#one bed trope? NAH one desk trope

[foundress0fnothing]

Chapter 2 of "more thicker than forget" is here, featuring an awkward reunion, a lot of academic worldbuilding, and a tentative truce between our favs.

I thought this fic would be a two-shot, but as I got further into the story, I realized that some of the scenes I had planned needed more time/deserved their own chapters, so the expected chapter count is now 5 as Eris and Azriel re-meet each other after 5 years apart. This chapter is relatively short, but the next ones should allow our two more time to interact and come to terms with each other. I don't have an upload schedule for the other 3 parts yet, but expect them soon--I'm starting a new writing project sometime in July and want to have this story finished before I move on.

Read here on AO3, or continue below the cut.

5 Years Later—Eris

Late August

Eris checked the time on his office computer, sighed, and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes briefly. He only had a few moments alone before he had to pull himself together to greet the visiting scholar Prythian was hosting for the semester.

Or—to be more accurate—the visiting scholar he was hosting for the semester.

Thankfully this would be the last time he’d ever have to do something like this—in two months, he would finally, finally have tenure, not just be on a tenure track, and he could slow down—could stop working so hard to have a new publication every other month, could stop worrying so much about what students wrote on their course evaluations, could stop having to volunteer for every little thing the department needed, all to prove that he was—how did they put it?—“an asset to both the department and the university at large” and worthy of tenure.

Helping visiting scholars like the one coming that day was one of the volunteering responsibilities that he had taken on. The weeks or months spent playing host were typically monetarily and intellectually thankless time sucks, but they at least earned him a fair amount of good will—the senior scholars in the department were more than willing to pawn off the visiting researchers and the responsibility of making them comfortable to an underling whenever possible. And it’s not like the work was particularly hard at this point: Eris took them out for drinks, made polite small talk about whatever their niche research was, helped get them set up in their office and hotel, and was on-call to answer any question about university bureaucracy that might come up during their time on campus. Easy, distant, and—typically—quite dull.

At least this final scholar actually promised to be interesting. Eris couldn’t remember the man’s name—the department had certainly told him when he agreed to help him settle in, and he was sure there was an email buried somewhere in his inbox that would have the man’s CV and relevant publication information—but he remembered enough for their meeting today. 

He was another modernist, albeit an independent scholar, working on an accessible reading guide to Finnegans Wake (a pointless task, Eris thought, not that anyone had asked him—no one tried to read the book except for the most dedicated Joyce scholars, and even then, it was more of a curiosity than a work of serious literary merit. It was just too strange—he first read the book one summer as an undergrad and felt drunk for a week after). Apparently, the project was in its final stages, and since Prythian housed the largest collection of Joyce’s letters and drafts, the scholar had requested a visiting position to have access to the archive. He and Eris would be co-teaching an undergrad survey class on Joyce as well, thus necessitating their meeting today—who would lecture when, what they would ask the students to read versus what the students would actually read, how harshly they wanted to grade essays—all the usual logistical nonsense that came with teaching a class. 

At the sound of a soft knock on his office door, Eris snapped his eyes open and shrugged his blazer back on, the tweed slightly itchy at the back of his neck where the jacket rose over the collar of his shirt. As settled as could hope to be, Eris called out, “Come in.”

“Dr. Vanserra!” Thesan Aubade, the department chair, greeted him as he opened the door and stepped into the cramped space. The office was clean, and as elegantly outfitted as an 8 by 8 cell could hope to be, but Eris was victim to the occupational hazard that befell anyone making a living off of their words: every spare foot of space was devoted to books, each wall lined with overflowing shelves that intruded into the already too-small room. There was room for his desk and a single chair for students coming in for office hours, but not much else. “I come bearing your charge for the semester, Dr. Azriel Moreno.”

Eris took a moment to study the man who followed Thesan into the room. He looked vaguely familiar, tall and broad and with an unfairly beautiful face framed by rounded tortoiseshell glasses, wearing a white oxford tucked into black jeans with a black blazer over top. Eris had probably seen him on the conference circuit at some point over the last few years, but at this point, the names and faces of the minor scholars who attended those blurred together. Deciding that it wasn't anything worth worrying about, he smiled and said, “It’s good to meet you, Dr. Moreno. I look forward to working with you this semester.”

The man held Eris’ gaze for a beat too long, not offering a greeting in return, his hazel eyes boring into Eris’ own before he slowly raised a brow as if in challenge. 

Before Eris could start to make sense of the man’s expression and the odd hostility it conveyed, Thesan cut in. “Facilities couldn’t find him a space in the building with the construction in the east wing, but I assured Dr. Moreno that you would be more than happy to share your office space for the semester.”

Eris blinked at Thesan, who had the gall to meet his confused expression with only a bland smile. “Is that so?” Eris said slowly, biting his tongue before he said anything ruder. Because god, it was just like Thesan to spring this on him here, in front of the scholar, rather than giving him time to argue or plan or figure out literally any better solution than cramming two people into the same small working space.

Moreno, however, simply smiled at Thesan. “I’m sure Dr. Vanserra and I can make it work. Who knows?” He said, cutting his eyes over at Eris again. “Perhaps we’ll find we enjoy such close quarters.”

Eris almost rolled his eyes at that bullshit, ingratiating answer, which would have wrecked the image of careful control he had cultivated over the last five years of dealing with departmental politics. Thesan, though, pleased that he wouldn’t have to do any mollifying, clapped his hands and started moving toward the door. “Well, that’s excellent. I’ll leave you to it, then. Can’t wait to hear what you plan for the Joyce class.”

There was a beat of silence in the wake of his departure as Eris stared after Thesan’s retreating form, silently seething as he imagined the intrusion that Moreno’s presence would present to his routine: a person in his space and in his business, for whom he’d be expected to give up his desk and his peace of mind whenever the other man decided he needed it, nevermind how snowed under Eris was with trying to keep up with teaching responsibilities and research and preparations for his tenure review. 

And that wasn’t even taking into account that the man himself was apparently going to be insufferable—oddly standoffish with colleagues like Eris, irritatingly sycophantic with higher-ups like Thesan. Any enthusiasm he might have felt about working with Moreno this semester was rapidly draining away.

Still, he had a job to do, but Eris was not about to tackle the rest of the day sober. “There’s a bar a few blocks away that the undergrads haven’t discovered yet. Why don’t we do this over a drink?”

Eris saw something flash briefly over Moreno’s face—again, that strange, brief hesitation—before he said simply, “Lead the way.”

A few minutes later, they had settled into a booth with their drinks, both men slightly sweaty from the walk to the bar through Prythian’s late summer humidity. Their conversation on the walk over had been stilted: Eris made some innocuous comment about the weather and Moreno agreed brusquely that, yes, it was quite hot; Eris asked after the general details of Moreno’s travel to Prythian and Moreno informed him that it was “fine;” Eris asked after the details of his research project and Moreno told him that it was “almost finished.” And that was it. 

Perhaps the man was just awkward, Eris mused as Moreno raised his pint glass to his lips to take a sip while staring at the street outside of the bar, just someone who never mastered the politicking and the small talk and the conversations that came with academia. It would explain why he wasn’t at a university, at any rate. 

Even so, he didn’t relish the thought of spending any more time with him here than he had to—sharing an office and a class with Moreno all semester would be enough of a headache and, if the walk over was any indication, this meeting would be much the same, with Eris carrying the discussion about semester logistics while the other man grunted agreement instead of offering real answers and insights like an actual person. He sighed internally— only two more months until tenure . 

Pulling out his laptop, he said, “So. The Joyce class. I figured we’d alternate lectures rather than splitting them, and I’ve made a tentative weekly lecture and reading breakdown. What’s your email? I’ll send this to you to review.” 

Turning back to Eris, Moreno looked at him blankly for a moment, apparently not quite ready to jump into the work of the meeting, and Eris resisted the urge to sigh and scold him like he was a distracted undergrad broodily gazing out of a window.

“Of course,” Moreno said, shaking himself slightly and pulling out his phone. “Email is moreno7@nightcorp.com.” 

As Eris typed in the email, he noticed that Moreno began to roll up the sleeves of this shirt, the sunlight streaming into the bar having made even the indoor space uncomfortably warm. 

And then—fuck .

Because the man had tattoos across his forearms, intricately swirled and somehow elegant in their brutality, and Eris had only seen tattoos like those once before—years ago, at another bar, in what felt like another lifetime—and he realized why the man had seemed so familiar back in his— their —office.

Eris dragged his eyes away from the man’s arms only to find Moreno studying him. With a smirk, Moreno asked, “It was the tattoos then?”

Eris felt his mouth go dry as he remembered the last time he was with this man, was with Azriel Moreno. He was high on his job offer and cool and articulate and utterly in control. But now? Now, he could only rasp out, “They made an impression.”

Moreno barked a mirthless laugh at that. “I suppose they did.”

Silence stretched between the two men after that for a few beats as Eris, caught wrong-footed, scrambled for something to say to salvage the meeting, hoping desperately that Moreno wasn’t petty enough to say something to Thesan about the disaster this was becoming.

To Eris’ surprise, however, Moreno was the one to break the tension. “Look, Vanserra, I’m here to continue my research and finish my book and teach this class. Nothing more. I haven’t been with a university in five years, and I just want this to be simple and professional and uncomplicated.”

Eris hoped his relief didn’t show too clearly on his face. “I think we can manage that.”

“Good.” With that, Moreno turned his attention back to his phone, pulling up the email from Eris and skimming through the document. “I have some thoughts.”

[the-californicationist]

he opens the mail

Captain Price opens a package, thinking it’s intel, but it’s a sex pollen. The only cure? Your pussy, apparently.

Warning: sex pollen tropes, extremely dubious consent, attempt at satire?, angry john price

“We’re never going to make this deadline. Laswell’s gonna kill me,” you complained, burying your head in the pile of envelopes and packages strewn over your desk. 

“Did this to yourself, lass. Shoulda been keepin’ up with intel duty. Wee bit at a time, ‘s what I say,” Soap patted you on the shoulder, feigning pity. 

You spent hours combing through the documents, and by the time everyone had gone to bed, your fingers were covered in paper cuts, and your vision was blurry from squinting at the poorly scrawled Cyrillic words. 

You thought you were alone, and as you stood up to stretch and refill your coffee mug, Captain Price opened up the office door, scaring you half to death. 

“Oh, hey Corporal,” he smiled and then furrowed his brow, “What are you still doing here?”

You sighed, pointing to the piles of documents,

“Laswell’s intel backlog. I’m the only one with a Level 3 linguistics cert for Russian, so here I am. Gonna be an all-nighter.”

He closed the door and sat down across from your seat, digging into the pile, 

“I’m Level 3. Let’s finish it.”

“Captain, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’ve got more important things…”

Price shook his head, taking off his hat and hanging it on the chair back,

“Nah, tha’s alright, love. I’ll help ya. Get us a tea, yeah?”

You knew how he took his tea, and you hated that you did. Secretly, you were obsessed with him. He was always around, smelling like balsam wood and tobacco, looking like a gladiator, huge and capable in the most masculine way. It was hard to concentrate when he was nearby. Now that he had offered to help, you had to grin and bear it. 

You worked together for a while, chatting, even laughing. It was nice. You had so much in common, the conversation flowed easily, and you found yourself much more at ease. Finally, three packages remained. You opened the first one and found little more than phone records for a local library. Unhelpful to say the least. Price opened a water bill, and he recognized the address of a recent Konni base location. Any intel at this point felt like a celebration. Then, the final box. 

“Go on then. Show us the ending,” he smiled, handing it to you. 

“Couldn’t take the joy of ripping up the last letter, Captain. Be my guest,” you smiled. 

He chuckled, tearing into the envelope. In a flash, bright pink powder sprayed him directly in the eyes, and he writhed in pain, pinching them shut, his whole body going stiff. 

“Fuck me!” He shouted. 

“Hang on,” you ran over to the sink in the kitchenette, “Here’s some water. Get that shit out of your eyes.”

“Don’t,” he moved away from you like you were on fire, “Don’t touch me. Might be contagious.”

Your chest was rising and falling with your labored breathing, and you were immediately worried. You reached for your phone and called Laswell.

“Laswell, Price got anthraxed by one of the intel letters. What do you want us to do?”

She gasped, 

“What? Shit. I’m on my way.”

She hung up on you. You watched Price slowly try to open his eyes. They were stained hot pink from the powder. 

“You alright?” You asked him. 

“Yeah, love,” he sighed, “Doesn’t hurt anymore. Feeling strange though. Laswell said she’s coming?”

You nodded,

“Yeah, just in case.”

He nodded, running his hand along the inside of his collar. The captain was sweaty and a little pale. 

“Captain, are you okay?”

“Mmm, no,” he shook his head, “Something’s not right, love.”

He stood and went to the sink, washing as much of the powder off as he could. You moved away from him and stationed yourself across the room, praying for Laswell to hurry. 

Price was in a bad way. He took off his shirt, and he was still dripping with beads of sweat. You tried not to stare, but his temperature wasn’t the only thing heating up. His huge cock was making a prominent tent in his pants, but he was in too much pain to bother hiding it. You felt yourself blushing, and you willed yourself to pull it together. 

“…fuckin’ hell,” his hand went to his crotch to squeeze his length, trying to find some relief, “Sorry, love.”

“It’s okay,” you said politely, trying to breathe normally, but feeling the slick rush melt between your legs. 

“It’s makin’ me…feel…bloody hell. I can’t hold it off. Can…can you…? No! No, what the fuck am I sayin’? No,” he shook his head, rubbing his hands down his face, hot and very bothered. 

You inched closer to him,

“If I haven’t been affected yet, I’m sure it’s okay. How should I help you?”

“No! No, stay back. I’m not…I can’t think straight. My mind’s got one thing on it,” he shoved his hands beyond his zipper and began to jerk himself off, his dick making lurid noises with his hand. 

You hated seeing him so helpless. You moved to his side,

“Cap, it’s okay. Let me help you.”

His hand was around your throat in milliseconds. Price shoved you against the wall and began to kiss your mouth, furiously laving his tongue against yours. 

“No, no, no,” he whispered through his kisses, not bothering to pull away as he spoke his lamentations. 

You made the mistake of putting your hands on his chest to steady yourself. He moaned, trembling beneath your touch,

“Ahh, careful.”

“Sorry,” you pulled your hands away, still trapped in his firm grip around your neck, “did I hurt you?”

“No, doesn’t hurt.”

He said it in a way that darkly implied your touch was igniting a different kind of fire. You put your hands back where they were, and his eyes shot open, piercing through yours with a lustful rage. Unexpectedly, he ripped off your shirt and lay you down on the black leather couch in the corner of the office. He crushed you with his weight, kissing you deeply. 

Then, your phone rang. He didn’t allow you to pause, so it went to voicemail. It rang again. You were getting just as hot as he was, and you weren’t that interested in who was looking for you in the middle of the night. Until, however, the door to the office burst wide open and Laswell and Gaz burst through it. 

Price snarled. You’d never heard a man make that noise before. Laswell put her hands on her hips while Gaz tried to shield his face in shock. Laswell rubbed her forehead, frustrated,

“Are his eyes pink, Corporal?”

You escaped his jaws for a moment, 

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s a sex drug. Forces the user to fornicate as it is only passed through the body in seminal fluid, dissolving in the heat of another person’s body. Are you volunteering here? What happened?”

Her tone was so matter of fact, it was a little humorous, if Price’s length wasn’t rutting against you in earnest, you might've laughed. You tried to explain as much as he would allow,

“Got too close… just… happened. How…” you moaned as Price pulled down the strap of your bra and helped himself to your nipple, “How did you know?”

She sighed, typing something into her datapad,

“Checked the incident log from this afternoon. Four more cases of this have popped up in intel collections. Gonna have to screen for it next time.”

She turned to walk out of the office with Gaz, and you called after her,

“Hey, wait! How long does it - oh, fuck… how long does it last?”

Laswell had the audacity to smirk at you, raising her eyebrows and cutting her eyes at Price’s swollen cock, lolling out of his pants, scraping itself against you. 

“Eight hours. Looks like you’re in for a rough night, Corporal. Maybe next time you’ll be more careful.”

Part 2

[inumakis-boo]

TOGE INUMAKI ⟢. ݁₊⋆.˚ ༘♡˚

fanfiction synopsis ␥ you and toge inumaki are both in your third year of jujustu high, but youve barely spent a moment alone yet. when you do on a saturday night, you realize exactly why you need to "hang out" more // aka, the first step to being friends with benefits.. hooking up the first time.

word count - 4,629 // hope you enjoy! tw obviously.

You would have never guessed how this night would end, compared to its beginning. Like something you would have read in a terrible booktok novel with its cliches and tropes- but you could have never understood how even cliches, imitate life.

It was finally Saturday night, and all of the second and third years sat in Itadori’s room, with the dim blue LED lights circling them, and posters of clad women on the wall to give off the perfect teenage boy aesthetic. Some game was going on the TV and both Itadori and Nobara had been occupying everyone's attention with their shouting and cheers as they fought on screen.

You didn’t know exactly how or why or when, someone had swiped a bottle of something, and now it lay on the mats on the floor, empty with a broken seal. At least everyone had gotten more than a few sips of the fire in the bottle, and you struggled to swallow it, but you still smiled after and laughed. It made the stress of training on the body at least feel a little better as your fingertips buzzed.

Nobody checked the time, and everyone laid out on his bed, on the floor, on the desk and chair. It wouldn’t be too much of a problem- all the teachers would be gone for the weekend. After all, they were all old enough that Satoru Gojo wouldn’t have to babysit constantly, right?

They sat, comfortably then, letting the TV be loud and the shouting obnoxious.

It had taken you awhile to notice, but one member had been missing for the last few minutes with no explanation. You double-checked the room and did not see the violet-eyed boy sitting anywhere. He had last taken a few sips of the bottle and beat Itadori in a game, before at some point dipping for.. whatever reason.

Perhaps he had gotten sick or was fetching something? You decided to go check it out. You silently got up off the floor and didn’t pay much attention as everyone laughed at Itadori dying for the 7th time tonight.

The hallway was darker than usual, but it was probably too late anyway. Moonlight shone through the panes of the window, their crossed shapes decorating the hardwood down the hall, each window revealing the silky glow from the outside. Your eyes followed down and caught to one pattern disturbed.

You follow it up and see the one you were checking on, leaning on the window sill, soaking up the moonlight. It glimmered against the pale skin of his face but did not fade the marks around his mouth.

You slowly walk over, and he tears his eyes from the scene towards you and smiles a little. Instinctually, he pulls out his phone.

“You look happy.” You remark, and his smile grows as he types into the notes app.

// Just felt like walking around, but seeing you here is better. //

You were familiar with his real personality beyond the curse lodged in his throat, the silly and rather typical teenage boy attitude in everything he did. But for some odd reason, it was seeing it face to face was a difference. You had only maybe a few conversations with him before over text, and while you trained together in class, didn’t mean you were used to him yet.

// Something happen? //

“Nah.” You lean on the sill with your body, feeling the open breeze come in. “You're not missing anything.”

He just smirks with a little head shake, and his eyes that had met yours look back to the sill.

// I won’t keep you here, //  He types as you look over. // I should be back soon. //

“I’m not in a rush to watch Megumi and Itadori argue about the game rules again.” You smile and snicker. “Out here is nice.”

// Not surprised about that at all // He snickers aloud, // I would like company. //

The moonlight and the random liquor someone brought must have been messing with your senses- He felt welcoming and charming, and in this space, it was more private than anywhere else.

“You had plenty of company in there.” You bring it up, but he just shrugs. Perhaps he wasn’t asking for that kind of head-ache-inducing company.

He scrolled up again to the first note.

// ..it is better seeing you here.//

What was happening with your stomach? It was like something was bubbling up, in a good way. He gazed with an interested eye. and you tried to hold back a dopey grin.

He turns to face away from the window and stretches. You watch him turn back to you, his face now in the dark of the hall. He types-

//I am going to go back to my room, wanna me to walk you back to everyone else?//

“W-What?” You stutter embarrassingly, then clear your throat- “Nono, you don’t have to. It is only down the hall. Let me walk you instead.”

Ah, his smile was so genuine, and he brushed back his hair for a moment before shrugging. A visual okay.

You begin to walk with Him down the silver halls, cusping your hands in yours, watching as you walk in step, his dorm slippers on with his casual sweatpants and navy t-shirt. He wanted to be comfortable- it wasn’t even the first time you had seen him in casual clothes.. although it was more of a rare sight to not see his mouth covered.

You blindly follow him to his room, your eyes catching peeks of his face. He still looked like he did last year according to school photos, but his jaw was more defined, and of course, his inky markings had always made themselves apparent. You thought they were interesting, like any tattoo or scar.

His eyes look at you curiously, and you realize you're just staring at him and look away. You don’t look back, even though he brushes his arm against yours. He had little words to say, yet had better social skills than anybody here. It didn’t feel awkward though, it was just a little new. You hadn’t really noticed him before.. nor had you noticed him noticing you.

Both of you arrived at his dorm room, a little wood plaque around his doorknob that was a gift, a salmon emoji that had been painted for him hung there. It was cute, and you watched it as the door opened.

Toge stepped into his room and didn’t bother to flick on the lights, the full moon shining right through his windows. You couldn’t see much but you could smell him from outside of the room, a mix of his shampoo and cologne- fresh and warm. It almost pulled you in.

He turned after he kicked off his slippers, coming back to the door with his notes presented still.

// We should hang out more often. I think you're fun. //

You shake your head with a laugh. How did he come to that conclusion?

“We didn’t even do anything..!” You laugh, rubbing your arms. Toge returns to his phone. “How would you know?”

// Yeah but, I have my reasons, don’t I? Maybe I have a feeling. //

Okay, maybe your knees had good reason to be weak. Was he flirting? His face seemed to say so.

And.. what could happen if you tested the waters? You hadn’t ever flirted with many people before but.. he was just a friend, right?

You look down the hall and bite your lower lip with a smile. “What kind of feeling?”

It is his turn to look away, leaning against the door frame. He is trying to not smile too hard, you can see.

“Are you feeling like.. we should hang out sooner than later?"

You were wondering if others had drunk more than you had, and according to his eyes, sizing you up, you had an inkling that he might've had just enough to not fear with his expressions. If he was truly cautious, he would be covering his mouth, right?

And according to the feeling between your legs, you had little filter to worry about.

He took a step once, then twice until your chests were practically meeting, and he looked like he had already decided what he wanted, and was bold about it. While your heart was still beating, even if rapidly, you wouldn’t stop until you figured him out.

Of course, he typed with one hand by your side, then presented.

// I am feeling like you are curious about me like I am curious about you, and I wanna see more. Only if you wanna. //

He had read you like a book. You licked your lips and sighed, looking up at him. His hair had been pushed back some since he arrived at his dorm, and the warmth from his body mixed with his cologne was driving you nuts. You wondered how toned he was under these clothes- and wondered if he thought about you the same way.

“If you're so curious..” Your hand slipped onto his pec- firm and warm. “How about you come find out?”

That would do it- one smirk and another step and his lips were pressing against yours. So softly at first, but once your hand had slowly crept up his neck and pulled him just a tad closer, you could feel the intensity rise, his tongue running across your lips and into your open mouth, hands running up and down your hips, never pulling you further but always closer.

Then you could feel him moving back and pulling you with him. You were still in the hallway outside of his dorm, after all. You accepted it- and had no room to even protest. He was too good of a kisser and knew exactly how to take control, not much of a surprise there.

By the time you had started paying attention again, you heard the decoration on his door tap on the door as it closed shut, and realized vaguely you were in a dark room with his boy that just moments ago, considered nothing more than friendly with.

How far this was going to go or fear of being caught was honestly the last thing on your mind. He had reiled you up and at this point, he could have anything he asked for. He wanted to know, he needed to know.

You let his tongue slip into your mouth as his hands run underneath your shirt, his hands on your skin sending you even more haywire. It was addictive, and you were determined to make the same reaction out of him- if not better.

You let your fingers curl in his hair, pushing him forward more, his warm sigh against your cheek telling you how much he was enjoying this. He deserved it, for being so nice to you, and coming onto you like that, making you feel so nervous and witty. You let him guide you to somewhere in his room, and suddenly you can feel the edge of something behind your ass. You were slightly pinned to the end of his bed frame, just enough to keep you from running away.

His knee slowly dragged between the gap of your legs, and the proximity made you sigh in appreciation. He hummed, yet didn’t dare leave your lips. He was being so explorative, passionately involved in every toss of your tongue in your mouth and every patch of skin he touched. His fingertips were dragging across your flesh, and the entire time you could barely keep yourself sane enough to touch him back.

But you did- starting at his navel, just to make him sigh through his nose as his kisses traveled from your mouth to your neck and ear, the brush of his face and lips making you want to squirm with delight. Then, the palm of your hand, just teasing enough, palmed his firm abs, defined so perfectly that you could imagine them in your dreams just by touch alone- but here you were, touching his so wantingly. Your fingertips, like his, grazed so temptingly across his obliques, feeling their tightness and the rumble in his chest easily.

At this point, his shirt was bunching at your wrists, and as a final act of teasing, simply made a motion to pull it up, and meeting violet eyes as he did could’ve made you sink to your knees at a moment. His eyes were lidded and needy, and his lips were pinker with friction, and you could only imagine if he was the type to leave marks behind.

