#like. he eats dinner with will sure but the alternative there is eating completely alone which come on that SUCKS its bad camp design

[pagesofkenna]

do Nico and Will have a canon in-text first kiss or is that something I'll have to go to fanfic for

[littldoctor]

Just watched the runaway bride and thought it was magnificent I did end up crying again bc Donna is like "you need someone to stop you" and the Doctor's face just fell, like complete devastation and then when she asks him for her name one last time his eyes just shine with contained tears and even his voice sounds thin and unstable and he says her name again and just leaves.

Like, he was so angry and sad at the beginning, with this screaming lady inside his ship and her taking Rose's shirt and telling him it was not the first time he kidnapped a woman before and his face, literally, he seems so lifeless for a moment there at the beginning, just hollow, no life, no excitement, no emotions, just a shell of a man.

And he tells her he lost her, but doesn't elaborate obviously and when he asks Donna to trust him, to jump into the tardis while being in a car on a highway and she yells at him "did your friend trust you? The one you lost?" and just it broke my heart, but he tells her "she's not dead, she's so alive." and that is true and it just hurts all over again bc she's alive but he lost her either way.

And the first time she ask for her name the doctor just changes the topic without a thought, just a wall there, like, no. We're not gonna talk about that. And Donna just has to deal with it.

Also the bit where he sees the blonde girl dancing and they just show bits of new earth when he helped rose up and held her, that, that nearly killed me, like really, how am I crying while some dude is fighting robots dressed as santa in a failed weeding? Like how did I end up here?

The moment where he asks her that she could go with him and travel just made me bawl my eyes out, the "you could come with me." of the doctor and Donna just literally said no so fast and he was like okay ill just leave then. She tries to get him to eat Christmas Dinner with her mainly and her bc he told her he did last year with his friend's family but he refused as well, literally was about to fly off but Donna screamed his name so he opened the door again and then she telling him he's going to find someone or something like that, that he can't be alone or that he won't and like, literally he just lost that, he lost his forever, he lost his Rose, his motivation, his everything.

And now there it is, another human telling him he's going to find that not knowing that he had it, but she won't go with him, she tells him to his face it is terrifying, that his way of life is too much, that he's going too fast.

Literally the doctor was just about to stop, he was literally heartbroken and just forced himself into working again to save Donna, if she hadn't appeared maybe the doctor would have just drifted away for centuries, mourning and grieving, and sure it wasn't healthy to just force himself into action again without a second to mourn Rose, but like there weren't any good alternatives left, really.

I loved this episode I really did, but as much as it made me laugh it made me cry bc the doctor just sees Rose everywhere and it's clear he's going towards a path of self-destruction now, without anyone to tell him when it is enough.

[escargot4free00]

Tonight was one of the few  times I’ve walked alone in the streets on Paris since my arrival as it gets dark/is dark. After a heavily emotional day, saying goodbye to my best friend who I won’t see in a year, and cleaning the house for hours finding copious spider dens and dealing with water problems amongst other things, being exhausted and anxious almost to my wits ends. I tried to keep my cool the entire day. As I decided to trek to the other side of Paris, to stay my brothers’ house, I find that I’m locked out, with two heavy bags and having forgotten to eat dinner. I am so hungry, but the closest supermarket closed 5 minutes earlier. So I take my bags and walk to the next supermarket, with 10 minutes to spare before all the grocery stores would be shut. It’s still light outside and im walking as super paced as I possibly can to make it in time. Each street I walk down is crevice filled with men, who blatantly stare and talk at me as if I was a kind of prey. I don’t think I saw one woman out on the street. On the corner of the supermarket as I approach the sliding doors, three boys are playing soccer, and one of them keeps staring me up and down up and down, until he charges at me with his entire body weight with the ball, throwing himself on top of me so as to literally assert his physical dominance. He bows me kisses and tries to brush his weight against me again but I quickly bolt between the supermarket doors. The only woman I see walking around is a homeless woman who I have seen around. She didn’t make eye contact with anyone. As I get to the counter the man at the checkout creepily winks at me. I had to instantly look down from the overwhelming discomfort and shudders in my spine. He suddenly holds up a bag of chips that I had taken and begins yelling « did you rip this open « . I say no of course not - like ,,,, no I didn’t rip the fucking chip packet before buying it and giving it to him at the fucking checkout. Why would I do that. He signals for the security guard who towers over me. He tells him to take me to the cameras to check for whether I opened the chip packet on screen. I am literally on the verge of a full breakdown as he’s just yelling at me, swiping between screens showing sections of the supermarket. I repeat myself over and over that I didn’t rip the fcking packet open, that would make absolutely no sense, I was paying for it either way! They keep me there until they decide they're ready to stop giving a fuck. Just making sure I have just enough exposure to enough people, humiliated and in tears. They shove the packet into my chest and say they’re closing so I have to now pay. They tell me not to come back but then give me a smile and a wink as I leave. At this point I’m genuinely depleted, im so tired. I walk a 10 minute longer route so I don’t have to face the men through the smaller streets. On my alternative route, with 2% on my phone, I receive 4 different men at different points blatantly yelling at me, telling me I should go home with them, asking for a kiss, telling me not to walk so fast and asking why I don’t look at them. 

I’ve genuinely never felt myself get to the point of completely defencelessness in the presence of men. But when we have no options but to cop it or bare the potential dangers of reciprocating and verbalising your discomfort and anger, then we’re essentially just fucked. 

[matchagator]

Sheltered: Chapter 9

Tensions are high in the household, making Lily desperate for answers and a boost in morale. However, things only become worse after an incident at the diner.

It's Spring Break for us writers, so stay tuned for a week of updates to make up for the delay or visit here for the complete story.

{Main Pairings:} Jeon Jungkook/Original Female Character, Choi Soobin/Original Female Character, Kim Taehyung/Original Female Character(s)

{Rating:} 18+

{Genre:} Alternate Universe - Hybrids

{Summary:} Realization finally dawned on Lily, knowing she now had the responsibility of three hybrids rather than three dogs. Her eyes grew wide while her eyebrows rose up in wonder before she turned her attention to her sister. The shocked expression of Rose had her smile sheepishly. “Well, at least we don’t have to name them.”

{Warnings:} Mature Language, Mild Angst, Rutting Behaviors, Tattoos, Sexual Harassment

{Taglist:} @chimsworldsstuff

The next day had been interesting, to say the least, Lily managed to steer clear of Soobin's intensity as she focused on the moody doberman, who huffed around the house as if everything was an inconvenience. She knew his mood was related to the bickering between him and her sister, but wasn’t sure how to make amends if they bit at each other every chance they got. She tried to cater to him throughout the day, which only caused Soobin to act out from her lack of attention. 

He would growl and move between them to create distance, but Lily would just circle back around him to get to Jungkook. It wasn’t until they were watching television and began watching a show about tattoo artists that she noticed the stony features of Jungkook begin to melt as he became enamored by the designs across the human canvases. Despite the reminder of Rose’s reaction when she took them to get their piercings, Lily decided to offer him the opportunity. 

Soobin didn’t like the idea of them going alone together and whined to go as well even though he had no interest in getting a mark on his skin. At the shop, Jungkook admired the art of the tattooist and couldn’t decide on any particular design. After a lengthy consultation, he received a small variety along his arm that would make it easy to have more things added later. While he had his tattoo worked on, Lily fell in love with the line work of another artist and decided on a design of swirls and tiger lilies that would curl over her shoulder. 

When the artist went to place the stencil against her skin, Soobin argued that it didn’t look good over her shoulder. He didn’t mind that she was getting the tattoo and the placement was actually very nice, but all he could see was her covering the area where he would one day leave his mate mark. He didn’t want it to heal over with a distracting display of beautiful flowers to take away from his claim on her. He wanted his mark to be the only thing brandishing her shoulders. Lily didn’t ask much about his reasoning and had the artist readjust it to sit on the back of her shoulder so that it ran from her spine to her arm.  

The appointments were long with the size and details of each tattoo, but they were finished as the sun began to hide behind the horizon. The dull ache didn’t take long to settle in Lily’s bones from the artist pressing into her back with the needle gun, so she decided to pick up Taehyun, who stayed home and napped, then drove everyone to the local diner. She knew Rose would be less inclined to make a scene about the tattoos at work and possibly act civil with Jungkook. 

“I smell Rose! Is she eating with us?” Taehyun asked as he slid into the booth first when Lily guided them to the table she usually occupied when the dinner rush was bustling. Jungkook slid in on the opposite side of the booth and Lily scooted in next to him, causing Soobin to make a disapproving groan in his throat as he sat across from her. His long legs bumped against hers under the table, easing his possessive instinct to feel her touch even in the slightest. His rut was becoming stronger as his need to claim Lily grew with the threat of her being taken by one of the other two males. 

Lily reached over Jungkook to grab some menus and handed them out to the hybrids, hoping they would pick something based on the pictures. As she browsed the pamphlet of food options, their waitress arrived, looking down at her notepad ready to grab their drink orders. Lily looked up, surprised to find Rose would be their waitress. “Hello, my name is Rose. What would you like to drink?” She finally glanced away from her notepad and faltered as she noticed her dysfunctional family sitting in her booth. “What are you doing here?”

Lily regularly came to the diner, but Rose never imagined that she would bring the hybrids with her. Her sister smiled sheepishly, “Yeah, I didn’t want to make dinner so…here we are.”

Rose rolled her eyes in response to her sister’s excuse as Taehyun leaned up on the table, “Are you joining us?” His eyes were large and filled with hope.

Rose tilted her head with a small pout, “Sorry, Tae. I can’t, I’m working.” She pointed back towards the kitchen with the cap of her pen and Taehyun slumped back into the booth with disappointment.

“Can we just get water?” Lily asked, noticing Jungkook recede back into his foul mood from earlier with the presence of Rose. Her sister placed her notepad away without jotting anything down before turning to retrieve the four glasses. As she walked away, Lily brushed her hand through Jungkook’s hair, feeling how tense he was.

Soobin pushed his leg back into hers as he glared at the affection she gave Jungkook, who moved away from her touch. His breathing became heavy as his nose scrunched from the low snarl escaping his lips. Jungkook was rigid from the sound coming from his brother and snapped back with a noise acutely similar to a bark. Taehyun yelped as his brothers stared each other down, leaning across the table towards each other with their teeth bared from the curl in their lips. 

Lily panicked, realizing that they were making a scene in the middle of a full restaurant. She tapped the table, trying to break them from the trance of animosity. “Both of you stop it!” She whispered harshly, her eyes flickering around the other booths to see people were watching them. 

Soobin broke eye contact with Jungkook at the sound of her voice in mild distress. He sensed her nerves rattling within her, wanting nothing more than to comfort her, but sitting back to calm himself down. Rose arrived as the two older males settled back down, feeling a shift in the air as she placed the waters on the table. She reached across to put a glass in front of Jungkook when she noticed the plastic wrapped around his newly decorated forearm. 

Her mouth dropped in disbelief as her wide eyes found Lily, “You took him to get tattoos?” Again, the plural status of her statement outweighs the severity of her sister’s actions. It wasn’t so bad that he got a tattoo, but nearly an arm full of tattoos was pushing her sanity off the ledge of rationality. 

Lily bit her lip, hands still shaking from the previous interaction between Jungkook and Soobin. She laughed nervously, feeling overwhelmed by the consequences of her actions. “Yeah, he was having a bad day.” She tried to justify.

Rose just shook her head, not believing that her sister thought any of this was acceptable in the slightest. “We’ll talk about this later. What do you guys want?” She focused on the lines of her notepad, trying to bury the aggravation that wanted to bubble over.

“Just bring burgers and fries for all of us. As soon as possible.” Lily added as an afterthought, hoping that fast service would keep the boys distracted with their meal until they left to go home. 

“Should I bring JK’s cooked or would he rather just have a raw patty?” She shot him a knowing stare, her eyes narrowed when he looked up at her. 

Lily was thrown off by the question, “Uh, cooked…” She glanced over to her side to see if Jungkook argued otherwise before turning back towards Rose. “Yeah, cooked is fine.” Lily waited until Rose left the table before addressing the men, “If we get through dinner without any trouble, I’ll give you guys a treat.”

The hybrids brightened up at the mention of a treat, wondering what it could possibly be. “What kind of treat?” Taehyun asked, his expression eager as he leaned up on the booth again.

Lily merely waved him down to sit and vaguely answered his question to keep them guessing. The table became quiet as Taehyun settled down, only perking up whenever he caught sight of Rose moving around from table to table. Jungkook simply leaned against the corner of the booth, keeping to himself as he ignored the familiar scent of vanilla florals gently sweeping in to remind him that the infuriating brunette was there. 

Soobin stared at Lily as she pulled out her phone and seemed to intently be in search of something on the small device. He nudged his leg against hers, capturing her attention away from her phone. She sent him a reassuring smile, but he could sense her uneasiness as he tried to figure out what could be bothering her. She nudged her leg back and Soobin felt warm with need from the reciprocated contact. His rut was proving to be a challenge the more time he was around her, but he would do his best not to pressure her despite his instinct. 

Lily was relieved to see the hybrids nestling into the comforts of the restaurant, joyous that whatever mood swing she just encountered would not rear its head. She broke eye contact with Soobin as she glanced back down at her phone, looking through her search engine for answers on his recent behavior. Most of the results showed a preview stating that huskies were friendly, so why did he seem so aggressive lately? He seems like he’s been socialized enough not to be territorial, he couldn’t be fighting for dominance since Jungkook clearly fit that role; so what could it be?

She wasn’t allowed much time to ponder it when Rose came back with a large serving plate to dispense the food onto the table. She put her phone away deciding she would try and get some more information from Katharine when she goes to work the next day. “Thanks, sis.” She smiled up at Rose as she grabbed a fry to put in her mouth. 

“You’re-” Jungkook began devouring the burger, shoving the filled patties into his mouth as much as he was capable of before aggressively chewing. Rose blanched in disgust as ketchup smeared over his face and loose pieces of the burger fell from the corner of his mouth. “...welcome.” Soobin and Taehyun followed Jungkook’s example, shoving the large burgers in their mouth for large bites. Rose fixed Lily with wide eyes and a forced smile. “You have fun with that.”

Lily watched as she briskly walked away and caught sight of an elderly couple looking over towards their booth. She smiled sheepishly at the pair before snapping her attention back to the boys at her table. The aggressive scarfing created loud noises that reminded her of a slew of pigs eating their daily slop. “You don’t need to inhale your food. It’s not going anywhere.” She reminded them, relieved when they began to slow down their pace. 

With a sigh, Lily dove into her fries meticulously eating them one-by-one before tackling the burger. They all ate silently and before long Jungkook was finished, staring at Lily with intent. “I finished. Where’s my treat?”

She paused mid-chew on her burger, glancing over to see his plate was completely cleaned off with the other two not far behind. “Um…” She searched for her sister to try and get her attention. She was currently helping another customer but noticed Lily waving her over from the corner of her eye. She continued to write down the customer’s order before sighing as she approached the chaos table.

She leaned on one foot, cocking her hip to the side. “Yes?” Her hands pressed against her waist, hoping that her sister was ready for the check. 

“Can we get three hot chocolates for the guys? I’m sure they would love that.” Lily knew the men had an appetite for sweets and wanted to fulfill their promise since they were mostly behaved during dinner other than the transparent etiquette flaws. 

Rose narrowed her eyes. “That one…” She pointed at Jungkook, “..doesn’t need anything, but I’ll bring some for the other two.” She countered. The doberman already got an arm full of tattoos, why did Lily always feel the need to spoil him? She could see her sister trying to defend Jungkook but stopped her before she could speak. “He’s a good boy.” She pointed at Soobin. “He’s a good boy.” She pointed at Taehyun and went back full circle to Jungkook. “He’s a bitch.”

Lily reached up and covered Jungkook’s ears as he growled at the demeaning name that left Rose’s lips. “That was uncalled for. He’s just misunderstood.” Lily defended as she glared back at her sister, mildly surprised that she cursed at work. 

Rose crossed her arms over her chest with an eye roll. “Whatever.” She stomped off back to the kitchens to fulfill the order, annoyance etched throughout her body. She hated that her sister let him do anything he wanted and made excuses for him. She knew Lily felt like she needed to provide them with a good home, but she shouldn’t be encouraging his behavior as a menace to society. 

Lily pulled her hands away, looking towards the human doberman. “Sorry about that.” Jungkook could only huff as he hunched over the table, the muscles on his back firm from the tension building within them. He didn’t know how to feel about Rose anymore. He spent the most time with her out of the others, but she’s cold towards him. Yet, his brothers attached themselves more to Lily and she goes out of her way for him. Things seemed backwards and he understood he had some issues with trust and obedience, but that still didn’t excuse Rose’s attitude towards him. 

As Jungkook was lost in thought, Rose returned with her serving tray and placed the three mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream in front of each hybrid. “Enjoy!” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes as she looked at Soobin and Taehyun. 

A pit of guilt punched Lily in the stomach as she noticed Jungkook simply staring at the mug of sweet liquid. She pushed the cup closer to him, “Go ahead. You’ll like it. Just be careful, it’s hot.”

He blankly stared at the whipped cream, lost in thought as he tried to process how he would manage to live in this house with Rose. Distant memories of his first owners were haunting him as he remembered being abandoned and given to the shelter. He felt stuck because he enjoyed the safety and comforts of their new home, but he was scared that if Rose couldn’t accept him then he would lose all of that. It was a constant battle between them and Jungkook wasn’t sure if he was willing to let his guard down in the event she did return them back to their legal owners. 

Lily softly smiled at Taehyun as he stared at the drink, sniffing around the swirl of whipped cream. He slowly brought the mug up to his lips and took a sip. His mouth was met with the warm flow of chocolate with the contrasting feeling of cool solidified cream melting over his tongue. He raised the cup higher, gathering a larger gulp before placing the cup back down on the tabletop. Lily laughed when she noticed his nose was covered in white cream and chocolate ran along the curve of his top lip. 

He dragged his tongue over his lip to collect the remnants, trying to curl it over the tip of his nose to wipe off the whipped cream there. Soobin took a sip as well, laughing as he also got cream on his nose. Lily leaned on her palm and admired the two hybrids sitting across from her, capturing the wholesome moment as a memory she wished to keep for those days that might seem hard. Their happiness was a reminder that bringing them into her home changed her life for the better. 

She peered at Jungkook from the corner of her eye, gesturing with the tilt of her head towards the mug for him to join in on the fun. She nearly cried with joy when he finally took his sip and a small chuckle escaped his lips. Her heart swelled with love for the new additions to her unconventional family and no one could take that away from her. “I love hot chocolate!” Taehyun projected enthusiastically, taking more sips from the mug in his hands.

Rose heard him from a few tables away, notepad in her hand as she prepared to take the order of another customer. The man she was currently serving sat by himself with a simple cup of coffee. She allowed him a few moments to look at the menu and noticed him place it down before she made her next move. “What can I get you?” 

Rose was so focused on her notepad that she didn’t notice the way his eyes ran over her figure, his lids heavy with ill intent. “Are you on the menu?” He asked, lecherously. Rose faltered as his question registered in her head. She was familiar with flirtatious comments and recognized this particular line from a handful of customers before him, but his demeanor made her uncomfortable. He wasn’t being funny or light-hearted like most people were, he was a sleazy creep. 

She steeled herself, ignoring his comment. “No, so what can I get you instead?” She pursed her lips together as her anxiety spiked the pounding of her heart. The faster she could get his order and him out of her hair, the better.  

Jungkook sensed a wave of distress in the restaurant as he gulped down the rest of his hot chocolate. Soobin and Taehyun were still savoring their drinks as Lily continued to nibble on her burger since she was a slow eater. Jungkook looked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Rose talking to a man, the distress pounding through her chest and beating through Jungkook’s ear drums. His eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on their conversation, but the sound was washed out by the loud ambiance of the diner. 

“JK?” Lily asked, noticing that he was practically turned around in his seat. She peered behind her to see him glaring at Rose and she only hoped he didn’t try to pick a fight with her just before they were supposed to leave. 

She tugged the sleeve of his shirt, but he ignored her as his pupils shrunk in on the man. Rose seemed to pace back and forth between leaning on her left or right leg as she tried to get away from the customer without being rude. He kept flirting with her and making her uncomfortable, refusing to tell her what he wanted besides coffee. She noticed the mug was empty, “Let me get you a refill and let you think about your order for a moment.”

She went to turn away as fast as possible, but she was stopped abruptly when the man reached out and grabbed her apron. “I wasn’t done talking to you.” His gruff voice was commanding and degrading all on its own.

Jungkook bared his teeth with a growl as he watched the man grab Rose against her will and pull her back towards him. Her fear spiked and Jungkook jumped into action, lifting up from his seat and stepping over the table. The dishes clattered as he moved across them, startling Lily as she yelled after him. The scolding tone in her voice didn’t stop him as he took large strides through the diner, his destination being the only thing he could see.

Rose could barely blink in response to the man grabbing her before his grip was ripped from her and all she could see was Jungkook’s back hiding her view of the man. When he approached the pair, Jungkook grabbed the man’s outstretched wrist firmly and yanked it away from her as he stood between them. He stood menacingly over the man with his doberman features shining through, asserting his dominance against the human. “Keep your hands to yourself.” He growled.

“JK, it’s okay.” Rose tried to de-escalate the situation and placed her hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, unsure how to approach him in this state. She never witnessed him be so aggressive, where did this come from and why was he protecting her? 

The man’s face hardened up at the younger male, moving to stand up defensively, but cringed as Jungkook tightened his grip and twisted his wrist downward, creating pain in the man’s arm. “Don’t fucking touch her again, understand?” He hissed as Lily and Soobin finally made an appearance, pulling him away from the offender. 

“JK, stop! Let’s go!” Lily placed her hold on his wrist, pulling his hand away from the man as Soobin pulled him away by pushing against his shoulder. Rose gaped as he responded to the pair, following their guidance towards the door. “Tae, time to go!” Lily hollered at the booth, blocking Jungkook’s fierce glare from piercing through Rose’s customer. 

Rose noticed a messy pile of crumpled bills left on their table as her mind tried to process what just happened. The man cradled his wrist as he rose from his seat and hastily left the diner, avoiding the direction of the others as he walked to his car. “Rose, clean up your tables!” Another waitress demanded when she only seemed to stand in place.

She snapped back to reality, realizing that coffee spilled across the table after Jungkook collided into them before she noticed the mess left behind from her sister’s booth. People were watching her like she was free entertainment and she felt heat rise to her cheeks from embarrassment. Her family made her look crazy and left her to clean up their mess. She was so mad, but yet as she wiped away the spilled coffee, her mind refused to think about anything other than the way Jungkook stood up for her.

Despite their differences and constant fighting, he still protected her from the creep. His approach was very impulsive, but that bothered her the most. He did it so effortlessly, without any incentive; be damned the consequences to himself or her. She was beyond confused, but couldn’t fight the feeling that maybe Jungkook cared about her more than she originally believed. After cleaning the coffee, she moved to the other booth and groaned when she noticed some of the dishes were broken. Tonight was a complete disaster, but she couldn’t wait to get home.

Previous | Next

[couldntbedamned]

Goodbye Grey Sky, Hello Blue - 14

Summary: In an alternate universe where trains and zeppelins are still common forms of travel and the internet and cell phones exist, nineteen year old Peter Parker has few options left after he’s swindled out of his inheritance. Unable to pay for college, let alone keep the house left to him by his deceased aunt, he’s running out of time before he’s out on the streets. Desperate, Peter signs his life over to the Bureau of Civic Spousal Selections to take his chances as the selected husband of a complete stranger. After all, he only has to make it through a year and then he can choose to annul.

