowing things last minute.

“You didn’t give me enough time to mentally prepare, but I suppose it’ll do. Thank you for telling me.” You said your final goodbyes and left the council room, mindlessly pushing past Taehyung. You didn’t want to give him any more attention you were forced to give, but you heard his footsteps coming closer to you until he walked beside you.

“Meeting with the dean, huh?” Taehyung started, “Seems like Miss President might get in trouble for once.”

“Why would I even get in trouble? I don’t even do half of the stupid shit you did this past week.” You continued to walk, looking forward to avoiding his intense stare.

Out of nowhere, he bent down to your height to whisper in your ear, “Mmmm, princess, what you say as stupid shit I call life pleasures.” He chuckled, and you felt the vibration course through your body, specifically in places your mind wished to not have. “Maybe I should show you sometime.”

Trying your best to not give a reaction, you cleared your throat and snapped back, “What you can show me is sticking your mouth up to your asshole. Maybe you’ll be able to say wiser things than the shit coming out right now.” With that, you stomped your way towards Jimin’s car, all while Taehyung stayed a bit back to observe your reaction pleasingly.

-

“I can’t believe we made it to the championship!” Jimin exclaimed as he parked in front of your apartment complex. “Twenty-four years, our school has been in a drought, and our year’s team brought the gushing water.”

Ahh, yes, the national championships. Like what Jimin said, our college has reached all the way to the finals after having years of stagnation. This was huge; it will be the most anticipated week of the school year, probably your entire college career.

Jimin mentioned how Taehyung really wanted this year’s team to bond and have great sportsmanship. From what you heard, the past team captains were complete and utter shit. They didn’t care about winning, yet they were sore losers, but most importantly, they wanted the title to show face. There were cliques within the single team, and most of the time, clashed differences, which resulted in shitty football seasons. 

Taehyung wanted none of that. He insisted on working closely together and proactively solving fights right away when the team did run into it. He was a liaison between Coach Bang and the team. He advocated what the team wanted while also demonstrating authority when needed. As of result, they developed a brotherhood and respected him as a leader. You guess you can give Taehyung respect for that.

“We’re gonna destroy our opponents!” Jimin roared out of the blue, shocking you and Taehyung.

“Calm down, Chim. I admire your confidence, but it’s months away, and we still need a lot of practice.” Taehyung smiled endearingly at his best friend.

“I know, but it’s so exciting.” Your cousin jumped in his seat, then turned his torso around to face you. “You’re coming, right? You have no choice. It’s an obligation as my cousin.”

“Jimin, I wouldn’t miss it in the world.” You smiled as you unbuckled your seat to get out of the car.

“Why? Because you’ll see me hot and sweaty playing?” Taehyung pushed as he let the passenger’s window down.

“Not everything is about you, fuck face.” You shouldered your backpack behind to grab the boxes. “And for your information, I’ll be there as student body president and Jimin’s cousin. Nothing in that statement mentions me being your little fuck reward at the end of the night.”

“You can if you begged oh so sweetly.” He smiled. Though that smile looked so cute and innocent, you knew it was his devil way to trap anyone under his command, including yourself, but you were smart enough to be aware.

“Nah, you got a catalog filled with potentials. Don’t be so selfish about your choices.” You slammed the car door with your foot.

“Okay, ladies. Enough fighting for today. You’ve drained my energy to hear it.” Jimin chimed in before any of you could say anything. “____, do you need help carrying them up?”

You shook your head, “No, I’ll be okay. I’m strong and independent. Need no man.” Though your statement made Jimin giggle, it only made Taehyung comment rudely.

“Though I think you need dick.”

You decided to ignore him, yet you flared your nostrils to, unfortunately, show he got to you. “Goodbye, Jimin. I’ll see you later.” You turned around and headed towards the main entrance.

“Aww, Princess, don’t I get a goodbye too? You’re making me super sad. You’re hurting your daddy!” Once you reached the entrance, you could sense the cute little pout he made as he fake sobbed. Though he did the bare minimum, you didn’t understand why it urged you to face back to the car to tell him off.

“Will you shut the fuck up? You insufferable, attention-seeking bastard wh–ahhh!” You couldn’t finish your sentence because the door flew open, causing you to lose balance and fall over the single step. You dropped the boxes to the ground in front of you. Fortunately, the boxes broke your fall and saved you, almost face-planted as you barely held yourself with your palms meeting the concrete. Unfortunately, it didn’t save your embarrassment. 

“Oh, shit…My bad.” You heard your next-door neighbor Yeonjun apologize. His tone was slightly amused at the last part. You lifted your head to turn to Yeonjun, mumbling out it’s okay, but you didn’t meet his eyes when you did. He looked elsewhere on you.

“Hey, Princess. Pink looks good on you.” You were confused when Taehyung spoke out. You had nothing pink on except…

You felt a slight breeze up your uniform skirt, immediately noticing how it’s now scrunched up on your pelvic. You picked a bad day to forget to wear your safety shorts (because you didn’t do laundry) underneath, revealing your pink bow underwear. You yelped in shame before rolling over to the side and off the boxes, but you landed on your butt and feet, hurting yourself and your pride.

“Wow, open legs too. This is a great goodbye, doll.” Taehyung whistled as he stared in between your legs. He didn’t lie when he said pink looked good on you.

You looked down, seeing your legs spread for his eyes to see. You instantly closed them and looked down at your lap, hiding your red face. You knew he’ll never let you forget this moment, adding another thing to tease you. You couldn’t believe you flashed Taehyung twice (with Yeonjun, who didn’t know how to leave the scene).

-

Monday came along quicker than you imagined. Though tired from all your classes, you walked down the hallway towards the administration’s office. It wasn’t rare for you to meet the dean, given that you had to meet mandatory a least once or twice a semester to ensure any upcoming events for the school. It was a rather big thing that you were honored to do, so you always tried to make a good impression.

After checking in with the front desk, you waited patiently until your name was called. The receptionist instructed you towards the dean’s office before you knocked on the door. Once you received approval from the other end, you confidently opened the door. However, once you did, you weren’t met with just the dean.

Your eyes moved towards Coach Bang and…Kim Taehyung. What the fuck is he doing here? Even though Coach Bang stood straight in front of the seated dean, Taehyung sat down sluggishly with his arms crossed over his chest, protruding his large biceps and his thighs spread open for the whole world to see.

“Pleasure to see you, pink princess.” He smiled, seeing your right eye twitch. God, he made you aggravated. He was in his football uniform minus the helmet and pads. They were still clean. It was a little over past one in the afternoon, so he was probably on his way to practice, but why was he here? Hoseok didn’t tell you that they would be here too, so you were utterly confused.

Knowing you had many questions, the dean greeted you. “Hello, ____. How are you?”

“I’m doing well. May I ask why Coach Bang and the thing over there are here?” You politely asked. The adults in the room glanced at one another, confused as to why you referred to Taehyung as that, but they let you be.

“Yes, well. I asked them to be here prior as well.” The dean explained. “I hope this isn’t an inconvenience for you.”

You eyed Taehyung from the side, looking very comfortable at your uncomfortable state as he bounced his right leg as a reflex. “Not at all. I was not informed beforehand.”

“Hmm, interesting. I did report it to your VP.” Damn you, Hoseok. You loved him, but he was forgetful, especially with details like this. “But anyway, I brought you and the football coach and team captain here regarding the national championships.” You nodded and listened carefully. “As you know, the championships have become a great deal to our university and our school history. It’s an incredible thing that has happened in a long time, so we appreciate the football team for your hard work.”

“Thank you, but it couldn’t have been done without Taehyung. He has been a great captain to the team.” Coach Bang mentioned.

“Of course, with that being said, the higher-ups and I decided that we must have a week-long celebration before the day of the championships.” The dean then turned to you with a great smile. “We wanted your council to be in charge of the celebration in promoting school spirit and pride as well as conducting a parade around the local area, which you’ll get more help on. We want to develop a fair hours before the game that will attract the community to come and watch history being made.”

Wow, this was a great opportunity for you and your council. Typically your council oversaw fundraisers, club rush, and overall on-campus events. To your knowledge, something like this wasn’t done in the past. It didn’t involve anything beyond the university, definitely not beyond the city. But this was also a very large responsibility. Did you even have the time, resources, or the actual mental capacity to do this?

“Uhh, Dean…Kwon. On behalf of the council, we appreciate this opportunity to help the university to great lengths.” You began. Before you continued, you heard a snort from your mortal enemy and saw his head shake incredulously at how proper you acted. Your lips twitched, wanting to cuss him off. Again, the adults were curious about your interactions but didn’t speak about it. “But I’m concerned about how my council alone will help and contribute to the production. We are only 30 people, and we do have classes as our top priority.”

“Of course, I understand your concerns about the workload that we’ll be given to you on top of being college students. I will make sure you have as many resources and support as possible. We contact other local organizations and businesses to help our college. All we need from you is a structured plan of what will specifically happen within the week. I’ll send you an email on a list.”

You nodded, mentally making notes of the information. “Will that be all?”

“Actually, no.” The dean replied. “Coach Bang and I actually met before this, and we thought it would be a great idea to work with the football team.”

“Excuse me?” You and Taehyung questioned in unison, to which you both grimaced.

“I don’t wanna work with goody-two-shoes over there. She’ll kill off the vibes of the championship, football team, and the overall flow of life.” Taehyung argued ridiculously as he looked away to stare outside the nearby window.

All your rationale, poise, and professionalism were thrown outside the window and replaced with the irritation and want to kill that thing in front of you. “I refuse to work with a pretentious imbecile who only thinks with his impotent dick.”

The dean and Coach Bang were taken aback by your foul roast. But before they could do anything, Taehyung spoke back, “Honey, I’m sure you know that my dick is anything but impotent.” He winked, making you gasp. The way he said it made it seem that you did things with him and right in front of authority too, which was not true.

“I-I-I did not do anything with him whatsoever.” You tried saving yourself, waving your forefinger all willy-nilly. “I only heard of it from your catalog!”

“Only heard, but you wish to experience it firsthand.”

“Alright, you son of a b–”

“____, Taehyung!” The dean cleared their throat. Though they wanted to hear more about it, they knew it was the right thing to stop the fight before it got messy. Sad, but they had to be “professionals.” “I ensure you both can be professional despite your…vocalized differences.”

“We suggested this because it’s a great help and additional people on your end, ____, but also it shows how invested and supported the team is within the school, which is great for publicity, Taehyung. Also, how could you not involve the football team in the events you’re creating without the football team.” Coach Bang explained further.

You and Taehyung stayed silent, knowing the reasons were throughout. They meant well, but that didn’t mean you liked the idea. Creating the events for championship week sounded exciting and fun to prepare, but all while working with the football team, specifically Taehyung? Absolutely not. 

You refused to do it.

-

You had no choice but to do it.