The white shirt had been tossed, maybe on his desk chair, he clearly hadn’t cared where it ended up, because he was too busy doing the exact same to you. You wouldn’t even break eye contact, wouldn’t dare, as his hands sat right below your bra, and could feel the urge in his grip to just take it off right then and there.

Maybe helping his urges wouldn’t be so bad, right?

You took his hand, and encouraged the back of his, allowing him to sneak under the wire and squeeze your perky tits, watching his eyes return to yours as he squeezed on his own.

There was no way you were returning to your dorm room tonight.

Next thing you knew, your bra wire was sitting right near the top of your breasts as he had leaned down, holding his head as he licked and sucked on the hard nipples, rolling one in the other hand. It was erotic, watching his tongue, marked with the scar of his curse, flicking your cute buds to make your body jello in his hands. It was extremely hot, and you knew that these panties were going to be ruined by the time you let him tear them off of you.

Speaking of underwear, you forced his head to lay next to your neck, returning his lower half to be in your grasp, and immediately got to work palming at the other. He sure was enjoying that attention, letting you fondle your smaller hand against his clothed thickness, shuttering at the idea of sitting right on it. The lewd thoughts were going a mile a minute, and you weren’t planning on stopping.

He continued to pull at your sensitive little buds as you fondled him, his breath becoming heavy against your neck as you thoroughly got an idea of what to expect- but hands wandered on his side, and you knew that his long fingers were not going to be idle much longer. His entire hand curled around your mound over your sweatpants, and the pressure in his fingertips along your pantied slit was driving you nuts.

But, with bra abandoned on the floor, he moved you with his hand still on your crotch to the side of the bed, his forehead against yours as he switched places and sat down first, then brought you into his lap.

You could tell he was not going to be rough in manhandling you, just simply moving you just to better fit his need to touch you, and the touch alone was enough to make it obvious how wet you were- and he became very aware the moment he dragged down the band of your sweatpants to reveal the heat of your pussy, throbbing with need for any kind of friction, by anything.

You could hear the hum in his throat, the holding back of a groan as he touched the lace of your underwear and found it moist, clearly satisfied with all that had been hidden before. You could feel the grind of his cock against your ass as he leaned back more into the headboard and pillows, making your torso almost barely sit up, while your legs were pulled apart so easily by setting them on opposite sides of his own knees. You were so bare, and his fingers trailing around your clit, throbbing with need, was enough to make you moan into the air, your chest rising with the lighting going through you.

“Be quiet.” The command shot through you instantly, and your mouth closed, only faint whimpers lodged in your throat managing to make any noise- anyone could hear, of course, it was late.

But no- that was only one half of the coin. The other half was being able to hear the gushing noises as he softly slapped your wet folds, just enough to hear it, and being forced to hear how needy you had become. His other hand held your jaw close to his neck, and let you cover your whimpers there. You moved your ass against his length just below, but he wasn’t done here.

One finger had slipped in so easily with all the lubrication gushing out of you, but the second dreadful finger had entered so achingly slow, pushing your insides slowly apart as he made a few experimental pumps before sinking them deep and curling, slow at first then faster and faster.

You weren’t going to make it like this. You were bound to cum, splayed out like a breeding slut for him, taking his fingers as he fucks you so earnestly, and sighs and grunts like he is fucking you, all the while not even having the pleasure to groan out yourself- only forced to hear how much your pussy needed his cock soon, and by soon, you meant thirty minutes ago, out in the hall way in the moonlight outside of Itadoris bedroom.

“Haah..” He grazed your ridges so slowly that you almost came, his thumb flicking your swollen clit too many times to count. He was too good at this.

You couldn’t handle it anymore- it was either you were going to cum here, or he would fuck you. Or both. Hopefully both.

Your fingertips grab onto his waist band and try to pull it down, but the angle is hard and you almost grow frustrated. He only bites his lip, forces your head so he can kiss you, and drags his own pants down, lifting both of you up to do so briefly.

Your first contact with his cock is when it slaps against your wet folds, the tip of his dick just brush so teasingly against your slit that you can barely imagine how you would somehow fit it in your throat eventually (hopefully, eventually, if she made it out alive.)

Now he was gasping, the mix of the delicate heat on his shaft, the wetness leaking from your needy hole, and his tiphead rubbing against your clit was even driving him insane. His hands were bruisingly gripping your waist, keeping you still as he slides up and down, shifting his hips to graze his tip all around your folds.

“P-Please, Toge-” You manage out when he gets weaker, your watery eyes and whimpering tone catching his ear immediately. “I want y-you to fuck me.”

He wouldn’t resist that kind of plea, not when he himself wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to last- fuck it, he would use his curse to go longer if he needed too, as long as he was buried inside your cunt when it happened.

You felt it, instantly as the tip of his cock buried slowly into your hole, finally, stretching so good you were ready to about give up and let him take you anyway he wished. He was not going to let that happen though, you had to witness it all, how good he was laying it down.

The shaft went deeper and deeper until you felt the tip graze your delicate cervix, even with this much preparation, you still knew it was going to be bruised tomorrow morning. Fuck it, what did you care. Toge Inumaki was going to fuck you, and hearing his whimpering as he finally hit his base against your folds was like music to your ears.

He pumped it in, slowly and surely, until the pumps couldn't be timed anymore as he was, becoming steady thrusts into your creaming cunt that the hand on your jaw moved to your lips to block any noise from escaping.

God, his cock was so perfectly heavy just enough to burn your entrance as he entered over and over again, and perfectly long to make you groan into the palm of his hand as he slams it into you. It was too erotic the noise, what was the point of even covering your voice? Between his huffing and the squelching, it would be instantly noticeable to anyone outside the door.

Yet, he fucked your pussy until you could feel all the wetness gather at the base, dripping down his shaft. He didn’t even care beyond holding your mouth in his palm to conceal the noise.

But, he wasn’t done yet. No.. one final trick.

“Sit up and face me.” He whispered, and thank goodness you did not resist whatsoever to spare his voice, already so weak, you found yourself slipping his fat cock out of your needy cunt, and turning around, watching him readjust himself to look at you.

Yep, as expected. Face nothing more than a filthy reaction, dimmed and teary eyes, bitten lips, and red-got ears and cheeks, followed by cute red marks all along your neck, just enough to match your pink, toyed nipples against your pale skin, and finally, hand marks to go right along with glistening folds, already drooling all over the cock in his hand, directed right at your hole.

His hair had long since been pushed back, and his cheeks and lips were the same hue of red, his chest sweaty from bearing your heat on it as he fucked you on your back against it, and finally, silvery hair trimmed right at the base of his hard cock which throbbing and beading with precum.

“Sit on it, like a good girl.”

You had no inclination to do otherwise, feeling the tip enter you again, but this time, so much deeper than you knew another could go. It spreaded you out perfectly, watching as he got a perfect view of your hole, stretched around his dick while your tits sat prettily on your chest, hands stabilizing you on his hips.

You sat fully on it, your insides spazzing as it throbbed inside you, and you watched his face as he relished in the feeling, so completely trying to hold back from the display in front of him.

You wanted him to tell you exactly what to do- you were going to be his plaything tonight, no matter how much embarrassment you would feel in the morning, you were addicted to the idea of this man find every weak spot inside you, and letting him do exactly what he wanted.

He got the memo very fast.

“Bounce up and down, baby.” He whispered again, and your thighs moved, allowing you up and down on his shaft with ease. Even the burning in your thighs had disappeared, thanks to his order. You let his cock pump into your the first few time, watching as he tilted his head back to feel the bare heat, the friction of your ridges inside of you dragging across his head and shaft constantly.

You didn’t tire of watching him, not of him holding your hips and guiding you even though his words had done enough, not tiring of watching his eyes roll back, his mouth opening to moan aloud, his abs squeezing as he control his abdomen from reacting. It was your turn to watch him fall apart, and with all the foreplay with your tits and clit, you thought it well-deserved, if not vengeful.

You gained confidence as you rode him, hearing the slickness coat your thighs then meeting his, creating a sound so erotic it would get you both kicked out of jujutsu high, but you didn’t care when you grabbed his hands from your waist and let them grope at your tits, watching his eyes dilate with the motion of them moving in his hands. It went right to your abdomen as you felt his fingers pull at your already tender nipples.

You weren’t ever going to be the same after this- of course, you fooled around briefly before you joined the third years before Jujustu High, being a late bloomer, but this was going to be part of every wet dream, every shower spent with your fingers deep in your holes, would be about this moment, with his eyes grazing over you like he had a million things to say and command, and you're expected (and will) obey every single one, simply because he could fuck you to the point that you hoped he cummed right inside of you.

The very thought was going to make you explode, right on the base of his cock, you were going to lose all control, and nothing but his words were going to stop it.

But he was waiting for the perfect time- no, he wanted to cum with you, at the same moment, wanted you to cream right inside you as you creamed on him. He was going to make you remember this night, when you discovered all of him.

The sickening slaps had increased, and the effect of his words had worn off, but you didn’t care. The feeling of your g-spot being constantly rubbed into, fucked into, was all that mattered. His hands abandoned your tits for now, and instead, settled right on your face, and brought you down to kiss him. Now, it was his turn.

He trusted his hips deep in your cunt, and if nobody knew you two were fucking, somebody probably knew now. The dick was simply too good to even speak, feeling your lips wet with drool as he kissed you, your tongue being eagerly played with as he entered your mouth. He wanted you to go insane- he refused to be the only one.

Finally, he pressed your forehead against his, with both of your sweaty bodies rubbing together as he fucked your cunt easily with a flick of his hips, your moans and breath sharing the same space between your faces, he couldn’t resist any more. Not any longer could he hold out, now when you looked so prettily drunk on sex.

“I want you to cum.” He managed in a guttural demand. “Right now.”

The squeeze of your walls finally killed him as your racked out a deliciously loud moan turned whine, his hot cum shooting right into your clenching pussy as you leaked all over him, twitching and stuttering and faltering, head meeting his chest and neck as she came hard, right where she wanted to the most.

He holds you with both arms around your back, giving slowing thrusts into your sensitive cunt, tits and chest heaving against his as your whimper and whine, until he finally comes to a stop, and with the missing of friction, comes out his hard cock, and the load dripping onto his navel that he had buried deep inside you.

You were delirious with sex, completely and utterly spent as you panted against his chest, feeling his breath match yours so perfectly it was calming your brain down. You couldn’t stop twitching though, and you didn’t know if and when you would stop.

“Breathe..” He whispered, using probably the last of his energy to calm you down. Of course, it works, and you can feel yourself take a deep breath and release it with a shuttering take.

“Is it okay.. if I stay?”

You could hear the soft noise of him tapping a screen.

// To hang out? //

You smiled weakly, and lifted up a finger to type back.

// yes pls. //

Thank you all for reading! I had rewritten this, it was supposed to much more vague but.. i like this better.

anyways, @inumakisser and @nectardaddy this is for you pookies, i promised fr to deliver.

see ya later!

[gh0stsp1d3r]

hiiiii

first i would just like to say i looveee your writing its so good

secondly, i was wondering if i could request a kraven x fem reader smut where they’re on a mission together and they end up getting a hotel room but surprise surprise there’s only on bed so they end up having to share it but while they’re getting ready for bed and she’s undressing to change he sees her bare back when shes not noticing and then he starts acting different when they get in bed and she asks why and he kisses her and then they ;) also could they already have a kind of flirty relationship but also kinda get annoyed with each other pretty easily?

anyways i know its a lot but its been stuck in my head all day and i have no writing skills AT ALLLLL

thank youuuuuuu ❤️❤️❤️

I LOVE THE ONE BED TROPE AND I LOVE THIS REQUESY ANON!! This was a bit long 😭 BUT THANK YOU!!

Shower thoughts

Smut, MDNI, masturbation (m), oral (f), p in v, unprotected sex (don’t do this irl people), cum eating, fingering (; porn w plot

You groaned as you fell onto the hard concrete, you stared at Sergei and someone else fighting, finally he had (violently) killed the man, he bled out in the open, no one to help him.

“You alright?” He said, looking back at you, blood on his hands and face, slightly staining his shirt. He reached out a hand for you to grab.

You nodded and grabbed his hand, he helped you up.

“Probably gonna hurt in the morning. I’ll be fine.”You said, sighing and looking around in the open field.

“We just gonna leave him out in the open.”

“Nah.” He took a minute or two to use his powers, and suddenly a tiger came roaring from out of nowhere, and it bit the man’s head off.

“Oh, Okay.”

“Alright. Well, we should probably go to a hotel or something. I’m exhausted, I’m sure you are too, and it’s like.. 10 pm already.”

“I am.” You laughed quietly, getting into the car and he drove off.

He stopped at the closest one, it was a small motel, but it would do fine for a night.

“You gonna take a shower?” He asked you, you nodded. You both walked up to the front office.

“I’ll take one after you, or with you.” He said, eyebrows raised.

“Shut up.” You laughed, pushing his shoulder.

He went up to the desk, the woman behind it not paying attention too much.

“Hey.” He said, she turned around.

“Hey. What’s up?” She asked, eating ramen noodles and slurping them.

“Can we get a room? Just for one night.”

She looked at the both of you, still eating. You both awkwardly just stared and waited.

“Sure.” She said, taking the key and handing it you. “That’ll be 120$ please.” she said with a smile.

“120…” you sighed, taking out your wallet when Sergei stopped you, taking out his instead and paying the lady.

“Have a good night.” She said, and you both quickly left.

“You didn’t have to.” You said, as you both walked.

He shrugged “I don’t mind.”

Once he finally found the number, he opened the door to one bed. He turned on the light to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Nope. One bed.

“Damn. Was there really no other room?” You sighed, putting down your stuff.

Sergei sighed, and put his stuff down as well.

“Well, I’m gonna go take a shower.” You said, quickly going into the bathroom.

As the shower ran, so did he thoughts. He’s often thought about you, with his cock in his hand or just randomly sometimes.

He was thinking about how your body would look under the wet shower, how you would look under him. He shifted and groaned quietly, looking at the bathroom and back to the TV.

There wasn’t much that was sexy about an old veteran feeding homeless people on the news.

So he waited, and you soon shut off the shower. Sergei watched you like a hawk as you made your way to your bag, rummaging through it.

The motel towel didn’t hide much, it was small and thin, cheap.

“Would you stop staring at me?” You asked, still going through the bag.

“I’m not staring, what do you mean?” He said, looking the other way when you looked back. You finally found some clothes and Sergei looked back. He swore this was some sort of his sick fantasies.

He saw your back, ass only covered by a small black pair of underwear. He stared again, and he just grew impossibly harder every second.

You slipped a t-shirt over your head, and a pair of pajama pants.

“I’m gonna go take a shower.” He mumbled, so he went into the bathroom.

He quickly turned on the water and locked the door, he quickly took off his pants and boxers that he had, freeing his very hard and red cock.

He hopped in the shower, and slowly started to stroke it, imagining it was your hand instead of his, imagining you underneath him in the shower.

Then his thoughts ran back to how you almost exposed yourself fully naked in front of him, not knowing how much it turned him on.

“Fuck.” He mumbled, throwing his head back. It didn’t take long for him to finish, and quickly wash his body.

He went out to change and saw you scrolling on your phone, you were clueless to what just happened. He quickly changed, and got in the bed.

“So.. tomorrow…” you started, turning off your phone and turning to your side to look at him.

“Uh.. what about tomorrow?” He looked at you, also turning to his side.

You furrowed your eyebrows “We still have that one mission. You know-“

“Oh. Right, right, I forgot for a second.”

You laughed quietly and he smiled.

You were talking again, about random things, and he just nodded and said “uh huh.” “Wow.” And “cool”

You furrowed your eyebrows when you realized, and looked at him in confusion. You stopped talking and he looked back at you.

“Is something wrong?” You asked him finally.

“No.”

“Did I.. do something?”

“No…” well, I’m glad you asked, you changed in front of me and I got a hard on.

“Oh. Well then why are you so…”

“I’m just tired. Sorry.” He said, and he saw how you were kinda hurt. You nodded and turned the other way, he couldn’t go to sleep.

“Actually..” he sighed after a while, you turned back to him.

“Can I be honest?” You both looked at each other now.

You nodded, and he didn’t say anything else, but he did lean close to you, you were shocked when he kissed you, eyes wide for a second, before you kissed him back.

“I saw your body, when you were changing, fuck, I’m sorry but-“

“You were watching me.. change?” You asked, teasing him.

“No… yes..?”

You laughed quietly and shook your head.

“That’s cute. But if you wanted to, you coulda asked.” You gave him another kiss, this one wasn’t so loving and slow as the other one.

His tongue explored your mouth, he kissed you hungrily and he slowly moved around, he disconnected his lips for a second to get on top of you.

“Do you wanna do this?” He asked, making sure. You nodded eagerly, with a smile on your face.

His hands explored your body, he pulled up your shirt first, revealing your tits.

Something he’d always fantasized about.

He smiled and littered small kisses all along your body, you just stared at him. Slowly he took off your pants, putting them on the floor next to your shirt.

He slowly took off your underwear after, he looked up at you as his fingers trailed down to your clit, running circles. You bit your lip and he stopped, you whined at the loss.

“I wanna hear you. Okay?”

“Okay.” You nodded and released your lip, and he slowly put his fingers back on your clit, and you let out a moan, your back arching off the bed slightly as he worked his fingers.

And he was good with his fingers.

That’s when he did something you didn’t expect, he replaced his fingers with his tongue, you gasped and made noises that were like music to his ears.

Your hands went flying to his hair, tugging and pulling on it as he ate you out, you tasted as wonderful as he had imagined.

“Sergei- Im gonna-“ you mumbled.

“Please do.” He said, disconnecting his tongue for a second, with a small smile. He then dived back in and soon you were cumming on his tongue.

You caught your breath while he took his sweatpants and boxers off, his cock was painfully hard.

He stroked it a couple times, and you impatiently whined.

“Sergei!”

“Sorry, love.” He said, giving you a small kiss on the cheek and aligning his cock with your entrance.

He groaned while you moaned, he stayed still for a minute and he looked at your reaction to see if he could move.

Your eyes screwed shut, it hurting at first. Then you nodded, and he started to move slowly, he smiled and slowly thrusted.

“Sergei- please.” You said.

“Use your words, please what?”

“Go faster!” You whined again, making him smile as he did just that.

His thrusts that were once slow and loving, turned fast and relentless, his stamina animalistic almost.

“Yeah- shit- fuck, you’re so tight.” He mumbled, the sounds of skin slapping filling the room. The cheap bed banging against the wall next door.

He smiled at your reaction to his words, and you felt the coil forming in your stomach.

“Mmm- Sergei..” you moaned out, he groaned.

“You’re so hot, you know that? I’ve dreamed of this forever.” He growled out.

“I’m gonna cum-“ you mumbled, and he nodded.

“Let’s cum together, okay?” He suggested, you nodded and that’s exactly what you both did.

You both bottomed out, and he took his cock out of your pussy, making you cry out. He went back up to you and kissed you.

“Sorry, but if we don’t stop, we aren’t gonna be able to.” He said with a smirk, you rolled your eyes.

“Whatever. Just cuddle me.” You mumbled, as he put back on his boxers only, and he helped you put back on your clothes.

“Yes ma’am.” He mumbled, wrapping his arms around you and kissing your neck.

[obae-me]

Mammon x MC and there's only one bed and they're both tsundere. So maybe oblivious mutual pining could work there too?

Yesss, I was hoping someone would suggest the One Bed trope! I've never actually written one of these before and I've been dying to try it out! (Also, lots of Mammon requests, ya'll love him and I do too, good for him)

This ended up being a bit more than just a teeny blurb, I couldn't help myself.

---

"Mammon..." They muttered, the bag over their shoulder sliding down their arm as they propped their suitcase up against the wall.

"Ya? Wha?" He shut the door behind them both, typing away at something on his phone. His voice was a bit muffled, seeing as how the pamphlet containing the keycards to the room was tucked snugly against his teeth, his D.D.D. in one hand and too many bags in the other.

"A-Are you sure this is the right room?" A dumb question, but one they felt they needed to ask anyway.

He scoffed, sloughing his bags off his arm and onto the floor. His jaws opened and he caught the pamphlet in his now-free hand, waving it around in their face. "Duh. How would we have gotten in otherwise, huh?" Oblivious to what the human was seeing, he headed over to the bed and sat down on the end of it. "Why?"

"I... um..." They hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out if this... situation was intentional or not. Was Mammon trying to say something? Did they mess up the rooms? Would they have to... "There's only... one bed."

Only when it was pointed out to him, did he notice the obvious. Sweet boy. He got up to his feet and swung around, rubbing the back of his head while he cursed. "I knew the room was too cheap to be true!"

"Why didn't you pay attention to the room details?!" The human couldn't help but exclaim.

"I- I was distracted, okay? I saw the cheapest room they had available and I clicked on it! I wanted more money to--" He cut himself off with a growl. The cheapest room meant one bed, and not just one bed, one twin sized bed. There was no way two people would fit on it without... "I'll just sleep on the floor, alright?"

Feeling a bit guilty for raising their voice, MC sighed. "No, it's okay. You paid for the room. We'll just see if they can give us a last-minute cot and I'll sleep on it." They grinned at him assuredly. "It'll feel like camping, it might be fun." A lie, but he didn't have to know that. "I'll go ask the front desk. Toss me a key, will ya?" They blushed a little, realizing how much they seemed to be mimicking Mammon lately. A card was tossed over, and the human walked out. They returned shortly with a flushed face. "No...uh..."

"No dice?" Mammon guessed.

MC nodded, their shoulders slumping. "I'll just fold up some blankets and-"

"Nah, you get the bed. I can always curl up in the chair or somethin'."

"No, no. Like I said, you paid for the room so you get the bed."

The back and forth went on longer than either of them intended to, both their faces getting a little warmer as time went on, till finally, Mammon growled again, shouting. "Fine! We'll just share it, damn it!" It took a few seconds before the words he suggested sunk in. Silence settled between the two of them. "I mean, if you want to, that is. If not, you get the bed alone and that's that, you got it?" His voice was quieter than usual.

MC shifted around on their feet a bit. "I mean... I guess it's fine... just as a courtesy... as long as you don't sleep in the nude today."

"Fine."

"...Fine," they echoed.

"Yeah, fine..."

Awkwardness seeped into the room for the next while as they both prepared for bed. MC slipped into their pajamas, slowly crawling into one side of the bed and sitting up in it. There wasn't too much space next to them... They would be so close... Their heart was pounding a little. Would they even be able to get sleep like this?

Mammon came out of the bathroom shorty after, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. He came over in a tank-top and shorts. His eyes glanced over them and then the bed and then the human again. "So... I guess I just..." He approached steadily, getting under the covers on his own side. Both of them were embarrassed. "I'll just, uh..." He continued to stammer, laying down and facing away from them.

It was then when MC was hit with a pang. A sense of longing. Their imagination took them to the place they were trying to ignore. He looked so cute like this, trying to curl up as much as he could on his side, his white hair drying, turning fluffy. His little grumbles of words he spoke to himself as he attempted to get comfortable. All the human wanted to do was run their hand through his hair, their arm wrapped around his waist, their nose pressed up against the ticklish part of his neck, taking in the scent of his shampoo and the cologne he always sprayed on himself right before he settled for bed. He was so... close... and yet, somehow he felt so far away, like they were across the world from him.

They laid down on their back, staring at the ceiling. Their heart kept beating a painful yet excited rhythm in their chest. They didn't need anything more, they kept trying to tell themselves. Just this was enough.

Little did they know that their companion next to them wasn't asleep, thinking the exact same thing, wanting to tuck them safely under his arm, maybe latch his ankle against theirs... but no, he couldn't. How could he be so... stupid? He should've paid attention to the room details, but he wanted more money to spend on them. He had just been so excited to go on a trip with them... he completely blanked when he impulsively bought the room.

But this was fine...

Totally fine...

[inkofimagination]

if you don't write something about sharing a bed with hasan asap 😓😓😓 jk please 🥺🥺🥺

oh my god yes, the beloved one bed trope!

"Hey, our car is broken down and the mechanic can't fix it until the morning so, uh, we're looking for rooms?" Hasan says, tapping an uncomfortable fist on the dusty reception desk of the only motel in a twenty mile radius.

A young man behind the desk slides his tired eyes up away from his magazine to glance at the man interrupting him, gives him the once over and then leans to the left to see Y/N slumped in the wooden chair shoved up against the wall. The young man lowers his magazine when he sees Y/N and perks up slightly in his chair, eyes still resting on her. Noticing this, Hasan protectively steps in front of his line of sight, blocking her from his view.

"So about those rooms, dude?" he reminds.

The young man looks at him with disdain, few taps on the ancient computer keyboard, he drawls in a monotone voice, "We've got a suite available for three hundred dollars."

"Three hundred? Are you for real? Nah dude. We just need a basic room,"

"We're booked apart from the suite."

"We're in the asscrack of nowhere, man. We just need your cheapest room," Hasan tries to reason.

"That's the thing about the asscrack of nowhere – there's only one motel, and that's us. All we've got is the suite. Take it or leave it," the guy shrugs. "She could always stay with me," he adds, winking at the girl.

Hasan felt that he was about to go off and teach this guy a lesson for being so disrespectful when she held out a hand to calm him down and keep him from causing a scene, "We'll take the suite."

Hasan signs the unreasonable amount of paperwork and then places his hand at the small of her back to guide her to the room, purposely creating a makeshift wall between the girl and the creepy guy whose eyes are still lingering a little too long.

The travelers got to their shitty room and tried to order some kind of food. 

