#keep it to yourself if you have to talk about it!!!!!
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bunbun007 · 1 day ago
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ᴏɴᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴛʀɪᴘ - ꜱᴀᴊᴀ ʙᴏʏꜱ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ
ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ: ꜰᴀᴍᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴅʀᴜɢ
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Warnings: Mentions of demon pacts ✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ ) Word Count: 1.9k Pairings: Saja Boys x Reader Chapter sum: You have come to accept the fact that your soul belongs to a group of demons and try to coexist with them. It's hard.
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It was moments like this that made you consider that maybe, just maybe, the one suffering from making a pact with demons was them instead of you. Honestly, it was a funny conclusion, but given the fact that they were lying on the ground weeping, it seemed like it.
“We are so doomed. Hopeless.” One of the demons whined as he ruffled his short pink hair. “You hopeless, useless human! How come you are poor?”
Classist. That’s what this group of five demons was.
Not only were they ungrateful for your soul—your precious, all-worthy soul, thank you very much—they had the nerve to complain about your living situation.
“This is some sort of joke, right? You didn’t just summon us to have us live in this… hovel.”
You gasped dramatically while clutching your shirt, throwing daggers at the blue-haired demon. “I’ll have you know that the only reason why I summoned you was so that I could get out of this situation. And yet, regardless of everything, my ‘situation’ is not that bad! I’m just a few months behind in rent!” And your diet consisted mostly of instant noodles below 1,000 won. But hey, how could they judge? They didn’t even own a home.
“Wow, you are just sad.” The demon in the middle —heavens, why was he always standing in the middle?— gave you a small smirk as he walked in front of you, his black hair being covered by a black gat that matched his hanbok. “But fear no more, human. We’re here to make it better. We’ll help you out, yeah?”
You gulped — that being the only sound in the room.
“Why me? What type of demons even are you?” Your voice cracked. It wasn’t fear, exactly. It was the growing, horrible realization that you were in over your head.
Silence.
One of the demons stretched out across your bed, yawning like a cat who owned the place. Another picked up a cracked mug on your table and sneered at it. Then, finally, a soft chuckle came from behind you.
“Why not you?” a voice purred, lilac hair draped over his eyes as he tilted his head. “You’re cute. You’re sad. And you’re clearly desperate enough to sign anything, aren’t you? Besides, it was either you or the middle schoolers who knew nothing about idols. And—” he walked closer, booping your nose softly and snickered— “they weren’t nearly as alluring.”
You took a step back. Idols?
“Idols, as in performers? What is it to you if I know about idols or not?” You stood your ground—or tried to, at least—but these creatures were weirdly enticing, as if an invisible force was pulling you toward them. The pact was getting stronger the more time you spent with them. “Is that why you all have colored hair? Must be it. Are the hanboks part of your theme too? Most demons are supposed to be scary, terrifying. But you are all… handsome.”
Finally, the last demon—who had yet to talk—walked behind you, his light pink bangs fluttering in your eyes as he held you by the shoulders and tilted your head back. “Quite. Thank you, dear. You clean up after yourself quite well.” He winked as he held you in this uncomfortable yet butterfly-inducing position.
Your stomach dropped as you pried away, holding your hands in front of your chest to keep some distance, but your shoulder hit something else.
A yelp escaped your lips as a flash of blue hair came into vision and a soft hand held the side of your waist to prevent your endangerment.
“Aye, careful there. Wouldn’t want our little human to get scratched, or hurt.” You froze, only straightening when the demon pushed your back forward so that you stood on your own.
A hand ruffled your hair as you steadied yourself.
“There, there. You look stressed. Poor thing looks ready to snap.” A sudden hand ruffled your hair messily as he fixed you a smirk, the only thing visible due to the purple locks covering his eyes.
A strong arm circled your shoulders and pulled you toward him in spite of a small sound of dissent from the one who held you before. You tilted your head to face the demon and he flashed you a smile. “Our starshine sure does. Relax, little one. We won’t hurt you—unless you want-”
“Okay, that’s enough,” the last demon called. Given the fact that the others stopped pestering you, it was a sign he was their leader. “You guys know how humans are—their little hearts can’t take it. And judging by their body language, this one is at their limit.” He walked closer. “Come here, starshine. We’ll explain everything.”
And they did.
Well, it’s not like you could do anything but listen. They were the owners of the chains you were now bound to. As their voices filled with teasing contempt, they revealed that whoever bore your contract… owned your soul.
As a visual representation of their power, they started throwing this small piece of paper around—a folded black envelope—and smirked at you. When you asked, they just laughed.
“Oh, this? This is your soul, Moonbeam. It’s ours to play with.”
⋆。˚✩˚。⋆
There’s a truth in sad boy literature: you don’t know how lucky you are until you miss that shine you took for granted. The magic behind being alone and at peace. But now, you were being trailed by a group of five sad-looking, handsome men.
“Why are we here…” The blue-haired demon whined. He unmistakably whined in a way that would usually be considered annoying—were it not for his handsome face. Pretty privilege. He tugged at your hair audaciously. “Hey human, this is so boring~”
You stopped in your tracks and turned around painfully slow.
“Stop being such a baby. You guys might be free from hunger, but I’m not. And if you want me to be able to promote your sad excuse of a boyband, then let me have this.” A sharp arm wrapped around your waist. You nearly dropped your basket.
“Now, Moonbeam, we wouldn’t want you to lose your cute little ability to talk back. Now, would we? If I were you, I would be nicer to us.” The light pink-haired man spoke softly in your ear, holding you more sternly as you tried to pull away.
To anyone else, it looked like a cute couple being close and shy with each other.
“Well, aren’t you a romantic…” You gritted your teeth and detached from his embrace, the hair on the back of your neck standing. “I’ll take your suggestion. Thanks.” You gave him the fakest, most obvious smile you could muster.
All that charm, and still can’t fix his attitude? Tragic.
Breathe.
“But if I were you, I’d be nicer to your manager. After all, I know how the world of entertainment works. While you…” Your gaze lingered on the black hanboks they were still wearing—pedestrians thought they were some kind of cosplayers. “…are undoubtedly lost. Face it, you guys need me.”
What you needed was power. Being your rightful owner again.
You needed them to free you.
The demon in the center smirked as he grabbed your chin and forced you to face him. “I think it’s the other way around, sweetheart. Remember your place, human—we could have you six feet under if we please.”
You saw red. But tried to breathe.
Yeah.
That didn’t work.
"You want to own my soul? Fine. But if you're going to drag me to Hell, you better do it right—because right now, you're all just dragging your feet." You snatched the man's hand away from you and pulled him dangerously closer. “If you want your little show to work, then you’ll have to hand some of the reins over. The summoning connects us both ways. Don’t think I don’t know that, demon.”
The demon froze, his eyes scanning your face as his lips fought to hide a small smile.
“Whatever you say, Polaris. But if you want to threaten me, do it by cursing my name. Jinu."
⋆。˚✩˚。⋆
You were being dragged to another store. Because, apparently, that’s the only way demons knew how to guide you anywhere they wanted to gaze at.
After spending the day with them, you had come up with a few nicknames for some of the demons—the ones that teased you most.
There was Baby, the smug, annoying one who kept tugging your shirt and making flirtatious comments when older women were present, making you a stuttering, ashamed mess.
There was also Romantic, which was originally just you being sarcastic—he had yet again threatened to end your life if you didn’t buy him a shiny necklace he liked.
Mysterious, who didn’t speak much, except for the small remarks he made when he thought you couldn’t hear him.
And Abby—who originally wanted to be referred to as Abs—who had a weird habit of holding your shoulders to show off his muscles.
Apart from the comic dialogue that had filled the silence in your head for most of the day, you were set on a single thought:
The demons needed clothes.
You didn’t know how you would pull off the whole boyband idea, but it was more than obvious that you wouldn’t be able to do it with them dressed like a historical Korean drama.
“I saw this exact fit on J-Dragon,” Romantic said proudly, shoving a hanger of glittery skinny jeans in your face. “Fancy, aren’t they, Moony?”
“From what year?” you asked, stepping back to admire the pair of slacks fully. You made an expression better left sealed than shown to the world. If side-eyes could kill, those pants would be long gone. “Those things are banned by Big Bang now.”
“2010, maybe?” he said.
“Exactly.”
Baby was already halfway into a pair of skin-tight pants. You didn’t know how he moved so fast—or how his bones were even intact.
“I look good,” he posed in front of the mirror like he was auditioning for a role in Twilight. “Humans will drool over me, won’t they, little star?”
You groaned. “You are so old, it’s painful to see.”
“No, no,” Mysterious spoke from beside you, making you jump as he appeared out of thin air. He flipped through a rack of mesh tops with a sinister kind of interest. “It’s vintage now. Retro. Cool.”
They were all going to get arrested for crimes against fashion.
“Bold of you to talk about crimes,” Jinu said, humming as he smirked your way—not understanding the definition of personal space.
…Did you say that out loud?
He tried on a leather jacket with zippers that went nowhere. You had to give it to him—he could wear a trash bag and still look good.
“Since we’re not paying for any of this.”
You froze. “What?”
They didn’t answer.
...
The alarms went off fifteen minutes later.
You walked briskly. They strolled—bags in hand, not a single receipt between them. Not even pretending to care. One of them even waved at a security guard on the way out.
“This is shoplifting!” you hissed, nearly tripping over your own feet as you tried to escape mall security. You were sweating bullets, and you weren’t even the one who committed a property crime.
“We don’t call it that,” Jinu said calmly, adjusting the lapels of his coat. “We call it… redistribution of aesthetic resources.”
“It’s theft!” you hissed again. “You could’ve gotten us caught!”
“No one saw you do anything,” Baby said, patting your head like you were a toddler who just learned object permanence. You pushed his face away as he laughed. “We handled it.”
The worst part?
They had.
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Did I make everyone flirt with the reader? Yes, and I was blushing the whole way JAJAJA But then again, I don’t want to make them soft straight ahead. Because…they are demons.
ANYWAYS
Reader being nicknamed after stars bc when souls go to the demon realm, they look like shooting stars. Each character had a special nickname which will be unlocked throughout the series start.
Here are the unlocked nicknames until now:
Romantic — Moonbeam Why: “Moonbeam” feels elegant, timeless, and full of ‘gentle’ affection — perfect for someone who says “dear” like he invented the word. It's also a little melancholy, which fits “Come now, Moonbeam, don’t pout. The night would weep without your light.” Jinu — My Polaris Why: He sees you as his an anchor. The nickname reflects deep respect and connection. It’s not flirty — it’s reverent “You don’t have to prove anything, my Polaris. I’ll follow you anywhere.” Maybe, still a work in progress: When the whole nicknames are revealed, the story will break into individual routes for each character. Like otome games.
Special thanks to: @lillycore @apelepikozume @junni-berry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @crescent-z @arieslucy @enerofairy @soldmygenderforglitter
☆ ~('▽^人)
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angrythingstarlight · 2 days ago
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On TikTok I saw a comment where a woman said that she told her husband to pretend to be unconscious so he was dead weight to see if she could drag him out of the house in case of fire or emergency, she couldn’t even pull him off the bed and she cried so he had comfort her while dying laughing😭😭😂 reminded me of something biker Bucky and Gorgeous would do
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Pairing: Biker!Bucky x Reader
A/N: Written on my phone, unbetad.
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Bucky groans dramatically. "You might as well just leave me here and save yourself Gorgeous."
You keep pulling him with all your strength but he barely budges an inch. You might be able to move him if he'd stop talking.
He doesn't.
"Bury me with my bike." Bucky cracks open an eye, his lips twitching. "And a pair of your panties."
"I'm not doing that." A laugh spills past your lips before you can stop it.
You can't concentrate with him cracking jokes like this. Yeah that's the reason you're struggling to move this six foot something man. It's all his fault.
You keep laughing but the more he thinks about it, the more he likes the idea. "Matter fact, line my casket with your panties and toss in a few of those pics I have on my phone."
"Oh my god."
"I'll know if you disregarded my last wishes," he casually warns, like his massive body isn't splayed on the bedroom floor. Like he's still not budging despite the fact that you're putting your all into this.
"Shut. Up."
"Mourn me for the rest of your life," he sighs sadly, head lolling to the side. Bucky hasn't broken character once, he's fully committed to this bit. "Keep a shrine of me in our bedroom."
"Bucky I'm trying to focus," your breathless giggle lost under a grunt when you try to shove him to the side. Nothing. Damn it.
Eyeing his shirtless, tattooed body, you try new a new approach. Adjusting your grip, you hook your fingers under his upper arms. You can barely get your hands around half of his large, warm biceps. Bracing your feet on the floor, you pull so hard you feel your muscles tremble and ache. He slides up a centimeter.
"Don't even think about moving on."
"Be quiet," you start. Releasing his arms, you wince when they hit the floor with a thud. You'd have better luck moving a pile of bricks than your man. "What would you do if I did?"
You're teasing but Bucky takes you very seriously.
He doesn't play when it comes to you. Or his burial requests.
He slowly opens his eyes, his darkening gaze captures yours. "I will haunt you for the rest of your life," he states confidently. "No guy will even breathe in your direction by time I'm done with them. You're going to have a rep because of me."
There's no time to process that because his hands suddenly reach out, grabbing your ankles. You're tugged forward, turned and twisted—somehow he manages to squeeze your ass a couple of times—until you're flat on his chest, his pecs under your palms.
Bucky smiles, his hand cups the back of your head and he brings your face close to his. "If you think I'm a menace now, imagine what my ghost will be like. Just imagine what ghost me would do to you. I'd get rid of your little replacement and then you'd get all my attention. Remember ghost me isn't going to get tired."
Oh.
Oh.
Oh no.
Well maybe that could be fun. Wait.
Your eyes widen at the images his words are creating. He chuckles under his breath. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
Resting your chin on his chest, you have to admit, no man would ever measure up to your bike. And if anyone could find a way to come back and haunt someone, it would be the handsome, incorrigible man under you.
"So you want all my panties or just your favorites?"
"Gorgeous. How many times do we have to go over this? All your panties are my favorite."
"Fine," you concede, failing to hold back a smile. "But you promised me a lifetime together and I'm holding you to that."
Bucky brushes his lips across yours in one sweet, sure motion. His deep voice rolls over your skin leaving goosebumps in its wake. "I have no intention of leaving you anytime soon. I got too many plans for you, Gorgeous."
All of his plans revolve around loving you, protecting you, being with you, caring for you any way you'll let him.
And he's going take his time getting through every last one of them.
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ggukivrse · 2 days ago
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THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM | JJK
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summary. when you complain to jungkook about your lack of action in the past year, you're not really asking for a solution. but when he casually offers to help, you just can't seem to bring yourself to say no.
after all, what's the worst that could happen in hooking up just this once?
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pairing: jeon jungkook x f!reader
genre: friends to lovers, smut, fluff, slight angst
word count: 7.7k
warnings: swearing, they actually talk about their feelings :0, explicit sexual content, kissing, making out, hickeys, dry humping, oral (f. receiving), multiple orgasms, unprotected sex (be smarter than them pls), a bit of banter, petnames (baby), they're really fucking cute in the end it makes me sick, let me know if i missed anything!
notes: idk if this counts as my first completed series buttt... i'm gonna act like it does. thank you so so much to all the love and support you guys have given me for the past two parts, i'm genuinely so beyond grateful for it all :<< hopefully, you guys enjoy this part too!!
ps. READ PART ONE HERE & PART TWO HERE!!
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⌗ masterlist. ⌗ taglist. ⌗ feedback
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You open his chat window again like it’s muscle memory. Like your thumb don't know how to not betray you.
It’s not even about sending something. You’ve got no intention of doing that. At least, that’s what you tell yourself. But the screen is always open, staring back at you with that last unread message you sent almost a week ago — a throwaway meme you found on your lunch break. No reply. Not even a reaction.
And it hadn’t felt like a big deal in the moment. You sent it like always, light and dumb and nothing. But then the nothing kept going. No little gray typing bubble. No 'lol.' No double text. No late night 'you up?' Just this wall of silence.
You would’ve rather gotten a dry reply. Hell, even a thumbs up. Anything to prove that he saw you.
But now it’s been long enough that sending something new would feel desperate. Like you’re chasing him. Like you’re asking for something you’re not even supposed to want.
You lock your phone and throw it face down on your bed.
Then pick it back up five seconds later.
Then toss it again, harder, as if that’ll prove something.
You wish you were mad. You think you are mad — at least a little. But it’s a tangled kind of anger. One that knots itself up with embarrassment and sharp, bitter shame. You want to scream at him, yeah. But also at yourself.
Why did you let this happen?
Why did you let him blur the lines and kiss you like that and touch you like he meant it?
You were supposed to be smarter than this.
You lie back across your bed with one arm flung over your eyes. It’s stupid. You know it’s stupid. It was just sex. Just two nights. Two insanely good, dangerously close, way-too-connected nights. But still — technically just sex.
Except it wasn’t.
Not when he remembered your favourite sauce order without asking. Not when he brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear while you ranted about work.
And especially not when he went cold the second things felt too good.
That’s what keeps twisting the knife. That shift in him. Like someone flipped a switch and rewrote the script. One minute, he was holding you like you mattered. The next, you were stepping out of his bathroom and into a stranger’s apartment.
You haven’t heard his voice since.
You bite the inside of your cheek and squeeze your eyes shut, trying to push down that lump of feeling before it rises too high.
It’s fine. You’re fine. You’re overthinking it.
Maybe he’s just going through something. Maybe he didn’t mean to shut you out. Maybe he thought you didn’t want to hear from him. Or maybe he’s just a fucking coward who got scared when the stakes changed.
But then, why didn’t you reach out?
Why didn’t you ask if he was okay, or tell him he was being weird, or demand an explanation like you’re owed one?
Because you’re afraid.
Because you don’t want the truth if the truth is that he regrets all of it.
Because deep down, you know this isn’t just a friendship anymore, and pretending it is would break you worse than silence.
Your phone buzzes once on the comforter beside you.
You freeze. Then sit up fast, breath catching halfway in your throat.
Your eyes are already scanning the screen before your brain can fully catch up.
Kook 🍜: hi
One word. Just hi. Like the last seven days didn’t happen. Like your stomach hasn’t been in knots trying to make sense of his silence. Like he didn’t vanish without warning after folding you into his sheets and leaving you to figure out what the hell it meant.
Your breath leaves you in one uneven exhale.
You blink at the message, your body locked in this strange stillness. Your thumb hovers, frozen. Part of you is tempted to stare at it until it disappears. Ignore it. Let him feel what it’s like to be the one left hanging. But your hands betray you again — just like they always do with him.
You: Radio silence for a week and all I get is a fucking hi? Wtf Jungkook
It’s not even what you really want to say, but it’s the closest thing you can manage that doesn’t sound like I missed you so much it made me sick or please don’t do this again.
Three dots appear.
Your heart squeezes like it’s caught in someone’s fist. And then the dots vanish.
Then come back.
Then vanish again.
You mutter, “Fucking say something,” to no one. It comes out too small, too desperate. You shut your eyes tight for a second like you can wring the feeling out of yourself by force.
A minute or so passes before his reply finally sends.
Kook 🍜: sorry. can i talk to you today?
You reread it so many times the text starts to lose meaning. Can I talk to you today?
You feel sick.
There’s no way you don’t know what this is. The phrasing. The tone. He wants to talk? What the fuck else could that mean, if not that he’s about to cut things off? That he’s going to hand you some polite little speech about how you’re great, but this can’t happen again. That he wants to stay friends and he doesn’t want to confuse things any more than he already has.
Or worse — he thinks you guys are better off cutting contact all together.
You bite down hard on your thumb, suddenly on the verge of tears and furious at yourself for it. You should’ve never let it get here. You should’ve drawn the line before the second time. Before the car. Before the party.
You should’ve been more careful with your heart.
But you’re here now. So far past the line you can’t even see it anymore.
You open your keyboard, then close it again. You want to ask what he wants to talk about. You want to demand answers over text so you don’t have to see his face when he says the words. But you know you won’t get anything that way.
You: Where?
Kook 🍜: i can come to yours
You sit there for a second, just breathing. You feel like you’re bracing for a crash that’s already midair.
You: What time?
Kook 🍜: i can be there in an hour?
You don’t answer. Not right away. You’re too busy staring at your reflection in the dark screen, wondering why your face looks so calm when your body feels like it’s trying to collapse in on itself.
You: Okay
You put the phone down carefully, like it might go off again, or explode, and turn your gaze to the ceiling. Every minute after this is going to stretch like it’s mocking you.
You don’t know if you’re getting closure or clarity. You don’t even know which one would hurt more.
But you know you won't cancel.
Because if this is going to end — if he’s going to say it — it has to be to your face. You need to see it.
You need to know for sure.
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Jungkook is fucked.
Like, actually, cosmically, irreversibly fucked.
He stares at the elevator doors like they’re the gates to hell, and his own reflection in the brushed metal does him no favours. He looks tense. Jaw tight, shoulders hunched up high like he’s trying to fold himself into a more manageable version. Someone chill. Someone who isn’t about to shit himself over the thought of seeing you.
He rolls his shoulders back, shakes out his hands. Useless. He’s already sweating through his hoodie.
Every nerve in his body feels like it’s tuned an octave too high. Like if someone so much as breathes in his direction right now, he’ll either snap or confess something humiliating.
He wipes his palms on his jeans again. That’s the fourth time since the lobby.
The worst part is, he knows how he got here. He knows exactly when it happened, too — the moment the line moved.
It was your laugh. The tired kind, all cracked at the edges after that hellish Friday you had. You were curled up in his passenger seat, half out of it, feet tucked under you, and you’d looked over at him with that soft, worn-down smile.
And it just… hit him.
The weight of it. Of you.
He wanted to reach over and touch your face. Not to tease. Not to start something. Just to feel your skin under his fingers like it was allowed now.
And the second that thought formed — clear and blinding and way too tender — it was over. Game fucking over.
Because it wasn’t supposed to feel like that.
You’re his best friend. Have been for years. He knows how you take your coffee, how you organise your playlists by mood, how you chew on the inside of your cheek when you're anxious. You’re not just some girl he hooked up with at a party. You’re you.
And now, he’s standing in an elevator on the way to your apartment, trying not to think about how badly he messed it all up.
He hadn’t meant to ghost you. Not really. It was just — after that night, after the way you looked at him, all warm and trusting — he panicked. Full-body, brain-scrambling, total system failure. He couldn’t even look at you without feeling like he was seconds from saying something stupid like "Don’t sleep with anyone else, please," or "I think I’m in love with you."
So instead, he shut down. Did the one thing he always swore he wouldn’t do with you — he pulled away. Got weird. Avoided it. Avoided you.
And now you’re pissed.
Rightfully so.
He deserved that text you sent. Probably worse. You could’ve ignored him completely and he wouldn’t have blamed you. But you didn’t. You texted back and he’s clinging onto that like a lifeline. Because it means there’s still time. Still a chance to fix it — if he doesn’t blow it again.
He presses the heel of his hand to his chest like that might steady the erratic rhythm of his heart.
What the fuck is he even going to say?
Sorry for being an emotionally constipated idiot?
Sorry I ghosted you because I realised I’m in love with you and it short-circuited my whole fucking personality?
Sorry I thought I could fuck you and still keep pretending like you don’t mean more to me than anyone else?
The elevator dings.
Jungkook flinches like it slapped him, then scrubs a hand through his hair, lets out a tight breath, and steps through the doors before he can change his mind.
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He’s here.
Fuck. He’s actually here.
Jungkook looks like he didn’t sleep last night. Hair messy, clothes a little wrinkled, eyes flicking up to meet yours for a second before they dart away again. His hands are shoved into the pockets of his jacket like he’s afraid of what they’ll do if left unsupervised.
You tell yourself not to feel relieved. Not to let it show. He didn’t cancel. He showed up. That shouldn’t mean as much as it does. It really, really shouldn’t.
But still — there’s something in your chest that unclenches when you see him standing there, real and present. Even if he does look like he’s about to apologise for burning down your house or something.
“Hey,” he says, voice quiet.
You step back from the door to let him in. Dry. Wordless. The move is automatic, but your body feels stiff with it, like your own muscles are annoyed on your behalf.
He hesitates before stepping inside, like he thinks the floor might swallow him up. You don't offer a smile. Don't even look at him once the door’s closed behind him.
You cross your arms and lean back against the edge of the kitchen counter, watching him with a blank expression that’s only half-real. The other half is tightly coiled under your skin — anger, sure, but under that, all the feelings you’ve been pretending not to have.
He does a slow, uncertain glance around your apartment like something might’ve changed since the last time he was here. But it hasn’t. It’s still your place. Same plants, same overhead light humming softly, same faint scent of laundry detergent that clings to the air.
He stands there awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. It’s like he doesn’t know where to put his body.
You’ve never seen him like this before. Not around you. Jungkook’s always been comfortable here. The kind of comfortable that leaves shoes by the door without asking. The kind that opens your fridge like he owns a shelf. But right now, he looks like a stranger in someone else’s house.
You let the silence stretch out. You’re waiting for him to just speak, but he doesn’t
He doesn’t even try.
Eventually, your voice cuts through the air, a little too sharp. “Jungkook, you said you wanted to talk.”
His head snaps up like he forgot that was part of the deal. Like the fact that he came here at all already cost him everything he had in reserve.
“Yeah,” he says. His throat moves when he swallows. “I do.”
You raise your eyebrows, waiting.
He opens his mouth like he’s about to start, then closes it again. Shifts his stance. Rubs the back of his neck with one hand. You catch the way his eyes flick to the floor, then back to you, then away again.
You narrow your eyes. “Well?”
He breathes out a weak, almost bitter laugh and runs both hands down his thighs, like he’s physically trying to ground himself. “I don’t know how to do this,” he mutters.
You frown, arms still crossed tight across your chest. “What? Talk?”
You hate being like this towards him — you feel like a bitch. But it’s the only way that you can stop yourself from just spilling all of your thoughts and feelings to him.
“No, I—” He breaks off, jaw flexing. “No. I mean… say the right thing. Say any of it without sounding like an idiot.”
You blink, unimpressed. “So you came here without knowing what you were gonna say.”
He looks at you then. Fully. And for the first time since he walked in, you see the real wreckage behind his eyes. There’s nothing cool or casual about it. He’s unravelling in slow motion. Everything about him is quiet desperation wrapped in someone trying really hard not to fall apart.
“I didn’t know what to say because I didn’t know what I wanted,” he says finally. “And then I figured it out, and that somehow made it worse.”
You stay silent.
He shifts closer, not by much — just a few inches. “I fucked up,” he adds, voice barely above a whisper. “I know I did. I know I disappeared. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I didn’t care. I was just—” he stops, jaw tightening again. “I got scared.”
You scoff under your breath and look away.
“I’m serious,” he says, softer now. “It freaked me out. How fast it happened. How much it changed.”
You look back at him, jaw set. “What changed?”
He swallows again. Stiff. His voice cracks a little when he speaks next.
“You,” he says again. “How I feel about you. That changed.”
Your chest tightens.
You don’t react, not visibly. You keep your face still, unreadable, even though your brain is suddenly scrambling. You’ve been yanked in too many directions this past week. You’re not going to lean into hope just because he finally decided to speak.
So you say nothing. You just hold his gaze and wait.
Jungkook takes a breath, his shoulders rising with it, then falling in a slow, deliberate exhale. The nervousness is still there — but it’s settled into something quieter now.
“I kept trying to tell myself it didn’t mean anything,” he says. “That it was just— whatever. Two friends, getting carried away. We were drunk the first time, right? It was easy to lie to myself about that. Easy to say it didn’t have to go anywhere.”
His voice is calm, but there's tension underneath it.
“But the second time?” He pauses, tongue running along the inside of his cheek, eyes still locked on yours. “That wasn’t drunk. That wasn’t casual. That was me driving us across town just to make you feel better, because I can’t stand it when you’re not okay.”
You flinch — barely — but he sees it. You know he does.
“And then it was me kissing you like I’d lose my mind if I didn’t. You think I didn’t notice how different that felt? I’ve never kissed you like that before. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.”
The weight of his words hangs in the air between you.
You’re still standing by the counter, arms crossed, but now your grip has loosened. You hate how much this is getting to you, how badly you want to give in, how your chest aches just hearing him say the things you’d only let yourself think when the lights were off and your phone screen was dark.
Jungkook takes another step toward you.
“When I brought you back to mine that night… when you came out of the shower, and I saw you just standing there in my space, looking at me like I was safe…” His voice catches, but not in a way that makes him crumble — just enough to show the truth of it. “I freaked the fuck out.”
You blink at him, finally speaking. “Yeah. I noticed.”
He huffs out a breath that's almost a laugh, but not quite. “I didn’t mean to shut down. I didn’t even know what I was doing in the moment. I just— everything in me wanted to pull you close, and that’s when I realised I couldn’t keep doing this the way we were doing it. Not without losing my shit every time you left.”
Your throat feels tight, but you still ask, “So you decided to ghost me instead?”
That lands. His jaw flexes, and he nods once. “Yeah. I did. I thought if I gave it space, I could go back to being normal. Go back to just being your friend. But I couldn’t. I can’t.
“I don’t want to be just your friend anymore. Not because of the sex, not because it was good— which it was, but that’s not the point. It’s you. It’s always been you. I didn’t realise how much until I almost lost it completely.”
You swallow hard. Your arms are uncrossed now. Not folded in, not defensive — just hanging at your sides like you’re too stunned to remember what to do with them.
Jungkook steps in closer. Not touching you yet. But near enough that you can smell him — faint cologne, his laundry detergent, the scent you associate with your car windows fogging up.
“I missed you,” he says, and his voice turns softer. “Every day. And it scared the shit out of me, how badly I wanted to talk to you. Touch you. Just be around you. I wasn’t ready to admit it last week, and I was a coward for that. But I’m not running anymore.”
Silence again.
Except it doesn’t feel like the ones you’ve been drowning in for a week.
“I don’t know what you’re feeling,” he says, lower now, like the words might break if he’s too loud. “And I’m not assuming anything. But if you still want me around— really want me— just say the word. I’ll figure out the rest.”
You inhale slowly, try to even out your breathing, but your chest still feels like it’s barely holding together. Your heart’s doing that thing where it thuds too hard without speeding up.
You hate that you believe him. That you always would’ve. That no matter how angry you were, no matter how cold you tried to be when he walked in — you still wanted him to explain, to prove it wasn’t what your worst thoughts told you it was.
And now he has.
He’s standing in front of you with open hands, with the words you oh so desperately wanted to hear. And for a moment, you’re not sure what to do with that.
“I hate you,” you say quietly.
It’s not true. Not even close. But it’s the first thing that leaves your mouth.
Jungkook huffs out a dry laugh, eyes dropping to the floor. “Yeah,” he murmurs, nodding. “I figured.”
You shake your head once. “No. I mean it. I fucking hate you for this. For—” You break off, because your voice is shaking now. “For making me feel like I was crazy. For not even saying goodnight after… after everything.”
His face tightens, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“You could’ve just told me,” you go on. “You could’ve said it was too much. That it got weird. That you needed time. Anything. But you disappeared. And I had to sit here wondering if I made it all up."
You pause, pressing your lips together.
“And I— I missed you too, you know,” you add, quieter this time.
His mouth opens like he might speak, but no sound comes out at first. Instead, he closes the space between you by half, slow and steady, like he’s afraid of pushing too far.