Though you personally didn’t want this, as student body president, you had to suck it up and do it for the betterment of the university and school pride. You didn’t want to disappoint the dean because your personal interests got in the way. It’ll be okay. It’s only three months, it shouldn’t be that bad…right?

You and Taehyung argued about where the joint meeting would be located. You did not want your council to be stuffed like sardines in the odor-filled locker rooms, but Taehyung countered that it was a safe haven for his members and would be more in their zone. You stood your ground and added the fact that the council room was large enough to fit all the people involved, with everyone having enough space to enjoy their surroundings and sit comfortably at a desk each.

Five minutes before the scheduled joint meeting, you wrote the agenda on the whiteboard while mentally preparing what would happen in the next hour. Not that you were afraid of the football team because you met some of them through Jimin, but it’s just new territory that’s being walked on. The council and football team together is an odd mix.

From what you know, your council was similar to you, a bunch of honorable overachievers who were passionate about doing something for the school. They were in other clubs, ranging from cultural to educational to campus ministry. You trusted them with any task you gave, and they respected you with the authority you had.

From what you know about the football team, they were much different. Imagine Jimin, Taehyung, and 28 other Taehyungs but weren’t as bad as Taehyung. Yeah, let’s go with that description.

“Prez?” Your fellow council member and second-year student, Soobin, called for you after putting the marker down and looking back at him. “Is it true that we’re collaborating with the football team from now on?”

“Only collaborating for championship week. After that, we’ll go back to doing our own thing, and they go back to whatever ball they have to throw.” You answered, but most of your council seemed a bit apprehensive from their glances at one another. “Come on, everyone. It won’t be that bad. Hopefully, this is a great opportunity, and hopefully, it’ll be fun!”

Your council looked at you as if you were crazy and you didn’t understand why. Everything you said was normal and what you usually said to cheer them on. You shifted your head towards Hoseok, who had the same look like the rest of them.

“Are you all okay?” You questioned.

“____, we’re good…like with the football team coming and helping,” Hoseok said on behalf of the council. “But are you good with it?”

“Of course, I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you’re fucking working with Kim Taehyung! We all know how irritated you are with him.” Yoongi blurted out from the back. Everyone around you nodded, silently praying to your treasurer, who had the balls to mention your feud.

You scoffed, “Okay, I know Taehyung and I have our difference—” Murmurs of “you fight like animals,” “$5 says that they’ll full-on scrap in front of us,” “make that $10,” and “oh you think I got money.” “Council.” You pulled your authoritative tone, making them quiet down. “I can assure you I will act as your president and not as ____. It’s only three months, and I will do everything with respec—”

“Sup, bitches!” You were interrupted by a boisterous voice, and a slamming of the door opening as a herd of large men started filing into the room. Judging by the potent smell of various cologne and the look of wet hair, you assumed that they had finished practicing. They were too loud for your liking but seeing that their captain, the last to come in and close the door, was unbothered by the noise, you made a sour expression and had to accept that fact.

“Guys, take a seat. Don’t look too intimidating to the fawns around you.” Taehyung commanded, and his team members did what he said. Shockingly, some council members knew some football team members, so you guess they were going to get along really well.

“Hey, princess.” Taehyung greeted arrogantly as he came towards the front. “Can’t wait to spend some time with you.”

“Taehyung, please take a seat next to Hobi.” You ordered, gesturing towards the vacant seat next to your best friend.

“Why? I’m captain. I should be taking the lead on this.”

“But I’m the president. Dean Kwon instructed me and my council to develop championship week. Your football team is here to assist us.” You explained.

“But didn’t they say we needed to work together?” Taehyung began playing with your flames of annoyance. “And plus, this is about football, something you know very little about, my dear.”

“Yes, it revolves around football but this whole working together is making plans for events, something you know very little about, my dear.” You used his own words against him. You could see his jaw clenching, knowing you hit a nerve. You felt somewhat satisfied, but still, he wasn’t willing to give up.

“I think I deserve to be in front as much as you do.” He stated as he took a step closer to you.

“Please, do tell.” Now it was your turn to play with the flames. No way in hell you were willing to give up leading this whole thing, especially when you’re forced to do it.

“My boys only listen to me.”

“I think they’ll be okay with listening to their student body president.” You rolled your eyes as you pushed the bridge of your glasses up. You wanted to end this discussion, so you faced your back towards him to meet the eyes of everyone.

Before you could even greet them, a sudden tug on your braided hair pulled you back. You winced as your back slammed onto a hard surface, realizing it was Taehyung’s chest. You sensed his lips hovering over your ear as you felt his heated breath say, “Princess, don’t get me angry. I’ll punish you in front of your little council members.”

You exhaled so feebly. You felt chicken skin running through your body from his baritone voice, hating how affected you were by it. You closed your eyes to control and suppress any emotions. With all your might, you pushed him away from you, almost making him fall, but you weren’t as strong to bring him down.

You were ready to explode as you yelled, “Stop fucking around, you fuck face! This is serious. I ca–”

“____.” Hoseok got out of his seat. Your vice president went up to you and said, “Perhaps I can take lead for today. Give you a break…and hopefully, go through this meeting without you potentially ripping Taehyung to shreds.”

Your eyes observed the room. The aura was awkward as the council members and football team stared fearfully at what had happened. The first meeting hadn’t officially started, and it already wasn’t going well. Although one thing is for certain, none of them saw you this angry. You were typically kind and understandable. It was amazing how one man could make you act irrational and ruin your entire reputation that took years to build.

Not wanting to interrupt any further, you nodded and sat on the desk Hoseok previously was on. You were slightly ashamed of yourself, letting his words get to you with such ease. What’s wrong with you? You were supposed to be the professional president here.

“Taehyung, why don’t you have a seat too? I’ll ask you for any help if needed. For now, we need to report a brief understanding of this.” Hoseok civilly suggested, and much to your dismay, Taehyung fucking obliged to your vice president…instead of you?

The fucking audacity.

-

The hour and a half were brutal despite Hoseok’s cautious orders and demands, and it continued for the next couple of meetings. Within the agenda, you were split into groups, each mixed with your council and the team. It did go well, and they liked each other’s ideas that were being said; however, every time you reported for your group, Taehyung was always there to counter or comment on anything you said, and it was only you. It was like it was his mission to do this to you.

You tried your best to really be patient and not let it get to you. You really tried. You wanted so badly to be the bigger person, but all you wanted to do was strangle that thick fucking neck of his. At least once in every meeting, you snapped at him. And after each meeting, he would bid goodbye so grossly sweet as if he didn’t do anything to you. He enjoyed getting you riled up, and you were bothered that you gave him what he wanted.

It shamed you how Hoseok had been leading the meetings and not you. Though you knew he did well leading, and you were proud of him, you wished you were able to prove how worthy you were as student body president. You hoped to redeem yourself sooner or later.

“____. Tae. Hoseok and I wanna talk to you.” Jimin announced after the meeting. Almost everyone was gone by now, apart from your best friends and Jimin and Taehyung’s friend group all piled in the back corner interacting with one another. They were attentive to whatever Yoongi spoke about them.

“What’s up?” You asked as Taehyung slowly walked beside you.

“You both need to be respectful to one another for us to execute championship week,” Hoseok ordered with no silliness to his tone. Usually, your best friend was a radiant ball of sunshine, so seeing how serious he spoke terrified you. “Sure, it’s completely fine outside of council, but your bickering interrupts work getting done. It makes me disappointed to see you like this, ____.”

“Hobi, I understand, but he’s being rude!” You whined as you stomped a foot down. You looked childish, but you couldn’t help it. He irritated the fuck out of you. “Everything I do and say is talked down upon by him.” You pointed at the tall frame next to you.

“What happened to being a respectable president and pushing your personal issues aside to lead?” Hoseok countered, making you stay quiet and look down at your shoes.

“I agree with Hoseok, but I also agree with what ____ said because Taehyung, your side comments are not getting us anywhere. They’re a nuisance, and sure, they’re funny. I laugh at them too because fuck, I couldn’t control myself when you commented on selling dildos shaped by our own dicks–” Hoseok nudged your cousin to focus on the greater problem. Once Jimin realized it, he went back to his statement, “The point is, please don’t do things like that right now.”

“Come on, Chim. You know I like to play around with you guys.” Taehyung tried to lighten his blow.

“Yes, but you’re captain, and if you do that, the boys will copy you like the fucking seagulls from Finding Nemo. They respect you, and they see you disrespecting ____, then it won’t go well. Plus, we’re in their space; you need to at least have some respect on that.” What Jimin said had his best friend frown in shame and nod weakly.

“Look, we’re not saying you need to be best friends forever. We want you to be civil within our council room and until the championships. We don’t give a fuck if you kill each other outside that; just don’t plan to kill one another here.” Hoseok continued, “To make things a bit better, we separated tasks within each designated group so you’ll be apart from each other, but we wanted to assign you on a specific banner.”

You shot your head up as you stared at your vice president, “Isn’t it even better if we don’t work together at all?”

“We thought about that, but we also know you both were creative. You have the vision and like to paint, and Tae likes to draw and paint. It works out.” Jimin reasoned.

“This also creates bonding skills for both of you.” Hoseok pointed out. “I don’t know how the fuck you ended up hating each other, but I’m getting annoyed by it. In and out of council. Jimin may be unbothered by it but not me, so fucking work together.”

-

You didn’t want to work with Taehyung. You knew it wasn’t going to end well. Taehyung knew how to push your buttons. But you had to, at least for Jimin and Hoseok’s sake. You promised that you should at the very least be indifferent to any comment Taehyung had towards you while he promised not to do any of that. You both promised but let’s see how well you kept those promises.

You finished your classes, and now you were waiting in the council room. There was no meeting today, so you were the only one there. Surprisingly, you and Taehyung agreed to meet after both of your classes. He didn’t have a practice that day, too, so it worked out. However, once you made it five minutes before your scheduled time, you found yourself waiting for him for more than half an hour.

You thought though he couldn’t say anything back to you, it didn’t mean his actions couldn’t irritate you. You shook your head at how foolish you now were in believing that he was willing to be cooperative. There you decided to start outlining your own idea on the banner and choosing what you wanted on it. Taehyung had no choice but to accept whatever you did since he wasn’t here to help you. You eventually had the small draft of the banner made and was satisfied with how it looked. You pulled some banner paper out from the small supply room connected to the back to start working.

When you laid out the paper on the multiple desks you pushed together, the door opened to reveal your supposed banner partner. He was in his school uniform with his tied loosened and shirt untucked. His hair fell messy on his forehead, and his shoulder bag swung around his body as he walked in like it was no big deal and he wasn’t in trouble for coming here late.

“Wow, you’re super early. You must be very punctual.” You spoke out, then ultimately ignored his existence completely. You began sketching your design on paper.

Sensing your sarcasm, he knew you were upset. “Well, we did agree on 1:30 pm.” You said nothing but pointed at the clock, which revealed it was almost 3 pm. “Yeah, sorry. I got held up doing something.” It stunned you how he apologized so effortlessly, but you didn’t want him to get that appreciation, so you dismissed what he said. 