Y/N quickly volunteer to collect it.

"You've got to be kidding me-" Hasan begins, "Oh yeah, great idea Y/N! Let's send the hot girl out on her own into the night in the fucking deep, dark desert with the fucking creepy guy downstairs ready to pounce on you at any-"

She helds up a hand up to stop him, "First of all, i can defend myself so fuck off thinking you're my protector and secondly, thanks for calling me hot," she teases.

She also announced that she was going to sleep on the very small sofa at the side to try and get some sleep before early day starts tomorrow, since there was only one bed in the room.

"I can't let you sleep in there!" Hasan yells, much louder than necessary.

"Why not? It'll be fine. I'm just glad we're in the same room - that guy in the lobby seriously creeped me out."

"Y/N, come on. Your back will be crippled – it gives you enough trouble as it is," Hasan reasons, but she was having none of it.

"Look, rock, paper, scissors! If I lose you sleep on the shitty sofa, if you lose we are sharing."

With a sigh, she realises that this is the only way a decision will be made because she knows Hasan could argue about this ‘till the morning.

Of course, Hasan won because she always throws scissors first.

Hasan finally mutters, "Are you actually ok with sharing?’’

"Hasan, it's cool. I'm good with it if you are?" as she headed back towards the bed.

He nodded his head shyly, a little too quickly to be playing it cool, and then mumbles, "Yeah, of course. Just want to make sure you're comfortable.”

“Yes”

"Are you sure? I can get a little clingy."

Y/N laughs at how serious he looks before reassuring him, "I can handle a little clinginess for one night if I need to."

Eventually, the room fell silent. Y/N’s tiredness from the dramatic events of the day caught up on her because before you know it, her eyes are fluttering closed and, before her mind could think too deeply about sharing a bed with the boy who makes her heart race, she fell asleep.

It must be a few hours later when her eyes blinked open slowly and then closed again. Desperate to regain her much needed slumber, she tried to snuggle further down into the slightly scratchy pillow when she realised that she has been laid on her arm. Giving it a quick wiggle to try and get some feeling back, Y/N turned onto her right side so she wasn't laying on her fuzzy arm again.

As soon as she has turned and settled, eyes still resting shut, she felt the warmth of the body beside her much closer than it was when she drifted off to sleep.

Her stomach feels like it's about to drop when she takes in the view directly in front of her. Hasan was laying on his side, she realised that they both subconsciously were mirroring each other's positions; one arm under a pillow, the other resting lightly in the tiny gap between their bodies. If she would have moved her hand a little bit down, it would be holding his. 

A rustle sounds start coming from next to her and she felt the bed move slightly under his strong frame. 

Scared, Y/N slammed her eyes closed and tried her best to even out her breathing to convince him she was sleeping and absolutely not being a fucking creeper watching him sleep.

She felt feel his arm move from next to hers to probably to rub at his eyes – and then as it lands back on the covers, it's touching hers. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

"Watching me sleep?" Hasan mumbles, no louder than a whisper and Y/N considered her options: ignore him and continue with her acting of being asleep, or admit it, teasing him and steadfastly ignore the wild beating of her heart.

"I know you're not sleeping, Y/N" he whispers again with a small huff of laughter, placing his hand directly on top of hers and giving it a tiny shake.

Decision was made for her.

Y/N slowly cracked her left eye open again, then quickly close it and bury her head into the pillow when she saw his sleepy, grinning face a whisper away from hers, "Nope, fast asleep."

"No fair," he murmurs.

Intrigued by what he means, hand still held in his, she slowly remove most of her face from the pillow, or at least enough that he can see her raise an eyebrow at him, and then you speak.

"Why no fair?"

He smirks, playing delicately with the fingers on her hand and says, "You got to stare at me. I wanna join in."

Y/N huffs out a laugh. Teasing she can do. Teasing is safe, familiar territory. The implications of what he just said – what you know he meant - is not. "You wanna join in lookin' at you? Narcissist."

"No, dumbass, not nearly as interesting as looking at you."

Y/N‘s cheeks flush immediately and she felt her eyes close in order to retain some order of control over herself in this situation. She swallowed as she felt his rough, calloused fingers dance over her wrist, hovering over her pulse point and she felt weak at how exposed he's got her emotionally.

[yamamasjumpercables]

hiiii ml

you should do reader x matt or chris (you pick)

they’ve been best friends for years and are in love with each other but they try to push away their feelings

finally one of them snaps and confesses their feelings

smut or fluff whatever you’re comfy with <33

“I always have”

Best!Friend!Matt x Best!Friend!Fem!Reader

Warnings: cussing and Matt being a little jelly (thats it)

a/n: second writing attempt 💆🏾‍♀️

Friends to lovers trope was always your favorite. You enjoyed watching or reading friends becoming something more. You would get mad when the two main characters failed to express their true feelings for one another. Yet here you were failing to express your true feelings to your best friend Matt, dragging out your own story line day by day. You have known Matt since middle school. Both of you became friends when he offered to help you find your class, after seeing you walking around the school like lost puppy. Ever since then you guys have been attached to the hip. Hangouts, FaceTime calls, sleepovers that end in his two brothers over staying their welcome. Cool secret handshakes turned into hand holding. Side hugs turned into a three minute bear hugs from Matt. Conversations in his room would end in both of you cuddling up with each other. For some reason you failed to notice the longing in his eyes whenever you guys made eye contact, the way whenever you were speaking the only noise in the room was from you never from him. Matt knew he had feelings for you, he knew that you were oblivious to every subtle touch, every compliment that went into a whole speech on how amazing you are. I mean at some point he’d have to give up, but he didn’t. Matt knew it was just a matter of time till you figured out that everything he did for you, was way more than what you thought. You on the other hand thought he was just being nice. You were actually head over heels for Matt but, you never acted on your feelings. Always pushing the thought of you and Matt being more than just friends to the back of your head to rot.

You were currently on Matt’s bed scrolling through Instagram, while Matt was streaming with his brothers yelling at them through his headset. “Nick did you see the comment about Y/n?” Chris asked. “What are you talking about?” Nick asked annoyed. “Which one Chris?” Matt questioned. “Someone is trying to flirt with her in the comments” Chris said laughing. “What are y’all talking about?” You asked still scrolling on your phone. “Oh it’s nothing” Matt said unconvincingly. “I guess I have to take matters into my own hands then”. You say getting up off the bed walking towards Matt’s desk, bending down to see what they were talking about. “Y/n is so beautiful if she’d let me, I’d definitely take her out” You read in the comments. “Is that an offer” You say intrigued. “Seriously Y/n don’t do that” Matt says a little annoyed. “What am I doing” You asked innocently. “Are you seriously gonna go out with some random, come on now” Matt says rolling his eyes. “I don’t know why you’re doing all that it’s not even like we’re together” You mumble. “Ok and I’m just trying to protect you Y/n”. Matt says getting upset taking off his headset. Now Matt wasn’t the jealous type, but when it came to you it was a different story. “From what Matt please tell me”. You ask. “You know what forget it” Matt says annoyed, putting his headset back on. “Nah tell me, what’s the problem Matthew”. You say upset, taking Matt’s headset off his head putting it on his desk. You and Matt both know you don’t use his full name unless we’re upset about something. Matt mutes his mic and turns off his camera. “That was uncalled for.” Matt says running his and through his hair aggravated. “It really wasn’t since you started having an attitude with me first.” You say annoyed. Matt scoffs “Whatever Y/n” Matt says, trying to end the conversation before he says something he will regret. “Matt dont whatever me, you know I hate when you do that shit” You say aggravated. “Just explain to me why are you asking so damn jealous Matt.” You yell trying to understand where his attitude is coming from. “You want to know why I’m jealous fine, I’m madly in love with you and I have been since the day we met” Matt says passionately, it feels like a weight has lifted off of his shoulders. “Everything I do is to make you happy.” Matt says. “I could be having the worst possible day of my entire life, then when I see you all I want to do is just be near you, your smile, your voice, even when you laugh.” Matt says. “It hurts me to even think about you with anyone else, I’d literally dedicate my whole life to make you happier.” Matt says, gently grabbing your hand. “I’d rather tell you everything I love about you than sit here and argue”Matt says softly. At this point tears are running down your face, you quickly realize everything you thought Matt was doing just to be nice was actually what you had denied the entire time. “I’m I love with you too Matt” You say sniffling, attempting to wipe your tears with sleeves of your navy blue hoodie. “I always have.”

Hope y’all enjoyed 🧘🏾‍♀️ & thank you to ml who sent the request @worldlxvlys

[simpforanyanimeguywithdarkhair]

HAIKYUU BOYS AND THE ONE BED TROPE

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#Genre: Fluff 

#Includes: Sakusa, Atsumu

#Description: What happens when you and the boys find yourself in a predicament with there only being one bed. Who will let you share and who will make you sleep on the floor? Nah I’m playing neither make you sleep on the floor…or do they.

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

SAKUSA

You swore the world was out to get you today. Not only had you spilled hot coffee on yourself this morning which led you to almost miss the bus, you also happened to stub your toe not once but twice! So, as you stood at the threshold of your hotel room which happened to also be Sakusa’s you wondered what you had done to receive this fate. It’s not that you dislike Sakusa, it’s quite the opposite, you rather enjoy his company, it’s that you’re aware of Sakusa’s preferences and know he would feel rather uncomfortable sharing a room with someone he isn’t that close with. You had only recently become a manager for MSBY and while you felt you quickly connected with the other boys, Sakusa remained distant, but you were okay with that, you didn’t mind working a bit harder to make him feel comfortable with you.

So, as you stood side by side at the door, both of you unmoving you decided to take your shot at seeing if there were any more rooms available. “I’m going to go to reception and see if they have any other rooms available for us” Sakusa softly nodded, “That seems like a good idea”. However, as expected due to your terrible luck there wasn’t any rooms available. Apparently, there was a mix up with the number of rooms booked and due to needing a last-minute change there were no other rooms available (typical). The lady at the desk could only offer you a sympathetic smile and a discount for your next stay, fat chance you were staying there again. You solemnly returned to Sakusa who looked at you expectantly and you could only provide a sad shake of your head, “great” he muttered.

You both hesitantly walked in and observed your surroundings. One double bed, a sofa, table, tv and bathroom, so not much. Knowing what you had to do, you turned to Sakusa with a smile on your face and said, “Don’t worry! I’ll take the sofa and you can take the bed” “I’m not going to let you do that, what type of person would I be if I let you sleep on that couch… God knows what’s been on it” shit, you hadn’t thought of that and you desperately wanted to take your offer back but you knew you couldn’t, “Which is why I should be the one on it and not you, seriously it’s fine, you have a big game tomorrow so you need a good sleep, me not so much” you chuckled. Sakusa knew you weren’t going to relent easily and as he eyed you, he let out a soft sigh “…fine but don’t say I didn’t tell you so” in a sing song voice you replied, “I won’t”.

Fast forward to you lying down on the hard and suspiciously crunchy sofa, you very much wanted to tell Sakusa that he was right but fortunately your pride wouldn’t let you. You let out a small huff as you toss and turn to try and get comfy but to no avail. From Sakusa’s perspective, the guilt slowly started to build as he heard your shuffling and quite sighs. He knew he should have put up more of a fight, but he really didn’t want to sleep on that couch. However, the thought of you and him in the same bed brought a blush up his neck and to his cheeks, he’d never really slept with anyone before so what happens if he’s a kicker or he hogs the covers, he’d hate for you to think that about him, but he also knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep with the weighted feeling on his chest.

In a quiet voice he slowly called out, “Hey…you awake?” “Yeah, why are you still awake?” “I can’t sleep with all the moving you’re doing, its disrupting” “Sorry! It’s a little uncomfy” you apologetically replied. Sakusa mentally facepalmed as he heard the guilt in your voice, what was wrong with him, why couldn’t he just ask you to come sleep in his bed like a normal person. “If it’s that uncomfortable then why don’t you come sleep here” “I already told you that you are not sleeping on this sofa” “I don’t mean us switching, I mean… you can sleep here…with me…if you’re okay with that!” he quickly rushed out. “Really?” you eagerly asked.  “Sure” he awkwardly coughed out.

Wasting no time, you lifted the thin blanket of your body and made your way to the bed. Lifting the side of the cover that was unoccupied you gently slipped in, “I promise I’ll stay on my side!... thank you” “its okay and uh don’t worry about it”. Now as both your backs faced each other, Sakusa willed his heart to stop pounding and hoped he was able to stay on his side through the night. “Goodnight” you softly whispered into the darkness, “Goodnight, Y/N”.

You slowly opened your eyes as the first rays of sun made their way through the sheer hotel curtains. You rubbed your eyes and tried to stretch your arms; key word tried. Feeling as if something or someone was weighing you down you slowly looked down and last nights events came rushing back to you. There Sakusa lay, head on your chest and arm wrapped securely around your waist. Instead of waking him up you took this time to admire him because he really was beautiful. Thick black curls that were strewn messily on his head but nevertheless still made him look handsome and boyish, long pretty eyelashes that would flutter a little when his eyes twitched, two moles on his forehead that made him unique and different and plush lips that were slowly puffing out short breaths as he dreamed. You resisted the urge to brush your fingers through his hair and over his face no matter how tempting it was because you don’t think Sakusa would appreciate that, so with that in mind you attempted to gently lift his arm off your waist so you can slip out of bed.

However, your attempt was met with him childishly huffing and tightening his hold on you “mmh five more minutes” he grumbled out. You tried to shake him awake and make him aware of the fact that he was cuddling you but were yet again met with his grumbling “I know, you’re really comfy…and warm” and with that he nuzzled his face further into you. Sakusa knew he’d probably be embarrassed when he fully wakes up and comes to his senses but right now, he didn’t care, not when he was in your warm embrace that felt so much like home.

ATSUMU

You and Atsumu had been friends for a while now and you practically went to every single one of his games to show your support. However, this upcoming game was pretty far away, and you were unsure if you would be able to go with how much schoolwork you had and the fact you’d have to figure out how to get there. Atsumu had begged you to come, saying it would bring bad luck if you didn’t go and you had simply rolled your eyes and said you would think about it. However, as time went on you did start to feel a little bad that you wouldn’t be there as you knew how much he and the rest of the team wanted you there. With that thought, you made up your mind and decided to break the news to Atsumu. “So I may or may not have decided to go…to your game” you side eyed him with a little smirk, he immediately jumped up off the bed and then tried to brush it off with a sly smile, “I knew yer wouldn’t be able to say no to me” “Yeah yeah whatever, but that also means I have to ride with you guys” “That should be fine but I’ll run it over with coach”. But throughout all the excitement you both managed to forget one important detail…the sleeping arrangements.

Unfortunately, you realized this detail a bit too late as you were now ten minutes away from your destination before Suna brought it up “Not that I’m not happy you’re here Y/N, but where are you going to sleep because everyone’s rooms are already booked but yours because you decided to come last minute”. Your eyes slowly widened as you looked over to Atsumu who was beside you, who also had a look of shock on his face, “Shit” you both said in unison. “I totally forgot about that! What am I going to do”. Osamu who was sitting behind you guys chimed in “You can stay with Atsumu, I’m sure he won’t mind” he slyly said while sharing a look with his twin brother. “what’s that supposed to mean” “Uh it me-means nothing! Osamu’s just being stupid” he stuttered out while throwing a glare at his brother who was just smirking back. “But yeah, you can stay with me I don’t mind” he casually imputed, “I’m sure you wouldn’t” Samu whispered. You decided to ignore the boys who were now bickering as relief flooded you now that you didn’t have to worry about the sleeping arrangements. If you’re being honest, you would have stayed with Atsumu anyway as you felt the most comfortable with him and it’s not the first time you’ve shared a room.

However, what didn’t cross your mind is that there would only be one bed. You knew you were sharing a room with him but for some reason the fact you’d have to share a bed with him didn’t cross your mind. “Uhh” Atsumu awkwardly chuckled, “Look its not the first time we’ve shared a room, it’ll be just like one of our sleepovers” he tried to reason. All you did was just give him a ‘are you serious’ face, “Yeah but we’ve never shared a bed before Atsumu, there’s a big difference” he threw his bag on the floor and jumped on the bed, stretching his arms out “aw come on, it won’t be that bad” he looked over at you with an innocent face. You slowly walked towards the bed and huffed out a “fine, but we’re putting something in the middle to separate us” “What why! Are you five?, I won’t try anything…unless you want me to” he cheekily smirked. That earned him a few smacks with the pillow closest to you, “ow ow, okay okay, I was kidding, I promise” you eventually stop your punishment and look at him with a stern face “Stay on your side of the bed” “Cross my heart” he said while crossing an x over his heart.

You both laid there side by side on your backs just staring at the ceiling. “Are you nervous?” you asked into the darkness. “Mm, not really, I don’t really get nervous” “Sure you don’t” you sarcastically replied. “I don’t! I swear, I’ve worked so hard for this, to get to a point where I’m confident in myself and my abilities so there’s no point getting nervous” you had never really thought about it that way and now that he said that you can understand him. Atsumu has always been one the most hardworking people you know so it doesn’t shock you that he’s so confident in his abilities. “Plus how can I be nervous when I have my lucky charm with me” he slyly smiled at you, “Oh shut up” you huffed out a laugh. And while he may have said that in a joking manner there was nothing but sincerity in his eyes and words, he genuinely believes he performs better when you’re with him because seeing you in the crowd cheering for him fuels him with more motivation. Throughout the time you had been talking, you received no reply from Atsumu and looked over to see what was wrong, only to see that he had fallen asleep. You softly chuckled as you brushed the stray hairs away from his forehead and whispered, “Sweet dreams Tsumu”.

You wake up with the sudden urge to pee and try to get out of bed before you realize you’re trapped in Atsumu’s arms. With your back flush to his chest and arms wrapped tightly around you, you understand that you’re not going to be able to get out of bed without waking him up. You try to wiggle your way out but that results in his arms tightening around you, so you try to remove the vice grip he has on you but to no avail. “Atsumu” you whine, “I have to pee, let go” “Nooo” he grumbles, “Atsumu let go of me right now before I piss the bed” “Will you come back?” “Yes, now let go” “Promise?” “Oh my god, yes, I promise I’ll come back” he finally let’s go so you make your way to the bathroom to relieve yourself. As you make your way back to bed, you’re met with Atsumu’s pouty face and grabby hands “You were warm and now I’m cold” “I thought you were going to stay on your side, what happened to that?” you raised a brow. He shyly looked away and whispered “Sorry…couldn’t help it…can you come back to bed now” so with a sigh you make your way back to your original position and his arms automatically secure around you with his face nuzzled in your hair. “What shampoo do you use? Smells nice” “Go back to sleep Tsumu” and that he did because he’s never felt more content with you in his arms and he’s going to make it his mission to make it a regular thing.

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

;)

© property of simpforanyanimeguywithdarkhair

[reecethegeek]

Fake Dating | Fezco x Lexi

Day 1 of Fexi Week

Prompt: fake dating (aka the best trope ever)

just a lil fexi blurb to hold down the fort. it would've been longer but writer's block is a bitch

props to @liz-saltzmans for putting this whole thing together. follow @fexination for more info

Lexi put her hand on the doorknob and swung Fez’s dorm door open, she burst into the room and rushed up to him with panic in her eyes. Fez jumped a little and frantically took out his earbuds out. “Shit, Howard. Fucking scared me.”

“Fez, I need a favor,” she said as she began pacing within the small bedroom, absolutely ignoring her best friend’s terror that she just caused moments ago.

“Lex, I done told you. I can’t give you a fix every time you get a B on an assignment.”

The girl stopped in the middle of the room and shook her head. “God, no! Not that,” she said agitated. She walked over to his bunk beds and sat on the bottom one, letting out a sigh. “I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend,” she muttered. Fez’s eyes squinted and his nose scrunched up, “Huh?” he asked.

“I may have sorta lied and told Cassie that I have a boyfriend,” she explains nervously. “But I don’t,” she adds, biting her lip.

Fez looks at her and blinks, “Still tryna figure out what that has to do with me, help me out here Howard.”

“So, I have may have kinda told her it was you,” she blurted out. “What?”

Lexi fell back onto the bed, feeling her frustration grow by the second. She dragged her hands down her heated face as her chest collapsed with a deep sigh. “Gosh, I can’t believe this is happening to me,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Me neither, I wasn’t asked for permission an’ was given a last-minute notice. Shit crazy.”

Lexi sat up, using her elbows for support. “I know, I’m sorry Fez. It just all happened so fast. Cassie called me earlier and she was going on and on about her perfect life and I just wanted to impress her. Prove that I could be like her.”

Fez noticed the frown etched on the girl’s face and it saddened him. The fact that she thought she needed to go out of her way like that was just ridiculous.

“You don’t gotta lie to impress nobody Lex, and you don’t have to be like nobody else. You good the way you are.” Lexi gave him a tight smile and shrugged her shoulders. “Thanks Co, I guess I’ll call her back and-”

“Nah ma, I ain’t letting you go down like that. I meant what I said but we bout to win a whole fucking Oscar after we done with this!” he corrected.

Lexi’s tight smile instantly formed in a huge one. She got up and tackled him into a hug, almost knocking him out of his desk chair. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She lifted her head up from the of his neck and kissed his cheek. Fez felt the blood rush to his face and didn’t know how to react, he was frozen. Lexi stands up and does a small jump, “You’re the best!” she exclaims and exits his room.

“What the fuck?” Fez whispers to himself trying to figure out what just happened.

[kira-fluff]

Heeey!

Saeyoung, Yoosung, Jumin and Zen reacting to to “hotel only one bed” trope ? ♥️

a/n: of course you can lovely! <3 *AHEM* Lemme just say this trope is ELITE and I will NEVER not love it // also, i’m writing it like it’s before they’re dating (OF COURSE) because I want it to be spicy (actually that’s the only thing that would make sense for this prompt but you get my point whatever). ALSO also I’m basing the fancy hotel off my stay at the Ritz Carlton (it was like $25,000 a night) because my grandma couldn’t manage money N E WAYSS. Also, if y’all could let me know whether you prefer Y/N to MC pls lmk k thx 

TW: drunk old lady w/no filter, gets pretty suggestive because I couldn’t help myself, an overbearing aunt, savage Italians, and loud hotel neighbor 

Note: omfg i accidentally made this so long oh well here’s yo present lmao 

“There’s only one bed” PT.1 PT.2

- 

Saeyoung 

Getaway missions are mad cool until you can’t sleep 

When you finally neared the parking entrance to your hotel you were SO looking forward to taking a nice hot shower before shimming into the covers of your crisp, (clean, you hoped) sheets. 

It was past 3AM when Saeyoung finally drove his elegant vehicular device (because what other word is there for it) into a secured parking space 

“Because I don’t trust those shady valets, y/n.” 

“Whatever you say, Seven”, you replied groggily. 

You hauled ass up to the front desk, then to the elevator of the exquisite hotel you were staying at

not that you cared 

because S L E E P 

but Saeyoung likes to quote Jurassic Park (because of course he does) like “I spare no expense, y/n” 

“I’m too tired to laugh” 

*gASP* 

“Not everyone naturally stays up until the early morning light before going to sleep.” 

“It really should become a thing, it’s honestly very iconic of me.” (it’s not)

By the time your conversation ended you were glad to see your hotel number and a little key card slot. 

Saeyoung made a show of sticking the key card in like a spy or something 

it was funny for normal y/n but not for tired y/n 

“Here’s your room, M’lady.” 

He held the door open to your room as you looked around the room 

a large, lush bed set before a ginormous flat screen TV with complimentary expensive chocolates laid before you as well as complimentary take-home elegant towels and slippers. 

suddenly, you heard a knock on the door 

blinking in confusion, you opened to see it was Saeyoung 

“Um.. hey! What’s up?” 

Saeyoung looked a bit bewildered himself before saying, 

“Hey, so, I realized my key card was the same room number as yours and I was like ‘That’s weird!’ so I called the front desk who verified that I had placed a reservation for one room, not two, so I hacked into their system to see what went wrong and if I could change it but it looks like they’re completely booked and I think I had made the reservation before I knew that you had to come along and I’m so sorry” 

he was breathless after the mouthful he just gave you 

As it was 3AM a drunk, old woman was tripping her way to her room and shouted much louder than she should at 3AM, “Kiss her already n’ fuck, ya youngin’s!” 

Saeyoung’s hair now matched his face :) 

His ears were tipped bright red before coughing awkwardly 

“I can sleep on the ground. I’ve done it plenty of times, it’s actually pretty comfy.” 

“Um, Sev’ I’m not going to make you just sleep on the floor. If you want--” 

“You’re not making me, y/n, I want to do this” 

“Actually I think I’ll sleep on the floor, I sleep a lot better on the ground”, you fibbed. 

“You’re sleeping on that big ass bed.” 

“No you are.” 

“If you don’t listen I’ll sleep in the bath tub instead of the floor.” 

“Then I’LL sleep outside the room!” 

“LIKE HELL YOU WILL!” 

“WATCH ME” 

the phone rang, a worker politely asking you to quiet a bit down because even with your luxurious privacy walls, guests could still hear you arguing. 

Saeyoung began whisper shouting, “Guess that settles it.” 

he plopped on the ground, fake snoring with his arm as a pillow

you sighed 

“Fine, if neither of us are going to agree to this then we are both going to sleep in this bed.” 