Dr. Stephen Strange has little interest in marriage, preferring to focus on his career. When his career is threatened by what a nosy board of directors considers a “lack of personal fulfillment and settling down,” he opts to select a spouse through the BCSS and chooses Peter Parker. The young man’s profile he’d briefly skimmed suggests intelligence and compatibility. It’s not ideal, but if after a year it’s not working out, he can always annul the marriage and send Peter on his way.

It’s a marriage neither truly wants, with sharp learning curves for both. It’s either going to be forever or it’s going to go down in flames.

Warnings/AO3 Tags: 18+ MINORS DNI, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1950s/Modern Fusion, Doctor Stephen Strange, Jewish Peter Parker, Peter Parker is of Legal Age, Marriage of Convenience, Marriage Contracts, Government Sanctioned Marriages, Domestic Discipline, Dubiously Consensual Spanking, Spanking, Aftercare, Mildly Dubious Consent, Dubious Morals, Dubious Ethics, Asshole Stephen Strange, Smartass Peter Parker

Notes: Please remember to read the tags/warnings listed and read/avoid as best for you. YOU are responsible for the content you chose to consume on the internet.

<<<>>>

Chapter 14

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He could have just heated up another damned can of soup, but he wanted comfort food, so kugel it was. He forced himself to also prepare roasted broccoli, because he heard his aunt’s voice chiding him not to eat just noodles for dinner. He also prepped a steak to broil for Stephen, because he was apparently on thin ice as it was.

He’d made his list after he’d finished his work in the yard and set everything to rights from the dinner party and did a load or two of laundry. The list had been surprisingly difficult; Peter wasn’t used to making waves so stopping himself from arguing his way out of asking for something was hard.

“I’d say yes, Peter.”

Peter had a hard time believing that, but Stephen had sounded so sincere…

He wanted to throw something, but he’d already screamed into a pillow twice since waking up. What was the point of a tantrum? It wouldn’t accomplish anything except to wear himself out.

Not every marriage contracted through the BCSS was so damn complicated, he was sure. Statistically, failed marriages from BCSS couples were the exception rather than the rule. Only two in ten marriages annulled after the initial year, and that was rounding up generously. Moreover, more than a few of those annulments were inevitably followed by a regular wedding.

Why was his marriage so hard, even if it was probably only going to last the year? Was something wrong with him? Was he just subject to Parker Luck?

When he heard the familiar sound of Stephen’s Buick pulling into the driveway, he braced himself and said a silent prayer for his ass.

But when Stephen came into the kitchen, he held the most beautiful bouquet of flowers Peter had ever seen. He handed them to Peter who took them, stunned.

“I’m sorry.”

What?

“There’s a lot that we need to discuss, but for now, I want to say that I’m sorry.”

“O-okay.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you with dinner?”

What was going on?

“Not really? I guess pick out your wine like usual? I made kugel, which in this case is an egg noodle casserole, and I roasted some broccoli. I also have a steak filet broiling for you, if that helps you pick.”

Stephen looked as if he was piecing things together. “And you’re not eating a steak as well because of the food rules you follow?”

Peter nodded, surprised. “Kashrut. I don’t mix meat and dairy in the same meal and this kugel recipe I’ve used has butter and sour cream.”

“Then how do you ensure you get enough protein with the meal?”

“There are eggs in it, too. Eggs are neutral.”

“Okay.” Stephen said with a nod, seemingly understanding. “And you’ve been able to get adequate nutrition since we’ve married?”

Was Stephen okay?

“Yeah,” Peter said. “Yeah, it’s been fine. Not having to worry about money for food helps a lot.”

“Good.”

Stephen grabbed a bottle of wine and Peter found a vase to put the flowers in along with some water. They really were a gorgeous bunch of flowers and Peter decided to put the vase on the dining room table. He finished setting the table and then fixed both his and Stephen’s plates. He was about to return for a beverage when Stephen strolled into the dining room and held out a cherry fizzy water to him. “I saw we were out of lemon, so I grabbed one of the others.”

Wordlessly Peter took the fizzy water and sat down.

When Stephen began asking him about his day over dinner Peter had the thought that perhaps he was somehow in an episode of The Liminal Zone. Sure, they’d talked over dinner before, and during some evenings when they’d play a board game and listen to Rex Gladstone, Ace Detective. But while those times were pleasant and companionable, conversation was always useless stuff, never anything personal.

Peter wasn’t sure what Stephen was up to, but eventually his answers grew less stilted, and he even returned some questions until they were having a pleasant conversation.

“The flowers are nice,” Peter said when there was a lag in subjects.

“I’m glad you like them,” Stephen said. “I’ve only used the florist here a handful of times, but it’s good little place.”

“Are you dying?” Peter blurted out the question.

“What? No!” Stephen said, startled. “I’m not dying,” he added emphatically.

“Am I dying?”

Stephen turned his gaze heavenward in frustration. “How the hell would I know that?” He saw Peter watching him cautiously and sighed. “No, you’re not dying either. No one is dying.”

“It’s just, you’re not acting like yourself and usually when people do that it means something’s really wrong.”

“How am I acting, then?” Stephen asked, an eyebrow raised.

Tread carefully, Peter warned himself.

“You’re not being a total… uh, schmuck.” Peter said, pleased he caught himself before calling Stephen an asshole.

“I have my moments,” Stephen said with a snort of amusement. “I like the seasoning you added to the broccoli.”

“Oh. Thanks. It’s called za’atar. One of the grocery stores back in Midtown used to sell it. None of the stores here do, so I looked up the ingredient mix and just made my own.”

“Do you do that often?” Stephen asked. “Just make your own?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah. Sometimes it’s just easier, or I want something but the way it’s offered isn’t kosher and substitutions are easy enough. It usually ends up being a lot cheaper in the long run, too.”

Stephen took a moment to consider this.

“Look, I know you’re not poor, but I kinda grew up that way, so it’s ingrained in me,” he explained.

“There’s a kosher butcher in Baxterville called Fleischman’s which is about twenty minutes away. Dr. Grimm gave it his highest recommendation. I’ll set up an account with them.”

“Oh! Okay,” Peter said, surprised. He hadn’t really thought Stephen would bother to ask Ben.

“Did we have any lemon bars or cookies left over?”

“Y-yeah. I can go make a plate.” He made to stand up when Stephen motioned him to stay sitting.

“I’ll get them. They’re in the cold cabinets?”

“Yeah. Right side, second shelf.”

Peter was so confused. Just what the hell had happened to Stephen while he was at work? Why was he acting so nice?

Okay, sure, Stephen wasn’t exactly mean, but he was strict and often aloof. Stephen just seemed to internalize so much, which his Aunt May and Uncle Ben had never done. Peter only did it because he didn’t want to be a burden.

If Peter were to be honest with himself, he liked the structure Stephen’s strict and controlling nature provided, especially after the upheaval his life had undergone the past few months. He’d have to ask for a refresher on the rules Stephen had laid out the first night, because clearly his mind had been elsewhere, but all in all, nothing about his life right now was unreasonable. Annoying sometimes, sure. But not unreasonable.

It wasn’t as if he’d gone into signing himself over to the BCSS blind, after all.

Peter quickly adjusted himself, the metal of the cock cage now almost soothing. Even the way it would dig back against him when something aroused him sent little shivers up his spine. Maybe he was messed up in the head.

Stephen returned with the container of desserts from the previous night and wasted no time in selecting a lemon bar. “I have no idea how I ever lived without these,” he said before taking a bite.

“I’m glad you like them,” Peter said. “They’re really simple to make.”

Dinner finished; Peter began clearing the table. To his surprise, Stephen helped. He carried his own plate as well as the dessert container into the kitchen.

“You can just leave it on the counter,” Peter told him. “Really, I’ve got this.”

Practically exiled from his own kitchen, Stephen went to his den. Dinner had been pleasant, much more so than he’d expected. The only downside had been seeing the flowers which only served to remind him of how ridiculously he’d behaved.

Stephen tuned the PymCo. console to a music station he enjoyed and grabbed a book. Peter clearly had the clean-up well in hand. The conversation they needed to have still loomed, but he didn’t feel overly anxious about it.

He’d gotten through three chapters when Peter came in, carrying a notebook. Stephen marked his place and set his book down and reached over to turn the volume of the music down. He waited for Peter to sit down in the other chair.

“You’re good at that,” Peter said.

He tilted his head in question.

“At giving something your full attention,” Peter said.

“Well, in this case it’s a person, not a thing,” Stephen reminded him.

“You really don’t see me as property?” Peter asked.

“Legally, you are. It’s probably the most distasteful bit about marriages sanctioned by the Bureau,” Stephen said. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t see you as a person, Peter. I didn’t select an object to marry, I selected a person. We can argue semantics all night long, but in the end, in the eyes of the government I own you which means I’m legally responsible for you and you are legally beholden to me.” He paused. “And we’re both, therefore, somewhat under the thumb of the Bureau.”

Peter thought about it and Stephen would swear there was an instant where the young man had smirked.

“You really don’t like being told what to do, do you?” Peter asked.

“I hate it,” he admitted. “Some people thrive on it and it makes them no less worthy than anyone else. I’m a doctor, Peter; I live to control.”

“I made that list, if you wanted to see it,” Peter offered, holding out the notebook.

“Read it to me,” Stephen said. “You have my full attention, after all.”

“It’s not that long,” Peter said. “It was hard to write out.”

“Why?” He was genuinely curious.

“I guess I’m just used to not asking for things. I never had that much growing up, and I didn’t want to burden my aunt and uncle, so whenever I knew I could do without, I did.”

That would change, Stephen decided. There was no reason why Peter should have to deny himself things just for fear of asking. He’d just have to teach Peter to use his words and ask for what we wanted. He almost smiled; it was a goal he’d enjoy meeting.

“What’s first?” he asked.

“I don’t know how practical it is, but another refrigeration cabinet would help. I’ve been able to separate things well enough but fitting things and keeping the division gets hard,” Peter said. “But I can always work around it,” he hastened to add.

“I’ve made plans to have another one installed,” Stephen said. “I spoke with Tony this afternoon and he’ll oversee the installation personally next month, like he did the install of the rest of the kitchen.”

“Who’s Tony?” Peter asked.

“Stark.”

“You’re fucking joking!” Peter exclaimed. “You actually fucking know Tony Stark? The Tony Stark?!”

Stephen sighed. “I seem to recall telling you to keep your language civil,” he said.

“Shit. Sorry,” Peter said. “But like, is it really Tony Stark? You’re not lying to me?”

The two of them meeting would test his patience as never before, he just knew it. “Except for when I’d implied that I read your profile the day we married, I’ve never lied to you. And I won’t ever lie to you.”

“So, you do know Tony Stark. And he’s coming here?” Peter asked.

“Yes, I know Tony, and yes, he and his wife Sharon will be visiting next month. While they’re here, he’ll oversee the new cabinet installation. And he’ll probably ask you all sorts of questions on setting up a kosher kitchen, since he’s decided that’s something he’s going to market.”

“I inspired Tony Stark?!” Peter's eyes were dreamy.

Oh, for fuck’s sake! His husband had a science crush. Wonderful.

“Something like that,” he allowed. “He’s just another man, Peter.” Who thankfully was married and so damned in love with his wife, anyone else’s admiration never quite registered.

“He’s a genius,” Peter insisted. “And I get to meet his wife, too?”

“Sharon Carter-Stark,” Stephen said. “She’s a lovely woman.” He smiled fondly.

“Carter… Any relation to the one you can’t stand?”

He couldn’t stop his eyes from narrowing, nor the sneer from forming. “Her cousin,” he said.

“So, you like one and not the other?” Peter asked. “Are they that different?”

“Night and day,” Stephen said. Not wanting to get into that particular subject, he turned his attention back to the matter at hand. “What else is on your list?”

He heard Peter whisper “I’m actually going to meet Tony Stark!” before he perused his notebook again. “Um, kind of the same as with the cabinet, a pair of deep freezers would be nice. If the basement could hold them. I don’t know how it’s wired down there.”

“It will take a month or two to finish out the basement, but yes, that’s doable,” Stephen said. He could also add in a treadmill. He didn’t like the idea of Peter running out in the elements, especially because given how unseasonably warm late September and early October were, he had a strong suspicion winter would be brutal.

Okay. He didn’t like the idea of other people ogling Peter, either.

Peter had a handful of additional things on his list, all of which were easy to accommodate. Their Friday evenings were already low-key, apart from the sex afterwards. What Peter didn’t bring up surprised him.

“You don’t need time to go to whatever church thing or whatnot?” Stephen asked.

“Shul,” Peter said. “Or synagogue. Look, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I’m not exactly the most devout guy out there.”

“Unless it’s your kashrut thing,” Stephen said, trying to understand.

“Pretty much,” Peter said.

“Can I ask why you follow the one but not the other?”

Peter looked surprised, presumably at his asking for permission to ask a question. He took his time, obviously wanting to choose the right words.

“I lost everything,” he said, finally. “In like, under four months. So, when I ended up signing myself over to the BCSS, and saw that by their own laws they have to accommodate dietary needs for anyone in their custody, it became something to cling to, you know? I’d had everything taken from me, but this one thing I could still keep. So, I do.”

“Like foregoing sour cream and butter on a baked potato because you’re already eating beef,” Stephen said, recalling the alarming amount of salt and pepper Peter had seasoned his potato with before spooning over some of the juice from the beef during their first dinner together as married men.

Peter nodded. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a baked potato with sour cream and butter, but I wanted the tenderloin more.”

“And it’s why you use so many dishes when you cook?”

Peter actually laughed. “Yeah. Some Jewish families actually have two kitchens.” He paused. “I don’t need another kitchen; the set-up now is adequate. It passed Dr. Grimm’s inspection, after all, and he’s much more devout than me.”

True enough, Stephen thought. “Well, I’m sure Tony’s doing all kinds of research right now and will launch his latest line to great fanfare.”

“You really think he’s serious about it?” Peter asked skeptically.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s completely serious about it,” Stephen said. “He’s never one to turn down a challenge.”

They talked some more, and it seemed as though things were settling nicely.

“So, what happens now, with the whole punishment thing?” Peter asked.

“I think that will be up to you,” Stephen said. “Do you understand why you’re getting disciplined?” he asked.

Peter nodded. “I should have asked for help when it came to the kitchen,” he said. “I shouldn’t have just assumed you’d say no or didn’t want to hear, even if you’d been rude that first day. I’m sorry.”

“We’ll get through it.”

“So, what part is up to me?” Peter asked.

“Either a spanking or you don’t come for a week,” Stephen said. “It’s your choice.”

Peter pouted, and it was adorable. “Is ‘neither’ a choice?”

He almost laughed. “No, it’s definitely not.”

Peter considered. “I guess the second one. I can wait a week,” he said.

“Very well,” Stephen said. “I’m going to keep reading. You’re welcome to join me until it’s time for bed.”

It was just after nine when Peter went up to bed. He went through his routine of cleaning his face and making sure his clothes were neatly folded before putting them in the hamper. Then he pulled on a pair of sleeping shorts, a loose tee, and got into bed. He was asleep before Stephen came upstairs.

When he woke up the next morning, he saw that Stephen’s side of the bed was untouched. The only mussing of the covers was from how Peter tossed in the night. It felt cool to the touch.

Confused, Peter went ahead and went downstairs to start breakfast, wondering if Stephen had fallen asleep in his armchair. When he checked the den, Stephen wasn’t there. Maybe he’d been called in to the hospital early?

Hungry himself, Peter started making breakfast. He’d just finished cooking the turkey sausage patties he’d prepped the day before and had sliced challah soaking in a coconut-milk custard so he could make French toast, he heard the shower upstairs turn on.

Did Stephen actually sleep in the guest room?

When Stephen came downstairs dressed and ready for the day, Peter handed him his cup of coffee and started making up a plate for him.

“You didn’t come to bed,” Peter said while they were eating. His French toast dripped with melted vegan buttery spread and syrup, pooling by the turkey sausage. Stephen’s application of real butter and syrup was much more dignified, and he cut his toast into reasonable-sized pieces.

“I did some work in my office and was so tired all I could think about was the closest bed, which was in the guest room,” Stephen said.

It wasn’t a lie, Peter could tell. But he didn’t think that was all there was to it. “Do I need to wash the sheets?”

“I don’t think so.” He motioned his fork to one of the turkey sausage patties on his plate. “This isn’t pork. What’s in it?”

“Ground turkey with some turmeric, sage, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and maple syrup.”

Stephen took another bite of his. “It’s very good.”

“Thank you.”

“Any particular plans for today?” Stephen asked.

So, the conversation wasn’t just a yesterday’s dinner kind of thing.

“Well, it’s Ava’s week to host our radio hour, so I’ll go next door for a bit after I finish my chores here. She said she’ll teach me to crochet if I help her with some mending, so that should be interesting.” He shrugged. “Did you have anything you wanted for dinner this evening?”

“I liked the chicken and dumplings you made last week,” Stephen said. “I wouldn’t say no to them again.”

Peter ran the logistics in his head. “That should be doable.”

Stephen took his empty plate and mug over to the sink and stopped by the table to press a kiss to Peter’s forehead. “Have a good day.”

He left and as he drove away, Peter had the same question in his head as he’d had when Stephen had come home the previous evening.

Was Stephen okay?

[likeahorribledream]

Missing Piece

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five |

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader / Beefy!Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: Fluff, maybe a tiny bit of angst, anxiety, anxiety attack (detailled-ish), touch starved Bucky, no beta reader.

Notes at the end.

You and Bucky learned to communicate better with each other. If there was something that you weren’t sure about or he wasn’t sure about, you asked questions or just told each other how you felt.

The misunderstanding you’d had scared the both of you. Living in an awkward situation was much better than not talking to each other, and you made sure it would never happen again.

It did bring you closer.

You were pretty much inseparable now. Though neither you or Bucky were really comfortable being as open and vulnerable when other people were around, you still found ways to comfort and ground yourselves.

You sat close but never too close, you were never really touching unless one of you felt anxious, you never hugged each other when other people were around; you had talked about it and you both agreed it was what made you the most comfortable.

Steve understood Bucky but the others didn’t. You knew that they would take every opportunity to make a joke, that would end up making one, or both, of you uncomfortable and you didn’t want to risk him closing himself up.

You learned to communicate with each other without having to actually use words. You would look at each other and you’d know almost instantly what the other felt or thought, if you needed help or if you were doing ok.

Sometimes you’d walk by and get a little closer than you normally would just so you could quickly grab his hand and squeeze it to show him you were there. He’d do the same thing with you. Though as an ex-assassin, he was a lot more subtle than you were.

You slept in each other’s room every night. Alternating between his and yours. You wanted to complain to Tony that Bucky’s mattress was a lot more comfortable than yours but that would mean you’d have to admit you were sleeping in his bed; and as far as you knew, no one had noticed and you wanted to keep it this way.

It wasn’t that hard to hide from everyone, it’s not like they went out of their way to stop by either Bucky’s room or yours.

There wasn’t a single night where you’d slept alone, you were now completely codependent when it came to your sleep schedules.

Not that either of you complained, you were more than fine with it. Bucky was your best friend and spending time with him was anything but painful.

There was one small detail you hadn’t thought of.

Bucky wasn’t ‘’officially’’ a part of the Avengers, technically he was still wanted by some authorities but Fury had given him a safe haven considering everything. Bucky might not have been an Avenger but you were. That meant you had a job to do and a duty to fulfill.

Your life has been the same over and over again every day for the past month.

You woke up next to/under Bucky in his or your bed, you’d fight with him so he’d let you get up, once you were able to move, you’d get dressed and go eat breakfast with everybody else, there was training, mission reports, dinner and then back to his or your bed with Bucky.

You had been training with Natasha when Tony walked in, announcing an emergency meeting and that everybody had to meet upstairs.

That wasn’t good.

For weeks there had been talk that there were some scientists in Rostov-On-Don in Russia, working on some kind of bio weapon. Fury had been on their trail for several months, finally now it looks like he had finally found something tangible. His sources said that the scientists were probably part of Hydra and that the bio weapon was believed to be a super soldier serum. If Hydra had found a way to recreate the serum, the world was in danger.

‘’With the informations we’ve received, we need to send a team there to do our own assessment of the threat.’’ Tony explained.

‘’Cap and Nat, you need to bring back anything you’ll be able to find; even if it doesn’t look like much.’’ Tony turned and looked at you.

‘’You’re also going sweetheart, direct orders from Fury.’’ He added.

That wasn’t good. If Fury wanted you there, it meant bad news. You had one purpose and one purpose only. Fury alone knew what it was, aside from you, but when you were necessary for a mission it meant he’s expecting the worst.

‘’How long are we leaving for?’’ Natasha asked.

‘’Depending on how it goes, 4 to 5 days. Maybe more, maybe less.’’ Tony answered, reading the notes Fury had given him.

‘’When are we leaving?’’ You asked, hoping he wasn’t about to say now.

‘’Two weeks from today.’’

You nodded and stopped listening after that. It was bad news on top of bad news. You hadn’t been on a mission in a long time and now you were about to leave for days.

For days.

That means you won’t be able to sleep in the compound for almost a week.

Almost a week’s worth of nights that you won’t have Bucky with you.

Shit, you thought.

Once the meeting was done, you grabbed the files Tony needed you to read to prep before leaving and headed straight to your room.

How the hell were you going to tell Bucky?

You entered your room, relieved to see he wasn’t waiting for you and decided to take a shower before going to see him.

After your shower you dried your hair just enough that it wasn’t dripping on everything, you put on your favorite pair of skinny jeans and one of your numerous band tees, you grabbed your phone and slid it in your front pocket and left your room to go to Bucky’s.

You knocked gently and waited for him to let you in. You heard some shuffling around and finally the door opened, your best friend now standing in front of you. He waved you inside and closed the door behind you, going back to sit on his bed where he had been sitting before you knocked. You followed and sat with your back against the headboard on ‘’your’’ side of the bed.

‘’That was a long training you had with Nat.’’

You shook your head slightly and chewed nervously on your bottom lip, only letting it go to speak.

‘’No, it was actually cut short. We had an emergency meeting.’’

He frowned, yet curious to know what was happening. Emergency meetings meant that someone, somewhere was doing evil things. Very evil things if the Avengers were needed.

‘’They found what they believe to be Hydra scientists somewhere in Russia… They need a small team over there in two weeks.’’

You avoided looking at him, instead focusing on your hands that played with the hem of your shirt.

‘’Who’s going?’’ He asked hesitantly, though he had an idea from the way you were acting.

‘’Nat… Steve…’’ You trailed off.

‘’And?’’ He encouraged you to finish.

‘’Me.’’ You sighed.

He turned to sit facing you.

‘’Don’t you want to go?’’

‘’I mean it’s my job, I don’t mind going…’’ You shrugged.

‘’Then why do you look like someone just took your puppy from you?’’ His eyebrows raised in confusion.

‘’We’ll be gone for 4 to 5 days… Maybe more, depending on how it goes.’’

‘’That’s not that long, it’s not even a full we- oh.’’ Understanding why you looked so sad.

‘’Yeah.’’

Neither of you spoke for several minutes.

Bucky was going to be completely alone for possibly an entire week, Steve would be gone and you would be too. Just the idea of not having Steve, but mostly you, around made his heart beat faster with sheer panic. You weren’t taking the news very well either.

You kept avoiding looking at him and he hated that. Not because he found it annoying, it was his one way of always knowing how you were feeling. You knew that, hence why you didn’t want to look at him.