“I’m serious when I say I’m sorry.” You continued to not give him the time of day and focused on the banner, outlining the words you wanted on it. “Hey, aren’t we supposed to work on the banner together? We didn’t agree to do this design.”

Oh, how much you wanted to tell him off on how he wasn’t even here for you to “work together,” but decided against it and ignored him. It relaxed you at how well you were treating him like the wind. You should have done this a long time ago. Your blood pressure was stable as ever!

“I’m talking to you!” Taehyung got aggravated at your doing. You weren’t giving the usual attention he usually got from you. There was no response, no reaction, nothing coming from you. Did this mean you were really pissed off? “Hey, ____.” He called out to no avail as you continued to draw the letters onto the banner. So, he did it again but still nothing.

Then he decided to walk up and rip the pencil out of your hand and throw it on the ground. Okay, now he infiltrated your space, so you were about to yell at him when he turned your stature around to face him. He pressed his body onto yours and held your wrists on your sides. You attempted to break free from his grasp as you complained, “Let go of me!”

“Why are you ignoring me?” Taehyung pouted as he loosened his grip, careful not to hurt you but still enough to keep you still.

“You’re really asking me that.” You rolled your eyes before lifting your head up to see him. You never realized how much Taehyung towered over you. Maybe it was because you were never this close to him. 

Torsos touching, faces centimeters away, feeling each other’s breaths wash your faces. You had a closer look into his features; caramel skin glowed under the artificial lights, his silken lashes were long, his moles were clear and noticeable, his plush lips looked soft to touch, and ki–

A smug smirk on his face formed as he noticed you looking at his features, completely distracted. “Yes, I’m asking you that.” His voice broke your staring and made you realize what you were doing. You looked away and down to the floor, hiding your heated cheeks. He lets go of one of your wrists to clutch your chin so you can look him in the eye. “Princess, I asked a question. I deserve an answer.” Once you met his eyes, you saw something rather different from his cocky and rude demeanor. His irises darkened and were larger than usual. You suddenly feel rather small and intimidated by him. You didn’t know what to do, but you found yourself willing to do what he said.

“Y-you came late and made me work on this alone.” You hated how weak your voice was, but you couldn’t help it. Taehyung watched you as your large doe eyes stared back at him innocently through your glasses. Your bottom lip pushed out so cutely from your pout. It got him riled upon how willing you looked.

“I’m sorry, baby. I got held up with classwork. I hope you can forgive me.” He caressed your cheek as you hummed before closing your eyes, taking in his touch that felt so good. His thumb ran through your skin, feeling its softness before he grazed your lips. Ever so slowly, he swiped his thumb across your lips for a bit until he suddenly pushed it into your mouth. Your eyes opened up from the surprise and were about to protest, but he spoke before you. “Suck my thumb, princess.”

All you could do was nod before sucking his thumb gently while looking at him with hooded eyes. His eyes filled with lust, wanting more from you. His other hand moved from your wrist to wrap his arm around your waist to lift you up and sit on the desks you gathered. He pushed your legs apart, slotting himself in between them. When you accidentally swiped your tongue onto his thumb, you swore you heard him let out a low moan before pulling his digit out of your mouth. He grabbed your waist, pulling your frame closer to him.

You almost fell back, but you hooked your arms around his neck for support. One of his hands traveled down your body before landing on your higher thigh. You grew tense, then he began massaging the flesh before you relaxed under his touch. You wanted more, and you weren’t sure of “what more” you wanted. But all you know was that you felt your underwear dampening and sticking to your sodden cunt.

That said hand moved higher until it landed on your covered ass, giving a playful squeeze before he leaned closer. You inhaled sharply when you felt his hard-covered erection pressing into your core. The feeling was sensational, almost zapping electricity through your frame. You never had something like this happen to you. Then Taehyung rolled his hips, making his dick rub onto your pulsing clit.

You let out a squeaking moan. You were embarrassed by the sound that came out of you, attempting to put your palm over your mouth, but Taehyung caught your hand and placed them back over his shoulders. His hands rested on your waist as he lowered his head to meet you at eye level. “Princess, lemme hear your pretty voice.” He cooed, resting his forehead on yours. He pecked the tip of your nose before going at a slow pace. He continued to push harder every time his erection hit your clothed pussy.

Each hit made you whine softly, feeling heat form in the center of your body then gradually spread everywhere. You were easily responsive, so sensitive to the brim. You raised your gaze at him, seeing how flushed his face was and how hooded his erotic eyes were. He sensed you were enjoying this dry humping, so he took it up a notch to speed up his thrusting, to which you felt a knot twisting inside your stomach.

“Taehyung!” You squealed as your fingers reached the threads of his raven hair. Your legs wrapped around his waist. Your head twitched forward, resting your forehead on his shoulder. You couldn’t control your breathing and instead kept repeating his name.

“I like the way you say my name, princess.” He chortled darkly without missing a beat to his thrust. “But I prefer you call me daddy. Say it, baby. Lemme hear it.” You whined and shook your head, too shy to even attempt it. It felt too much for you. “Princess, don’t make me stop. You wouldn’t want that, right?”

“N-no.” You sniffed, suddenly feeling something come closer and closer to you.

“Then call me daddy. I’ll give you what you want.” He proposed as he went rapidly, making you groan in such immense pleasure. “Tell daddy I make you feel good.”

“Please, daddy. I want more!” You wept out as you pulled onto his strands. Your seeping hole ruined your panties, but you didn’t care at all. All you wanted was this amazing pressure Taehyung gave you that made the swollen nub twitch that made you lose all your morale.

“Daddy will give you more. He’s also sorry for making his baby wait on him for so long. I hope you can forgive me.” He breathed out before bending down to your neck. He licked a trail on the column before creating a blooming bruise of carnality. His hands pushed through your skirt to knead the fat of your ass, urging you to meet his pace despite your struggle.

“Don’t do it again. I won’t forgive you next ti–unghh.” That one pressure to the clit made you insane. You gripped his hair tightly, feeling the pull coming to its end. “Daddy, I don’t know what’s happening. A-am I-am I gonna cum? Is this it?” You foolishly asked as you bit your lip so hard that you thought you drew blood.

Not that you were completely ignorant to the world of sex. You knew a few things here and there. You heard many stories from your friends and, regretfully, your cousin. You knew both anatomies, but you were never curious about them. You weren’t a prude either. You tried masturbating, hence why Yoongi likes to tease you, but nothing came out. If anything, it hurt like hell, and you refused to do it again. The topic wasn’t all that interesting in resulting in being a virgin with very little experience with their own body.

Taehyung growled lowly, not realizing that you were untouched and pure, so so so pure. It sparked a luscious interest in you, even more so. The idea of him being the first person doing this to you…His dick twitched at the thought of it. He was ready to do more, give you more. “Baby, have you not done anything like this? Haven’t been touched?” You shook your head quickly before retreating back to breathy moans. “Oh, Princess. I’m gonna fucking ruin you.” You struggled to respond as you could feel the coil about to snap within you. You couldn’t wait any longer. You wanted to know how it felt to come. It was coming closer, almost to the finish line–

“_____!” A voice yelled out from behind the door. Though your mind was distracted by a covered dick, it was Taehyung to realize who was coming and what was about to happen. Before you could even finish, he pushed himself off of you and closed your legs. He went to the nearest desk to sit and act casually while hiding the painful tent in his pants.

You almost fell back but stabilized yourself, holding your weight on your palms resting on the desk surface. You were confused. What the hell happened? What was Taehyung doing? Why’d he stopped? All these questions popped into your fucked out mind. You were also angry because you weren’t able to finish. How dare he? 

Before you could protest, you noticed your surroundings and what was happening. Though you say Taehyung acting like nothing happened, you noticed Hoseok and Yoongi walk in with puzzled looks. Their gaze went from a rather calm Taehyung leaning on a chair to you, flushed and sitting on top of the banner.

“Hey…” Hoseok greeted suspiciously, feeling the weird atmosphere. “Are you both good? How’s it going?”

Taehyung hummed, avoiding his eye contact. “Fine.” He spoke no further and practically ignored everyone in the room, including you.

Your best friend’s head turned to you, analyzing your features. You acted strange, never seeing you like this before. You looked completely hammered and frazzled in your spot. Your baby hairs were sticking to your forehead. Your bottom lips were so red and plumped, almost as you broke into the usual hives. He barely noticed your crossed thighs shaking because he spotted a dark spot forming on the side of your neck. He wondered what happened but decided against it and will ask you later. That’s if he’ll remember.

Meanwhile, Yoongi was too invested in his phone to even assume anything. He only paid attention once he put his device in his back pocket before saying, “Sup, how’s the banner?”

“Uhh, huh?” You questioned, tilting your head to the side. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

Yeah, you were definitely not yourself right now because Yoongi cocked an eyebrow and nodded towards you, “The banner you’re sitting on. Have you done anything?” You looked behind you and stared at the paper that barely had any pencil smears and eraser shavings.

Suddenly your brain switched gears, and your sensible switch flipped on, realizing where you were and what you’d done. You dry-humped Taehyung in the middle of the council room. But before you could even orgasm, Hoseok and Yoongi almost walked in on you. Taehyung had his hardened dick hiding under the desk, and you feel your underwear drenched by your essence and the paper damp and darkened.

You couldn’t believe what just happened, feeling your already heated cheeks grow red as the sexual scene replayed in your head. How did you let him get to you? But you wanted to hate it, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t like it. Yet this should not have happened in the first place. Your feelings were all over the place, including the emotions of anger, horniness, and shyness.

Before you could indulge yourself in your private thoughts, you snapped back into reality. You jumped on your two feet, catching the attention of all men. However, your legs wobbled, acting like a baby deer, before reaching the desk again to keep you standing. Noticing the large wet spot on the banner, you crumpled the paper into a large ball to hide the evidence and sped to the nearest trash can.

Hoseok was about to open his mouth to question your questionable actions, but you quickly grabbed your things at such speed and evacuated the premises. You didn’t even close the door behind you. You wanted to get away as fast and far as possible. You didn’t want anyone to see you like this, you didn’t want to talk to anyone, and certainly didn’t want to speak on anything you and Taehyung did.