Saeyoung blushed lightly at your boldness, a tad worried you’d find him creepy or weird

You started again, beginning to undress a little, causing Seven to yelp in panic and turn around immediately, shielding his eyes,

Now in your tank top and your leggings you’d been wearing under sweatpants and a t-shirt, you said, “I’m gonna go take a quick shower and go to bed. I’m so tired.” 

Seven turned around only when he’d heard the bathroom door shut 

he sighed, What am I going to do with this girl. 

By the time you’d come out of the bathroom, drying your wet hair, Seven was lying on the bed, clad in casual t-shirt and jeans. 

“Come on, Saeyoung, you have comfy clothes! It’s okay, change! I’m done in the bathroom now.” 

“Nah, this is fine.” This was not fine. Saeyoung was out of his area of expertise of expecting the unexpected because God you were so unpredictable. 

“Please” you jutted out your bottom lip in a little pout, being sure to make eye contact with him 

Something glowered in his eyes for a split second before he half-smiled saying, “Ah, little Y/n, you know I can’t say no to you when you go all sad on me.” 

He stepped into the bathroom to change, but let’s be honest. He was freaking the fuck out. 

he covered his flushed face, changing into his soft sweatpants and a cozy sweatshirt. he was scared 

the more comfortable he became the more likely he’d accidentally get closer to you and then you’d freak out because you’d hear the sound of his heart beat like it’s a fucking rave concert and then you’d be weirded forever and quite possibly never talk to him again

but on the outside, he stepped out of the bathroom, whipping his phone out with a huge smirk saying, “Smile” 

you threw up a peace sign with your tongue sticking out 

he laughed before sending it to the RFA chat 

707: Sleepover lolol [see attachment]

immediately both your phones blew up with buzzes of notifications from the chat 

you laughed lightly, brushing a stray hair from your face to tuck it behind your ear 

this was gonna be a long night for Seven. 

Zen: UGH get away from her!!!!!!!!!111!!1!!

Jumin: Maybe you should learn to type first. 

Zen: shut it cat freak

Zen: seven answer 

Zen: hey 

Zen: y/n, text “qwerty” if you’re in any kind of danger 

Jumin: What a strange code. 

You: qwerty :(

707: lololololol

Zen: !!!!!

Zen: ASJDHKJFASHFKJA 

Jumin: -_- 

Zen: WE NEED A CAR, NO A HELICOPTER im omw!! 

You: just kidding <3 i’m fine you guys 

707: lololol 

Jumin: Have a bit more faith in your subordinates, Zen. 

You closed the chat and muted your phone, expecting the incoming argument that was quickly to ensue. 

You patted the bed lightly, ushering Saeyoung to lie down next to you. 

He obliged, though he politely laid at the far edge of the left side of the bed. 

You yawned before shutting the light off and whispering a “good night”. 

Saeyoung glanced at the clock. 4AM. Only 15 minutes had passed. You were breathing softly in your sleep within the 10 minutes after you’d said goodnight and here he was still awake. 

You suddenly tousled in your sleep, and Saeyoung raised his head, whispering a soft, “Did I wake you up?” 

You replied with a soft moan before abruptly turning left onto his corner of the bed and grabbing for the first thing you’d felt -- his torso. 

Saeyoung’s breath hitched as he felt you exploring the new found “object”, running your fingers up and down his torso and nearing dangerous areas below 

Saeyoung whisper-shouted, “What are you doing?” 

He leaned closer to hear your reply, but your only answer was more soft little snores 

Saeyoung sighed, trying to lightly grab your wrists without waking you up, and directing toward yourself

no matter how hard he’d try, your arms kept finding his own

your nails would softly ghost over his chest or neck, causing him to shiver and blush profusely 

again, he sighed, trying his hardest not to give into your sleepy state 

until you broke him with a soft utterance, “Sae....young..” 

Saeyoung’s eyes widened to the size of saucers before he dared to look down at you, your hair curling on the bed every which-way.. your mouth slightly agap... 

he groaned, his brows furrowed and his eyes shut

at last he slunk his arms around your torso, being sure to respectfully keep them high around your waist 

he buried his face in the crook of your neck to subconsciously try to hide his ever growing blush (and erection) 

I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this ‘friend’ thing when you’re driving me this crazy, y/n.

You awoke to a sleeping Saeyoung, his toned arms enveloping your small body in a hug

shamelessly, you laid still for a few moments longer. 

Yoosung 

this bean is lonely uwu

so when he’d invited to you go with him on a trip his uncle had paid for, you felt bad saying “yes” because it’s a paid trip!! 

until he begged you because his cousin Chaewon would be there and he was always really pushy and borderline a huge fuck boi 

so you conceded 

but hey free trip for the both of you minus shitty family gatherings with no one you know, right?! 

you hope there’s at least one dog. and alcohol. 

dog + alcohol at a party = an actual fun fucking time 

you were glad Yoosung was there with you because he honestly couldn’t agree with you more 

You opened your beach-side resort room to find there’s only one bed. 

Yoosung blanched and quickly dialed his auntie, who’d made the resort reservations

“Ah...hi auntie! Um, how come there isn’t a separate room for me and y/n?” 

his aunt cackled into the phone, “Aren’t you an old fashioned little gentlemen!!! Awe~~~ you’ve grown up to be such a good boy! <3 Well don’t worry, I won’t say a word to my sister or your pops. Enjoy the time you have with your adorable girlfriend and get it on a little!! I’ve got condoms if ya need ‘em honey~~ Remember dearie, when the shlong is not covered, the child support better be.” 

Yoosung hurriedly hung up the phone, his face completely red, praying you hadn’t heard the conversation that’d just ensued. 

You did 

but you smile and say, “So.. what’d they say?” 

He cleared his throat before saying, “Well, --err.. Basically there’s been a little mishap. B-but don’t worry!! I can just ask Chaewon if I can spend the night in his room.” 

“Didn’t you say he leaves a sock on the door handle every time--”

“YES but I want you to be comfortable, okay! It’s really not a big deal.” 

You shyly smiled while looking down before softly saying, “You can sleep with me.” 

Yoosung’s eyes widened and you quickly looked up, your face flushing to a deep crimson 

“I-I-I meant in the bed!!! With me. We can lie together. In the bed---- I mean we--” 

Yoosung could practically see the steam coming out of your ears and the room felt a LOT hotter 

“S-sure! Sounds great.” he had a feeling if you didn’t agree you’d end up embarrassing yourself further.. and he didn’t want you to feel bad. And he didn’t want those thoughts circulating his mind again. 

“Alright, so I’m going to hop in the shower, y/n... unless you want to go first?”

Gulping down some complimentary water you’d found in the hotel mini fridge, you quickly replied with a shake of your head. 

Nodding, Yoosung make quick work of washing his hair and trying to give himself a pep talk before he would be sleeping next to you. 

Thankful for the big size of the resort bed, you climbed under the covers, already beginning to feel sleep take you 

When Yoosung had at last dried himself off and walked out to the bed area of the resort room, he gazed at how small you looked, hugging a soft pillow in your arms, your eyes fluttered shut 

He looked away, feeling like a creep. 

He shut off the light after making a call to the resort staff to wake him up at 8AM as directed by his uncle’s itinerary

He slid under the covers, shoving a pillow in between the two of you as a little border to separate the two of you 

it wasn’t until further in the night when Yoosung had felt a jolt and he looked up in panic, through the blackness recognizing the pillow-border had been cast onto the ground 

and even more noticeably, your leg was swung over his hip, your body flush to his own 

your arms were snaked around his neck

he felt like he could feel every inch of you

your soft breath just below his ear 

your soft .. er.. chest... against his torso 

your stomach and .. the rest of it... against his own 

Yoosung could not breathe

like someone actually help this man for he is losing oxygen by the minute 

He squeezed his eyes shut and make the executive decision to wait it out til morning 

he was terrified that if he’d move you, you’d wake up and see just how much you affect him. 

And so, when the phone rang that morning, you’d startled, looking up to see your tangled limbs lying on top of his own

“oH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY YOOSUNG UGH IT’S A HABIT OF MINE AHAHHSAHDAJSHS” 

he looked at you with eyes that had noticeable circles under them (darker than even after his LOLOL gaming) 

“you look like you didn’t sleep much.... --- Is it because of me!? Oh my god I’m so sorry you should’ve just shoved me off or something seriously I didn’t mean to do it on purpose, honest!!” 

“N-no, no it’s really not!! I promise!!” He tried his best to grin, though it probably looked like a grimace, because the next thing you said was, “I’ll make it up to you” 

“You don’t need to do that. Really, I liked it.” 

It took a moment for him to realize what he just said. 

“I-I mean I like you! I mean I liked sleeping with you!!! I mean--!!” 

Yoosung was quickly spinning circles in his mind 

you couldn’t help the little giggle that came out of your mouth, “I guess we’re pretty similar, huh?” 

Yoosung smiled lightly, “Yeah, guess so.” 

You walked out together toward the breakfast area of the resort

“Hey”, you started, “Is.. Did you mean what you said? About liking me?” 

Yoosung glanced away, taking a deep breath before saying, “Yeah, yeah I did. I really like you.” 

You couldn’t hold back the big ol’ smile that took over your face as you proudly declared, “Me too!!” 

Right when Yoosung was going to go in for a kiss, he saw his auntie suddenly right next to the both of you 

“Oh my GOD when did you get here?!” 

She smirked, “My question first, dearie, what did you two like?” 

Neither of you answered, your cheeks growing red 

“You know, the first time your uncle did it with me I felt the same way. Like, what a man! Must run in the fam--” 

“OKAY! THANK YOU FOR THAT AUNTIE BUT BREAKFAST IS CALLING MY NAME MM SMELLS GOOD SEE YOU LATER.” 

Your blush didn’t leave you as you smeared strawberry cream cheese on your toasted bagel 

This trip was going to be very VERY difficult. Thank God there was alcohol. And Yoosung. And probably dogs. And Yoosung. 

Yeah. 

Gotta love relatives. 

Jumin 

You received a call from a stern voice you didn’t recognize

<<“Hello. This is Mr. Han’s chauffeur. I’m approximately 6.3 miles away from your residence. Do not worry about clothes or other necessities. All will be provided for you.”>>

“Uh.. thanks? Where....?” 

<<“Mr. Han has invited you to join him on his stay at the Ppalgan Vineyard Estates. Have you not received the notification?”>>

You glanced at your phone, seeing two unread messages on your phone. 

You read them, feeling bad you hadn’t seen them before. 

“Yes, yes of course. Thank you. Tell him I said thank you. Are you sure it’s okay for me to attend?” 

<<“Miss Y/L/N, Mr. Han gave me specific instructions to assure you would be able to come with him. I have been ordered to give 2 minute updates following your being picked up. I can assure you, it is his utmost wish that you join him this weekend. I’d be honored to thank him on your behalf, though I feel it would mean much more to him if you said it to him rather than me.” >>

“You’re right, thank you. And thanks for driving me. And for all the other stuff you said”, you replied nervously. 

<<”There is no need to thank me, Miss. I am glad to serve Mr. Han in anyway I can.”>>

The call hung up before you could spout out more thank yous 

you phone buzzed, startling you. 

you clicked the notification

<<(XXX-XXX-XXXX HAN COMPANIES) I’ve arrived at your residence. Let me know if there is anything I can carry for you. Sent 13:52>>

You quickly texted a reply of gratitude before rushing down the stairs out of your apartment, not wanting to make Jumin’s chauffeur wait. 

“Good to see you Miss Y/L/N. Is there anything I can get you? I have been given orders to purchase anything you may want or need on our way to the airport.” 

He quickly texted something on his phone, presumably a text to Jumin about your safe arrival to his limo.

“A-airport? You mean, like, flying? Are you sure I don’t need my wallet? It’s not too late for me to go grab it, right? I have my debit card on my phone too, otherwise.” 

“Miss Y/L/N you are not to spent a single won on this vacation. All is paid for.” 

“But my clothes... I don’t want Jumin to have to pay for all new things!!” 

"I assure you, money is not something Mr. Han wishes for you to be concerned with.” 

You’d stayed silent at that, feeling bad that you’d already bothered the poor man who’d just been ordered to drive you, not reassure you of Jumin’s financial affairs. 

You grew quiet, looking out the window as trees, streets, and cars zoomed past you. 

“If you so wish, there are numerous meals options in the compartments below the seats as well as alcohol, carbonated beverages and iced water glasses. You are, of course, welcome to any of these. Please do not hesitate to notify me if there is something you’d like instead. We’d glad to make it a regular option in all of our limousines.” 

You flushed, embarrassed at the amount of power Jumin’s words, and effectively, your own seemed to have on the entire Han Conglomerate as a whole. You laughed a little, it was funny thinking to yourself that you had so much power as to decide snack options for Jumin’s cars. 

Jumin was extra like that, he always went above and beyond to make you comfortable. You loved that about him. It made you feel a little spoiled, so you instinctively rejected most offers at things that seemed to further complicate his worker’s duties. 

You had no idea that when the chauffeur had said airport he meant the Han Private Airway Transportation Zone. 

As in... private jet. 

It was hard not to feel like you were in a whole different world. 

Not that Jumin treated you that way... but it was hard not to notice! 

You bowed in thanks to the driver before hastily finding your way to the nearest man standing in another black suit, his hands folded together in front of him. 

As soon as you uttered your name, his whole demeanor changed and he instantly had gone from cool and collected to humble and overwhelmingly kind. 

He’d quickly made his way to the boarding area, escorting you to the jet before leaving you at a polite distance way from Jumin who’d been looking at you from the moment you’d entered the aircraft. 

His eyes searched your own as you’d yet to discover his presence 

He couldn’t help but rake his eyes up and down your body, admiring the way you could look just in anything. 

He at last saw you searching the spacious cabin, at last laying eyes on him. 

His heart pounded faster, as if your noticing him made his heart leap in joy

You looked relieved and smiled, running over to him and sitting down next to him 

“Hi Jumin!! Oh, should I be calling you Mr. Han? That’s what your chauffeur called you.. sorry if that’s what I should’ve been addressing you as!!” 

His deep voice rumbled in your ear, causing you to shudder, “Jumin is fine.” 

You gazed up at him through your lashes, noticing the way his perfectly tailored vest made him look so... well... for lack of better word...hot. 

“Wow. You look...” Your eyes moved from his hair, to his face, to his neck, to his torso, slowly to his groin, to his legs... before you realized what you’d been doing and quickly your eyes shot up again. 

You bit your lip, “You look nice.” 

“Nice?” 

You laughed shyly, and slightly (embarrassingly) breathless, “Yeah. Yeah you do. Nice.” 

Jumin couldn’t help the sly smile he’d been holding back before replying, “You look beautiful.” 

You flushed and looked down, squirming in your seat a little before looking at him once more, offering a small, “..thank you..” 

After a few minutes of silence, you’d decided to change the subject, chattering on about how you wondered what this mysterious vacation would hold 

Jumin couldn’t help is concentration half on every word you were saying, but also your lips. Slowly licking his own, he nodded along when you’d gotten especially enthusiastic, grinning slightly when you’d gotten so excited you’d leapt out of your luxury seat. 

Within a half hour of the trip to your destination in Italy, Jumin had trouble concentrating on much else. 

Get it together, Jumin, you’re not some fool like Zen. 

It’d gotten worse the more you’d leaned further in your seat, your chest becoming slightly exposed

he covered his mouth with a hand, opting for looking out one of the many windows of the jet. 

You’d always caught his attention and made him lose his focus -- something he’d never lost before he met you 

He blamed the strawberry sent that you’d always carried with you 

He wasn’t much for expensive, faux perfume that so many of his father’s skanks would wear... it was like no other. 

After a few hours of grueling torture on your part (though you hadn’t know every single time you’d grabbed his hand or arm it’d sent his heart on a sky dive) Jumin was glad to have arrived in the gorgeous Italian acreage of the countryside. 

It was even more beautiful at the dusk of night, you’d decided 

Immediately a shiny vehicle pulled up, ready to transport you and Jumin to the estate you were to be residing in for the weekend. 

Upon pulling into the culdesac, you almost scoffed at the word “estate” -- it was more of a country in and of itself, land stretched beyond what you could see 

The mansion itself stood on pillars and high, Gothic windows. 

Inside, flying buttresses decorated the building, giving it an elegant and aged ambiance that you just adored 

“It’s so beautiful.” 

He smiled at you then, watching you take in the wonders he’d realized he took for granted. 

He was then directed to a double-door entrance way, “Your room, Mr. Han, Miss Y/L/N.” 

“Separate, correct?” 

The man stood in surprise, looking slightly aghast, “T-they never specified such details.” 

“Contact them immediately to confirm. I’ll work it out from there.” 

“Yes, Mr. Han.” From there, the man scurried away to contact the head of the estate. 

After a few moments, he returned, “The Rossi Conglomerate had assumed that you’d brought your fiance with you.” 

“Did you mention I don’t have one?” 

“Y-yes, of course! But, Mr. Han, your father--”

Jumin sighed, “I’ll take care of it.” with a wave of his hand, the man was gone 

You thanked him on his way out. 

Jumin looked at you, searching for a reaction of displeasure or worry

When he didn’t find one, he began, “I was notified the Rossi had booked their other estates to their American investors. My being here is a formality, but it is business. It would be a great discourtesy to demand--” 

You smiled reassuringly, “Jumin, don’t worry about it.. we’ll share the bed, okay?” You held your hand in his own, rubbing soothing circles on his knuckles. 

Jumin looked at you, choking on his spit slightly. 

“Y/N you do understand that--” 

“It’s fine, Jumin!! It’s late already, I’ll just put up my hair.. and.. do you know where the night clothes would be?” 

He watched as you fixed a bobby pin between your teeth before running your fingers through your hair, watching as you arched your back to-- 

“Jumin? ...you don’t know?” 

He cleared his throat, looking away, pink dusting his cheeks

“Bathroom.” 

You thanked him, unaware of his watchful eyes 

It had been a few seconds since you’d entered the bathroom before he heard a loud and alarmed, “..UM....JUMIN...?!” 

He’d quickly made his way into the bathroom

“What’s wro--” 

He looked and laying on the long granite island of the large bathroom was a silky set of lingerie as well as a note in Italian you couldn’t read. 

Jumin’s words stopped dead on his lips as he stared at you, then the silky underwear set, you, silky underwear, you.......silky underwear. 

On the outside, Jumin liked to think he came off as calm and collected, saying, “I can get you something else to wear.” 

But when he’d made it two steps out of the bathroom he had a little collision. And by collision, I mean his face.. and the wall. 

He looked in every drawer, finding nothing. He presumed clothes would be delivered as specified. But it was late already.. their servants are dismissed, only the protective guards surrounded the inside and outside of the estate.. explaining the situation to them didn’t seem very promising. 

Of course you were kicking yourself, before you’d found their little....gift... you’d cast your days clothes into the washer. They were probably soaked by now. 

Maybe I could use a hair dryer...? Or I could stuff them in the dryer?? 

Either way you’d be without clothes for.. too long. 

And nothing would be greater punishment then showing all that in front of the man you had completely fallen for... 

You heard a knock on the bathroom door. You listened from inside. 

“Hey, I, uh, couldn’t find anything. Do you think you could wear your clothes from today?” 

You whimpered, on the verge of tears, “I already put it in the washer!” 

He knocked again, “Can I hand you something?”, he asked, undoing the buttons of his formal shirt. 

“C-close your eyes!” 

Jumin chuckled darkly before covering his eyes and handing her his collared shirt 

“I’d give you the pants, too, but I don’t think they’d really fit you. Could you look at what they’d provided for me? Maybe slip on something from mine.” 

“N-no! That’d be even worse for me!! .. and you!” You blushed again imagining him half naked

You hurriedly shuffled through the drawers, but to no avail. 

You gulped, slipping on the lingerie to ensure that maybe something would be covered before buttoning Jumin’s formal shirt on you as well. 

it was so big it didn’t leave much for the imagination 

but you decided through a 10 minute pep talk that you’d suck it up and try your best to make his shirt into a night gown. 

You at last stepped out of the bathroom, Jumin’s head shooting toward the sudden noise before taking you in 

He could scarcely breathe, much less come up with a coherent sentence 

you were in his shirt... 

with barely any clothes on underneath

and you looked up at him shyly, biting your lip a little 

drawing even more attention to your lips 

Jumin had to stifle a groan, opting to head to the bathroom to change

After splashing some cold water on his face in a poor attempt to get his head out of the gutter, he quickly got on his pjs 

after you both were ready for bed, Jumin sat on the bed, opening a small novel he’d been enjoying, Anthem.  

His attention was immediately diverted from the dystopian fiction when he saw you were stretching

His shirt rode up high as he took in the way the lingerie perfect accentuated your curves, though it didn’t cover much below the waist 

Noticing your folly, your eyes widened in shock before you immediately put your hands down

which, just your luck, made it all worse. 

the sudden movement disheveled the shirt, causing it to ride down completely on one side, openly displaying the soft brassiere beneath it 

Jumin slammed his book so hard it left an echo in the large room. 

Great. He couldn’t even make it look like his book was suddenly unbelievably interesting that he just so happened to not take notice of the obvious sight before him.

You blanched, feeling a breeze along your shoulder, gasping before running to your side of the bed and pretending you don’t exist anymore 

Meanwhile Jumin is in a  c r i s i s 

In the most eloquent of words, his mind said holy fucking motherfucking shit oh my God fuck fuck fuck AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH oh my god shit shit shit fuck shit sdfasodjgiajsidogjosdg MALFUNCTION!! WARNING!!!! RUN BITCH!!! 

But Jumin didn’t run

because mama ain’t raise no bitch 

but also because if he stood up it would be blatantly obvious that he had-- 

Stop thinking about it, Jumin.

He tried to redirect his mind to his 5 senses, a grounding technique he’d learned when he got too anxious when he was younger 

But sight seemed to dominate it as his mind replayed your facial expressions, the way your hands awkwardly tried to cover yourself up, the way you looked the way he’d take it all off--- 

Oh God. I’m deep in shit. 

He had never been so pissed at himself... and embarrassed. 

He looked over at you, a horrible decision, really. 

You were still awake, your face was redder than the strawberry sent that adorned you 

“s-sorry..” you whispered, willing yourself to try to forget, “pretend that never happened..” 

Jumin was practically feral and you were saying it never happened? 

Jumin couldn’t just pretend he didn’t just see a fucking goddess 

but he would for you 

“..........pretend what never happened?” 

You sighed, a small smile on your face as you quickly turned to thank him 

but he was a LOT closer than you imagined 

he was propped up on one elbow, looking down at you, his head slightly angled. 

And suddenly your faces weren’t so far apart.

And you couldn’t help but slowly close your eyes 

Jumin felt confusion when you’d done this

he can be a bit of a pea brain, so he of course said, “I’m sure you’re very tired.” 

He shut off the light, reaching over you 

You held back the big frown you’d gotten when you realized he’d rejected you 

unbeknownst to you that it took everything in him, from the moment he’d saw you in the jet cabin, not to scoop you up in his arms and make out with you the whole way there. 

Zen 

Was Zen going to invite you to his own fucking tour? 

Of course he was 

he liked flexing his connections 

and most of all, showing you just how much he cared about you 

and loved you

but not the love part because God if you ever found out Zen might jump into the nearest body of water and never return 

not that he didn’t have any confidence

he has lots of it 

but it all kind of disintegrates when he gets to talking about his real feelings

But come on, it was blatantly obvious to anyone who had heckin eyes 

or ears 

or just any functioning body 

the way he’d try to subtly throw an arm over your shoulder 

or he’d lean in whenever you spoke 

or the way he’d readjust his posture when you walked into a room 

or the way everyone caught him staring 

like anytime you weren’t looking 

or when you are looking because he is “built different” 

So the limo ride to the fancy hotel he was to stay at was something that had him looking forward to the tour, but also dreading it 

you’d sat close to him in the limo because his agent and other workers were sitting along with him. 

So close that your ass got pushed further and further onto his lap

because damn where the fuck are we and why are there so many goddamn potholes 

Zen tried to steady you by firmly grabbing your hips 

which was NOT the move 

because now that you were firmly set on his lap, every bump felt like a fucking war against his hormones. 

Like a gentleman, he quickly opted to seat you next to him, not wanting you to feel embarrassed 

still, he could feel you being pulled closer to him with every long turn the limo made or every bump or abrupt stop 

and it was torture. 

like this man is sweating 

but by some miracle you arrive at the hotel in one piece! Yay! 

but Zen’s soul has left his body~~ 

so you get set up 

You open the room, “Look, Zen! This bed is HUGE!!”, you ran over to it and plopped your face onto the sheets

He chuckled, watching you act like a little kid excited about a hotel for the first time 

his brows furrowed when he realized there was no door separator between your rooms 

He immediately called the front desk 

all you could over hear was “No, there seems to be some kind of mistake” 

and “I reserved two rooms -- conjoined” 

“Alright, ok. Thanks.” and then he hung up. 

“So..” he sighed, “They can’t get another room because they’re completely booked. Someone must’ve recognized the limo and lots of fans immediately bought up all the rooms in hopes of seeing me.”

“It’s alright Zen! I can ask to switch with your agent or something!!” 

“NO!” Zen said a little too loudly. “No. Um, look it would be bad because he’s a man.” 

“Your a dude, too, Zen.” 

“I-- yeah, but that’s different because I’m a guy you can trust.” 

“True..”

“So I’ll sleep on the couch, ‘kay?” 

“Zen, no! You need your beauty sleep to be ready for your performance tomorrow!!!” 

“It’s alright, really!”

“I’ll sleep on the couch!” 