He crawled on the bed, on his hands and knees, until he was right in front of you. He leaned closer to you, burying his face in your neck, propping both of his hands on either side of your hips to keep himself from falling onto you and kissed the skin of your neck over and over again until he felt you relax.

He leaned back, just enough to be able to look at you. You were looking at him, it brought a smile to his face. You were still chewing on your bottom lip nervously.

Putting most of his weight on his left hand and raising his right one to cup your cheek, he stroked it tenderly with his thumb a few times then swiped it against your bottom lip, pulling gently on it with the pad of his thumb until you finally let go of it.

It was slightly swollen from the not so gentle assault of your teeth. Bucky moved his hand to hold your chin and brushed his thumb again on your bottom lip, as if he was trying to make it feel better.

Thankfully, he was too busy focusing on what he was doing to notice that you were barely breathing, overwhelmed by the feeling of having him so close and touching you the way he did. It wasn’t the first time he did either of those but this time felt different.

‘’You need to stop doing this, before you hurt yourself for real.’’ He looked up to your eyes.

‘’I know, I know.’’ If it weren’t for his thumb, you’d probably start biting down on it.

He kissed your forehead and moved to sit next to you; letting go of your chin.

‘’It’ll be ok.’’ He took your hand and squeezed it gently.

The week after the announcement went by like usual, sticking to your new found routine. It all came to a stop early this morning.

When you woke up, Bucky was already gone. The bed was cold. It was weird that he was gone but it was also weird that you hadn’t woken up when he did. You moved to get out of bed and felt that there were pillows where Bucky was supposed to be. Probably why you hadn’t woken up.

You went to breakfast, he wasn’t there. You went to the gym, he wasn’t there. You went to the room you usually went to read, he wasn’t there.

While you were looking for him, you ran into Steve.

‘’Hey toots.’’ He grinned at you, pulling you into a hug.

‘’Hey Stevie.’’ You smiled.

‘’Are you excited to go on a mission with me?’’ He smirked. ‘’Just so you know, there’s only one correct answer to this question.’’

You laughed and rolled your eyes.

‘’Of course I’m excited. It’s been a while since we spent some time together.’’ You looked down, knowing it was your fault.

You were so wrapped up in your ‘’Bucky bubble’’ that you had neglected your time with Steve and you felt horrible.

He shook his head.

‘’It’s fine. I’m happy to see that you and Bucky get along so well. I don’t really have time to just hang out and he needs someone to be with him. He’s been through a lot and he deserves to have someone looking out for him. I’m glad it’s you.’’ He smiled, trying to reassure you.

‘’Still… I feel awful. I’m sorry Stevie.’’ You hugged him again, as tightly as you could; making him laugh.

He stroked your back with his hands.

‘’You’re forgiven.’’ He kissed the top of your head before letting go. ‘’By the way, where’s Buck? He’s usually not far behind you.’’

You shrugged, biting your bottom lip then letting it go quickly. You really did need to stop doing that.

‘’I don’t know. I can’t find him anywhere.’’

‘’Have you tried his room?’’ His brows furrowed, it wasn’t like Bucky to hide from you.

‘’That’s where I’m headed.’’

‘’Say hi to him for me.’’ He smiled at you one last time and made his way back to where he had been heading when you had bumped into him.

You exited the elevator on your floor and walked towards his room, a path you knew all too well by now. You raised your hand and knocked.

‘’Jamie?’’ You waited.

Nothing.

You knocked again.

Nothing.

Something felt off.

Usually, if Bucky didn’t answer the door you just walked away but your gut was telling you to open the door.

You opened it slowly, not too wide. Just enough to be able to look inside. It was completely dark and you couldn’t see anything. He wasn't there either. Where the hell was he?

You moved to step out and close the door but something caught your attention, making you stop.

You narrowed your eyes, trying to see more clearly.

You walked in and shut the door quickly, not making any noise. You took off your shoes and walked until you were standing next to the side of his bed. You kneeled on the floor and tilted your head, staring into those blue eyes you loved so much. You laid your hands flat on your thighs.

‘’Hey.’’ You whispered.

He just stared at you.

‘’I’ve been looking everywhere for you.’’ You kept whispering.

You looked him over. The cover was pulled all the way up, ending just under his chin. He had so many pillows around his head, you could barely see him. Except for his eyes. Something was off in his eyes, the glimmer that usually makes them sparkle was gone.

‘’What’s wrong?’’ You kept your voice low, trying not to startle him.

He kept looking at you, not saying a word. You felt your heart drop in your stomach. He looked so sad. You lifted your hand and cupped his cheek gently. You stroked his skin with your thumb as softly as you could. It’s something he liked to do to you when you were worried or anxious, clearly it was something he found soothing.

‘’What can I do?’’ You asked, unsure of what he needed.

This was the first time since you met him that you had to take care of him like this. Usually, it’s the other way around. You were always so impressed by the fact that he always seemed to be in a, somewhat, good mood. You knew him well enough to know when he was lying about how he was and it happened really rarely.

This whole situation was new to you and you didn’t know what to do. You just knew that you absolutely hated to see him this way and you’d do pretty much anything to switch places with him.

Bucky had started to feel a bit off last night. He didn’t know what it was but he just brushed it off, sometimes he’d get in a bit of a bad mood but it usually always went away on its own. Especially when you were around to take his mind off of it. Except this time he woke up in the middle of the night, his heart beating so fast and so hard in his chest, he thought the whole compound could hear it. He had let go of you, being really careful to not wake you up and he sat up in your bed. That’s when he noticed that he had been sweating. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple, his cheek and then fell on his shirt. He tried to calm himself down but nothing worked.

15 minutes went by and he had contemplated waking you up but then he looked down at you and you looked so peaceful and comfortable, he’d much rather deal with it on his own than disturb you.

He got out of bed as slowly as he could, trying not to make the mattress move too much, which was a lot harder than it looked when you were a mountain of pure muscles.

He grabbed the pillows you had tossed aside before going to bed and gently tucked them behind your back; hoping it would keep you from noticing he was gone.

Using the skills he had perfected over the past 70 years of being one of the most deadly assassins in the world, he moved around you and he exited your room without making a sound and rushed to his.

Bucky spent most of the night awake, pacing around his room while his mind was racing with a million thoughts. He was having an anxiety attack. He was more than familiar with them, having your memories zapped out of your brain tended to do that to someone but then again he never had to actually deal with them. When they started, his handlers would just wipe his mind and if he was too out of control, they’d put him under cryo.

He was exhausted, yet his mind didn’t want to let him sleep. He decided to get in bed anyway, he curled up under his cover and waited, and waited and waited but nothing was working.

He wanted you. He needed you to be with him right now but there was this little voice in his head that was telling him that you probably hated him, that you were taking care of him out of pity and that he was a pain in the ass, that a full grown man should be able to handle an anxiety attack by himself. He knew it was all a lie but rationality had just been thrown out the window.

He had been so relieved when he heard you at his door but when he tried to call out to you, to get you to come in; the little voice made him shut up.

Looking at you now, he felt bad for ever doubting that his best girl wouldn’t show up for him or that she wouldn’t worry about him.

His silence only made you worry more.

‘’Are you hurt?’’

He shook his head, barely moving. You were feeling powerless and you were mad at yourself for not being able to help Bucky when he needed you the most.

Suddenly, you felt his hand cover yours, the one that was still on his cheek and he moved it to his chest, right on top of his heart. Your eyes widened when you felt his heart beat against your hand. You could also feel that he wasn’t breathing normally. Then, it all clicked. The laying in the dark, not being able to explain what’s wrong, the increased heartbeat and difficulty breathing.

‘’You’re having an anxiety attack.’’ You whispered, more to yourself but you saw him nodding.

You felt a little relief, being no stranger to those as you were having them yourself quite frequently. At least now you felt like you could be useful and you’d be able to help him.

‘’Ok, ok.’’ Your mind was racing, going through everything you knew to do to help calm him down. ‘’Can you sit?’’

You slowly stood up, letting go of him to take away all the pillows that were around his upper body. You lifted the cover and helped him sit up, making him sit at the edge with his feet on the ground. You looked around and grabbed the hair tie that was on his nightstand. With both hands, you ran your fingers through his hair a few times; pushing it all back and tying his hair as best as you could. He was still sweating and you needed to get his body temperature down.

‘’You’re gonna take a quick shower okay? We’ll get you into some dry clothes and I’ll get you clean sheets.’’

He started to panic, not wanting you to leave him alone. He grabbed your wrist, a little bit harder than he normally would but given the situation, you barely noticed.

‘’I’m going to be here the whole time ok? I’m not leaving the room. If there’s anything I’ll be there in two seconds ok? But you need to change, it’ll help make you feel better. I promise.’’

You were the one person Bucky trusted, more than anyone else, even more than Steve (don’t tell him), and if you thought that a shower would help then he would do just that.

You kissed his forehead twice then went to his dresser to get him clean clothes. You grabbed a pair of sweats, a t-shirt and a pair of boxers, leaving it all in the bathroom for him; you also started his shower for him so the water would be at the perfect temperature.

You walked back into the room and smiled reassuringly.

‘’Go. I’ll be right here.’’

Bucky got up and finally felt how tense he had been, his whole body felt sore. He walked to the bathroom, only stopping once to kiss your cheek and disappeared behind the door as he closed it.

You hurried and took everything off his bed, throwing it next to the door so you’d think of bringing it down with you when it would be time to do laundry. You went into his closet, where you knew he always kept an extra set of clean sheets, and made his bed. You took a bottle of water from the mini fridge that Tony all made you keep in your rooms, putting it on the nightstand. You sat down on the bed, waiting for Bucky to come out.

You smiled at Bucky when he finally came out,you handed him the bottle of water and watched him drink most of it before lifting the blankets for him and covering him with them once he was under them. He was about to completely lay down but his hair was still wet, so he decided to tie them up again before resting his head on his pillow.

He tried laying on his back but he was too uncomfortable, he went back to lying on his side; the same position you had found him in.

‘’Do you want me to put the pillows back around you? Were they helping?’’

He shook his head and started blushing furiously.

‘’No…’’ His voice was raspy. ‘’I was just-’’ He sighed, embarrassed by what he was about to say. ‘’I was hoping they’d feel like you were the one holding me, hoping it would make me feel better.’

Your heart almost burst at how adorable he was being. Your cheeks were suddenly very hot.

‘’Well, I’m here now. Just tell me what you need.’’

‘’I don’t know what I need.’’ It almost came out as a whine, he was exhausted and annoyed. He just wanted for his body to calm down and let him rest. ‘’You. I just need you.’’

You quickly moved under the covers and hugged him from behind, your whole body resting against his back. You wrapped your arm around his middle and squeezed him gently.

‘’Does that help?’’

He nodded. You smiled and got closer, if it was even possible. He put his arm on top of yours and your hand, intertwining your fingers together. He lifted both your hands and brought them to his chest, right above his heart and held them there.

You rested your forehead between his shoulder blades, closing your eyes.

You stayed like this for about an hour, only moving when you pressed kisses on his back every now and then.

You were thinking that Bucky had fallen asleep, not being able to check if he really did. You were surprised to hear him talk.

‘’Baby?’’

You tightened your hold on both his body and hand instinctively, your body being on ‘’must protect Bucky’’ mode.

‘’Jamie?’’ You said to let him know you were all ears.

‘’I don’t want you to go.’’ He whispered, his voice breaking at the end of his sentence.

Your heart shattered in thousands of little pieces.

As always, I hope you liked the new part. Let me know what you think and if you'd like there to be a part 5 (I hope that you do because I have enough ideas for a few more parts). Thank you all so much for the love you've given the 3 other parts of this story. Your likes, comments and reblogs make me smile every single time!! + I add to repost the chapter because it wouldn't show up in the tags and it was bugging me. Sorry if you've seen it already.

Taglist: @mcu-thoughts | @n3ssm0nique | @ohmyendlessdays (it won't let me tag you) | @scentedprofessorcolormoney |@fangirllife98 If you want to be added to the taglist let me know!

[citydreamgrls]

a christmas treat

george weasley x fem!reader

words: 5,243

a/n: a very seasonal one for you,, hope you enjoy !! :)

warnings: swearing , smut , 18+ 

It had been a drunken mistake. A situation she should never have been in at all. But one final party before the summer break had caused that fateful moment she wished had never occurred. Y/n had been in the library all evening, in a lazy attempt to avoid the Gryffindor party altogether, but decided she would need to return to her dorm at some point.

She’d hoped that maybe they would have calmed a bit now that it was later in the night, but to her dismay the excited shouts sounded the second she reached the common room’s door. With one breath she slipped inside, wanting to pass by the group huddled by the fire unnoticed.

“Hey y/n?” A voice called out.. Her friend Angelina leant over the back of the sofa with a beer in hand and a smile on her face. “You joining us this time?”

“I’m pretty tired, but thanks.”

“Oh come on, you said that last time. It’s the end of term, just have one drink with us?” She pouted, but the girl held her ground and shook her head.

“I have to be up early tomorrow.”

“So do the rest of us!” Lee groaned, “Just stay for an hour then you can escape us again.” He joked. She took the bait, leaving her books on the table and slipping next to Angelina.

She noticed the twins, unfazed by their presence at any sort of party. But she’d never really paid much attention to them, at most times she could barely tell them apart. But with a few drinks in her system, and the need to sleep fading with each one, she noticed one of them in particular. George.

She studied his face subtly as it glowed beside the fire’s light. His was skinnier than Fred’s, with a slightly different jaw shape. His voice was deeper than his brother’s, and she noticed it more as he laughed with disregard for how loud it was and was always the one to start a joke. Then the mole, on the right side of his neck. That was the last thing she noticed before he caught her staring.

But he just did what he always would when someone looked too long, and winked carelessly. Then it was an internal battle not to blush like a child as she quickly looked anywhere but him.

He’d introduced himself not much later while she was pouring herself one last drink before heading up to bed. She’d almost choked at the sound of his voice, surprised that he was taking time to speak to her when he had a whole room of people at his command.

She was drunk, so was he. And she liked the way he smirked and leant down to her from his towering stance. Y/n let him take her ‘somewhere more private’ and fuck her.

That was it. But she reminded herself that he was drunk, so was she.

Nothing more.

So the next day she woke up earlier than the other’s and made her way down to the train alone, in case everyone knew what she’d let that tall redhead do to her the night before. But when they eventually joined her in the carriage, the only questions were about her rushing off so early.

Maybe he was embarrassed, she wondered as the castle went out of view and the lake came in. All that ran through her mind was him, everything she had done was fresh in her memories. So much so that she could barely remember herself being there, if it wasn’t for the hidden bruise he’d left on her shoulder she may have believed it was a dream.

He had felt like a dream.

But he was just drunk, maybe so much so that he had forgotten it all.

It seemed so when they returned after the summer, and he acted as though he’d never even met her that night. So her and the twins remained strangers.

At least until the Christmas break came around.

-

“I can’t believe they’re making you stay here,” Angelina huffed, often being the first to critique y/n’s muggle parents and their choices.

“It’s just a precaution, I’m fine with them. But when the rest of the family come round, all I want to do is hex them to oblivion.” She laughed.

“It’s wrong though, they’re scared of a witch who isn’t even permitted to do magic outside of the school!”

“It’s only a few weeks, plus I can start studying.”

“Oh good, get all the studying out of the way so we can actually have fun when I get back.” She grinned, snapping her case closed and looking round the room.

“Go, or you’ll miss the carriages.” The girl laughed and pushed her out the door.

“Please don’t spend the whole break alone? And write to me!” She called before rushing out of the common room.

Later that evening she finally did what Angelina had asked of her, both requests. But not quite by choice. She was sitting in the great hall having dinner, the handful of students that remained making it a very peaceful meal. Her hand alternated between eating, flicking the page of her book and writing to Angelina to tell her how boring it was going to be.

She wouldn’t have noticed the two boys in front of her if one of them hadn’t coughed to get her attention. Her eyes looked up, wide and caught off guard as they smiled back with the same face.

“Hello y/n” They said in unison, making it harder yet again to tell them apart.

“You've been left here too?” One of them spoke.

“I don’t mind it,” she said quietly, turning her head back to the book.

Her heart was racing, of course George would tell his brother about the party, she was dumb to think otherwise. But neither of them were letting on about it. Still, they knew her name. He must remember.

“I’m Fred,”

“And I’m George, the better looking one.” He winked, and she froze.

“You okay?” Fred asked, frowning at how she had stopped at the sight of George.

The girl just nodded, resuming her letter to Angelina.

Now it was confusing, she couldn’t tell whether they were pretending to be strangers. Or they actually believed they were. The twins stayed in front of y/n as she carried on her multiple tasks, they didn’t dare interrupt her until she finished her letter and sealed it in the envelope.

“You know we’re the only ones from our year staying here?” Fred told her.

“Oh right, how come you two are here?” She asked them.

“We were hungry,” George said, waving his fork in front of her.

“She means hogwarts you dimwit!” Fred slapped his brother on the head, making y/n giggle sweetly. She had always thought they were annoying, with their pranks and lack of care for anything. But seeing them tease one another, she realised they were in fact quite funny to be around.

“Mother said she’d had enough of cooking for us all, so we’re stuck here this christmas.” Fred explained, not seeming too bothered by his family’s neglect.

“Ron’s here too, and Ginny but I haven’t actually seen her yet.” George frowned, looking round to see if he could spot his little sister.

“Maybe she’s been eaten by that troll hagrid’s hiding in the woods,” Fred said calmly.

“That would be our luck, all mum told us to do was look after Ginny this year.” George groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Back up, a troll?” The girl asked, but both twins just nodded, as if this was known information. “Never mind.”

-

From then on they sat with her at every meal, always telling her about tricks they would play on the few remaining teachers at the castle. It was four days into the holidays when Fred and George asked her to hang out, a difference to the studying she’d been doing previously.

“We’re heading down to Hogsmeade later, you wanna come with us?”

“You know, seeing as there isn’t really anyone else for you to spend time with,” George had added. The girl still hadn’t figured out whether he remembered the summer party seeing as the only time she saw them was when they were together, but regardless she decided to take Angelina's advice and make some friends.

“Yeah sure,” She closed her book and finished her toast before standing up, “I’ll meet you guys in the common room then?”

-

It was snowing heavily and y/n was glad she’d put on an extra layer to walk to Hogsmeade, especially when the twins forced her to defend herself from an impromptu snowball fight. Even when she’d hit them both in the face they didn’t give up.

Being away from the castle felt much more fun, even more so with Fred and George taking turns to tease her. Which, surprisingly, she didn’t mind too much. It was never malicious with them, and if they gave it out it was only the rules that they took it too.

They spent the whole afternoon scouring the shops and drinking butterbeer until y/n’s legs felt like jelly and Fred had to give her a piggyback ride up the hill again. Not that he was very trustworthy after him and George raced to see who could drink a pint quicker, five rounds of it.

“Don’t fall asleep y/n,” George had warned as the girl’s head bounced lightly against his brother’s back. “Or Fred will dump you in the shrieking shack!” The girl pretended to be scared, but tried to reach out to push the boy away. Instead she fell off the side of her ride and brought him down with her.

All three of them burst into fits of laughter and spent the next 40 minutes drunkenly trying to complete the 15 minute walk back up to hogwarts. When they finally made it back to the common room, after dodging teachers in the hallway, they fell onto the sofa in front of the fire.

“Fuck, marry, kill…” George started, making y/n and Fred groan in fear of his next few words. “Snape, Lupin, Dumbledore.”

“I think this one might be for you y/n,” Fred laughed.

“Okay,” The girl thought for a second, “right, I would fuck Snape, Marry Lupin… I can’t kill dumbledore though. I’d be evil!”

“You’d FUCK SNAPE?” They cried out in unison, disgusted by her final decision.

“Yeah, I think he’d be a good fuck.” They nearly screamed at what she said. “What…” she laughed, “all that rage has to go somewhere,”

“Stop stop!” George begged, unable to listen any longer. But the girl liked how it bothered him.

“Anyway, I like a deep voice.” She, not really, joked.

Fred started up the hysterics, suddenly unable to stop picturing how Snape would look naked. Something he was not proud of.

“Oh don’t I know it,” George had said.

She hadn’t registered what he’d said, too busy laughing with them both still tipsy from their day in the village. But later on when she sobered up, y/n thought whether George was trying to hint that he did in fact remember everything.

Ron and Harry came down from their dorm room while the older three were still in fits.

“God what happened to you lot,” The twins’ younger brother had called out over the noise, “We can hear you from upstairs.”

“You’ll never guess what y/n said about Snape!” Fred had wheezed out, but was quickly muffled by the other two who decided that both Harry and Ron were too young to know about their game.

“What? I wanna know,” Ron had whined.

“Don’t be so nosy Ron.” George had teased.

“Fred was gonna tell me.” He pointed out, but George kept a tight cover on his twin’s mouth.

“He most definitely will not.”

The two of them left with slumped heads, admitting defeat, and Fred was freed from his temporary prison. He slapped both of his friend’s heads.

“What was that for?” y/n complained.

“I couldn’t breath you idiots.”

They couldn’t help but start laughing again, something which would recur throughout the day until they eventually sobered up before dinner.

-

Y/n came to terms with the twins and their drinking habits, as it was really the only thing to do to pass the time with so little people around. But when Fred and George were around they always had fun.

The girl watched them whizz about the empty quidditch pitch on their brooms, tossing a ball between themselves. She slipped the flask from her coat and took a sly sip of firewhiskey to keep herself warm. Normally she wouldn’t drink at all, not having done so since the dreaded party where she and George had- you know. But she decided she wanted to do whatever she felt like, it was a rarity.

George flew over, hovering in front of her as she hid the whiskey back in pocket.

“Sure you don’t want a ride?” He raised his eyebrows, he’d been trying to convince her to get on since she’d taken a seat on the stands.

“Not a chance, Weasley, neither you nor Fred are sober enough. I’m precious cargo.” She smiled. The boy’s hair was blown away from his face, held back by the amount of times he’d run his hand through it. She watched his brown eyes sparkle in the winter sun, and was reminded of why he had ever caught her attention in the first place.

“You wanna talk about sobriety eh? Empty your pockets then y/n.” Her stomach filled with butterflies at the sound of his voice speaking her name, but she did as he asked.

“I’ll let you have some if you stop trying to get me on that deathtrap.” The girl sighed and he nodded, taking the flask when she offered it out.

“Nice doing business with you,” He winked and flew off.

-

The next week went by quickly, and y/n had pretty much forgotten about her worries with George. And now, sooner than any of them had realised, it was Christmas eve. Both twins had burst into the girl’s dorm to drag her out of bed, throwing her around the room until she threatened to vomit on both of them.

“Hurry and get dressed or we’ll miss breakfast.” They called, leaving her dizzy in the middle of the room.

Fred discussed their plans for the day while y/n drank endless cups of coffee, not having the stomach for any food. Not to mention, George had been staring at her for the past 10 minutes, making her too nervous to move much. She much preferred it when she had something stronger to drink.

“I heard from Harry that Ron fancies Hermione,” Fred spoke up, no longer interested in our day's activities. That was very him, he would make a decision then immediately change his mind.

“Well that’s obvious,” George scoffed, having yet another bowl of cereal. She wondered how he could burn off all that he ate. “He’s looks at her with stupid puppy eyes,”

“You have stupid puppy eyes,” The girl joked, earning a look from the twin.

“Oh really?” He laughed. “You practically pout whenever you want something from us?”

“At least it works for me,” I winked, making George choke a bit.