[yiangchen]

just had an idea for another alternate ending to t100...i've said before that bellamy should have just been an inside man and that he should have just faked his death to escape, but i hadn't really thought about the details...

i was just thinking though and the thesis for this show for so long was: earth. living and not just surviving, yes. but specifically on earth. it was always, first and foremost, about earth.

monty said it wasn't coming back, but season 7 literally introduced the idea of time moving differently on different planets. so, the storyline very easily could have brought them back to earth in the end.

it should have gone like this:

bellamy is an inside man so that he can stall and give them some time to figure out how to get everyone back to earth. he brings clarke in on the plan during their argument and she trusts him instantly (because it's bellamy).

i honestly don't remember much of the plot of s7 at all or how any of this wormhole shit works, but bellamy and clarke and everyone literally could have just made it seem like they all died in an explosion and meanwhile they just traveled through a wormhole back to earth. raven being the genius that she is finds a way to close it forever, just in case anyone doubts that they actually died.

so there you go. all the annoying people are stuck on all the other planets, and bellamy and co get to spend the rest of their lives living peacefully on earth. they have the choice to have kids if they want, or not. the point is, they get the choice. they get to have agency. they get to live life to the fullest.

and best of all, they get to do it on earth.

and of course, after seven season of build up, bellamy and clarke finally get together and get the happy ending they deserved. there would be a montage then of everyone's lives and we'd even get a little flashforward a few years to see how everyone ended up. if any of them had decided to have kids. what hobbies they found to enjoy. beach days and parties by the bonfire. literally just living any way that they want now that they're not fighting for their lives.

and then we end with clarke narrating, calling back to "i was born in space" and summarizing the story. eventually, the screen pans to her watching all of her friends and family having a splashing fight in the water. someone calls "mom" out to her, getting her attention. she sees august (bellarke's 4 year old) with bellamy and madi. she makes eye contact with bellamy, they're both smiling so wide, and there is this look in their eyes that just says, we made it, didn't we. we really made it.

clarke then runs in to join in on the fun. bellamy splashes her, grinning at her. clarke smiles and says, "oh you're gonna regret that."

"oh really, what are you gonna do, princess?"

no hesitation, she tackles him into the water. he's sputtering when they surface, not quite believing she just did that, and then they both dissolve into a laughing mess along with madi and august and all their friends.

bellamy wraps his arms around her from behind and kisses her on the cheek. the camera zooms in so that only clarke's face is in the shot, she is wearing the brightest smile of the entire series, and that's the final shot :)

[girlwifteef]

"The Real RomCom" Kirk Hammett x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and your friend dragged you to a lame party that you didn't want to go to and you end up meeting Kirk through that mutual friend. (Yes, this will be a series) (not my GIF)!

TW: Alcohol, hints of drug abuse, and language.

1984-85 Kirk Hammett

"Hmm, no." You said as you walked away from your roommate, who just so happens to be your best friend. She had asked you to come with her to a house party. She claims that her friend had gone away for awhile and she didn't want to go alone. You didn't know this person, why should you care?

"WHAT?" Your friend exclaimed at the audacity, you apparently had, when you said no. "What do you mean 'no'? Don't you have any love for me, Y/N?" Oh, here we go, you thought.

Your best friend was really the only person you felt that you could be blatantly honest with. With anyone else, you felt that you needed to conceal. If someone was being annoying you would just slowly shift away from the conversation. But with her, you could tell her to fuck off and she will for about 2 minutes and come right back with a movie in her hand for you both to watch and forget about the dumb argument. Whatever the case maybe, she's someone you can trust, though, it's obvious that she's the extrovert in your guy's friendship. Which doesn't bother you much, until she wants to take you somewhere you know you wouldn't enjoy at all. I mean, your best friend should know that you don't like party's and here she was trying to convince you to go to one. Your idea of "fun" was a little different to her definition to put it that way.

"Beck, of course I love you, but I'm not about to get out of my joggers and sweater to go to some dumbass party." You stated firmly while going back to watch "The Golden Girls" that was play on the T.V. She was not about to stop your binge watching for someone you didn't know, you thought. You chuckled as a funny scene was about to unfold and the T.V. turns off. Pissed, you slowly turn to scowl at Beck as you see the remote for the T.V. in her hand. "That wasn't very cool of you, dude." You said holding back your anger to see if your friend would explode on you first. Most of the time, you were right with that prediction.

"You know what isn't cool? You not wanting to meet new people!" Beck said raising her voice a little bit. In this case, you were semi right.

"Wh- can you blame me? People are scary and unpredictable!" You said in retaliation seemingly loosing the argument. "Plus, what if I make a fool of myself and end up drunk?" You asked. This was a real concern for you because, unlike Beck, you didn't want to wake up in the nearby ditch and stagger your way home. Where was her other friend having the house party anyway? Even worse, you wouldn't know where you would be, how far you could be from your home, and if you did get really dressed up there was no way of making it home safely in heels. Assuming that the party would end at 4 am. Well, that's what time you'd imagine it would end. You've only been to less than ten house party's, not including birthdays. You would probably be a nervous wreck the entire time as well because of the anxiety you face, you're bouncing your leg as you're talking to-

"Y/N!" Beck yelled getting your attention. "Damn girl, you've gotta get that 'zoning out' thing under control if you're gonna go with me." You looked at her confused.

"Who said I was going?" You asked a little surprised that she didn't listen to your concerns.

"I did, dumb dumb. You can borrow one of my dresses-"

"HELL. NO." You interrupted already knowing what she was trying to do. "You only own dresses that show half your ass, Beck! I'll stick with my sweats, thanks." You said pointing down to your legs as you propped them up on the coffee table.

"How rude! Mine only show a quarter! Just a peak!" Beck yelled as you walked to your room. "There will also be food there!" She stated loudly from the living room.

"Really?" You said peaking your head out confirming that you didn't miss heard her, Beck nodded with a shit eating grin plastered on her face, knowing that she had won the argument this time. Well, I guess I'm going, you thought as you closed the door. I mean, for food, you'll do anything.

"Does that mean you'll come with me?" Beck asked through the wood of the closed door.

You winced, "Yes." Cringing at your answer as you hear your roommate quite literally jump for joy; it made you laugh at her.

"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Y/N!" She squealed.

"So are you going to tell me what time we should get there or...?" You said trailing off, waiting for her to finish your sentence.

"Oh yeah, it's later on tonight." She said not think twice as she walked to her room. "I'm also gonna model for you so get out here and judge me!" Beck demanded.

You groaned, reluctantly walking out of your room knowing every dress is going to be the same thing but just a different color. "Do a have to?" You asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes! I want to look nice tonight because I was told my ex was gonna be there. I want him to see how he made a terrible mistake of letting me go. So, stop being a baby and get your ass out here!" She said as the imaginary devilish horns started to grow from her head. You, again, reluctantly walk over to your couch and plopped down already wanting this "fashion show" to be over.

Later on that night:

You and Beck had finished getting ready and headed to her car. You wore your signature tight blue jeans, an Iron Maiden t-shirt, boots, and a dark blue denim jacket. Beck, on the the other hand, had made you pick a dress for her from the "fashion show" earlier. She showed off a satin blue one, then pink, and a sparkly black one. You chose the black one and she thanked you for picking the black one because she wanted to match with you. Not to mention the blood red pumps she's been wanting to wear for months now. "Beck, can't I drive us?" You asked her pleadingly to save yourself from her erratic driving style. You loved Beck but god was it terrifying to see how useless the cops seemed to you. Let's just say she deserves a lot of "traffic violations" of any sort.

"Oh come on, you love my driving." She stated flipping her straitened hair as you both walked to her red 1970 something Porsche. You gave a long sigh, praying to whatever god that could hear you; to not let them die because of Beck and her fast and pretty car. "You don't even know where my friend's place is, Y/N." Beck said in a matter of fact way.

You sighed heavily again knowing she was right and accepting defeat for the second time today. "Who is this amazing friend that you have anyway? That is just soooo much more important than my comfort." You asked with an enormous amounts of sarcasm leaving you as Beck turned on the car and cranked the radio. Black Sabbath started to play loudly.

Beck rolled her eyes as she pulled out of your guy's garage and looked over at you briefly, "It's a surprise." She said simply, thinking that was the end of the conversation.

"A surprise?" You scoffed, "I don't know where we're going, we're probably going to die before we even get there because of your driving, and now I don't know if there will be a serial killer there as well." You listed very paranoidly at Beck who was giving you a look that made you feel like a crazy person. Funny, the song Paranoid had started.

"Do you really think I would be friends with a serial killer?" Beck asked offended.

"Well I don't know! You seem to make friends everywhere you go, I just assumed!" You defended.

"Well you assumed wrong! He's in a band!" Beck gasped trying not to give away any more information about her mystery friend. "Look, you'll like him I know it, well I think you'll like a lot of people there." She said giving a reassuring smile although from your point of view it looked like she was plotting something mischievous. You looked away from your best friend and grimaced at the thought of her setting you up with someone. While Beck still had a smile on her face, she pulled onto the lawn of the loud house that was blaring music and filled with people.

"Huh, you think were at the right house?" You said turning to Beck as she turned off the car raising an eyebrow.

Beck started to laugh, "Nope, we better drive around the block to make sure." She responded cackling loudly and you joined her feeling better about going to the party with your best friend by your side.

You opened the passenger door and hopped out still chuckling at Beck's joke as she started to get out and walk towards you. She locked the door and tugged her dress to cover her butt. "I told man, you're gonna be struggling with that dress the whole night." You said shaking your head at her as she stuffed her keys in her purse.

"Whatever, we're already here." Beck huffed pulling you into the house. To be honest, you didn't think it was a house, more like a mansion. Just by walking through the front door you could see all the hallways and doors the foyer had to offer at first glance. It would have been a real sight if there weren't already bottles littering every step and already, heavily, drinking individuals stumbling as you walked by. It wasn't even 10 o' clock and there were people passed out on the couch.

You were holding onto Beck's had as she slithered through the crowd and passed the speakers. Where the hell was she going? "Beck, where the hell are you taking me?" You yelled to her but thanks to the music and drunken screams, neither of you had any hearing left. She had pulled you up the grand staircase and into a second living room by a big window. Seriously? Who needs a second living room? "Are we meeting the rich rich class? You should have told me, I would have worn something more presentable!" You said to Beck finally being able to hear you over the loud but awesome music.

"No, silly! You'll see!" She said still being mysterious.

You huffed, "Seriously, Beck, tell me what I'm doing her-" You froze dead in your tracks at who you were looking at. Well, now staring at the males sitting on the couches trying to hold your breath as you hoped it wasn't a dream. Metallica was not sitting right in front of you, it wasn't true. You couldn't believe it. You turned to Beck as she ran up to her friend, who she was most likely talking about the entire night.

"KIRK! YOU'RE BACK!" She yelled running into his arms for a tight hug as you stood there stupidly. He hugged her back and they laughed, I guess they were really good friends, you thought as Kirk put her back down.

"Holy shit, Beck! We were gone for so long but it was so fucking rad!" Kirk gushed missing his old friend.

"I know you dick! You didn't take me with you!" Beck said scolding him playfully making Kirk laugh. Huh, you thought his smile was even cuter in person then on MTV. Not that you would ever voice that opinion.

Finally stepping back to include you, she pulled you next to her and patted you on the head. "This little lady right here is my best friend, Y/N Y/L/N." Beck said as you swatted her hand away feeling the heat on your cheeks. You didn't consider yourself short or tall, you liked your height but your best friend was making you self-conscious.