“God, you’re such an asshole,” you whisper, but your tone isn't mean. Not even close.
He laughs, soft and low. “Yeah. I know.
“You promise me you’re sure? Cause Jungkook, I will fucking cut off your dick if you pull this shit again.”
He smiles but doesn’t hesitate. “I promise. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
You stare at him.
Long enough that the air between you stretches taut, thin as thread.
His hand twitches like he wants to reach for you but still doesn’t know if he’s allowed. His jaw flexes, his chest rising and falling in uneven swells. You can tell he’s waiting — for a sign, for a go-ahead, for you.
And even though part of you still wants to be mad, still wants to make him sweat just a little longer, the rest of you aches. For his mouth. For his hands. For the solid, grounding weight of him.
So you move.
You step into the last inch of space between you and grab the front of his hoodie. He exhales like he’s been holding his breath for a year, but you don’t give him a chance to say anything.
You kiss him.
Not out of impulse. Not for show. You kiss him because you need to. Because your chest feels like it’s going to split open if you don’t.
At first, it’s quiet. Just lips pressed to lips — careful, slow. There’s a pause between each pass of your mouth over his, like you’re both trying to remember how this started. How you even got here.
But then he sighs against you — not loud, not dramatic, just a sound full of relief — and it unravels something.
His hands lift, hesitating for only half a second before they settle on your waist, fingers curling tight. You press closer, and his lips part beneath yours. The angle shifts. Your nose bumps his cheek. It’s not perfect, but it’s real, and when your tongue brushes his, everything tilts.
The sweetness melts fast.
He makes a sound low in his throat and drags you in like the distance is unbearable. Your hands slide up into his hair, fingers threading through the strands at the base of his neck, and the way he reacts — the little shiver he tries to swallow — sends heat straight down your spine.
You kiss him harder.
His body crowds yours until your back meets the wall. Not rough, not rushed. Just firm. His chest presses to yours, and you can feel the way his heart races. How your own pulse kicks up to match it.
The kiss deepens, turns messy at the edges. His teeth catch your bottom lip and your breath stutters, but you don’t pull back. You tilt your chin, chasing more, and the next time he kisses you, it’s hungrier. One of his hands slips to the small of your back, palm dragging slow and warm beneath your shirt. The skin-to-skin contact makes your whole body twitch.
You gasp into his mouth, and he swallows the sound, his hands tightening. His other arm slips around your waist completely, pulling you flush against him, and suddenly you’re not thinking anymore. You’re just feeling.
The tension that’s been bottling up between you two — the silence, the week of wondering, the ache of missing him so much it hurt — it all floods to the surface.
You fist your hands in his hoodie, yanking him impossibly closer. Your hips shift forward, just enough to brush him, and the sound he makes is sharp and involuntary, caught between a breath and a groan.
“Fuck,” he mutters, barely pulling back. His forehead presses to yours, breath ragged. “You’re driving me insane.”
You huff, lips brushing his. “That’s fair.”
Then he kisses you again. Rougher this time. Desperate in a way that makes your knees go soft.
He doesn’t stay at your mouth for long. His lips trail down — your jaw, your cheek, the shell of your ear. His breath is hot and uneven, and when he finds your neck, your whole body reacts. Your hands clutch at him, your back arches off the wall, and the soft sound that escapes your throat isn’t one you mean to make.
He feels it. Hears it. Answers it with a low, reverent sound that seems to vibrate straight through you.
His tongue traces the spot beneath your ear, slow and deliberate, and your eyes flutter shut.
Your fingers tighten in his hair, your breath catching sharp in your throat. You pull back for a second before lowering your mouth to his neck, right where the collar of his hoodie dips. He lets out a small sound, hands flexing on your waist, when your lips press there.
You start slow. You can feel his pulse under your tongue, the way his chest rises against yours, unsteady and warm. Then you part your lips and suck gently at the spot just below his jaw. His whole body stutters, hips jerking against yours before he can stop it.
Your fingers trail down his chest, tugging his hoodie collar aside for better access. His head tips back, eyes squeezed shut, lips parted.
You do it again, this time with enough pressure to leave a mark, and the sound of your mouth working against his skin is lewd.
He groans. It’s low and rough and barely held back, and the sound shoots straight between your legs. You feel him hardening now, undeniable through the fabric where he’s pressed against you.
“All mine?” you whisper, your lips brushing over the new mark you’ve left.
He doesn’t even hesitate. “All yours.”
His voice is breathless. Wrecked. And so damn certain it knocks something loose in your chest.
You pull back just enough to look at him — really look. His pupils are blown, his lips swollen, a flush climbing high on his cheeks. He looks at you like he wants to devour you. Like he would if you let him.
“I missed that mouth,” he mutters, hands gliding under your shirt again, palms broad and warm. “Missed everything.”
You kiss his throat in reply and drag your teeth across it until he swears under his breath.
His hips grind against you again, harder this time. You both feel it — the friction, the heat building between your bodies.
His arms shift beneath you and he lifts you clean off the ground in one smooth motion, hands strong under your thighs. A startled sound escapes your throat as your legs wrap around his waist on instinct, gripping him tight.
“Fuck,” he mutters again, forehead dropping to your shoulder. “I want you so bad it’s actually stupid.”
You smile, drunk on the feel of him.
“Bedroom?” you murmur, tracing your lips over the new mark blooming against his skin.
He hums lowly, and shifts his grip on your thighs.
He carries you through the hallway and your lips never leave his skin for more than a second.
When he reaches your bedroom, he doesn’t hesitate. He steps inside and drops you onto the mattress in one fluid movement.
You barely get your bearings before he’s crawling over you, slotting his body between your legs, His mouth finds yours again, and you moan into it before you can stop yourself when his knee presses between your legs.
Your hips twitch, grinding down against the pressure, and he groans in response, the sound vibrating through your chest as his mouth moves with yours. His hand slips under your shirt again, this time bolder, fingers spanning across your ribs and inching higher until his knuckles brush the curve of your breast.
You gasp softly, and he pulls back just enough to murmur, “Off.”
You sit up just enough to grab the hem of your shirt, tugging it over your head in one smooth pull, your hair mussed from the friction. He watches the fabric fall to the floor, then looks at you.
“You’re so fucking pretty," he breathes.
You roll your eyes automatically, even though your face is already burning. “Shut up.”
“I’m serious,” he says, and his voice drops low. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
His lips part and he kisses along your sternum — slow, wet presses of his mouth that trail up and then out, over the swell of one breast, then the other.
You inhale sharply when his mouth grazes the sensitive skin beside your nipple, and his eyes flick up at the sound, pupils blown. He kisses lower, then higher again, murmuring against your skin, “Can’t believe I went a week without this.”
The vibration of his voice right against your skin makes you arch, and he meets you halfway, grinding down slow and deliberate, like he knows exactly what you’re chasing and wants to stretch it out just to watch you squirm.
Your hands curl into his shoulders, nails biting down just enough to make him grunt softly into your skin. He rolls his hips again, slow and heavy, and the pressure against your core has your breath catching in your throat.
“Koo,” you whine out.
He pulls back just enough to look at you, lips pink and wet, hair falling into his eyes. He grins, crooked and hot and deeply pleased with himself.
“Yeah, baby?” he asks, and his voice is pure sin.
You glare, but your thighs shift open under him anyway.
“Please.”
He hums, satisfied, and starts working his way lower. Every kiss is wet and unhurried. Down your chest, across your stomach. His hands follow, smoothing over your ribs, down to your hips, dragging the waistband of your pants just slightly with them. His thumbs hook in the fabric, pausing right above your pelvis.
He looks up at you, smug and dark-eyed.
“Gonna let me take these off?”
He's so annoying you're gonna kill him. “Do I look like I’m stopping you?”
“No,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss just below your navel, “but I like hearing you say it.”
You huff, fingers threading into his hair again. “Take them off, Kook.”
He eases them down slowly — too slowly — dragging the fabric down your legs while his mouth follows in a path of heat and pressure. He kisses your hipbone, your inner thigh, every patch of skin he uncovers like it’s something sacred. When your panties go next, he makes a quiet sound in the back of his throat — more reverent than smug this time.
You’re already wet, already aching, and from the way his eyes flicker as he takes you in, he fucking knows it.
“Fuck,” he mutters. “You’re soaked. You missed me that much?”
You exhale hard, cheeks hot. “Shut up and do something about it.”
He grins again, slower this time. “Anything you want.”
His hands grip your thighs and spread them further apart, and before you can say another word, his mouth is on you.
The first swipe of his tongue is long, and delibirate. You jerk at the contact, a broken sound slipping from your lips, and he groans like he’s the one falling apart. His hands tighten on your hips, holding you in place, and does it again.
Every movement of his tongue is practiced and precise. He starts slow, almost gentle, licking through your folds with a kind of focus that makes your head spin. Your thighs threaten to close around his head, but he pushes them apart with ease, never breaking rhythm.
Your hands move to the back of his head, gripping tight. His tongue circles your clit once, then again, and the third time he sucks it between his lips. You try to stifle a moan, but it slips from your lips anyway.
He pulls back just enough to speak, breath hot on your skin.
“Keep making those sounds, baby,” he murmurs, voice wrecked. “Wanna hear every fucking thing I do to you.”
He movements turn faster, his mouth messy and hot and relentless. You’re already close, the build-up sharp and climbing, and he can feel it. One of his hands slips lower, spreading you open further with his thumb, and his tongue drags in tighter circles.
You’re writhing, panting, toes curling into the sheets. Your fingers tug at his hair, your spine arching off the bed.
“Fuck— Kook—” you gasp, head thrown back.
He groans again, the sound vibrating straight through your pussy. He doubles down, mouth moving faster, and when your hips start to stutter, erratic and desperate, he presses his hand over your stomach, grounding you.
“You’re gonna come for me?” he murmurs against you, mouth slick with you. “Gonna let me taste it?”
You nod frantically, unable to speak, your whole body wound tight and ready to snap.
He presses his mouth against you again, lips sucking against your clit, and the feeling has you squirming with pleasure.
“Kook—” your voice breaks open as you come hard against his mouth.
He moans, but his movements don't stop.
Your body arches helplessly, heels digging into the bed, one hand fisted in the sheets, the other still tangled in his hair as you ride out the wave. You’re gasping, blinking hard, your heart trying to punch through your ribs.
Only when your legs start to tremble uncontrollably does he finally pull back.
His lips are slick and swollen, jaw damp, hair messy from where you’ve been gripping it. And he looks wrecked — eyes heavy-lidded, pupils blown wide, like just being between your thighs has undone something in him.
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, then drags his lips slowly up your inner thigh, leaving lazy kisses in his wake.
You’re still catching your breath, staring at the ceiling like your soul just left your body, when he plants a final kiss on the inside of your knee and murmurs, “Yeah. I’m never ghosting you again.”
You let out a breathless laugh, too blissed out to be mad. “You better not.”
“After that?” he says, crawling back up your body, slow and unhurried. “I’d be clinically insane.”
He settles over you again, pressing a warm, open-mouthed kiss to your stomach, then another between your breasts, then finally your mouth. You taste yourself on his tongue, and when he groans against your lips, it sends a fresh jolt of heat straight through you.
His body is flush against yours, his clothed cock thick and heavy where it presses against your thigh. You let your hands trail down his chest slowly to tug at the denim loops of his jeans.
"Want these off," you mumble against his lips.
He smiles and presses one last kiss to your mouth before he leans back onto his knees. His hands go to his belt, and you watch the way his fingers fumble for just a second.
He gets the buckle undone, then the zipper, the sound louder than it should be in your quiet bedroom. You watch as he shucks them down, boxers and all, and your breath catches slightly at the sight of him — flushed and hard and achingly ready.
“Better?” he asks, voice low.
You nod, breath shallow, and he’s already crawling back over you. The heat of him sinks into your skin as his body settles between your thighs, bare now.
Your legs part without hesitation.
His weight, the press of his chest to yours, the familiar scent of him wrapped in something raw and new — it all hits at once, and your whole body shivers.
He’s warm everywhere. The kind of warmth that soaks into your bones and makes you ache for more.
His hands slide along your arms until they find yours where they’re resting above your head. He threads his fingers through yours and presses them gently into the pillow, pinning you there. His eyes search yours, and you feel the first brush of him between your legs, just the tip, teasing the edge of you.
He doesn’t move yet. Just rests there, eyes locked on yours.
“You okay?” he murmurs, voice low and thick, like he’s hanging on by a thread.
You don’t answer — not with words. You just tilt your hips up, welcoming him in with nothing but a look.
He pushes in slow — painfully slow — each inch dragging fire across your nerves as your body stretches to take him. Your mouth falls open in a silent gasp, your fingers clenching around his. When he’s fully buried inside you, he stills completely.
“Fuck,” he breathes, forehead dropping to yours. “You feel… unreal.”
You can’t speak — your body’s too full, too wrecked already — so you kiss him instead. Slow and sweet and a little desperate. Your hips rock up, seeking more.
He groans into your mouth, finally starting to move, and every thrust is so fucking deep. It’s not rushed or frantic. It’s him savouring you, like he wants to remember how this feels with every part of himself.
His hands stay tight around yours, anchoring you both to the bed, to each other.
The rhythm builds, a slow burn that spreads everywhere, and between kisses you catch the way he looks at you — like he’s seeing something he’s afraid to lose. Like there’s something he wants to say but can’t yet.
“You were supposed to beg,” you manage to murmur against his mouth, breathless. “Grovel a little.”
That crooked smile curls against your lips. “My bad, baby,” he murmurs. “You can make me beg next time.”
You raise an eyebrow. “You’re gonna regret that.”
He shifts his hips, thrusting deeper, and your breath leaves you in a ragged gasp.
“You promise?”
The challenge in his voice is smug, but his eyes are dark and glassy, his control hanging by a thread. You whimper in response, thighs tightening around his waist, and he dips his head to your throat, dragging his lips along your pulse like it’s the only thing tethering him to earth.
He starts to move with more purpose now, making you feel every second of it. His cock grinds into that spot that makes your vision blur, and your whole body tenses, fingers squeezing his like a lifeline.
The moan you let out is shameless, high and wrecked, when he tilts his hips just right — again and again, like he’s carving his name into your body from the inside.
“Right there?” he murmurs, already knowing. His hand slips between your bodies, thumb finding your clit with the kind of confidence that only comes from knowing you — every reaction, every sound. “God, you’re so fucking wet. You always get like this for me?”
“Koo—” His name slips out broken, a warning and a plea wrapped in one.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers, voice ragged, forehead pressed to yours. His thrusts get rougher now, faster, the rhythm losing polish but gaining intensity. “Let me have you, baby. Come again for me.”
The words send a bolt of heat straight to your core, your whole body winding tight. His mouth crashes against yours before you can respond, tongue tangling with yours, greedy and open and honest in all the ways his words still aren’t.
When he pulls back, he’s panting, “You feel like heaven, fuck.”
You can’t even process it — not now, not when his rhythm stutters and his hips slam harder, each thrust jolting a cry from your throat. Your legs are trembling, your grip bruising where it clings to him, and you can feel the knot in your stomach tighening.
“That’s it,” he groans, watching your face like it’s the only thing that matters. “Let go for me. Let me feel you.”
You bury your face in his shoulder, teeth catching on his skin as your orgasm crashes over you. Your body locks up, thighs clenching, and you cry out his name. His hand squeezes yours back, holding you through it.
Your walls grip him tight, and he groans loud against your skin, hips faltering. “Fuck— shit—”
He thrusts once more before spilling into you with a broken sound, voice rasping your name like a prayer.
His whole body shudders as he comes, arms locked tight around you like he needs you to stay exactly where you are — here, under him, around him, real. His forehead drops to your shoulder, damp curls brushing your skin as he exhales, long and shaky.
Neither of you move right away. The air between you is thick with heat and breath and a comforting silence.
Eventually though, he shifts just enough to press a kiss to your collarbone. Then another, softer.
His hand slides along your waist, fingertips brushing lazy patterns into your skin. You hum under your breath — not a word, just a sound — and he responds by kissing your shoulder again.
Your legs are still tangled together. His body still half-draped over yours. There’s a mess between your thighs and sweat clinging to your skin, and you should probably say something, anything — but there’s something sweet about the silence now. It’s soft. Unspoken. Peaceful, in a weirdly intimate way.
He shifts again, easing out of you with a quiet groan, and you wince a little at the loss.
“Sorry,” he murmurs, running a hand gently over your thigh like an apology.
“It’s fine,” you breathe, eyes closed, chest still rising and falling too fast.
He doesn’t go far. Just rolls to the side, still close enough that his leg stays pressed against yours, and reaches for the blanket to pull it up over you both. He tugs you into his chest like second nature, burying his nose in your hair, his hand stroking absently up and down your arm.
“You good?” he asks softly, lips brushing your temple.
“Yeah,” you say, quieter now. “You?”
He pauses. Then he nods against your skin. “Yeah. More than.”
You lay there like that for a while, heartbeats evening out. He’s still drawing shapes on your skin — fingertips slow, mindless — and you smile to yourself, warmth blooming low in your stomach.
“So,” you murmur eventually, voice still hoarse. “What now? We high-five and call it a night?”
He huffs a laugh into your hair. “I mean, I wouldn’t say no to a high-five.”
You laugh, nudging him with your shoulder. “Cocky.”
“Confident,” he corrects, grinning. “But really—” He shifts a little so he can see your face, one hand reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “If we’re doing this, I wanna do it right.”
You blink, caught off-guard by the sudden sincerity in his voice. “Do what right?”
He raises an eyebrow, like it should be obvious. “Us.”
There’s a pause. You look at him, and he looks at you, and it’s terrifying and sweet all at once.
“I really like you,” he says, quieter this time. “And I’m not just saying that because I just got laid.” He cracks a small smile. “Though, to be fair, that was mind-blowing.”
You snort. “So humble.”
“I’m serious,” he says, nudging your nose with his. “I’ll take you out. I’ll plan dumb dates. I’ll be obnoxiously charming and show up with flowers. I’ll be— like— a gentleman, or whatever.”
You give him a look. “You should’ve done all that before you fucked me.”
His grin spreads. “Yeah, well. Guess I got the order wrong. You gonna hold that against me?”
“Maybe,” you say, lips twitching.
“I’ll make it up to you,” he says, fingers brushing your cheek. “You’ll see. I’ll be so romantic it’ll make you want to punch me.”
“I already want to punch you.”
“And yet,” he says smugly, pulling you closer, “you’re still in my bed.”
“This is my bed, dumbass.”
He pauses. “Okay, fair. But I am naked in it. With you.”
You roll your eyes, but the smile on your face won’t go away. His arm tightens around your waist, and you let yourself relax into it — into him. For once, it doesn’t feel like something to second-guess.
He kisses your forehead, then your cheek, then the corner of your mouth.
You tuck your face into his neck and sigh. “You better bring the good flowers. Like the ones that don’t die in two days.”
“Oh, so now you’re picky?”
“You said dates and flowers. I’m holding you to it.”
“Noted,” he says, fingers threading into your hair. “I’m gonna be so disgustingly good to you.”
You laugh softly into his skin.
And he just holds you tighter.
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pork-pop · 2 days ago
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DON’T MAKE ME BEG FOR YOU!
✧ the girl of his dreams is throwing him a bone…is he feigning nonchalance or acting a fool?!
contains: gojo, geto, nanami || cw: p in v sex (unprotected), oral (f. receiving), like a hint of hair pulling for suguru, mentions of masturbation || wc: 1.7k~
✧ a/n: i am half asleep right now if there’s a typo just come to my home and take me out before i wake up! cheers. srry nanami’s ended up kinda shorter than the others oopsie daisy.
MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS DNI!!!
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SATORU GOJO
acting a fool is an understatement
Satoru is terrible at the art of subtlety, and to most, making one’s intentions blatantly clear to the person they’re interested in might seem mortifying. But that’s been Satoru’s goal since the start. Those lingering touches, the flirtatious glances and suggestive comments were all done in stride, after all, he takes pride in the fact that he’s getting what he wants. You, however, have been the hardest shell to crack. So, naturally, he’s utterly whipped. 
He can hardly believe his luck when you choose to reciprocate after months of cat and mouse, and he has no choice but to lay out all of his chips and double down. 
For someone who was raised to be a gentleman, he sure does know how to get your clothes on the floor without any manners at all. As soon as you’re blessing him, deepening the kiss, his wandering hands are tugging at your blouse for permission to show you how much he’ll work for it. 
“Isn’t this a treat?” He pants humorously between thrusts, fucking into you like he’ll know he’ll find the answers to all of his intrusive questions regarding you if he just gets an inch or two deeper. Satoru hisses as you tighten around him, “You gonna keep talking or are you gonna fuck me harder?” you snicker. And you should know that there’s nothing Satoru loves more than a good challenge; getting you like this wasn’t the challenge he’d most anticipated, no, it was making you crave it just as much as he did. 
“Is that an invitation?” He asks, a big grin twisting at the corners of his lips while he inches a hand down to thumb teasingly at your clit, “You know, I’ve been thinking about you saying that for a while now, don’t you?” In spite of his stamina, Satoru’s breath is ragged and shaky, could it be that he was even a bit…nervous? You didn’t have the time to put much thought into it before his hips speed up, knocking every one of those pretty suspicions out of your head for the time being. Your eyes roll back and you swear you can hear a triumphant little huff of a laugh from him as he takes that as inspiration to roughen the circles he’s drawing against your clit. 
“I’ve been thinking about what you’d sound like when you cum, too,” he admits without a shred of shame, nosing into the tender column of your throat so you can hear him better, “Can I hear?” “Fuck!” Is all you can manage through a strangled cry, clawing at the shifting muscles of his back in a futile attempt to ground yourself. “C’mon, I can tell you’re getting close,” he rasps madly, “I wanna hear you.” He begs, suddenly licking a greedy stripe along the dampened skin of your neck. 
And who are you to deny him? You cry out a declaration of your sudden orgasm, features squeezed and mouth parted as you struggle to catch your breath. Satoru stares at you with widened eyes, and a stuttered breath, “Hah-...” He hadn’t even realized how close he’d been getting to spilling inside you, but welcomed the overwhelming feeling with open arms. He could go for five more rounds if you’d let him, anyways. 
God, this must be what it’s like to hit the jackpot. 
SUGURU GETO
nonchalant (acting a fool)
Suguru can’t lie to himself and pretend like he hadn’t imagined this scenario too many times to count before, usually as a desperate last resort when he’d found he can’t imagine getting off to anything other than the thought of you at a certain point. He’s sure that he’s a better man than this, and he’d certainly tried to be courteous and discrete about the way you make him feel, shying away from the line he’s been dreaming to cross. 
But now, sitting up on the mattress and unable to tear his eyes away from your tits, he realizes that he’d been overshooting the strength of his own resolve. Suguru surges forward, taking one in his mouth as he guides you up and down his length, doing anything he can to prove he’s still being normal about this. Fuck it. 
“Fuck,”  he moans against your chest, “wait a minute-...” You still your movements, tilting your head curiously at him as he swallows breathlessly, “What’s wrong?” 
“Nothing,” He quickly reassures with a shake of his head, gently squeezing at your hips to punctuate the promise, “God, nothing’s wrong at all, I just need-...let me eat you out. Please?” You blink at him in surprise, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Huh?” 
“Seriously, I-...” He shakes his head, gazing up at you like you’re the most wonderful thing he’d ever seen, “it’s all I’ve been thinking about.” 
During those moments in the past in which he found himself fucking his fist to the thought of you, he only ever found himself relishing in the idea of burying himself between your legs and making careful sure that the only thing you’d be capable of saying was his name. The both of you had been too hasty in the wake of realizing your feelings were reciprocated, too desperate to give each other everything you’d been dreaming of. It feels like the heavens have opened up before him as you slip off of his lap, letting him situate you against the pillows. 
Suguru’s methodic in the way he trails warm kisses down your body, stopping to suck a mark into your hip, but he can’t tease for too long, not when he probably wants to get you off on his tongue more than you want it (which is saying a lot). 
He kisses your bare cunt gratefully, before dragging his tongue against your entrance, eyelids already going heavy as he slips into a euphoric trance. Suguru tries his very hardest to keen on every noise you make, every cry of his name, but it’s hard to do that when he’s getting so drunk off the flavor of you. He’s suddenly starved, devouring you completely, too far gone to be embarrassed of the way he shakes his head against your pussy or moans just as loud as you do. 
Geto’s suspicions had been utterly correct. While he’s been eager to have you like he did moments before, to feel you wrap around him and to fuck up into you with calculated thrusts, this definitely takes the cake. He grows dizzy off your scent, grinding against the mattress to prevent himself from further losing his mind over the prospect of what he’s doing right now. 
You lace your hands through his hair, pulling at it as he brings you closer to the edge. This is all he needs, he thinks, he can easily be fine spending the rest of his life like this. Suguru wants to prove that much over and over again to you, and he won’t hesitate if you’ll let him. “You’re perfect.” He mumbles against your cunt, and he’s partially glad you’re too far gone to hear some of the pathetic remarks he’s uttering, “Need this so bad.”
Yeah, good luck hopping back on his dick anytime soon now that he knows he was right about how addicting you’d be. 
KENTO NANAMI
nonchalant by a thread
It’s easy for Kento to have steel-grade self control when you’re fully clothed and the conversation is tame. But when clothes are taken out of the equation, well, that’s a different story. That being said, he won’t forget his manners. 
You’re in a tender mating press, smiling softly at the sweet kisses Nanami keeps peppering across your face, and occasionally one to your lips. He briefly wonders why he ever thought it was a good idea to hesitate in taking the initiative to have you laid out against his pillows like this, moaning his name almost as if you knew how much that chipped away at his own self-preservation. You’re dangerously close to getting him to embarrass himself. 
“Do you like this?” He breathes against the shell of your ear as his pace speeds up a bit, knocking the wind out of you. Regardless, you nod, hardly able to wrap your lips around anything other than the shape of his name. Kento bites his lip, fighting the urge to go even faster. This was your first time together, after all, he’d be mad not to cherish it like something fleeting and sacred. He wants more, he wants this all the time, and he’s so close to begging you for it. In some last attempt of self-preservation, he utters, “You feel amazing,” almost choking on his breath after the fact. 
“Fuck, keep doing that.” You cry out, throwing your head back to give him a clear view of your throat that he so desperately wishes to mark up. He almost asked what you meant, before he peers down, realizing he’d mindlessly begun rubbing circles into your clit. Kento feels like he’s getting ahead of himself, yet not doing enough at the same time; this feeling is so foreign and overwhelming, but he’s falling in love with it. 
Following your orders, he continues his steady pace on your clit, mouth going dry as you tell him how close you are. Yes, please, that’s all I want to hear. 
“Please,” he murmurs in a gravelly voice, not realizing he’d started voicing his own thoughts, “cum for me.” Nanami is certain he’s going to lose control any moment, and he’s sure that you cumming around his cock is not going to help him at all in his hope to still be a gentleman to you. It’s alright, though, he thinks. If he’s going to embarrass himself, lose all resolve and allow himself to drown in this simple pleasure, Kento doesn’t think he’d want to do it with anyone else but you.
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bkghq · 3 days ago
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You and Bakugo barely ever got into any fights; albeit of what people thought of him— an extremely rude, angry, mean and brash guy (which he was just not to you) he absolutely hated getting into any sorts of arguments with you.
But realistically no matter how much either of you despised it, being in a relationship silly arguments and big fights become inevitable. It's more so how you handle it afterwards.
Contrary to popular beliefs, everytime an argument or fight would break between the two of you, Bakugo would want to solve it as soon as he humanly could. He knew he was down bad and couldn't bear the thought of his precious girlfriend being mad at him.
You on the other hand, opted to give him the cold shoulder, dragging it as long as you could. You knew it was petty, but you liked the extra attention your boyfriend paid to you when you ignored him.
But he absolutely despised it. He would be constantly over his heels back and forth asking you to talk to him, while you'd just do your regular chores ignoring his existence.
"I told you 'm sorry baby, c'mon talk t'me." he all but begged in his gruff voice, while you sat on the couch in the living room of you guys' shared apartment scrolling through tiktok on your phone.
You stood up, making your way to the kitchen, acting as if the man double your size just didn't exist. Not even a second later the blond was following your pursuit. Following your every move huffing and puffing about how ''s too wrong to ignore me like that woman goddamit!"
but you paid no attention, your mind wandering towards the yummy PB&J sandwich you were about to have considering you did burn up alot of calories arguing with your man earlier, so obviously you were famished.
Bakugo kept following you when you opened the cupboards to take out ingredients to make the sandwich, instead of words he now resolved to grunts to get your attention, but you paid no mind.
You took out the butter knife from the cupboard, the jar of peanut butter, grape jelly and milk bread already waiting for you on the counter.
Picking up the jar of the peanut butter, you tried to open it. But to your dismay it seemed as if someone had sealed it shut with gorilla glue.
Now, in normal circumstances, you would call out for your boyfriend to help you out with mundane activities like this. But considering you were giving him the cold shoulder you resorted to trying it again yourself.
"y'need me t'open that f'ya?" Bakugo asked, and without even looking at him you could feel him smirking.
You gave yourself an internal monologue on how you're a strong independent woman who doesn't need help of any man and can open a stupid jar on her own.
So you tried again, this time with more force—
Nope, the jar still wouldn’t budge even an inch.
Bakugo's mouth twitched slightly, forming a small smirk. He knew he'd won and now any second you'd ask him to open the jar, and the second you would this whole silent treatment would end and he could go back to cuddling you on the couch, what he initially planned on doing before you guys got into an argument.
You sighed, placing the peanut butter jar on the counter top. Head down and hands gripping the edge of the kitchen island you weighed your options.
Option 1. Keep being stubborn and starve yourself Option 2. Ask your boyfriend for help, get yourself a PB&J and cuddle with your personal heater of a man on the couch
Honestly, the second option sounded way better, and you had been ignoring him for a while now.
Another sigh left your lips and you picked up the peanut butter jar and quite literally shoved it infront of your boyfriend's face.
"Can you please open this for me babe?" You asked with a sickly sweet smile and honey laced voice.
A shit eating grin formed on Bakugo's face.
Katsuki : 1 Y/N : 0
"Thought y'didn't w'na talk t'me." He teased, but nevertheless still took the jar from your hands and opened it without even batting an eyelash.
You just stood there, totally in awe of him— obviously you knew he was strong, considering your amazing boyfriend was #5 pro hero, but his crazy strength never ceased to amaze you.
"I changed my mind." you said, puckering your lips, "Thanks for this though." you added, taking the jar from his hand, attention back to the sandwich.
"Where's my reward?" He questioned with a grunt, as you busied yourself making your little snack.
Without a word, you put the jar back on the counter, and turned to your side, where Bakugo stood. You placed a kiss on your beautiful boyfriend's lips, mumbling a 'thank you' against them. He replied by kissing you back passionately, his hands snaking around your waist.
He lifted you up, wrapping your legs around his torso, walking both of you towards the couch. His lips not leaving yours even for a second.
long gone was the PB&J now, you busied yourself with another, better snack.
Bakugo internally praised himself for shutting the lids to all the jars as tightly as he could after your guys' argument, because hell it worked out better than he could've imagined.
He was definitely going to do this everytime you gave him the silent treatment.