Fred laughed, rarely seeing his brother flustered. They’d discussed crushes before in the past, but y/n had never come up before. He watched the two of them tease one another over the table and thought that they suited each other in reality. Plus, he had never seen George pay as much attention to a girl as he had y/n, even ones that he’d admitted to liking.

-

That evening had proved Fred’s theory right as they once again sat in front of the fire, the three of them sharing a bottle of y/n’s muggle alcohol. It burnt like hell and tasted like shit, but they had never gotten drunk quicker so decided it was the logical choice.

George had made sure that y/n was warm enough, without expressing too much concern for her that she would notice. Fred had to hide his smug smile as he watched his brother start to flirt shamelessly with their newest friend.

“What do you mean Hogwarts is scary,” He had laughed, “We’re the only things to be feared.” Fred had added.

“And now you’re one of us!”

“As much as that is a very sweet sentiment,” The girl stroked their heads jokingly, like dogs. “But it’s when it’s quiet, like now. My dorm’s just me, and I had the silence. It feels like someone’s always watching.”

“Aww little y/n’s scared.” George had teased, reaching down to tickle the smaller girl. She kicked and wriggled but he was bigger and stronger and could hold her down.

Those hands, holding her arms in place. It almost threw her straight back into the memory of them in secret passageway, him gripping her as he kissed her neck. If it hadn’t been for the tickling, the boys probably would have noticed her shiver at the reminder. But it was lost in their laughter.

It wasn’t long before Fred decided he would give his, slightly older, brother a chance to talk to y/n alone. So he overemphasised his drunken state and wobbled up to bed, leaving the pair by the fire.

-

They sat in silence for a while, George letting the girl curl into his side as they passed the bottle between them. She watched his hands play with the sofa’s arm nervously and giggled slightly.

“What?” He asked, feeling the need to whisper amongst the silence.

“Nothing,” She dismissed.

“I’ve had fun this holiday,” y/n admitted.

“We have too,” George told her, smiling down sweetly. His top lip curled up ever so slightly, making her blush again like she had done the first time he’d noticed her. “It’s been better than being at home really.” He laughed.

“My family are pretty boring,”

“Oh I can tell,” y/n glared up at him. “I’m kidding darling don’t worry.” Her stomach did multiple flips, not only at the nickname, but at the way he took the arm that was around her shoulder and stroked her cheek. In fact, he didn’t stop. It just became normal after a few seconds, as if he’d always shown her this kind of affection.

“Why didn’t you go home this year?” He asked y/n.

“My parents are muggles, as you know,” she raised the bottle with a gentle laugh “they don’t quite get magic.”

“Oh right,” he was truly invested in her as she spoke, taking in every word with genuine interest.

“They were worried I would let slip to the rest of the family when they came to stay, and well, they haven’t really told anyone else about me.” y/n felt ashamed to be telling George about her family in such a negative way.

“That’s a shame,”

“I don’t mind, they’re just careful people.”

“Still, they should be proud. Not everyone can be a witch,” He laughed.

“I’ve had more fun here anyways, so I won’t complain.” She leant her head on him for a few minutes, watching the flame from the fire disappear over time.

“Can I ask you something?” George suddenly said, making her stiffen up. She just nodded.

“Do you remember, before the summer break, there was a party here?” It was the moment she had been dreading ever since the night itself.

“Uh, yes I do actually.” she gave in, seeing no point in lying to him.

“And you can remember us going off to-”

“Yes George,” she cut him off, embarrassed that she had never mentioned it to him.

“I never told anyone about it,” He told her, making the girl relax ever so slightly. “I didn’t want to just in case you were embarrassed.”

“Thanks, I wasn’t embarrassed as such. Just more scared, that you’d think it was a mistake.” Admittedly she had felt the same, but only because she presumed he would’ve never gone for her had he been sober.

“Why would you think that?” He asked.

“Come on George, we’re different.” The boy had always appreciated how she said his name, and even now it made him giddy with happiness. “You’re friends with every Gryffindor, and they all adore you. I would much rather have my head in a book all day every day.”

“Unless me and Fred are involved.” He wasn’t wrong.

“Yeah well that’s different,”

“Different how?”

“You two are fun,” she admitted.

“And everyone else isn’t?” He smirked.

“You know what I mean, it’s just different.”

“Because of me and Fred? Or… just me?”

She watched his face as he studied hers, taking a deep breath as she rolled her eyes.

“You’re only saying all this because you’re drunk,” y/n scoffed, getting up to leave but he took her hand and kept her sat down.

“Maybe, but that doesn't mean I haven’t been thinking about it.”

His eyes were deep and made the girl’s heart tense as he spoke genuinely. “I thought you hated me after that party, so I just never bothered you. Until Fred decided to befriend you, and then I got to know you and realised why I introduced myself that night.”

“Because you wanted to fuck me?” She watched his face get closer but remained unfazed, refusing to move away from him.

“Of course, but also because you’re beautiful and quiet. Not to mention I’d had a thing for you ever since first year, but you were always in the library and I never got that chance to know you well enough.” He explained softly, their faces now dangerously close.

George glanced down at her lips and y/n couldn’t help but blush.

“I should go to bed,” She whispered, not moving closer or further away.

“Yes you should.” He pulled back with a smirk, seeing her finally let out a much needed breath of air. “Don’t get too creeped out tonight,” He teased as she stood up and walked round the back of the sofa leaning down to kiss the top of his head.

“Come keep me company then you fool,”

With that y/n left, her footsteps going up to her dorm and into the room. George waited exactly a minute after the door shut, counting the seconds one by one. It felt like a lifetime until he reached 60, but then he stood up and smiled to himself. He made his way up the tower, one step at a time to try and make her wait a tiny bit longer. Ignoring the fact that he had been wanting to have his way with y/n ever since that night all those months ago. Having her around had been a joy, but it made his desire grow every time she smiled at him with those lips he couldn’t forget the feeling of.

The lips he noticed first when he opened up the door, not bothering to knock. She was sitting on her bed, just a nightdress on, waiting for him.

“God you’re gorgeous.” He had groaned, promptly closing the door behind him and taking off his shirt.

Y/n struggled not to drag him down as he stood over her body, his abs completely mesmerising her. She knew quidditch was good for something.

“You gonna stand there all night?” She teased.

“No, I’m gonna fuck you like I’ve been wanting to all month.” This time she couldn’t help but gasp at how his words made her feel, her thighs clenching together as a reflex.

George pushed them apart as he climbed on top of her, pressing a leg between her own two. Making the girl moan out at his mercy.

“You’re desperate aren’t you?” She nodded, giving him those perfect eyes he’d been teasing her about only that morning. He dragged his fingers over her face, lifting her chin up so he could run them down her neck. This simple action antagonised the girl, who struggled not to beg for him with each finger slowly gripping her tighter.

Soon he was squeezing, making her moan out effortlessly.

“Hmmm, I love those noises baby.” She could barely hold herself back from pushing herself against his thigh, that remained propped between her legs. It felt like heaven to be touched by him again, and she kept her head held back in ecstasy.

“Please George,” she whispered to him, although there was no real need for them to stay quiet. He slowly moved his mouth to her ear, kissing below it and making her jolt with pleasure.

“What is it darling?”

“Please touch me,”

He took the hand from her neck and pushed her down flat onto the mattress.

“Strip” he demanded, watching her closely discard her nightdress and throw it to the ground. George let her eye him up as he took off his trousers, finally revealing the extent of his bulge as it pressed tight against his boxers.

Y/n could feel it against her pussy as he moved back on top of her, her neck being sucked hard by the boy. He loved the way she reacted to every touch, every finger that ghosted her body, and every kiss placed upon her. It all garnered a gentle moan. George wanted to hear it more and more, he felt entranced by her noises and internally begged for it to never stop.

He pushed himself against her pussy, rubbing slowly with no rhythm to catch her off guard, which god it did. Y/n was all his in that moment, letting herself be whatever George needed as he teased her to the edge. Her breath held as the boy took two fingers and ran them from her neck, freeing her from that euphoric feeling just to replace it with yet another as he slipped them between her folds. Y/n threw her head back, unable to control herself as he played around with her, slipping one finger in and out.

His other hand propped his body up, his biceps big and tensed near her head. She reached up and gripped his arm, moaning out as he pushed in yet another finger inside her, knuckle deep.

“You’re perfect darling,” He told her, “I would have given anything to hear these noises weeks ago.” His voice was deeper than usual, almost a growl as he removed himself from her completely. She whined slightly, making him smirk with how powerless she was.

George reached down to pull out his cock, causing the girl to yet again almost choke. She was amazed at how thick it was. She could feel it perfectly in her memory, but it had been a while and she’d never really gotten a chance to see it in all its glory.

But now there it was, thick and big and waiting to be thrusted inside her. She locked eyes with the boy towering over her body as he teased her with his tip.

“Please George,” She begged, “Please.” Her grip was back on his arm, tightening as he pushed inside. He was drunk on power as she begged for him, begged for him to fuck her even better than he had done months ago.

“Relax baby,” He whispered, pushing it all the way in. The sound that y/n made was nothing short of a scream, finally feeling him all the way in. Her pussy was dripping wet, and gripping onto George’s cock like it was going to be taken away.

The boy pounded into her like he’d been wanting to, ruthlessly and all the while he kept a hand tight around her neck. He thought about how good she made him feel, how small she was compared to him. He loved being able to throw her around and use her as he pleased. But most of all, he loved that she enjoyed it too.

“G-george, George I’m gonna-” Her pussy tightened, making George falter slightly but he didn’t dare stop when she was this tight. Instead he thrusted faster, an animalistic pace, making her scream so much louder than he’d ever heard. Then he felt himself get closer, just from the way her body reacted and he chased that high within her.

“Cum inside me, please.” She begged breathlessly, struggling to keep her eyes open. But when George finally let loose in her pussy, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes in the pleasure of it.

The boy fell to her side, his head resting on the pillow beside her as he caught his breath back slowly. She watched him brush his hair from his face and sigh happily.

“What are you looking at?” George asked, wrapping an arm around her naked body and rubbing his hand against her side.

“I just think you look very cute,” She giggled, high from the feeling of him.

“I fucked you like that, and you call me cute?” He huffed, half joking.

“I can do what I like now, you like me.” She teased him.

“Come on, I’m gonna get enough teasing from Fred when we tell him. I don’t need it from you too.” He groaned.

-

The next morning, Christmas day, the pair were rudely awoken from their pleasant sleep by Fred bursting into the room.

“I knew it! I could’ve bet good money on you two!” He shouted, shaking his brother as if he hadn’t already heard him come in.

Y/n groaned and rolled under the covers.

“Come on lazy get up,” Fred pulled George out of bed and onto the floor, groaning at his naked brother.

“Good thing you got George before me,” Y/n called out from beneath the covers.

“Get dressed you idiots, there’s presents downstairs let's go!” Fred ran off again, leaving his brother to pull on some clothes. He leant down to pull the covers from y/n’s face.

She felt him place a kiss on her cheek and she giggled at the cold air.

“You getting up?” He asked, passing her a jumper to pull on. She nodded silently, rubbing her head. “Hungover?”

“A little,” She blushed at his messy hair.

“I’ll carry you then,”

The girl put on some pajama shorts and held her arms out for George to lift her off the ground. He groaned happily and took her down to the common room to find Harry and Ron already opening gifts sent from Mrs Weasley. Ginny came racing down not long after, begging Fred to give over her presents.

“These ones are for you y/n,” Harry said when she was plonked on the sofa, warmed by the fire’s heat.

“Thanks Harry,” She looked down at the tag on the packages.

Hope you’ve had a good holiday darling, see you in the summer!

Y/n had spent the best holiday anyone could ask for with her two best friends, and couldn’t imagine having to leave them when the summer came around. She frowned, but the boy with his arm still on her waist saw the note before she could unwrap anything.

“You’ll have to come home with us next summer, not a chance am I letting your parents steal you away.” He joked, but his offer was sincere. She never had to worry about George hiding her away like her parents had done.

[labomi]

selfish | two (18+)

Summary: You’re a former coworker of Kento Nanami back when he was just an office worker. You accidentally run into him at a bakery many years later which gives you a second chance at getting to know the man who had always caught your eye.

Pairing: Kento Nanami x f!Reader

Words: 8.6k

Warnings: Explicit sexual content (18+ only), vaginal sex, creampie, explicit language, alcohol

Notes: I’m so happy to get this out finally ajsfdsld thank you for all the lovely comments on the first part! I’m so glad people enjoyed it enough to convince me to write more! This will definitely be the last part for this fic, but I do have plans for more Nanami things in the future. Thanks for reading! It’s also up on my ao3 if you prefer to read it there!

Index: [Part One] [Part Two]

You were moving boxes in the storage room when you heard the chime of the front door opening. With a sudden jolt, you realized you had forgotten to change the sign from “open” to “closed” before cleaning up. Cursing at yourself for the careless mistake, you hoped the customer wouldn’t be too upset that the shop was actually shut down for the night.

“I’m sorry, but we’re closed,” you politely explained, emerging from the back room. But one look at the tall figure by the door caused you to stop in your tracks. A large smile grew on your face when you saw exactly who had entered the shop.

Nanami was still in his normal work attire, but he had left behind his signature blazer and sunglasses. The top few buttons of his blue dress shirt were undone, and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. You unconsciously licked your lips.

“I can make an exception for you though,” you teased with a wink before walking around the counter to greet your boyfriend.

As you waltzed into his open arms, Nanami leaned down to give you a sweet kiss as a greeting. You sighed happily against his lips. It felt so good to be with him after a long, tiring day. His presence always made you feel safe and warm. Like nothing could ever possibly go wrong as long as you were in his embrace.

Nanami’s hands latched onto your waist as he tried to deepen the kiss, but you reluctantly pulled away with a groan of frustration.

“As much as I’d like to continue, I have to finish closing up shop,” you complained with a pout.

Nanami kissed the top of your head before releasing you. “It’s alright. I’ll wait.”

You changed the sign on the door to “closed” to prevent any unwanted guests from entering the shop. You then wiped down all the counters and properly stored the leftover ingredients. Once finished with all your tasks, you took off your apron and shoved it in your bag. 

“I’m ready!” you called out to Nanami as you started to shut off all the lights. The two of you exited the now dark shop before you locked the front door.

Whenever you had a closing shift, Nanami always came to walk you home. You found it absolutely endearing. Even though you didn’t particularly mind traveling alone at night, the walk to your apartment was always more pleasant when the sorcerer was by your side.

It was almost midnight. The normally busy streets were now devoid of both cars and other pedestrians. You loved sharing these quiet moments with Nanami. Just the two of you enjoying each other’s presence with no one else around. Nanami preferred it this way too, especially because he wasn’t a particular fan of PDA.

You were holding onto Nanami’s hand as he quietly walked beside you. “How was work today?” you asked.

Nanami was a little sensitive about discussing his job as a sorcerer with you. He always refused to share the details of his missions, but he begrudgingly answered your general questions about his workday with vague responses.

“It was fine.” He squeezed your hand lightly. “I was able to get off early.”

“Lucky you! I wish I could have finished earlier,” you complained with a huff. “Closing shift is the worst.”

“Did you eat dinner at least?”

You nodded. “I got some takeout during my break.”

“Good.” He knew you had a bad habit of skipping dinner while you were working. You found it more convenient to just eat a granola bar, especially when it was busy. But Nanami always lightly chastised you when you did this, so you had been making more of an effort to eat better.

The two of you finally arrived at your apartment. Once inside, you immediately emptied out of your bag and threw your apron into the laundry hamper. Luckily, you were off of work for the next two days.

“Kento, you’re staying the night, right?” The sorcerer was still standing in your living room.

“I have to report to work early tomorrow. I don’t want to wake you.”

You rolled your eyes at him with a sigh. Nanami was too considerate of you sometimes. “You never wake me up. Plus, I have my 9 am class tomorrow, so I have to be up early anyway.”

Nanami knew you were right. Unlike him, you slept like the dead. Frankly, he was a little jealous. The sorcerer had always been a sensitive sleeper, but he found it much easier to relax in your presence. Since the two of you had started dating, the quality of his sleep remarkably improved.

“I’ll stay.” You grinned smugly. It didn’t take much to convince him to sleep over.

“Good. I’m going to shower.”

The two of you rarely spent the night apart from one another, alternating between each other’s apartments based on the convenience for the night. Nanami had his own toiletries, pajamas, and spare clothes in your apartment, and you had your own set of things at his place as well.

As you took your shower, Nanami changed into his sleepwear and sat on your couch, reading one of many books he left at your place. Once you announced you were done using the bathroom, the sorcerer placed a bookmark and set the book back down on your coffee table. You were already in the bedroom, changing into your pajamas and packing your bag for class tomorrow, knowing you would forget something if you waited until the morning.

You looked up as Nanami entered the room after washing up. You still found it relatively amusing to see him in such casual clothes: a pair of plaid pajama pants and a thin white t-shirt. But you were glad that only you got to see him like this. The man was the perfect example of prim and proper in public, but at home, he found it more appropriate to dress comfortably. And you thought he looked absolutely adorable. Especially with his unstyled hair.

After the lights were turned off, the two you snuggled in bed together and kissed each other goodnight. Within seconds, you were already fast asleep, exhausted from the long day. Nanami listened to the sound of your deep, even breathing. He felt completely at ease with you safely pressed against him. It wasn’t long before he followed you into a deep sleep.

---

Nanami’s life was simple before he met you at that bakery.

He went to work, came back home, read a book, had a glass of scotch, and made some dinner. The cycle repeated nearly every day, but Nanami didn’t particularly mind. He liked having a simple, predictable routine.

Once you reentered his life, things were a bit different. A bit more exciting. He wasn’t complaining.

Instead of only buying groceries for himself, he made sure to also buy your favorite snacks. Instead of making a reservation for one at a restaurant, he asked for a table for two. Instead of placing one set of utensils on his dining table, he always put down two.

Jujutsu sorcerers were a lonely group of people. They often felt isolated from the general population, born with unique abilities that allowed them to see things that most other people could not. 

It was a difficult path. Sorcerers faced a life full of constant battle and death. And the only people who could relate to their hardships were the same people dying by their sides. 

For this reason, sorcerers rarely interacted with people outside the jujutsu community. They saw themselves as an outsider to the rest of society. A society that was blissfully unaware of the existence of curses.

But it was different with you.

When Nanami was with you, he didn’t feel like an outsider or a jujutsu sorcerer.

He felt like a normal man.

The activities that Nanami once did alone were now the same activities he enjoyed doing together with you. He took you to his favorite bakery to pick out fresh bread every week. He escorted you to well-reviewed restaurants he had been meaning to visit. He even brought you to his beloved local bookstore, the one place he had been visiting for years as a regular customer.

The first time he took you into the shop, the owner couldn’t help but notice the way your hands were intertwined with one another. As you browsed through the shelves on your own, the old woman suggestively waggled her eyebrows at Nanami. 

“So you got a lady now?” she asked curiously.

Nanami thought it was a little odd that she was somehow keeping tabs on his relationship status, but he nodded anyway. 

“Ah! She’s a pretty one!”

You suddenly reappeared with a tall stack of secondhand books in your arms. “Kento! This place is amazing! I’m going to buy all of these!”

“Oh, definitely a keeper too,” the owner commented.

Nanami found himself agreeing. 

He didn’t know if you could be any more perfect.

Nanami had always enjoyed cooking. He loved the process of selecting a recipe, buying fresh ingredients, and turning them into a delicious, home-cooked meal. But he learned that enjoyed cooking even more when it was for you.

The sorcerer was appalled to hear that you hardly ever cooked for yourself. He had surveyed the state of your freezer in utter disgust. It was crammed full of boxes of microwavable meals and several pints of ice cream. You defended yourself vehemently, claiming that you were too busy to cook between classes, work, and study sessions. The microwave was the easiest and quickest appliance to use after all. And sometimes you just wanted ice cream for dinner.

Nanami took it upon himself to make sure you were eating proper, nutritious meals. In his eyes, it was less of a chore and more of a hobby. He enjoyed learning what you liked. He looked forward to hearing your thoughts about a recipe. He loved the way your eyes lit up whenever he presented a new dish. The sorcerer had even subscribed to food magazines and bought some international cookbooks just to try out with you.

Every morning, Nanami packed you a healthy lunch to ensure you wouldn’t just eat a granola bar for the entire day. And whenever the two of you both had a free night, you always ate dinner together.

In particular, Friday nights had become a weekly tradition between the two of you. Nanami would prepare a special dinner with some fancy wine. The two of you would even dress up a little to celebrate the start of the weekend.

You knocked on Nanami’s door one Friday night, wearing a simple yet elegant dress with just a hint of makeup on your face. The door opened and you were instantly greeted by the mouth-watering smell of whatever the man was cooking in the kitchen. But the sight of Nanami was even more distracting. He was wearing an apron over a tight black button-up shirt with gray slacks. You bit your lip softly, eyeing him appreciatively.

While you enjoyed going out to eat in a restaurant, there was something more intimate about Nanami cooking dinner at home just for the two of you. Plus, the atmosphere was always lovely. His apartment was clean, spacious, and well-decorated. Whatever jujutsu sorcerers got paid, it was clearly more than enough.

“It smells good,” you hummed. “What are you making tonight?”

The sorcerer never revealed dinner to you in advance. For some reason, he always wanted to keep it a surprise.

“Homemade linguine with shrimp. I also got some fresh bread to go along with it.”

Your eyes lit up instantly. “Oooh, sounds delicious! I didn’t know you knew how to make pasta from scratch.”

Everything that Nanami prepared was always amazing. There was never a meal he made that you didn’t enjoy. The first time he cooked you dinner, you almost wanted to propose to him right then and there. A man with those looks and proper culinary skills? You felt like the luckiest person in the world.

You always offered to help Nanami while he was cooking but he would gently shoo you out of the kitchen every time. You weren’t sure if it was because he wanted you to sit back and relax or if it was because he thought you would mess things up. 

It was probably the latter. 

(Most definitely the latter.)

Due to your clear lack of culinary expertise, you were in charge of cleaning all the pots and pans and loading the dishwasher. You couldn’t complain.

Your post-dinner activities were always the same. The two of you would play a movie and then immediately proceed to ignore it for the rest of the night.

Tonight was no different. 

You moaned loudly, writhing about on the couch. “Kento, fuck.”

Your dress was hiked up around your hips, underwear already discarded with Nanami’s face in between your legs. You were already shuddering through your second orgasm of the night with Nanami eagerly lapping up your fluids. His strong arms locked your thrashing legs into place as you gripped the edges of the couch, riding out the last few waves of intense pleasure.

You looked up at him through half-lidded eyes as he pulled back, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. “Ready?” he asked in a deep voice. His pupils were blown open in lust. You nodded, still trying to catch your breath. The man gathered you in his arms and headed to the bedroom.

He carefully set you down on unsteady legs as he pulled the zipper down your dress until the garment fell and landed in a heap on the ground. To his pleasant surprise, you were already braless. You turned around and started to slowly unbutton Nanami’s dress shirt, taking your sweet time. His gaze raked over your entire figure, causing your fingers to fumble as you flushed from the intensity of his stare. Eventually, Nanami had enough. He threw you on the bed and quickly shed the rest of his clothes on his own.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed, climbing on the bed and hovering over you. His large, calloused hands roamed all over your bare skin while his mouth focused on sucking at the sensitive spots on your neck.

You relished the feel of Nanami’s touch all over you, but one glance at his painfully hard cock had your cunt begging to be filled.

“Kento,” you whined. “I can’t wait. Fuck me, please. I need you inside me, right now.”