"H-Hi, it's really nice to meet you." You said stretching out your hand struggling to make eye contact with the very handsome individual in front of you. You gazed up at him waiting for him to respond and a offered a soft smile.

He looked into your eyes and smiled widely admiring Y/E/C taking your hand, "L-likewise, Y/N." Kirk said breathlessly. He then softly let go of your hand and glanced at Beck then back to you, "You guys wanna see everybody?" It was almost like he was asking you more than Beck, who had answered with "Hell yeah!" then ran over to greet the bandmembers leaving you by yourself with Kirk Hammett.

"I don't want to take up your time." You smiled slightly at the guitarist hoping you were wrong for saying that.

"You're not, sweetheart. I promise" Kirk reassured you as he lead you over to were they were all sitting by holding his hand on you lower back. "Hey guys, this is, Y/N." Kirk stated keeping his hand on your back. You gave a small wave and smiled to James and Cliff as Beck was laughing it up with Lars. He had looked up to see who Kirk was talking about. Lars bounced up to his feet to shake your hand. You weren't very ready for his energy but accepted his hand as Kirk dropped his hand back to his side.

"Welcome in, Y/N! Beck's your friend right?" He asked grasping exactly who you were.

"Yup! That's me." You stated glancing over to Beck giving you a thumbs up for interacting with people other than her.

"She said you have a little social anxiety, right?" Lars asked oblivious to the sudden drop in expression on your face as he stated an insecurity of yours. You knew he was a straight-up guy but damn, you didn't know you'd be called out on at a party you didn't even want to go to anyway. So, instead of voicing your feelings, you simply nodded your head. Lars then quickly put his arm over your shoulder and dragged you away from your friend and Kirk to get drinks, "Well, I know one thing that can solve your problem, Y/N!" He yelled practically running down the stairs and flew threw the crowd on the first floor. "Hard liquor!" Lars yelled over the still blaring music and waving "jazz hands" over the Jameson in an ice bucket.

You had to ask yourself who was driving home and what will happen to you and Beck if something goes wrong. You looked at the Irish Whiskey and then looked at Lars. Your mind clouded with worries and doubts making the reason to drink make more sense. "Fuck it."

END OF PART 1

A/N: Bro. Don't ask me why I love writing about them pre-black album okay? In my opinion they fell off but to each their own. I don't know how long I want to make this one, I was thinking about doing one shots later on with different bands. I really don't know though, lmk what you think of this first after you read and I'll look into my schedule >:). ANNOUNCEMENT!!!111!!!!!1!

I do indeed do my research on characters, so if you'd like me to write about any character that you find "interesting", if you catch my drift, I will happily write for you. Just go into my profile and ask away at the top!

Okay, okay, I done rambling! I hoped you liked the start of the new series, that's all from me today! Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon ;) <3

[bizlybebo]

For your final thoughts on PD once you finish, I present to thee:

This ramble ask

How ya feeling?

HOOOOOOOOOOOLY SHITTTTTTTTTTTT ENDYYYYY

ENDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY IT. I WAS NOTTTT EXPECTING ANYYYY OF THISSSS AAAAAAAAAAJRGBTJKWEFREGTKWEFREGTKRFGNYT

YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR BY SENDING IN THIS ASK. KJREHKJERHD

this is probably gonna be even longer than my ramble after completing the greyscale series so once again i dont expect you to read all of this but OHHH YM GODDD i need to dump my thoughts somewhere cause HOLY SHITTT

after writing this out i really only managed to touch on the last 2-3 episodes but yk. there are my thoughts on the ending so it makes sense. i dont think we wanna see how big my ramble on the entire fucking series could get

spoilers ahead for anyone else who sees this: literally all of prime defenders s1 and s2

ashe came home.

ashe fucking CAME HOME.

now, i had a feeling since about episode 35 that ashe was certainly coming home, because there was so much buildup, yakko did an ashe cosplay, etc. like it would have been stupid for her not to return at that point. plus i kept seeing people drawing a post-trickster ashe and was like huh.

so essentially, i thought that because i Knew, i wouldn't get blindsided by these final episodes. in fact, knowing almost made it more... bearable? i guess, because i could hold onto the light at the end of the tunnel that ashe was 100% coming home. it almost made me feel the same hope that the group was feeling about ashe, because i had that certainty and faith in the good ending.

and then william wisp fucking died. again.

i was really sleepy when i was listening to that scene but still persisting because my anxiety was slowly increasing as the episode went on, but when the trickster just. plunged his hands through william's chest i was FULLY awake just sitting in absolute shock. i'm not the kind of person to cry huge tears over media (i think the only time i non-happy cried watching riptide was ep 53), but when william died For Real i actually gave a good few sobs. i was no longer sleepy i was just in shock and then in grief.

and i was like. oh shit. maybe there is no good ending.

something like that ENTIRELY blindsided me in such a crazy way that it had me doubting ashe would even come home.

and i kept thinking, hey, no, he's risen before, he'll be okay! but then he went to the fucking spirit realm. he got dispensed there with kumori and began the first day of forever and i was like oh. shit.

william was gone.

and the REACTIONS from dakota and vyncent were both so guttural and real and true to their characters in their own ways. like so good it's nearly painful to think about.

dakota's loud. he's loud and he's rambunctious because he's dakota. he never speaks below a shout.

but when william was torn in half, he wasn't shouting, he was wailing. the absolute shock and denial he was in haunts me dude.

dakota's was begging william not to do this to him. he could forgive william for so much-- for lying to him, for not asking for his help, for fucking killing jade, but he could never forgive william for dying.

dakota's not the kind of kid to ask, y'know? if something doesn't go the way it should to him then he'll fight abrasively and outwardly for what he believes is right, or in the harder cases he'll bite the bullet and take the fall.

but here, he was pleading with william to just. not die.

and i think the final thing that shattered my faith that hey, maybe william wasn't gone was that tide was so accepting of it. he fell to his knees, he grieved and he was torn apart for a second, but then he was back up, holding dakota, going as far as to use a whole turn in initiative to only hug his boy despite the deadly circumstances. despite the world falling apart around them. to loosely quote my other mutual cayden (<333), "at the end of everything hold onto something and dakota had to hold onto tide because it was the end of everything for him" and i think that's just. the only way i can really phrase it. top 10 moments that rewired my brain chemistry

and dont get me started on dakota LITERALLY JUMPING THROUGH HELL FOR EVERYBODY. JUMPING THROUGH HELL, LOOKING THE TRICKSTER IN THE EYES AS HE DID SO. LIKE I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE BUT SOARING THROUGH THE BURNING SKIES OF THE CHAOS REALM? THE REALM THAT CORRUPTS AND WARPS EVEN THE STRONGEST DEMONS? AND STILL COMING OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE BECAUSE YOU'RE DAKOTA MOTHERFUCKING COLE AND YOU SIMPLY REFUSE TO SUCCUMB?? FUCKING INSANEEE.

and. fucking. fuck.

vyncent. MOTHERFUCKING. sol.

when i fucking catch condifiction.

vyncent sol is such an interesting fucking character. most of the time i'm like "there is something deeply wrong with him <3" in an endearing sense because yknow. he's a little strange. he's not from around here.

but oh my god.

vyncent sol, THE character development guy ever.

he starts off season 1 violent, unable to control his powers. he's violent, and he's scared, and he's homesick, and he's like a skittish dog who bites when it gets nervous because he doesn't know what the fuck he's doing here.

but he changes. he grows.

he gets his closure with fauna, yeah, but then he finds a new home. he finds himself in a flying car, chasing after the fucking lich, watching william and dakota fighting in the front seat like a married couple, and he just thinks yeah. this is home.

and he doesn't quite unlearn his violence or his vengeance but they do certainly shift gears (also tidbit-- the 'fatal flaw' of justice is vengeance which is part of why i chose him for that human soul in the undertale shit i was telling you about :D).

his character is about balance. he has to learn not to be reckless and violent like in season 1, while also not apathetic and taking inaction like he did in s2 episodes 31 and 32.

at the end of everything, he protects william with his life, ready to interpose any attack. he thinks that he can do right by somebody this time, act now so that there aren't any consequences later (y'know, like he never did with jade, or ashe, or the lich).

but william. still. dies.

the sheer anger that vyncent felt in that moment was overshadowed so strongly by his grief, but it was still there. i can't even put it into words without going on a whole nother tangent but oh my fucking god. dude. vyncent sol has irreparably rewired my brain he is all i'm gonna think about.

prime defenders honestly is just THE character development show in general. i haven't even touched on william's development, on how he put faith in his friends over mal even if he knew it was going to make things much harder because he trusted dakota and vyncent so much. on how he literally got killed, repeatedly, over and over, in the spirit realm for 12 hours straight. on how he dirtied his hands during the greyscale arc out of fear.

on how he finally. stopped. running. stopped trying to escape who he was. but still won't come out of the closet

and god this is a looooong fucking ramble and i haven't even said much yet, this is only me screaming about the last two episodes really, but so much has happened in them that i just AUUUUGUGHGGHGHJKTEHRKJ

and. holy fucking shit.

JADE??? MAY STILL BE ALIVE??? D OYOU UNDERSTAND HOW FUCKING FERAL IM GOING OVER THIS JADE CANTRIP VENGEANCE ARC. I NEEEEEED XAVIERRRR TO SEE HER AGAINNNN JADE AND XAVIER'S FRIENDSHIP MEANS SO FUCKING MUCHHH TO MEEEEE

AND ATLAS? BRO POOR FUCKING ATLAS. he really could not catch a fucking break for the ENTIRE series. when bizly started describing the 'odd fizzling' i was like 'man this guy is just going THROUGH it with his career i feel kinda bad for him' and then.

he was dead.

i think grizzly said it best, how bizly has to 'keep reminding us that prime defenders is r-rated' cause yk. the sudden violence/gore. it was so impactful you were so right when you were talking about tonal whiplash because holy SHIT.

like we were just in mario kart hell chasing after le frog who stole pizza he couldnt even eat cause he was vegetarian. and then atlas' throat was slit and he was marked with an x. (x as in xavier's vigilante persona????????RTEHRTTT$YRJHTTETR)

im just AUGUGHGHGH so FUCKING UNWELLLL OVER THIS ENTIRE SERIES. I'M SO STOKED FOR WONDERLUST BUT ALSO THAT MEANS PRIME DEFENDERS PROBABLY WON'T RETURN UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR OR EVEN LATER.

i need a prime defenders christmas episode. dearly.

the bright side of this is that now i can write a shit ton of fic + inhale every single fic under the prime defenders tag on ao3.

but GODDD this is the most gutwrenching piece of media ever. i've never had such a strong hyperfixation since 2020 because the world is just so good. every single character and npc means the world to me. even summer and doug are constant subjects of my brainrot. even fucking lightspeed and harlem and aughughugnjtr.

thank you for the ask endy lmao im FUCKING CLAWING AT THE WALLS OVER THIS SHOW. AIUKGHEJHW

JADE CANTRIP REVENGE ARC PLSPSLPLSPLSPLSPLSPLS. I NEED HER TO COME BACK AND I NEED HER TO COME BACK WRONG AND I NEED XAVIER TO BE TERRIFIED OF HIS BEST FRIEND EVEN THOUGH IT'LL EMOTIONALLY DESTROY ME AKTJHETRKJTRWKERE

okay that's. all i can say for now

[sourbinnie]

/ and i'm obsessed with this (all his candy necklaces) / wild thoughts #2 (+18)

[what is #thoughts? a series of short imagines where i have fluffy, angsty, wild (+18) or alternate thoughts]

warnings -> explicit sexual content (minors dni!) + cursing + spitting (i'll never beat the spitting allegations) + fingering + oral + daddy!kink (chan's never beating these allegations either) + dacryphilia (a tiny bit) + unprotected sex (don't do this)

pair -> dom!chan x sub!reader (mentioned female body parts but pronouns are still they/them).

a/n -> my goal was to write more angst bc this song is pretty sad but i decided to go against it and went full smut. so yeah it's not 100% based on the song, just that one line ¡!

the necklace surrounding my collar felt like it was choking me but it was nothing compared to his hands around my neck and how he was suffocating me with his hands made me feel. the pressure on my lower abdomen building itself up as i had to get through all the teasing he loved to do so much. his hands found their way to my candy pearls, almost ripping it off with how he grabbed it but it was only to pull me closer.