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THNX 4 READING <3 RBS + COMMENTS APPRECIATED ིྀ
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em1i2a3 · 17 hours ago
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Glide
Pairing: College AU! Frat Boy!Bob Floyd x Fem!Reader!
Summary: When your friends drag you to a frat house party during spring break you weren’t expecting much, but when you go to seek out a moment of silence and end up accidentally stepping into someone’s room, you end up forming an odd connection with one of the fraternity members.
Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI! Smut, Fluff, Some Angst, Mentions of Alcohol and Drug Use, Reader gets a little anxious in the crowd and mentions agoraphobia, Swearing, Reader has beef with one of the fraternity members, Reader is a Chemistry Major, Bobs in Aerospace Engineering
Smut Warnings: Unprotected P in V Sex (wrap it up), Fingering, Oral Sex (Female and Male Receiving), Handjob, Bob is Inexperienced (but he’s enthusiastic to try everything), Bob talks a lot during sexual acts, Dirty Talk, Praise/Worship Kink, Breast Play, Making Out and Dry Humping, Bob is super sensitive.
Author’s Note: Frat Boy Bob y’all. This was technically a request, but I dashed away with it and truly came to enjoy this so so much. Also just as a side note lol, Frats aren’t really a huge thing where I am, they’re so subdued it’s not even funny, though if you go to party schools you’re definitely going to get an experience and a half (I did not go to a party school so I’m going off of my friends experiences at this point 😂)
Word Count: 17,352
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”Tell me again why the hell we’re going to this party?” Your voice cut through the late evening air, low and flat, edged with irritation as you pulled your windbreaker tighter across your chest. The nylon rasped beneath your fingers, a poor excuse for protection against the sharp spring breeze. The smell of your dorm clung to it–laundry detergent, stale coffee, and whatever perfume your roommate had sprayed on in the vicinity of it.
The sidewalk beneath your sneakers was still damp from a passing rain shower. Faint streaks of moisture glimmered on the concerte, catching the fractured yellow light from the street lamps above. You stepped around a crushed beer can and kept your head down, following the clacking of heels and bare legs that were moving a few paces ahead of you.
Jess, Monica, and Sue, your friends by proximity. You had met them during welcome week and never managed to shake them–even though you didn’t really want to. They existed in a different orbit entirely, but they took you in with open arms and tried to crack the shell that you had built around yourself. They were the people that convinced you that college didn’t have to be all about studying and going to class and that it could also be fun too, despite the hefty tuition bill.
The girls had built a three person wall along the sidewalk, pushing against each other as they chatted and laughed about something you hadn’t heard, keeping balance on their heels, skipping cracks in the pavement. They were dressed like the party was going to be a runway show instead of an absolute chaotic mess. Jess wore a short leather skirt and a cropped corset top under a trench coat she wasn’t planning to keep on. Her hair was up, slick and sharp, gold hoops brushing her jaw. Monica had on a silver halter top that sparkled under every porch light you passed, paired with high-waisted jeans and glossy lipstick that matched the cherry polish on her nails. Sue, as always, looked like she’d stepped out of an editorial spread–draped in a backless silk dress and strappy heels that should’ve been impractical, but somehow weren’t.
You, on the other hand, were the outlier–and it was obvious.
Black low-rise jeans hugged your hips, the waistband dipping just enough to expose a sliver of your stomach where your t-shirt stopped. The top was fitted and a plain navy blue, not short enough to be bold, and not long enough to be considered modest–though it was enough to remind you of the cold every time the wind shifted. Your black sneakers were scuffed at the toes, laces uneven, but they were practical for the walk home.
Technically, you were dressed for the weather, but standing next to your friends made you feel underdressed in a different way. Not because you didn’t look good, but because you just didn’t meet the same standard they had set for the group.
Your question had interrupted whatever conversation they were tangled in. Jess glanced over her shoulder first, her earrings catching the light at the turn.
”Well, Jake personally invited us,” She explained, like that was a valid reason, “And you’ve been holed up in your room almost all of spring break studying. You needed to get out. Breathe some fresh air, get social contact apart from us…Maybe drink something that hits a little better than three iced coffees a day.” You groaned immediately at the name Jake, ignoring the rest of the comments she had made about what you had been doing during the break.
”Not that meathead…If I knew that moron invited you guys, I would’ve locked my door and turned off my phone.” Monica sighed.
”C’mon, Y/N, he’s not that bad.” You let out a short laugh–dry and humorless.
”He’s a douchebag. And he thinks I’m a cockblock because I don’t let him get handsy with you guys when you’re half a drink in. I think he’s exactly that bad.” Jess gave a low laugh.
”He’s just a flirt.” You hummed.
”Right, and I’m just a buzzkill.” You muttered. Sue looked over at you now.
”We appreciate the defense. Really. But tonight…We’ve got a bit of a bet going.” You raised an eyebrow.
“What, like who’s gonna bed him first?” There was a pause, and the silence was telling. It caused you to stop walking.
”Oh god.” You rubbed your fingers into the corners of your eyes like you could physically wipe the idea out of your brain. Monica didn’t even flinch.
”He’s hot! How can you not be curious?! I’ve heard a lot of good things…” You dropped your head, staring at her.
”You better make that guy bathe in hand sanitizer before he touches you. God only knows where he’s been.” That got a laugh–sharp, unapologetic. Jess bit back a grin. Sue let out a quiet, breathy chuckle behind her hand, and even Monica smiled.
They didn’t deny it. They didn’t defend him, either.
The four of you continued to walk, your pace catching up to them so you could get involved in their conversation a little more, as your ears caught a hint of bass echoing through the streets.
Campus was surprisingly crowded for a week that should’ve been quiet. Most students hadn’t gone home–not for lack of desire, but practicality. A three-day visit to your hometown wasn’t worth the bus ticket, the packing, and the return. The majority of people who didn’t travel long distances had quietly agreed to stay put, which caused a social pressure cooker of chaos. Parties bled from one house to the next, yards were flooded with empty kegs and pool floats, and of course people were out till all hours of the night taking in the extracurriculars.
You were one of the people who chose to stay, but it was for different reasons.
You had a chemistry midterm that was going to hit you on the Monday right after break, and you needed peace and quiet to get the thirty five page study guide your professor had emailed. You had been hunched over your laptop, dragging a pen across every other line and downing iced coffee like it counted as fuel. Your residence hall had been silent–peaceful in the way only empty buildings could be. No thumping floors. No bathroom chatter. Just the hum of fluorescent lights and the occasional door shutting down the hall.
And honestly, you liked it that way.
Which was why walking up this street, with the scent of cheap body spray and beer already creeping into the air, made your skin itch.
Jess, Monica, and Sue weren’t wrong–you had wasted half your break studying. But a frat party was a far cry from the kind of break you would’ve chosen. You would’ve taken a quiet bookstore, a blackout curtained room, maybe a hot bath. Instead, you were heading straight into the epicenter of campus chaos.
The house came into view like a rising tide–inevitable and loud.
Theta Rho Alpha Sigma Heta.
TRASH, for short.
It was a reputation as much as a name. It was burned into every party story, every Camus warning, and every early morning regret that started with “so we went to TRASH last night.” Ten fraternity brothers lived inside, and every square foot off the place bore evidence of that fact. It was a massive, century-old house–once regal, now abused. Three floors, five bedrooms, two makeshift attic spaces, a finished basement that doubled as a moldy second living room. The paint on the siding had faded into a blotchy, sun-peeled gray, warped by years of weather and neglect. The porch sagged under the weight of too many bodies. One of the support beams had been duct-taped after someone fell through it last fall.
The front steps were uneven, patched with mismatched bricks and sagging plywood. Two of the railing posts were zip-tied together in a last-ditch effort to pass housing inspection. The fraternity’s letters were bolted crookedly above the door, one hanging loose on a single screw. Half-lit from a porch light that flickered like a dying candle.
Light poured from every window–yellow, blown out, too warm. It cast strange shadows across the lawn, catching in the curls of smoke that drifted from blunts and vapes and burning firewood in the backyard pit. The music pulsed through the siding—more vibration than melody. Heavy bass that flattened everything it touched, beating into your chest like an arrhythmic second heartbeat.
The lawn was packed–shoulder to shoulder, people overflowing onto the sidewalk, the flowerbeds, the hood of someone’s car parked at a bad angle. Plastic cups were everywhere, crushed or half-full or abandoned in the grass. The scent of spilled beer hung in the air, warm and sharp, mixing with sweat, weed, fast food, gasoline from a knocked-over jerry can, and the stale breath of a thousand unwashed Red Solo cups.
Someone was blasting a megaphone from the porch steps–a guy in a backwards cap, red-faced and laughing, trying to shout over the music. You caught pieces of it: something about jello shots, something about the beer pong table being “winner stays,” and something that sounded suspiciously like “naked mile.”
Two guys were wrestling in the grass by the mailbox, one of them missing a shirt, the other holding a can of whipped cream like a weapon. A girl stumbled past them in glitter boots and a bikini top, waving a phone and yelling at someone you couldn’t see. Another was throwing up behind a bush while her friend held her hair and nodded along to the music like it was a shared ritual.
From the second-floor balcony, a makeshift banner drooped crookedly on a frayed bedsheet:
TRASH FEST 2NITE - NO RULES. NO EXCUSES. NO SLEEP.
“Jesus,” Jess muttered under her breath, pausing at the edge of the lawn. “It’s already booming and it’s not even 9:30. We are so late.”
You followed a few paces behind her, stepping carefully around a puddle of cheap beer that had soaked into the grass. “Didn’t know we could be late for a frat party,” You mumbled, eyeing the porch like it might collapse under the weight of the crowd.
But the girls were already in motion, rushing toward the chaos like it was gravity pulling them in. You hung back just slightly, weaving your way around the worst of the lawn–dodging a guy hurling glow sticks into the crowd and stepping over a discarded takeout container that looked like it hadn’t survived the walk from the sidewalk. Your shoes slipped slightly on the wet grass as you moved toward the porch steps, where cigarette butts and crushed cups had collected like driftwood on the edge of a rising tide.
You stepped up, sneakers hitting the warped planets, hand grazing the rickety railing as the music began to rattle your teeth at full force. The door was open, the entryway wide and glowing with overexposed yellow light. You could smell it all before you even crossed the threshold–booze, sweat, pot, deodorant masking body odor, and something burnt that might’ve been food or someone’s hair.
The second your foot crossed the threshold, it hit you all at once–the heat, the crowd, the crush of music and smoke and too many bodies packed into too little space. The entryway smelled like spilled tequila and cheap cologne. Someone’s hoodie brushed your shoulder, sticky with sweat, and you recoiled instinctively, scanning for your friends. Jess’s trench coat disappeared into the living room. Monica’s glitter top flashed once, then vanished into the blur. Sue was already at the bar cart in the corner, snagging plastic cups.
You were still deciding whether to follow–or leave–when he stepped in front of you.
Jake Seresin.
Leaning casually against the wall near the stairs, like he’d been waiting for this exact moment.
He looked the same as always–clean cut and cocky, like a walking recruitment poster that never had to try too hard. His hair was neatly styled, strawberry blonde in colour, and slightly dampened from either sweat or a shower. You didn’t know and quite frankly you didn’t care.
He wore a snug black t-shirt that clung to the curve of his biceps, jeans slung low on his hips, worn-in boots planted like he owned the floorboards. A silver chain peeked from under his collar, catching the glow from the overhead bulb. The smirk on his face arrived before he spoke.
“Y/N…I see you’ve decided to come out of your cave.” Jake’s voice cut through the heat and noise like he owned the damn place–which, unfortunately, he sort of did, especially because he was the head of the house. His smirk was smug enough to slap off his face, and the way he looked at you–lazy, head tilted just slightly–made your blood itch.
“Didn’t realize you were doing doorman duty tonight. What’s the matter–couldn’t con a freshman into kissing your boots on the way in?”
Jake laughed, low and amused. He shifted his weight, arms crossing, biceps flexing like it was involuntary. “Cute. But if you really wanted to see me, you could’ve just said so. No need to pretend you’re here for the punch.”
“If I wanted to see you, I’d schedule a lobotomy first,” You said, eyes scanning past him to where the party stretched out like a sweaty nightmare, “You’re like athlete’s foot. Persistent. Itchy. Impossible to get rid of.”
That earned you a flash of teeth, the smirk sharpening. “Damn. Must’ve missed that sparkling charm of yours. Thought maybe you’d chilled out since fall semester.”
“Nah,” You replied, smiling without warmth, “You don’t know me well enough to assume something like that.” He hummed.
”You always this feisty, or do you just save it all for me?”
“I save it for pests,” You shot back, “Like you.” And with that, you pushed past him–your shoulder clipping his lightly–just enough to make it clear you were done. You didn’t wait for a comeback. You didn’t care what his smug ass had to said next. The music hit harder in the next room, and the humidity had already begun to creep under your clothes like steam.
Sue caught up to you almost instantly, already grinning like she’d watched the whole exchange from the sidelines.
“Thanks for buttering him up,” she said, patting your arm. Her tone was teasing, but not mocking. “I’m going in for the first interaction of the night.”
You raised your cup-less hand and gave her a small salute.
“Good luck,” You shouted back over the bass, smirking. She gave you a wink before disappearing into the crowd, swaying through the bodies with ease. You peeled off toward the kitchen, dodging a couple making out near the coat rack and stepping over a few abandoned beer cans. The kitchen was a warzone of overturned shot glasses, and a group of architecture students stacking some of the spare red solo cups in a tower. To your left, a half-empty bowl of lime wedges was slowly withering beside an array of crumpled napkins, and then your eyes found the coolers.
There were three of them, stacked neatly along the wall beneath the fogged kitchen window–white Igloo coolers with duct-tape labels stuck to their lids like someone had planned this out. You paused for a second, brow lifting slightly. It was the first thing you’d seen in this entire house that resembled forethought.
POP / ENERGY / SPORTS DRINKS
It was handwritten in black Sharpie, a little smudged from condensation, but legible. Organized.
You flipped the lid, expecting warm cans swimming in brown ice water and maybe the scent of something that had once been fruit punch. Instead, it was ice cold. There were cans lined up in half-hearted rows–soda, sports drinks, a few scattered energy drinks, and even a rogue seltzer tucked in the corner.
You spotted the ginger ale immediately and grabbed it, the can blessedly cold against your hand. You popped the tab with a low crack, the fizz whispering up as you turned around and leaned back against the counter. The metal felt cool through your jeans, a shock of comfort against your overheated skin.
You brought the can to your lips and took a sip–dry, sweet, clean. The carbonation hit your throat gently, but the cold grounded you.
The nausea that had been curling in your gut since you stepped into the house–maybe even since you left the dorm–began to quiet under the fizzy bite. Not completely. But enough.
Your eyes scanned the room as you sipped. People buzzed in and out like bees. Music bled through the drywall. There were beer pong shouts from the living room, someone screaming off-key to a pop remix from the basement, and a girl in the corner of the kitchen trying to convince her friend that no, taking another shot wouldn’t fix the situation.
You took another sip of your ginger ale, but this time it caught in your throat.
You coughed into your arm, quietly at first—then once more, harder, sharp enough to make your eyes water. The fizz didn’t settle your stomach like before. It turned sour, bubbling too fast. Heat rose under your skin, too much of it. The air felt wrong—like it wasn’t going in properly, like the room had subtly tilted without warning and your lungs were working against it.
Maybe it was the noise. The press of people. The humidity clinging to every surface like a second skin. Or maybe it was you.
You blinked slowly, dragging in another breath through your nose, but it didn’t go deep enough. Your chest tightened instead. Like a pressure band had cinched beneath your ribs, subtle at first, then steady, then sharp.
Shit.
You glanced around again, searching for something—a signal, maybe. A reason to leave. A place to bolt to. But everything looked the same: sticky floors, laughing strangers, red cups tipping on every flat surface. Too much noise. Too much movement. You couldn’t catch your footing in it. Couldn’t ground yourself.
You didn’t know if you were going to throw up or have a panic attack, and honestly, it didn’t matter—because either way, you needed out.
You pushed off the counter. The cold had left your jeans, and your hand trembled slightly as you set your can down, half-full and already forgotten. The kitchen was a blur behind you, the music thudding harder now, bass lines vibrating in your teeth.
You moved fast, weaving through the main floor with quick, shallow breaths. Eyes down. Shoulders tight. The living room passed in a smear of sweat and cheap cologne, someone’s laughter bouncing too loud off the crown molding. You didn’t stop to said anything. Didn’t look for your friends. You didn’t want to worry them–not yet. Not until you figured out what the hell was happening.
Going outside wasn’t an option. Not with the yard full of people. If one of your friends saw you slipping out, they’d follow. Or worse–they’d worry. You didn’t want that either.
So you made for the stairs.
The banister was sticky and warm under your palm as you took the steps two at a time. Your breath hitched halfway up, chest clenching like your ribs were welded shut. You swallowed hard and forced yourself to keep going.
The second floor was marginally quieter, but the walls were still too thin. Bass leaked through every inch. Laughter echoed from behind doors, and the smell of weed hung low like a fog.
You moved fast–hand grazing doorknobs, cracking one open only to find two people already tangled on a futon, backlit by LED strips. You didn’t pause. You just kept going.
Next room: a circle of guys smoking out of a gravity bong made from an Arizona bottle. One lifted his hand in greeting, eyes bloodshot and lazy. You shut the door.
Another: a girl crying on the floor while two of her friends huddled around her with shot glasses. You closed that one a little more gently.
The hallway seemed endless. Your chest was still too tight. Like there wasn’t enough air on this floor either.
Then finally the last door on the left creaked open to a well lit, completely empty room. You stepped in, fast, and shoved it shut behind you, the slam loud in the sudden quiet. Your back hit the wood, hard enough to jolt your spine, and you didn’t care. The silence was immediate, muffled and warm and blessedly still.
Your eyes adjusted to the sight in front of you and almost immediately you were absorbing all the details.
The room was bright in contrast to the rest of the house–lit by a desk lamp angled toward a bulletin board cluttered with index cards and printouts. The overhead light was on too, not dim or tinted like the others downstairs, but clean and soft and yellow, illuminating the space in a way that made everything feel more grounded. Less warped. Less unreal.
Your eyes scanned the details, cataloguing without meaning to.
A twin XL bed sat tucked in the corner, sharply made with a green-and-navy plaid duvet pulled taut at every corner. The sheet edges were squared, the pillows firm and aligned. Not a wrinkle in sight. There was a subtle indent on the right side of the mattress—someone had been sitting there recently. Maybe even within the hour. But whoever it was, they weren’t here now.
You stared at the bed like it might steady you. Like if you focused hard enough, the room would stop spinning entirely.
Beside the bed, a heavy oak bookcase ran nearly the full height of the wall. It was packed with titles, every shelf brimming. Not decorative either–thoroughly read. Dog-eared paperbacks leaned into thick hardcover editions, grouped not by color or aesthetic, but by subject. Biographies. Math. Novels. Non-Fiction. Chemistry and Science. A few textbooks on differential equations, stacked beside a worn copy of Dune and a boxed set of The Lord of the Rings. Your fingers twitched, instinctively wanting to trace the spines.
You blinked slowly. Breathed in through your nose. The room smelled faintly like pine and laundry detergent–clean and muted. No sweat, no beer, no weed. Just detergent, and the faint dry scent of paperback pages.
A corkboard hung above the desk, pinned with exam timetables, lab schedules, a few biology notes, and what looked like a printed-out list of citations in 12-point Times New Roman. The chair tucked neatly beneath was ergonomic, not cheap. Beside it sat a large, dented water bottle and a stack of neatly bound notebooks.
Posters lined the wall–nerdy ones. Retro Star Wars prints. A 2001: A Space Odyssey poster framed in black. There was a NASA diagram of the solar system pinned above the desk, annotated in ballpoint pen like whoever lived here used it to actually study, not just decorate.
You took a step forward, the floor creaking under your weight.
“…Geeky,” You muttered to yourself, voice hoarse, quiet. The sound came out more like a breath than a statement. Your knees nearly gave out when you reached the side of the bed. You sat down slowly, hands braced on the plaid comforter, fingers splayed across the dense fabric.
It gave a little under your palms. Still faintly warm.
You let out another breath–long, uneven, but better than before.
Your heart was still pounding, but it was loosening its grip. Slowly. The walls weren’t closing in anymore. Your lungs weren’t seizing.
You tapped your fingers against the mattress and started listing what you could see.
“Desk lamp. Physics textbooks. Star Wars poster. Clean sheets. Plaid pattern.”
Another breath.
“Water bottle. Books on aerospace…Math. Scent’s clean. No body spray. No beer.”
Another breath.
It wasn’t magic. But it helped. saiding it all aloud gave your mind something to anchor to.
You swallowed, eyes fixed on the corner of the room. “Big bookshelf. Index cards on the corkboard. Neatly folded blanket on the chair.” You paused, blinking. “Shit,” you whispered softly, dragging your hand down your face.
It wasn’t that you were weak. You knew what this was. You’d never been diagnosed, but the signs were hard to ignore. The panic. The way crowds made your body feel like it was misfiring from the inside out. How your throat closed up in packed rooms. How every party ended with your head spinning and your jaw locked in quiet dread.
Agoraphobia. You’d read about it. Dismissed it. Then quietly reconsidered it. And then dismissed it again.
But tonight? Tonight your body had decided to remind you it was real.
You leaned forward, elbows to knees, head in your hands. Not crying. Just breathing. For a long moment, you stayed like that–drinking in the quiet, letting the static in your limbs slowly begin to fade.
The sound of the door handle turning ripped through the quiet like a thunderclap.
You jolted upright–spine snapping straight, fingers braced against the mattress, breath catching mid-inhale.
The door creaked open slowly, a rectangle of warm hallway light spilling across the floor, cutting a golden line through the carpet and up your jeans. And then he stepped inside.
You blinked hard.
He froze halfway through the threshold. One foot in, one out, like he hadn’t meant to walk in on anyone–and certainly hadn’t expected to find a stranger perched on his bed.
He looked about your age, maybe slightly older. Tall but not imposing, lean in the kind of way that came from long hours of running or lifting–not bulking. His face was unmistakable even in the soft light: gentle features, tousled light brown hair that curled slightly at the ends from where it had dried naturally, no product. A strong jaw softened by the faintest dusting of stubble. He had a pair of glasses perched on his nose–simple, silver rimmed, they looked similar to aviator glasses, just a little more rounded off in the lenses. They were crooked but he didn’t reach up to fix them.
And those eyes…Wide, bright, and startlingly blue.
Like the ocean under a cold sky. The colour made your stomach turn, and the way they reflected in the light made your head spin.
He wore a navy crew neck sweater with the university crest stitched over the chest, sleeves pushed halfway up his forearms, revealing ink stains and a faint red pressure mark on his wrist where a watch probably used to be. Grey sweatpants hung low on his hips, worn at the knees, soft enough that they must’ve been his go-to. A can of sprite was in his hand, dripping from the ice that had melted over it.
“Oh. Oh god–I’m sorry.” The words rushed out of your mouth quickly, breathless, “I didn’t mean to–I wasn’t…” His brows lifted slightly, but there was no alarm on his face. Just surprise. His voice was low, quiet, and careful.
“It’s okay…I–uh–it’s alright.” He hesitated, eyes flicking across the room, landing briefly on your curled posture, your flushed face, the slight tremble in your hand as you pushed back from the bed. “Are you…Okay?” You blinked. Your heart was still hammering. Not from fear anymore–but embarrassment. Humiliation. He didn’t look like he thought you were stealing. He didn’t even glance toward the desk or the bookshelf. He was looking at you. Really looking. Reading the panic that hadn’t quite drained from your body yet.
You felt your shoulders curl in instinctively, defensive. But there was no judgment in his expression–just a quiet, earnest concern that felt way too soft for someone who’d just found a stranger in his room.
“I–” You swallowed, hand hovering mid-air like you weren’t sure whether to stand or bolt. “I didn’t know anyone was here. I just–I needed out. I was–I had to get out of the kitchen.” He nodded once, like he understood completely. He stepped the rest of the way into the room and closed the door behind him–not all the way, but enough to soften the noise from the hallway. It was strange how quickly the room felt like a bubble again. A barrier. A pause from everything that came before it.
“I figured…” He said quietly, “The parties here get pretty loud and overcrowded, so I don’t blame you for wanting to get some peace for a minute.” You swallowed thickly, your throat still tight with leftover nerves, and exhaled through your nose.
“Yeah,” you murmured, voice quieter now, “I can’t imagine living here, to be honest.” He smiled—not cocky like Jake, not smug or practiced. Just a small, self-deprecating curl of his lips, as if he agreed with you more than he was willing to admit.
“Noise-cancelling headphones really come in handy.” That earned a low breath of amusement from you.
“I guess you’re right with that one…”
He took a sip of his Sprite, the faint crackle of carbonation filling the small silence that followed. It wasn’t uncomfortable exactly–just heavy with all the things neither of you were sure how to said yet. He stayed near the door, not wanting to hover or crowd you in any way. You watched him for a second, and then another, noting the way his shoulders shifted under the weight of the conversation–or maybe just the attention.
Then, softly, like he was testing the waters:
“I’ve seen you around before…In the science building. You’re in Chem 241, right?”
Your brows lifted slightly, caught between surprise and guarded curiosity. “Yeah… it’s my major.” You tilted your head. “How do you know what class I’m in?” He gave a sheepish, quiet laugh, the kind that curled at the corners of his mouth without ever really reaching full confidence. He ran a hand through his hair, the motion making it stick up slightly in the front.
“You’re in the class before mine. You’ve got kind of a familiar face.”
You paused, eyes still on him, your heart starting to settle into something else–less fight-or-flight, more puzzled curiosity. He didn’t look embarrassed exactly, but there was a warmth in his cheeks now, visible even in the soft lighting. A flicker of nervous energy vibrated at the tips of his fingers as he shifted his Sprite to the other hand.
Then, like the thought had only just occurred to him:
“Oh–Jesus, sorry. I’m Bob, by the way. Bob Floyd.” He grimaced slightly at the awkwardness of it, wiping his damp palm against the thigh of his sweatpants before offering it out to you, fingers curled slightly.
You hesitated for only half a second before reaching out and slipping your hand into his. His palm was warm, slightly chilled from the condensation of the can but dry now. The grip was gentle, just enough to be firm without overcompensating.
“Y/N,” You said quietly. Your name sounded softer in this room than it had downstairs-like the sound itself respected the quiet.
He smiled again. “Y/N,” He repeated, a little slower this time, like he was filing it away in some meticulous corner of his brain. “Nice name,” Bob said, quiet and genuine. The words weren’t perfunctory–they landed with a softness that didn’t feel like filler. More like a real compliment, shaped by how he said it. You blinked once, caught off guard by how sincere it sounded.
Before either of you could speak again, a sudden crash reverberated through the floorboards beneath you–so loud and forceful that your feet actually lifted a half inch from the mattress. Something heavy had toppled on the first floor. Maybe furniture. Maybe a person. Followed by a cascade of laughter that barely muffled the groaning bass still pounding through the walls.
You flinched, eyes widening, then looked toward Bob with a raised brow.
“What’s a guy like you doing in a frat house, by the way?” You asked, your voice dry but curious, brushing your palms down the front of your jeans. “You seem too…Sane.” Bob took another slow sip of his Sprite, his glasses catching the overhead light as he tilted his head slightly.
“It’s pretty good to have on a résumé,” He said mildly. “Minus the parties, of course.”
You hummed, the sound low in your throat as your eyes flicked toward the ceiling like you were scanning for divine confirmation. “Yeah…I think if any future employer found out the type of parties TRASH throws, I’m pretty sure you’d be hired immediately. Just for surviving them.” That earned an actual laugh from him–low and warm, the kind that started in his chest and curled up into his mouth like it surprised even him. It settled something inside you. Not the panic entirely, but the vulnerability that had followed it. His laugh made the room feel a little more human. Less clinical. More like a moment you weren’t intruding on, but sharing.
“I don’t participate in them, evidently,” He claimed, gesturing lightly toward his desk. “So I’d be lying.”
You followed the motion with your eyes–the papers, the water bottle, a perfectly aligned mechanical pencil, and what looked like a cracked-open packet filled with printed slides and diagrams.
“Evidently,” you echoed softly, tilting your head a little as you looked around again. “What were you doing?” Bob exhaled–half sigh, half breath of frustration–and stepped toward the desk. He reached for the study packet, flipping the top corner up between his fingers to show you the first page. It was already heavily marked–some in black pen, some in red. Diagrams had been annotated, circled, dissected line by line. Across the top margin, written in neat, even letters, was the course title: Space Systems Design – Midterm Review Packet.
“Studying,” He said. “I have the test on Monday, and I’m nowhere near done with this thing.” His tone was tired but not bitter, just resigned in the way that only students deeply familiar with academic despair could be.
You gave a quiet, knowing laugh–one that felt more like release than amusement. “Of course. I guess every professor gets off on torturing science and engineering students,” You muttered, stretching your arms briefly. “Because I’ve got a very similar packet sitting on my desk right now for my Chem Midterm.” He placed the packet back on the desk with a soft tap.
”Misery loves company, I guess.” He offered.
“More like intellectual suffering,” You replied dryly, crossing one ankle over the other where you sat at the edge of his bed. There was a beat of silence, the kind that settled into the warmth between two people who hadn’t yet decided if they were strangers or acquaintances.
Bob leaned slightly against his desk, fingers still resting on the edge of the study packet. He tilted his head just enough for his glasses to slip down his nose for a moment, then asked softly, “So…Who dragged you out of your studying and brought you here?”
You huffed out a breath, half a laugh. “My friends got personally invited by your frat brother Jake,” you said, tone flat and unamused. “I’m assuming you know him well.”
That pulled a low, genuine laugh from Bob–his shoulders lifted slightly, the sound soft and disbelieving. “Well… I guess he’s trying to expand his roster again.”
You smirked, leaning back just a little on your palms. “Guess one of my friends is getting lucky tonight then, if he’s looking to score.”
Bob let out a hum, lips twitching toward a grin. “As long as they have a pulse, they’re fair game.”
You groaned. “Figured that…”
Another crash exploded beneath your feet–some combination of broken glass and furniture legs giving out–followed by a howling cheer from the crowd downstairs. You both winced slightly, shoulders tensing at the same time.
Bob exhaled a sharp breath, then straightened. He looked at you carefully–not with pity, but consideration–and then asked, quiet and steady:
“You wanna maybe…Get out of here?”
You blinked.
He shrugged one shoulder, casual but sincere. “Denny’s is 24 hours. We could sit there for a bit, get something to eat. And I’m sure if we stay long enough, the party’ll start to die down. Then you can get your friends when they’re all done here…” It was such a simple offer. No pressure. No weird edge. Just a safe, open hand held out toward the exit sign.
And god, it was tempting.
“Yeah…” you said almost immediately, your fingers already moving to unlock your phone. “Yeah, that sounds great, actually. I’ll just text them and let them know I’m going.”
Bob smiled–wide this time, soft and relieved. “Great.”
You glanced back up at him, still a little breathless from the past hour, still not sure if this was all a fever dream or the best part of your spring break. But you smiled back.
And maybe, just maybe, your night was finally starting to turn around.
———————————
The walk to Denny’s wasn’t long, but it was everything you needed.