Nanami sheathed his entire length inside you with just one sharp thrust. He proceeded to fuck you hard and fast, just the way you liked. Each snap of his hips left you a complete mess underneath him, moaning his name over and over again. It was just barely audible over the lewd, wet sounds of your desperate cunt squeezing around him.

Nanami grabbed one of your hands and interlocked his fingers with yours. A sweet gesture as he roughly pounded you into the bed. The two of you were so worked up that it didn’t take long for the both of you to quickly become undone. You arched your back and tightly gripped Nanami’s hand as uncontrollable pleasure coursed throughout your entire body. Nanami groaned your name as he sloppily thrust into you several more times before flooding your cunt with his cum. 

When he finally pulled out, Nanami was satisfied to see his seed trickling out of you.

“Kento,” you called his name, suddenly feeling shy under his intense gaze.

The man adjusted his position so he was now laying next to you. He kissed you sweetly and whispered praises of you as you giggled breathlessly.

“Hmm, I don’t want to get out of bed and clean up yet.”

“Then don’t,” Nanami said with a devious look in his eyes. 

It was then that you felt his length hardening once again against your thigh. He suddenly pulled you on top of him as he laid on his back. The movement caused your sensitive folds to inadvertently rub against his dick as you straddled his hips. You gasped at the feeling, clutching at his chest to prop you up. 

“I’m not done with you yet,” he growled.

---

It was a slow afternoon when a man entered the boba shop. He wore an all-black outfit and a matching beanie. Tufts of his disheveled brown hair stuck out from underneath.

“Hello!” You greeted him inside as his eyes flickered around the place nervously before walking up to the cash register. 

“What would you like to order?”

Instead of browsing the menu, the man’s gaze was focused elsewhere. Specifically, your chest. You stood there uncomfortably, wondering if you should say something or just ignore him. But then you realized the man wasn’t being a creep. He was reading your name tag.

The man said your name out loud hesitantly.

“Yes? That’s me.” You tilted your head slightly, trying to figure out if you knew this man. Nothing about his appearance rang a bell. You then started to worry about whether or not you were supposed to recognize him. Was he a current classmate? A former coworker?

The man’s eyes instantly lit up. “You’re Nanami’s girlfriend, right?”

Your eyes widened in surprise.

Kento? He knows Kento?

“Oh, um, yes I am.” The question had taken you off guard. You weren’t expecting a random customer to mention your boyfriend’s name.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” The man smiled brightly at you, looking extremely excited. “Gojo always mentions how pretty and kind you are, so I couldn’t resist visiting when he told me you worked here.”

Gojo?

If this man knew both Nanami and Gojo, did this mean he was also a sorcerer? 

The stranger had piqued your curiosity, and you just couldn’t give up the opportunity to sit down and chat with him. Luckily, it was a slow day and you convinced your coworker to allow you to take your break early. After preparing two drinks, you slipped into a booth in the back of the shop with the man taking a seat across from you.

“I’m Ino Takuma.” The man introduced himself to you.

“So, if you know Gojo and Kento, does that mean you’re a sorcerer?” You kept your voice hushed while asking, just in case your nosy coworkers were trying to listen in on your conversation.

Ino nodded. “Yep, I am.”

You couldn’t help but feel excited to meet another one of Nanami’s colleagues. He purposely tried to shield you from the jujutsu world, but it only made you more curious. Plus, you wanted to know more about what Nanami was like as a sorcerer. He was always so gentle and sweet with you. Well, except for in bed. But it was sometimes hard to imagine that he exorcised curses for a living.

“Do you know Kento well?” you asked curiously.

Ino nodded eagerly. “Yes! I worked with him on a mission once and since then, I’ve really respected him.” He blushed a little, rubbing the back of his head. “Nanami is my role model. I don’t see myself as a particularly smart guy, so whenever I don’t know what to do, I always ask myself what would Nanami do?”

Ino’s words were full of sincerity. In some ways, he reminded you of Itadori. Both of the boys seemed to admire Nanami in a way you would never understand as a non-sorcerer. But it made your heart full knowing that Nanami was a trusted mentor in his workplace.

“Does that mean Kento is strong?” You were a little hesitant to ask the question. As an outsider to the jujutsu world, you didn’t know what made a sorcerer strong. But if another sorcerer told you that Nanami was indeed powerful, you would feel comforted. You knew his job was dangerous, so you obviously worried about his safety, but you tried your best not to show it around him.

“Nanami is super strong!” Ino exclaimed, arms flailing around to emphasize his point. “He’s a Grade 1 sorcerer! That’s practically the best you can be!”

You bit back a sigh of relief. “That’s good to know. Thank you, Ino.”

The two of you continued to chat for the rest of your break, getting to know each other better. Ino even successfully squeezed out of you Nanami’s favorite bakery and favorite bookstore. He claimed he wanted to surprise the man with a gift he would actually appreciate. You encouraged him with a warm smile.

“Thank you for the tea and the conversation,” Ino said, sliding out of the booth. He hovered around you with a light blush dusting his cheeks again. “Um, next time you see Nanami, can you maybe ask him about my recommendation to a Grade 1 sorcerer? If you don’t mind that is!”

“Sure! Will do. It was great meeting you. Thank you for helping to keep Kento safe!”

Ino’s eyes widened at your words. He puffed out his chest proudly. “Of course!”

You waved at him as he exited the shop with a loud farewell.

After your shift, you had returned to your apartment to change and grab some things to spend the night at Nanami’s apartment. When you arrived at his place, the man was already setting the table for dinner. You hugged him from behind with a happy hum as finished his task. Nanami gently removed your arms from around him before turning around and greeting you with a kiss.

“Welcome home.”

“Dinner smells good,” you commented happily. “I’m starving!”

Nanami chuckled lightly. He pulled out a chair for you. “Sit down and I’ll serve you.”

The two of you sat at the table together, plates filled with delicious curry rice.

“How was your day today?” Nanami asked once you both started eating.

“Oh!” You swallowed your bite. “I actually met a coworker of yours. He came to the shop.”

“Who?” Nanami looked rather unhappy, gripping the spoon in his hand forcefully.

“Ino Takuma.”

Nanami sighed, rubbing his forehead in irritation. “I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to tell him to stay away from you. I have no idea how he found your workplace in the first place.”

“Huh? What? No, it’s fine! Ino was very kind and sweet. I enjoyed chatting with him. Also, don’t be too mad at him, Gojo was the one who told him about me.”

Nanami clenched his fist. The next time he saw that white-haired idiot, he was going to kill him.

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “Kento, why are you so against me meeting other jujutsu sorcerers? These people are important to you, no? I want to meet them.”

Nanami refused to meet your gaze. He still wasn’t comfortable with the thought of you interacting with the jujutsu world, sorcerers included. “I’m just trying to prote—”

“Protect me, I know.” You let out a deep sigh. “But I don’t want you to hide your life as a sorcerer from me. It’s a big part of your identity, and I want to learn more about jujutsu so I can understand you, Gojo, Itadori, and everyone better.” You lowered your voice slightly. “I care about you all, you know.”

Nanami reached out across to the table to gently hold your hand. “I know,” he admitted quietly. “I’m sorry.” He knew that shielding you from the jujutsu world as much as possible wasn’t doing you or him any favors. But Nanami didn’t know what else to do. He never imagined he would be dating someone while working as a sorcerer. And he especially never imagined he would be dating a non-sorcerer. 

Relationships between sorcerers and non-sorcerers rarely worked out, so Nanami tried to restrict your access to the jujutsu world as much as possible. He refused to talk about his missions with you. He tried to limit the presence of other sorcerers around you. He did this to protect you, but maybe he was doing it to protect himself instead. He didn’t want to lose you or scare you away.

“I do want to share my life as a sorcerer with you.” Nanami was struggling to find the right words. “But it’s difficult for me.” He had always envisioned his personal life and his work life as two separate spheres, but you were beginning to blur those lines. “I promise I’ll do better.”

You smiled softly, appreciating his efforts. “Well, we can take it slow.”

“Thank you.”

You were cleaning the dishes in the sink when Nanami wrapped his arms around your waist and nuzzled his face in your neck. Both of you felt so much lighter after the discussion during dinner.

“Oh!” A sudden realization popped into your mind. “I forgot to mention. Ino asked me to tell you not to forget his Grade 1 sorcerer recommendation.”

Nanami groaned in the crook of your neck. “Of course he did, that impatient kid.”

“What’s a recommendation? Are you not going to do it?”

He sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Kento,” you whined.

“Alright. I’ll explain it to you after you’re done.”

---

You had just finished class when a text popped up on your phone. It was from Gojo.

Gojo: Hey! Do you want to go to dinner with me, Yuji, and Nanami tonight????

Dinner? You felt a tinge of excitement.

You: Sure! I’m free!

You didn’t know what the occasion was for, but you were grateful for the invite. Gojo often stopped by at your workplace, occasionally accompanied by Itadori, to greet you and grab a sweet drink. But you unfortunately never had the time to properly sit down with him and catch up. 

Out of all sorcerers you had met so far, Gojo was the most mysterious. After all, what sort of man wore a blindfold in public? And now that you thought about it, how did he always seem to know when you were working? Especially since your work schedule differed from week to week...

Weird.

Gojo: Great! I’ll send you the time and place later~

You: Thanks! See you then!

You were about to text Nanami and tell him you were looking forward to dinner when one of your classmates called your name.

“Yes?” you asked, looking away from your phone.

“Want to join our study group? We’re heading to the library right now!”

“Yeah, sure! Coming!”

It was only after you left the library several hours later that you realized you had forgotten to text Nanami. But you figured it wasn’t a big deal since you would soon see him at dinner. 

Nanami looked at his watch impatiently. It was already past 5 pm. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be back in his apartment, prepping dinner for you. “What are we doing here, Gojo? I need to get home.”

The white-haired calmly rested his arms behind his head with a suspicious smirk on his face. “Relax, Nanami. We’re waiting for a surprise.”

Itadori perked up beside him, looking up at his sensei with wide eyes. “A surprise?! What kind of surprise?”

Gojo chuckled. “The best kind.”

Nanami let out an exasperated sigh. He removed his sunglasses and put them in his pocket. The three sorcerers were standing around in the middle of a busy street filled with pedestrians. “I don’t have time for such frivolities, Gojo. Excuse me, but I’m leavi—”

“Wait!” Gojo exclaimed. He waved at someone in the crowd. “She’s here!”

“She?” Nanami repeated, trying to follow Gojo’s line of sight.

It was easy to spot Gojo, even amongst the giant, moving crowd. The tall man towered over everyone else and his bright, white hair easily stood out in the background. You could see him waving his hand at you, so you waved back.

Squeezing your way through the crowd, you joined up with the three sorcerers with an excited grin. “Hi!”

“Say hello to the surprise,” Gojo announced, waltzing over to your side and wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

Itadori looked thrilled to see you, but as your eyes shifted to Nanami, you immediately sensed something was wrong.

“Gojo, you did tell Kento you invited me, right?” you asked cautiously, looking up at the tall man.

The sorcerer hummed to himself for several seconds before responding. “Nope!”

You blanched. Uh oh. You should have texted him.

Nanami didn’t look too visibly upset, but he was pinching the bridge of his nose with a frown. When would that idiot stop meddling with his personal life behind his back?

“Na-na-mi,” Gojo said in a singsong voice. “Are you excited to see your stunning, beautiful, and gorgeous girlfriend? Shouldn’t you be thanking me for bringing her here?” The white-haired sorcerer pulled you even closer to him. He didn’t miss the way Nanami’s eyes instantly narrowed at him.

Nanami grabbed your wrist and pulled you out of Gojo’s grasp until you were comfortably nestled against his side. He couldn’t stand seeing that man's hands on you. “Don’t let him touch you. His idiocy is contagious.”

You giggled at the comment. Gojo let out a satisfied hum, watching the two of you together. “Alright, lovebirds!” He clapped his hands together. “It’s time for dinner!”

“Dinner?!” Itadori gasped. He started salivating at the thought of food. “Gojo-sensei, what are we eating?”

The tall sorcerer patted the top of Itadori’s head affectionately. “To celebrate Yuji’s last night as a dead man, we’re going to a steakhouse!”

The kid loudly cheered as you looked to Nanami for clarification.

“Itadori is being introduced back to the school tomorrow.”

“Oh, I see.” Gojo had told you before that the Itadori was supposed to be dead and not to mention his existence to anyone. You didn’t understand why and you didn’t ask, but you kept your promise. The young sorcerer bounced around excitedly before hugging Gojo. You couldn’t help but smile at the adorable interaction.

“Let’s hurry up, so we’re not late for our reservation.” Gojo started walking quickly through the crowd with Itadori right by his side. You and Nanami were a little ways behind them as you found it hard to keep up with Gojo’s brisk pace. He pressed a warm hand against your lower back, guiding you through the large crowd.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that Gojo invited me,” you apologized. Even though Nanami said he would be more open about the jujutsu world, you knew he was still sensitive about you spending too much time around other sorcerers. “I was going to text you but then some classmates asked me if I wanted to study with them, and I said yes because you know I need all the help I can get, and then I completely forgot to message you and by the time I left the library and actually remembered I didn’t text you, I thought it wasn’t worth it since I was going to be seeing you at dinner soon, and I, uh, yeah.” You winced, realizing you were rambling yet again.

“It’s not your fault,” he assured you. “That idiot always has something up this sleeve.”

“You’re not upset, right?”

He rubbed his hand up and down your back. It sent a tingle up your spine. “I'm not upset," Nanami replied honestly. "I’m glad you’re here.”

You slid into the booth at the steakhouse. Itadori was already seated across from you. Gojo was about to take the open seat next to you, but Nanami grabbed the back of the man’s uniform and shoved him away. 

“Hey!” the sorcerer loudly complained.

Nanami sat down next to you, completely unbothered. “Sit with your student, Gojo.” You tried to stifle your laughter, looking at the two men in complete amusement. 

Gojo slid into the booth next to Itadori with a carefree grin. Teasing Nanami was too easy when you were around.

The four of you had a pleasant dinner together. Your only complaint was the way Nanami rubbed your thigh with his left hand the entire time while waiting for the food to arrive. You were wearing a rather short dress which rode up as you sat down, giving him perfect access to your bare skin. It was incredibly distracting. 

You were a little surprised that Nanami was doing something like this in public, even though it was mostly hidden from sight. Part of you wondered if it was because Gojo was present. Nanami always acted a little differently with you when the other sorcerer was around.

For some reason, you couldn't shake the feeling that Gojo knew exactly what was happening underneath the table. Even with his blindfold on, you could tell that the sorcerer was looking right at you with a knowing smile on his face. You felt a little flustered, but Nanami seemed completely unperturbed. Perhaps it was just your imagination.

After dinner, you followed Itadori out the front door of the restaurant.

“Ah! I’m so stuffed!” he commented with a satisfied hum, rubbing his belly.

“I hope you still have room for some dessert.”

The two of you turned back to look at Gojo. Nanami was only a couple of steps behind him.

“Oh! Dessert? Don’t worry, Sensei. I always got room for that!” He gave Gojo a thumbs up.

“Great! I happen to know an amazing ice cream shop around the corner!” You blinked in surprise as the white-haired sorcerer wrapped a long arm around your shoulder again and started ushering you towards the destination. “Let’s get going!”

What you didn’t see was the way Gojo turned his head back to send a smug look to his dear friend. Nanami glared at the sorcerer but didn’t intervene. The walk to the shop was short, and you didn’t appear to be uncomfortable, happily chatting away with Itadori about the best and worst ice cream flavors.

It wasn’t until you all arrived at the shop that you pulled away from Gojo and latched onto his arm instead. “What are you going to get?”

“Hmm. I don’t know. What do you want?” he asked.

You looked at the menu, eyes squinting in concentration. “I’m stuck between Peanut Butter Cup and Mint Chocolate Chip.”

“Pick one and I’ll get the other. We can share.”

Your eyes widened. “Really? You don’t have to.” 

Nanami smiled softly at that adorable look on your face. He gently tucked a hair away from your face. “I like both of those flavors anyway.”

Itadori and Gojo silently exchanged looks with one another. They were both internally squealing at the cute exchange they just witnessed between the two of you. It was rare to see such a soft side of Nanami in public. 

“Nanami,” Gojo cooed, a little jealous. “Do you want to share some ice cream with me too?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Huh? Why not?” the sorcerer whined.

“Because you’ll get the most sickening ice cream flavor of them all.”

Nanami was absolutely correct.

Gojo ordered a large cone of triple chocolate ice cream with chunks of brownies, cookie dough, and fudge mixed with swirls of caramel and marshmallow. 

It was a complete abomination.

The four of you sat outside, enjoying the nice weather while indulging in ice cream. You thought it was cute how Itadori’s strawberry cone almost matched the color of his hair. Once everyone finished their dessert, the group finally split up. You waved goodbye at Gojo and Itadori. “Good luck tomorrow, Itadori!” He had shared with you earlier about how excited (and a little nervous) he was to see his classmates again. You hoped the reunion went well.

It was a quiet walk home with Nanami. The two you held hands, enjoying the calm atmosphere now that Gojo and Itadori were both gone. 

As soon as you entered Nanami’s apartment, you took off your shoes as Nanami removed his blazer. “I had a good time tonight,” you mused. “Itadori is such a sweetie, and Gojo—”

Your words were cut off with a gasp as Nanami roughly pushed you against the wall. He put a knee in between your legs, and one of his hands began to crawl up your exposed thigh. You instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck, shivering as you felt the pleasant tingle of his touch. He gave you such a heated look that it left you swallowing nervously.

“I don’t want to hear another man’s name out of your mouth tonight,” he growled in your ear.

You looked back at him, both half-amused and half-aroused. “I’m only yours, Kento.”

“Good.”

Nanami whisked you away to the bedroom as you laughed breathily in his arms.

---

Nanami surveyed the numerous body bags in the morgue of Tokyo Jujutsu High.

“Three Grade 2 sorcerers. One Semi-Grade 1 sorcerer. Five Auxiliary Managers. Two storage attendants,” Ijichi listed off the number of casualties. 

Nanami clenched his fists. “This is the same curse that Itadori and I fought together, correct?”

“Yes,” the manager replied, pushing up his glasses. “Shoko confirmed that the bodies were all disfigured in the same manner.”

The sorcerer grit his teeth in frustration. He blamed himself. If he had been able to exorcise the curse back then, these innocent lives might have been spared. After all, it was his fault that Mahito had escaped. He hadn’t been quick enough.

“Gojo, can I have a private word with you?”

The white-haired sorcerer had been leaning against the wall the entire time, quiet for once.

“I’ll take my leave,” Ijichi announced, exiting the room. 

Nanami broke the silence first.

“If anything happens to me, promise me you’ll take care of her.”

Gojo didn’t respond right away. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked in an unusually serious tone.

“Mahito is still around. My attacks are not effective against him. He seems to have a special interest in me, so there is a high probability we will run into each other again. And I may not be lucky enough to have Itadori by my side then.”

“No.”

“What?!” Nanami whipped around to face the sorcerer. The fury in his eyes was hidden by his sunglasses, but Gojo could sense the anger all the same.

“No, I won’t promise to take care of her.”

“Gojo, you—”

“Stop acting like you’re trying to die.” Nanami stiffened. “Take care of her yourself. You’re strong.”

A tense silence hung in the air. 

Nanami let out a deep breath.

“Thank you, Gojo.”

---

The next day, Nanami had just finished a mission when the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event ended. He came back to campus to see all the students in baseball uniforms. Wasn’t the second day dedicated to individual battles?

“Oh, Nanami!” Gojo called out, jogging over to him. He had forgone his blindfold for a pair of sunglasses and wore a simple button-up shirt and pants instead of his normal uniform. “Too bad you missed the game! We won!”

“The game?”

Gojo nodded with a devious look on his face. “Yup! This year, the Goodwill Event winner was determined by a baseball game!” He laughed victoriously. 

Nanami shook his head. Only Gojo could successfully pull off a stunt like this in front of both school principals.

“By the way, we’re going out for some drinks tonight. Even Utahime and Mei Mei said they would join. You should come. And bring your girlfriend too.”

“Absolutely not.” There was potentially a traitor among the group, and Gojo thought it was a good idea to bring you into the mix? There was no way he was going to let that happen.

“Too bad. I already invited her.”

“You what?! ” Nanami fumed.

“You mad or something?”

Nanami thought about trying to strangle the white-haired sorcerer when his phone chimed. It was a message from you.

You: Gojo invited me out with you guys tonight. Is that ok?

“Is that her?” Gojo asked, trying to peek at Nanami’s phone screen.

“None of your business.”

He began typing his response.

“I know you won’t say no to her,” Gojo hummed. The other sorcerer ignored him.

Nanami: Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll pick you up and we’ll go together?

You: I have to stay a lil late at work :( someone called out sick so I’ll just meet you all there

Nanami: You sure? I don’t mind waiting for you.

You: Yup it’s fine! See you tonight!

Nanami locked his phone and put it away.

“So?” Gojo asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.

“She’s coming,” Nanami grumbled.

The white-haired sorcerer clapped his hands together excitedly like he hadn’t planned for this to happen from the start. “Great! I’m looking forward to tonight!”

Nanami glared at him in response.

“What? You still mad?”

Nanami tapped his fingers absentmindedly on the table. You still hadn’t arrived yet. Utahime was somehow already drunk, loudly laughing at something Shoko said. Gojo was bothering Ijichi who was sputtering nervously, and Mei Mei was silently sipping on a cocktail she forced Gojo to buy for her. Nanami bit back a sigh. He missed you.

“I heard from a little birdie that you have a girlfriend now, Nanami. And a non-sorcerer one at that,” Mei Mei commented with a sly smile. 

Nanami looked at Gojo, knowing exactly who this “little birdie” was, but the white-haired sorcerer turned away with a whistle.

“A girlfriend?!” Utahime gasped. She grabbed Shoko’s shoulders and violently shook her. “Shoko, did you know about this?”

The doctor was completely unfazed. “Yeah. We’ve all met her before except you and Mei Mei.”

Utahime covered her face and made dramatic sobbing noises. “Out of all of us, it’s Nanami who’s dating first?!”

Nanami’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance. What was that supposed to mean?

“Shoko!” Utahime whined. “Will you marry me if I’m still single at 40?”

“I’ll do it!” Gojo quipped. 

The Kyoto sorcerer made a disgusted gagging noise. “Like hell I would ever agree to that!”

“I’ll do it for money. How much would you pay me?” Mei Mei asked.

“You guys are all terrible!” Utahime exclaimed. She latched onto Shoko. “Only Shoko is nice to me!”

“But I never said I would marry you,” the doctor pointed out calmly.

The entire table burst into laughter. Nanami quietly sipped on his beer. 

“Sorry, I’m late!” Your bright voice finally caught the man’s attention. You waved at the group, heading over. Nanami got up to greet you but a certain white-haired man beat him to it.

Gojo called your name happily, wrapping you into an unexpected bear hug.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Nanami commanded, immediately dragging the sorcerer off of you and kicking him back into his seat. 

You chuckled lightly before hugging Nanami too. Hesitating for a little bit, you decided to kiss the man on the cheek. You knew he didn’t like PDA, but you still wanted to greet him affectionately.

“I think you missed,” Gojo pointed out. 

Flushing in embarrassment at Gojo's comment, you were about to pull away and take a seat, but Nanami suddenly leaned down and kissed you on the lips deeply. It was so unexpected that you couldn’t suppress the noise of surprise that left your throat. You could vaguely hear the cheering and wolf whistles from the table which only made you blush more. Nanami finally pulled away, leaving you breathless.

“Now that’s more like it,” Gojo commented with a slow clap.