"my baby is turning sour thinking that i'm not gonna please them? is that right darling?" he teased, mocking me with his voice and the grip on the fake jewelry somehow felt tighter. his fingers dancing through my skin, grabbing my thighs like those hands were meant to be there (or they just belonged in every part of my body). "open up baby, don't be shy now..."

it was like his voice got deeper tonight, our room felt warmer or maybe it was just the pressure of being good for him that brought an entire heat through my body. i opened up my legs, my core at his full view as i was naked under the city lights that flashed through the window in our room. i could feel a pool of spit right at me as he just did it without a care and moved it with his fingers to slowly enter me. going from teasing every part of my body to full on fucking me with his fingers was very him to do. all i could hear was the mix of my wetness, the spit and the movement with my whines & moans. he got closer to my ear as he whispered...

"you don't deserve this at all but i'm giving it to you because of how pretty you're looking for me baby". i wasn't the best significant other today, maybe i flirted back with someone i shouldn't, maybe i let that person put their hands around my waist and just maybe i did it all for revenge after seeing him talk with someone else. it was childish and stupid but today was a special day for me & chan, i had it all planned out and one person made it all go to waste (or maybe not at all).

"d-daddy please, let me-" and just like that, his fingers were gone and were replaced with his mouth. if there was a man obsessed with giving oral, it was him. he savoured every part of me like i was his last meal and oh god did it fucking feel good. the pressure of almost being so close to the orgasm and him just changing his pace as i felt him lick every part of me, was driving me crazy. "please let me come, p-please!" i begged but i knew it was no use.

his hand found it's way down my pussy as he slapped with not a lot of force but it still brought out the worst moan he could've pulled out of me yet. tears building up as i bit my lip, him just smiling as he wiped my tears away. the mocking was relentless when i was feeling this helpless at his feet. he started to pull off his clothes (finally), his chest built by the gods, his arms getting bigger & bigger with every working out session he took, god his thighs were gonna kill me one day. the best part for last as he asked me to come closer, knowing what to do i crawled to him and bit the waistband of his boxers, as i pulled it down and revealed his length. his size always shocked me, wanting it in my mouth so badly but wanting to get wrecked by him even more. he was gonna look for a condom but i stopped him, i wanted to feel him for days and i did not care about the consequences at this moment.

"fuck baby, you're gonna kill me." he muttered and position himself, pushing slowly in me as his eyes never stopped meeting mine. my moans slowly getting higher & higher, our bed creaking and our headboard punching against the wall as the pace got faster & faster. my nails finding their way to his back as he completely and utterly destroyed me. it took me every single restraint in me to not come and i knew he was holding back as well 'cause i knew the sounds he made when he was close.

"only mine, no other fucking guy can have you, understood?" he mumbled, close to me and my face heating up with every word. it was no secret that i fucking loved when he talked to me like that, maybe i just had a possesive/jealous sex kind of kink but i did not care if it was gonna bring me to him like this every night. "answer me baby, wanna hear you".

"only yours, no one else's channie! p-please i just want you." i said coherently (surprisingly) and i felt him bite my neck but he wasn't biting me, he was biting the necklace. in a second it popped and all the pieces fell out slowly, feeling every inch of him in me as i approached my orgasm one last time and feeling all of his seed spilling in me was such a fantastic moment, i would probably remember it for ages (and feel it for ages too). "c-channie..."

"shhh, i got you baby." he whispered softly into me as he changed our position, pulled out of me and laid me on his chest. his hands on my hair and his lips on my forehead as i recovered from everything that just happened in the span of an hour and a half. from the restaurant to the bar to the flirting to me backfiring to our home to our bed... and it just felt so fucking good. "knowing you, you're gonna make me jealous more often aren't you?"

"i'll try not to baby, i promise." i tried to say in the most convincing way but he could see right through me and just smiled as he shook his head. "okay but like once a month i kind of have to".

"you're a menace but i still love you".

"i love you even more channie..."

[jeniffercheck]

i dare you (you're gonna fall, but i'll catch you)

shivlina tumblr prompt: five times someone notices shivlina acting odd and one time they're honest about it

words: 5k

read here or on ao3

v.

Roman’s a good brother.

When Shiv tells him she’s getting a divorce, he expects it to be the end of the world. He expects the waterworks and the flamethrowers, blaring tornado sirens, and a news broadcast to alert the entire city, because that’s how much his sister loves to milk her fucking tragedy of a life, and he’s ready for it. Don’t get it twisted; he does the nice thing. He sends her a stupid e-card with a series of explosions over his favorite paparazzi shot of Tom eating a street-cart pretzel and offers to spread a rumor around the office that Tom caught chlamydia from the linebacker on his college football team, and even though Shiv vetoes the latter offer, Roman still considers spreading it anyway because that’s how good of a brother he is.

He’s so good in fact, that he knows his condolence strategy must have worked, because it’s been six days since the last time Shiv verbally assaulted him, and nearly nine since the last time she’d physically assaulted him. It must’ve been his handiwork, because there’s no conceivable way that his sister would be going through a divorce and not making it everyone else’s problem, right?

After the eighth day of calm, Roman can’t take it anymore. He corners Shiv in her office, the golden plaque reading President of Domestic Operations looking far too shiny for his liking. He grabs at it just to add a little smudge.

“Could you not?” Shiv asks, glaring in his direction. Her gaze immediately falls back on her cell phone, the brief annoyance gone almost as quickly as Roman had provoked it.

“Not even a fuck you?” Roman asks, dropping into one of the chairs in front of her desk. “I see where I stand these days.”

Except Shiv doesn’t even hear him. She laughs at her phone, that stupid smile on her face growing in a way that makes him want to throw up and ask to be let in on the joke all at once.

“What’s got you perkier than Kendall in a Kith apothecary?”

Shiv looks up, scowl returned, and he thinks it feels something like a hug, if that were something he and Shiv ever really did.

“Did you want something, or did you just come in here to fill my office up with your stink?” she asks, and Roman feels a sense of relief at the volatility.

“I wanted to know what you were looking at,” Roman says, tapping his fingers on the desk.

“You came all the way down here to ask what’s on my phone?”

“That is what I said, right?” Roman asks. “Who are you talking to?”

Shiv raises an eyebrow at the question.

“Uh—no one, Rome,” she says, albeit unconvincingly.

“Sure,” Roman says. “So, you’re just laughing at cat videos and not another one of the texts that just came through on your phone?”

Roman tries to peer over the desk, but Shiv covers up her phone up her phone quickly. She’s hiding something.

“Roman, I’m not—“ Shiv cuts herself off. “You know you’re the only one who knows, right?”

“Am I?”

“Well, are you?” she asks. “Or is Tabitha sending me dating show casting calls just for shits and giggles?”

“She’s been doing that?” Roman whines. Disappointing. He wanted to do that. “I’m just saying, you’ve been acting…” He waves his hands around, Shiv’s brows furrowing deeper.

“What is this, are you trying to invent a secret language that nobody else knows?” she asks, eyes flitting between her phone and Roman as it dings, again.

“Don’t you have a job to be doing?” he says.

“Don’t you?”

Okay. Touché.

“This is my job,” Roman says. “I’m the Chief Operational Officer. I’m chiefing your operations.”

“Uh-huh,” Shiv says. “In that case, domestic operations are going well. Public opinion polls are up by two points, and I have a meeting with Karolina later today to discuss next steps. Any other operational matters I can see to for you today, Mr. Roy?”

“Okay, okay,” Roman says, waving her off, though one name in her report stood out greatly. “You and Karolina have been spending a lot of time together.”

“You and Gerri spend a lot of time together.”

Roman leans back in the chair, “She’s my mentor.”

“I can’t have a mentor?” Shiv asks.

Roman eyes her. If she’s telling the truth, then that means Shiv isn’t anything to worry about.

“So, you want PR?” Roman asks. “Not CEO?”

“What I want, is a reality where you’re not riding my ass every ten minutes,” Shiv says. It’s a non-answer, Roman’s not a dumbass, but at least he’s closer to the truth. Shiv’s divorce doesn’t matter because she’s got her hat in the ring. And Karolina’s backing her.

“Fine, fine, I’m going,” Roman says, standing. He pauses at the door, knowing he needs to throw her off his line of questioning. “Are you ovulating?”

“What?” Shiv asks, and if looks could kill, Roman would certainly be six feet under.

“Just asking,” Roman says. “You’re, like, glowy.”

“Fuck off,” Shiv says.

Roman doesn’t have to be told twice. Gerri’s going to get a kick out of this.

iv.

Kendall’s not paranoid.

A little bit obsessive? Sure. Hungry for power? He can own up to that. Good at making enemies? Most definitely. But paranoid? Absolutely not. This, however; it just doesn’t make any sense.

“What are you saying, Shiv?” he asks. On a normal day, she’d be at his throat, telling him that all of his ideas are bad ones and that it’s all going to crash and burn. On a normal day.

“That…I think it’s a good idea?” Shiv says, turning her head at him slowly. “Did you want me to scream and cry and tell you I hate it?”

“I mean—no,” Kendall says. “I guess, I just, expected a little pushback. That’s all.”

Shiv shrugs, a loose hand around her coffee mug. She’d sat next to Kendall in the conference room instead of across from him, unnerving coming from a woman who can oftentimes barely look in his direction.

“I read the notes you sent last night, and they make sense,” Shiv says. “No need to reinvent the wheel, here. Your plan is better.”

Which sounds exactly like something someone else would be telling her to say, and that can only mean one of two things. Shiv’s playing the game, or Dad’s putting her up to it.