The fresh air hit your lungs like a blessing–not sharp, not cold, just crisp enough to wash the smoke and sweat from your senses. Each breath cleared your head a little more. The bass from TRASH still thudded faintly in the distance, but the further you got from the house, the more it faded into the background noise of a quiet college town on a restless spring break night.
The streets were mostly empty, save for the occasional burst of laughter echoing down from a distant porch or a cluster of bikes propped against a lamppost. The rain from earlier had left the sidewalks glistening, catching the glow from streetlights and shop signs like scattered glass. Bob walked beside you, not too close, not too far–just an easy, steady presence. Every now and then, his shoulder would sway slightly toward yours, like gravity had its own opinion on the distance.
Denny’s sat at the edge of campus like a low-lit promise. The sign flickered faintly overhead, buzzing with the tired hum of fluorescent tubes, casting a pale glow on the nearly empty parking lot. It was a local staple–open all night, slightly grimy, and universally understood to be the unofficial overflow space for students who couldn’t sleep, didn’t want to go home, or just needed somewhere to exist without judgment. You’d studied here before. So had everyone. It smelled like syrup and fry oil and burnt coffee, and for some reason, it always felt safe.
Inside, the place was quieter than usual. A couple of booths were filled–one with a pair of students whispering over open textbooks, another with two guys splitting a plate of mozzarella sticks and arguing over a March Madness bracket. But the energy was muted. Dimmed. Like the whole place had taken a collective breath and decided to chill.
You and Bob slid into a booth by the window, vinyl seats squeaking under your weight. The table was slightly sticky with syrup residue–standard–but the lighting overhead was warm and soft. You could actually hear yourselves talk. You could actually think.
The waitress–a woman with tired eyes and a pen stuck behind her ear–dropped off two mugs and a full pot of coffee without asking. She must’ve pegged you both as regulars, or at least as students. Bob gave her a soft “thank you,” and you echoed it before she disappeared behind the counter.
Bob poured the coffee first, filling your mug before his. The gesture was small, automatic, but it made you pause for just a second.
“I think breakfast is one of the only meals I actually enjoy at any time of day,” he said as he handed you the sugar packet holder.
You hummed softly, stirring a little cream into your cup. “Pancakes, waffles, French toast–all sweet things,” You replied, voice a little lighter now, “But I do agree…Breakfast foods are definitely better than most.”
Bob nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he reached for a menu. “Haven’t eaten much today, so I’m probably going to order a lot,” He said, deadpan but with a flicker of a smile. “Just warning you now.”
You laughed, slouching into your seat as you wrapped your hands around the warmth of the mug. “I won’t judge. As long as you don’t judge me for ordering an extra order of bacon. And possibly ham…And maybe another round of home fries.”
He looked up at that, a glint in his eyes beneath the lens glare. “Definitely won’t.”
Then, leaning forward just a little, voice conspiratorial and soft, he added, “But I will probably steal some of those home fries though, so…By all means, order away.”
You grinned, lifting your coffee to your lips. “Fair trade.”
And just like that, the tension that had wrapped itself around your ribs for hours began to unravel–for real this time.
It took a few minutes for both of you to confirm your orders–too many good, greasy options, too little brainpower left to commit. You squinted at the menu through the soft overhead glow, half your focus still caught in the feeling of warm coffee and the unexpected calm of the moment. Bob, meanwhile, flipped his menu once, then again, lips twitching like every option looked equally dangerous.
The waitress returned, pad in hand, looking only marginally more awake than when you walked in.
“I’ll have the fruit-topped pancakes,” You said, “With a side of bacon, ham…And an extra order of home fries…For the table of course…” You offered a small smile, like you were trying to excuse your own hunger, but she didn’t blink.
Bob, on the other hand, cleared his throat like he was preparing to read an oath. “Ultimate omelette, please. A side of pancakes, just the normal ones…And…A side of French toast, with bacon.”
She paused. Just slightly.
Her gaze slid over him like she was doing mental math on how someone built like a straight-laced study boy could possibly demolish what would equate to three breakfasts at once. Her brow lifted–just for a second–but she didn’t say anything. Just jotted it all down with a faint scribble of pen on paper, nodded, and disappeared with both menus in hand.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Bob let out a short, quiet laugh, leaning back in his seat. “I think I freaked her out a bit with all the food.”
You stifled your own laugh behind the rim of your mug. “Yeah, maybe a little. She’s probably wondering how you’re going to eat all of it.”
He shrugged, lifting his coffee. “We’ve got a bit of time. I think I can manage.”
That earned a proper laugh from you, low and genuine. You settled back against the booth as the hum of Denny’s buzzed softly in the background—silverware clinking, someone flipping a page from the next table over, a soft beep from the kitchen.
Bob took another sip of his coffee and set the mug down, fingers tracing the rim absently. “So…” He began, voice still gentle, “what’re you doing on campus during spring break?”
You exhaled slowly, watching the light catch the small glint of moisture still clinging to the window beside you. “My parents’ house is… A little chaotic,” You admitted. “And I really wouldn’t be able to study if I went back. So I just figured I’d stay in my dorm. Easier to focus. Cheaper, too.”
Bob nodded, listening like he really meant to. “Do you work?”
You reached up to scratch the back of your neck, sheepish. “Yeah. I work at Beans To You. Part-time barista. It gives me some extra spending money–enough to keep me caffeinated through exam season, anyway.”
That pulled another smile from him. “Do you like it?”
You lifted your hand and made a so-so motion in the air. “It’s fine. Tips are decent. My manager’s a nightmare, but I like the regulars.”
He nodded like he got it, then said, “I don’t really work…Not officially, anyway. Sometimes I write essays for a few of the frat guys and they pay me.” He gave a small shrug. “So I don’t know if you’d count that as a job or just…An Academic crime.”
You gasped dramatically, placing a hand over your chest like you’d just been personally betrayed. “You? Violating academic integrity? I’m shocked.”
Bob laughed, tipping his head down in mock shame. “Yeah, well…I can’t really keep a normal job while studying. Too much going on up here.” He tapped the side of his temple with a finger. “But I commend you for being able to juggle it.” You can feel your face heat up slightly.
“Thanks…” The silence between you and Bob stretches for a few seconds–comfortable, not strained. Outside the Denny’s window, a streetlight flickers, casting faint gold shadows across the table. The warmth of your coffee mug seeps into your palms, grounding you even as your thoughts turn over the night like a loose coin.
You glance over at him, chin tilted slightly, voice soft. “So why are you still on campus during spring break? Since you asked me…”
Bob’s hand curls around the coffee pot again. The ceramic glugs quietly as he refills his mug, steam rising faintly into the warm air between you. He doesn’t speak right away–just watches the dark liquid settle.
“Same as you, pretty much,” He replied after a beat, setting the pot back down. “But… I also don’t have a lock on my door, and the guys go into my room pretty often to steal things, so…” He shrugs one shoulder, faintly sheepish. “I figured it was better to be there. Y’know–stand guard.”
You smirk and lean forward slightly, grabbing a little plastic creamer cup from the holder and rolling it between your fingers. It clicks softly as it spins. “Interesting that you have a bunch of thieves in your presence.”
That earns a laugh from him–low and rough with amusement. “Well… they’ll always give the stuff back, of course. But only if I remind them.” He lifts his mug, lips quirking slightly as he takes a sip.
You hum, raising a brow. “Still sounds like thievery to me.”
His cheeks tint pink as he glances down into his cup, swirling it once before replying under his breath, “Touché I guess…” The silence slips in again—brief, like a shared breath—and you let your gaze settle on his hands for a moment. They’re long-fingered, a little ink-stained around the knuckles. Gentle, despite the size. His nails are clean but bitten at the edges. Tired hands. Capable ones.
Your voice cuts through the quiet again, this time softer, almost curious: “Your girlfriend must not like the guys coming in and out of your room, though.”
Bob pauses mid-sip. His lips part like he’s going to reply quickly, then he stops. A flicker of surprise crosses his face. He sets the mug down gently.
“No girlfriend,” He confirmed finally. His voice is steady, but there’s a faint guardedness behind it. “Kinda stopped trying with the whole dating thing. It was a bit… much.”
You blink at that. “Too much of a line-up?”
That draws a real laugh from him–quiet, exasperated, a hand lifting to rub at the back of his neck. His glasses slide slightly down his nose again.
“Oh, please…” He chuckles. “No. No line-up for me. I mean—look at me.”
You do, pointedly. “I am.”
He goes redder. You smirk.
“It’s just…” He exhales, shoulders relaxing as his fingers stir the coffee absentmindedly. “It’s complicated, y’know? I’m not very good at the whole–putting yourself out there thing. And I think people expect something when you show up to a date all prepared and polished. It gets weird. You have this whole pressure to perform. To be ‘on.’”
You tilt your head slightly. “Well, you seem to be outgoing. You’re doing pretty good with this conversation. I don’t know how it could be complicated.”
Bob stirs the sugar in his mug, the spoon clinking gently. He looks down at it, not quite meeting your eyes, but not avoiding them either.
“Maybe it’s because you’re pretty easy to talk to,” He explained. “It’s different when there’s no pressure. No expectations. You didn’t show up tonight wanting something from me. We just…Met. You don’t have a picture in your head of who I’m supposed to be.”
That strikes something in you–a truth you hadn’t quite realized was sitting at the edge of your own thoughts. You nod slowly, leaning a little further into the table.
“That makes sense,” You said softly. Your hand brushes the edge of the sugar packet holder again, fingertips tapping faintly. “I also think you walking in on me having a bit of an anxiety attack probably helped. With you staying calm, I mean.”
Bob’s head lifts slightly. His blue eyes catch yours again–bright, steady, warm. “That too,” he said, with a small smile. “It kind of cut through the usual noise. I knew what it was the second I saw you.”
You raise a brow gently. “Do you have experience with that kind of thing?”
He nods once. “I’ve had my moments. I’m…Pretty familiar with what it looks like. What it feels like.”
You feel your chest loosen–just slightly. There’s something in the quiet way he said it that wraps around you like a thread. Honest. Matter-of-fact. Not dramatic. Just shared.
You sip your coffee again, letting the silence settle in a way that feels companionable now, like you’ve both earned it.
Then Bob lifts his head a little more, his glasses catching the light as he looks at you across the table. His voice is lower now. “You’re okay now though, right?” You could feel your heart catch–not in that suffocating, chaotic way from earlier, but in a softer, almost stunned kind of ache. Because here he was: Bob, a stranger only hours ago, asking with quiet sincerity if you were okay. Not out of obligation. Not to get something from you. Just… because he cared. And somehow, that mattered more than you were prepared to admit.
“Yeah,” You replied, your voice light, but genuine. “I’m definitely feeling much better. I think it was just…How cramped the house was, to be honest.” You gave a soft, sheepish smile, pushing your hair behind your ear. “Wasn’t really a fan, I guess.”
Bob nodded, the corners of his mouth curling faintly. “That makes sense,” He murmured. “I think TRASH is like… the physical embodiment of a migraine.”
You snorted, and it broke the last of the lingering tension between you.
Before either of you could respond, the clatter of ceramic and the faint shuffle of sneakers announced the return of your waitress. She placed your food down with the weary grace of someone who’d balanced plates through hundreds of midnight shifts.
“Alright,” She said, eyeing the table, “Round one.”
She set down your fruit-topped pancakes–stacked high, glistening with syrup and dotted with blueberries and strawberries. The bacon was curled and crispy, the ham thick-cut and slightly charred at the edges. A steaming mountain of home fries followed, golden and peppered with bits of caramelized onion.
Bob’s first plate came next: a monstrous omelette, folded tight and stuffed with peppers, ham, cheese, and something else that looked like it might have once been alive and screaming. French toast followed, dusted with powdered sugar and still steaming, then the final plate of classic pancakes–plain, but perfectly browned and stacked like they belonged in a diner commercial.
“Damn,” You muttered as she walked away to grab another pot of coffee. “You weren’t kidding.”
Bob gave a faux-serious nod. “I take breakfast very seriously.”
Conversation flowed easily now, spilling over between bites and swipes of syrup, the low hum of the diner cocooning you in soft sounds: the hiss of the kitchen, the occasional ding of a timer, and the quiet scrape of forks over ceramic.
You talked about everything and nothing. Favorite professors. Weirdest drink orders you’d ever made at work. Other times, he said things you hadn’t expected: like how he wanted to work in aerospace design someday, or how he didn’t sleep well unless there was white noise playing somewhere nearby.
Somewhere between your second helping of home fries and Bob’s last piece of French toast, your phone buzzed. You picked it up mid-chew and glanced at the screen.
Jess: we’re heading back. dorms are too far but jake’s breath is worse. I’m tapping out.
Monica: don’t wait up <3
Sue: text when you’re home safe pls 🫶
You thumbed a quick reply, a warm smile tugging at your lips.
You: i’ll be good. i’ll text when i get back to the residence so you know i got home safe <3
When you set the phone down again, Bob was watching you–not in a weird way, just casually, curiously, like he could tell something in your expression had shifted.
“Friends bailing on you?” He asked, reaching for the last bite of his pancakes.
You nodded. “Yeah. Party must’ve worn them out.”
“Probably for the best,” He started, “It starts getting rowdy at around this time.” You snorted.
”What’s new? It’s like y’all don’t sleep, I’ve heard enough stories that it literally feels like when I don’t go to one of your parties I still attended.”
Bob laughed so hard he almost choked on his coffee.
By the time your plates were mostly empty and the coffee pot had been drained down to lukewarm remnants, you realized just how late it had gotten. The booths had began to thin out even more–there was just one table of students left, dozing over half-finished pancake stacks. The quiet was deeper now, but not uncomfortable.
The waitress returned to your table just as you were lifting your mug for one final sip, now half-cold and slightly bitter. Her pen was already poised, her notepad loose in one hand, her face unreadable behind the faint sheen of a night shift glaze.
“It’ll be one bill,” Bob said before she could even ask, his voice smooth but casual.
Your head jerked slightly in surprise, a protest already rising in your throat. “Wait, no–Bob, come on, you don’t have to–”
He shook his head gently, cutting you off with nothing more than a glance and a small smile. “It’s all good,” He murmured, already pulling out his wallet. “You got me out of the house for the first time this week. I owe you.” Your cheeks warmed, a slow bloom of heat rising into your ears. You blinked down at your mug, then back at him, and that’s when the sky opened.
A sudden roar of rain crashed against the diner’s roof, pounding like a thousand thrown pebbles. The windows misted almost instantly, a sheet of water streaming down the glass and distorting the world outside into a watercolor blur.
Bob flinched slightly, twisting in his seat to look outside. His shoulders hunched on instinct, and a low, resigned sound escaped from his throat. “Well…” he said, squinting past the droplets, “That doesn’t look good.”
You turned your gaze to the window and let out a dry laugh, exhaling softly as you looked down at the windbreaker you had draped over your lap. The nylon was thin and practically useless, more aesthetic than functional, and the idea of stepping into a monsoon in it was laughable at best.
“Guess I’m gonna be taking a second shower tonight,” you muttered.
Bob laughed—a soft, tired huff that carried the warmth of shared annoyance. He reached for the debit machine the waitress had just placed down, brows furrowing slightly at the glowing screen.
“I mean…” he began, eyes still on the numbers as he typed in a 20% tip with practiced ease, “TRASH is closer than your residence, I’m assuming…”
You stilled, your fingers lightly tapping the rim of your coffee cup. You raised an eyebrow and tilted your head toward him, a smirk flickering at the corner of your mouth. “Are you asking me to stay over at the frat house for the night?”
The question hung in the air, playful but open-ended, wrapped in something more vulnerable beneath the teasing. Bob’s fingers hesitated only a second on the keypad. Then he cleared his throat, his jaw flexing faintly as he focused a little too intently on the screen.
A tinge of pink crept into his cheeks, barely visible in the soft overhead glow, “Well,” He started, still looking at the machine, ““I don’t think it’ll be as chaotic as it was when we first left. It’s…”
He pulled his phone out of his hoodie pocket, thumb swiping the screen quickly before glancing at the time. His voice was slightly rough when he spoke again. “1:58…So most of the party crowd’s probably passed out or Ubered home.” You let the moment linger, your gaze resting on him as you traced the edge of your mug with your fingertip. The rain was still coming down hard, a near-constant shushing against the glass. You could feel the chill creeping in from the windowpane behind you, but your fingers were warm.
Your tongue flicked out to dampen your upper lip–an unconscious movement. “Okay,” you said quietly, meeting his eyes as he finally looked up. “You’re right.”
Something flickered behind his glasses–relief, maybe. Or hope.
“So…” He asked, voice gentler now, “Is that a yes?”
You tilted your head, pretending to consider it for dramatic effect. Then you nodded, slow and sure, your smile small but certain. “Definitely.”
———————————
By the time you reached the frat house again, your windbreaker had clung to your frame like a second skin–useless, soaked through, plastered to your arms and back. Bob hadn’t fared much better; his sweatshirt was darkened with rain, sweatpants sticking to his legs, curls dripping water down the sides of his face. You both half-jogged the final stretch of the walk, laughing breathlessly as puddles splashed beneath your sneakers, your jeans growing heavier with every step.
The porch light still flickered above the sagging steps of TRASH, casting its usual jaundiced glow across the warped wood and the crowd that lingered despite the downpour. The music inside had dulled to a murmur now–more background hum than bassline. A few people still lounged on the porch and by the windows, some wrapped in borrowed blankets or wearing half-soaked hoodies, clearly unwilling to brave the rain to get home.
You and Bob didn’t say anything as you stepped back inside. You didn’t need to.
The shift in temperature was immediate. Warmth hit you like a wall–sticky and musty from the remains of the party, but comforting after the rain. Your wet clothes clung to your skin, and you blinked against the fog that immediately fogged up Bob’s glasses.
He muttered something under his breath and took them off, reaching blindly for the nearest surface. A tissue box sat crookedly on the edge of a table cluttered with empty bottles and a half-eaten slice of pizza. He snagged one with a quiet “thanks,” as if the house had done him a favor, and carefully wiped the raindrops from the lenses.
You stood beside him, dripping gently onto the floorboards, ignoring the damp squish of your socks in your shoes.
“This is your fault,” You murmured dryly, nudging him with your elbow, pointing down at your shoes.
Bob smiled behind the tissue, his glasses still in hand. “Can’t control the way I splashed the puddles, it’s not my fault.”
You rolled your eyes, but the warmth of the exchange settled between you like steam, softening the cold still clinging to your back.
The climb to the second floor was quieter than before–no bodies spilling down the stairs, no screams from behind doors. The hallway was dim, lit only by the faint blue glow of a nightlight near the bathroom and the soft hum of a TV still playing somewhere behind a closed door. You padded side by side, shoes squelching softly, until you reached the door at the very end.
Bob stopped and looked down at the wet prints you’d both left on the wood floor. “Wait,” He said, hooking a finger into the heel of his sneaker. “Let’s not trash the room on the way in.”
You mimicked him without question, tugging your own shoes off and stepping gingerly onto the dry patch of carpet just outside his door. Your barefeet were cold against the wood, but you followed his lead as he opened the door and ushered you inside.
The warmth of the room embraced you immediately–soft light still glowing from the desk lamp, books undisturbed, bed still neatly made. It looked exactly as you’d left it, like the universe had paused while you were gone. A pocket of calm in the storm.
Bob shut the door behind you with a quiet click, and you both stood there for a second, wet and shivering, taking in the familiar scent of detergent and paper and pine.
You turned to him, wringing out the bottom hem of your shirt slightly. “So…What’s the protocol here?” You asked, gesturing vaguely to your soaked clothes. Bob cleared his throat, the sound soft but a little strained as he shifted in place. His hair was damp and sticking to his forehead from the humidity of the rain and the faint warmth of the room.
“Um… I have some spare clothes you can wear,” He said, gesturing vaguely toward the small closet on the far side of the room. “They might be a little big, but…”
You shook your head immediately, brushing a few wet strands of hair back from your face as water dripped quietly from your sleeves. “I don’t mind,” You murmured. “Not really trying to impress anyone.”
That earned the faintest smirk from him, quick and crooked–just a twitch of amusement at the corner of his mouth. He turned away and opened his closet, the wooden door creaking faintly on old hinges. Inside, everything was neatly stacked or hung: flannel shirts, hoodies, folded sweats, a few plastic hangers twisting slightly from where they’d been jostled. It wasn’t much, but it was organized–just like the rest of him.
After a second of deliberation, Bob pulled out a pair of flannel pajama bottoms–soft-looking, forest green and navy plaid–and a white t-shirt with faded navy lettering stretched across the front.
You tilted your head, brows lifting slightly. “‘The All-State Mathletes’?”
He sighed. “Yeah…It was a math team I was on in my first year. Don’t ask.”
You grinned and took the bundle from his hands, brushing your thumb across the worn fabric of the shirt. “I’ll take anything at this point.”
“I figured,” He muttered with a low huff of a laugh. Then, with a tilt of his head, “Bathroom’s two doors down. Towels are in the top drawer if you need one.”
“Got it.” You nodded, stepping back into the hallway barefoot, flannel bundle tucked under your arm and your wet clothes slapping faintly against your side with every step.
The bathroom was empty–thank god–and you wasted no time peeling off your drenched clothes. The fabric clung stubbornly, cold and limp against your skin, your jeans making that awful suction sound as you dragged them down your legs. The windbreaker hit the floor with a wet slap, your socks not far behind.
The dry fabric of the borrowed clothes was a godsend.
The pajama pants were big, predictably, and you had to roll the waistband twice just to get them to sit above your hips. The t-shirt hung past your thighs, thin and worn soft with age, the letters cracked and faded from a thousand washes. You caught your reflection in the mirror briefly as you towel-dried your hair–still damp–but a little steadier now.
You bundled your soaked clothes into a loose pile in your arms and padded back down the hall, feet cool against the hardwood. The party had dulled into something sleepy and distant. A door creaked open somewhere behind you, but you ignored it, your focus set entirely on the quiet golden glow spilling from the crack beneath Bob’s door.
When you opened it, your hand halfway full of damp denim, you froze in the doorway.
Bob was halfway through pulling on a clean shirt, the fabric bunched in his hands as it hovered just below his collarbone. His back was to you, bare and still slightly damp, pale under the soft overhead light. And god–he was lean, sure, but he was defined. His shoulders tapered into the strong slope of his spine, the muscles along his back pulling tight with every breath as he raised his arms. His skin was smooth, but the planes of him were lined with quiet strength–faint dips and ridges casting gentle shadows across his shoulder blades and the curve of his waist. You hadn’t expected him to be built like that.
Your throat went dry.
You coughed–a soft, involuntary sound that slipped from your chest before you could stop it.
Bob startled slightly and turned, shirt still bunched in his hands. His glasses were back on, fogged faintly from the warmth of the room. His cheeks went pink almost instantly, like the realization had only just hit him. “Oh Jesus,” he muttered, yanking the shirt over his head in a single, awkward movement. “I didn’t know you’d be back already.”
You took a cautious step in, one hand tightening around the bundle of wet clothes clutched to your chest. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to just walk in–didn’t really expect you to be…Changing.”
Bob shook his head as he adjusted the hem of the shirt, tugging it into place at his hips, smoothing it over the faint damp patches on his new pair of navy sweatpants. “No–it’s fine. Really. Uh…Let me get you a towel for your pillow…And I can throw your clothes in the dryer so they’ll be good by morning.” He moved quickly, brushing past you with careful steps, warm air trailing in his wake. You caught the scent of him as he passed–faint detergent, piney body wash, something subtle and clean that clung to the soft cotton of his shirt.
He opened a small drawer near the dresser, pulling out a thick grey towel and handing it to you without making eye contact. Then he glanced down at the soaked bundle in your arms and gently reached for it.
“I’ll toss these downstairs now,” He offered. “Give me five minutes and they’ll be spinning.”
You nodded, lips parting slightly. “Thanks. Really.”
Bob’s expression softened as he looked up at you–his blue eyes still wide behind the lenses, but a little calmer now. “Do you want a drink or anything?” He asked as he backed toward the door. “I’m probably gonna grab some water before…Sleep.”
You hesitated, then gave a small, grateful smile. “Yeah. Water is fine…Thank you.”
He nodded once and slipped out the door, leaving you alone again in the soft glow of his bedroom. The sound of his footsteps faded down the stairs, and you sat slowly at the edge of the bed again, towel draped across your shoulders, the smell of his room slowly working its way deeper into your skin.
You thumbed open your group chat as you sat at the edge of Bob’s bed, the thick towel still draped over your shoulders like a shield. Your wet clothes were gone–already clunking softly in the dryer downstairs–and the cold had mostly left your skin, replaced by the slow radiating warmth of his room.
The group chat lit up under your fingers:
You: made it back to the frat house safe. staying here tonight—will explain tmrw. love you guys. <3
A second later, Sue reacted with a heart. Jess sent a gif of someone raising an eyebrow dramatically, and Monica just wrote: “knew it 😉”
You rolled your eyes and let out a soft breath of amusement, then set the phone down on Bob’s desk, the screen glowing faintly for another second before fading to black. You turned back toward the bed and let yourself sink into the mattress, exhaling slowly as your shoulders dropped. The towel slipped from your frame, and you folded it carefully, placing it over the pillow before lying back, arms stretched loosely at your sides.
The room hummed around you. Softly. Comfortably. A distant thump of music still pulsed from the floors below–muted now, a sleepy echo of chaos already starting to dissolve into morning fog. Somewhere, a door clicked shut. Pipes murmured in the walls. And the desk lamp bathed the room in a low, golden glow, casting soft shadows against the bookshelves and the edge of the closet.
Then, the door opened again.
Bob entered quietly, closing it behind him with the same practiced care he’d used all night. His hair was slightly less damp, the ends curling gently around his ears. A bottle of water was tucked in each hand, condensation trailing slow rivulets down his fingers.
“Here,” He said, holding one out to you.
You sat up slightly, taking the bottle with a soft “Thanks,” and cracking it open. The cap clicked beneath your fingers, the cool water a sharp contrast against your warm skin. Bob twisted the top off his own and took a quick sip, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the motion. Then he lowered it and glanced toward the bookshelf with an unreadable expression.
“I’m just going to grab a blanket,” he said casually, “and take the spare room.”
You paused mid-sip, brows lifting. “What?” you said, letting the cap snap gently back in place. “You don’t want to share a bed?”
Bob’s eyes darted to yours, surprised. His lips parted faintly. “You…want to share a bed?”
You shrugged, voice light but steady. “Well…yeah. I don’t really mind. There’s enough room, isn’t there?”
His gaze flicked to the mattress like it needed to be double-checked. “Yeah, there is,” He admitted, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Just thought you wouldn’t want to be sleeping in a bed with a stranger.”
You tilted your head, the edge of a smirk tugging at your lips. “Hey now,” You teased softly, “Come on. We aren’t strangers.”
Bob huffed out a breath–a laugh, almost. “We met less than twelve hours ago and we’re already sleeping in the same bed. Seems fast.”
You stood slowly, the blanket falling back in soft folds behind your legs. “I’m fine with fast if you are,” you said, tone flirtier than before, the words curling at the edge like steam rising from pavement.
Bob looked at you for a long moment. His eyes flicked down your frame briefly–respectfully–but you caught it. Just the faintest breath of a glance at the oversized shirt, the rolled waistband of his pajama pants on your hips. Then he swallowed, the movement subtle but visible.
You climbed under the covers, placing your towel-topped pillow against the headboard and leaning back into it. The sheets were soft–cotton, a little warm from the dryer, carrying the faint scent of his detergent. Your body sank into the mattress like it remembered the panic you’d felt hours ago and wanted to nestle into something still, something safe.
You patted the empty space beside you, eyebrows raised in invitation. “Well?”
Bob didn’t answer right away. He just smiled–shy and a little stunned–and shuffled toward the bed like he didn’t quite believe this was real. The mattress dipped slightly under his weight as he climbed in beside you, his long legs folding under the blanket, which he pulled up to his shoulders like muscle memory.
His shoulder brushed yours–barely–but the heat of it lingered.
You reached across your chest and handed him your water bottle without a word. He blinked once, took it with a murmur of thanks, and leaned over to place it gently on the nightstand beside his own. The lamp clicked off a second later, plunging the room into darkness, save for the faint sliver of moonlight that slipped through the small window of his room. A silver-blue sheen spread softly across the edge of the comforter.
The quiet pressed in, not heavy or stifling, but thick with awareness.
Your bodies didn’t touch, but the heat between them curled like smoke.
You could hear the shift of the covers when Bob adjusted his legs, the soft whisper of fabric against skin as he rolled slightly toward you on instinct–then seemed to catch himself and settle again on his back. The bed creaked faintly beneath the motion, and then stillness returned.
The air smelled like clean cotton, pine body wash, the faintest trace of rainwater clinging to the ends of your hair. You turned your head on the pillow slightly, voice just above a whisper.
“Still awake?”
“…Yeah,” He said quietly. “You?”
You nodded in the dark. “Mm-hm.”
The quiet stillness wrapped around you like a weighted blanket, warm but buzzing with something new. It had shifted—gently, imperceptibly—but it was there now. Not the panic. Not the awkwardness. Something softer. Something waiting.
You turned over slowly, your arm sliding across the blanket as you rolled onto your side, the mattress giving slightly under your weight. The movement made a faint rustle, just enough for him to hear.
Bob shifted too.
His silhouette turned toward you, quiet and careful, until you could make out the soft rise of his chest beneath the covers, the faint slope of his shoulder, and the curve of his jaw in the pale wash of moonlight. His glasses were gone, probably folded on the nightstand with your water bottles, but even in the dim light you could see the glassy reflection of his eyes.
Blue. Gentle. Wide. Fixed on yours.
“Do you maybe want to maybe…Do something?” You asked, voice soft, watching as he swallowed hard.
”…What…What do you have in mind?” You didn’t answer right away. Just let the silence stretch between you like silk. Then your gaze dipped, slow and deliberate, to the shape of his mouth.
Soft, parted slightly. Waiting.
His breath caught–just the faintest hitch–and you saw his eyes flick down to your lips, mirroring you. Like instinct. Like gravity.
You leaned in.
It was tentative at first–your chest barely grazing his, your hand resting lightly on the edge of the pillow as you crossed the final few inches. Bob didn’t move, but his breath deepened, a quiet exhale drifting over your cheek as your nose brushed his. Then you closed the distance.
Your lips met his, soft and feather-light.
He froze for half a second, as if stunned–but then he kissed you back. His lips were warm, slightly chapped, but so gentle it almost made your ribs ache. He moved like he was afraid to shatter you, like this moment was too fragile to claim outright.
His hand came up slowly–hesitant at first, then steady. His palm cupped the side of your face, thumb brushing the curve of your cheekbone. The contact lit a slow-burning warmth across your skin. He let out a breath–long and unsteady against your lips, like the kind you exhale when you’ve been holding it too long.
He pulled back just a little, the tip of his nose brushing yours as he hovered, eyes open now, close enough that you could feel the faint tremble of his breath. You opened your eyes too.
And then you leaned forward again.
This time it wasn’t tentative. Still soft, still slow–but heavier now. More certain. You kissed him with your full mouth, with the weight of everything the night had built. Your lips parted slightly and so did his. The kiss deepened, quiet but lingering, the kind of kiss that said I see you. I feel this too.
Bob responded with a quiet sound in the back of his throat, like the breath had been pulled from him again. His hand shifted from your cheek to the base of your skull, fingers slipping into your damp hair, holding you with a gentleness that made your stomach flutter.