Ijichi covered his face with his hands, unable to believe he witnessed Nanami in such a manner. Utahime’s jaw dropped open in complete shock. Shoko was busy rummaging through her purse for a cigarette. Mei Mei raised her eyebrows, impressed at Nanami’s boldness.

Gojo gestured to you. “Well, say hi to Nanami’s girlfriend, everyone!”

You shyly waved at them. “Hi,” you squeaked, still embarrassed.

Even though you had the day off tomorrow, you hadn’t planned on drinking a lot during the night. But Utahime challenged all the girls to a drink-off and you couldn’t resist participating to get to know the other women better. Mei Mei only agreed to partake once Gojo confirmed he would cover everyone’s tabs.

It turned out that both Shoko and Mei Mei had incredibly high tolerances. You and Utahime on the other hand, not so much.

You groaned, struggling to climb the steps up to Nanami’s apartment. After watching your pitiful attempt, the sorcerer lifted you in his arms and carried you the rest of the way.

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” you mumbled. You felt bad that Nanami had to take care of you, especially because you had not intended to get this drunk.

“Don’t apologize.” He carefully set you down on your feet as he opened his apartment door. Nanami helped you wash up and get changed before joining you in bed once he was done with his own nightly routine.

You were practically laying on top of Nanami while rubbing a hand down his firm chest. When your hand started to wander lower, he gently took it and brought it up to his face to kiss it. “We should go to sleep.”

You pouted a little but mumbled in agreement, rolling off the man and nestling into his side instead. “Good night, Kento. Love you.”

Nanami stiffened, suddenly wide awake after hearing your words. He was filled with such an indescribable emotion that it left him completely speechless. Nanami was worried you would be upset that he hadn’t responded right away, but he was instead greeted by the familiar sound of your slow, deep breaths. You were asleep.

He let out a sigh. Nanami wondered if you would remember your confession in the morning, but he doubted it. Your memory was always spotty when you got this drunk.

Nanami kissed your head, stroking your hair gently. 

“I love you too.”

---

“Is something wrong?”

Nanami didn’t even look up from the newspaper he was reading to address the white-haired sorcerer. “Everything is fine. Why are you asking?”

Gojo hummed, tapping a finger on his chin in thought. His sharp eyes took in his friend’s appearance. “You seem a bit tense. You didn’t have a fight with the girlfriend, did you?”

“Nothing of that sort happened. And even if it did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

“So you did have a fight!” Gojo exclaimed.

Nanami turned the page. “No, we did not. And just to stop your incessant bothering, I will tell you that she has a very important exam today, so I have not seen her in several days to allow her to focus on studying.”

“Ahh, I see!” It made perfect sense to Gojo now. “You look so tense because you’re sexually frustrated!”

Nanami crumbled the edges of the newspaper in his hands. “I refuse to talk about such things with you.”

“Oh, but you’re not denying it,” Gojo pointed you. “Nanami, there is absolutely no shame in talking about our sex lives. We should be more open about sex to destigmatize it. For example, last week I—”

“I’m leaving,” Nanami suddenly announced. He folded up his newspaper and exited the lounge. He’d rather fight four Grade One curses single-handedly than hear about that man’s sex life.

---

Nanami couldn’t keep his hands off of you. As soon as you walked through his apartment door, cheering that you were finally done with your exam, he immediately pulled you into his arms and kissed you wantonly.

Your absence in the past few days was so striking. He had trouble sleeping and didn’t even feel like cooking without your familiar presence around him. It was so good to have you back again.

You giggled at his eagerness, looking up at him with a knowing smile. “Did you miss me?”

Nanami was already ushering you towards his bedroom.

“Let me show you just how much I missed you.”

The next morning, you stumbled out of Nanami’s bedroom with a loud yawn. You had no class or work for the day, so you were looking forward to lounging around Nanami’s apartment as a reward for suffering through your exam yesterday.

You perked up when you smelled something good in the air. Popping your head in the kitchen, you saw Nanami flipping pancakes.

“Good morning!” You eyed the pancakes with a hungry look.

“Good morning. Breakfast will be ready in a few,” Nanami replied, adding more batter into the pan.

“Okay!” You left to quickly get dressed for the day.

By the time you returned, Nanami was setting down a plate on the table piled high with fluffy blueberry pancakes.

“Thank you for breakfast!” you said with a wide grin, snatching two pancakes and putting them on your own plate.

After eating, Nanami looked at this watch with a small frown. “I have to go.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll clean everything up.” You headed over to the door where Nanami was slipping into his shoes and putting on his blazer. Before he opened the door, you stepped in to fix his tie that was just slightly askew.

“I’ll see you tonight, handsome?”

“Of course.”

For you, Nanami would do everything in his power to make sure he finished work on time and returned home as soon as possible. He used to look forward to the end of the workday because he hated working. But now he looked forward to the end of the workday because he got to see you.

As a jujutsu sorcerer, Nanami knew he couldn’t take anything for granted. Any amount of time spent with you was absolutely precious to him. So he wanted to make sure to maximize that amount of time as much as possible.

Nanami leaned down to kiss you.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You blinked.

Huh?

Did he say…?

Wait, did you say....?

Your eyes widened in realization as you covered your mouth in shock.

Nanami said he loved you.

And you immediately said you loved him back.

The words had slipped right out of your mouth without you even realizing it.

“Enjoy your day off,” Nanami said nonchalantly before exiting the apartment. The door gently closed shut behind him.

When Nanami arrived at work, a certain white-haired sorcerer knew something was different about his friend.

“What happened with her?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Gojo grabbed his phone and dialed a number quickly. “You owe me money, Mei Mei! I won the bet! I told you they would confess their love to each other before the end of the month.”

Nanami clenched his jaw.

Bet?

The sorcerer menacingly stood over Gojo, sword withdrawn and cursed energy swirling around him angrily. “What bet?”

Gojo removed the phone from his ear. Mei Mei could be heard angrily yelling from the device, clearly upset about losing a large sum of money. “Now, now, Nanami. You’re only this angry at me because I’m correct, right? You two finally confessed to each other?”

Nanami took his tie off and wrapped it around his hand.

The white-haired sorcerer threw his head back with a howl of laughter. “I’ll take that as a yes! But before you try to kill me, just know that a) it’s impossible and b) I only agreed to this bet to prove Mei Mei wrong. She didn’t think you had it in you to confess so soon! But I always had faith in you because I’m such a good friend!”

Nanami took a menacing step forward towards Gojo, but the sound of his phone chiming stopped his advance. Gojo took that as a sign to escape with his loud laughter still echoing in the hallways.

With a sigh, Nanami unlocked his phone to read the text from you.

You: Wanted to say I love you ♡

You: Just in case you didn’t hear earlier

You: But I’m pretty sure you did...

You: I just want to be sure

You: Anyways I’ll see you later :) 

You: Miss you already

You: I'll try not to destroy your apartment

You: Ok sorry I'll stop bothering you now

He couldn’t wait to come home to you tonight.

[babbling-idiot]

Herbert, Jennifer, Norman, and Sydney Headcanons

Requested: “Hi! May I please have some headcannons for Herbert West, Jennifer Check, (1960) Norman Bates, and Sydney Prescott comforting a S/O who is really upset because they returned home for the holidays and all their friends blew them off. Thank you!” -By @miyonorii1317

Warning: Nope

(Hello! Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy this lol!)

*****

Herbert west:

Herbert does not have very many friends, he's got Dan, and that's good enough

He does not care for yours since he found out this happened

Herbert is not so much of an emotionally invested person

But don't think he doesn't care for you

He thinks the world of you but doesn't like your choice of friends

He hates that you made the effort to go see them yet they blew you off for nonsense

He doesn't understand, why call them friends when they don't want anything to do with you

That's not what friends should do and Herbert doesn't have very many, yet he knows more about it than you think

But don't be sad, Herbert, despite his not so festive self, will happily go out somewhere with you, walk down the street and see all the pretty lights, the whole package

He will do whatever you like and will happily put a big happy smile on just for you

And, yes, he will come out of the basement for a little while to spend time watching movies and do whatever you like

Jennifer:

You have to beg, plead, almost do everything in your power to keep her from going to their houses and making them disappear

She is fuming

She's pissed and will not let this go so easily

She will on the other hand, happily, go party, go to the bar, go wherever you want to make up for their shitty behavior

She will do everything in her power to make you understand and see that you don't need them to have a good time

She will show you a good time

No time to worry over them, she wants your whole attention on her and her only anyway

She's more than willing to go rent or buy a new movie just so that you both can cuddle up, eat popcorn and chill out together

She is completely at your mercy and will do whatever your heart desires

Norman:

He is very angry

He was expecting you to come home with smiles and great stories but instead, he got a sad story and frowns

He is very angry and in no way getting over it anytime soon

But other than being mad at your so-called "friends" he is going to show you the best time he can while at the hotel

He takes his time decorating the house

He decorates and cook you some amazing dinner and finally can surprise you with it

He sent you to the store and so that when you got back it would be a perfect surprise

And it sure was

He is all about making your week filled with holiday festivities

He gets you to help him bake even though we all know he is perfect at baking already

He even makes up the living room for movies, music, and games if you up to that

His whole plan is solely made up to make you happy

That's all he wants

He wants you to forget about your horrible friends and instead have an amazing time with him instead

And that is exactly what happens

Sydney:

Oh well don't feel like your alone on this one, she kind of knows that feeling

Especially after what happened in Woodsboro

Though she doesn't bother with her friends, she is very pissed off about yours

Yours get on her nerves and she just hates that you have to go through it

A lot of her friends didn't want to be around her because they thought anyone she was around would die

Which she has sadly gotten used to and has found alternatives to having fun on her own without friends

But now that its the holidays and she's found out that you are now suffering the pain of getting blown off by friends she's already a step ahead

She's got movies out the ass for you both to watch

She even got some of those gingerbread houses that you can make at home

She put on some music for you both to listen to while you do whatever

She does decorate the house so that its more holiday-ish

She does make the whole no friends thing a whole lot more fun

She makes your time with her worthwhile while though so you don't have to worry about it

*****

(Hello again, I hope you enjoyed this and if you did any kind of feedback is highly appreciated! I hope you have an amazing day/night and stay safe out there in the world.)

[tails89]

Are you still taking prompts? I was thinking about a 5+1 Buddie or a domestic. Thank you so much 🏵️