“Is that a Karolina line?” Kendall asks, watching every minuscule movement of Shiv’s face. First she pauses—caught off guard, then her eyes narrow. She’s not looking at him anymore.

“I—a what?”

That’s it. “They’re feeding you lines, aren’t they?” Kendall says, standing up. “Unbelievable, this is—just, great, Shiv. Really, it’s great.”

Shiv rolls her eyes, coffee mug forgotten.

“Yeah, Kendall, I’m fucking wiretapped and the feds are bursting in here any minute to nab you for cruises. This is all actually just a ruse and you’ve been trained your whole life to take the fall for this one moment, you caught us,” she says.

“I’m serious, Shiv—if this is a setup—”

“I’m not lying, Ken, Jesus,” Shiv says. “I read the plan and I thought about it. That’s what you fucking wanted me to do, right? Can you accept that before I fuckin’ change my mind?”

It still doesn’t feel right. Shiv’s never given into one of Kendall’s ideas this easily and willingly in her life. He’s sure Karolina had something to do with it, and by extension their dad, but he also wants to believe Shiv, which he won’t, but he can pretend to at the very least.

“Fine,” Kendall says. “Okay, great, um—thank you, Shiv.”

“Sure,” Shiv says. “And, by the way—Karolina’s not, feeding me lines, or whatever you think. God, you and Roman, you’re like, fucking irrational.”

“Yeah, no, of course not,” Kendall says. “The mind games, they’re—you know.”

“Yeah, sure,” Shiv says.

He leaves the meeting feeling entirely and unequivocally unsatisfied. Roman wouldn’t be his first source of confidante on a bad day, but he has no one else to trust, and he’s the only other person who could possibly want Shiv in the CEO seat any less than Kendall.

“Hey, Roman—“ he says, entering Roman’s office. “Is Shiv, like, I mean—is there something…off?”

Roman stands up, looking out the windows of his office before turning back to Kendall and crossing his arms.

“You didn’t hear it from me,” Roman says lowly, “but I heard she’s ovulating.”

Kendall looks up, Roman’s dead serious.

“You mean—her and Tom?”

“Like jackrabbits,” Roman says.

“Gross, dude.”

Roman throws his hands up in the air.

“You asked.”

 

iii.

Karolina doesn’t get distracted. Gerri knows that much.

She knows a lot, in fact, such as Karolina’s educational background: a summa cum laude BA in Public Relations and an ivy league MS in Strategic Communication. Karolina’s career path: Assistant at a crisis management firm, Account Manager for a think tank, and then a Manager at Waystar—merged into Waystar Royco shortly after. Karolina’s consistent weekend plans: drop off her dry cleaning early on Saturday morning, pick up breakfast from her favorite cafe on the way back, work into the evening, pick up dry cleaning and groceries on Sunday, watch trash reality TV until she falls asleep, meet Gerri early in the office on Monday morning to drink coffee and sync (Karolina’s missed the last two Mondays). And Gerri knows all about Karolina’s dating history: the broody painter in college, the personal accountant in her twenties, the short-lived engagement to the non-profit president in her thirties. The absence that’s followed.

Yeah. Gerri knows a lot—and she certainly knows that Karolina doesn’t get distracted. So, it’s a mystery to her why she’s now received two press reports, riddled with mistakes. She would chalk it up to delegation—maybe Karolina’s giving some baby-faced assistants a chance, or she’s been fed conflicting information along the chain of command—but these are high-level, directly from Karolina, and directly her mistakes to make. Karolina’s lucky it’s Gerri who’s receiving them first, because they’re a liability, is what they are, and anyone else in the office wouldn’t be as tactful about it as Gerri’s choosing to be.

She calls Karolina in for a meeting over lunch. Low pressure, familiar territory, but even then, Karolina is quieter than usual. She’s not quite pensive as much as she is splitting, her mind obviously going in multiple directions at once. She's having trouble keeping up with Gerri’s conversation, only vaguely remembering details that Gerri has already told her and not quite adding anything substantial to the conversation unless provoked, her eyes occasionally dropping to her turned-over phone on the chair arm beside her.

Gerri decides to bite the bullet.

“Is everything alright?” she asks, stopping herself in the middle of a sordid tale about Frank and Karl’s latest excursion in Shareholder-Land. “You seem preoccupied lately.”

Karolina’s reaction is verification enough, the surprise and sudden discomfort apparent all over her body, but physical tells mean nothing to Gerri when it comes to Karolina. Her tell, is that Karolina has told her nothing, when by now, Gerri should know everything.

“I mean, yeah,” Karolina says, sitting up straighter. “There’s a lot going on. You know how it is.”

“I know how it is, sure,” Gerri says, unconvinced. She pulls out the press releases, red ink splattered all over the pages, “Wanna tell me about these, though?”

“Oh,” Karolina says, grabbing the pages from Gerri. “Your notes?”

Gerri nods, and Karolina looks down at the pages, brows instantly furrowing in concentration. Gerri watches the head tilts and the squinted eyes, the mouthing of words as Karolina silently reads lines back to herself, the constant switching between pages to fully grasp the inconsistencies and the contradictions. Her back is stiffer when she’s finished, and she stares at the pages.

“Um, good—” Karolina says, moving to clean up her belongings. “Thanks, Gerri. I’ll fix these up and get them back to you.”

“Karolina,” Gerri says, and Karolina pauses, albeit a little unwillingly, staring back at Gerri expectantly. “I’m going to ask again, is everything alright?”

Karolina crosses her arms, a feigned innocence on her face. “Yes, Ger—everything’s fine. These are just stupid mistakes, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not scolding you,” Gerri says, because they’re in the office, and these are serious mistakes, and while Karolina is her subordinate, she’s also her friend. “I’m just checking in. This isn’t like you.”

Gerri watches the internal battle as it happens, Karolina running through every scenario and calculating the results of each possible course of action. It’s always a roll of the dice with Karolina, but Gerri at least knows that if she doesn’t get the answer out of Karolina today, she will get it out of her eventually.

“I guess I have been preoccupied,” Karolina admits. “But, you know…things are good.”

“Things are good?” Gerri confirms, and Karolina smiles slightly as she nods.

“Things are really good,” Karolina says. Gerri has no reason to not believe her, and also knows it’s not the time to press further.

“Okay,” Gerri concedes. “Then, make sure the next versions of those releases aren’t going to make us liable for libel in seven different nations, alright?”

“Message received,” Karolina says.

Gerri nods, partially satiated with the outcome of the meeting, and she’s about to send Karolina off when Shiv pokes her head through the door. Gerri feels dense for not seeing it before. The extra meetings. Shiv’s recent agreeable attitude toward Gerri. The way Karolina bites her lip if only to stop her smile from growing, and the laser focus of her eyes. Shiv’s mischievous smirk. Of course. Karolina’s fucking lovesick.

“Hey, sorry if I’m interrupting,” Shiv says. “Can I steal Karolina?”

“Seeing as neither of us owns her, I don’t see why not,” Gerri says, and Karolina clears her throat, nervous.

“Great,” Shiv says, then to Karolina, “I’ll be in my office.”

Karolina nods, as Shiv exits, picking up the rest of her things.

“Karolina?” Gerri calls out, stopping her at the door.

“Yeah?”

“Remember,” Gerri warns. “Liability.”

The instant flush of Karolina’s face is the only confirmation she needs.

ii.

The event is nice, but Willa’s not much into the family business.

She finds it monotonous to stand around and listen to a bunch of legacy businessmen discuss stocks and market trends and, God forbid, politics, like they’re all the second coming of Jordan Belfort himself. She hates the way they all look down on Connor as if he isn’t the only Roy heir who doesn’t need Daddy’s company, and she really hates the way they all look down on her as if she’s some mail-order bride who couldn’t understand the first thing about the economy, but she does really enjoy the people-watching, and those cucumber finger sandwiches that rich people love, and the expensive dresses she gets to buy that are most definitely integral to stimulating the fucking economy. And she especially loves eavesdropping, even more so when it’s Connor’s brothers discussing what’s up with Shiv, going on and on about Shiv and Karolina and their two-woman coup as if the real answer isn’t glaringly obvious.

“I’m telling you, dude,” Kendall says, pointing his glass towards Roman, “she’s scheming.”

“Come on, Shiv?” Connor chimes in. “She’s done just fine on her own all these years. What does she need from pops?”

“What do any of us need from him, Con?” Roman jeers. “She’s obviously changed her mind. She wants the big seat.”

“What, and Karolina’s helping her?” Connor asks. “She’s a wonderful woman, really, but what does our People Magazine liaison have over who’s going to be the next Chief Executive?”

“She’s Head of Communications, Connor,” Kendall says. “It’s, like, her whole job to communicate. If she’s on Shiv’s side, she could already be swaying public opinion and in the internal memos. We’re fucked.”

Willa doesn’t like to step in often, but this is a bit much. “Wouldn’t you be able to, like, see if she were doing that?”

All three men pause, eyes now on her. Roman seems to be considering her point, but Connor jumps to Kendall’s defense.

“I’ve read about this. Psychological Operations are very difficult to recognize, even when you know they’re occurring. The Romans used flaming pigs to scare off Egyptian war elephants that would eventually trample their own troops.” He claps his hands together. “That’s it. You need to figure out Shiv’s flaming pig.”

“My what?”

The next few moments are very important to Willa’s observations. First, Shiv shows up alone. Not with Tom, not with the old guard, alone. Then, after confusing and awkward greetings between Roman trying to make pig jokes, Kendall stammering his way through an apology, and Connor desperately trying to explain Ancient Roman Flaming Pigs, Shiv immediately asks if any of them have seen Karolina. Shiv’s meeting her. Willa has to hide a knowing smile behind her champagne, her amusement only exacerbated by the panicked look in both Kendall and Roman’s eyes. Then, the best thing possible occurs.

Gerri and Karolina walk up to the group.

At first, Willa thinks her theory is toast. They all greet one another with the kind of cordial professionalism anyone would expect, and Shiv’s reaction to Karolina isn’t anything out of the ordinary. That is until Roman pulls the group into a conversation about how Logan really isn’t going to like the menu and wants, “to know who’s going to break the news to the kitchen staff that they have just over an hour to source a cod from Massachusetts itself or face getting a review that will surely destroy their yearly earnings for at least three more event seasons,” and Shiv, under the impression that nobody is paying attention, takes the opportunity to whisper something in Karolina’s ear.

Willa watches as Shiv’s hand meets the small of Karolina’s back while they catch up, and Willa immediately tugs on Connor, nodding slightly in their direction. He’s confused at first, and Willa, not wanting to cause a scene, first tries pulling a face, and upon an unsuccessful charade, spells it out for Connor quietly in his ear.

“That’s?” he whispers back, and Willa nods, downing a sip of champagne in excitement.

“Wow,” Connor says out loud, and Willa winces as the entire group looks at him.