Your other hand found his forearm beneath the blanket, the heat of his skin a slow thrum against your fingertips. He tilted his head slightly to meet your mouth more fully, deepening the kiss just enough that you felt your body lean in instinctively. His lips moved against yours with the kind of reverence that made your breath catch–slow, aching, as if he didn’t want to stop.
When he finally pulled back, it was only by an inch. Just enough for air. Just enough to look at you.
The moonlight caught in his lashes, his irises shining like sea glass. His lips were redder now, parted slightly, the corner of his mouth trembling faintly from restraint or disbelief. His thumb brushed along your jaw as he studied you, breath still coming a little faster than before.
“Is this okay?” He whispered.
Your heart twisted at the softness in his voice. You nodded–barely a motion–but it was enough.
“Yeah,” You whispered back. “It’s perfect.” Bob stared at you for a breath longer, like he couldn’t believe you were real. Like this whole thing might vanish if he blinked too fast.
Then he leaned in again.
The kiss that followed was deeper–hungrier. Less tentative. His hand was still cradling the side of your face, thumb brushing under your eye, but there was a new weight behind the way he kissed you now. A heat that curled up from the pit of your stomach, spreading like honey beneath your skin. His lips parted a little faster, like he was giving in to something he’d been holding back.
You pressed in with him, lips slotting together again and again, and then you moved–your body shifting under the blanket as you brought one leg over his hip, slowly, testing.
Bob froze for half a second–just long enough for you to hesitate–but then his hand moved. The one on your cheek slid down, dragging lightly along your jaw, your neck, the curve of your shoulder, until it found your thigh. His fingers curled around the back of it, firm and warm, and pulled you gently closer.
You moved instinctively, hips settling into the cradle of his body, your leg draped loosely over his, pressing in. The blanket bunched around your waists, forgotten. The worn cotton of his borrowed flannel pants brushed against your skin as you rocked forward, just enough to feel the heat between your bodies catch.
His breath hitched.
The kiss deepened again, your lips parting just slightly, just enough to taste his breath. And then you felt it–his tongue, tentative but sure, slipping past your lips to meet yours. It wasn’t sloppy or rushed. It was slow and searching, like he wanted to memorize the shape of your mouth from the inside out. You responded in kind, your fingers curling lightly into his shirt, gripping the soft cotton as you rolled your hips again–just once.
Bob gasped against your lips.
It wasn’t loud, but it was raw–half breath, half sound, the air from his lungs catching in his throat. You felt the heat of him through the fabric, the slow, aching tension building there. His fingers dug into your thigh just slightly, not enough to hurt–just enough to pull.
You did it again. Slower this time. Your hips moved in a slow, steady circle, the friction sweet and hot even through the layers of borrowed clothes. Bob broke the kiss suddenly, his lips parting with a soft huff of air as his head tilted back against the pillow.
“Fuck–” He breathed, almost inaudible, as though it had been dragged from him by accident.
You pulled back slightly, brushing your nose along his cheek before pressing a slow kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Get on top?” he asked, voice rough, uncertain but yearning.
You nodded, lips still brushing his.
He shifted beneath you, back arching slightly as he rolled onto his back, adjusting the blanket so it slipped lower across his hips. You followed the motion, moving carefully, straddling him with slow, deliberate movements. The oversized shirt you wore fell forward slightly, hanging off your shoulders as you adjusted your weight over him.
His hands settled instinctively on your thighs, fingertips flexing gently as you leaned down to kiss him again–this time firmer, more desperate. It was less polished now, more honest. You kissed like people who hadn’t had something like this in a long time. Like this was a secret you weren’t supposed to be sharing but needed anyway.
You began to move again, hips rocking gently against him in a slow rhythm that made his jaw slacken beneath your mouth.
Bob groaned–quiet, tight–and his hands moved to your waist, holding you just a little more firmly now. His breath was hot against your mouth as he kissed you harder, sloppier now, letting go of some invisible restraint. Your thighs squeezed around his hips, the pressure sending heat curling down your spine. You could feel how hard he was through his sweatpants now, the heat of him pressed up between your legs with every slow drag of your hips.
His moan broke the rhythm.
Soft and helpless. It slipped into your mouth like a secret.
You pulled back, barely, kissing the line of his jaw and the soft, exposed skin of his neck. He tilted his head just enough to give you more space. His throat flexed when you kissed him there–gently, again and again–before murmuring softly:
“Are you okay?”
His fingers tightened just slightly where they rested on your hips. His breath came a little faster now, chest rising against yours in shallow waves. And then, softly, almost embarrassed:
“I…I’m a bit sensitive…”
You paused, still straddling him, your hand smoothing lightly over his chest. The thump of his heart was rapid beneath your palm.
You looked down at him, eyes searching in the dark. “Are you…A virgin?”
He shook his head quickly, cheeks flushed red even in the faint light.
“No…No, not a virgin. But it’s…It’s kind of been a while. And I haven’t… I haven’t had sex with many people.”
Your heart softened at the honesty. The way he said it, not ashamed–just cautious. Like he wanted you to know what you were working with. What you were holding in your hands.
You leaned down, brushing your lips gently against his jaw.
“We can stop if you want,” You murmured. “I don’t mind just doing this. You don’t have to prove anything.”
Bob shook his head immediately, voice quiet but steady. “No…No, we can keep going. I want to. I really want to.”
You smiled, slow and reassuring. A gentle hand slid down to his chest again, your thumb brushing the fabric of his shirt as you spoke.
“If you want to stop, just tell me, okay?”
He nodded, eyes wide and warm. “Okay.” You leaned down again, your lips brushing the corner of his jaw, then trailing lower, slow and coaxing. Bob tilted his head back, just enough to expose his throat to you, and you took the invitation without hesitation–pressing soft, lingering kisses to the curve of his neck, the warm hollow beneath his jaw. You let your tongue flick out lightly, tasting the salt of his skin, the faint tang of piney body wash and rainwater still clinging to him.
His breath hitched again when your lips ghosted over the edge of his collarbone.
You kept moving downward, slow and deliberate, your hips still rocking gently against his as your kisses followed the slope of his body. The heat between your legs pulsed against the firmness beneath his sweatpants with each subtle shift, each teasing grind of pressure. You could feel him trembling slightly under you–barely noticeable, but there.
Then, without a word, he shifted.
He leaned up just enough to grab the hem of his shirt and peel it over his head in one fluid, unhurried motion. His hair stuck up in damp little curls as he tossed the shirt aside, chest rising and falling more quickly now, bare and flushed under the faint light.
You paused.
Your gaze swept over him–up close now. Every inch of him laid out before you. His chest was broad, lined with soft muscle, not overworked but strong. The subtle lines of his ribs shifted with each breath. A faint trail of hair disappeared beneath the waistband of his sweats, and your mouth went dry again.
“Jesus,” You murmured, almost to yourself, your fingers ghosting over his sternum. He shivered under your touch. Your hands traced down slowly–past his chest, over his stomach, feeling the flutter of his abs tensing beneath your palm. You kissed each inch as you moved, warm and open-mouthed, pushing the comforter lower as you went.
He was breathing harder now, lips parted, one hand fisting the sheets beside him as he fought to stay still.
When you reached the waistband of his sweatpants, you looked up.
“Can I take these off?” You asked softly, fingers already hooked into the fabric.
Bob looked down at you, eyes glassy with heat, and nodded. “Yes… Please.”
You pulled them down slowly, dragging them past his hips, down his thighs, then off entirely. Your breath caught as he was finally exposed to you–fully, completely. He was big. Thick and flushed and already twitching under your stare, the head glossy with arousal, a vein pulsing visibly along the underside.
Your eyes widened just a little.
He saw it.
His face went red immediately, arms twitching like he wasn’t sure whether to cover himself or not. “Is…Everything okay?”
You nodded quickly–so quickly it made your hair shift. “Yes. Oh my god…Yes.” You reached up, wrapping your hand around him carefully. His whole body reacted–his hips stuttered and his eyes fluttered shut, a choked gasp leaving his lips. His thighs tensed beneath your knees.
“Still okay?” You asked gently, your hand already stroking him in slow, reverent pulls.
He opened his eyes, dazed and breathless, and nodded. “Yeah. Fuck–yeah.”
You leaned forward then, dragging your mouth along the sensitive skin of his lower abdomen, kissing just above the base of him. His hips jerked slightly under you. And then you took him into your mouth.
The reaction was immediate.
Bob let out a sound–high and broken, something between a moan and a whimper–and his hand flew up, grabbing at the pillow behind his head like he needed something to hold on to. You started slow, letting your lips stretch around him, your tongue tracing every inch you could reach, eyes flicking up to watch the way he unraveled.
It was messy. Your lips were already slick, your breath hot against him as you took him in deeper, your hand stroking what your mouth couldn’t manage. You let spit slide down your chin, let your tongue swirl at the sensitive underside of the head, and when you pulled back just enough to suck softly–he whimpered again.
“Fuck–Fuck, you’re–” He didn’t finish.
His chest was heaving now, one hand clenching the sheets, the other twitching at his side like he wanted to touch you but didn’t dare. You glanced up again, your eyes meeting his as you took him back into your mouth, deeper this time. His head fell back.
He tried to warn you. “I–I’m gonna–shit–”
You didn’t stop.
You kept going, messy and steady, humming softly around him. That was what pushed him over.
He came hard.
It hit like a jolt–his thighs tensed, a full-body tremble ran through him, and his hips jerked once, deep and involuntary. You swallowed everything, kept your mouth on him, letting him ride everything out with soft, wet pulls until he was gasping, his voice broken and breathless.
“Holy shit…” He whispered, “Holy shit.” You pulled off slowly, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, then kissed the inside of his thigh gently. He twitched under the touch, already so sensitive.
You looked up at him.
His hair was wild against the pillow. His chest was still rising and falling fast. He looked wrecked–in the best way. Flushed and dazed and entirely undone.
“…You okay?” You asked softly, your voice a little hoarse. He nods. His chest rose and fell in shallow waves, a light sheen of sweat just beginning to bead at his collarbones. His voice was rough when he finally spoke.
“You’re…” He swallowed, almost like he didn’t believe it himself. “You’re so good at that.”
You smiled–lazy, warm, lips still glistening from where you’d had him in your mouth. “Glad I didn’t disappoint.”
Then you began kissing your way back up, slow and teasing, your mouth trailing over his thigh, the curve of his hip, the faint dip of his navel. His body tensed in small waves under you, his hands twitching like he wasn’t sure whether to grab you or ground himself.
By the time you reached his chest again, your lips hovered above his, your palms pressed flat against his ribcage as you straddled him once more. The moment your mouths met again–softer now, slower–he kissed you like he could still taste himself on your tongue. Like he didn’t care. Like it made him hungrier.
Then, without a word, he shifted beneath you.
His core tightened–subtle but strong–and his hands slid firmly up your sides. And in one smooth, steady motion, he turned you both. Rolled you right onto your back, his body pressing down over yours, careful but deliberate. The mattress dipped beneath the change in weight, the blanket twisting around your waists as he settled on top of you.
You gasped, then laughed, the sound half-breathless. “Oh, okay,” You whispered, grinning up at him in the moonlight. “You’ve got muscles after all.”
Bob smirked–still shy, still pink in the cheeks, but he liked that reaction. You could tell.
His hands skimmed up beneath the oversized shirt, fingers warm and reverent as they rested just below your ribs. His thumbs rubbed slow, uncertain circles into your skin.
“Is this okay?” He murmured, already breathless again, eyes locked on yours like he’d stop the world if you flinched.
You nodded slowly, voice quiet but steady. “Yeah. Let me take it off for you.”
Bob leaned back just enough to let you sit up, his hands sliding down to brace your waist. You grabbed the hem of the shirt and peeled it up and over your head in one swift motion, the cotton catching briefly at your wrists before falling in a heap beside the bed.
The second you were bare to him, Bob’s eyes darkened. Not with anything aggressive–just wonder. Awe.
Then his mouth was on you immediately.
He leaned down, lips brushing the curve of your breast, then the center of it, then closing over your nipple with a gentleness that made your breath stutter. His mouth was hot–wet and reverent–and when he sucked, slow and careful, your back arched instinctively off the bed.
You heard him moan against you.
It was low and quiet, but you felt the vibration hum through your skin, straight down your spine. One of his hands came up to cup the other breast, thumb flicking across the nipple, just barely grazing it–testing your reaction. You gasped, thighs shifting beneath him, and his fingers twitched in response.
He liked that. He really liked that.
Bob switched sides without warning–his lips moving from one breast to the other, leaving a trail of kisses behind. He sucked more firmly this time, tongue circling your nipple before pulling it into the warmth of his mouth. You couldn’t help it–you let out a soft, broken moan, your fingers threading into his hair.
You tugged. Not hard, but enough.
His breath hitched again, and he groaned into your skin.
The sounds he was making were softer than you’d expected–gentle and desperate all at once. As if pleasuring you was more overwhelming than being pleasured himself. He took his time with your chest, letting each kiss linger, letting each flick of his tongue draw another gasp from you. He alternated pressure, learning what made your back arch, what made you squirm, what made your thighs tremble against his hips.
You tightened your fingers in his curls and whispered, “Bob…Fuck.”
He pulled back, lips red and wet, his breath warm against your breast. His eyes flicked up to yours.
“Can I go down on you?”
The question hit low in your stomach–immediate, electric.
Your lips parted before you even thought. “Yes…” A breath. “Yes, please.”
His smile broke through slow and stunned, like it had just dawned on him that he’d get to do this–that this was real. He kissed your sternum once, then lower, reverent as he worked his way down your body. His hands slid beneath the waistband of your pajama pants, fingers brushing your hips gently.
You lifted your hips in silent offering.
The flannel was untied with fumbling fingers–more eager than graceful–and he tugged it down with care, eyes glued to your body like he couldn’t believe how lucky he was. You helped him, pushing the fabric past your thighs, letting it fall in a heap somewhere at the end of the bed.
Bob shifted between your legs, hands bracing your thighs as he kissed the inside of one, then the other. His short strands of hair brushed your skin, his breath hot and unsteady against the most sensitive part of you, and when he glanced up–eyes wide, lips parted–you thought you might actually combust.
He settled lower. Breathed deep. And then tasted you.
The sound he made was immediate—a choked, guttural moan that vibrated through your entire pelvis.
“Jesus Christ,” he whispered, voice wrecked already. “You taste so good…”
Then his mouth was back on you.
Hot, open, eager.
He didn’t know what he was doing at first—at least not perfectly—but he learned fast. Every whimper, every shift of your hips, every breathless moan was something he studied. His tongue flicked, then flattened. Lapped broad and slow, then circled tight and precise, adjusting to your reactions like he was memorizing you.
The warmth of his mouth was overwhelming. It was everywhere. Wet and insistent and so good.
Your back arched and your hips rolled forward on instinct, chasing the pressure, and he groaned into you again—into you—like the weight of your pleasure was his. His hands gripped your thighs tighter, spreading you open for him, holding you steady like he needed to stay here, buried here, like he couldn’t risk missing anything.
“Bob–oh my god–”
You felt him moan at the sound of his name, his tongue dragging slow and deep, lips sucking just enough to make your breath catch and stutter. It was dirty and worshipful all at once. Sloppy and reverent. It had you squirming against his mouth, your legs trembling on either side of his shoulders.
Then he paused.
Pulled back just barely–just enough to catch his breath and speak. His voice was thick and panting, his lips shiny, chin wet.
“I’m gonna…” He swallowed. “Add fingers.”
You let out a breathy, desperate moan, hips twitching up toward him involuntarily.
“Fuck, Bob…Please.”
He dipped his head again, kissing your clit once–soft and wet–before trailing lower with his tongue as his hand slid between your thighs. You felt the first press of his fingertips at your entrance–tentative, reverent–and then one slipped inside, slow and gentle, curling just enough to make you cry out.
“God,” He breathed, kissing your thigh as he moved. “You’re so wet…”
He added the second without warning–easing it in slowly, stretching you around his knuckles, and you swore the breath left your body in a rush. His fingers filled you, thick and warm and so good, and he started moving them–slow and firm, curling upward just right, just right–and then his mouth was back.
This time, he devoured you.
Messy, hungry, moaning against your clit as his fingers worked inside you, finding a rhythm that had your entire body going taut. You were writhing now–hips lifting, thighs clenching, voice catching in your throat as you tried to stay grounded, stay still, but he was relentless. Determined.
Like he’d waited years to do this and he was making up for lost time.
You felt it building–hot and sharp and inevitable–and your hands found his hair, pulling tight, holding on for dear life as your body surged forward.
“I–I’m gonna–fuck, Bob, don’t stop–”
And he didn’t. He just moaned into you, tongue flicking faster, fingers pumping deeper, curling as he groaned in response to your tightening around him.
You shattered.
Your thighs clamped around his head, heels digging into the mattress, your hips twitching against his face as you came with a full-body spasm, mouth open in a silent cry. You heard yourself babble his name, hips bucking helplessly as the orgasm tore through you, hard and fast and blinding.
Bob kept going. Gentle but steady. Lapping you through it, moaning into you like your pleasure was the best thing he’d ever tasted.
You finally collapsed back into the sheets, breathing ragged, hair clinging to your forehead. You laughed–soft and winded–still twitching every time he brushed too close.
He lifted his head slowly, face flushed, lips slick, chin glistening in the low light. His pupils were blown, chest rising and falling like he’d just run a marathon.
“You okay?” He asked, voice hoarse.
You blinked up at him, dazed and completely blissed out.
“You’ve been blessed…” You dragged in a breath. “With such raw talent.”
Bob blinked–then laughed. Hard. Giddy. His smile broke wide across his face, messy and flushed and so proud. “Yeah?”
You nodded, still catching your breath. “Definitely. You were so good… So, so good.”
His cheeks turned red. “Like, uh… Good enough for a second round?” He teased, voice low. Your smile widened, slow and a little wicked, still flushed and catching your breath. “I think…” You murmured, voice soft but laced with heat, “I want to feel you. Actually.”
Bob’s breath caught. His eyebrows rose just slightly, like the words had short-circuited his brain. “Yeah?” he asked, half-disbelieving.
You nodded, lifting your hand to trace a lazy finger along the line of his jaw. “If you want to, of course.”
His eyes softened instantly. “I want to.” His voice was rough again, thick with desire, but gentled by the way he looked at you. With care. With hunger. With awe.
He crawled slowly up your body, his hands braced beside your ribs, his chest brushing softly against yours. His lips found your collarbone first–featherlight and reverent. Then your neck, where he pressed an open-mouthed kiss just below your ear, tongue flicking briefly against your skin.
You could feel him, hard and hot, dragging against your inner thigh as he moved. It made your hips roll on instinct.
“Going down on you really got me going…” He breathed into your skin, voice low and desperate, hips twitching slightly. His body was shaking with restraint.
You giggled–a breathy, warm sound that made him smile as you turned your face toward him. Your mouths met again, lips pressing together, and you tasted yourself on him–your own slickness still clinging faintly to his lips, his tongue. You kissed him deeper, your hand sliding along his spine.
He pulled back just enough to look at you. “You really want to?”
You nodded, brushing your nose against his. “Do I need a condom?”
You watched his pupils dilate at the question, a harsh breath catching in his throat. “I’m on the pill, and I haven’t had sex in a bit but my recent STD test was clean.” You added, voice even softer now.
“Fuck…” He breathed, voice cracking a little. “Okay.”
He kissed you again, deeper this time–urgent but not rushed. Like he needed to feel you everywhere before he could push in. One of his hands slid down between your bodies, finding the heat between your thighs with instinctive precision. He nudged the tip of himself against your folds, dragging it up and down–slick and hot–through your wetness.
You both groaned.
Your hands gripped his arms, fingers curling into his skin as he slowly began to push in. His body trembled above you, the pace careful but steady, like he wanted to feel every second of it. The stretch burned in the best way–deep, hot, slow.
“Jesus Christ,” Bob whispered, his voice completely wrecked. “You feel so good… You’re so fucking warm…”
You gasped when he bottomed out, hips flush against yours, every inch of him buried deep inside. The fullness made your toes curl, your whole body responding with an involuntary tremble.
He didn’t move right away. Just hovered above you, his breath ragged, his eyes searching your face. He kissed you–softly–his mouth trembling slightly as he whispered:
“You’re perfect. You’re so fucking perfect.”
You moaned at that, your thighs tightening around his waist, your hands sliding up his back and digging in just enough to make him gasp. His hips drew back and rolled forward again–deep, grinding, slow. Each thrust pressed his pubic bone against your clit, and the sensation made your breath stutter.
“Oh–fuck–“ You gasped, your voice catching.
Bob stilled immediately, looking down at you through glassy, blown eyes. “You okay?”
You nodded frantically, hand gripping his bicep. “Yeah. Do it again.”
He did.
Again. And again. A slow, sensual grind that hit exactly right every time. Your hips began to twitch under him, your breath breaking in little gasps as you chased the rhythm with your body.
He moaned into your mouth as he kissed you–lips sloppy now, too lost in the moment to care. Every sound he made was raw: gasps, whimpers, soft broken curses whispered against your lips and skin.
“Fuck… You feel so good, so good around me, sweetheart,” He rasped. “You’re squeezing me—God, you’re… You’re perfect…”
The praise was relentless. You could barely breathe from how hot it made you.
You tightened around him, fluttering involuntarily with every thrust. You were close again–dangerously close–and the next roll of his hips sent a bolt of heat straight through you.
Your orgasm hit with a choked moan, your nails digging into his back, your body clenching tight around him as your hips bucked helplessly. Bob groaned as your walls squeezed him, loud and unfiltered.
“Fuck–I’m gonna–” He gasped, hips stuttering.
Then he buried himself deep, letting out a ragged, whimpering moan as he came inside you, face pressed into your neck. You felt his teeth graze your skin, his whole body trembling with the force of it.
For a moment, you both just lay there–panting, gasping, covered in sweat and warmth and each other.
Then he slowly lifted his head, eyes dazed but bright, cheeks flushed, lips kiss-bruised.
“…Do you,” He began, breathless, “Do you want to go out to dinner with me tomorrow?”
You blinked, and then started laughing–a soft, disbelieving, breathless laugh.
“That would be really great,” You murmured, your voice thick with affection.
Bob grinned, wide and flushed, before collapsing gently beside you on the mattress. Your legs tangled. Your breath slowed. The room hummed in the quiet aftermath, soft and safe and one with the both of you.
430 notes · View notes
swordgrace · 3 days ago
Text
𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 — john walker
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𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: john walker smut with "im serious, right here, right now (from reader)" prompt!! myb make it semi-public
𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: john walker x fem!reader.
𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: smut (mdni), porn with little plot, jealous john, semi-public sex, risk of getting caught, dirty talk, making out, biting, unprotected p in v sex, rough sex.
[ 4K CELEBRATION. — PROMPT LIST. ]
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John’s been watching you for the last hour.
Hooded blues have followed your movements throughout the gala event, narrowing whenever someone got too close or you laughed at a senator’s joke.
He isn’t as talented at masking emotions as he thinks he is, jaw clenched hands shoved into the pockets of his suit.
It’s tailored, Armani; Valentina was all about optics, about appearing marketable to those interested.
His blazer fits too snugly through the shoulders, crisp, white dress shirt tight over his musculature. There’s a sour look on his face, wanting to be anywhere else.
The last time he remembered wearing something like this was high school prom.
Being stripped of all military credibility and his rank had put a foul taste in his mouth. He used to be excited about the premise of rubbing elbows with politicians, but now, it only embittered him.
You were in your element; visibly, anyway.
The bright, sunshiny disposition you wielded seemed to magnetize any who stood around you, John included. As you chatted with shareholders, you had some light about you.
A begrudging sigh pushed through his nose, blonde brows pinched together as he took a swig of his champagne.
It was difficult to remain hushed about your relationship, especially being scrutinized beneath the public eye. John wilted when faced with backlash, and he didn’t want to subject you to it, either.
He played watchdog for a majority of the evening, keeping an eye on you from afar, watching as you entertained investors and representatives.
When you finally broke away to get yourself something to drink, John followed, mirroring your movements as the both of you arrived at a polished table.
Hundreds of glasses of champagne and vermouth sat on top of a pale tablecloth, pink-and-cream liquid fizzing at the top.
“I think I’ve had enough socializing for tonight,” You mumble, discarding your empty glass amongst the rest, rubbing a hand against your forearm. “How are you holding up?”
John hovers, perhaps too close to be considered strictly neutral. He’d played the indifferent role well whenever you were in public, but tonight, he wanted something else, something more.
“Suit’s too tight,” He grouses, scratching over his jaw, covered in a scruff of strawberry-blonde. “I don’t like being paraded around like a goddamned show-pony.”
That’s what he was when he was Captain America — a government weapon dressed in spangled colors like a mascot, living by their mandates.
Agitation ticks up in his voice as he shakes his head, and the temptation to grab another glass of champagne is present.
The strain of irritation laced like venom in his tone, and you feel yourself becoming concerned. “Do you want to take a walk? There’s an exhibit upstairs.”
His chest heaves with a tired sigh, and he nods, conceding to you with a threadbare smile. “Yeah,” John turns apologetic. “Sorry, this is just … It’s ridiculous.” He murmurs.
“That’s alright,” With a reassuring smile, you gently skim your fingers over the back of his bicep, the gesture fleeting. “I’ve been wanting to see you.”
John perks up when you mention wanting to see him; maybe preens, too. He used to despise how easily he fell for you, feeling entirely undeserving of it, and he still does — not as much anymore.
“Hm,” There’s a low warmth to his grunt, and he leans inward, catching a whiff of your perfume. It’s the one he’s complimented you on before. “Aren’t you sweet?”
Departing from the table, the both of you make your way toward the grand staircase at the back of the ballroom, weaving through patrons.
One of the senators calls after you, but you pretend not to hear, side-by-side with John as you grace the steps. The heels of your stilettos click over marble, and you catch him staring.
He’s been staring all night like a man who’s walking the thin line of restraint.
Sage satin clings to your frame, and the gown you’re wearing is nothing short of simplistically beautiful. Despite Val’s insistence to wear something flashy, you don’t; it’s better that way.
John’s gaze carefully traces over your frame for the hundredth time that evening, hand briefly hovering over the small of your back.
The pavilion upstairs houses a humble art gallery that has seen better days, no longer the primary attraction of the venue. Though, it’s significantly quieter, voices drowning into mere background static.
An open archway serves as the frame for the gallery, strewn with several pieces of artwork, some contained behind glass panes. The walls are smooth, lit in a low, golden glow.
When you’re both out of-sight, tension unfurls from his shoulders, bleeds away as if it’s been cut from him like a wound. In private glimpses, he seems to soften around you.
“You look handsome,” It’d left your mouth before you left for the gala, but you make sure to remind him. “The suit highlights your shoulders, even if it’s too tight.” You smile.
John scoffs, mouth curling into a sardonic smirk, standing close beside you in the middle of the room. The hush clears his head, but the thoughts are a farcry from wholesome.
He’s thinking about you; you in that dress, with a wide beam and an ethereal glow about you, as if you’ve been touched by sunset.
“Haven’t worn a suit since prom.” He admits, and the sentiment is somewhat cute, especially for you. His vulnerability only slips through the cracks in private moments.
“Really? You should wear them more often,” You pause, deciding on how best to broach your question. “Didn’t wear one at your wedding?”
Expecting a streak of bitterness, John surprises you by being open about the ordeal. His divorce still hurts, but it’s something he’s worked through. “No,” He laughs dryly. “Too broke. I wore jeans.”
Amused, a glitter reaches your gaze, warm and saccharine, a look of fondness that he clings to. It’s that shred of affection he wants desperately; he only wants it from you.
“I can’t remember the last time I wore something this beautiful,” With a shrug, you smooth your hands over the bodice. “If I ever did.”
“You’re the prettiest thing in the room,” John murmurs, jaw tightening. “Only one worth looking at.” His tone drops, palm steady over the small of your back.
“John …” Smitten, you’re mesmerized by his boldness, throat tight as he draws you closer. It’s as if his restraint snaps then and there, already frayed to begin with.
“Jesus, you’ve been torturing me all night.” He gruffs, pressing a kiss to your jaw. Even if he can kiss you a few times, that’ll be enough to satisfy him until you’re back at the Watchtower.
A low, excitable exhale rushes from your mouth, lips parted as your hands grab at the front of his blazer. He kisses over your throat, taller frame caging you in against his musculature.
“That wasn’t the goal,” Little more than a content utterance, your voice hums low, savoring the feeling of his lips scraping across your neck. “Whatever’s gotten into you, I like it.”
“Couldn’t take my eyes off of you, sweetheart.” The strained, needy sound he makes catches you off-guard, heightening the spike of want in your belly.
Part of you is wanting to finish this back at the Tower — until you aren’t, and a lascivious fantasy soon blossoms within your mind. It’s reckless, but the feeling it gives doesn’t go away.
Mouths meet in a heated collision, bruising enough to pull a grunt from his lips, and a soft moan from yours. His hands steady over your hips, gripping you with urgency.
He’s half-carrying you, hoisting you an inch or two higher, kissing you again and again. Your hands hold tightly to his suit jacket, lungs stinging with excitement.
Wordlessly, the both of you are walking sideways toward the nearest wall, and he doesn’t intend for it to become so heated; it just does.
Your hands lock over the nape of his neck, beginning to trail through blonde tresses, bodies wedged together. Each kiss sends you reeling, but you don’t recoil, reciprocating with enthusiasm.
The kiss is an unbridled thing, smoldering with a mutual want. He kisses you as if you might cease to exist, hands roaming your hips, anchoring your body to his.
John begins to slow to a crawl, lips tugging into a smirk, but your insistence starts to bleed through.
“Why did you stop?” You whisper, pupils dilated and tone stretched thin with desire, the cool marble kissing your spine.
“You want everybody to know what we’re up to?” He murmurs, kissing a steady, passionate trail across the side of your face. It’s teasing, but he realizes that you’re genuine with your question.
“Maybe I do,” When it slips past your mouth, John feels a spike of excitement strike at his gut. It’s white-hot and primal, as if you’ve flipped a switch. “I want you, John.”
Something raw and wanting blisters through him, scorching his bones like a wildfire. Resolve slips, already threadbare, and he grabs you tight, his hold ironclad.
“You really want this?” He rasps, as if something inside of him is actively waging war. God, he wants you — wants to fuck you rough and lose himself in you.
“I’m serious — right here, right now,” The insistence and urgency within your cadence conveys everything that he needs to know, lips parting to make room for a gasp. “Please.”
Mouths connect with a gnawing hunger, a knot of teeth and tongue, lips clamoring as if it’s the last thing you’ll ever do. He groans when you bite his bottom lip, teasing him further.
“Pull your dress up.”
John’s growl sends shivers down your spine, rough and commanding, as if time is of the essence. You’ve already been gone long enough for it to warrant some attention.
Scrambling to act, you’re grabbing at the train of satin, wrestling with it as you bunch it into eager fistfuls. Labored breaths and excitable sighs serve as idle ambiance.
He can barely focus, hungry and wanton, hands flying to unclasp the buckle of his belt. Every kiss is a collision — teeth, tongue, lips, and then the cycle repeats itself.
As you hitch your dress up around your hips, his hand follows, calloused as his digits push past the waistband of your panties.