“Like hell you will.” 

“Please :(”

“Y/N, seriously--” 

“Then how about this! You and I just sleep in the same bed!” 

Ever the dramatic soul, Zen gasped with his palm over his heart “How SCANDALOUS!” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be Mr. Playboy?”

“Only for you, baby”, he winked. 

You stuttered, “T-that’s not funny! Seriously don’t make it weird you horn- dog!” 

He threw his head back in laughter, “Horn-dog?! I thought you said you trusted me!” 

“Not when you’re obviously thinking about doing this and that to me!!” 

“Doing this and tha---Hey! Who do you think I am?!”

There was suddenly a loud bang on the wall and a burly man shouted, “GO TO FUCKIN’ SLEEP YOU OBNOXIOUS, SEXUALLY FRUSTRATED LITTLE SHITS!”

You smirked, holding in a laugh saying, “Sounds like your fans are getting jealous.” 

Zen’s mouth dropped and you began laughing hysterically 

“T-that was like a 60 year old man!” 

“I’M 42 YOU LITTLE SHIT” 

You fell back on the bed, laughing louder 

Zen shouted back, “WELL EXCUSE ME, SEXY, 42 YEAR OLD MAN” 

There was silence before a harsh knock sounded at your door 

All Zen’s bravado disintegrated and he made a dash for the bed, whispering loudly for you to “Turn off the fuckin’ lights, turn off the fuckin’ lights!” 

You stifled more giggles rising up to your throat as you clicked off the light, making sure the room was locked, and climbed into bed

you breathed out your last laughs, sighing to yourself contentedly before noticing the close proximity you were to Zen 

You stared at each other for a long moment 

You leaned in closer 

Zen placed a palm on your cheek, gently cupping it

he softly whispered, “Can I kiss you?” 

You answered by harshly connecting your lips

The two of you feeding off each other’s oxygen as Zen bit your lip, causing you to gasp and open your mouth to make way for his tongue 

you whimpered, feeling faint from lack of oxygen

the two of you parted, out of breath 

Zen wanted to say something smooth like “I’ve always wanted to do that.” 

but instead he said “I’ve always wanted to do you.” 

He mentally smacked his head, blaming the lack of oxygen for his stupidity

But you smirked up at him coyly, replying, “Then why don’t you?” 

Um yeah rip your hotel neighbor he will literally hate both of you so much 

I had honestly SO MUCH FUN writing this!! Let me know if you want, like, a part two to this. I think I’d just be so fun lol

[superbadassnatural]

Mirth Motel

Summary: Y/N desperately needs her beauty sleep. After lots of begging and attempts at the perfect puppy-dog-eyes, she finally convinces Dean to stop at a motel. Square filled: only one bed Pairing: Dean x Reader Word count: 2,188 Warnings: mostly fluff I guess, some funny bits, flirting, lots of eye rolls A/N: Surprisingly, I had never written this trope before! I’m not gonna lie, I had fun writing it. This fills my square for @spndeanbingo.

(x)

“Please,” you pouted, batting your eyelashes. Dean averted his eyes from the road to look at you. “Pretty please.”

“I'm gonna kill Sam for teaching the puppy-dog-eye thing,” he rolled his eyes.

“Is it working? Who does it better?” you wiggled your eyebrows excitedly.

“Sam’s been doing this his whole life; he had years of practice. Of course, he does it better,” he pointed out. “Sam looks like a kicked golden retriever puppy, and you-” he chuckled. “- you look like an angry chihuahua pretending to be sad, so you can go to the dog park and scare all the dogs away.”

“I've always wanted to be a chihuahua.”

“You’re insufferable, you know that?”

“Yeah, I know,” it was your time to roll your eyes. “C’mon, Dean, there's a motel in a few miles. We can crash there. I'm tired. I desperately need my beauty sleep and my feet hurt and I need out of these uncomfortable clothes.”

“Well, my head hurts from hearing you ramble, but I'm not complaining, am I?” he glanced at you, pursing his lips.

“It's late and it's raining. Do you really want to put Baby through this rain? I bet she's cold.”

“Nah, she likes it when it rains. She thinks it's romantic,” his lips pulled up into an asymmetric grin. “If you want to, you can go into the backseat, change into your pjs and get some of your beauty sleep. I promise I won't look while you change. Unless you ask me to.”

“Dean, c’mon.”

“If I pull up at the motel and we crash there for the night, will you stop whining?”

“I'll never whine again for the rest of my life. Cross my heart.”

“Hey, careful there.”

“Please,” you batted your eyelashes. “Do it for me. I know that, deep down in that cold heart of yours, you love me.”

“Okay,” he sighed. “You won.”

“Have I mentioned you are the bestest friend in the world?” you grinned.

“Nope.”

“Well, you are the bestest friend in the world.”

Dean drove for a few more miles. The rain cracked on the hood of the Impala. The sound was relaxing and lulling. The neon sign greeted you, and Dean turned left to head into the parking lot.

“Really? Mirth Motel? What kind of name is that?” he grunted.

“I don’t know, Dean,” you said with a roll of your eyes. “At this point, I couldn't care less about the name of the motel. As long as it has beds and a shower, it's fine by me.”

Dean took a few turns in the parking lot, struggling to find a spot he could park his car.

“Oh for fucks sake, everyone decided to stay here tonight?”

“Stop complaining,” you nearly whined.

“There isn't a single spot where I can park Baby. There better be a room available for us.”

“Stop being so grumpy. There's a space available right there.”

“Where?”

“There!”

“Thanks,” he huffed.

“You're welcome,” you pouted.

Dean parked the car, cutting off the engine. He sighed and glanced at you.

“We’re far away from the entry,” he pointed out. “There's no way to get inside without getting ourselves wet.”

“Fine by me,” you shrugged. “As long as I get to take a shower as soon as I step foot in there, it's okay.”

“Okay.”

You and Dean climbed out of the car quickly with duffle bags over your shoulders. You made a beeline to the entrance of the building, the rain mercilessly pouring down on you. Dean immediately went to the front desk, some of his wet hair stuck to his forehead. You took a few steps back, grabbing your phone and deciding to text Sam to let him know you had made a stop at a motel.

“Two queens, please,” Dean smiled at the old lady behind the counter. She nodded and checked on the system.

“I’m sorry, dear, we don’t have any room available with two queen-sized beds,” she offered him a sympathetic smile. “But we do have a room that will settle you for the night just fine.”

“Okay,” Dean frowned as the woman handed him the keys with a smirk. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“You’re welcome, dear. It's on the second floor. Have fun,” she wiggled her eyebrows.

Dean turned to you with wide eyes. You glanced up from your phone.

“All good?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Got it.”

“Great. Shall we?”

Dean gave a short nod and led the way.

“Dude, we’ve been to a lot of crappy motels, but this one takes the cake,” he mumbled as you climbed up the stairs. “Why the hell couldn’t I just park the car and get in a room like every other motel?”

“I don’t know, Dean, but complaining won’t make any difference,” you chided. “And we’re gonna stay here for less than twelve hours. We’re gonna be on the road first thing in the morning, so please, just stop complaining, or I’ll smack your head in the wall.”

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes.

Dean twisted the key in the lock, swinging the door open. He stepped inside, flicking on the lights; you followed suit. Dean sighed and threw his head back with a roll of his eyes. You frowned with a tilt of your head before looking over his shoulder.

“Of course there’s only one bed,” you blew out a breath. “Are we in a movie? ‘Cause now it certainly feels like we’re in a movie.”

Dean placed his bag on the table; you did the same.

“I expected more from a place called Mirth Motel,” he said. “I am certainly feeling mirthless.”

“Very funny, Dean,” you rolled your eyes. “Look, I’m gonna take a shower now, and when I get out, you better not be in a sour mood.”

“Whatever. I’m gonna go get us some burgers. Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Grabbing the keys, Dean walked out of the room. You picked up everything you needed and headed to the shower. The water pressure wasn’t nearly as good as the one you had in the bunker, but, right now, it was everything you needed.

By the time Dean got back, you were laying on the right side of the bed - knowing he’d rather sleep on the right -, reading your book. He held the paper bag in one hand and two beers in the other.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” he said, placing the food on the table. “The burgers are still warm, but I think the beers might need to go in the fridge for a bit.”

“Want me to wait for you?”

“Nah, there’s no need to.”

“Okay, I’m waiting for you,” you said, and he chuckled. “What? There’s no fun in eating alone.”

“It’s gonna get cold.”

“We microwave it.”

“Right,” he smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

“Hmm, this delicious,” you nearly moaned, mouthful.

“Yeah, it is,” Dean smiled as he finished his burger, taking a long swig of his beer. “Look, if you want to, I can sleep in the backseat of Baby. I don’t mind. She’s comfy.”

“No, Dean, it’s okay,” you assured him, hand reaching out to his thick forearm. “The bed is big enough for both of us. It’s a king-sized bed, after all. We’d be in trouble if Sam had come with us.”

“Yeah, we would,” he chuckled. “He hogs all the blankets.”

“And all the space. That giant.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“One-hundred percent sure,” you smiled. “Unless you are the one who doesn’t want to sleep with me.”

“Huh? I- uh- of course, I wanna sleep with you,” he stumbled over his words, his voice trembling. You blurt out laughing. “No. I mean- I don’t mind sleeping with you on the same bed. Clothed and all. Not, uh, the other kind of sleeping with you. Like naked and, uh- yeah, not that.”

“Easy, tiger. No need to get all flustered,” you chuckled. The point of his ears turned pink as his cheeks blushed. He took a long gulp of his beer. “For the record, I wouldn’t mind sleeping with you. I mean, the other kind of sleeping with you. Like naked and all. I wouldn’t mind in the slightest.”

His wide green eyes lifted at you before averting your face again. Dean cleared his throat and shifted in his seat.

“Would you?” you asked.

“Would I what?”

“Mind sleeping with me butt-naked.”

“Oh. No, of course not,” he stammered, shaking his head nervously. “Not even a bit.”

“Good,” you nodded. “It’s good to know we’re on the same page.”

“Yeah. Yeah, uh- I’m gonna go to sleep then,” he announced, awkwardly standing to his feet. “I’m tired.”

“Okay, you do that. I’ll be right after you.”

“Okay, good. Great.”

Dean locked himself in the bathroom, doing who knows what. You chuckled to yourself with a shake of your head. You loved making him feel embarrassed. Dean would get all cute whenever he felt uncomfortable. His eyes would widen, and he would lose every ability to talk. When his cheeks turned into a bright pink along with the tip of his ears, then everything was chaotic. It was nice to make him blush.

You laid on your back. The mattress wasn’t that comfortable. You didn’t expect it to be memory foam, but you hoped it would be a little comfier than it actually was. Your eyes were glued on the ceiling, your hands over your stomach as your finger tapped the back of your right one. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere as Dean, too, laid on his back without saying a word. His green eyes stared up as he chewed on his lip.

“Penny for your thoughts?” you said quietly, glancing at him.

“The ceiling is moving.”

“What?” you looked up with wide eyes. The ceiling was perfectly still.“Are you high?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure I've been staring at it for too long, and now it’s moving.”

“You’re so weird.”

“Thanks, you too,” Dean turned on his side, glancing at you. “I’ve been looking everywhere for that shirt.”

“My shirt?” you bit your lip to keep yourself from bursting into laughter.

“No, my shirt. You stole it.”

“You don’t remember, do you? You gave it to me as a birthday present.”

“It isn’t your birthday for the next month and a half.”

“You said it was an early gift,” you said firmly.

“I’m pretty sure I’d remember if I had given it to you,” he said. “But what do I know, right?”

“What do you know,” you licked your lips, turning to him.

“It looks better on you anyway,” he shrugged.

“Yeah, it does.”

Dean’s gaze dropped to your lips, lingering there for a moment, then backed up to your eyes. You drew a sharp intake of breath. His emerald green orbs seemed to unravel all the mysteries of your soul. You swallowed thick, avoiding his gaze. Slowly, Dean’s hand reached to yours under the blankets, his thumb caressed your skin. You looked up at him, his eyes locked in yours. As a way to avoid the growing tension between the two of you, you gave him a playful smirk and placed your feet on his legs.

“Fuck,” he hissed, pulling away; his hand didn’t let go, though. “Why are your feet so cold?”

“I don’t know,” you smiled innocently “You’re always hot, so now you’re gonna warm my feet since the blanket isn’t doing its job.”

“Jesus, it’s like the feet of a corpse.”

“Hey!” you smacked his shoulder. “Don’t say that.”

“Well, maybe if you wore some pants instead of shorts and actually put on some socks, your feet wouldn't be this cold.”

“You’re not fun, ” you pouted.

“If I had my feet against your shins, you wouldn't be too happy about it either.”

“Just admit you love having me this close to you,” you teased, a playful smirk on your lips.

“G’night, Y/N,” he turned his back on you.

“My feet are still cold,” you whined. “What should I do?”

“I don’t know. Use my calves maybe. Just don’t put those dead feet on my back.”

“Can I put them on your ass? I bet it would get them warm pretty quick.”

“Good night, Y/N,” he mumbled, you could almost hear his eyes rolling.

“Is that a yes or a no?” you insisted.

“That’s a no. Now shut it and go to sleep.”

“Fine,” you huffed. “Good night, Dean.”

Eventually, your feet got warm, and you pulled away from Dean. Some time, in the middle of the night, he found your back turned to him and decided to snuggle closer. His strong arm draped over your waist, knees tucked behind yours. Dean was laying on his back when the sun rose, and you rested your head on his chest, his arms once again securing you close. Of course, none of you would talk about waking up in each other's arms for the next four hours you’d be in the car. Perhaps you would only mention it once you were back at the bunker, forced to face what was said and done at the Mirth Motel.

What do you think of this one? Consider sharing your thoughts with me via reply, reblog, or ask!

Hunters: @hobby27​ @thewinchesterandreidwhore @tatted-trina6​ @doozywoozy​ @mogaruke​ @babypink224221​ @leah-winchester​

Dean’s Sweethearts: @maya-craziness​ @akshi8278​ @miss-here-to-stay​ @witch-of-letters​ @weepingwillowphoenix​ @danneelsmain​ @mrspeacem1nusone​  @percywinchester27​

[hansolmates]

jjk; off-league

summary; you decide to do a little boudoir photoshoot for yourself—a little sexy lingerie, some bunny ears, maybe even a little nudity to make you feel more body positive about yourself. that little photoshoot doesn’t end up being for yourself anymore when you accidentally send those sexy pictures to your stupidly hot, stupidly talented childhood friend who you haven’t spoken to since middle school graduation.  pairing; photographer!jk x fem!reader genre/warnings; childhood friends to lovers!au, flangst, mutual pining, feelings of insecurity and body image, suggestive language, nudity  w.c; 6.2k a/n: i was feeling a lil meh about this fic after finishing it but a month later it finally makes its debut! for @btsghostiewritersnet​ BGW Bingo Bash! today’s trope is “childhood friends to lovers” which surprisingly isn’t a favorite of mine so it was definitely a challenge to write! 

“C’mon, I need your opinion. Deadass. Don’t just say shit to make me feel better.” 

“Gimmie those nudes, baby girl,” Johnny makes an impeccable fuckboy impersonation, making you feel a little squirmy to your stomach. 

It’s an hour away from being the ass-crack’o-dawn and your impromptu pin-up photoshoot just needs the sexy-star-of-approval from your best friend. Johnny Suh is also up for reasons unmentioned, but you had a feeling his pretty boyfriend is fifty percent of the reason. 

You look at yourself in the mirror, smoothing your frame against the black bodice of the sheer teddy. The only parts that are fully concealed are the parts that don’t matter. The sheer bodice reveals your pert nipples concealed by a thin black mesh, coupled with the deep V in the sweetheart neckline, accented by a little black bow in the dive of your highlighted cleavage. The silky a-line raceways to a set of black garters hugging your thighs, barely hanging onto a pair of lace thigh-highs. 

It doesn’t leave you butt naked, but enough to make you feel confident about yourself. These pictures are for you, and Johnny. And Johnny’s boyfriend if he’s being nosy. 

You tug off the silk bunny ears from your head, flinging it somewhere in your room. The wire started to dig in your brain, giving you a major headache. 

“Sending them now,” you hang up and start compiling the pictures in a folder on Google Drive. Once that’s done you copy the shareable link, sending it to Johnny’s number. It happens all so fast, and you feel kind of giddy. As you were posing for the camera, taking your time to find all the right angles, you felt good, you felt sexy in your little get up. Channeling your inner Ariana Grande was one of your childhood dreams, your fifteen year old self would be proud. 

Five minutes pass, fifteen, and by the twenty-five minute mark you’re pissed. What’s taking Johnny so long? 

Makeup scrubbed clean and face bare, you shuffle in your duvet, far too tired to be waiting up this long. Punching in his number once more, you cry, “Hey! Why haven’t you looked at them yet?” 

“What?” your friend’s voice sounds pebbly through the line. Was Johnny sleeping? “You never sent them!” he whines tiredly. 

“No, I definitely sent them!” you pull the phone away and keep Johnny on call, ready to prove him wrong. 

But to your surprise, the last message you sent to Johnny was this afternoon. 

The most recent message is to a person named John Kook. 

You scream. 

Johnny screams back at you with an equal amount of force, “What the fuck? Did someone break in? Are you being mobbed? See, this is why I wanted to put the baby monitor in your room—” 

“Worse!” you’re well prepared for any break in, but not for this. “I sent my pics to the wrong John!” 

“Well… is he at least cute?” 

“I mean, in the fourth grade he looked pretty cute with that front tooth missing,” you find your output of frustration, your bunny plush, pulling it by the ear and hitting it against the bed. “His name isn’t even John! It was just his English name for a silly project we did in middle school. This is so embarrassing, all I can picture is a twelve-year-old Jungkook mortified from sexual harassment. I basically sent him nudes!” 

“Tasteful nudes.” 

“I’m gonna die.” 

“He’s gonna die, of happiness.” 

Jeon Jungkook was a classmate from elementary through middle school. Time and time again was he the object of your affections, from the first grade at the roller rink to the speech he made at graduation. But really, who cares? You’re old and have a job, and it’s not like you’ve communicated with any of your former classmates. 

Your horror amplifies when the Delivered receipt is changed to Read 3:41AM. 

“Fuck! Fuck me with a fuckin’ fuck nugget he saw it!” you cry, “does he still have my number? What if he deleted my contact, would that be even weirder?” 

“Girl, stop.” Johnny sighs, and you can already picture him running his thumb between his brows. “This doesn’t change anything, alright? You two don’t know each other anymore. Block his number and go to sleep.” 

Johnny leaves you alone after that, and you’re left alone to mull over the implications of sending Jeon Jungkook your nude photoshoot. 

You do block his number, knowing that waiting for a reply would drive you nuts. The one thing that you do which is possibly worse, is look him up on Instagram. 

Of course, he’s stupid hot. 

He doesn’t seem to like being on the receiving end of the camera however, in favor of his timeline being filled with romantic shots of the beach and city. In between the picturesque views and watercolor sunsets do you see glimpses of him and his current life. You can’t help but smile when you see him with his brother and parents during his college graduation, easily towering over all of them. He looks tall with fluffy cocoa hair, big pearly whites gleaming proudly at the camera. He grew up well. 

To torture yourself even more, you even look through his story. Twelve hours ago, he was at the gym lifting weights. Normally, you’d be disgusted by people trying to show off their grunt faces drenched in sweat, but of course Jungkook has to have on a silly smile and pump his fist up after he deadlifts. The sweat clinging to his shirt is also a high plus. His gorgeous display of abs has your hands fluttering over your own belly. Maybe you need to exercise more. 

Four hours ago, you see him and a pretty woman with their cheeks squished together, using the puppy filter. Of course he has a girlfriend. 

Reluctant, you open up your Google Drive and scroll through your photoshoot. Deflated, you frown at the pictures that once made you beam with pride, picking at every little detail that bothered you. You really can’t believe you sent these to Jeon Jungkook, no longer a fourth grader with one front tooth, but a man way out of your league. 

By the time you will yourself to sleep, the sun peeks from the horizon, telling you to move on. 

“Hey Gyu,” you tiptoe over to the table much too small for Mingyu’s frame. The string bean is slumped over his iPad pro, drawing intently at some chibi OCs. “Got a plot for that one?” you ask, pointing at the little pink and blue creature decorating the screen. 

Mingyu grunts in reply, obviously engrossed. It isn’t until you slide him a matcha frappe from Starbucks that he becomes intelligible, muttering a “thank you” as he blends with his pen. 

Sensing that it’s going to be awhile before you get through to him, you take your usual rounds around the front desk and lobby of the cosy photo studio. There’s pretty pictures of Mingyu’s work, along with the other employees Minghao and Hoseok. Each section of the wall features a different taste of each person’s interest. Mingyu is a divine lover of soft bed sheets and hot tea, many of his photographs and paintings featuring cafes or perfectly messy beds you’ve seen on hotel advertisements. Minghao is a tasteful artisan, splotches of color retaliating against neutral backgrounds. Finally, Hoseok manages to find balance in the people, large cityscapes telling both large and small stories.

“Alright,” Mingyu’s deep voice forces you to curl your head, where he’s sipping at his drink with haste. “What’cha here for?” 

You frown, “Don’t you remember? I told you last week I’d be stopping by to get my photos developed,” you gesture to the Pentax in your hands, an heirloom from your great-aunt. While you did take digital photos for sending them to Johnny, the ones you wanted developed were taken side-by-side with the film camera. You figured that film would give a little more authenticity to your photoshoot. 

“Shit, that’s today?” the camera falls like deadweight, slapping against your sweater as you watch Mingyu frantically look through his digital calendar. He looks at you, dejected. “How many prints?” 

“I don’t know, maybe like six. Or eight?” 

“That’s gonna take too long, I’m heading down to Hidden Grounds for a vision meeting at two.” 

“Alright, I’m free all day. What about after?”

“Nah, you came all this way. I can just let the new guy help you.” and Mingyu makes a show of cupping his hands in the direction of the open hallway, “Yah, Jeon Jungkook! Get your cute ass out here!” 

The Pentax around your neck suddenly feels like weight akin to a two-ton boulder, and you surge forward, not caring that the corner of the table is digging into your belly. “Mingyu,” you garble, and Mingyu is shell-shocked by the desperation in your eyes. “Isn’t Minghao around or something? Or I can come back another time? These photos are really personal and I don’t feel comfortable having a stranger see them.”

“What? We’re professionals, don’t belittle us.” 

“No, seriously,” you whine, you tug at the collar of his denim jacket, noses practically touching. “These pictures are different. My tits are out and my legs are spread—”

“—interrupting something?” 

You hear some shuffling, and you turn around to see Jeon Jungkook’s back, comically turned to face the entrance. 

And damn, he did have a cute ass. Nothing is going to hide the glory in those jeans, absolutely nothing. 

“Hilarious,” Mingyu drawls, and you push him away. “Forget it, Kook. She doesn’t feel comfortable letting a stranger develop her photos.” 

Sensing that it’s safe to turn around, you watch as his black bangs flutter as he faces you. You hope your body language doesn’t betray how you’re really feeling, because you are a mere mortal and you’re weak in the presence of god-like figures. 

“Oh, what a relief then,” he smiles at you, and his voice sounds like honey. If there was malice or surprise in his tone, his good-natured expression betrays it. “Because I’ve known this friend since elementary school. We go way back.” 

You ignore the burn in the back of your head, as you are positive Mingyu knows you’re hiding something. 

“Really, what a coincidence.” Mingyu replies carefully, and you feel utterly stuck between these men and their banter, locked up like cream in an Oreo cookie. 

Nothing argues against Jungkook as he easily weaves through the thick wave of awkwardness, hands reaching out to touch your camera. “Wow,” he marvels, holding the object in his hands, “my dad has one of these.” 

“A-ha,” you take a step back, only to bump into the corner of the table, again. Ouch. “It’s okay, Jungkook. I’m actually busy today so I can come when Mingyu’s free–”

“Oh, I thought you were free all day,” Mingyu drawls, looking up through his lashes as he sips languidly at his drink. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Jungkook says good-naturedly, as if Mingyu just didn’t out you. “We got a lot of catching up to do anyway, c’mon.” 

Jungkook moves to place a hand in the small of your back and that’s enough to get you to rev up. Refusing to let any contact get between the two of you, you zip ahead down the familiar hallway, turning your head to catch Mingyu grinning with all canines, shooing you with his fingers like a puppy. 

You send Mingyu a stream of “fuck yous” into his inbox for later, unwilling to settle with this curse. Busying yourself with your phone, you avoid eye contact with Jungkook until you reach the dark room. The red light turned off at the top of the doorhenge signals that the room is not in use. Jungkook makes a move to open the door and that’s when you pounce, blocking the doorway with your small body. It’s comical, really. 

Jungkook raises a brow at you, but says nothing. 

“I really can wait, Jungkook,” you steel yourself, forcing a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t like you developing my pictures—”

It’s then that his pretty cupid’s bow unfurls into a full-fledged grin. “Girlfriend... you’ve been keeping tabs on me?” 

“Fuck, well I had to!” your face is as red as the dark room’s alert light, now on because Jungkook flicked the switch and he’s between your arm to unlock the door. Your hand brushes his as you both reach the knob. “I’m really really sorry I sent those pictures. They were for Johnny—you remember Johnny Suh from English class? And I saved you in my contacts as “John Kook” so it was an honest mess up.” 