“What is it?” Kendall asks, and Connor flounders with a series of sounds that could possibly count as English, Willa immediately jumping in over him.

“It’s just, so sad…that Logan might have to eat…salmon,” Willa says, internally cringing at the save, but grateful that none of them think highly enough of her to see it as anything out of the ordinary.

“It’s devastating,” Gerri deadpans. “Come on, boys. Let’s go save the day.”

Gerri stalks off, herding Roman and Kendall like two little ducklings who have no choice but to follow the leader, and it leaves Willa and Connor with Shiv and Karolina.

“I’m going to get a drink,” Karolina says to Shiv. “Do you want anything?”

“Uh, I’ll meet you at the bar,” Shiv says, and her eyebrows raise, a silent communication between the two women that Willa isn’t supposed to be privy to. She lets Shiv and Connor catch up, not missing the way Shiv’s eyes flicker in the direction of the bar area every thirty seconds or so, and after the fourth time Willa tugs on Connor’s jacket discreetly, it taking everything in her not to fucking spit out her champagne at the way he decides to close the conversation.

“You know, Shiv, it’s perfectly natural to experience a broader emotional undertaking as you continue to age,” Connor says. “I mean, sometimes I look at Tom Brady…and I wonder.”

Shiv, rightfully confused, looks to Willa for clarity, and Willa can only offer a sympathetic smile as they lock eyes.

“Great, Connor,” Shiv says. “Thank you, for…sharing.”

“Of course, honey,” Connor says. “Enjoy the party.”

Shiv walks away, and Willa has half a mind to tail her just for the entertainment of it all, but she figures Shiv is owed some privacy, not that she and Karolina are doing an exceptional job at hiding whatever it is that they have going on.

“Was that too obvious?” Connor asks, worry lines on his face. Willa can’t help it as she looks in Shiv’s direction one more time, spotting her and Karolina by the bar, clearly enraptured with one another.

“No, Con,” she says. “That was perfect.”

 

i.

Karolina notices two things as she walks into her apartment. Shiv Roy looks exceptionally beautiful under the soft light of dawn, and Karolina’s feet fucking hurt. She sighs in relief as she sits down on her couch, undoing the heel straps that had been cutting into her ankles all night. Shiv follows suit, looking tired, flushed, and still slightly giggly from a terrible story Karolina had told her about a college bet and a game of darts, and Karolina leans back into the couch, unable to take her eyes off of Shiv.

“It’s late,” Karolina says, though the words don’t really go anywhere. They hang, with no meaning behind them.

“So?” Shiv asks, because she knows they’re empty too. Karolina, always searching for reasons.

“The late nights—I’ve been slacking off at work,” Karolina says. “People are starting to notice.”

People, meaning Gerri, but she’s the worst person of all to have on your ass. Shiv frowns slightly, her gaze concerned.

“If helping me is too much…” Shiv says, trailing off. Her hand rests in the empty space between them, extended, but not making contact. “I’ll be fine, Karolina. It’s not my first rodeo.”

“No, I know,” Karolina says, her hand itching to meet Shiv’s in the middle. “I don’t mind it. I just need to stay focused on my own work as well.”

And it’s hard, when Shiv is in her apartment. When Shiv is in her office. When Shiv is Shiv. And Karolina is Karolina.

“Okay,” Shiv says, her head nodding in support. “Care to explain why this is important for me to know on a Saturday night, though?”

“Maybe it’s a sort of preamble?” Karolina says.

“To?”

Karolina sucks in a nervous breath. “Have you noticed people—acting funny?”

Shiv looks away momentarily, lightly shrugging.

“Maybe,” she says, but then her eyes return to Karolina’s, narrowing. “Why, is something going on?”

“I mean, is there, Shiv?” Karolina asks. “It’s three in the morning and you’re in my apartment. For the third time this week.”

Shiv, to her credit, just looks deeply confused.

“If you want me to leave, I can,” she says, and it’s that moment that Karolina finally grabs her hand. They both look down as she does.

“No,” she says. “No, I—I don’t want you to leave, Shiv. That’s the thing. I’d really like it if you stayed, but—”

“But?” Shiv’s eyes are still on their hands, making no move to separate.

“But,” Karolina says, steadying herself. “Are we—I mean, what are we doing, Shiv?”

“We’re sitting on your couch,” Shiv says, and Karolina moves closer.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

Shiv pauses, searching Karolina’s eyes for something to latch onto. “What do you want to be doing?” Shiv asks.

Karolina considers all of the options before her. She could choose a distant friendship, or a professional mentorship. She could choose nothing, and effectively ice Shiv out, or, she could choose honesty. Choose the thing that snuck up on her. The thing she should’ve known all along.

“I want to kiss you,” Karolina admits, and she holds her breath as she waits for Shiv’s response.

“Then kiss me.”

 

vi.

“It’s disgusting,” Roman says, leaning against the wall. His eyes are scanning the room of the party, just a little New Year get-together for Royco & family, Gerri beside him, sipping a martini.

“What is?” Gerri asks.

“How nice she makes Shiv,” Roman says. Gerri follows his eyes, landing on the couple across the room, Shiv and Karolina attached at the hip. Karolina laughs animatedly at something someone in the group has said, and Shiv watches her with an adoring expression, her hand rubbing along the top of Karolina’s back before it settles around Karolina’s waist.

“They’re happy,” Gerri says, like it explains anything at all. Roman thinks it doesn’t make it any less gross.

“They sent me and Tabs an anniversary bouquet,” Roman says. “Shiv doesn’t even send me a card on my birthday.”

“Shouldn’t that be a good thing?” Gerri asks, and Roman immediately shakes his head.

“Karolina’s making her a softy,” Roman says, eyeing Gerri as she laughs.

“Karolina, making Shiv a softy?” Gerri says. “Shiv’s making Karolina a softy.”

“What?” Roman says. “Shiv doesn’t have a soft bone in her body. She’s quite literally physically incapable of being soft, yet somehow Karolina has done it.”

“And Karolina wouldn’t know soft if it hit her like a stone,” Gerri says. “She used to eat interns for lunch, and now she lets them hide in her office when they cry.”

Roman looks at Gerri, her own softness still up for question, and she pulls a face.

“What?”

“Are we bitter?” Roman asks.

Gerri sips her martini thoughtfully. “I’m not bitter. I’m happy for them.”

“Right,” Roman says. “And Dad’s signing over the entire company to me tomorrow.”

Gerri rolls her eyes. It hurts him that she has such little faith in his aptitude.

“In any case,” Gerri sighs, “it’s just a honeymoon phase. It’ll pass.”

“It’s been eight months,” Roman says, head still turned in Gerri’s direction. She shrugs and then stands up straighter.

“Don’t look now,” she says, and Roman does look, Shiv and Karolina headed right in their direction.

“Speak of the devil,” Roman says as the pair arrives in front of them.

“Good things?” Shiv asks, and Roman smiles.

“You know me, sis. I just love waxing about your achievements.”

“I bet,” Shiv says, smiling in return, and then her aim switches to Gerri. “Speaking of achievements, Gerri, I owe a favor to someone begging for an introduction. Can I have five minutes?”

Gerri quirks an eyebrow at Karolina, and Karolina nods as if to say, humor her, and while Roman wishes Karolina would just say it out loud, Gerri gives in easily enough. “Lead the way.” Jesus Christ. Gerri’s a fucking softy too.

Shiv squeezes Karolina’s arm before she goes off with Gerri, and Roman has to hold back a gag as they speak with their eyes, Karolina’s gaze not leaving Shiv as she takes Gerri’s place against the wall. This should be fun.

“Where’s Tabitha?” Karolina asks.

“Showing face at her family’s event,” Roman says. “They’re a bunch of centrists who parade around as progressives. Think the ATN clan is beneath her.”

Karolina nods, apparently all out of small talk apart from that one question, and Roman wishes he had any excuse to leave the spot he’s been glued to. The air is much too awkward for his liking, so he attempts to fill the silence.

“Thanks for the flowers,” he says.

“It was Shiv’s idea,” Karolina says, and Roman doesn’t think he’s ever turned his head to look at someone else so quickly before.

What?

“Okay,” he says, unable to stop a laugh from escaping him, “what have you done with the real Shiv? Is she locked in your basement somewhere? Did you replace her with some Brooklynite who fits your lesbian agenda?”

Karolina scoffs, though if he were looking closely, he’d swear she seems vaguely amused. “It was just a gesture, Roman.”

He shakes his head. Shiv doesn’t do gestures unless they’re violent and skin-breaking.

“You’re ruining her.”

“I’m ruining her,” Karolina laughs. “She was right. We should’ve sent a free session of sex therapy.”

Roman’s glass pauses at his lips. If Karolina wants to get dirty, well, Roman would love to test out how much of a softy she is.

“If anyone needs sex therapy, it’s Shiv,” Roman says. “Did she tell you her body count? It’s in the hundreds. Truly tainted, I mean, I’m surprised you’re even with her. Unless, you know—is that something people your age are still interested in?”

Karolina, interestingly, doesn’t seem phased. Maybe a little surprised, but unflinching in a way that Roman hadn’t expected. Maybe this will be fun.

“Do you ever think of anything other than your sister having sex?”

“It’s a little hard not to when you’re constantly shoving it in our faces,” Roman says. “I mean, seriously, I’m worried I’m going to get conjunctivitis from all of the secondhand eyefucking.”

“So, to be clear, you’re admitting that you purposefully watch us eyefuck long enough to receive an infection?”

“I’m saying you’re gross,” Roman huffs. “And you’re making my sister gloopy. Pulpous and squishy like a marshmallow.”

“Okay, Roman,” Karolina laughs to herself, and he can’t stand the sound of her perceived victory.

“Can you two even kiss when you get married?” he asks. “There are going to be children around, you know. Ideally, they shouldn’t find out about lesbian porn until at least middle school.”

He expects a comeback quickly, her wit proven to be able to keep up with his own, and he almost thinks he’s finally won when she speaks up.

“You think she’d marry me?” Karolina asks, voice quiet, the sharpness gone.

Roman sighs, swirling his drink around in his glass.

“I mean, you’re no grand prize, but—whatever. She’s, like, happier with you, I guess,” Roman says. “And I’ve never seen her willingly eyefuck someone for this long in a room full of strangers, so. Maybe you’re the real deal. Who knows.”

He avoids Karolina’s gaze and attempts to wash away his momentary lapse of sincerity with what’s left in his glass, silently praying for Gerri to return to put him out of his misery for once and for all. He seems to be in luck, though, because Karolina’s phone dings, and when Roman sneaks a look, it’s Dad’s name on the ID, a call she can’t ignore.

“Is there anyone in this family who doesn’t have you completely whipped?” Roman asks.

Karolina looks at him.

“I mean, you can keep dreaming, Roman,” Karolina says. “I know you like to do that.”

She smiles, and then walks off, leaving Roman alone on the wall.

Fine. Maybe it’s not Karolina who’s soft.