You’re wet, and he stifles a noise at the sensation, parting your legs with his thigh. He’s much bigger than you — more muscle, more man, more to grab onto.
John gazes at you through eclipsed hues and half-lidded lashes, incendiary enough to burn a hole straight through you. Fingers slide over your pussy, momentarily grazing your clit.
“Shit,” You choke, hips jolting into the friction instantaneously. “John, please, please just fuck me.” The sound of your borderline plea clouds every rational thought he might’ve had.
“Want it that bad, huh? Don’t want my fingers, sweetheart? Just my cock?” He doesn’t know what’s come over him, but it’s shadowed and lascivious; he wants you.
“Yes, yes —please!” With a whine, you watch with doe-like eyes as he nearly rips at his pants, body flush against yours, adjusting your legs. He bites at the juncture between your throat and shoulder.
A low grunt tears through his throat, lips hotly sealing themselves to your neck, sucking a bruising hickey into the sensitive flesh.
It earns him a pretty moan from your mouth. The hot swell of his cock soon presses into your navel, incessant and throbbing.
“Jesus, you’re killin’ me.” He gruffs beside your ear, breathing hot, nostrils flaring like a bull. One hand grabs your thigh, the other steadying over your hip to keep you afloat.
Restraint crumbles completely, dissolving as the flushed head of his cock bullies past your folds. He’s quick about it, knowing that your time is limited.
With a brusque snap of his hips, he buries his cock into your pussy, a guttural groan escaping his mouth. It’s smothered into your throat, faces pressed close together.
All it would take is for one person to come strolling up here — neither of you were subtle.
He fucks you so well, pouring all of his built-up tension into every thrust of his hips. John isn’t cruel, but he isn’t sluggish this time, cock nearly kissing your cervix.
A string of muffled growls plume over your flesh, and he kisses at your jaw, beard scratching ragged across your skin. You cling to him, legs parted, hand fisitng into his shoulder.
The pace he sets is quick, needy, desperate; he’s all bite and no bark, shuddering at the feeling of your cunt, tight and clenched around him.
“You asked for this, and now you’re shy,” John grouses, teeth snagging against the spot beneath your jawline. “Talk to me.”
Each brutal thrust of his hips sends his cock deeper, fucking into you like a battering ram, chasing after a release. He’s actively trying not to fall apart, too.
“Need you so bad,” It’s instinctive, the way your voice hums to life when he’s fucking you raw, pitched with want. “S—Shit, you fuck me so well, John.” You moan, and he nearly gasps.
He drives you into the wall with each urge of his hips, cock kissing your walls, filling your pussy with him. The hint of praise only spurs him on, hands holding you tight.
John’s head rolls forward, jaw slack, eyes half-lidded, loosing a primal groan that makes your cunt clench around him.
Each slap of his cock lewdly urges against your slick cunt, arousal thick and honeyed around him, making everything easier.
The hum of patrons and shareholders drones on somewhere beyond the door frame, and fortunately, there aren’t any footsteps nearby. It’s just you and him, fucking against a wall.
“Fuck, you’re mine,” John grits out, grasp hard enough to leave bruises, but you don’t care. He fills the void inside of you, hammering away at your aching pussy. “My girl.”
“M’yours, yours.” You pant, wound-up and coiled, feeling that ball of heat threaten to burst within your abdomen. Bliss curls over your bones, slithering through, ceaseless and burning.
He’s fucking you as if it’s the last thing he’ll do, grunts resonating beside your ear, breath hot as it tickles the nape of your neck.
Lewd, crass noises fill the space between bodies, perspiration lingering over your spine, even when wedged against the wall. You’re scratching at his shoulders even still, mouth agape and eyes closed.
Scarlet clings to John’s features, handsome and pink, jaw strained as if something might shatter. He’s rutting into you as if he might come apart, his sounds borderline animalistic.
His cock throbs, pulses desperately inside of you, and it’s heightened when your cunt clenches around him again. Every little sensation sends him into a near-frenzy.
“Don’t stop, I’m — Mm, almost there,” With a whimper, you let him take what he needs, and he’s pistoning into you like a man starved. “Fuck, keep going.”
John nods, knowing he’s on the verge of crumbling, hips snapping — it’s a vigorous push and pull, quick, desperate, and feral.
As his cock pounds lewdly into your pussy, you use his tie to tug him in for a wet kiss, mouths molding together. It’s all heat and want, pulling a strangled grunt from his chest.
“Jesus, you’re tight,” John rasps, throat thick with desire, coarse as he feels himself slipping over the edge. “Perfect like this.” He grits, cadence husky and low.
Another moan leaves you, and he fucks you hard, right into that spot that makes you writhe. It’s an instantaneous wave of bliss that takes you, and you squeeze around his cock again.
“Fuck, I can’t — Shit, honey …” There isn’t any warning, but you don’t care in the slightest. He shudders, face pressed into yours, fucking you full of his cum.
Warmth floods your insides, veins simmering with liquid fire as it washes over the both of you, white-hot and consuming.
It almost makes you dizzy, head spinning, brain dissolving into a mess of static. The hum persists even after you cum, clenching around his cock, leaving you feeling dazed.
He knows he’s disheveled, but he doesn’t care.
Blue eyes snare on you, on the blissed-out look in your tender gaze, the smitten smile you wear as if you didn’t ask him to fuck your brains out against the wall.
John’s tangled within your beauty, in the way you bask so effortlessly in the afterglow, features illuminated by crystalline colors. He exhales, low and drawn-out, almost in disbelief.
The both of you are panting, ragged as if you’ve just run a marathon, but he’s never felt better. There’s a contentment he feels afterwards; happiness.
When he pulls out of you, it’s sticky and warm, coating the insides of your thighs, over your cunt as you awkwardly tug your panties up.
Hurriedly, you attempt to fix your hair and smooth your dress back into place, but anyone with eyes can tell that you’ve been up to debauchery. John’s smirking, seemingly nonchalant.
“How do I look?” You murmur, visibly flustered as he plants a kiss against your brow, playfully pinching at your hip. You smile despite yourself, thighs still shaking like leaves.
“Like I might have to carry you out of here.”
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houseofhyde · 2 days ago
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Omg maybe a soft moment w manchild Bucky and reader where they are in bed slow touches talking about their feelings and how buckys been after her for so long and how she felt it too and omg.
Maybe not tho bc I might literally die of love resding it
signs in the silence. a manchild drabble.
pairing. bucky barnes x fem!reader. synopsis. fighting off sleep to scrape a little more time together, you interrogate bucky and find out all the things sam told him about you. warnings. mentions of smut/prior sexual activity, bickering, unlabeled relationship, reader being a sore loser (uno is hell on earth when you're losing), fluff, a tiny bit of angst. reader inclusivity. like a single mention of bucky brushing away an invisible strand of hair. wordcount. 2.7k (okay so maybe idk how to only write a drabble, sue me!) hyde's input. bestie, i saw your ask enter my inbox this evening and immediately started writing it, i swear i was possessed into finishing this in one sitting. ik it's not exactly what you asked for but i hope you enjoy reading it! (unedited, we die like real men)
Curtains dance in the wind like billowing ballgowns, lifting and dipping in the arms of the night. Past the window pane, rain reigns the streets below, staining everything beneath the stormy sky. Despite the weather and the ungodly hour, the city is still wide awake and, alongside it, so are you.
“You’re cheating!”
“How am I cheating?” There’s something unfair about how jaw-dropping Bucky still looks like this: cross-legged on the bed, wearing nothing but boxers and tired eyes, and clutching a two-card hand of colourful cards. If he hadn’t just condemned you to pick up twelve, you would reach over and steal a kiss. “I don’t even know the rules to this stupid game.”
“If it’s so stupid, why do you keep beating me?” You’re begrudgingly picking up your dues and struggling to hold the stack of cards in one hand.
As he tries to help you pick up a card that slips off the edge, you swat metal fingers away.
“Begginers luck,” the soldier shrugs, placing down his second last card. “Uno.”
Yellow Seven. Fuck.
“I actually hate you,” you groan, collapsing back against feather pillows.
“You’re holding half the deck, doll,” the ill-will you feel towards him in this moment aside, you can’t help the way your heart gives a little leap at that silly name of endearment. If feelings make fools, you’re leading the pack. “There’s no way you don’t have a playable card.”
Fingertips — flesh, warm and tender with their touch — slide up the back of your calf, hooking under your knee before attempting to tug you closer, down the bed, to where he sits by the edge. Like a child throwing a tantrum, you kick your legs, shaking off his touch.
“I don’t wanna play with you any more,” between the yawn you’re fighting off and the pout that’s taken capture of your lips, you truly are a pitiful sight. The knowledge of this doesn’t stop you from throwing down your cards and making a run for it off the mattress.
Unfortunately, your roommate has the reflex skills of a ninja and, no sooner than your feet touch the ground, his arms grab you from behind and drag you into his lap.
“God you’re such a sore loser,” he mouths against the skin of your neck, trailing his lips over the kisses he already tattooed into your skin hours ago, when the sun was barely setting and he had you pressed against the walls of the shower.
“I am not!” Two fingers pinch at his arm. You quietly delight in the way it only makes him squeeze them tighter around you, biceps straining deliciously on either side of you.
“Are too!” His teeth clamp down on your earlobe, and you have to physically hold yourself back from grinding back into his lap, the burning outline of his semi-hard cock straining against navy fabric heavy on your mind. “Sam even warned me about it.”
Glancing at him from over your shoulder, you find his eyes already on you. It’s something you’re coming to learn about him, quietly and unaddressed, just how attentive of a man he is. “You seriously shouldn’t trust a word that man says. He’s an agent of chaos!”
“Hey, that’s Captain America you’re talking about,” this time, he’s pinching you and, when you squirm, he takes the opportunity to scoop an arm beneath your knees and lifts you both off the bed. “And, according to him, you once bit his sister during a game of Twister.”
“One time,” You hold up a single finger and Bucky leans his head forward to bite it. “And it was only after she nearly choked me!”
After guiding both your hands to grab on behind his neck, your soldier takes away the hand supporting your back and uses it to dust off the sheets. Cards go flying and float onto the ground, and not once does the neurotic voice, that lives in your mind and berates any disorganisation, tell you to care about the mess.
In what world could a mess on the floor be more important than the way Bucky slides you both back down atop the mattress, card-free sheets pooling over your skin as the soldier pulls you into him.
He closes his eyes for all of four seconds before you’re whispering across the pillows.
“What else did Sam warn you about me?”
Blue irises reappear, one by one, and you can see how exhaustion has stitched itself across his face. You feel a twinge of guilt, keeping him awake on a night like this, but you’re selfish and you want every extra second with him you can get.
“He said you were the most intelligent yet incapable person he’s ever met,” his legs bump against yours beneath the sheets as he shuffles a little closer. You meet him halfway, intertwining your limbs in a tangle that’s slowly growing familiar. “Nearly didn’t believe him… Then I saw you for the first time.”
“You two are real mean, you know that?” There is not an ounce of grit behind your voice, just pure unadulterated adoration that a more awake version of yourself would be doubled over, gagging at the sight of it. Stand up, girl! You can almost hear her — you — say. He’s literally just a man! “What was so incapable about me opening the door of my home to the needy, huh?”
The soldier takes capture of the hand you poke against his chest, leading it up the path to meet the soft press of his lips. This is another thing you’re learning, how constant he craves contact, a hand always at your back, or a shoulder bumping against your own, or a head buried in your neck, he’s a fiend for the feel of flesh.
“Who said that’s the first time I saw you?” He challenges.
“Oh.”
“It was months before that. Sam and I, we were hiding out at a black-market art gallery in Madripoor because of… well, that’s not important,” as if he feels the tension bubbling beneath your skin, he dances over the dangerous part of his life, the parts you don’t get to see, the parts that turn him into a single phone call for days on end. “You called Sam, one of those face-clock calls-”
“It’s facetime, grandpa,” you tease him with a smile, reward him with a press of your mouth down into his right shoulder.
“Whatever. Point is, there was a mirror behind him and that’s where I saw you,” vibranium cups its palm around your face and you turn into its touch, eyes fluttering shut for a moment as he soothes your cheek. “You were crying, begging for help after smashing your shower door whilst trying to kill a spider.”
“I stand-by the fact that could have happened to anyone.”
“Darling, no it couldn’t,” his laughter shakes his chest and you. It makes you want to dive deeper into his touch, feel his next laugh erupt in your own chest. “No one else would be silly enough to throw a baseball bat at a spider the size of raindrops.”
“It was jumping! And I didn’t have any spray!” You turn away from his touch, only to nestle your face in the crevices of his collarbone. Despite the chill in the air, Bucky’s a furnace against you, sheltering you from the cold. “Tell me something else Sam said.”
“Hmm,” he pauses to think, his flesh arm curling around your back and rolling you into him. He smells like Bucky but, also, you, traces of your citrus bodywash staining him hours after you lathered him in it beneath the flowing waters of the shower. Something curls in your loins, possessive and satisfied with the claim you’ve made on his skin. “That you have an insatiable sweet tooth. Backed it up with a story where he had to pry you out a bakery after failing to get some promotion at work.”
“I still can’t believe they gave it to fucking Frank,” you huff, the bitterness still present on your tongue after all these years. “They ended up firing him within a year after realising that, beneath all that manly testosterone, he was incompetent.”
“Just your type, then?” The bastard muses, effortlessly blocking the hand that’s reaching for his nipple and pressing it flat against his chest instead. You feel his heart, beating a little stronger with each pulse, there's a magnet in your palm commanding it to break free from its ribcage and fly right into your hand. “Sam said you always wanted to learn to bake, but were too lazy.”
“Too busy,” you roll your eyes, though deep down there’s a truth in Sam’s claims. “Luckily, you’re a whizz in the kitchen. And I’m not just talking about when you bend me over the counter and threaten to use the spatula to spank-”
“Why do you think I wanted to learn to bake?”
Reminiscing on your salacious adventures together quickly stops, the moment you take a second to actually think about what he’s saying, what he’s not saying. You’re both good at this game, tip-toeing around a subject you both keep bringing to light yet never fully revealing. There’s excitement in the unsaid, in the quiet touches and unmentioned actions that hint at something you’re both too stubborn to address.
Tonight will not be the night either of you give in and fold.
“Tell me something else,” oh god, there’s a yawn caught in your throat. With difficulty, you swallow it down before the soldier can point it out.
“He never warned me you were so demanding,” you whine in protest into his skin and feel the dance of his hand running up and down your back, an apology that seeps through skin and into your spine. “But he did mention you have awful taste in men.”
The hand on your back slips lower, pressing dimples into the skin at the base of your spine as you push yourself off his chest and come face to face with him. The moonlight is forgiving tonight, granting you the pretty view of his illuminated features. The fondness in his eyes, the curve of his lips, the wrinkles beginning to threaten stains upon his skin, the scars you’ve yet to ask about.
For every imperfection and every inch of adoration, he’s the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen.
Something tugs at your heart.
“The worst taste,” you murmur, bringing your lips down to meet Bucky’s in a kiss that has him exhaling with relief and gripping at your skin tighter.
“Yeah?” He mumbles, stealing the air you exhale. “Tell me, what kind of man merits your attention?”
“The kind who works out every muscle but his brain,” you drag your lips over his jaw, relishing in the scrape of his stubble.
“Hey, I read!” Finally, it’s his turn to feel the sting of offense.
“Typical man, making everything about himself,” you settle back down against his chest, ear pressing close enough to where you can hear the thunder of his heart. “This is about my dream man, Buck, not you.”
“Didn’t you call me your dream man last time I ate your-”
“Anyway, I like the kind of man who listens to both my problems and my complaints, and then does whatever he can to fix things without pressuring me.” Flashback to last week, when you complained about the strap of your bag snapping half-way home only to awaken the next morning to it all stitched perfectly back together.
“You like the considerate kind then,” he whispers, and you swear you hear a twinge of nervousness on his tongue.
“And the kind who makes me feel beautiful with just a single glance at me,” exhibit A stares down at you right now, a shine in his eyes that makes you want to swoon.
“That must be any man,” he brushes a nonexistent hair off your forehead, “I mean, look at you.”
“I also like the kind of man that chases me, even when I’m too focused on what’s ahead to glance back and notice him,” there’s a strange squeeze in your throat as you swallow down a breath, thinking back on all the hints of longing he may have dropped that you’ll never know about.
“That man would still chase you, even if you never looked back,” the way he’s speaking to you and touching you, like you’re a rose petal threatening to fall off its stem, is not helping the lump in your throat. “In case you stumbled and needed someone to break your fall.”
That does you in, sends the first tear falling off your eyelash and landing on his naked chest, while you muster a quiet, “I like the kind of man who calls.”
His hands don’t freeze, and no part of him jumps with shock. Instead, his chest deflates with resignation.
“You know about the mission,” it’s not a question.
It doesn’t need to be, he already knows the answer.
“How?” This, however, is a question he needs to ask.
You shrug into him, refusing to give in to his search for your face as you focus on hiding it in the warmth of his skin, hidden from the look on his face you’re too afraid to confront. “Something just felt… different when I woke up.”
“Like what?” It’s not an accusatory thing, just a simple search for answers from a man who’s trying his best to keep you from falling apart against him.
“Well, you woke me up with your head between my legs-”
“What’s different about that? I did the same on Tuesday, too.
“And then brought me breakfast in bed.”
“You feed me, I feed you, that’s how a-” he doesn’t quite say the R word, but you feel it, in the way he seers a kiss onto the crown of your head, “Is supposed to work.”
“Then there was the three course meal waiting for me when I came home from work,” you still remember the way your heart was stuck between soaring at the sight of him setting the table as you walked into the apartment, and sinking with realisation that your suspicions were definitely true. “If all that wasn’t enough, I could tell from your touch.”
“My touch?”
“It was like… you were trying to memorise me. Not just when we were in the shower, but each time you took my hand across the table and brushed over my shoulder before clearing our plates,” you feel him sinking his fingers over your flesh, a soft squeeze at your hip. “Even now, it’s like you’re trying to hold onto me because you know you have to let go.”
“I just…” He sighs with defeat, not helping his case when he lays another kiss against your head. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“That’s okay,” you lie, for both of your sakes. “It’s not like you’ve not left to go help Sam before.”
“This isn’t before,” you both hate and adore him for the firmness he puts into the statement. “Before was different, we weren’t us.”
As much as this aches, ripping your chest apart to carve out your heart with the bitter truth of Bucky’s life as a hero catching up to whatever safe haven you two have locked yourselves away in, you’ll happily take the pain, the lump in your throat, all of it. There’s no price too high to pay to have this moment, laying in Bucky’s arms and pretending there’s no one in the city but you two, fighting off sleep for a moment more of each other’s presence and leaving fingerprint evidence of one another on your skins.
“You’ll be gone by the time I wake up,” you could get mad at him for not telling you, for the chance he almost took at leaving you another measly note on the fridge. But all you feel is the mutual ache of wanting to put off the inevitable, just a little longer. “Won’t you?”
You feel him nod, feel him squeeze his arms around you tighter, feel your heartbeats start to sync as sleep slowly guides you away from his loving gaze.
“I promise I won’t miss a single call, doll.”
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c4tluver02 · 2 days ago
Text
new friends
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wc: 3.4k
summary: After finding a cat on your walk, Steve happens to be one of the many doors you knock on trying to find the owner. He's even kind enough to let you in.
cw: slight Nancy hate (barely any), mentions of wounds/cuts, nothing rlly!
a/n: who wants to send requests to a girl that has severe writers block? anyone?
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Taking walks always helps you feel better. It was something about the way the sun did more for you than any medication could. 
It was a perfect temperature out, warm from the sun but a nice cool breeze. And since you've been walking for so long you are in a neighborhood you've never seen. It has vines and flowers that cling to the bright white fences. If the greenery didn't tell you the type of neighborhood you were in, the houses definitely did. Each house was way bigger than your own and some even had nice cars parked out front of it. 
This was just one of the perks of walking, seeing places you wouldn't see normally, even if it's just some rich neighborhood. Daydreams of someday possibly owning a house like these or decorating your own home with vines and flowers. It was something that easily calmed you down, none of the stresses from your present life taking up your mind when you were walking. Sometimes you even listened to music but when the sun is out the birds chirp. 
And thankfully today was a day you didn't listen to music, because if you did you wouldn't have heard the meowing of a cat. 
It made your head turn so quickly and when you spotted a small cat you immediately bent down to its level. Letting out a hand slowly for it to come to and sniff. Once it got closer you could see a pink collar, a small metal heart was attached to it. 
When it started sniffing your hand you moved closer to look at the collar, there was no address or number on it, only adorning the name ‘Pepper’. The name fits pretty well as you notice the black cat with small brown feet. 
After bending down for a few minutes petting Pepper your knees start to hurt. The collar seems to be for more fashion purpose than safety which makes you think she belongs to someone in the neighborhood, so safe and secure a cat wouldn't even dream of getting out. 
But unfortunately Pepper did, so now your walk is interrupted by the task of going door to door in hopes of finding the owner. 
Pepper is only concerned with pets and the way she rubs her head against your knee gives you enough confidence to pick her up. A purr is quick to come out as your hand goes back to scratching her chin. 
You wish Pepper would have found you on a day that the sun didn't make you look shiny or one you had a better outfit on. Not really planning on seeing anyone, let alone talking to people. But after a quick pep talk on how you don't live here and will never see them again you begin your search. 
Pepper isn't a cat that misses treats and your arms are starting to weaken the more you hold her. When you knock on the front door of a house right in front of you, you set her down. You wish you could keep her yourself, she sits so perfectly next to you. Maybe being rich means you also get lucky with extremely well behaved pets. 
When the door opens you are met with an older woman who has diamond earrings paired with a pearl necklace. 
“I don't want to buy anything.” She says as she closes the door in your face. 
If this is her cat, Pepper wasn't quick to walk in when the door was open. And her rude response means she doesn't deserve a cat, so you walk to the next house. 
By the fourth house you were getting tired of carrying her. Maybe this is the world telling you, you need a new cat. Maybe after the fifth house you could take her to the vet to see if she's microchipped. 
You have a horrible wish that no one here knows this cat and she can be yours. It’s now been about an hour with her and already she’s become your shadow. Walking with you, following you wherever you go. 
The fifth house you walk to has two doors and a nice red car parked in the driveway. You press the doorbell before bending down to pet the cat who’s meowing loudly at your side. 
“Okay Pepper, this is the last house we are gonna try. You must be so hungry huh?” Her meow translated to a ‘yes’ in your mind. 
Before you get a chance to get up the door is opened. It makes you jump to your feet quickly. A boy holding an ice pack to his face is in front of you. 
“Can I help you?” 
“Hi, um, yes. I found this cat on a walk and I've gone to multiple houses but she doesn't belong to any of them. I was wondering if you knew where she lived or maybe if she was yours.” Pepper isn't his, you know that by the fact that he didn't pick her up once he saw her, there was no relief in his eyes that a girl had found a cat. But still you continue to ramble on. 
“Not mine, and I don't think she's from this street. I couldn't tell you much more about the block over though.” He leans his arm against the door frame which makes his bicep prominent. The other hand holds the ice pack. 
 “Oh, okay.” You’re beginning to feel defeated. There might be someone out there missing her. 
“You gonna keep her?” Steve’s head is really starting to hurt him. The bright sun and standing up for a long time is not a good mix. But the cat seems sweet and despite the shit he just went through with Jonathan, he does have a heart, one that wants the cat in a safe place. 
“I mean I want to. She’s been my little shadow for the past hour. I don't know, do you think that’s bad?” You aren't sure why you're asking him what he thinks but really there's no one else for you to ask. 
He lets out a groan as he pulls the ice pack down from his face. He doesn't miss the little ‘holy shit’ you mutter in surprise. The blood is no doubt all dried up and dark now, Steve only got home a hour or so ago, not yet cleaning the wound. 
“If there's no address or number on the collar that's the owners fault, it’s just a cat s’not like you’re stealing a million dollars.” He should shut the door, go lay down and think of a way to apologize to Nancy but he’s weirdly invested into this.  
“Are you okay?” You pick at your nail as you say it. Like you know it's none of your business but something inside of you couldn't help but ask. 
“My girlfriend got a new boyfriend.” He states plainly. A joke that really isn't a joke. 
“Oh, well, you might want to clean it.” You say pointing to your own face. “Infections are awful, and can ruin nice faces.” 
This makes the boy smile. Still with all the blood and open gashes he looks really pretty. 
“You think I have a nice face?” 
“I really need to find Pepper's owner. Are you sure she doesn't live around here?” He’s really the only house so far to give you the time of day, so you're taking all you can get. 
“Is that her name? Pepper?” You nod wanting him to give you the green light that she is in fact not from around here and you can take her home. 
“People around here don't have kids, let alone pets.” Steve only knows this because if there were kids around here he would have tried to befriend them, only left to be utterly alone instead. 
“I think I might keep her, i'd rather her get a good home then leave her out here to go back to where she came from.” 
“Well no one around here has enough heart to love a cat, my guess is she is from a different area.” He gives you a light shrug also looking down at her. 
“Are you saying you don't have enough heart to own a cat?” He does live ‘around here’ as he said. 
All the boy does is let out a laugh at your question. Pepper is starting to pant beside you. The heat must be getting to her, you wonder if he could get her a little bowl of water or maybe that's too much for someone who just got the shit beat out of him. 
“Is she thirsty?” He asks, pointing to Pepper. Maybe he can read your thoughts. 
An idea pops into your head and comes out just as quick. Too quick for you to think it over. 
“Would it be possible if she could get some water? I can even help bandage you up if you need it.” Your house isn't very close on foot and the walk will be even longer with a cat. She needs water, you're positive she would ask for it herself if she could. 
His eyes widen, well really one eye– the other is slightly swollen. You can tell he wasn't expecting you to ask that. Knocking on doors to help a cat has really changed things around. 
He doesnt want some stranger touching up on him that doesn't know what they are doing. But why would you offer if you didn't know? The sun must be getting to you too, as you lift your hair up Steve could see the way the nape of your neck was slightly damp. 
And he may only have one real working eye right now but he could still see how pretty you are. Soft pink lips pressed together into a kind smile as you're halfway bent over trying to pet the cat but also showing him that he has your full attention. 
It’s a risk to have a stranger come into a house but at this point Steve feels like you wouldn't even hurt a fly. You are kind enough to find a house for some street cat. It really doesn't hurt to have a pretty girl help bandage a few cuts right? 
“Alright, yeah, fair trade.” He opens the door wider to let you in, Pepper follows with no fight. 
“She just really needs water and my house isn't exactly close.” You explain, not wanting to come off creepy or weird. This newfound cat of yours is already making you risk your life going into some guy's house just to make sure she's okay. 
“I get it, still thanks for, um, offering to help.” He brings the ice pack up to his face, the time he had the door open already almost melted the bag but still it was better than nothing. 
You say a small ‘no problem’ as he gets a bowl filled with water for Pepper. He also fills a cup of water for you, you take it only because you saw him pour it. 
“Pep, c'mere girl.” His voice comes out loud and it makes you jump. 
But for some reason she’s no longer near you. The sound of fabric ripping is heard and when you turn your head you see her clawing at his couch. 
“Pepper! No!” Steve hasn't seen someone run after a cat so fast. She’s in your arms in a millisecond. “You can't scratch at other people's furniture.” You scold. This cat mom thing seems to be in your blood.
“I think you should keep her.” He says nodding like he can confirm now after seeing you lecture her that you two are a perfect match. 
“I'm so sorry, she didn't damage it I promise.” 
You bring her back to the kitchen and it makes your heart break in two at how quickly she tries to drink the water. 
“If I lost my cat I would only hope someone kind and pretty would find her and give a nice home.” 
“I went to five different houses and no one was able to tell me if they knew about her, maybe I should do more though.” His complement didn't go missed by you, your flushed cheeks are proof. 
“Trust me when I say that no one will be helpful. Everyone stays in their house and I bet if you asked them if I lived here they would say no.” 
“Are your parents home?” He yelled loud for Pepper and no one was quick to come out and ask about it. 
“Nope, gone for the weekend. It’s why I'm able to stay at home looking like this.” He’s referring to his face. And honestly he should go to the hospital but this isn't your face that's all bruised and cut. 
 “Do you have any med kits? It'll have the supplies we need.” You ask, hopping off the bar stool chair. 
“I should, it might be in my bathroom.” He starts walking towards that direction and you’re not sure if you should follow or stay where you are. He doesn't tell you to stop once you both walk up the stairs. 
“Your house is really nice.” It’s missing all the family photos but the amount of chairs that are tucked into the dining table makes up for the lack thereof. 
“It’s only nice because there's never anyone here to mess it up.” 
When he opens his bedroom door you are met with a plaid wallpaper. Only a few posters filling in the walls and for a boy to be living alone it's pretty clean. 
“Got it!” He yells from the bathroom even though you are close enough to hear him. 
You walk into his bathroom and see a big red box open with alcohol wipes and bandages. He takes a seat on the toilet lid and you wash your hands. 
The closer you get to his face you can see all the cuts. There's one on his lip, bridge of his nose, and on his temple– basically from his eyebrow. He has nice strong brows and long lashes, even with the gash on his nose you can see how handsome he is. 
“This might sting, I'm sorry.” The smell from the alcohol pad immediately fills your senses. 
His legs open further so you can come closer to his face. Your hand gently holds his chin so he can look up. Now he’s getting a chance to truly take a look at you himself. 
Your cheeks are still pink, must be from the heat, he thinks. A piece of hair falls into your face from how you bend your neck to look down at him. It takes everything in Steve not to put it behind your ear, it’s stopping him from taking you all in. 
You’re only wiping away the blood that's built up along the wounds, but once you lightly start to clean the cuts his eyes shut tightly. A hiss comes out of him and his hands tightly squeeze his knees. 
With the pounding headache, and the intense sting he feels like his head is being crushed all over again. Who knew Byers would have this in him? 
“So how did this happen?” The silence is killing you and his eyes feel like they burn through each layer of your skin. 
“I already told you, my girlfriend-” 
“I know, got a boyfriend but did this boyfriend get a punch back from you or?” The fact that he still calls her his girlfriend brings a shutter through you. You keep reminding yourself once you leave you won't see this cute boy ever again. 
“Yeah, he did. It was just a stupid fight.” Steve doesn't want to tell you what he wrote on the movie theater sign, and even worse that not only did his girlfriend slap him but Jonathan threw harder punches.  
“Are you gonna break up with her? I mean, I don't think girlfriends should have two boyfriends, right?” His cuts are all clean, now you’re taking out bandages to patch him up with. 
“I mean, I might. I don't know. It’s complicated.” 
Half his face is all bandaged now and it brings a slight frown to your face. 
“Well you're all fixed up now.” You say with a sigh. The need to leave is getting stronger, Pepper has had enough time with her water and you finished your side of the deal. 
“Thanks, I swear I would have given Pepper water alone but, I wanted to continue talking to you.” 
His comment makes your frown turn into a smile. There's something about him that you think could heal you, similarly to the way the sun does on your walks.  
“I should get going, I don't want to walk home in the dark.” Your 3pm walk went on for an hour which turned to 4pm and it took you an hour to look around for Peppers owners and now it's already 6pm. Summer isn't fully in swing yet, keeping the sun in the sky for just a few hours longer. 