Jungkook hums, so light that the breathiness in his chords flutters your grip on the knob. He forces the door ajar, and you’re left to follow him in the dark room, cluttered with solutions and fancy equipment. 

“Thought so,” Jungkook shrugged, giving a one-over at the materials in the room, mulling over his next steps in developing your film. 

You’re still petrified at the doorway, holding your Pentax between both hands like a lifeline. Jungkook’s head lols to you, and you get a pretty view of the way his bangs brush over his forehead, Adam’s Apple bobbing. His expression is a little tired, but overall unreadable. He sighs your name, lethargic. 

“We’re already here, so might as well get this done,” he gestures to the camera in your vice grip. “Do you wanna pick the shots or do you want me to?” 

He’s already seen the digitals, what’s so different about getting a couple prints? With a slight pout you drag your feet over to him, relinquishing your camera. “I’m thinking you have a better eye for this than I do.” 

“You think right.” 

You fight the urge to roll your eyes. Cocky, but what you’ve seen on Instagram definitely justifies his sentiment. Jungkook pays no mind to you, busying his hands with the various containers in front of him, measuring the solutions for the developer, stopper, and fixer. You were always entranced by the process of developing film, especially in highschool where their photography club holed themselves in the darkroom like a secret lair. 

“Alright,” he pops open the canister, carefully laying out sections of the film in groups of four. “Want me to pick a random one for a tester?” 

You frown, “At least put some thought into it.” 

“Always,” it looks like he already decided way before he popped the question, immediately taking a negative and placing it in the carrier. 

His fingers are nimble as he takes the time to clean off the dust and any debris that could potentially ruin the image. Then he turns off the lights and begins the process. You dive around him, trying to keep your distance but still too curious to leave his side. If he’s annoyed he fails to show it, in favor of humming whatever song comes from his Echo Dot. 

You always got the solos in choir. You wanted to reminisce, but you’re too nervous to say it out loud. 

Even though it’s his job and he’s being a professional, you romanticize the experience, watching as he carefully puts the print in each liquid process. Your image blooms to life, and you feel your stomach churn as the photo develops before your eyes. 

After a final dip in the solution stopper, he places the first product in a bath of water. Even though you are mere centimeters away, you can clearly see the image of you swimming around the container. 

“Alright!” Jungkook hangs the finished picture on a pastel pink clothespin, tacking it in place. “Whaddya think?” 

Your breath catches in your throat, feeling heavy as you look at the image of you reflected in the glossy paper. You’re perched on your bed, a hand splaying between your legs as the other hand toys with the silk bunny ears. You’re leaned slightly, giving an ample view of your cleavage. However, the image of you is definitely different from being blown up in comparison to the negatives, and you squirm uncomfortably at your full display. 

“I look,” you bite your tongue, internally debating whether you like it or not. Not to spare Jungkook the theatrics you shrug, “It’s good.”  

The lack of enthusiasm seems to dissatisfy Jungkook however, as he has to take a double take and look back and forth between the image and the real thing. “What’s wrong with it, do you think Johnny’ll not like it?” 

“What?” you furrow your brows, breaking into a nervous laugh. “Johnny has a boyfriend. I just wanted his opinion. This photoshoot is for me, y’know? Just something to make me feel good about myself.” 

Jungkook’s lips morph into a little ‘o’, and you see a little bit of the child you once knew in the way he’s mulling over the situation. 

“Then can I give you my honest opinion?” Jungkook clips off the half-dried photo, holding it between you two. “Stop thinking so hard about every little thing you don’t like about yourself. If I was your boyfriend and you gifted this to me, I’d be creaming my pants. You look fucking sexy, all grown up since you cried in the fourth grade.” 

You’ve just been flung a litany of words you have no brain capacity to digest. Along with that, the immense heat you didn’t know you’ve been suppressing surges to your belly, low and simmering. Jungkook stares at you in earnest, despite his sudden gush of honesty, you don’t know what to say. There’s a dash of pink staining his cheeks, betraying the confidence he previously displayed. He stiffens when you don’t reply immediately and moves to clean his materials, his sudden bout of bold honesty quickly shrinking. 

“Y-you know,” you look down at your feet, “the only reason why I cried in the fourth grade was because you told me Santa wasn’t real.” 

Jungkook softens, tilting his head. “Sorry about that.” 

“Thanks though,” you gently reach for the photo in Jungkook’s grasp, looking at it without contempt. “But won’t your girlfriend be upset if she knew you were saying things like this about someone else?” 

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Well, if you looked through the rest of my Instagram story,” Jungkooks cards a hand through his already mussed hair, splitting the ends. “You would see that she’s not my girlfriend, but my tattoo artist.” 

For added measure, he wiggles his fingers in front of you, revealing pretty ink and silver bands across his knuckles.

“Oh,” your voice is feather light, and you’re sure you’re drooling as you stare far too long at the letters that mark his hands, curious as to what they symbolize. 

“So, as a singleton telling another singleton,” he continues, “I know it’s meaningless if you don’t believe it yourself, but I’m telling you, you’re attractive.” 

“Thanks,” you hold the picture tightly in your grasp, eyes flickering to the negatives in the room ready to be galvanized into a full-fledged picture. “Why don’t we wrap this up, huh? We can continue another time.” 

If he notices how much the paper wilts in your grasp, he doesn’t comment on it. “Are you sure? I know it takes a lot of time, but I don’t mind.” 

“I’m sure,” you force a smile, one hand on the lightswitch. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready, okay?” 

Jungkook swallows, nodding mechanically. “Okay.” 

“It was really nice seeing you, Kook.” you blurt before you could chicken out, letting the room bask in darkness a little longer so he can’t see your flustered state. “I’m not even going to downplay it, you look great.” 

You half-expect a cocky remark, or a little chest pumping from the compliment. At the sound of his nickname however, 4th grade Jeon Jungkook resurfaces and he shoves his hands in his pockets. “Like I said, so do you,” he replies easily, sending you a soft smile and opening the door for you. 

The door closes shut behind you and you exhale, patting your cheeks and willing for the chilly air to calm you down. 

When you get home that day, you shuck off all your clothes and crawl into bed. You cry out when the metal framing of your bunny ears stabs you in the back, and you fling it to some unmentionable part of the room. You reach for a bag of half-opened sour gummy worms, flipping open your MacBook to continue streaming the soft magical girl anime you’ve been hooked on these past few weeks. 

Not even Sailor Uranus can distract you; however, by the time it’s dark and you’ve run out of distractions, you finally pull the plug and unblock Jungkook from your list of contacts. 

Your phone buzzes, the incessant vibration relaying all the messages you’ve missed. 

[March 12th, 3:53AM]

You: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/0343…

John Kook: ??? 

John Kook: you probably sent this to me by accident… sorry i clicked on it

John Kook: is it weird if i said you’ve done a massive glow up since the middle school dance?

[March 12th, 12:02 PM]

John Kook: are u mad

John Kook: you’re mad

John Kook: am i makin this weird by continuing to text you

John Kook: im making it weird. 

[March 31st, 6:24 PM]

John Kook: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/049…

You tilt your head at the folder link, it was sent only a few hours ago. With a click, you’re enlightened to a set of digital photos. Your photos from your photoshoot, but not quite. They’ve been expertly edited, not too much to distort your looks, but only to enhance your features. A small, barely there smile creeps from your subconscious, ultimately touched by the gesture. 

John Kook: sorry if i pushed too hard today. 

Guilt overrides your nerves, prompting you to immediately press the call button on his contact. Not to your surprise, Jungkook’s light voice calls your name through the line after the second ring. 

“Don’t be sorry,” you blurt, forgoing the hellos. “It was the right amount of push, I feel better, really. If anything, I’m sorry. I blocked your number because I was scared to read your reaction.” 

You hear him sigh along the line, and you feel that breath ripple through your nerves, as if he’s right next to you. “It’s fine, I would’ve done the same thing.” 

“The pictures you just sent, they’re really beautiful. You did a good job.” 

“Thanks, I had a bit of help. I didn’t have to do much.” 

“Oh, did Mingyu come back from his meeting?” 

"No, I uh," Jungkook chuckles, and while you don't really know why, the sound is nonetheless pleasant. “It was mostly the lighting and coloring I fixed up. Didn’t need to do much since you already looked so pretty as it is.” 

You choke on your saliva. 

“You okay?”

“Y-yeah,” you cough, “just choked on a snack I was eating.” he hums in reply, and you pray he doesn’t hear your stomach fervently retort that you haven’t eaten since lunch. “So, I think I’m up for developing more of the film. When can I drop by?” 

“I’m free Saturday,” Jungkook chirps, “I have a shoot until noon but you can come anytime after that.” 

“Sounds good, I’ll be there,” you clutch the phone with both hands. “I can bring lunch. What do you like to eat?” 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“I’m already buying for Minghao,” you lie, “do you like burgers?” 

“I can’t say no to a good burger,” Jungkook’s smile feels almost palpable against the line, “do you remember our field trip to the national museum of history? We had burgers on the street!” 

“Oh, those were so good,” you moan, fuzzy memories of a middle grade field trip resurfacing to clarity, “but you ate like, ten of them!”

“I still get nightmares,” he warns, “don’t let me go to bed like this.” 

You giggle, letting your body meld further into your warm mattress. “Maybe I’ll just show up with ten burgers for you tomorrow.” 

“I’ll throw up on you, try me.” 

Minghao’s adjusting the frames on their display wall by the centimeter, and it’s pissing him off. 

“Ah, it’s off,” he mutters to himself when you walk in, indicated by the electronic bell. He turns to you briefly, pulling a leveler out of his overall pocket. “Doesn’t this look off?” 

“Uh,” you look towards Mingyu at the front desk, who is paying no mind as he continues scribbling on his iPad. You tilt your head towards your former college classmate. “It doesn’t look off from over here?” 

Tacking the leveler on one of the frames, he whines, “It’s five degrees off.” 

Mingyu puts his pen down to reach over the counter and grab the paper from your hands, steaming with the scent of fast food, “He’s been like this for hours, don’t mind him.” 

He doesn’t even ask whether the food is his, Mingyu sees grease and he claims. Reaching for an oil-wrapped parchment, he unfolds the paper to reveal a handsome burger with all the fix-ens. 

Barely satisfied, Minghao steps away from the art display. There is a sizable gap in the display, now divided between four artists instead of three. You wonder how Jungkook’s work will look amongst the other artists. 

“Cute ‘fit.” Minghao mumbles, nodding approvingly at your clothes as he digs into the bag for his own burger. 

You send a half-smile his way. If an outfit is Minghao-approved, that means you’ve gone above and beyond. At least, you tried to play it off like you didn’t try to look cute. It’s not like you’re intimidated by Jungkook, living with a major fifteen-year glow up. After all, he’s already seen more than you can imagine. 

Mingyu takes notice, eyes going south to where your white blouse meets your cleavage. You hurl a fry at his face, “Eyes up here, perv.” 

He scrunches his nose, lifting a greasy thumb to slide a manila envelope over to you. “Here’s the developed pictures. Intercepted Kook and I finished them this morning.” 

You frown, “Jungkook’s not done with his photoshoot yet?” 

“Oh, he’s been done.” Mingyu’s eyes roll back to one of the studios. “But I’m saying is, you got what you needed. So you can leave if you want,” but he grins at you, canines so sharp you feel his stare jabbing you in the proverbial neck. “Unlesssss you want to go in and say hi.” 

If he has any inkling of what’s going on in your head, it’s definitely confirmed when your face turns hot. Damn body, you’re betraying me! With a flourish you grab the fries from under Mingyu’s nose, along with whatever’s left in the fast food bag. 

Minghao’s smiling through his burger, knowing if he pulls any type of savagery his lunch would certainly be pulled from under his chin. 

“Whatever you’re thinking, drop it or the burger will be going in your ass instead of out.” You mean to sound menacing, but the Min-squared and their boisterous laughter follow you down the hallway and into the occupied studio. 

“Hey Jungkoo—wow.”

You’re sure you look like Alice, enthralled by the little wonderland she just stepped into. The set is beautiful, right out of a fairytale. It has a very old-romance vibe, like Morticia and Gomez Addams. There lay a couch made of the darkest, richest wood, with velvet red cushions covering the body. Across the floor laid hundreds of black rose petals, blanketing the floor in a sea of ebony. 

“It’s for a wedding, gothic themed.” Jungkook supplies helpfully, still fiddling with whatever he was looking on his digital camera. He’s looking utterly soft in a matching grey sweat combination, something that would easily disgust you during high school, but unfairly works with him. 

“The shoot must’ve been beautiful.” 

“It was.” 

“I uh, got this for you.” Your fingers start to sweat from clutching the bag so hard, and you place it on his work table. 

He finally looks up from his camera, giving you a wan smile. “I thought you got those for Minghao.” 

You mentally slap your cheeks, trying to ignore the way his smile made your stomach do somersaults. “He got his own. Your portion has a cookie in it, so.” 

His cute teeth unveil themselves at the mention of sweets, and you can’t help but smile back at the familiarity. 

The two of you take your time in enjoying your lunch, not meaning to stay but the very back of your mind hoping he’d like to share a meal with you. After all, Mingyu and Minghao are probably at the front relishing in your very obvious attraction. What can you say, first crushes never die. 

Between sips of your milkshake, you’ve taken to flipping through Jungkook’s portfolio. There’s a myriad of different subjects: beaches, people, the occasional squirrel. Each section of the portfolio feels like you’re being transported to a new side of Jungkook and his artistry, and you ached to know more. 

“Wow,” you point at an action shot of two girls in a dance studio, “this duo looks like Chungha and Hyoyeon.” 

He swallows his (second) burger, having the audacity to sink sheepishly in his sweater. “It is Chungha and Hyoyeon.” 

You nearly choke on your cookie. “That’s amazing.” you say breathlessly, looking closer at the image. In fact, the beautiful women photographed are famed hip-hop choreographers Chungha and Hyoyeon. You can’t imagine how good Jungkook must be to manage a photoshoot with them. 

As proud as you are of Jungkook, it reminds you that since middle school you two have lived completely different lives. You wonder if Jungkook gets these kinds of gigs all the time, hanging around with gorgeous, talented people like himself.

Jungkook says your name once, twice. He looks at you concerned, and you’re melting in his large carmine eyes. If he notices your usual overthinking, he doesn’t say anything, and gestures to the section at the end of his portfolio. “This isn’t my best work, but it’s one of my favorites.” 

There’s something familiar about this set. A playground with a busted swing set. Children riding on bikes and colorful class shirts. Ice cream melting on fists. 

Thirteen-year-old you hanging on top of your middle school’s leafless tree, clutching your baseball cap as you shade yourself from the sunset. 

“Was this the first time you took pictures?” you ask, thumbing the picture of yourself. 

“Yeah. It’s when I decided it’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life.” 

“I know we didn’t know each other that well and we’ve only recently connected but,” you give him a shy smile, “I’m really proud of what you’ve grown up to be, Jungkook.” 

He looks like you’ve hung him the moon and stars, his half-eaten burger loosening in his grasp. His lips are parted cutely, like a kitten who’s just been offered a fresh glass of milk. You cough at the sudden pause in conversation, feeling self-conscious of your impulse confession. You don’t even have it in you to be disgusted when Jungkook hastily shoves the second half of his burger down his throat, tips of his ears pink. 

Leaving him be, you press a palm to your cheek, looking at the wedding set. 

Jungkook downs half a water bottle before he speaks again. “Y’know, it would be a shame to clean up this set already. It was kind of expensive.” 

“Yeah,” you echo, standing up and kicking off your slippers. You kick your feet in the air, watching the black petals kiss across your ankles.

“I have an idea,” he wipes his hands on his sweats, “why don’t you go back home and get an outfit you really like. Lingerie, a cute outfit, whatever. Let me give you a photoshoot you’d love.” 

You look up from your petal dance, balking. “Jungkook! That’s not necessary, I told you the photos I took were okay.” 

“Yeah but, you didn’t seem entirely happy. C’mon, I got a camera and a beautiful set. Why waste it?” his hands naturally gravitate towards his charging camera, already turning it on. “I can do lighting, I know all your good angles. What’s stopping us?” 

Really, what’s stopping you? Your hands fiddle with your open flannel, the soft material comforting you as you look across the set. You try to imagine yourself, your body draped across the velvet pillows and black petals. Would it look good? Would you feel good? You think back to how you felt the first time, how scared you were when someone other than Johnny would be looking at your photos. You remember how something weird and sour contorted in your stomach when you scrolled through Jeon Jungkook’s Instagram, no longer the little boy you knew but a man who could have everything he wanted—

“Stop thinking about it.” Jungkook suddenly snaps, and you break from your reverie to catch him looking upset. It’s been awhile since you’ve seen him like that. 

“Thinking about what?”

“Thinking that you’re out of my league.”

“Excuse me?” 

“You were like this the other day too,” and he looks sad, and puts his camera down to come closer to you. “Why are you feeling this way. Is it me?” 

“Not necessarily,” you huff, hugging yourself.

“Do you not feel beautiful? Do you not like your body?” 

“No, I do.” you say to yourself, and you mean it. Even though there will inevitably be days where you may not feel one-hundred percent positive about yourself, you know at the end of the day, you love you and all its parts. “I don’t know, Jungkook. I had no problem letting Mingyu develop the photos originally, because he knew me in college and I was already sure of myself back then. But I guess when I sent them to you, I felt like I did when I was a little girl, y’know? Going through puberty, and worrying about what other people think.” 

And it’s not like Jungkook teased you or made you feel lesser of yourself. In fact, Jungkook was the student you wanted to be when you were younger. Someone sweet and caring, and unabashedly confident about himself. 

“I guess seeing you so successful and the fact that my stupid childhood crush came back from a time where I always felt low, made me feel a little insecure again.” 

Something sinks in and you feel hyper aware of how crushed Jungkook looks at your declaration. “There’s no leagues, you got that?” he says quietly, walking so close that he’s hovering over you, sneakers brushing. “I get it. I get unsure and insecure just like you. Hell, I was nervous this morning, wondering if you’d really come. We may not feel insecure over the same things, but middle school wasn’t that great for me either.” He makes a funny face, and you feel a smile twitch across your lips. “But it’s okay. Because we’re human and we grow. But now, you are successful. You’ve grown from your time growing up and you’re a wonderful, powerful person. I’m proud of you too.” 

“I know,” you mumble, leaning your forehead against his chest. His arms wrap around you in response, holding you snug.

“And for the record, I thought you were the most beautiful person in the world in fourth grade. Even though my world was pretty small back then, I can say now that what I thought back then still stands true.” 

You look up from his embrace, where he’s leaning down to press a slow, cotton soft kiss to your forehead. He backs up a little to read your face, and you give a tiny nod in response to signal it’s okay. Jungkook exhales in contentment, relaxing against your frame. 

“Thanks, Kook,” you crack a smile, feeling your insecurities slowly evaporate. You feel better, light, knowing that these negative feelings are only temporary, and you’re not alone. Being in Jungkook’s arms, an honest boy turned man you’ve known all your life, it feels almost like home. 

You two stay like this for a while. Exchanging feather-like kisses, feeling irrevocably young and hopeful. Suddenly feeling emboldened, you tug him by the strings of his hoodie to press a long, hot kiss to his lips. There’s a stutter, and you’re pretty sure Jungkook choked on his saliva at the sudden change of pace but you continue, letting Jungkook catch up and follow your lead. 

“Wow,” Jungkook pulls away and his lips are shiny and flushed. Adorable. You think 7th grade Jungkook would be rolling in his Naruto sheets if he knew you two would inevitably end up together. Conversely, 7th grade you would be squealing in your kitten plushie, proud that you managed to nab your childhood crush to live out all the fantasies you’ve imagined since the 4th grade. 

“Jungkook,” you let your flannel fall to the floor in a heap, only leaving your baby blue top in a thin ruched camisole. “I think I want to do the photoshoot. Can’t pass up these pretty petals, y’know?” 

He runs a hand through his hair, gaping. “Really?” 

“Yeah,” you press a wet kiss to his neck, “anyway you want me, baby. Full creative control. I want you to like this as much as I do, okay?” 

With the permission to hold the wheel, Jungkook’s lightheaded and spinning. His eyes rake up and down your gorgeous form, wondering how many good deeds he’s done in his past life to earn a right just as this. 

“In that case,” he presses a palm to your shoulder, pushing you to sit along the velvet cushion, “strip for me.” 

[charmsandtealeaves]

Ministry of Magic Monthlies | September: Love Languages, Words of Affirmation

Prompt: [Trope] friends to lovers

Read it on AO3

Summary: Potions caused Remus to have a quarter life identity crisis. Sirius is a melodramatic who can't stop himself from jumping to conclusions.

Words: 5,771 (Chapters 5/5)

Photo by Jessica Loaiza on Unsplash

Chocolate & Aftershave

Chapter One

Remus Lupin was uncharacteristically the first of the 6th year Gryffindor boys to arrive in the great hall for breakfast on the morning of September 2nd. His usually peaceful early morning doze had been disturbed by the sounds of James Potter quietly dressing and leaving the dorm. James had been given the captains badge for the Gryffindor quidditch team that year and had plans to take the role extremely seriously. He had spent the better part of an hour laying out his extensive exercise and training regime plans to his friends on the Hogwarts express the previous day. Undoubtedly, he was heading down towards the pitch for his morning warm up jog and flying laps. Hearing the dormitory door click shut, Remus stretched out in his four-poster bed and groaned softly. There would be no falling back to sleep now he was awake with daylight filtering through the red bed hangings, so the next best thing was breakfast. The great hall was mostly empty save for a few groups of studious Ravenclaws and anxious first years. There was only other Gryffindor 6th year already seated, Lily Evans. Remus and Lily were friendly due to their relationship as prefects, but he hadn’t caught up with her over the summer break. He plopped himself down beside her and started to help himself to a couple of slices of toast.

“Morning’” Remus greeted.

“Remus! Oh, thank Merlin I was hoping to get a chance to speak to you this morning. Can I partner with you for potions? Peter isn’t continuing at N.E.W.T level, right?” Lily asked enthusiastically.

“Nah he’s dropped it, doesn’t need it.” Remus confirmed.

It hadn’t dawned on him that would have meant him partnerless for potions. Not that he minded, while he wasn’t the best, he was still a highly competent potioneer. But given what went down following last year’s O.W.L exams Lupin wasn’t surprised Lily wanted to replace Severus Snape as her partner.

“You are aware that means sitting behind Sirius and James though, right?” He added.

“I’ll manage. Better behind than in front. I was always getting hit by flicked potions ingredients. I’ll be glad to not be picking pieces of pickled newt out my hair” She shrugged nonchalantly.

“Not that I condemn such behaviour, but if it’s any consolation I don’t think they were ever aiming at you.  I think Snivel… Snape was their target.” Remus stopped himself before finishing the nickname.

“Oh, I’m sure they were aiming at Snivellus. But for a chaser and a beater you’d think they’d have better aim” Lily quipped.

**

James looked like a deer in headlights when Lily took the seat directly behind him in potions, he hastily scribbled a note to Sirius, who looked at it and then back to James exasperatedly. Sirius leaned back in his chair so far that the front two legs lifted off the ground and he had to balance off Remus and Lily’s desk with his forearm. Sirius beckoned Remus to lean closer with his head and rolled his eyes.

“Will you switch with this lunatic?” Sirius whispered.

“Lily asked to partner with me this morning at breakfast, I don’t think she’d take too kindly to a swap.” Remus hushed back.

He could smell Sirius aftershave wafting under his nose, even after he’d placed all four chair legs back down to relay James the refusal message. Other than Remus himself who had needed to shave since their third year thanks to the furry-little-problem, Sirius was the only member of the group who grew more than what could only appropriately be referred to as peach fuzz. Remus had never noticed the scent before now, but it smelt good, earthy rather than musk. Sirius leaned back again and opened his mouth to say something but didn’t get the chance.

“For Merlin’s sake Black if you want to partner with Remus so badly have at him. I know Potter can brew.” Lily huffed, grabbing her satchel from the floor, and getting out of her seat. “Go on. Get.”

Sirius happily got out of his chair, choosing to kick his own bag along the floor rather than pick it up. He slid into the seat next to Remus grinning broadly.

“Well, that was easy” he mused.

Sirius bumped his knee against Remus’. At a gangly six foot two compared to Sirius’ five foot nine Remus didn’t have much room to give him. He tried shuffling slightly, but their knees still jostled together. Not that Sirius seemed bothered. Slughorn called attention to the front of the class and a covered cauldron that would be today’s lesson. He lifted the lid, and an aroma filled the dungeon, fresh grass, chocolate, and that same earthy smell of Sirius’ aftershave.

“Now. Who can tell me todays assignment?” Slughorn asked jovially. Lily’s hand shot up and she answered before even called upon.

“Amortentia. Love potion.”

“Correct! 10 points to Gryffindor. Now no spiking anybody! But we will be working on a lesser love potion today, turn to page 211.” Slughorn chortled.

Remus felt his stomach plummet and tickle with butterflies. He must be mistaken, the potion couldn’t smell like Sirius’ aftershave, it must just have been they were so close together. Sirius’ leg touched his again briefly and he felt like he’d been shocked.

“You wanna grab ingredients, or shall I?” Sirius asked.

“I’ll get ‘em” said Remus getting to his feet quickly.

He hurried into the storeroom where he confronted James who was giddily grabbing a vile full of pearl dust.

“Switch back with me.” Remus insisted.