Thanks for the ask! I went with domestic for this one 😄

Send me a bingo prompt

You can also read this on AO3

~~~

“Hey kiddo.” Eddie holds the door open while Chris climbs up into the car. “How was school?”

“It was good.” Chris settles in his seat and waits for his dad to climb in behind the steering wheel. “We all got seeds in science. We planted them to see how they grow. I can’t wait to see what my plants are.”

He goes quiet, and when Eddie glances up at the rear-view mirror he can see Chris's reflection, staring out the window, deep in thought.

“Hey, dad?”

“Yeah buddy?”

“Do you think we could have a garden at home?”

Eddie pulls a face remembering the plant Pepa had given him as a house warming gift when they first moved to LA. She’d called it low-maintenance, insisting that even Eddie couldn’t kill it but by the time he’d finished unpacking the plant had been black and crumbling.

“Dad?”

“I don’t have much of a green thumb,” he admits.

“Oh, yeah.” Chris frowns. “You kill everything.”

“Hey, not everything!”

Chris gives a little sigh and goes back to staring out his window.

“Oh.” He brightens, straightening in his seat. “Maybe Buck can help us.”

“You’ll have to ask him,” Eddie says. Knowing Buck, the answer will be a resounding yes. It seems he’ll take any excuse to come over and hang out with Chris, which works for Eddie because he’ll use any excuse to invite Buck over.

It’s almost embarrassing, to be crushing on someone this hard. Eddie’s an adult, not some lovesick teenager. He shouldn’t be getting butterflies at the thought of seeing Buck.

“Can we ring him when we get home?” Chris asks.

“Buck’s working kiddo, but I’ll send him a text and see if he’s free on the weekend.”

~

Buck is so completely in, because of course he is and Eddie falls just a little bit more in love with him.

Eddie is woken early on Saturday morning by the sounds of movement in the house and the loud beep of the coffee maker. He pads out to the kitchen to find Buck, pulling things from cupboards to make breakfast.

“I gave you a key for emergencies, Buck.”

“Your cooking is an emergency,” Buck calls back to him moving to the fridge and peering inside. “You have eggs, right?” His head disappears behind the door. “Found ‘em.”

Eddie leans against the doorframe and watches Buck move around the kitchen with ease. He doesn’t need to ask where everything is kept having spent enough time in there already.

He stands with his back to the doorway, cracking eggs into a bowl. Eddie wants to go to him, to wrap his arms around his waist and hook his chin over Buck’s shoulder.

He shakes off the mental image and steps into the room.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Buck turns to look at him, rolling his eyes and fixing Eddie with a fond smile.  “I’m making breakfast.”

Eddie has nothing to say to that. He’s certainly not going to try and argue when the alternative to Buck making breakfast is whatever cereal he can find in the cupboard.

He makes a vague ‘go ahead’ motion with his hand and sets about making coffee for them both, sliding one mug along the counter towards Buck before taking a seat at the table.

“Buck!” Chris appears in the doorway, one hand on the wall for balance. “What are you doing here?” He rushes up to Buck, wrapping his arms around the firefighter.

Eddie hides a snort behind his coffee mug at Buck’s over the top pout. “Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten.”

“Oh, the garden!” Chris’s face lights up in joy. “You’re still going to help right?”

“Of course I am,” Buck reassures him. “Our garden is going to be amazing. You just need to promise not to let your dad touch it.”

“Because it will die?”

Buck nods sagely. “Because it will die.”

“Hey.” Eddie reaches with his foot to poke Buck in the leg. “What is this? Roast Eddie day?”

“Are you going to deny it?” Buck asks, whipping back around to face Eddie. There’s an easy grin on his face and he’s laughing as he shoos Chris away from the stove top. It makes Eddie feel giddy with affection and he has to look away before he’s caught staring at Buck’s lips.

~

After breakfast Buck takes Chris outside. They stand side-by-side on the barren back lawn to check out what they’re working with.

Eddie watches shamelessly from the kitchen while he washes up. There’s something about the easy way Buck interacts with Chris that makes his heart pound in his chest. With the window open he can hear them both talking as they make their plans.

“What are you thinking, boss?” Buck has his phone out, tapping away as Chris makes suggestions.

“We should have a vegetable garden next to the house,” Chris says, pointing.

“Vegetable garden?” Buck teases. “Since when do you eat your vegetables?”

“I like some vegetables,” Chris argues.

“Yeah, like what?”

“Carrots—”

“That’s one.”

“And tomatoes.”

“Okay.” Buck taps his phone against his leg, brow knit in thought. “Oh, what about strawberries?”

Chris nods. “I like those.”

“It’s a start,” Buck tells him, writing it down. He glances up, meeting Eddie’s gaze through the window. “You want to come to the hardware store with us?”

“What for?” Eddie asks, opening the window fully.

“Well, do you own a shovel?” Buck asks. “And we’ll need a hose or watering can, soil--"

“There’s plenty of dirt out there,” Eddie says, waving his arm vaguely.

Buck laughs. “And that right there is why Chris is in charge of the garden,” he says. He ducks down to whisper something to Chris. Eddie doesn’t hear it but, judging from the smothered giggles, that’s probably for the best.

“Sure, I’ll come,” Eddie tells them, thinking at least if he goes with them, they can’t tease him behind his back.

~

They tease him to his face, loudly and with no remorse.

Eddie doesn’t mind. Their excitement is infectious and he can’t help getting swept up in it.

They leave the store with more tools than Eddie knows what to do with. He wouldn’t even know the names of half the things that end up in their cart, let alone what they’re used for. Still, Chris and Buck seem happy with their purchases and that’s enough for Eddie.

He leaves them to it once they get back to the house. It’s been made very clear that his help is not needed and Eddie has enough to do inside.

The life of a single parent means there are always chores to do around the house, but then Eddie will hear a laugh—Chris or Buck—and his attention will be pulled back out to the yard.

Eddie holds out for another hour before giving up the pretence of being busy inside. The day is warming up, so he stops by the kitchen to grab Chris's water bottle and fills another for Buck before heading out.

“How’s everything going out here?” He hands Chris his water and tosses the other bottle to Buck. “No ones chopped off any important body parts?”

“We’re making good progress, right Chris?” Buck takes a long drink. He caps the water bottle, dropping it in the grass. “Hopefully we’re done before it gets too hot.”

In one quick movement, Buck pulls his shirt up over his head, using it to wipe the sweat from his face before letting it drop to the ground.

Eddie should look away, should look anywhere other than at Buck. But with that one simple action Eddie has lost all capacity for rational thought.  

“Uh...” He manages to tear his gaze away, but doesn’t miss the knowing smirk that tugs on Buck’s lips. He files that observation away to overthink about later. “You’re not overworking Buck are you?” He asks Chris, latching onto his son for a distraction.

“No.” Chris digs holes in the fresh dark soil. “Buck dug up the grass but I helped spread out the dirt and he said I could decide where the plants go.”

“Oh, so Buck is overworking you then?”

Chris grins and continues digging.

“I guess I’ll leave you both to it then,” Eddie tells them, but he doesn’t head back inside. It’s a nice day, and even if they don’t want his help Eddie is content to sit on the sideline and watch while Chris carefully decides where to put each plant they bought.

~

They spend most of the day outside, pausing only to eat lunch.

When they’re done, Eddie sends Chris to have a bath and then offers Buck the use of the shower. While the water is running, Eddie looks through his closet for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that will fit Buck, leaving them outside the bathroom.

Once everyone is clean, Eddie orders pizza. It’s not quite dinner time, but he can see Chris probably isn’t going to last much longer.

He’s guesses correctly. Chris crashes out on the couch halfway through the movie he picked to watch while eating. There’s still a slice of pizza on his plate.

“I think you broke him,” Eddie teases. He pokes Chris gently on the arm but his kid doesn’t even stir. “You completely wore him out.”

“More like he wore me out.” Buck blinks sleepily across at Eddie. “This gardening business is hard work.”

“You can crash here if you want,” Eddie offers. “You can drive home in the morning when you’re not so tired.”

“Mm, thanks,” Buck mumbles around a yawn.

Standing, Eddie scoops Chris up into his arms. The boy is all limbs and he realises with a start that soon his kid is going to be too big for this.

“Give me a minute to put Chris to bed, and I’ll grab you a blanket from my room.”

Buck doesn’t say anything. His eyes are closed, his head tipped forward, chin propped on his hand.

Eddie quickly tucks Chris into bed then goes to his room, rifling around for the blanket Buck usually borrows when he stays the night.

Buck hasn’t moved from his spot when Eddie returns to the living room. He lingers in the doorway, his eyes drawn to Buck’s sleep rumpled hair then down to the sliver of skin revealed where his shirt is riding up.

“I can feel you staring.”

Eddie flinches in surprise.

“Sorry,” he mutters, moving over to the couch to hand Buck the blanket.

“’s okay.” A sleepy smile pulls at Buck’s lips. “You do it a lot.”

That stops Eddie in his tracks.

“You, uh, noticed that, did you?”

The smile pulls wider. “I always notice you Eddie.”

Eddie’s mouth goes dry. “You do?”

Buck opens his eyes, his gaze fixing on Eddie’s with an intensity that steals Eddies breath.

“Always.”

Eddie licks his lips, trying to draw some moisture back into his mouth. His heart pounds at the idea of what he’s about to say.

“You know, my bed is much more comfortable than the couch.” He offers Buck his hand to pull him to his feet. “Just sleep,” he adds quickly. “But maybe in the morning we could talk about... more...”

Buck nods slowly, more awake now. “I’d like that,” he says. “More. If that’s what you want?” He accepts Eddie’s hand, rising from the couch.

“I want everything with you.”

[clusterbuck]

i want you by my side (so that i never feel alone)

(3.2k, rated T, complete) read it on ao3

Eddie sits in his pew and tries to remind himself that he is in the lord’s house, and that he should really at least make an effort to keep his thoughts respectful.

It’s hard, though, when Buck is at the altar standing up as Maddie’s best man, wearing a suit that should honestly be illegal.

It’s only now, sitting in church trying not to blaspheme, that Eddie realises he’s become desensitised to Buck’s whole… everything. Buck in his firefighter uniform is a lot to take in, but Eddie’s trained himself to look past it. Mostly because he doesn’t ever want to have to explain to Bobby that he missed something on a call because he was distracted by the sight of Buck harnessed up for a rope rescue.

Buck at home—in his apartment or at the Diaz house, they’re practically synonymous anyway—is a whole other matter. Buck in old, faded t-shirts and comfortable sweats, in the LAFD hoodie they’ve been stealing back and forth for so long Eddie isn’t sure whose it was originally. It’s a different kind of intensity, a quiet one that stems from the knowledge that Buck doesn’t let many people see him like that, soft and a little dishevelled on a Saturday morning.

These are incarnations of Buck that Eddie has learned to live with, in the interest of remaining a functional human being capable of doing his job and caring for his son—the only two things on his list of priorities that manage to claw past his highly inconvenient unrequited feelings for his best friend.

But Buck in a suit? This is new, and Eddie’s defences are down. Eddie doesn’t have defences for this. He’s never seen Buck in a suit before.

Maybe he should have made Buck try the suit on at home first, so he could have gotten used to it in private.

Can you get sent to hell for thinking impure thoughts in church? Not that his thoughts are impure, exactly. He’s just thinking about the way the lines of the suit cling to Buck’s figure and highlight his broad shoulders, about the way Buck’s arms strain against the sleeves when he adjusts his cuffs, about the way the starched cotton would feel between his fingers as he unbuttoned Buck’s shirt… Okay, so he might be going to hell.

Eddie shakes his head. This is ridiculous. He’s a grown man, he can pull it together for the duration of a wedding ceremony.

Next to him, Christopher pokes his arm and looks at him curiously. “Dad? Are you okay?” he whispers.

Eddie swallows around the dryness in his throat. “I’m fine, buddy.”

“Why were you shaking your head?”

“I just—uh, forgot something I was supposed to do yesterday,” he whispers back. Forgot to mentally prepare himself for the sight of Buck in formalwear. “Don’t worry about it, just watch the ceremony. Look, I bet Chimney’s about to cry.”

The ceremony is just reaching the vows, and sure enough, as soon as Maddie starts reciting hers Chimney starts tearing up enough that it’s clearly visible to their seats near the back of the church.

This is good. If he focuses on Chimney’s quest to win the title of sappiest man alive, it’ll distract him from the public health hazard that is Buck in that suit.

“Is Chimney okay?” Christopher asks, and Eddie laughs under his breath and wraps an arm around his son.

“Yeah, he’s okay,” Eddie says and ducks down to kiss Christopher’s forehead. “He’s just really happy.”

One of Maddie’s first proclamations about the wedding was that she wanted to do away with any tradition that didn’t make sense to her, and the first thing to go was the separate table for the wedding party.

“Why would we invite all these people just to sit at a separate table all night?” she’d said, and nobody had been able to come up with a counterargument.

Then she’d gone one step further and decided to forego seating arrangements altogether. “Assigned seating is for middle schoolers and people who don’t like each other,” she’d said at Eddie’s kitchen table one night as Buck supposedly helped her plan the wedding. His helping mostly consisted of eating wedding cake samples, but Eddie was pretty sure Maddie wasn’t there for the manpower anyway. “And we’re neither of those things, so people can just sit with whoever they want.”

“I’m gonna be a middle schooler in the fall,” Christopher had pointed out, just serious enough that no one had quite known how to react. Then he’d grinned, and the kitchen had exploded into laughter.

“Good thing the wedding is in the summer, then,” Maddie said with a conspiratorial smile. “No assigned seats for you just yet.”

So when they get to the reception venue, instead of being exiled to the high table Buck is by their side almost immediately. Eddie doesn’t know how he does it, but Buck always seems to be able to find them in any crowd, effortless like gravity.

“I vote we find a table and set up camp,” Buck says.

Eddie nods, because Buck and his suit are in very close proximity and he isn’t entirely sure he’s capable of forming words right now.

He really needs to get a grip, or this is about to be a very long night.

“What do you think?” Buck asks Christopher, pointing at a table along one wall. “That one?”

Christopher agrees and they set off, carefully weaving through all of the dearly beloved who have gathered to witness and rejoice in Maddie and Chimney’s marriage.

“I figured you’d want to be by the wall,” Buck says, hanging back so Christopher doesn’t overhear. “You usually are.”

“I—yeah,” Eddie says, a little bewildered. He doesn’t remember ever actually talking to Buck about this. About the way that ever since the shooting, he can’t seem to make himself turn his back on crowds. He sits with his back to the wall whenever he can, and when he can’t—like in a church watching his friends get married—he sits as far back as he can, and glances over his shoulder every three seconds like his head is mounted on a swivel.

He’s never talked to Buck about it, but apparently Buck noticed anyway.

Their table, Eddie discovers, is also close to the open bar. He debates taking generous advantage of this fact in order to deal with the continued proximity of Buck and his suit, but—getting drunk would probably make it worse, actually. Drunk Eddie isn’t very good at filtering his thoughts.

Buck, however, doesn’t seem to have similar qualms, and by the time they’ve gotten through dinner, he’s bright-eyed and a little flushed.

Eddie loves Buck like this, tipsy and giggly and affectionate. He gets the feeling that Buck tries a little too hard to be taken seriously sometimes, but when he’s had a drink or three he lets his defences down.

“You should dance with me,” Buck says now, leaning so far into Eddie that his head is resting on his shoulder.

“It’s not dancing time yet,” Eddie says, fighting to ignore the thrill that runs through him at the idea of dancing with Buck. “There’s still speeches and cake first.” Buck, thankfully, had given his best man speech before any food or drinks were served, so Eddie doesn’t need to worry about Buck getting too drunk for it.

“Later, then,” Buck says, and makes no move to pick himself up off Eddie’s shoulder. “When it’s dancing time.”

“Sure,” Eddie agrees. “Later.” Then he wonders whether he can get out of it somehow, because there are a lot of people around and his self-control is already worn thin by Buck practically draping himself over him.

Buck puts a hand out, fumbling around like he’s looking for something until he finally lands on his wine glass. When Eddie looks down, Buck’s eyes are closed.

“Hey,” Eddie says, poking at Buck until he sits up straight again. “Have you been drinking enough water?”

Buck opens his eyes and squints at him. “I’m not that drunk, you know,” he informs Eddie.

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah,” Buck says, and touches his nose with alternating forefingers like a field sobriety test. “See? I’m just lazy.” Then he puts his head back on Eddie’s shoulder.

“Okay,” Eddie says, a warm rush of affection running through him. “You wanna do me a favour and drink this water anyway?”

“If you insist,” Buck says with a put-upon sigh, but he grins at Eddie so widely that water almost spills out around the edges of the glass.

It takes almost another hour for it to get to dancing time, and as soon as dancing starts, Buck is whisked away by partner after partner. It’s Maddie first, for the slightly altered tradition of the sister-brother dance, then it’s Hen, and then Chimney wants a turn, too. And Eddie can see why: Buck on the dance floor is joyous and carefree. He looks like he’s having fun, genuinely from the bottom of his heart, and like he’ll spread that joy to anyone who dances with him. It’s no wonder everyone wants a whirl.

Eddie desperately wants one, too, but something stops him every time he tries to get up and walk over to Buck. He’s worried that five seconds of dancing with Buck will give everything away, that everyone around them will be able to see exactly what he feels. That Buck will be able to see. He’s worried that if he dances with Buck he’ll read something into it that isn’t there, and then when Buck turns to the next partner with a grin and a little bow he’ll crush Eddie’s heart under his heel as he goes.

It’s a lot to put on just one dance, but Eddie’s always been good at overthinking.

So he stays at his table. The first time someone tries to get him to join the dancing he makes a vague gesture at Christopher, like the reason he isn’t dancing is that he has to stay and watch his kid. But then Hen and Denny come over to get Christopher to join the kids' dance circle they’ve got going on and Chris goes without a look back, taking Eddie’s only real excuse with him.

He manages to dodge the dancing for almost half an hour until Karen materialises at the end of their table and holds out her hand. It’s not a question so much as it is a declaration of what’s going to happen next. “Come on,” she says. “Can’t have you sitting here looking so gloomy at a wedding, people will start thinking you’re secretly in love with the bride.”

“I’m not—” Eddie starts, and Karen gives him a look that feels like it goes right through him.

“I know,” she says. “Wrong Buckley. Now come on.”

Eddie goes, because he doesn’t know what else to do.

He doesn’t know the song that’s playing, but it’s the kind of easy-listening music that always gets played at weddings, inoffensive and easy to dance to. It’s easy to take Karen’s hand and rest his other hand loosely on her waist, to sway around vaguely in time and in tune with the music.

It’s less easy to look at her after what she’d said, because looking at her means acknowledging it. But he looks anyway, and finds nothing but understanding in her eyes.

“Why don’t you just dance with him?” Karen asks. She doesn’t ask if she’d gotten it right, which Eddie takes to mean that he’s probably not as subtle as he’d hoped.

Eddie doesn’t say anything because he can’t quite put it into words, this certainty that dancing with Buck will be the beginning of the end, somehow. He doesn’t know how to explain that he wants to, more than anything, but the idea terrifies him because it feels too close to a confession for comfort.

“Okay,” Karen says. “What level of crisis are we talking about here? Is this a gay crisis? Or—bi crisis?”

“Bi crisis,” Eddie confirms. “I mean—it’s not that, but if it was. It would be a bi crisis.”

“Copy that. Okay, so what’s the crisis?”

“The crisis is that I’m in love with my best friend, and he’s—not,” Eddie mutters. It strikes him then that he’s never said it out loud before.

“What makes you think that?”

“Wouldn’t he have said something by now?” Eddie asks, and Karen looks at him like he’s a little slow.

“Have you said anything?” she asks.

“I—” Eddie starts, and finds he doesn’t know how to finish his sentence.

Karen smiles. “Just dance with him, Eddie.”

Eddie doesn’t end up dancing with Buck. He keeps trying to talk himself into it, but before he can get all the way there suddenly the banquet hall is emptying out. It’s just him and Buck, now—and Christopher, sleeping in a corner on a pile of spare tablecloths, because he’d insisted he was old enough to stay until the end and proved himself spectacularly wrong.

Buck is going from table to table, making sure none of the guests left anything behind. There’s still music playing—the DJ had gone home an hour ago, but she’d left a playlist on.

Just dance with him, Eddie.

Eddie takes a deep breath. It’s now or never.

Buck looks up when Eddie walks over to him, smiling the soft smile Eddie has only ever seen directed at himself or Christopher.

“Never got that dance,” Eddie says, hoping his voice doesn’t give away the fact that he has spent the past several hours thinking about it.

To his surprise, a blush spreads along Buck’s cheekbones. “No, I guess we didn’t.”

Wouldn’t he have said something by now?

Have you said anything?

There’s a moment where neither of them speaks. Like they’re weighing the options, like they know this isn’t the kind of dancing Buck meant—he’d been talking about a dance floor full of people, safety in numbers, jumping around to something more upbeat.

Then Buck raises an eyebrow and holds out his hand. “You did promise,” he says.

Technically, Eddie thinks, he hadn’t promised. All he’d said was sure. But as he takes Buck’s hand and steps closer, arguing the semantics couldn’t be further from his mind.

Buck is in his shirtsleeves, his jacket long since sacrificed to be Christopher’s blanket. Eddie spreads his fingers along the small of Buck’s back, and his shirt feels exactly like Eddie had imagined back in the church.

The music shifts just as they settle together, going from a soft pop ballad to something closer to a waltz. Buck takes a few halting steps, but it’s clear he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Eddie huffs a soft laugh under his breath. “Here, just follow my lead,” he says. He steers Buck, gentle pressure on his back, and counts steps out loud until Buck gets the hang of it.

Then they’re waltzing around the empty room, and once Eddie stops murmuring one-two-three one-two-three there’s nothing left between them but a couple of inches of air. It feels like nothing, and it feels like the Grand Canyon.

Buck looks up from where he’d been watching Eddie’s feet. “How come you know how to waltz?” he asks, whisper-quiet even though there’s no one else in the room to disturb.

“There are still things you don’t know about me,” Eddie says, equally quiet.

Buck narrows his eyes like he’s going to challenge that, but they’re interrupted by a door clanging open. It’s a teenager in a catering uniform, one Eddie vaguely recognises from throughout the night.

“Uh, sorry,” she says as Buck and Eddie spring apart, looking anywhere but at each other. “Just, we’re about to close up?”

“Sorry,” Buck says. “We’ll get out of your hair.” The girl disappears back through the door, and Buck turns to Eddie. “You get the kid, I’ll get our stuff?”

“Meet you at the car?”

“Race you,” Buck says, and Eddie grins.

Christopher is sleeping soundly enough that he barely stirs when Eddie picks him up, careful to keep him wrapped up in Buck’s jacket. He makes it to the car just as Buck approaches from the other direction, and they work together to get Christopher settled and buckled in without waking him up.

Eddie doesn’t have to ask if Buck is coming home with them. They don’t talk on the drive, mindful of the sleeping child in the back seat, but there’s a tension humming in the air, the feeling of something unfinished and unresolved.

Christopher doesn’t react when Eddie extracts him from the car and carries him to his room. Briefly, Eddie debates whether he should wake Christopher to brush his teeth, but—the kid’s already asleep, and pretty deep, from the sounds of it. Chances are waking him up now would do more harm than missing one night of brushing teeth.

Besides, he doesn’t want to risk Christopher waking up wired and refusing to go back to sleep. He doesn’t know exactly what’s going to happen when he goes back into the living room, back to Buck, but based on the way Buck had been looking at him in the banquet hall before they were interrupted, and the way Buck kept stealing glances at him on the drive home, he’s pretty sure something is.

And he’d thought he’d be nervous, if this day ever came, but all he feels is excitement starting to build somewhere in his stomach.

Buck is waiting for him in the living room, something like determination blazing in his eyes. “Hey,” he says. “Is this one of those things you think I don’t know about you?” He cups Eddie’s face and pulls him in, closer, pressing his entire body along Eddie’s before finally fitting their lips together.

Eddie kisses back instinctively, wrapping his arms around Buck to pull him closer. He feels simultaneously like he’s drowning in Buck and like Buck is his only supply of oxygen; he wants to keep getting closer and closer until he’s crawling inside Buck’s ribcage.

The need for real oxygen pries them apart eventually but they don’t go far, foreheads pressed together and their heavy, panting breaths mingling.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Eddie asks. “If you knew?”

“I didn’t for sure,” Buck says. “Not until today.”

“What about today?”

“I saw the way you looked at me in the suit,” Buck smirks.

Eddie groans.

“Hey, all’s well that ends well,” Buck says, and leans in to kiss him again. Eddie loses track of how long they stand there in the middle of the room, getting to know each other in this new way, exploring with hands and tongues, marking time in hitched breaths and soft sighs.

When Buck eventually starts steering them towards the sofa, Eddie goes willingly. They collapse in a tangle of limbs, and Buck lands mostly on top of Eddie. Buck’s weight presses him down in a delicious way, and Buck’s every movement sends sparks skidding down Eddie’s spine. Buck wastes no time in taking advantage of his new position, shifting his hips against Eddie’s and grinning when Eddie lets out a noise somewhere between a gasp and a moan.

“Buck,” he hisses. “I’m—it’s been a while, I’m not gonna last long if—”

But Buck just grins above him. “Who said I’m trying to make it last long right now?” he says, grinding his hips in a slow, deliberate move. “We have the rest of our lives for that.”

[mysticalrambling]

Hey there hope you are doing well🥰🥰🥰Saw you were open to blurb request...can you please write a fluff related to my second steve rogers x reader story...where the reader forgives steve after his tiresome efforts to win back his family..Like can you write about how a domestic sunday willl be in their lives Steve's, reader's and Ollie's? how they will enjoy breakfasta and Steve enjoys the day with his wife and son❤❤❤

A/N: This is basically an alternative ending to Regretting his Decisions. The original one basically ended in all angst so I hope you guys like this as well. It is totally different from the first one. Just something new :)

Regretting His Decisions (S.R)

Steve Rogers AU (Fan fiction Masterlist)

Summary: Steve and reader come together after she forgives him for all the things that he had done in the past. Now, they are spending a Sunday together with their son, Oliver. It is all fluff.

Warning: None. Fluff all the way.

._._._._._.

There were times when you thought that you shouldn’t have forgiven Steve because society thought that you were in a toxic relationship. They thought that he shouldn’t have come back into your life as he chose Peggy. But Tony told you the real reason. Peggy had hijacked the time machine and Steve had to spend his whole life in the past to rebuild that time machine. That’s why he didn’t come back to you.

However, Steve came back to you like he promised he would. He got Scott to help him reverse the past and become his old self. He was going to choose you and that’s what mattered the most. Your husband knew that the things he did in the start of your marriage were cruel and he didn’t deserve you. But he had suffered a lot and he was truly in love with you. That’s why you gave him a chance. You deserved to be happy as well and your family needed a proper chance.

At first, your interaction was just limited to Oliver and you lived separately even though you knew the truth. It was hard to forgive him for the things he had actually done like belittling you or abandoning you. But as time progressed, you saw how he was with your son and how he treated you with nothing but respect.

Steve gave you as much space as you needed and he was there for you when you needed him. He was there when your library burnt down during a fire hazard. He was there to console you when your parents suddenly died in a car crash. He was there when Ollie broke his arm while playing football. He was always there and that’s what got you to eventually open up to him. You finally asked to try again and for him to move into the house. Your family was happy and that’s what mattered. Other people can go to hell.

“Stevie, mommy needs pancakes.” Your three year old was sitting on the counter with his legs swinging back and forth. He was currently arguing with his father about your breakfast preference because apparently he knew you better than your husband.

“No, Mommy loves waffles. You want pancakes so you’re telling me to make them.” The little boy had been up for the past two hours because he had a nightmare. He always wanted to cuddle with his father afterwards and now, he was angry. “I’m your dad, buddy. Not Stevie.”

“But Mommy calls you Stevie.” He whined as he jumped in his place. Steve was quick to hold him in his place before he could fall. Oliver was never afraid to get hurt because he healed too quickly. The serum running through his veins always made him feel like a super hero. In a way, he was but Steve was always worried about him.

“She can do that. Not you.” At this point, he was just messing with his son.

“I can, Stevie.” Oliver asserted his point.

“Okay, buddy. Can I call you Ollie then?” This was going to get interesting, really fast.

“No! Mommy calls me that name only.” Giving him a pointed look, Steve laughed out loud. “Okay, daddy. I get it now.”

“Good boy. Now, let’s start making the breakfast.” Tying an apron around himself, he started taking out all the ingredients.

It was Sunday so you didn’t have work today. You always slept in late on Sundays and Steve always made sure that you got your much needed rest. A twelve hour job and a hyper three year old sucked out most of your energy so he didn’t like to disturb you for anything. Morning breakfast was your family’s tradition.

Steve didn’t know how to cook properly but you never complained. His burnt french toasts are better than any five star chicken steal and that was saying a lot. You loved him too much to ever say that you didn’t want to eat the breakfast made by him. It was such a sweet gesture that you teared up whenever you saw them entering the room with a tray in their hands.

“Baby, you have to hold on to the vase tightly.” Your husband’s hushed voice filtered through the door and woke you up from your deep slumber. Footsteps echoed through the wooden floor and soon the door opened.

“Mommy!!! Look I made you breakfast.” Jumping on the bed, he completely forgot about the vase of pink flowers and dropped them on the bed.

“Oh, thank you, baby.” Oliver’s knee accidentally hit you in the stomach and knocked the breath out of your lung. Gasping, you slightly cradled your child, “Be careful, bubs.”

“Sorry, mommy.”

Laughing, Steve corrected his son, “Oliver, we both made the breakfast and I did most of the work.”

“I beat waffle mixture.”

“You dropped it all on the kitchen counter. Not the same thing, baby.” He got up on the bed but still was not a match for his father’s height.

“I made it. I’m better than you.”

Interrupting them before Oliver truly got angry, “My baby is better than everyone. Stevie, don’t tease him.”

“’kay, darling.” He raised his hands in surrender and joined you both on the bed.

Steve was thankful for his little family and he tried to spend every waking moment with them. He didn’t want to miss the special moments so he made sure to take time off from missions. Nothing was more important than his family. There was still regret in his heart for treating you like crap in the early years of marriage. He would never forgive himself for the heinous acts that he committed. He will spend every moment making it up to you.