He gets up from his seat on the toilet lid as he follows you out of his room. Pepper is waiting at the bottom of the stairs, feeling the cold wood beneath her. 
“I could drive you home, it’s not safe to walk out there alone.” He offers. 
“I really couldn't ask you to do that, you've already helped us enough-” 
“I insist really, what kind of guy lets a pretty girl walk home alone at night?” He really lays it on thick huh?
But still that big gleaming smile of yours is brought back instantly at his compliment. Both of you stand at the bottom of the staircase as he waits for your answer. 
“I mean if it’s really not a problem, that would be really helpful.” The idea of carrying a fluffy cat in this heat all the way home seems like your version of hell. Despite how easy going she’s been you doubt she’d sit still the whole walk home. 
“It’s no problem at all. Let me go grab my keys okay?” When walks into the kitchen area he can hear your little murmurs of ‘Pepper we don't have to walk!’
She’s already in your arms by the time he gets back to you. Steve doesn't know how he can just go on with his life without knowing more about you. How cursed can someone be to get beat up and then have a girl be taken away from him forever, all in one day. 
“If you ever wanted to come back, not to fix me up or for water, you can.” 
“Yeah? You don't mind people knocking on your door to get stuff from you?” It comes out playfully and Steve breaks into a huge grin. 
“I mean if that person is you then I don't mind one bit.” 
You nod at him and he opens the door, Pepper is too big in your hands for you to do anything else. The red car in the driveway makes a loud sound as he unlocks it. Again opening that door for you to get in. Pepper sits perfectly perched in your lap as Steve goes to the other side of the car, getting in himself. 
The car ride to your place is filled with conversation. You tell him he has good music taste and Steve positively lights up. Practically glows at any of your compliments. Despite the walk to your house being long, the drive is quite short. He almost wishes you lived further away so he could talk to you more. 
But when he does make it to your place, you grab onto Peppers paw and wave at him. 
“Thank you-” You leave room for him to tell you his name.
“Steve.” 
“Thank you Steve, you've been extremely sweet to us.” You lean your head against the cat and Steve thinks he could melt right there. His name sounded so nice coming from your lips. 
“I meant what I said, come by anytime okay?” You nod your head feverishly in response. 
“And if it’s any consolation, I think you deserve way more than someone who cheats. You’re too good for her.” 
Steve doesn't really know how to respond. You think he’s good but really he deserved what he got. Still he is too late to say something back, the car door makes a loud shut as you shut it closed with your hip. 
When you make it to your door Steve waves at you with a nice smile. You finally put the cat down to unlock the door and respond to him the same. A wave and smile that will forever be ingrained into Steve's brain. What he sees when he closes his eyes for the night, and of course the only thought he has on his drive home.
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savemeafruitjuice · 1 day ago
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I've had a video game idea recently too. Alright, its about ✨anxiety✨.. Basically, it's kind of like an interactive story game (maybe the character just has a normal life, so you're going to school/work, OR there's some kind of interesting plot idk), BUT out of nowhere, you will suddenly get hit with a wave of anxiety, and have to suddenly take over a ton of controls to keep yourself acting normal. This is especially high stakes if you're in public, or in a conversation with someone.
Like, you could be just walking to your next class (the game does this automatically, you probably just press a button that makes the character go that way) and suddenly there are a ton of controls to keep up with, such as breathing, blinking, keeping yourself upward, managing your movement and so forth. Then, if you're talking to someone, you've gotta choose speech options, or even disguise your symptoms until you either leave or the anxiety passes. It would be entirely random as to when this happens, and it can happen for any amount of time. I imagine it would kind of be like an old game called 'Octodad', where you've gotta appear normal or you lose the game.
Idk, this isn't necessarily important or anything, but it's worth it to just get it out of my head 😅
A video game mechanic of "fucking say it", where you get a random dialogue button in random situations, when you're not even in a conversation or anything, and you have no idea what you're about to say. It's a quick time event, too, so you've got to choose fast whether you're going to say that shit that just popped into the character's head.
There's a 40% chance that the response you get is just mildly negative but doesn't really change anything. 25% chance that it's going to start a fight you're probably not prepared for. 34% of something wildly positive happening because the shit you just said was so funny and clever, or the NPC you just insulted was impressed by your audacity. 1% chance that whoever you said that to will just straight-up kill you.
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starpeachjelly · 3 days ago
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Kindred Spirits ₊˚⊹⋆
prologue part 2
prologue part 1
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summary: Your worries about changing the story have started to fade. You've only interacted with her and Caleb so far. As long as you don't bump into anyone else you believe that everything will be alright.
warnings: accidental injury. stab wound. brief mention of blood.
word count: 1.3k
a/n: thank you to everyone who read, liked, reblogged, and commented on part one! i'm so glad you're enjoying this story. the prologue will be split into three parts that focus on reader's childhood with some characters. the official chapters will take place when reader is an adult! but for now enjoy! constructive criticism is always appreciated too since im trying to work on my writing!!
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When your family tells you that you're all headed to Josephine's for dinner you don't really think much of it. After all, your family has been invited over countless of times before due to your shared closeness with her. It should be just another regular shared super. But when you walk up to the house, your feet instinctively starting to drag on the pavement, an uneasy feeling washes over you. Nothing seems amiss as you're welcomed inside. The only noticeable difference is the couple who are sitting on the couch. There's a sense of familiarity in their features that you can't quite place your finger on. Josephine introduces them as friends of hers. And you can't help but wonder if they're from EVER. You barely have the time to get introduced to them before you're probed by your parents to go play with the others with an eagerness that reveals how impatient they are to start drinking.
Three pairs of eyes land on you the moment you step foot into her room. There, sitting on the floor is who you immediately recognize as a young Zayne. You suddenly understand why you felt so anxious when coming over, as well as where the familiarity of the couple (who you now know to be his parents) comes from. If you weren't so shocked you'd mentally slap yourself for not being more careful in keeping your distance. You knew Zayne would make her acquaintance at around this time in her life. You're a bit startled when she grabs your hand and sits you down between her and Zayne. His gaze is filled with such seriousness that you wonder if he knows that you don't belong in this moment. Instead, he greets you with a formality that catches you off guard. Even as a child he's stoic and pragmatic. It's impossible to stop an endeared smile from tugging at your lips. You tell him your own name. He only nods, not talking much after that as you all play whatever game she wishes.
Zayne remains silent throughout dinner. You're sitting next to him again, just as quiet as he is. Everyone else at the table is talking enough for the both of you. Your mom and Zayne's mom are chatting about what they do for work. Josephine is discussing with Zayne's dad about something you don't quite understand. And your own father is talking to Caleb and her about his adventures as a pilot, both of them listening intently with wide eyes.
In the corner of your vision you notice the carrots that remain on Zayne's plate. The orange sticks standing out on his otherwise empty dish.
"Can I have your carrots?" you ask, breaking the silence between you both, wanting to save him from being scolded for being a picky eater.
Hazel green eyes widen ever so slightly, a barely noticeable hint of surprise written on his face. He nods and turns his plate to give you easier access to the vegetables.
Silence quickly settles back between the two of you, but you catch him looking in your direction a few times throughout the rest of dinner.
Eventually the night comes to an end, and you pat yourself on the back for handling this unexpected surprise pretty well. For once you don't even feel anxious about impacting the story. A single chance encounter with twelve year old Zayne surely won't change anything.
Unfortunately for you, nothing is ever that simple. Zayne officially becomes part of your group a few days later. He doesn't talk much, and you don't either, wanting to let the three of them enjoy themselves together. However, whenever she notices you being quiet for too long she seems to go out of her way to make sure you're involved in conversation. She even goes as far as to brag about how smart you are to Zayne, telling him that you two should talk about "smart stuff" together. Which leaves you laughing awkwardly because you know that even with your past memories you're not nearly as smart as he is. But to your surprise he starts talking to you a little more often after that. You assume it's because he doesn't want to disappoint her. No one wants to be on the receiving end of her puppy eyes, they're lethal.
Time passes, the last couple months of school come to a finish. Summer break comes and goes. Your days are filled with you four hanging out nearly every day. Unfortunately your fun comes to a halt when the last week of summer rolls around. You know that things are going to change. Based on the events of the story, Zayne will soon lose control of his evol and hurt her. So you start to mentally prepare yourself for what's about to happen. In your mind you know they'll both be okay, but your heart aches knowing that they'll both end up hurt, and that you can't stop it. But that key moment doesn't happen. At least not in the way it's supposed to play out.
She's not even in the room when it happens, having gone to the kitchen to get more snacks. It's just you and Zayne, and a sudden chill that starts to creep across the room. You watch as his usual calm demeanour slowly shifts into one of panic as frost begins to spread across his hands and arms. Everything happens so quickly that you barely have time to process it. One moment you're watching with wide eyes as frost turns to crystals that are now inching up all the way to his neck, the next shards of ice burst and fly across the room. You try to shield yourself, but one manages to pierce into your abdomen. Maybe it's the shock, or the cold, but you don't really feel anything except for a numb tingle. Your eyes are glued to your wound, watching as red starts to dye the bluish ice. The sight should panic you, but for some strange reason you know you'll be okay. When you look back up, Zayne is staring at you in shock. His eyes filled with guilt and fear. You immediately reassure him.
"It's okay," you tell him with a calmness to your voice that surprises even you.
Josephine enters the room. She's quick to call the paramedics. A pair of footsteps can be heard coming back from the kitchen. You immediately ask Josephine to keep her away, not wanting her to witness what's happening.
Zayne is still looking at you with that same heart wrenching expression.
"It's okay," you assure him once again, "It was an accident."
You don't look away from each other. Even when the paramedics arrive. Even when they wheel you to the ambulance. Your eyes are on him until the very last moment.
Zayne is gone by the time you get out of the hospital. You've tried so hard not to impact the original story as best you can, only to end up taking her place in a key moment in their story. Unfortunately there's nothing you can do now since he left without so much as single word. You're left hoping that this hasn't changed too much of their future.
Luckily she remains unaware of what happened, having been told you were simply not feeling well. (Which technically isn't a lie since being stabbed doesn't feel good.) However, despite being oblivious to the incident, every time you two are together you notice that she looks at you with something akin to worry. Thankfully her concerned gazes stop after a few weeks, so do the mentions of Zayne.
Things go back to normal, as if the event never happened. All you're left with is a faint scar from where the icicle had stabbed you. You don't mind it. It's small, and always hidden under your shirt. But you can't help but trace over it whenever you get undressed. A chill runs down your spine every time you see it. A reminder that you're now written into a story that you shouldn't be a part of.
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alinathinkstoomuch · 21 hours ago
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CLOCKED IN
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pairing: aaron hotchner x fake!fiancee!reader summary: hotch is trying his hardest to keep it together when your so-called friends crash the night out, good thing the bau are world class shit stirrers, based on this request. warnings: fluff, protective hotch but also protective bau!! brief reference to them meeting which can be read here word count: 1.3k
✧ masterlist | ✧ alina's 1k bar
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Hotch was, against all odds, and probably his own expectations, actually having a good time. Shocking, really. But he knew exactly why, it was you. You sitting under the glittering mirrorball light, talking with your hands mid-explanation. 
It was your first official time meeting the team, and he wasn’t even a little bit surprised by how quickly you charmed every single person at the table. You had that effect on people. It was something he’d always admired about you, and okay, maybe envied a little too. He wasn’t exactly known for being warm or approachable. His voice didn’t magically pull smiles from strangers. Yours did.
And yet somehow, you—completely out of the blue—had walked into a bar similar to this one and asked him, a total stranger, to pretend to be your fiance for the night. Still one of the most absurd things he’s ever heard and he deals with absurd for a living.
Maybe that bit of envy came from a selfish place, though. Because he liked to think that the effervescent side of you was something you saved just for him, but it wasn’t because you were like that with everyone. All grins, all giggles, all theatrics because that’s who you were. And it made him furious inside to imagine anyone taking advantage of that. Like those awful friends who made you feel like you had to lie in the first place.
Still, in a roundabout, slightly messed-up way, he guessed he owed them one. Because their cruelty had delivered you straight to him.
He was mid-sip of his drink when he caught the way your smile wobbled. And when you did a double take towards the front door, his eyes were inclined to follow to see who or what he was going to have to glare at for sucking the light from your face that fast.
He didn’t even try to hide the exasperated sigh that left him.
“Oh boy,” you muttered, eyes still on the door.
“Do you know them?” JJ asked, leaning forward over a cluster of empty cocktail glasses. “Because they’re pointing.”
“And coming over,” Morgan added, eyebrows raised.
You straightened in your seat. “That’s…the quarter of the group responsible for me meeting Aaron.”
“No!” Penelope gasped, hand flying to her chest. “You mean those friends? The ones you had to lie to? The whole fake-fiancé saga?”
“In the flesh,” you confirmed, grabbing your drink and taking two very necessary gulps as Aaron braced himself for the evening to dissolve into performative lunacy. 
You shifted in your seat beside him, shoulders going stiff in that I’m fine, this is fine way that meant the opposite. And yeah, his jaw clenched. Because the idea of you having to perform just to feel safe, or liked, or respected? Made his blood run hot. Especially when you were surrounded by people who actually saw you—really saw you—and didn’t need a single performance to adore you.
“Oh my god! Okay! We all have very important parts to play,” Penelope whisper-yelled at the table.
“Just don’t make it weirder than it has to be,” Emily muttered, toying with her paper straw.
“You want another drink?” Rossi nudged Aaron who just glared at the older man. “Come on, lighten up. I didn’t get to see you in fiancé-action last time.”
“Consider yourself lucky,” Hotch said dryly, reaching over and resting his hand over yours in a squeeze.
You turned to face him and the panicked look on your face made his stomach knot. “I’m sorry for this. I had no idea they’d be here, I haven’t even spoken to them in months.”
“You don’t owe me an apology, just like you don’t owe them a damn thing.” His tone softened. “But if you want an out, just say the word, I’ll make up an excuse and we’re gone.”
You opened your mouth to respond, but it was too late.
“Wow,” came a voice you knew all too well. “Look who it is.”
“Veronica.” You offered a perfectly polite, perfectly fake smile. “Dani,” you added, glancing at her tagalong.
“Mind if we sit with your fiancé and friends?” Veronica asked, already pulling a chair over from the table behind because she wasn’t actually asking or waiting for permission. She wedged herself in between you and Emily.
Dani copied her motions, plopping herself down between Penelope and Spencer. The poor genius looked like he was calculating the fastest way to disassociate, especially when Dani’s manicured hands rested a little too close to his drink. 
“So,” Veronica said, all teeth. “Are you going to introduce us?” She glanced around the table. “How do you all know the happy couple?”
“We work with Hotch,” Morgan answered smoothly, lifting his glass. “FBI.”
“Oh. Wow. That’s… intense.”
“Depends on the day,” Emily chimed in, “But yeah, keeps us busy.”
Veronica’s icy gaze slid to you, her mouth twitching. “Must be nice. All that… structure and stability. Probably pays off a little more than fashion, huh?”
You barely had time to get a word out before Penelope jumped in for you. “Oh, sweetie. One campaign of hers pays more than my entire annual salary. And I’m not exactly working for peanuts.”
You let out a sheepish laugh, just as Aaron’s thumb pressed gently against your hand, as if reminding you to breathe. 
“Anyway,” Dani piped up, suddenly remembering she had both a voice and a personality, “how’s wedding planning going? You must be deep in it by now, right?”
“Weren’t you just looking at venues?” Rossi added with a grin, like he’d been personally waiting for this moment. Hotch made a mental note to get him store-brand whiskey for his next birthday.
“We were,” Hotch replied as casually as he could manage. “She wants a beach wedding. I want one where her dress doesn’t blow into the ocean.”
Morgan snorted while JJ shook her head, trying and failing to hide a smile. 
“Tell the truth,” Emily grinned. “You just don’t want sand in your shoes.”
“I don't want sand in my everything,” Hotch said flatly, taking a sip of his drink at the involuntary conversation. 
“Fair,” Morgan laughed, tipping his glass towards him. “Sand gets everywhere. Man’s got a point.”
“Well, the guest list must be pretty large then,” Veronica went on, smiling just a little too sweetly. “Half the FBI, and of course us, your best friends. You’ll need something that can accommodate everyone.”
“We’re keeping it small,” Hotch almost snarled, his tone landing somewhere between polite restraint and you’re not fucking invited. Not that there was an actual wedding, but if he ever did marry you, those two would be the last names on the list.
“Oh! But you have to have bridesmaids, right?” Dani pressed on, gesturing between herself and Veronica. “I mean, you’re probably thinking of us, your best friends—”
“We haven’t gotten that far,” you cut her off.
“Besides,” Emily added with a shark-like smile, “it’s so hard to find dresses that don’t clash with fragile egos.”
Your eyebrows shot up before you could stop them. Morgan was grinning like a man thoroughly entertained. JJ stifled a laugh behind a cough. And Spencer? He just looked politely baffled, having subtly nudged his drink as far away from Dani’s claws as possible without making it look like he was giving it to Rossi. 
Hotch, meanwhile, added a new line to his growing mental list: whatever bottle Emily wanted for her birthday, she was getting the top shelf version. Hell, maybe two. 
Some of the tension in his chest eased a little and he hoped yours had too. Because if there was one thing his team excelled at, it was rallying around someone they’d decided was theirs. And judging by the grins, side-eyes, and Emily’s very intentional lack of filter, the BAU had officially clocked in.
Not for a case. 
For you. 
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uhuhmaries · 2 days ago
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Talk | H.S. — LHH
Harry’s your ex. You’ve been broken up for a full year but man…. A reunion never felt so good.
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It’s your friend who notices him first.
You’re mid-laugh, clutching a half-empty tequila shot and feeling light from the salt, lime, and whatever it was she whispered in your ear—when her body tenses beside you.
Your laugh trails off, and you follow her gaze.
And there he is.
Harry.
The same Harry you’ve tried to scrub from your memories over the past year. Only now, he looks worse—better—than ever. Long hair curled at the ends. Broad shoulders stretching the seams of a black button-up. A few buttons undone, revealing the top of his chest and that stupid butterfly tattoo you used to trace with your tongue. Rings glint on his fingers. A drink in his hand. His other arm hangs loose at his side, inked and tensed, like he could crush steel if he wanted.
He’s already looking at you.
Your stomach twists. You inhale through your nose and lift your chin.
Smile. Cool. Unbothered.
But he starts walking over, and Maddie—your friend leans in close. “Shit. He’s coming.”
“I see that,” you mutter, downing the rest of your drink for courage.
Harry stops right in front of you. He doesn’t say anything for a beat. Just lets his gaze roam—slow, greedy, infuriating. You feel every inch of it like heat sliding up your spine.
Your black dress doesn’t help. Tight, short, clinging in all the places you know he used to worship. You wore it to feel hot tonight. Now it just feels dangerous.
He smirks. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
You lift a brow. “Didn’t expect to care.”
His smirk fades—just a little. “Still stubborn as ever.”
You turn to face him fully. “Still arrogant.”
Harry looks at you for a long time. Really looks. His voice drops low. “You haven’t changed.”
You lick your lips. They’re dry. “You have?”
“I went to therapy.”
Your heart kicks. You swallow. “Good for you.”
He tilts his head. “You didn’t.”
You smile. Sharp. “Never will.”
He huffs out a soft, bitter laugh. “Yeah. That tracks.”
You hate that he still gets under your skin. That one look from him can turn your insides to static.
He leans in a little closer. “You look good.”
You shrug, glancing down his chest like it’s nothing. “So do you.”
But you both know it’s not nothing.
And later, after more tequila, more side-glances, more of Maddie’s not-so-subtle glares, you find yourself outside, fresh air trying to cool the ache inside your chest—and between your legs.
The door behind you opens.
You don’t need to turn around to know who it is.
He stops beside you. Silent for a moment. The night is warm, but his presence still makes your skin prickle.
“I know you don’t want to talk,” he says softly.
You stare ahead. “Good. Then don’t.”
He hums, a low, dry sound. “You gonna keep pretending we didn’t look at each other all night like we wanted to fuck against the bar?”
You glance at him. “That what you want?”
His eyes flash. “It’s what you want too.”
You don’t respond. But your silence is loud.
He steps closer. “You want me to wreck you so you can forget all the shit you never say out loud. That it?”
You clench your jaw.
“You want to pretend it’s just sex. It never is with us.”
You turn to face him, stepping right into his space. He doesn’t move back.
“You want to talk about feelings,” you murmur, “I want to come so hard I forget yours.”
His mouth twitches. “Still such a brat.”
“And you’re still obsessed.”
He leans down, nose brushing yours. “Get in the car.”
You hesitate for half a second.
Then you do.
The second the door shuts behind you, his hands are on your hips, mouth finding yours with years of hunger behind it. He kisses you like he’s punishing you for leaving. For never changing. For not being ready. For not being him.
You moan into his mouth. Bite his lower lip. Tug his curls.
He groans. “You wore that dress to fuck with me.”
You grin. “You always were easy.”
He grabs your thighs and yanks you into his lap. “Say that again.”
You grind your hips against his, gasping when you feel how hard he already is through his jeans. Your lips brush his ear.
“You’re hard for me and I haven’t even touched you yet,” you whisper.
Harry’s hands slide under your dress, rings cold on your thighs. “You think you’re in control?”
You lean back. “Aren’t I?”
And then he slides two fingers into your panties. Just like that.
Your breath stutters.
He feels it. Smirks. “Soaked.”
You try not to whimper when his fingers start circling your clit. Slow. Torturous.
“You’re already dripping for me and I haven’t even eaten you out.”
“Harry—”
“No.” His fingers stop. “Say what you want.”
“I want you,” you pant.
“Not enough.”
You grind against his palm. “I want your mouth. Your cock. I want to be ruined, okay?”
He lifts you suddenly, pushes you back onto the seat, and kneels between your legs.
“Still don’t know how to say you miss me,” he mutters, “but you’re happy to beg to be fucked.”
He licks up your thigh—slow, deliberate.
“Maybe if I make you come on my tongue, you’ll find your words.”
He goes down on you like he’s missed the taste every night for a year. Tongue deep. Fingers rubbing just right. You cry out, hands yanking his curls, grinding against his face as he eats you like he needs it to breathe.
You’re close. So close—
And he stops.
“No—”
“You wanna come?” he growls. “You talk.”
You glare down at him, thighs shaking. “I need you. Please. I missed you.”
He grabs a condom, tears it open, rolls it on.
“Good girl.”
He slams into you hard and fast and you both moan at the first thrust. His hips roll, precise and filthy, filling you just the way he always did—like he knows your body better than you do.
“Fuck,” you gasp. “Harry—harder—”
He grips your throat. Tight enough to make you gasp. Not enough to scare you. Just enough to say you’re mine.
“You gonna listen now?” he hisses.
You nod desperately, back arching. “Yes—yes, I’ll listen, please, please—”
His thrusts get harder, meaner. You’re almost crying.
Then he pulls out. Rips off the condom. Tosses it aside.
“Harry—what the fuck—?”
“I want to feel you. All of you.”
You freeze. Blink. You should say no.
But instead you whisper, “Yes.”
He thrusts back in—bare—and it’s like your body splits open. Raw. Skin to skin. Nothing between you.
You both groan. Loud. Uncontrolled.
He growls in your ear. “You’ve never felt like this.”
You sob his name.
He flips you, face pressed into the seat, ass up, his hand smacking you once, twice.
You whine. “More—”
He spanks you again, hand then sliding up your back, curling around your neck as he pounds into you, the car rocking with every thrust.
“Say it,” he demands. “Say you need me.”
You’re almost delirious. “I need you. I need you, Harry—fuck—”
“You coming for me?”
“Yes—oh my God—yes—”
And when you come, it’s messy and loud and full of everything you never say out loud.
He follows seconds after, hips stuttering as he buries himself deep and spills inside you—hot, thick, and claiming—your name breaking from his throat in a low, desperate groan against your skin.
You sit in silence after. Breathing hard. Still shaking.
Harry pulls his shirt back on. Looks at you.
“I still love you.”
You stare at the ceiling. “Don’t do this.”
“I want us again.”
You sigh. “You’ve changed.”
He nods. “Yeah. I have.”
You meet his eyes. “But I haven’t.”
He exhales. Nods again. “You could try.”
You give him a tired smile. “Maybe.”
But you both know it’s a lie.
You’ll see him again.
You always do.
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0gl1tch0 · 19 hours ago
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-AWAY! Fuck you. We’re done! And honestly this is a long time coming. Things have been shit, you have been shit, for so long. Looking back I don’t know why I put up with it. Momentum? But this, this is on another level. You got my family involved. Don’t fucking talk to my family! We’re done. Fuck you. This is goodb-
I only know one spell.
Forget. Forget. Forget.
I can use it on one person, and have them forget forget forget one thing, at one time. Use it on someone else and they remember, immediately.
It’s not the most useful spell. It can’t cover up anything with two witnesses. It can’t hide any memory indefinitely.
And I can’t use it on myself.
I would.
It’s hard to pick the one thing I’d use it for.
YOU wouldn’t believe it. I just got pulled over and I’m like super high. And I’m sooo nervous. Like this pig is definitely knows. But he goes back to his car to run my plates and he must have gotten a car or something, cause he just flipped on his lights and drove AW-
Susan is at the library on a Tuesday. She’s supposed to be at work, but she forgot. So she went to the library like she usually does on her days off. It helps her study. She’s earning an online degree in public health. She’s a good person trying to help. Plus, she doesn’t want to be a security guard forever.
But she does want to be a security guard for now. And the second I make someone else forget forget forget something, she’ll remember. She’ll be running back to work confused with no excuse. I suppose if I did it to her enough then the government would fire her. But I need her to keep her job, at least for now.
So I change what I’m forcing her to forget forget forget. She grabs her purse and starts sprinting out the door to her car. She doesn’t remember to log out of library computer though. I don’t let her.
-N we talk? If you’re busy it’s okay but this is important. Last night I was hanging out with one of the guys from work. I thought he was sweet, and we were having fun, I dunno. I was just so drunk. It started to rain and I was cold and I wanted to go inside but I just passed out on the ground. And he was laughing. He just left me there. My memory gets hazy after that. YOU-
It’s a funny thing, memories. Every time you think about them, they change. They aren’t records you play and put back on the shelf. They’re stories you tell yourself, over and over, memorizing the newest telling each time. Your biggest regrets? Those terrible things seared into your brain? You aren’t reliving a particularly bad moment. No, you spend the rest of your life telling yourself the same sad story, over and over, combing through the details looking for any little thing you could have changed. But it doesn’t matter. The ending is always the same.
Even if your mind slowly massages your recollection, reality brings back the pain you can’t forget forget forget.
Take Susan, for instance. She shot and killed someone. And she’s been retelling herself those every day since. I can see it, in the version history of the report of the incident on her computer. Certain truths become fuzzier. Certain falsehoods more distinct. Her memories of the biggest regrets of her life smoothing like wood, as she tries to sand away a chaotic hectic and jagged piece of her foundation into something she doesn’t hurt herself to touch. But the guy is still dead. The smooth shaft of wood still ends in the point of a spear. And she’s stabbing herself on it. Trying to forget forget forget.
Her boss says she’s a hero. The mayor is going to meet with her. Only she’s not going to remember the meeting.
I only have a few minutes before she runs back into the library and signs out of the computer. I won’t need half that to clean up after myself. I’m not the kind of person whose presence leaves evidence. Not anymore.
-ught about it. For a long time. And I. I dunno. I like you a lot. It’s just. I mean how would that even work? Maybe we should just be friends. CAN-
Getting into the restaurant will not be easy. I can’t sit down at a table without a reservation. Even if I cast a spell on the hostess, that won’t change whether or not the tables are full. And if I get a table, I have to order something. This isn’t a place regular folks can afford, and I can’t even scrap together regular people money. Maybe it slips the waiters mind and he doesn’t bill me, but I’m leaving here with my spell on the Mayor. I just need to get close to him for a moment.
One moment. That’s all any of us ever need. That’s all any of us ever get. We are all just a collection of what we did in a small list of moments.
-HIS is a really bad time. I’m sorry, my dog just died. I really can’t think about anything else right now. I don’t have the THOU-
Human beings, ultimately, are just a pile of chemicals. Big meaty lumps controlled by electrical signals powered by a series of gasses and fluids, flowing at a steady rate each and every second. We are a teetering balancing act of chemical input and chemical output, existing as a filter in a river of time while reality sifts through us.
It’s not the balance that makes us. It’s the imbalances. It’s the different needs and cravings at different levels. What does it mean when the introduction of someone’s scent increases our endorphin levels? How do we shape our lives if the thing we’re missing comes in a pill that the government can take away? What does it say about us if the thing we’re missing doesn’t come in any pill at all? What would you do to try and find balance? How good does something have to feel to be good enough?
We are all just piles of chemicals trying to bond.
And I’m standing in the bathroom because I let one chemical spill out.
I cut myself on my arm, walked into the front room, and asked if I could clean myself up. Of course security would let me through. I didn’t even need to use a spell to be left alone in here, although I’d planned to. Most people are inherently good, most of the time. And I erase a little bit of people to get what I want. What does that make me?
AND he’s dead. Oh my god he’s dead. I just found his obituary. It says he killed himself, Jesus Christ killed himself months ago. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me, the best part of me. I think we were like… platonic soulmates. And he’s been gone. Just gone. For months! I can’t believe it. Please say something. I can’t take TH-
I’m not going to kill the mayor.
I could, maybe, I think. For a few minutes have him forget forget forget to breathe.
But I don’t want anyone to die. I just want there to be a little less hate. I want Susan not to have hated anyone who scared her while she was working alone. I want Susan not to hate herself for what she was expected to do while afraid. I want Susan not to hate herself for what she does now, just to get one evening where she feels good.
I want the first world to function less punitively. I want the world to understand decisions were little bursts of energy through couple soupy wrinkles of meat, and sometimes that energy misfires. Sometimes that meat is wrong.
But we don’t do that. We see something wrong and we hate it. We hate it like that will make it right. If the force of our disdain and the extremity of our punishment are extreme enough we can beat the things we hate into submission. We treat the human psyche like its only remedy is ballistic repair. Hit it to make it start working. If the signal is still fuzzy hit it again.
We hit each other and ourselves so hard and so often that the only remaining ways to cope are the exact things we hated in the first place. We hate the poor so we take their homes away. We hate the fat so we force them to stay inside where we cannot see them. We call addicts criminals and brand them for life, barring them from any alternatives that might feel good.
And the mayor? He needs people to vote for him. So he has to be the paragon of our hate. He has to embody it, to take that nebulous hate and through his pen channel it into legislation. In front of dozens of cameras he’s going to sign a bill that condemns those of us hurting the most to even worse cells at even worse prisons for even longer sentences. And he’ll do it with a smile, in front of dozens of cameras, shaking the thankful public’s hand.
But it won’t do anything. You can’t unring a bell. You can’t untake a pill or unpull a trigger. Susan won’t bring that boy back when she rethinks the story, when she takes pain killers, when she gets fired for having them or when she spends time in a cell. He will always be dead.
So I won’t let the Mayor do this. For three days the bill will sit in a shelf in his desk that I command him to forget forget forget.
That’s the best I can do. I just stop things from getting worse. I don’t know how to make things better. That’s not my part of the phrase.