“You what? No! Come on Moony, Padfoot’s a decent hand at potions. He’s no worse than Wormtail was. I need this chance at redemption with Lily after last year. Please mate.” James pleaded.

“Fine.” Remus agreed begrudgingly. Surely it wouldn’t be long before James screwed up and Lily would be back to being his partner again.

Arms loaded with potions ingredients Remus returned to find Sirius already dutifully lighting the cauldron. Remus placed the potions ingredients down haphazardly onto the desk, scattering some of the dried rose petals to the floor. Sirius bent down to scoop them up and shucked them back onto the test, Lily noticing out of the corner of her eye.

“Did you get the dried petals too?” Lily asked James.

“Yeah, that’s what the book says.” James replied defensively.

“Dried petals work, but fresh tends to make the potion more potent and fives a better shimmer.” She responded.

“I’m not even going ask how you know that” James finished, heading back to the potions store without instruction.

“Got him whipped already Evans. I like to see it.” Sirius teased.

Despite the teasing being aimed at Lily rather than himself, Remus still felt himself blush, his face hot with embarrassment. They certainly didn’t need to make a more potent potion and he didn’t care about the shine. It was likely that either Lily or Snape would produce the best potions and earn points for each of their respective houses anyway. Remus instead kept his head down and followed the instructions listed in the text, only speaking to give Sirius the directions to stir or add greater quantities.

“You alright Moony?” Sirius asked to which Remus nodded in response.

He refused to admit he felt like he was sweating profusely, and his heart was racing. The longer their potion brewed the greater Remus could detect the earthy smell wafting from the spiral steam coming off it. It was unnerving him to say the least that he associated the smell of love potion with one of his best mates. Who also happened to be you know, male? He’d kissed girls, he liked girls. He couldn’t possibly like Padfoot that way. Could he? They were roommates for crying out loud, they shared a bathroom, he knew all his gross habits. By the end of class their potion has the shimmery texture expected and they actually managed to receive praise from Slughorn and 15 points for their efforts. The greater surprise was that Snape hadn’t scored a single point for his house. Having apparently been so seething that Lily had partnered with James Potter his arch nemesis, he’d failed to correctly count the number of stirs. Which led to his potion being dull and not the correct colour at all, and Slughorn assigning him an essay on love potions. They had a free period before lunch which Remus planned to take advantage of by going back to Gryffindor tower for a nap to make up for lost sleep that morning. He said goodbye to his friends and stalked off to bed.

Chapter Two

“Everything alright Pads?” James asked Sirius, who noticed that his best mate seemed more crestfallen than pleased after their successful brew.

“I think I’ve somehow upset Moony.” Sirius complained.

“Yeah, he was a bit funny with me in the storeroom now you mention it” James added brow furrowed. “He was up unusually early for him. He was already finished breakfast and talking to Lily when I got to the great hall for breakfast. He’s probably just tired. You know what he’s like with his chronic fatigue.”

While James had been able to easily shrug off Remus’ bizarre behaviour, Sirius was not. In typical overdramatic Sirius fashion, he couldn’t let it go. Using the marauders map he found Wormtail hidden in a corner of the library, runes textbooks up to his ears. His professor had already given him four lengths of parchment worth of homework. Upon hearing that Slughorn hadn’t assigned anyone other than Snape homework, instead of being happy about it as James had been, he continued to complain about how he would have been better off taking potions and dropping ancient runes.

“Have you noticed Moony acting odd?” Sirius asked. Double checking there was no one around them in earshot.

“No. When would I have had a chance to? I was late to breakfast and then you lot took off for the dungeons” Peter grumbled, quill scratching across his first roll of parchment.

“I…now I’m not saying this lightly Wormy, but you can’t tell James.” Sirius started.

“Can’t tell James what? That Moony is in a mood?” Peter huffed.

“No, you prick, he already knows Moony is in a mood. I mean you can’t tell him my suspicions. I think Moony might have a crush on Evans.” Sirius continued. Peter put down his quill at this.

“You sure?” He questioned.

“About 90%. Like I said he’s been acting odd. He got up early this morning to have breakfast with her, before Prongs even got back. Then he partnered up with her in potions and got defensive and quiet and sulky about swapping when she switched with me so that we were partnered up instead. Then Prongs said that Moony was funny with him about it in the storeroom too.” Sirius explained, his tone full of concern. It was common knowledge that Lily was ‘off limits’ to any of their group but James who had actively pinned after and pursued Lily Evans since their first year.

“He wouldn’t act on it though, would he? Surely, he knows how unhappy about it James would be. He was already insecure about all the hours they spent alone together as prefects last year.” Wormtail too sounded worried about the prospect.

“Maybe that’s what did him in though. Spending all that time together patrolling corridors together. For all we know he was getting his own cheeky snog on while clearing out broom closets of kissing couples. He knows where the come and go room is after we all found it.” Sirius continued to speculate despite Peter’s frantic shaking of his head.

“No. No. Moony wouldn’t do that to Prongs. He couldn’t keep a secret like that. At least not without saying something to you.” Peter was firm on that fact.

“Do you think I should ask him about it?” Sirius asked.

“Merlin’s beard no. That’s just asking to stir the pot. Just drop it Sirius. We’re better steering well clear. If he brings it up that’s a different story. But I don’t want to get involved.” Peter returned to hurriedly scribbling on his parchment, conversation bluntly ended.

The reality was though Sirius did want to continue talking about it. His preferred sounding board was usually James, but he had already cluelessly shut Sirius down on the matter and to confront Remus could potentially be opening a jar of worms within the group. He didn’t feel comfortable disclosing to Wormtail the selfish reason for being upset about the prospect of Remus liking Lily. He’d had a crush on Remus since he was old enough to know what a crush was, but he hadn’t even told James, the person he considered his brother, that he was gay until the most recent summer break. He wasn’t ashamed of being gay, despite how much the shame of having an openly gay son might send Walburga Black to an early grave. He just didn’t want his relationship with Remus to change. Remus could be socially awkward at the best of times without adding an unrequited crush to his plate. So, reasonably there was only one person that he could safely talk to: Evans.

Chapter Three

Lily and the girls tended to take sandwiches down to the lake for lunch in good weather, as it made the journey to the greenhouses for Herbology shorter. The lot of them liked to soak up as much sun as possible before the cold settled in the next few weeks. Sirius found them where he expected in a scatter of shady trees. Mary Macdonald was throwing her crusts to some water birds while Lily scolded her that bread was bad for them. Marelene McKinnon lay on her back, head resting in Dorcas Meadows lap who was twiddling her hair. Alice, a Gryffindor 7th year, and the current head girl was also with them. Eating sandwiches peacefully watching Lily and Mary argue.

“Evans, can I have a private word?” Sirius coughed, interrupting them. Mary looked relieved when Lily nodded and followed Sirius to a short distance away out of earshot. “If this is another Potter ploy to ask me out, he can fuck off.” Lily said before Sirius had even had a chance to speak.

“Actually no. I wanted to ask about Remus. Are you two seeing each other?” Sirius confronted her. Lily instantly looked confused.

“Me and Remus? No. What the bloody hell would give you that idea?”

“The secret breakfast dates” Sirius admitted.

“You do realise that members of the opposite sex can hang out and it doesn’t have to be romantic or sexual yeah?” Lily didn’t look too impressed with him, but frankly Sirius didn’t care, and his relief must have shown on his face.

“Am I missing something here Black?” Lily queried.

“Just a tragic story of unrequited love Evans.”

“Oh, fuck off this is about Potter!” Evans growled and started back towards her friends.

“No! Evans! Wait! Lily! Please, you’ve misunderstood. Its me. I’m the unrequited love.” Sirius rushed. Lily stopped and turned on her heel.

“Look Black. Fit as you are… I don’t think I could be responsible for breaking up the dynamic duo that is you and James. I don’t think I’d ever live it down if one or the both of you ended up in the hospital wing and lost Gryffindor so many points there’d be no recovering” she said gently.

“That has got to be the nicest rejection I’ve ever heard from you Evans. Considering the last time that you shot a bloke down you said you’d rather date the giant squid. I also won’t gloss over the fact you think I’m fit. But alas dear maiden I was not talking about you. Remus is my unrequited. You’re talking to a capital G-A-Y here.” Sirius winked.

“Oh.” Uttered Lily. “Have to say while I didn’t see that coming, but at the same time I’m not surprised. I take it Remus knows about this then?”

“Uh the gay thing or the I’m so in love with the bastard I’m making up fake other relationships for him in my head in my spare time? Because the answer is neither. Only James knows. I’m no exactly out-out” Sirius admitted, shoving his hands nervously into his trouser pockets. Lily’s face softened as she regarded him.

“If it’s any consolation Sirius… I don’t think anything would change with the boys. They love you to pieces. You also wouldn’t be the only gay in the village. Case and point the two lesbians in the grass over there.” She gestured over her shoulder to Marlene and Dorcas.

“I appreciate the sentiment Evans. But I don’t think I’ll be asking for rainbow nail polish just yet, I’d rather not get howlers from the thing that birthed me telling me ‘I’m an insufferable abomination’ for the rest of my Hogwarts days if I can afford it. Point is… I’m gay, he’s not and I’m pretty sure he’s pinning after you because he knows he can’t ask you out when James is so obviously smitten despite the curses, hexes, and jinxes you’ve thrown at him. In all honesty I think that last one gave him a boner.”

“You should tell him that it was Severus that invented the langlock jinx then. Imagine that would put a stop to that right quick” she laughed.

“I’ll keep that one under my hat for now.”

“Seriously though. Talk to Remus, it’s the only way you’re actually going to get closure on the situation. At least you’d be in the same boat. I love Remus dearly, but just as my friend. I don’t think I could ever see him as anything more than that.” Lily advised.

“You’re smart Evans. I can see what Prongs likes about you.” said Sirius.

“He’s not so bad himself. So long as he keeps his mouth shut.”

Chapter Four

After several weeks of what felt like Remus actively avoiding Sirius, he was starting to question if it was a figment of his imagination and his own cowardice showing, or genuine concern that was stopping him from confronting Remus with his suspicious about a crush on Lily Evans. Though whenever Remus wasn’t avoiding him, James or Peter always seemed to be around which made having such a private conversation difficult. He was going to have to put more effort into catching Remus off guard. Sirius once again borrowed the marauders map, to scope out the perfect place to corner Moony unawares.

During prefect rounds seemed to be the easiest solution, he and Lily Evans always patrolled the corridors after lights out in a predictably fashion. Lily already knowing that Sirius intended to talk to Remus was an added bonus. Under the guise of going to the kitchens for an evening snack, Sirius borrowed the invisibility cloak and left James and Peter playing a game of exploding snap in the dorm. He kept himself hidden until he reached the fourth floor where he knew the two prefects would shortly be approaching, and there also happened to be a disused classroom. Sirius removed the cloak and waited for the pair to round the corner.

“What are you doing out of Black, you know there’s a curfew” Evans chided.

“I was just hoping for a private word with Remus if that’s alright with you Evans” Sirius replied, Lily shared with him a knowing look.

“Alright, just don’t get caught or I will be forced to take points. See you back at Gryffindor Tower” She shrugged and left Remus to his fate.

Sirius opened the door to the empty classroom and shepherded Remus inside, closing the door sharply behind them. This classroom had been used to store spare desks for years, but it was kept clean by a meticulous Filch. Remus could feel his palms sweating, he’d so far successfully managed to avoid most alone time with Sirius. As though being in his presence would suddenly grant Sirius the ability to read his mind.

“Look, I want to talk to you about this crush I think you’ve got going on.” Sirius started, eyes to the floor.

Remus felt like he’d just walked through nearly headless Nick, drenched in a cold feeling that shot all over his body. Had he made his feelings that obvious? He thought he had successfully hidden his romantic inklings towards Sirius.

“My crush” Remus said, voice coming out in a nervous rasp.

“Good news is I don’t think Prongs as yet has picked up on it. But I really think if you were to pursue it you could seriously jeopardise the whole groups friendships. You deserve to be happy Remus really, but I don’t think this is the way to be going about it.” Sirius comforted.

If the ground could open and swallow him whole, Remus would have been okay with it. While he was relieved that Sirius was letting him down gently, he was absolutely mortified. He was also concerned at the hint Sirius was making, that James wouldn’t be okay with Remus being gay, a fact which surprised him as he’d never once thought of any of his friends as homophobic, and certainly not James.

“You really think he’d have an issue with it?” asked Remus gloomily.

“She is a lovely girl Moony, so I get it. But I really think he would, he’s liked her for so long I think it would break him.”

“What are you talking about?” Remus asked confused.

“Mate I know he’s been laying off asking her out so far this year. But you seriously think he’s just gotten over her already?” Sirius said solemnly.

“Are we talking about Lily?”

“Obviously.” Said Sirius.

“I do not have a crush on Lily Evans.” Remus responded. “What the hell would give you that idea?”

“You’ve been getting up early ever since we got here to meet her at breakfast, you were shitty in potions when we switched seats, you even went so far as to be funny with James about it in the storeroom. You’re going out of your way to avoid the marauders; you’ve been spending time alone with her as a prefect…” Sirius listed off his ‘evidence’.

“I do not have a crush on Lily”

“You don’t have to lie to me mate. I’ve not said anything to James about it, but I do think you need to talk about it. You’ve been so passive aggressive lately and I genuinely think avoiding it is not the answer.” Sirius continued.

Remus openly scoffed and started pacing the room in irritation, gesturing about wildly with his arms as he turned on Sirius.

“I’m not interested in Lily, get that through your thick skull! I didn’t get shitty in potions! I’m not about to screw up the group! I don’t even know if I like girls or not! Okay?! Happy now?!”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Said Sirius incredulous.

“I mean I don’t know Sirius! I’ve liked girls, I’ve kissed a girl and liked it, but fucking love potions smell like a boy to me apparently!” Saying the words aloud felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest he hadn’t know was there, even if they were shouted in frustration.

“I see.” Sirius paused, unsure of what to say with his heart doing little hopeful backflips.

“Oh, don’t you start having a freak out over it. I feel awful enough about the whole thing as is, okay? It’s confusing. Just because I might be bent doesn’t mean I’m about to attempt to snog you or any other bloke every chance I get” Remus said defensively, dropping his arms to his sides, standing still to face Sirius whose face was cast in shadow, making it harder to read his reaction.

“Would you want to?” He asked.

“Kiss every bloke in sight? Merlin Padfoot no.”

“I meant to try kiss a bloke. One bloke. See if you like it.” Sirius explained.

“Is this you offering?” Remus remarked sarcastically.

“If you’d be comfortable with it” Sirius said.

“You’re actually serious” said Remus deadpan.

“If you think it would help you work out how you feel. I’d be more than happy to let you experiment. Because bottling all this up is clearly making you cranky.” Sirius tried to downplay the seriousness of his real feelings about the situation. Remus was free to make up his own mind without his influence.

Remus took a few deep calming breaths before he closed the gap between them with two strides. This might be his only chance to kiss Sirius, he was a willing participant in this and it was unlikely he’d be offered such a rare opportunity to kiss him without having to confess how his best friend made him feel. This was a one-time thing that he would have to give his all and just hope that Sirius wouldn’t hex him as an afterthought. He gripped either side of Sirius’s face and pulled him roughly towards him, their lips meeting. Sirius’ stubble scratched at his face, but his lips were soft. Somewhat startled by Remus’ confident dominant advance, Sirius had taken a half step back and smacked his legs into the back of an old desk. He quickly stabilised himself and leaned into Remus’ kiss, letting him keep the lead. Spurred on slightly by the fact Sirius hadn’t pulled away from his completely, Remus took the opportunity to drop one of his hands to Sirius hip which he held firmly as his lips continued to move slowly over his. Sirius could feel the rest of his body responding to Remus grip on him, he knew he had to pull away before Remus noticed, despite his body screaming the opposite, to pull closer and press against him. Sirius pulled away, Remus’ hands still on him.

“How was that?” He asked. But Remus was still feeling giddy and failed to response. “Okay?”

“Yeah. I um… I definitely felt something” Remus admitted, Sirius just hoped he wasn’t referring to his trousers.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.” Repeated Remus, pulling away from Sirius and releasing his hold on him.

“Easy Moony. It’s alright.” Sirius smoothed, placing an open palm on the top of Remus’ forearm.

“Except it’s not, is it? I know it’s all real now, I can’t hide from it. I’ve got a crush on a bloke.” Remus choked, pulling away from Sirius to pace the room again.

Chapter Five

Sirius tried not to portray how much Remus words had stung him. He knew from personal experience that coming to terms with your romantic feeling for the same sex was a daunting process. But to hear the panic, pain and anguish in his friend’s voice cut him deeply. He wanted to comfort and console Remus without betraying his own feelings. He wanted to be there for Remus in the same way James had been there for him over the summer.

“Moony. It’s okay. It’s all gonna be okay. We’ve got you Moony. Me, James, Peter. We’re all gonna have your back. You like blokes, you like girls, doesn’t matter to us. You’re our friend, our brother. We love you no matter what.” Sirius spouted, trying to offer te same reassurance James had given him.

“It’s not though, is it? It’s gonna change the whole dynamic.” Remus sobbed.

“I can assure you it won’t. It might come off as a bit of a shock at first. But I can at least guarantee James will accept it with open arms. Your crush may be unrequited but that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with liking a boy and we will get you through it. It’s not the end of the world.”

“It’s the end of mine though. You might all accept it, but you’re gonna be different. You especially are gonna over analyse everything I say and do now.” Retorted Remus, still frantically pacing.

“To be fair Moony I’ve always had the flair for the dramatic. I put two and two together and made five instead of four about you and Evans.” Sirius argued sympathetically, he tried to move towards Remus, but Remus pulled further away from him.

Perhaps he had pushed Remus too far too quickly into confronting his feelings. Sirius picked a desk and sat on it, waiting for Remus to self-soothe a little. Clearly physical touch wasn’t going to work for Remus in the same way it had for him when James had hugged and held him tightly. Given space Remus started to slow his pacing and take deeper breaths, starting to regain his composure with choked sobs. After a few minutes he took a seat next to Sirius silently, wiping his eyes with the sleeves of his cardigan.

“So, it was the Amortentia that clued you in then?” Sirius asked gently. Remus nodded.  

“Mine smells like chocolate, peppermint tea and old parchment.” Sirius confided.

“Mine’s fresh grass, chocolate and this bloke.” Muttered Remus.

“So, what I’m hearing is we’re both chocolate addicts.” Sirius mused, “So it smells like someone in particular then?”

“Yeah…” Remus paused for a minute taking in a laboured breath to steady himself for what was to follow. “It smells like your bloody aftershave”

Sirius was quiet, making sure he was processing what he’d just heard correctly. He stared at Remus who was keeping his head bowed, not wanting to meet his eye. Sirius struggled to find the right words, but they were failing him. His crush wasn’t unrequited, Remus liked him back. But Remus also hadn’t had as much time as him to process and come to terms with those feelings like he had.

“Remus look at me.”

Remus refused, keeping his eyes firmly pinned to the floor. He couldn’t take it. He knew what was coming. ‘I’m sorry Remus. I don’t think about you like that.’ Sirius would undoubtedly be as gentle as he had been thus far. But the truth was still going to feel like a punch in the gut. Sirius placed a hand on his knee. Remus stared at it. Strong and already quidditch weathered.

“Remus. Look. At. Me.” Sirius repeated.

He did so, meeting Sirius’ eye. Sirius leaned in and placed a quick peck to his cheek, catching the corner of his mouth. Whatever Remus had anticipated it wasn’t that. He pulled back and looked at Sirius who was smiling broadly at him. Remus raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Do you have any idea how many weeks I have agonised over you, you stupid sod?” Sirius asked.

“I’m really not following. My brain is mush right now Padfoot.”

Sirius leaned in again, this time kissing Remus square on the mouth. Remus faltered for a spilt second before returning the kiss, his head was swimming, he had so many questions, but right now he didn’t want this moment to stop. He grabbed Sirius’ face, pulling him in as close as he possibly could. The pair of them would not be well past curfew but he didn’t particularly care at present. It wasn’t until they both needed a breath of air they stopped.

“If I’d known this week ago, we could have done a lot more snogging” Sirius confessed. Remus laughed.

“Well, I didn’t exactly know you’d feel the same way Padfoot. Does everyone know or?”

“James knows. Oh, and Evans knows too I suppose. I asked her after potions if you were secret lovers” admitted Sirius.

“You did bloody what?” Remus laughed harder.

“In my defence… yes well, I don’t really have a defence other than being a jealous prick. Have to say she took it in stride though. I can see the appeal. For James that is.”

“She’s warming up to him a little now he’s started to deflate his head. Don’t tell him I said that though. He’ll jump the gun and ruin it.” Said Remus.

“Hmm too right. We should get out of here before Filch catches us. I brought the cloak” Sirius pulled James’ invisibility cloak out of his back pocket and threw it over the both of them.

They cautiously checked the corridor before exiting. The bid a polite goodnight to the Fat Lady who was annoyed to be woken in her painting. They hadn’t realised quite how late it had gotten. Lily was curled up in an armchair with a book when they entered the common room, having clearly waited up for them. She stared at them expectantly. Sirius gave her a cheerful thumbs up, she nodded closed her book and departed for the girls’ dormitories.

“I was starting to get worried you’d got stuck in the vanishing staircase. I was about to go send Potter after you.” Lily remarked as she reached the staircase.

“Hey Evans?” Sirius said. Lily turned to look at him, foot on the first step. “Thanks for the advice, worked out well in my favour.”

“I’m glad. Just don’t let me catch you snogging in abandoned classrooms. It would be very awkward for me to have to take points off a fellow prefect. Night” She continued up the stairs, a wry smile etched on her face.

James and Peter had long given up their game and climbed into their respective beds. But neither were sleeping, bed hangings still open. James sat bolt upright as Remus and Sirius entered the dormitory together.  

“Where the fuck have you been?” He asked. “Lily got back well over an hour ago. She said if you weren’t back in half an hour, she’d be sending us as a search party. But you’ve got the ruddy map”

“Ah. Sorry old chap I forgot about that. Was just filling Moony in on…” Sirius stopped and turned to Peter “well on the fact I’m gay” he finished.

“Oh? Finally telling people are you. I’ve been waiting for that.” Peter shrugged.

“You knew?” Said Remus incredulously.

“I thought it was obvious. Is that not why you’ve been avoiding us?”

“Kinda. Internal crisis, now somewhat resolved.” Remus replied, looking at Sirius and taking his hand in his. James jumped up standing on his bed excitedly.

“Oh, please tell me this means what I think it does?!” James asked.

“I’d say you’re my boyfriend now, right Padfoot?” Remus gave Sirius’ hand an affectionate squeeze.

“I’d say that’s accurate…”

James didn’t even give Sirius a chance to finish his sentence. James leapt from his bed and landed on top of Sirius, nearly upending both them and Remus, who narrowly kept them all upright. Whooping and patting Sirius jovially on the back, James appeared to be in extremely high spirits.

“Thank Merlin for that. I was worried I’d have to listen to him whinging and pinning all year” James exclaimed.

“Said the pot to the kettle” Peter snorted.

[m3kuroshirt]

GrimmIchi Weekend Challenge

Words: 1087

Challenged by: @kuroosden

Genre/Trope: miscommunication

Required words: trustworthy, excuse

Warnings: mature language, nsft discussion

Grimmjow sighed again. Ichigo’s shoulders tensed. He ground his teeth together and flexed his foot under the desk, doing his best to keep his frustration in check. He’s not human. Of course he doesn’t get the whole ‘study thing’, Ichigo reminded himself. He took a slow breath in through his nose and then let it out through his mouth just as slowly.

“Grimmjow,” he stated when he was certain he felt calm enough. The arrancar shifted on the bed, and Ichigo could see him perk up from the corner of his eye. “This might take a while, so if you wanna go do something else and come back in, like, an hour? I can fight you then.” Grimmjow swung his feet around and sat up on the edge of the bed.

“…nah. ‘M good here.”

Ichigo stretched his neck from side to side. “Alright. Don’t complain later then.”

A few more moments passed in silence. Ichigo was almost thoroughly absorbed in his studies; university level anatomy and physiology was wordy but once you got into it, it was easy to lose yourself in the names of the muscles, the vessels, bones, traversing the body mentally as if exploring a forest. Then the bed creaked again, and his concentration dwindled. Grimmjow had shifted closer, slightly.

“…is that really more fun than fighting me?” he asked, and Ichigo could hear his pout. Ichigo closed his eyes.

Give me patience, he begged the universe. When he opened them, he spoke. “It’s not so much that it’s fun. But it’s necessary. There’s more to my life than fighting, you know,” he answered shortly.

Silence was the answer he got. Relief washed over Ichigo and he turned his focus back to his books.

Then: “What kind of heads do you like?”

Ichigo blinked. Then he whipped his head around to face Grimmjow head on. “What the actual fuck are you on about?” The arrancar looked slightly taken aback. He scratched the side of his head, matching Ichigo’s gaze.

“Heads. I think I’d like big ones. Like, the bigger the better. Ferocious beasts, not some whimpy little thing, you know?”

Ichigo shook his head, squinting his eyes at the arrancar a bit. “No, I don’t know. What are you even talking about?” Grimmjow looked down now and his cheeks were pink.

“Kisuke said it’s a thing you humans do. You give each other stuff like that,” he muttered. “Said it was something people do to feel happy…’n I thought maybe you would wanna do that ‘stead of fight me all the time. Thought maybe you were gettin’ bored.”