Finishing the breakfast with a lot of teasing and jokes, you went to get ready for the day. Meanwhile, your husband took Oliver to his room and gave him a shower. Oliver was a total boy in the sense that he ran away from the idea of shower. Only Steve could make him sit in a tub long enough to actually bathe him and by the end of it, no one knew who actually showered. Steve would emerge out of the washroom with water dripping down his hair and drenched clothes.

Today was no different. ”Help this little devil with his clothes while I go change.”

“Aw. Thank you, babe.” You tried to hold in your laughter when you saw his condition but you couldn’t help it.

“Next time, you’re doing it.”

“Sure sure.” Pecking him on the lips, you went into Ollie’s closet. He always said this but he was there to take your son before you could even think about taking him to shower. He would never admit it but he liked this chore. It was a bonding time for him and Oliver.

For today you all agreed that it would be best to just relax around the house. With the upcoming Hydra missions, the media had been loitering around your house to have an interview with Steve. You both decided that the best way to attain some privacy would be to stay home.

“Incredible, please!” The little boy sitting on your lap looked at you with puppy dog eyes that you didn’t have the heart to refuse.

“But we have watched that movie a hundred times.” Steve whined from his place on the couch.

“Not a hundred times, daddy. Just seven times.” Counting on his fingers, he showed you both eight fingers instead of seven.

“That’s eight fingers, baby.” You put one of his fingers down and squished his cheeks. He was too cute for his own good. “And we can watch it one more time but that’s it.”

Steve knew that he would be outnumbered in this match so he just gave up. At this point, he knew the dialogues by heart. But he preferred this over being lonely. He stocked up on all the snacks a day before so you were all set for a movie marathon. It was going to be really fun.

In between the movie, Oliver made you sing all the songs and you all cried when Mufasa died. Even Steve had slight tears in his eyes. Fate was cruel to the Lion King and he could never think of leaving his family alone. It was too much but then the happy ending always brought him joy. This movie truly was a true roller coaster.

“I wanna watch Boss Baby now.” The little boy demanded as soon as credits rolled in.

“Okay, boss.”

“He truly is the boss, isn’t he?” You looked down at the snuggled up child on the couch.

“Yes, he is.” Ruffling his hair, Steve gave his son an adoring smile.

The whole day, you kept going through movies that were demanded by Oliver and around five, you all fell asleep on the couch. It was a really good nap and you woke up before both your boys. You made them dinner because you wanted to eat proper food. Steaks and broccoli was the best option so you went with it.

“You made dinner?” The two hands snaking around your waist startled for you a second but you relaxed when you heard his voice.

“Yeah. Got up before you guys so just thought to start working on dinner.” You kept your hands on the side of his face while he nuzzled his face in your neck. He was extra clingy today and you loved that about him.

“Okay, I loved spending time with you both today.”

“We both did as well. I love you.”

“I love you too.” You were interrupted before you could kiss your husband.

“I’m hungry!” Oliver came waltzing into the kitchen and Steve picked him up.

Both of you looked at each other before saying it together, “We love you, Ollie.”

“Family hug!” Your son was demanding and you both would never deny his wishes. Your family was too cute and you loved them too much.

Hope you guys enjoyed it!!

._._._._._.

A/N: Tell me if you guys enjoyed it. I am open to blurbs and requests so feel free to send in asks. Love you guys!! And tell me if you want to be added to my tag list.

Tag list: @peculiarpenman, @kalopsia-flaneur, @justile, @agnesk, @caanyoonmoon, @nostxlgia18

Like, comment and reblog.

._._._._._.

[marvelouspeterparker]

P R O F E S S O R ’ S  S W E E T H E A R T  M A S T E R P O S T 

smut indicated by *

fic and blurbs under the cut

PROFESSOR’S SWEETHEART *

professor holland is the best thing to happen in your college experience, for a whole number of reasons.

b l u r b s

let’s begin

the first time you and tom see each other. (prequel)

time for celebration

liz’s reaction to you staying over at tom’s place.

reminding you what’s his *

tom sees a frat boy trying to ask you out and has no choice but to fuck you in his office afterwards, obviously.

summer flirting 

you, tom, liz and harrison all hangout during your summer break, liz takes this time to make a move on harrison.

six months

for your six month anniversary, you and tom both surprise each other. (can be read as a prequel to the first i love you)

the first i love you

their first i love you.

cuddling and reminiscing

over a year since you and tom got together, he starts to reminisce during your christmas movie marathon.

tease *

when tom decides to tease you and it backfires after class.

interrupted *

you and tom are almost caught and the reason for it is less than favorable.

i need you * (ish)

tom’s stressed out and he really needs to feel you. (cockwarming blurb)

a ride in the office * (part two to i need you)

you ride tom after cockwarming him while he finished his work.

here for you

you’re stressed out and unintentionally push tom away, he makes sure to show you that you’re not alone. 

meet the parents

in which tom meets your parents.

my girl

tom finally gets to call you his, in public.

kiss deprived

you’re sick and tom takes care of you, but he misses your kisses. 

valentines day

your first valentine’s day with tom, he can’t help but spoil you.

one lucky bitch

you’re a little careless with the marks you leave on tom’s neck and you only realize the next day during class.

i messed up

in which tom lets his jealousy get the best of him and he has to make it up to you.

i’m all yours *

an alternate version of “i messed up” that leads to you being pressed against tom’s office door.

your secret’s safe with me

you and tom get spotted while you’re eating dinner together. 

i got the job

you get a job as a teaching assistant, but when you find out why you got it, your mood changes completely.

it was all you

part two to “i got the job”, you and tom make up.

whoops

you wear one of tom’s shirts to class and he can’t seem to focus.

i’ll always be there

aftercare with tom.

attention

you’re tired of girls flirting with tom during class, so you decide to tease him by not wearing any underwear under your very short skirt.

interesting study methods *

tom helps you study for a test in a very interesting and pleasing way.

just wanna be with you

it’s your birthday and tom treats you well. 

what you deserve

tom spoils you and you can’t help but wonder why.

so when’s it coming?

you and tom spend the holidays at his family’s house. 

eating a snack ;)

alternate universe where the pandemic happens––y/n takes tom’s class from his bedroom and can’t help but tease him.

under the table *

same alternate universe, but you give tom a bj while he’s teaching a zoom class.

let’s see *

you wear a tank top with no bra to class and when tom hears a dumb frat boy make a suggestive comment about you, he just has to bring you to his office to play with you.

girl of my dreams *

just some fluffy bath smut. 

all the time

tom just really likes seeing you in his shirt.

yes, darling?

tom accidentally calls you a pet name during class. 

did so good *

your presentation goes really well and tom rewards you for all your hard work.

home

you had a rough day and ask tom to bring you home.

let me help

you’re struggling with you work and tom helps you out. 

goodnight

tom comes home late from work to find you asleep in his bed, surrounded by papers and books. 

nonsense

to tries to help you with your work for another class but he has no idea what’s going on.

promise

you get some bad news and tom comforts you. 

lucky

tom gets emotional when you take care of some things for him after realizing how lucky he is.

professor’s sweetheart

tom has a thought about a certain well known saying. 

good morning *

when harrison walks in on you and tom going at it, but your lower halves are conveniently hidden from his view, tom doesn’t hesitate to keep going.

just realized *

you and tom have a casual conversation while you’re busy. 

just a little longer *

tom has you wear a vibrator during his class.

i know *

one of tom’s colleagues flirt with him and you take him back to his office to remind him that he’s yours. 

one last present * (mentions)

you surprise tom for his birthday.

i’ve been waiting for this

you graduate and tom is finally able to show the world you’re his. 

we?

you give tom the best news he could ask for. 

hello everyone

at your ten year reunion, jaws drop as everyone sees who your baby daddy is.

[ghostbustermelanieking]

Jmart with 1?

so i made this prompt entirely too complicated. i've kind of had this idea for a while and used this prompt as an excuse to write it lol. i need to put more safehouse fics out in the world, right? also can be found here on ao3

1. things you said at 1 a.m.

It's too cold, after leaving the Lonely. It shouldn't be this bloody cold in London in September—it feels like it's below zero—and Martin's teeth are chattering as they walk back from the Institute. His fingers are freezing. Jon's shivering, too, clutching Martin's hand with both of his, leaning towards Martin as if he is a heater. It feels like they need winter coats, hats and scarves and gloves to block the wind, but the wind isn't blowing at all; Jon Knows, without even trying, that it's really just 10°C outside. 

Martin hasn't completely shaken off the remnants of the Lonely yet. He's out of it, taking long moments to respond when Jon says anything; his eyes are still a faded gray. And he's shaking so hard that Jon can feel the vibrations all the way up his arm. He's tired. He keeps swaying into Jon's shoulder, unsteady on his feet. Hold on, Martin, Jon keeps saying. We'll be home soon. He squeezes Martin's hands. Numbly, slowly, Martin squeezes back. 

They go to Martin's flat, because Jon doesn't have one and the Institute isn't safe. Martin's fingers are numb with cold (Jon Knows without trying), fumbling around his key without getting a good hold on it before Jon reaches for it and asks if he should do it. Martin nods, quiet, and Jon lets them in. 

It isn't any warmer in Martin's flat. Not surprising, as deep as the Lonely had seeped into Martin, but it still hurts Jon a little to see, the cold seeping into his bones. They sit on the couch, vaguely speaking of dinner; Jon isn't hungry, but he knows Martin needs to eat, and so he presses the issue, thinking only of all the times in the beginning that Martin had pressed him to eat or brought him tea. He makes the tea this time, makes it the way he remembers Martin making it once, before the Unknowing, and brings the mugs into the living room. They never do make it to dinner; Martin is quiet, responding numbly, or not at all, to questions, and Jon isn't doing much better. Martin talks of moving to the bed—well, really, he tells Jon to take the bed and Jon says absolutely not, thinks It's your bed and I won't leave you alone —but it never happens. In the end, Martin falls asleep on the couch, his head tipped back against the back of the couch, his mouth half opening, shivering violently in his sleep, his tea going cold on the coffee table. 

Jon finds every blanket in the flat that he can and piles it over Martin, practically cocooning him in them. It's clumsy work; Martin's comforter keeps sliding off, and the afghan from the couch gets tangled in the extra quilts. But it looks warm, and that's all that matters, that Martin is warm. 

(There's fog in the flat, just a little, creeping over the floor. The Lonely is here with them, seeped into both of their bones, but it's sunk deeper into Martin, and all Jon can think is that he won't let him go. He won't let Martin be lost, not again. Not if he can help it.)

There are no blankets left. Jon pulls his own coat over himself, and then—trying not to feel too entirely pathetic—Martin's. It's large and warm, warmer than Jon's own; it smells like Martin, too, Jon's nose pressed against the collar. But Martin isn't gone this time, isn't off somewhere cloaked too heavily in fog for Jon to reach him; Martin is right here. Jon can hear his deep, shaking breaths, feel the comforting weight of him on the opposite side of the couch. 

He fumbles through the layers of coats and blankets and finds Martin's hand again. It is the warmest part of him, as he's falling asleep, his hand in Martin's. 

---

Jon and Martin sleep on the train to Scotland. They're both exhausted, both worn out, and both, somehow, still freezing. They shouldn't be this cold. Jon Knows they shouldn't be this cold. 

Martin's brought blankets, and he insists Jon take one; he's been better today, more there, more… Martin, and he wasn't happy that Jon didn't leave any blankets for himself the night before. Jon's so cold—even in a jumper and a coat, and with the sun coming through the window—that he doesn't argue. (Well. Only a little, only to see Martin's face screw up in mock irritation in a way that might make Jon melt a little inside.) He takes the blanket. It smells like Martin, too. 

They sleep, and Jon wakes up still cold, fingers still freezing, bones aching—except on one side, where he and Martin have slumped against each other, Jon's head on Martin's shoulder, and Martin's head against Jon's. The warmth seeps through the layers of blankets and coats and all of it. 

Jon stays there, leaning heavily into Martin, for a long time after he wakes up, not ready to move away from the warmth.

---

There aren't enough blankets in the safehouse. 

There is only one bed, which helps. One large bed—Daisy must have liked her space. But still: it makes the discussion over blankets easier. (They argue a little over who will take the bed; Martin tries to take the couch, and Jon tries to take the couch, and it begins to get ridiculous. It just makes sense, in the end, to share the bed.) Between the two of them, they pile the sheets, three quilts, and the blankets Martin brought on the bed. It still isn't enough. The bed stays freezing, and Martin stays freezing, too. He's been layering jumpers, scarves, even wooly hats, and pushing the same towards Jon; he looks like someone braving a blizzard, or sick with a cold, and Jon tells him so. He worries, afterwards, that he's crossed the line, made a joke about something distinctly unfunny (reverted back to a version of himself that he'd rather forget), but Martin just laughs a little and says, "If I'd known this would be the effect of working for Peter, I might've invested in more winter clothing." Jon laughs, too, and accepts the scarf and hat when Martin pushes it his way. 

There's a box of firewood out by an old shed. Jon doesn't bother speculating what it might be for. They build a fire in the hearth, that first night, and that helps. Read books they've both packed on the couch, their knees touching through the layers of blankets, and it's the most peaceful Jon's felt in a long time. 

The cold creeps back in, though. Even with the blankets, even with the ancient heating system in the house turned on, even with Martin in the bed with him ( Martin, who Jon has missed tremendously for seven months now). The cold and the fog and all of it; it creeps back in while they are sleeping, when Jon is too distracted to notice. 

He wakes up sometime in the middle of the night, shivering, teeth chattering. There is a quivering in the blankets, a sort of shaking, and Jon knows that Martin is shivering, too. The fog is creeping back in; somehow, the Lonely hasn't left them yet. Jon reaches out and brushes his fingers over Martin's arm; he hisses a little at the contact. One or both of them are as cold as ice; he isn't sure who anymore. 

His mind immediately begins racing, searching for any sort of alternative to the blankets and the jumpers and the socks and scarves. More jumpers in the suitcase, he thinks. The coats. Maybe they can conserve some warmth with the curtains, or some ridiculous thing like that. Anything to keep Martin warm. Somehow, two of the blankets have ended up on his side—Jon isn't sure why—so he attempts to rearrange them, pushing them over to Martin's side, and slides to the edge of the bed, ready to retrieve more things from the suitcase. But Martin's voice, rising blearily, sleepily from the other side of the bed—"J'n?"—stops Jon in his tracks. He hadn't realized that Martin was awake. 

Martin yawns, twisting in the covers, his teeth chattering a few more times. "What… what time s'it?

"1:07 a.m.," says Jon automatically. He shivers hard a few times on instinct, wraps his arms around himself. "I-I'm sorry, Martin, I-I… didn't mean to wake you."

"Mm, wasn' really sleeping anyway…" Martin yawns again, rubbing at his eyes. They look bigger, somehow, without his glasses, dark and soft in the dim light of the room, and Jon loves him so much. 

"I… I wanted to get you more blankets," Jon says, forgetting for a moment that there aren't any others—he revises, "O-or… something else to keep you warm. Something… y-you looked cold, I mean."

Martin blinks a few times in disbelief. Looks out at the blankets at the bed and pulls at the two knit ones from his own flat, like he can't believe they're there. "Jon, you… gave me the blankets back," he says, voice stiff thick with sleepiness. 

Jon chews at his lower lip, shudders all over as another wave of cold hits. "Y-yes, well, they'd… ended up on my side of the bed, somehow, and you… you were cold, as I said, and I…" 

"Jon, I g-g-gave them to you for a reason," Martin says, sounding more awake, and maybe a little fauxly put out; he's clenching his jaw as he talks in an attempt to keep his teeth from chattering. " You're cold, Jon. You were sh-shivering in your sleep!"

It's Jon's turn to blink in surprise now, caught off guard by Martin's words. "Yes, b-but you… you need the blankets more than I do, Martin… th-they're your blankets, and you've been freezing since the Lonely, a-and…" He looks out at the room. He can't see the fog anymore, but that doesn't mean it's gone. "I don't want to lose y—" he starts, stops. Martin might not be his to lose. Amends: "I-I don't want you to be lost, not again, a-and I…"

Martin makes a faint sound of what might be disgust. "This is ridiculous, Jon," he says, and Jon allows himself to worry for a second (Has he gone too far, saying I don't want to lose you, assuming Martin wants this kind of contact, when Martin only said he loved Jon, not love?), before Martin continues: "W-we were both touched by the Lonely… we've both been alone for so long, w-we…" He stops, rubs a hand over his face. Jon can feel him shivering from here, all the way across the mattress. (King sized. Why does Daisy need something this big?) 

Martin lowers his hand. His eyes are wet; Jon can see, and he worries still that he's gone too far. But then Martin's reaching across the mattress, his hand extended towards Jon, and saying, "W-we should just… it'd be warmer if we, um…" 

Jon slips his cold fingers through Martin's; Martin squeezes his hand, so gently that Jon's chest aches a little. He says, his voice soft and sleepy, "... C'mere?" 

Tentative, Jon slides across the mattress, through the nest of blankets towards Martin's broad, soft chest. And then Martin's arms are sliding around him. Martin's embracing him, hands soft and just as cautious against Jon's back. And Jon can't help it anymore; he melts into the embrace. Winds his own arms around Martin, pressing as close as he can physically get (arms around his shoulders, face pressed into his neck). It's easy, too easy, because Martin has been gone for so long and Jon just only now got him back—he's thinking of the tapes and Martin slipping away down the hall, Martin being taken into the Lonely, Martin's voice saying he wouldn't be coming back, and it's all too easy to cling to Martin hard as he can. They're both still freezing, skin chilled to the cut, but… Jon can feel it dissipating. Something warm is growing between them, he thinks. Something. 

"How did neither of us think of this?" Martin whispers. There's a quiver in his voice, just subtle enough that Jon can't tell if he's laughing or crying. "Two days we've been freezing, bundling up, a-and throwing blankets at each other like we're jumping onto a grenade… a-and neither of us thought of this?"

"I missed you," Jon whispers. He hears a sharp gasp from Martin, like he might cry, and it only makes him hold on harder. He's never held Martin like this before, never. (They hugged, before the Unknowing, but that was quick and awkward and over too soon, and Jon had foolishly thought there would still be a chance for this when he came back.) He's never held Martin like this before, but he knows he never wants to stop. He presses his nose against the hollow of Martin's neck and says again, "I missed you, Martin. So much. I… I don't think I can begin to tell you how much." 

Martin takes a few trembling breaths. Ducks his head to press his lips against Jon's forehead—Jon leans into the affection of the touch, the warmth. "I've… missed you, too," he murmurs. "So much, Jon, I… staying away from you, a-after you came back… I thought I'd lost you, a-and it… it almost killed me."

"I'm here," says Jon, "I'm here, you're here," and he kisses Martin at the soft spot under his jaw. Presses closer into the bubble of heat they've created, threads his fingers through Martin's hair and adds, silently, I'll keep you warm. 

When they wake, the next morning, the cold is gone, and so is the fog. Like it was never even there in the first place. 

[chojiakimichi]

Kakashi & Toshiko thoughts

When Kakashi is given charge of team Seven he already doesn’t want them so when Sasuke Uchiha’s younger sister— when Itachi’s kid sister; Obito’s younger cousin, one he never got to meet —tags along because she’s seemingly attached to her brothers shadow all Kakashi thinks is how much he doesn’t want a team mascot too.

But Toshiko is sweet, or so Kakashi quickly realizes. She makes sure— on her days to pack lunch, because her and Sasuke are kids taking care of one another; they alternate on who makes dinner and packs the others lunch and other things kids with parents take for granted —to always send Sasuke with extra snacks. At first the extra snack was for Naruto but then another extra kept ending up in Sasuke bento for him.

She listens; where Naruto night call him old or Sasuke forgets to tack on -sensei, Toshiko looks at him in awe and eagerness to learn. (She internalizes his lessons like none of his other students; Gai might have Lee but Kakashi has Toshiko and she’s not even one of his official students).

After Sasuke leaves and Kakashi has failed yet another Uchiha and Naruto goes to train with Jiraiya and Sakura with Tsunade he starts letting Toshiko house sit for him when he’s on missions. Usually he leaves a summons at the apartment and somehow he always ends up having to pick the summons up from the Uchiha district turned ghost town.

Kakashi offers to help Toshiko find her own apartment once she makes genin. He understand what kind of toll it takes to walk over blood soaked floor boards but Toshiko refuses to move (“Sasuke will be back” she would say, “And I can’t just let the house fall apart while I wait for him”.)

Toshiko, like the rest of team Seven, never sees his face, no matter how hard she tries. And seeing as she’s the only one of his four kids both still in the village and with time on her hands, she tries.

Kakashi usually tries to stick other people with his tabs but on the days Toshiko tracks him down for extra training and they go to eat afterwords he somehow always just pays? Always asks if she’s had enough to eat and pays without complaint, even if she dose remind him that she can pay this time — she’s a ninja now after all.

When Toshiko makes chunin Kakshi gives her a blade. It’s a tantō, not the one that had belonged to his father as that one had long ago shattered but Kakashi remembers Obito telling him how when he made chunin his grandmother had given him a blade of his own; Itachi had told him something similar too. And with no Uchiha’s in the village left Kakashi had taken it upon himself to bestow a blade upon Toshiko.

Toshiko fights people. After Sasuke leaves and his team— and her small group of friends —are all she has left, Toshiko, the usually happy-go-lucky girl keeps ending up in back alley scuffles. Always over someone badmouthing a loved one, sometimes it’s Sasuke or Naruto; the worst fight she got into was over Kaksshi though. Her genin team leader was bad mouthing Kakashi and Toshiko who always took whatever her sensei threw at her stood up straight and told the older jonin to keep his fucking mouth shut. (“I won’t let you spread lies about Kakashi-sensei! He’s a good guy and an even better sensei! I bet your just jealous you’ll never be the same level of teacher, man or ninja that he is!”) Toshiko of course, ends up in the hospital at the end of the day but completely content in the fact she stood up for her actual sensei.

Toshiko doesn’t sign the dog summons contract. Not that Kakashi doesn’t offer it to her— he dose —but by the time he offers it to her she’s already signed her own. (Kakashi and the dogs try to act supportive but she did sign with leopards and no matter how big they might be, a leopard is still a cat).

Toshiko sort of just assumes Kakashi is married to Gai only to then find out he’s not and is so worried about her sensei growing old alone she keeps trying to set him up with diffrent people until they talk about it. (Kakashi tells Toshiko he’s okay with how his life is and if he never gets married and has children to take care of him in his elderly years he’ll just move in with her and her family; to which Toshiko gets oddly excited about).

Kakashi nearly shits a brick when Shikamaru and Toshiko start going out because yeah she’s no long the ten year old team mascot she once was but still, that’s his team mascot! He makes Shikamaru sit through his version of a shovel talk; Kakashi knows Shikamaru and Toshiko have been friends since before either of them was in the academy and that they’ve loved each other longer then admitted too but he can’t just let his faviorte unofficial student off into the world with a boy! (Kakashi ignores Asuma when the other man says he’s acting more like a father than sensei).

When the war is over and Kakashi is Hokage he and Toshiko have lunch in his office once a week. Shikamaru is technically allowed to join but decides not to as he goes to have lunch with his own mother during that time.

Years later, after the war and after they’ve been dating far longer than any of their peers, Kakashi is also part of Toshiko’s wedding processional order. It’s a Nara elder who married Shikamaru and Toshiko but it’s him who walks down the isle behind her with her brothers, ready to give her away and watch the little girl who showed up to his first team meeting become someone’s wife.

[damieclipse]

i don't know if you're into au, but could you maybe write one where one of them are famous and because of that they have to keep their relationship as a secret? Also, thank you for all your fics. i love all of them 😘

Thank you so much!! Here it is, sorry in advance.

Maya wakes up in a cold bed, again. It's not too early in the morning but early enough for her to sigh seeing no sight of her girlfriend. She can hear noises in the kitchen and it hurts her when she can't even find it in herself to smile at Carina's morning singing. She's exhausted.

The blonde decides a shower would be good for her before she has to face reality again. She strips down her shirt and gets into the water, letting her thoughts wonder.

And they always wonder to unwanted thoughts.

It's hard for Maya, dealing with all of those negative feelings towards her relationship that was once the most joyful thing she's ever had.

It all happened so fast between them, Carina had been in the United States for a few months because of a tv show job she's gotten there. They met when Maya, a firefighter with almost no experience, was assigned to the set Carina was filming at, to make sure everything was safe. They hit it off from the begging, Maya completely enchanted by the Italian's - at the time - broken english, and the way her smiled would light up the whole room. Maya invited the brunette to the bar and the rest was history.

The blonde was madly in love after so little time, and Carina felt the same. There were kisses and promises and so many shared memories and then after four months the Italian had to go back to her country and it felt like Maya's paradise was being ripped away from her. When Carina invited her to come along, coming with her was one of the easiest decisions Maya has had to make, there was nothing holding her in America, no family contact, almost no friends. And firefighting? It didn't make her half as happy as Carina. It was crazy, she knew that, but she was crazy for the Italian and it made sense in that moment.

But when they got to Italy everything changed, the freedom they had when dating in America vanished. Carina had a solid actress career, and Italy wasn't as open to gay relationships as the US, they had to keep it low. And Maya was fine with that, she liked to keep things private, but after three years of not being able to kiss the love of her life outside the apartment... Maya was tired.

She loved Carina just the same, love wasn't the problem, and she knew the Italian loved her back. But Carina also loved her career, and Maya didn't want to take that away from her. She just didn't know what to do. Being hidden wasn't enough anymore.

The door of the bathroom opens and Maya is pulled out of her thoughts.

"Buongiorno bella." Carina walks in with her beautiful aura and dazzling smile. "You should've eaten breakfast before showering, the toasts will be cold."

Maya turns the shower off, a small smile on her face and doesn't bother to hide her body from her girlfriend, who looks at it like it was the most beautiful work of art she's ever seen.

"così bella." The italian sighs, pulling Maya's naked body to herself. She kisses the blonde slowly, her hands going up and down Maya's waist. It's nothing if not a genuine gesture they are so used to share with each other, there's no second intentions, just pure love at that moment... But only behind closed doors.

And that's why it's so hard for Maya, she gets lost in tiny moments, shared between her and Carina as if it's the moment she realized she was in love all over again, it's delightful, like finally reaching the end of a run. But the hapiness lasted so little, because there was always another run, and another sweet moment and then more running. And running for only a few minutes of hapiness at the end of it was not enough. Not anymore.

She found a home in Carina, years ago, but somehow lost herself along the way. And she didn't know how to get it back. Not like this. But what was the alternative?

"Do you have to go to work today?" Maya asks when Carina finally lets her go.

The blonde doesn't wait for a response as she leaves the bathroom, finding clothes to spend the day.

"No, not today."

Maya senses eyes are watching her as she dresses up and it's not longe before arms are hugging her from behind, and she's lost in Carina's scent again. Everything is okay. It will be okay.

Carina turns her around and simply looks into her eyes, hands caressing her neck. Maya looks back and all she can see are brown orbits filled with love.

"Ti amo, you know that right?"

"I love you too Car." Maya smiles, it's impossible not to, that is the love of her life right there.

Carina pulls her in for another kiss and Maya lets herself be controlled by the Italian. They end up in bed, Carina kissing her neck just the way she knows Maya likes it, aggressive and sweet, sucking and biting.

"We need to talk." Carina says between kisses and all Maya's body goes tense. She's heard that before.

"About what?"

"Can I keep kissing you for a few more minutes?" Carina almost begs and Maya frowns but nods. It's not like she's eager to break their bubble either.

Maya pulls her girlfriend back to her lips and it tastes like home, like it always has, and like it always will taste. She forgets about their needing to talk and lets herself feel completed by Carina's presence, Carina's body.

It's hours later when Maya finally leaves the room for the first time that day, followed by Carina minutes after. She eats cold french toasts and they don't taste as good, but Maya doesn't think it's because they are cold.

"Bambina." Carina calls from the couch and Maya sighs.

Another long conversation she thinks.

"Yeah?" She asks, not turning around as she washes the dishes she just used.

"I got a job."

"That's good, love."

"Yeah... But we'll have to reschedule out trip to America."

Maya closes her eyes. No, not this. Not the only thing she was excited about.

"Carina..."

"Look I know okay? I know you reconnected with Mason and you wanna visit and meet his baby, I tried changing the dates but they wouldnt let me, I'm sorry, it's just for two months later. We could invite them here you know."

"No Carina we couldn't, because your agent won't even let me enter somedays because he's scared people will get suspicious."

"Maya..." Carina comes to her and tries to hug her but the blonde backs away.

"No. You know I do want to visit Mason and meet my niece, I do. But this isn't the only reason this trip is important you know."

"I know Maya..." Carina sighs, she knows how their hidden relationship is taking a toll on her girlfriend, and she feels it too. Of course she wished she could kiss Maya whenever and wherever she wants, but she feels trapped, it's both of her dreams collapsing together and it's not the way she imagined it would go.

"I haven't kissed you outside of this apartment in so long, and even here I have go be careful because 'hey Maya someone might be watching from the window', this is exhausting Carina. I wanna take you out for dinner and hold your hands, I wanna sit by your side and feed you pasta, dammit I wanna propose to you without thinking 'well she won't wear the ring because people will ask'. I'm exhausted."

Carina is in tears and everything in Maya begs her to go and hold the other woman. She knows Carina isn't exactly to blame, it's how the industry works. But she's not part of the industry; only Carina is, and she doesn't want to be trapped anymore.

"Bambina I'm sorry, I don't... I don't know what to say."

"Well don't. But I'm going back to the US next month, with or without you. I'm sorry, but I need a break from this. I need this."

Carina nods. There's nothing she can do, she can't force Maya to wait, not when she knows how much all of this hurts the blonde.

And a month after, Maya is getting into a plane, alone, tears in her eyes and a ring she wished she gave to Carina left on the nightstand in their apartment.

(was it supposed to be sad? I liked this one a lot so if anyone is interest I could continue in AO3)