No I think we could move in together. What’s the worst that happens, I have a shitty year there? I’m going to have a shitty year here. Besides, you’re my best friend. If we get into a fight I’m sure we can’t forgive and-
You only know one spell, and it isn’t even a high-level spell. But between its versatility and your creativity, you’ve still made a name for yourself.
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anonf1writer · 18 hours ago
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“but please shut up” — ln4
summary: from the SINGLE PARENT UNIVERSE and based on THIS request, I present to you 2k words about the moment Yn first said the three words to Lando, and then told him to shut up (or something like that). (I am reposting this because I didn’t like the first version, so... yeah. no more yn now)
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You and Lando had been dating for no longer than six months when the words finally slipped out of your mouth. 
It was a Saturday morning. A sunny one, to be precise. One of those rare occasions that normally meant peeling Olivia away from the TV and getting her ready for a picnic at the park, or for riding a bike, or for doing just any activity that allowed you to soak the sun as much as possible. 
On that particular Saturday morning, though, the clear sky wasn’t the only rare thing happening in London.
For starters, you weren’t at your place, but at Lando’s apartment. Something that had never happened before. Not in the morning, at least. Not as a result of spending the night there. 
Then, of course, because you weren’t at your own place, there was also the fact that Olivia wasn’t there, with you. Instead, your sister had taken her to Bristol so she could spend a fun weekend with her cousins. And so you and Lando could have some time alone. 
So, yeah, of course—things were different that morning. 
And yes, maybe you could have sensed that something else would happen, something you didn’t see coming because it also normally never happened. 
But you didn’t.
All you did was wake up wrapped in Lando’s arms, kiss him good morning, and drag yourself out of bed. On your way across the bedroom, you grabbed one of his hoodies and put it on. Warm, oversized, and smelling like him. Exactly how you liked it. 
Once you made it to the kitchen, the space opened into sunlight and sleek surfaces. Fancy. Clean. Organized. Looking not even one bit like the messy tiny home you owned. With no crayons forgotten on the table, no mermaids and unicorns in the mugs and cups and plates, no colorful drawings stuck to the fridge. And yet just as comfortable and cozy in its own Lando Norris’ way. 
It made you smile, for some reason. A smile that you kept on your face while trying to decide what to make for breakfast, and that only grew bigger when Lando finally joined you in, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder while you cracked four eggs into a small bowl. 
“Hmm,” he murmured, his morning voice sending chills down through your spine. “You look really nice in my kitchen… Wearing my clothes… Smelling like me…”
You tilted your head slightly, leaning into his curls as he kissed your neck and just settled there, keeping up with your movements—with the whisking of the eggs and the soft clink of the fork echoing in that quiet morning. 
You could tell Lando was happy with that setting, with spending the morning together after also having spent the night together. Something you couldn’t really do very often, considering you still weren’t ready to add him into Olivia’s routine like that. Not without making sure—making fully, fully sure—that this wasn’t just a temporary thing for him. That he was staying in for good, and that he was actually willing to have a role not just in your life, but also in your daughter’s life. 
Which, to be honest, was becoming more and more easy to see as time went by. 
Like when he stepped away to grab the milk from the fridge and very casually asked, “Talked to Liv yet?”
“Not yet,” you said, then waited until he had splashed a bit of the milk into the small bowl to keep going. “Told my sister I’d give them a call after breakfast.” 
You sprinkled in a pinch of salt and went back to whisking, meanwhile Lando got himself busy by grabbing a pan and dropping a knob of butter into it. 
“I hope she’s having fun,” he said, distracted as he switched on the hob and placed the pan above the humming heat. “Y’know, I was thinking about what it’d be like to take her to the beach.” 
You paused. 
You paused and stared at the bowl. Right in front of you. 
And Lando laughed. 
And the butter sizzled gently. 
And then the smell of it filled the space. 
Warm. Comforting. 
“Sandcastle chaos, for sure,” he added.
Still chuckling. 
Still nonchalant. 
As if mentioning he had been thinking about your daughter and about how it would be to spend time with her didn’t bring this funny feeling to your chest. As if it wasn’t a big deal. As if it was normal. 
You swallowed.
To be fair, when it came to Lando, it actually wasn’t weird. Because he did that a lot—dropping how much he cared in the most subtle, random ways. In the little things. 
But this morning, for some reason, it seemed to happen more than usual. 
He did it again, for instance, as you were sitting around the small table and having breakfast. As he was telling you about these new clothes he had bought online. Casually, randomly. Just by asking, “Purple’s her favourite, right?” 
To which you furrowed her brows and mumbled a simple, “huh?” 
“Liv’s.” He scraped the fork against his plate, gathering the scrambled eggs, and shrugged. “I saw these really cute tiny trainers that made me think of her.” He scooped up the food and shoved it inside his mouth. But he didn’t stop, he just chewed as he talked, muffling the words. “They were… Mmph… Puh’pul… Yeah?… Puh’pul’s her fav’rite… Innit?”
 “I—Yeah. Purple’s her favourite color, yeah.”
He smiled, swallowed and nodded, all proud of himself. 
“I knew it.” He took a sip of coffee, then focused on the beans still left on his plate. “Didn’t get them though…” He shoved the fork back into his mouth. Words mumbled as he chewed again. “Didn’know’er size, so… Oh!” He swallowed and shuffled on his seat. “Shit.” He coughed, choking a little around the food that had gone down his throat. “Um… Just remembered… Did I tell you about this… About this new idea we had for the next collection? I didn’t, did I?” 
“Um… I don’t think so, no…”
“Right. Yeah. So, listen to this…” 
And so he rambled about something else. 
And you listened. 
Trying to absorb as much as possible. Trying to understand. Trying to make sense. 
But then, as you were putting the dishes in the sink and talking about the next few weekends and how busy his schedule would be, he did it again. 
He brought her up again.
“I’ll try to come home as much as I can,” he said, “but y’know, if you ever want to come to a race one day, I’d love to have you there. Not just you, but Liv, too. Like, not now, of course, but later, when you’re ready. I’d like that.” 
And like a cherry on top, while you had your hands submerged in warm soapy water, he asked, “Hey, is it weird if I frame that little drawing Liv made the other day?”
You stopped.
And blinked at the plate you had in your hands. 
“The one she said was for good luck?” Lando added, pacing in the kitchen. Not in a nervous way, but in that very particular excited version of him. Full of caffeine. Hair sticking up in three different directions. Hands moving along with his words. Babbling. 
Always babbling.
“Or maybe not frame it but put it on the fridge or… I don’t know… Something. Just… Somewhere I can always see it… Y’know? Would that be weird?” 
You blinked again.
“Because I won’t if it’s weird… Don’t want to make it weird…”
“Lando…” you mumbled, eyes still fixed on the dish in your hand. 
“I mean I don’t know what the protocol is here… I know you said you wanted to take things slow when it comes to her, and I totally get it… I mean you know way better than I do, so I trust your judgment… It’s just that she’s so great, y’know? And that drawing is so cute. It’s been back and forth with me for weeks now, but I wanted to check with you because I—”
“For the love of God!” You dropped the sponge and the plate and turned around, water dripping from your fingers as you glared at him. “Lando, I swear I love you so much, but can you just please shut the fuck up for a moment?”
Lando stopped. 
No. Lando froze.
Mid-step. 
Not even looking at you.
Just.. Hand reaching into the cabinet. Eyes fixed ahead. Blinking to the clean tableware. 
And you didn’t even notice, so you just sighed. Loudly. Dropping your shoulders. Grabbing a tea towel to wipe your hands. And then trying again.
“Sorry. I don’t mean like, shut the fuck up, but just… Y’know, give me a minute to think? You’re like… Nonstop right now! Just going on and on and on about Livie and it’s just—”
“What did you just say?”
You looked at him.
He was still facing away, still frozen on the spot.
“That you’re going on and on about—” 
“No. Not that.” He dropped his arms to his sides and turned towards you. “Before.”
You frowned, searching inside your head for whatever you could’ve said that made him look like that right now—pale, shocked, terrified. On the verge of freaking out.
“I don’t know. What did I—”
“Love me,” Lando murmured. “You said you love me.”
“What?”
“You said,” —he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if gathering the strength to say the words— “Lando I love you so much but can you please shut the fuck up.”
“Oh.”
“That’s what you said. You said you love me.”
“Shit. Lan…”
You stepped forward. 
And he stepped backward. 
“Nuh-uh.” He raised one finger, pointing it at you. “Nope. Stay there.”
Your lips tugged up.
“Babe… C’mon.”
“You love me.”
“Mhmm…”
Lando dropped his arm.
Then opened his mouth, then closed it again. 
And then he looked away, dropping his posture like he had just been punched in the stomach.
“Holy shit,” he said. “I didn’t—I wasn’t—wow. Wow. Ok. Okay. Yeah. That’s—That’s just… Ok. I mean, did you—You really meant that?”
At that, you laughed. 
“Lando…” You dropped the tea towel on the counter and took a step forward, a tiny one. Just to make sure you could. That he wouldn’t run off. “Baby. Just breathe, okay?”
“I am breathing.”
“You’re also sweating.”
“I’m not—” He raised one hand, touching the back of his neck. And then he shook his head. “Maybe, who cares. That’s not the point.”
“Right… Then what’s the point?” you tried, softly this time. Stepping just a bit closer.
“That you love me.”
“Okay.” Standing in front of him, you placed your hands on his chest and nodded. “So? You’ll get used to it.”
Lando snorted and looked at you, his own hands instantly finding your waist. Almost involuntarily. As if they belonged there. As if it was the only natural reaction when having you so close to him. 
“You’re just… You think this is funny?”
“A little, yeah.” 
“I’m freaking out here.”
“I know. I know you would. That’s why I’ve been holding myself from saying it out loud.” 
He pulled you closer, and yet also flinched. Chin and head jerking back slightly while he made sure your body was as close as possible to his. “Why would you ever do that?”
“Why?!” You laughed and slid your hands up his chest, then up his shoulders and neck, until you were able to link your fingers through the short curls on the back of his head. “Did you see your reaction just now?”
“So? Just because I’m weird and freak out like this sometimes doesn’t mean that I… Y’know… That I don’t… I mean I just…”
“I know.” You nodded and launched yourself forward, kissing his cheek before landing back on your feet. “I know you do, babe. So whenever you’re ready. That’s okay.”
He sighed and leaned down, pressing his forehead against yours. 
“Bloody hell I do. But now I’m gonna wait until you least expect it. Freak the hell out of you, too.”
You laughed and arched forward, barely lifting off your heels as you reached for a kiss.
Lando reacted quickly, closing his eyes and kissing you back.
And then, around his lips, you murmured, “Bring it on, babe. I dare you.” 
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sailingintothenight · 2 days ago
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"The girl in his eyes." Bob Reynolds Imagine.
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(Not my gif but give a prize to the people who make them)
Summary: Time together created feelings in the two of you. One night, the group tries to get him and you to talk about it, with John urging Bob to talk about "the girl in his eyes." And that creates a big misunderstanding.
A/N: Just a kind of short imagine (around 4K words) cause I'm new here and I don't want to go on too long and bore you all in case this is boring. I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors. But something I always knew but I accepted today is that some of us write the kind of love we'd like to receive, right? The kind we sometimes can't find, though other did find, I hope. However, in the meantime, don't forget to love yourself please. As a warning, a little angst(?) but with a happy ending! and the word "drug." I think that's all, thanks!
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“Lena, did you see (Y/N)—”
The last letter of your name drops to a whisper as Bob stops in front of the long couch, Yelena’s finger pressed against her own lips to silence him, a potato chip sandwiched between her other two before she pops it into her mouth, the bag in her lap, and her full attention back on the phone in her other hand.
She’s sitting diagonally, her back between the cushion behind her and the armrest, her left knee bent down as it falls off the edge to the floor, but it’s the other one that has Bob pressing his lips together as he films this version of you with his bluest gaze, the memory searing itself into his mind. You’re there, asleep, lying sideways on the comfy, fluffy cushions, part of your head on the outside of Yelena’s thigh, a front strand of your hair now falling over your closed eyelids and the border of your nose.
And it's soft for Bob, that image of you, and overwhelming only in the way it forces him to swallow the lump forming in his throat as his feelings pile up inside.
"You need anything, Bob?" Yelena's pointed gaze moves from the paused TikTok video (a cat staring at the camera, a flashbulb fired in right in its face), chuckling as the animal's expression still lingers in her mind, and frozen on her phone—the white feline silhouette and wide–open eyes—she shows it to him. "Have you watched this video?"
Bob nods, and the sound of him trying to clear his throat (so his words don't falter mid–sentence as he knows they will) accompanies the action.
"Yeah, (Y/N) sent it to me a few days ago."
"It's so funny." She laughs softly, and her full attention is on to the device again, finger sliding across the screen after saving it to favorites, bringing another chip to her mouth. “That cat is so silly.”
But like a cry, Bob whimpers softly, the tiniest sound in the silence.
“You’re dropping crumbs in her hair, Lena.”
Yelena stops, her gaze sliding from her phone to him and then back down to you, and her slightly oily hand catches the crispy piece that had gotten caught in the strands.
“Relax, Bob. This is the price (Y/N) is paying for using me. She knows it. We shook hands. Now, do you need anything? Or someone, maybe?”
There’s a hint of healthy mockery in her smile, a silent challenge in her tone of voice that’s urging him to answer only with the truth everyone already sees, but the featherweight of her joke feels like lead in his chest and in his nervous hands, covered by a layer of clothing one size too big for Bob.
“No, just… I finished reading a book and thought (Y/N) would be here ready to—”
But there was nothing afterward, just lying there together, in the same bed before sleeping, on extreme sides so as not to cross boundaries but to keep each other company before loneliness settled in every room, when it sometimes forced Bob to wake up with a gasp and a foggy mind filled with traumatic experiences, talking about books or things.  
But perhaps it was the words left unspoken between you two before sleeping (hidden among the ones you did say: goodnight and sleep well), the ones you two avoided saying and pushed aside, along with the feelings that lived dormant in the darkness and accumulated inside each other—the things you both were dying to say but neither of you dared for fear that the already solid pillars of your friendship would crumble because of something as unstable as love.
Yelena waits a second longer, but there is no response from the other end.
“The team and I were talking about you tw—”
Bob knows what it is, the favorite topic on everyone's lips.
“You guys talk a lot, maybe you should shut up for a while. Silence is good sometimes.”
She rolls her eyes, an exasperated look following her action.
“Help me out here for a while, will you? I have a cramp and need to stretch.”
Bob swallows, eyes slightly wide at the prospect of feeling that kind of closeness with you, the kind that comes so quickly it makes him dizzy and ignites the heat in his cheeks sharply. The warmth of your hand, he felt it before, many times, a casual or intentional touch, and it was scorching (like when the supermarket was crowded and the crush of people unnerved him sometimes, for example, so your fingers would close around his and his hand would squeeze yours), as if it could ignite a forest fire inside him, so wild it seemed it could burn everything… but everything bad, of course—like the enemy in his thoughts, his insecurities, his fears, his nightmares.
He didn't even want to think about what it would feel like to feel the heat of your cheek.
But he did.
Bob had imagined it several times already. In a burst of bravery, with his heart beating faster than a drug high, his thumb would slide down your soft cheek, fingers hooking gently around the edge of your jaw.
"Bob?"
"What?"
Yelena drops her things into the armrest, her hand cupping the bottom of your head.
“Put your leg here, Bob.”
He shakes his head fast, his own heartbeat increasing with the fear and excitement that mix, so close that the line between them blurs, and his somewhat messy, wild hair moves with him.
“I don’t think—”
“Three…”
“What are you—?”
“Two…”
“Lena—”
“One.”
Bob takes a step forward, hands outstretched to stop her without a word, a silent plea in his eyes for her to do nothing, even though Yelena hadn't moved an inch and wasn't planning to either. And with a deep inhalation and exhalation, a failed attempt to fill his lungs with cold air and soothe the heat settling in his chest, Bob switches places with her, even more gentle as you shift in your sleep, your hands close to your face and your cheek now on his leg, covered by his gray sleep pants, but which seem like the finest fabric in the world when Bob feels your heat radiate through your skin until it meets his, every nerve ending.
"You're adorable, Bob." Yelena laughs quietly, but there's not a hint of cruel mockery in her words—never with him—and she leans back on the second–long sofa, phone in her hand again. "Like those boys in her books. Such a gentleman. I know why she likes you so much."
Likes you, being in love—two different scenarios if the feelings on either side were unequal. Either a chasm separated those two feelings, or the first could be the path to get to the other.
“Did I do something wrong to make her not like me anymore?”
The weight of self–doubt about a topic as distant and still foreign to him as love (next to his insecurities) try to bring down the confidence Bob was still trying to build little by little, day by day, and Yelena can see them shining clearly in his gaze as he finally holds hers, even in the dim living room light at night, searching for an answer he can't find within himself, not when there's a thick fog between the truth and him.
“What do you mean?”
Bob shrugs.
“(Y/N) is always here with me, but absent at the same time, as if something has suddenly changed between us.”
“You’re overthinking things, Bob.”
There’s affection in Yelena’s words, and they are warm in their attempt to reassure him of a truth hidden among his fears, but he lets out a small sound, something like a laugh without a hint of humor. Just an empty noise.
“Overthinking sometimes allows you to see the smallest things.”
“Like what?”
Bob can see it in his sometimes fragmented mind, every moment together and the way you changed, slowly, with him always next to you but finding solitude where there was only company, a touch of emptiness when there was always life in your eyes everytime you looked at him.
He doesn't know exactly how to explain any of that, and Yelena nods thoughtfully.
"Why don't you try to think about what exactly you did then? We have a while until the losers arrive with dinner. I'm going to be here with you, but ignoring you at the same time, okay?"
Catching his slight nod, Yelena turns on the couch, face close to the cushion and her phone in between, indistinct sounds from the videos, set to low volume, floating around him so the absolute silence doesn't completely consume him with the severity of his thoughts.
Bob lowers his head and his gaze rests on you, listening to the sound of your slow breathing as, in your sleep, your body relaxed, at peace. The curve of your lips is tempting, and he lifts the hand resting in his lap to push that strand of hair away from your face and place it where it belongs.
There, above your eyebrow and with nothing covering it now, Bob can see the only physical reminder of the fall of a whole building when your self–control overflowed at the edge of your anger. And like a tiny crack in a surface, the small scar has a slightly different hue than your skin, but it was an imperfection that only makes you even more perfect, more real, a whole person and not a cruel dream from which Bob always wakes up before reaching.
Just like that, your presence in his life became a need.
You were the proof that he was still alive after the unbearable pain, (knowing all have been worth it because he met you) and that his heart hadn't turned to tin. He was still breathing, his heart was still beating, and for the first time, he'd finally felt the nervous tingle, the fluttering of being in love.
Love, so silent you don't even know you have it until you're full of it.
Love, a silent feeling in a room full of euphoria, and at the same time, it's like an alarm that goes off and no one but him and you can hear.
To be close to you, with you, every day, that’s all Bob wanted at the beginning. But almost selfishly, the passage of time together made him greedy, wanting more from you, a different smile than you had for others, a new kind of laugh, escalating until all his thoughts were about you, daydreaming about how to shake off his title of friend and crown himself with a different one.
It was a silent plea, a hope. It became a desire that made him company through his sleepless nights…
“You need to be direct with her.” Alexei had said a few weeks ago in the kitchen, when the hands of the clock showed it was very late at night. “Your words must be deep enough to cut like a knife in the heart.”
Bob didn’t even know how he’d ended up in that secret meeting, when all he’d wanted to do was grab a late–night snack from the fridge to leave on your nightstand after you’d joked, somewhat embarrassingly, that you did that sometimes. But, confused and slightly scared, his eyebrows furrowed in surprise as the rest of the men stared at the red guardian and his constantly failing attempt to explain himself properly.
“Maybe not so direct.” Walker shook his head, the usual mocking tone in his voice. “How about you just tell her in small hints instead of trying to draw blood? You can hint that you like her, but without actually saying I like you.”
Bob blinked, confused, the information coming in too fast as he tried to take it all in.
“Like what?”
Bucky wag his head softly.
“Ask her to teach you how to do things you know she likes. She will feel that you are interested in her.”
And that was exactly what Bob did.
Now, when the doors of the elevator open and some really loud voices pierce the room, Bob’s natural protective instinct, (the one that was born in him the first time he took care of his father after witnessing his first blackout) makes his hand, a second after the resounding sound, move fast to press it against your ear, blocking out the laugh coming from the men.
As a reflex, your body moves in your sleep, but your awakening is less abrupt with his help.
You get up slowly, your mind and gaze blurred as Yelena leaves the living room, patting Bob on the shoulder on her way to the dining room. The edges of your gaze darken after rubbing your eyes with the palms of your hands, the pleasant sting creeping around as you chuckle.
“Did I sleep so much I forgot I was lying on your leg?”
Bob chuckles too, and an invisible thread pulls the corner of his lip upward.
“You slept so long that Lena’s leg went numb. Just like mine.”
You let out a surprised laugh, your body slumping back against the backrest.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay, you know I’m always here for you.”
“Kids, dinner!”
Alexei’s voice fills the room.
At the same time, as a reflection that you both can’t avoid in time when instinct wins, Bob and you move your bodies to look over your shoulders, heads turning in the same direction, finding yourselves at what your mother used to call, at the perfect distance of a kiss. Bob is so close you can almost drink his breath, stopping yours when his blue gaze holds yours for an eternal second that finish too quickly but that feels endless too, watching each other's eyes before you both separate, looking forward as a nervous feeling fills your heart.
You walk away first, finding an empty spot next to Ava.
“Dad, will you stop calling us to the table like we’re real kids?” Yelena complains, sitting at one of the heads of the food–laden table as Bob sits in the chair across from you. “Someone here is older than life.”
The rest chuckle, not too loudly.
“But you’re my kids. Now, let’s have dinner like family.”
At some point, there is a back—and—forth conversation around, about a past relationship for some of them, somehow empty, never too deep because talking once about the future they hoped and never got to feel is enough for everybody, but always accompanied by soft laughter that makes the tower feel like a real home after some lost it or never had it in the first place.
“So… what’s your type of man, (Y/N)?” Yelena chuckles, and the sound is full of her genuine affection for you, but it hides too her desire to steer the conversation in a way that Bob can be somehow included in your words. “You’re always reading, so you must have a type. Maybe someone here is just like that.”
The others feign innocence, but the possibility stirs in Bob’s body with a heartbeat that’s too fast, eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion, in expectation, and with a certain weight of worry about not hearing a promising answer.
“Who?” Ava laughs also knowingly, with a certain disdain at thinking of the others and you that way too, and her finger points at Alexei. “Too old.” Then at Bucky. “Way too old.” Finally, at John. “Too much of an idiot. That leaves just Bob.”
Bob swallows at the sound of his name, so abruptly that the food in his mouth makes his expression twist slightly in pain.
The others, expectant, continue waiting.
You clear your throat, your heart pounding against your chest as if it were seeking its own freedom and a way out of a situation that seems unlikely to end well.
“The usual, I guess, just… a nice guy.”
“Oh, come on, that’s not fun.” John grins, malice bubbling up as if he needs to embarrass someone at least once a day to survive. “You could be more specific, like Bob. Right now there is a girl in his eyes so he could tell us what she’s like, describe her so much until we’re bored.”
Bob's gaze meets yours, barely a second before you look away when Bucky speaks.
“I think that’s enough with the jokes, huh?”
But then, to everyone’s surprise and his own, Bob speaks, and with a touch of nervousness in his voice bordering on anxiety, he starts talking about her. Just a little, not a lot, not quite to the point of boring the rest of you.
And you listen, your heart a little cold around the edges. Like a brutal change in the season, the tempest of his words threatens to hurt you without hesitation or guilt, but you listen, because you always tried to be a good friend to Bob, a person he could trust when he didn't even trust his own shadow. And even when he was always full of doubt about himself, about the truth, he seemed to trust your voice more than the enemy within, the one that whispered only cruelty. Even when he became cloudy, Bob would pull the blanket off his head when you asked him to, because that was always a promise for him that the sadness would all end eventually.
For all those months together, it had been you, and between heartbeats, it had always been him. Until you confused things, apparently.
Until the girl in his eyes arrived.
And it hurts, it burns to think about it, that reality that creeps up on you, that of always being just a friend. And it's like having an empty stomach, an empty mind, an empty heart.
When he's finished, you excuse yourself to leave the room with a smile and your head held high, leaving the deathly silence behind and missing the way Bob follows you with his eyes, even after you disappear.
"I think we blew this." Ava lets out a small sound, like a worried laugh at possible defeat as she looks at the rest.
"Did you have to go on so long, genius?" A semi–hard object hits the side of Bob's head and bounces off it, but without erasing his terrified expression as he looks at Bucky. "We told you you had to flatter her a little, not write her a whole Shakespearean sonnet."
Yelena frowns.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Some weeks ago we told Bob to try to hint to (Y/N) that he likes her without telling her he likes her.”
“And?”
“And nothing else. (Y/N) came into the kitchen that night to get something from the fridge, and the conversation ended there.”
“Did she hear you talking about this ingenious plan?” Ava’s hard gaze landed on Bob, and he blinked, innocent eyes set in a look of terror. “Did (Y/N) hear you talking about her? or did she hear you being told by the smartest men in this place how to get a random girl?”
As night fell and sent the rest of the team to sleep, the endless talk finished when you had entered the kitchen, a soft sound from your throat announcing your presence first.
“What are you doing up so late, darling?”
“Just came to get something to eat.” You replied to Bucky, and Bucky’s gaze rested on you, all the way until you closed the fridge door. “Sorry to interrupt your boys’ sleepover.”
“It’s not a boys’ sleepover, (Y/N), please.” John whined softly, slightly offended.
“Men’ sleepover is better.” Alexei smiled, and you laughed with him, his innocence fluttering as the others sighed in defeat.
“Of course, my mistake. Sleep well, everybody.”
“You too.”
The others' voices were an echo, except for Bob's, lips closed as your eyes fell on him in your farewell, just for a second.
He never said your name, and neither did the others. But from then on, there was only half a life in your eyes, whereas before they had always been full of it every time you looked at him.
The seconds of understanding end when Bob stands up, so fast he pushes his chair back with a dry sound against the polished floor.
His own breathing becomes labored, but he tries to calm his anxious heart all the way down the hall.
"You always have to ruin things—"
"Not this time. Not with her." Bob murmurs softly, and when he finally reaches your room, your door is always open for anyone who wants to enter and exist, and that's a mixed relief for him. "(Y/N)?"
You look over your shoulder, your body facing away from him as you continue to sit in front of your laptop on the desk.
"Yes?"
"Can I come in?"
"Of course."
Bob closes the door behind him, barely making a noise as he ventures inside, but feeling the place like untapped territory even though he's been there since his life merged with yours. The sound of his sneakers on the floor is almost nonexistent, but it feels heavy like lead in his pockets as Bob sits next to you, listening to the almost ghostly volume of the video playing in front of you.
"You okay, Bob?"
Your attention is on the screen and your voice is a whisper, but it is an overwhelming force that hits his chest, even harder than bullets in the past.
"Are you?"
You chuckle.
"I asked you first."
Bob hums a reply.
"You wanna lie down for a while? I finished a new book today and I know I can convince you to read it."
You shake your head, but there's a slight, honest smile on your lips.
"I'm not sleepy yet. Maybe later or tomorrow."
Neither of you says anything for a moment, your eyes straight ahead like Bob's gaze lingers on your profile. Bright eyes, soft skin.
But Bob knew that you too were still learning to use your voice just like him, to find the right words—those always hidden—so scattered across different galaxies, so far from each other that you still struggled to put them together to say something eloquent, to say what you both truly wanted to say, what you two truly felt. Silence had always been your ally and an imposition for him. And that had been his curse throughout his life, always in solitude, until it created his inability to say what he really wanted to say.
But not today, not ever again.
“We’re feeling a little much apathetic today, huh?”
It’s not an accusation, but his tone tinges with his sassiness, the kind he used to make direct comments and respond to other people’s jokes, to John’s sarcasm and sometimes Bucky’s condescension. Today, however, his words make you frown sharply as you turn to look at him.
“Excuse me?” His gaze threatens to falter and leave yours when you narrow your eyes at him, but Bob stands firm when what he's said is free to the world, saying out loud what he wants to say instead of letting it perish inside and ducking his head to pretend it never happened. "You're quite bold sometimes, Bob."
“And you’re quite clueless.” He smiles, softly, nervous but firmly planted on the floor, his heart pounding in his chest. The electricity, the tingling at his fingertips as the result of this brave act is addictive, like a drug, but ultimately a healthy one, one he wants to get hooked on. “I was talking about you, silly. How can you be so smart and not realize that every word I said was about you, (Y/N)?”
Your frown relaxes more, and the gnawing feeling of annoyance at his forwardness is replaced by confusion. His hands cup the sides of your chair, and Bob pulls you closer, gently, not roughly, taking in the way your body has stopped tensing, being brave when he sees your eyes light up with affection again, completely—a little scared around the edges, but finally not halfway.
“When I asked you to teach me how to braid your hair, it was for you—for that loose braid you always have. Your mom did it for you, didn’t she? Every day. You told me.” You nod, feeling the heat from his knees radiating against yours. “When I asked you to teach me how to dance to those old ballads Bucky loves so much, I didn’t do it to dance with someone else. I did it because I saw the way he spun you around one night and saw you laugh, and I wanted so badly to be him that I could feel my body vibrate. The things I said in the kitchen, about her hair and her laugh and everything—it was all about you, okay? Can you believe me, honey? Please?”
You nod again, and Bob can see hope, right next to that desire of a soul crying out for the exact same thing as his, silent but fervent.
His hands cup your face, soft skin over slightly calloused fingers on your cheeks and the underside, thumbs gliding to make his dreams (asleep and awake) come true, a touch so tender you feel nothing but warmth at the tips—his face so close his breath mingles with yours.
Your own hands clutch at his arms, searching for something to hold you steady as well.
“I’m sorry. I… I got scared. This is my first time feeling like this.”
“I know. And I’m so sorry, I never meant to make you feel like there was someone else because ever since I met you, it’s always been you. But if you still have any doubt, you are the girl in my eyes.”
Bob leans forward, closing the small space between his existence and yours.
And behind his closed eyelids, just like yours, the darkness ceases to be terrifying and becomes pleasurable, for the first time in his life, a place where Bob would stay if that means he can keep kissing you like this. Time, life itself, the past and future are suspended, unimportant and in an eternal pause in the long seconds his lips linger and move with yours. It’s like an unspoken conversation between you two, a confession of love without even having to say those three magical words. A connection, strength and gentleness, melting away any fear or doubt. The kiss is soft like him, a little shy like you, but real and perfect after every moment you imagined him in your head.
And in a synchronized movement, the two of you separate, breathing in each other's air.
"I'll be back, okay? I won't be long." He whispers, his lips touch yours with the promise of many more shared kisses, before Bob stands.
"Where are you going?"
He stops halfway across the room and turns around, those strands of hair on either side of his face bouncing with the movement.
“I'm going to get you some midnight snacks so you won't have to get up later, and get that book I was talking about.”
You laugh softly.
“And you're going to tell the others, aren't you?”
“No.” His shoulders slump. “Yes. I have to, honey. Lena and Ava were about to hurt me really bad.”
A nervous but genuine smile appears on that sweet face of him before Bob turns away.
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