Ichigo closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, rubbing his temple. He exhaled and opened his eyes. “Ok. You know, I think there was some sort of misunderstanding or something. Urahara probably didn’t explain properly…why don’t you tell me exactly what he said, word for word?” Grimmjow nodded. He ran his tongue over his lips absentmindedly as he thought back to whatever it was Urahara told him.

“I was complaining how sometimes we don’t get to fight so much anymore. And he said ‘sometimes people want to do things other than fight. There are other things that make a person feel good.’ So I asked him ‘like what’…Then he said ‘well, why don’t you and Ichigo try giving each other head.’”

Ichigo choked on air. He coughed, cheeks reddening. Grimmjow stopped and stared at him with a wary expression. “What’s wrong?” the arrancar asked.

Ichigo shook his head, regaining his breath. “N-no- it’s…it’s nothing. Jus...Just, uh, dust. In the air,” he stammered quickly. Grimmjow’s sharp blue eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed.

“Don’t give me that bullshit excuse. Don’t fucking make shit up, Kurosaki. I’m not stupid,” he snapped. “Something about what I said made you react like that.” Grimmjow folded his arms. “Explain it. The fuck did Kisuke mean when he told me that?”

Ichigo felt his mouth go dry and his face turn redder. “I…uh.” Grimmjow raised one blue eyebrow at him, with a look that said ‘whatever excuse you come up with, I’ll know if you’re lying’. He grimaced. “Why me,” he muttered and ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it a slight bit. “Ok. Fine. Just…don’t be angry at me when you understand.” Grimmjow’s expression turned a bit apprehensive, but he gave a short nod.

***

Twenty minutes later, Grimmjow was pacing angrily on Ichigo’s floor. “It…he…that…That fucker!” he snarled. “The fuck was he trying to do?! Make a fool of me? Fuck him. I’ll fucking kill him.”

Ichigo, who was now past the point of embarrassment, replied dully, “I mean, to be honest I wouldn’t stop you. But did you really think Kisuke was a trustworthy source of information?” Grimmjow stopped and tensed, and Ichigo readied himself in response, certain he was about to have an angry Arrancar launch an attack at him. But then Grimmjow exhaled slowly and turned around, expression serious but not angry.

“Sorry.” The apology was gruff and short, almost spat out, as if it left a bad taste in Grimmjow’s mouth. Ichigo blinked. Grimmjow shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, looking every bit embarrassed now. Ichigo swallowed, trying to ignore how pretty the darkening blush looked on his gigai.

“Uh. No, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know,” he answered finally. Grimmjow shrugged.

“You’re right though. I shouldn’t have believed him.” He ran a hand through his blue hair and sighed. “Next time he says shit like that, I’ll ask you before I do anything.”

Ichigo nodded. “Yeah that’s probably…wait. What do you mean ‘before I do anything’?” Grimmjow stiffened.

“Uh. Yeah, I uh, gotta go now. You need to study some more, right? We can fight tomorrow,” he stated hastily, heading for the door. Ichigo was next to him in a second. He grabbed Grimmjow’s arm.

“Grimmjow.”

“…yeah?”

“Did you kill something and cut it’s head off for me.”

“…no.”

“Really? Because it sounds like you’re lying.”

Grimmjow purposefully avoided Ichigo’s gaze.

“Grimmjow.”

“…it was a hollow. Not too big, but really strong. Thought we could make it a competition or something,” he muttered. Ichigo let go of his arm and sighed.

“…if it was a hollow, then…I guess I can’t be too angry. But, please, don’t do that again,” Ichigo mumbled. Grimmjow nodded, eyes on the floor. Ichigo shook his head. “You know what. I can’t study now. Let’s go kick Kisuke’s ass, yeah?”

Grimmjow perked up. He looked into Ichigo’s eyes with a hopeful expression. “Yeah, I’d like that.” Ichigo gave him a small grin.

[stydiaeverafter]

One Bed, Two Hearts, Three Nights

Summary: Buck and Eddie share more than just a bed in Texas; they share their feelings.

It's been a while since I've written for our boys! I've missed them. With the new season starting and all the new content for the 911 Crossover and Buck Begins, I've been feeling inspired. @reachgirl made a post about a bed sharing fic idea, and being a person who loves this particular trope, I was happy to oblige. This fic will have 3 parts. I hope you enjoy the first chapter! Xo.

Read on ao3

***

Chapter One: 1st Night —

Buck was beyond exhausted as the 118 finally made their way to a small motel close to the wildfire.

As Bobby went up to the counter, talking to the lady at the front desk, Buck couldn't help but take in his best friend.

How could someone manage to still look so damn good after a day of putting out fires? That was the thing, though; he always did.

Buck couldn't help the thoughts that were popping into his mind, any more than the feelings that had risen.

He concluded that he had fallen for his best friend years ago. When exactly, he wasn't sure. But there they were, and he wasn't sure what to do with them.

Buck had started noticing when they had spent time together quarantining. During a dark time of the unknown, Buck had found comfort in staying with Eddie and Christopher. It felt so natural being together as if a light bulb went off in his brain, screaming, this is what you've been waiting for!

They had cooked together, watch movies together, fallen asleep near each other on the couch, and shared lingering glances, to the point where Buck started to question if Eddie was feeling the same way as he was.

Buck and Eddie hardly talked about romance, especially after Abby and Shannon. They kept to themselves about all that. That wasn't what their friendship was based around. So Buck wasn't even sure if Eddie could ever see him in that way. Hell, he had been surprised himself. Growing up, he knew he was bisexual, but he hid it away. His father wasn't an accepting man for anything different from the norm he wanted to display—the perfect family image. So Buck, unfortunately, had suppressed that part of him deep down underneath everything that made him, him.

It was only when being around Eddie that that part of him was revealed once more.

The two of them had always been tighter than tight, but this felt different somehow, and spending endless time with Christopher? A huge bonus. He loved that kid more than life itself.

One night when they had been playing Monopoly, Christopher had accidentally called Buck dad. Eddie had looked startled but not as surprised as Buck had felt in that moment. But the feeling brought a sense of ease that all was right in the world. It felt natural and right, something Buck had dreamed about for most of his life. He could still remember Eddie's expression as his astonishment had shifted into what seemed like happiness at Christopher's following giggle.

Buck also recalled a particular evening when it had been stormy, and the power had gone out. Eddie had lit candles around the house, and the two of them shared a couple of drinks as they chatted in the darkness. At one point, their fingers had touched, and they held each other's gaze for what felt like a lifetime. Eddie had seemed to want to say something to him, just like he had wanted to express to Eddie how he was feeling, but Christopher had gotten scared from the thunder and interrupted them. Eddie, being the amazing father he was, had stopped everything so he could be there for his son.

Buck had to love him for it.

They hadn't finished the conversation in the days to come, because then Cap had said they could return to their homes. Buck, of course, had been disappointed, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome, especially because Chimney was asking to stay with him, wanting to make sure Maddie and their baby would be safe. How could he have said no to that?

So here Buck was, sitting in a grimy motel looking at his best friend, who he was madly in love with and not knowing how to move forward.

Eddie looked exhausted as he laid his head against the wall, closing his eyes. Buck realized his hand was moving towards his friend, wanting to touch his face. Quickly, he moved it down by his side, stuffing his palm into his pocket.

Bobby walked over, actual room keys in hand, "Alright, because the firefighters are in town helping with the fire, they're limited on space. I hope you all don't mind, but we'll be getting a bit cozy for the next couple of days. Chimney and I will room together in a two-bed bedroom. Hen, you'll have an adjoining room, but to yourself." Bobby looked over at Buck and Eddie, "And because I know you two are close, I figured you wouldn't mind sharing a bed. At least, I hope you don't mind, that's all they had left."

Buck noticed Eddie stiffen, and he couldn't ignore the way his own heart was hammering against his chest.

Unfortunately, there had been some unspoken tension between them as of late, which was making things a bit awkward between them. Buck was unsure if it was his energy or the two of them combined.

Way to make me confront my feelings, Cap...

Clearing his throat, Eddie shook his head, "Nah, we don't mind, do we, Buck?"

"Not at all." ***

"It smells like sulfur in here," Eddie said, squinting his nose.

"Isn't that just the way Texas smells?" Buck laughed as he put his duffle bag on the bed.

Eddie looked over at his friend and chuckled, "No, Buck, it's not. But don't go out there saying that; you might get a bullet in your behind for dissing the state."

Not that he had looked at Buck's ass or anything.

Okay, that was a blatant lie. Of course, Eddie had looked. How could he not?

The guy was hotter than the fires they put out daily.

"I agree though, it stinks in here," Buck replied. "That or it's me." He lifted up his arm to smell his pit and winced, "I need to get this dirt off my body."

Do you need help? "Yeah, go for it."

"You sure?"

Eddie nodded awkwardly towards the bathroom, "I'll get the second shower."

Buck walked towards the bathroom and leaned out the door with that familiar grin, "I can't promise I'll save you any hot water."

"Okay, and I can't promise that I won't kick you off the bed in my sleep," Eddie responded with a wink.

"Duly noted," Buck chuckled as he closed the door.

As Eddie could hear Buck's clothes hit the floor and the water start, his heart started pounding. Get a grip, Diaz.

Then again, if he hadn't been able to control it during quarantine, there was no hope for the next few nights when sharing a bed.

Damn his feelings.

Eddie had thought he had been a certain way all his life, so it surprised him when he felt a sexual awakening for the guy after spending more time with him.

He had mistaken it as a deepened friendship. That all changed when he had stared at Buck's lips, wanting a taste.

Shaking his head, Eddie pulled out his phone and called Chris, who was currently staying with Carla.

After exchanging some pleasantries with Carla, she handed him the phone, "Hi, daddy!'

Eddie smiled, "Hey, buddy, how you doin'?"

"Good! We made breakfast for dinner."

"Ooo, my favorite! I wish I could be there. Pancakes and eggs?"

"Mmhmm, with chocolate sauce," Chris replied with a giggle.

"Sounds good, but make sure you eat some veggies and don't forget your vitamins," Eddie said, raising an eyebrow. He stated it, but he knew Carla was a saint; she always took the best care of his boy, even getting a COVID test so she could stay with him. He was so blessed to have her in their lives, thanks to Buck, of course.

Someday he'd thank the guy for everything.

"Tell your dad that I've got it covered, baby," Carla's voice exclaimed in the background.

"Did you hear her?" Chris asked.

"I sure did, tell her she's the captain in charge, and I trust her."

As his son relayed the message, he wished he could give Christopher a big hug. It was crazy how much he missed him even after just one day.

"How's Buck doing?"

Eddie looked towards the bathroom door, "He's good. We've been busy out there trying to get this fire to stop. It's been a lot of work for us."

"You're both superheroes!"

His son, the angel.

"We're proud to do it."

"Well, I'm proud of you and Buck, tell him, okay?"

"I'll tell Buck, I promise," Eddie responded with a nod.

"Tell me what?"

Eddie looked over and saw Buck standing by the bathroom, steam coming out through the cracked door like the smoke of the fire.

God damn. Eddie swallowed at the sight of the towel around Buck's waist. His muscles were still wet, and his hair was perfectly messy. Eddie forced himself to look away.

"Christopher was just telling me to tell you he's proud of us for the work we're doing out here," Eddie answered with a sheepish grin.

Buck's face lit up, in the way it always did when he was around Chris. "Can I talk to him for a minute?"

Eddie nodded, standing up, "Of course. I better get in the shower anyway so we can get some sleep." Buck walked up to him, and Eddie prayed the towel would somehow fall off on his way over, which were totally inappropriate thoughts to be having. He turned his focus back to his son, "Hey, Chris, Buck wants to talk to you, okay?"

When his son cheered, Buck laughed, clearly hearing it.

"Talk to you tomorrow, son. Sleep well."

"Night, Daddy," Chris replied. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Eddie stated, his heart feeling full. "Here's Buck."

He handed Buck the phone, and their fingers touched. For a moment, they just stared at each other, Eddie realizing how close they were standing.

It was electrifying.

This same thing had happened when they were quarantining together. That was the night Eddie wanted to express his feelings, even though he had been afraid to potentially change their relationship. But he never had the chance to tell Buck; he wondered if he ever would.

Buck bit his lip, and Eddie could hear how shakily he inhaled.

Stepping away hurt, but his son was waiting on the other end of the line. But it was those moments that Eddie felt as though Buck had feelings for him, too.

Buck sat down on the bed and ran his fingers through his wet hair, "Hey buddy! I miss you!"

Eddie reached into his bag, getting a pair of thin workout pants out. He looked for his shirt to wear to bed and swore internally because he realized he had forgotten it.

As he walked to the bathroom, he paused and looked over at Buck, who was in deep conversation about the new game Christopher had played. It always warmed Eddie's heart to see the connection between his son and his best friend.

Closing the door, he realized that he was one of the lucky ones.

***

Buck loved talking to Christopher; it was just what he had needed tonight. After the grueling work they'd performed all day, the sweet innocence of that child made him feel like he had been embraced with ease and comfort.

He sat for a moment on the bed, not moving after ending the call, and thought about what had just transpired between him and Eddie.

There had been a spark—Buck had felt it.

His fingers still hummed from the touch of Eddie.

God, he wanted more. He craved more.

This type of desire for another was unlike anything Buck had ever experienced.

As he looked down at his hand, Buck realized he wanted to tell Eddie how he felt. Sure, it was scary as hell, but having these feelings and not acting on them after all this time, was freaking killing him.

Buck didn't want to be afraid anymore. He had been talking to his therapist not to hide away from feelings—something Buck had done most of his life.

He sighed as he changed into his sweat bottoms and a tank top, regretting his life choices as the humidity of a wet towel lingered around his body; he couldn't wait to get back to California.

Buck turned the AC as low as he could, hearing the rumble it started making. "Lovely," he muttered.

Eddie opened the door and raised an eyebrow, "What the hell is that noise?"

Buck's reply was all but lost on him as he took Eddie in, wearing his tight workout bottoms and his chiseled bare chest.

Holy crap... how was he going to function for the rest of the night, especially lying next to this Adonis?

He cleared his throat, "Sorry, I had to crank the AC on to deal with this god awful humidity."

"And here I thought you could handle the heat," Eddie smirked, raising a perfect eyebrow.

If Eddie were flirting with him, he'd take it and give it right back.

"You know I can handle a lot," he replied, moving closer to his friend, "but sometimes a man can only take so much." Buck rolled his hand down his shirt, feeling the sweat already pressing through.

Eddie's eyes followed his hand as they traveled down, but then Eddie looked towards the single queen bed, "C'mon, let's get some sleep. We've gotta be up in a few hours."

Guess that was the end of that.

"Roger that."

As they got into bed, Buck's body was vibrating, shaking with anxious anticipation.

Eddie switched the light off and muttered as he turned away from Buck, "Good night."

"Night, Eddie."

They laid there for what felt like an eternity, and Buck felt more awake than ever.

The mixture of humidity and Eddie's body heat so close was overwhelming. Buck wanted to move further away to catch his breath, but he also wanted to straddle the guy.

What a predicament.

He flipped back-and-forth, trying to get not only comfortable but hoping to turn off his thoughts for a while.

Finally, he just sat staring at the ceiling, hearing sirens somewhere outside. They were still going strong on the fire—that would be them soon enough.

Buck had to get some sleep; his safety and his team's depended on it. He closed his eyes, willing sleep to come.

"Buck?"

His eyes popped open. He turned his head towards Eddie, "Yeah?"

"Are you okay over there?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you're flopping around like the omelet my son had for dinner," Eddie mumbled sleepily.

Buck laughed without humor at the ridiculousness of wanting his best friend so badly. "I'm fine, sorry about that. Can't seem to get comfortable."

"It is a tiny bed. I can scoot over more if you want, though?"

As Eddie started to shift over more, Buck grabbed his arm on impulse, feeling his thick muscles, "No, no, it's okay. You don't need to do that."

"Well, if it's the heat, you might wanna lose your fleece sweat pants."

Buck bit his lip at what Eddie was implying. He attempted to make his comment light, "You'd know with your hometown experience I suppose."

"Mmhmm."

"Okay, that might help. If you don't mind, of course."

"Why would I mind?" Eddie asked, turning over to look at Buck through the darkness.

"Uh, I dunno. Just wanted to be respectful is all."

"Buck, we've known each other for a long time. You taking off your pants won't offend me," Eddie said. He was quiet for a moment before adding, "Believe me."

"Okay, okay, I'll take off my pants then." Buck smiled as he stood up, removing his pants and then his shirt. All that was left was his boxer briefs. It was both a relief and a turn on, especially as he noticed Eddie watching him.

Eddie rolled over onto his stomach and chuckled, "You're ridiculous."

"But you love me for it."

"I do."

The words halted Buck in his tracks, and he just sat there.

I do.

Eddie looked at him while he was stuck being frozen, "Buck? What is it?"

I do.

Buck exhaled as he lowered himself back into bed, "It's nothing." It was everything.

He maneuvered under the sheets and put his hands behind his head, exhaling loudly.

"You can talk to me, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Buck replied, closing his eyes.

The problem was, he just didn't know where to start.

[herohikara-wol]

FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #19: By Design (Free Prompt!)

The long version of the prompt is “There’s Only One Bed- but by Design Trope”. Hero and G’raha get to be cute together, mentions of morning wood and manscaping.

G’raha laughed nervously as the exhausted Warrior of Light stared blankly at him, holding a glass of ale in one hand and tapping at the top of his leather travel bag. “I have good news, and rather bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”

Hero inhaled through his nose, and let it out through gritted teeth, “Gimme the good news first. Then the bad. Then I finish this glass like a shot. Go.”

“The good news is Tataru called ahead to reserve our room due to how busy things are for Heavensturn.”

Hero nodded softly, “Alright, and the bad news?”

“It’s a single.”

Hero knocked back the entire mug without a word or even a disapproving grunt. “No doubles left?”

“No- if you want I can-”

Hero held up a hand and shook his head, “Nah, it’s fine, at worst I’ll just sleep on the floor.” He smirked at G’raha, “I mean, your back must be killing you old man.”

The red-haired Miqo’te before Hero hissed as his tail rose in anger, “memories or no, I am not the Exarch! I’m still young and spry, don’t even start with that!”

Hero laughed and paid his tab, standing to flip G’raha’s ponytail with a finger. “I know, I’m teasing. Come on, we’ve got a long voyage tomorrow if you want to see what’s left of the Isle of Val.”

“What about the bed?” G’raha began wringing his hands, fidgeting and looking away now that the brief moment of indignance wore off.

“If it’s big enough we can share it, I’ll sleep with boxers tonight.” He began to carry his luggage towards the room.

“Wait, is that not the norm?” Hero just turned back to smirk at G’raha, “Hero that’s not an answer. Hero? Hero!” Hero couldn’t help but laugh as G’raha trailed after, trying to get a proper yes or no out of him the whole time they walked to their room.

G’raha had been right to warn him, the bed was small. Hero knew it would be, he’d rented inn rooms a lot early on as a scion. He’d just forgotten how small thanks to the luxury of having an apartment over his bakery with a bed built for entertaining loved ones. Or in his case, sleeping dead in the center of it curled up like a kitten because it was his bed and no one could tell him he was taking up too much space. “Okay so, step one, do we both want the bed?”

G’raha nodded as he set his luggage down next to the desk.

“Step two, are you against sharing it with me? It’s a tight fit but a single bed built for a Roegadyn could probably fit two Miqo’te without too much issue. It’ll just be a bit of a tight squeeze.”

Hero missed the blush spreading on G’raha’s face, but not the tremble in his voice. “I could live with sharing your bed- sharing this bed I mean- sorry that sounded so bad. I only meant-”

Hero’s ear twitched and he gave a soft little fond smile, “I know what you meant, it’s fine. So we try sharing and if it’s not comfortable for us, we’ll try something else. Do you mind having your back against a wall? I prefer to be able to reach my cane at a moment’s notice, just in case. I’ve never been attacked in an inn room but the paranoia never leaves. You know?”

“I believe I understand.” The ginger Miqo’te began to strip to his small clothes, folding his traveling garments carefully and setting them on the desk in order to cast a quick cleaning spell. “Do you want me to wash your outfit too?”

“Oh- yeah actually, um- do you want to finish yours first? I can turn around so you can wash your smallclothes.” This time he caught the blush and had to bite his tongue. G'raha's cheeks went the same color as his hair and it was the cutest thing he'd seen all week.

“I was going to try to wake up early and do it while you slept but- now that I think about it, if I’m sleeping against the wall… HERO!”

As G’raha fussed, Hero had slowly begun stripping down, and apparently the act of hooking his thumbs into his undergarments and sliding them off took G’raha by surprise. “Huh?”

“You- your- you can-” The other began stuttering more, but more notably, was staring directly at Hero’s exposed groin. “You shave down there?” Hero couldn’t be sure if it was just his brain catching up and spitting out the first thing it could articulate, but the flush on his fellow scion’s face was endearing enough to let it slide.

“Yes, I do, you don’t? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, and you don’t have to strip either, but I’d like to sleep in clean smallclothes if I have to sleep in them at all.”

“You don’t have to sleep in them.” G’raha was still in blurt the first thing on his mind mode, “I can, you’re right, I should clean them now.” He slowly slid out of his as well, and Hero couldn’t help but look. He’d noticed the trail of red fur starting under G’raha’s navel and his eyes followed it downwards. Where Hero shaved due partially to the amount of barely-decent outfits he enjoyed wearing into battle, G’raha clearly didn’t.

“I like it, cute. The little tuft of red suits you.”

“I- I’m not sure if I should thank you or throw something at you.” He repeated the spell on his small clothes as Hero folded his own outfit like G’raha did. “Alright, bring yours over here.” He, notably, wasn’t putting his back on right away. Now that the initial shyness had passed, it seemed his cheeks were returning to normal color. “There, nice clean traveling clothes. Do you usually do anything else before bed or-?”

“No, not usually.” Yes, he did, he usually found an excuse to get off before bed. Blowing some stress either by himself or with a friend made at the tavern. Today though, he was in polite company and chose to behave. “You can put your smallclothes on and I’ll turn the lights out for bed.”

“Oh- um- actually.” G’raha trailed off and glanced aside, ears lowering a bit, “I don’t usually wear smallclothes to bed either.” Hero turned to put out the light and heard quiet shuffling behind him. He closed his eyes, counted to five, and opened them again slowly so they adjusted and he could safely see his way back to the bed.

“Must be a Miqo’te thing. I swear Shtola sleeps nude too. Not that she’d admit it, or I’d ever ask her and presume to walk away with all my body parts intact.” Hero shrugged and pulled the blanket aside for G’raha to climb into bed, and crawled in beside him.

There really wasn’t a lot of space, and Hero shifted to put his back to G’raha so the other couldn’t feel Hero’s slowly stiffening cock pressing against his body all night. “I ah- sorry if I toss in my sleep or something. Okay?”

“Same. Same here.” G’raha’s voice was almost a whisper. “Good night, Hero.”

“Good night, G’raha.”

By morning they were a mess of tangled limbs. G’raha was curled up in Hero’s arms and their legs were twined together. Both having sought the heat of each other's bodies in the night. Hero flushed as he felt G’raha shift and grind his length against his own leg and tried to move so he didn’t accidentally return the favor. G’raha smelled good. Tea on a cold day good, or a brand new journal begging to be filled good.

He had to tear his mind away from the idea of begging to be filled. Not here, not now. They had to get to the docks before midday and G’raha- unlike Hero himself- wasn’t the type of man to just bed and be done. He seemed like the type of person who wanted to be romanced before bedding. A little drink, a good meal, some soft kisses on his plush-

Now it was Hero’s turn to feel his own cheeks warming up, and he finally untangled himself long enough to ring for a bath basin and hot water. He glanced back at the still sleeping G’raha, nude and tangled in the sheets.

Maybe he’d ask for cold water instead.

It was late by the time they made it to Val to meet Krile, and Hero was ready to complain about how every room they got only one single bed was available. The first night it had been a fluke, and on the ship it made sense, but here at the camp too? “Seriously? What the hell is going on? I’ve been sharing the same bed with G'raha for so long I know what shampoo he uses.”

“Oh, did Tataru not tell you? Ah- probably not, you would have fussed and stopped her.” Krile gave a wicked grin, “We scions, collectively, decided it was time for you two to stop puttering around each other and discuss your feelings like adults.”

G’raha’s tail fluffed again and he moved as if to try and escape the situation, only for the Empath to use a heavy spell to force him to sit back down. He whined and covered his face, but the magic kept him from moving. “So. How was sharing a bed, hm?” Krile leaned in as if to get details from the pair.

“I-” on one hand, it wasn't awful. Hero enjoyed waking up next to G’raha. Listening to his breathing as they fell asleep together. G’raha kept his night terrors at bay. He didn’t wake up thinking of all the souls he’d slain or all the friends he’d lost. He slept better in G’raha’s arms than he had in moons.

On the other hand, all his friends were fucking assholes and he didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing their stunt had worked.

“I think I will be going to bed. Early. We’ll trek out in the morning.” Hero stood and, despite the spell, picked G’raha up with him. Carrying the other Miqo’te in his arms to their tent.

“Oho, do try to keep quiet!”

“Good. Night. Krile.” Hero spoke through gritted teeth as G’raha buried his face in Hero’s shoulder to try and hide his blush. He and G’raha could talk about this when they were alone, later, while Krile wasn’t listening to report back to the Scions about the success of their plot against him.