#one of its father figures... its boyfriend... a few of its friends...

[kantonianthomas]

Laser has a habit of collecting wretched people and helping them improve. It used to make me angry, until one day I realized I was one of them. I had followed it of my own, free will and become a better person for it. And for that I am eternally grateful.

[kathaelipwse]

More Than Best Friends | L.Minho

Synopsis:

After being abandoned by your boyfriend upon discovering your pregnancy, you struggle to navigate motherhood alone—until your best friend, Lee Know, steps in. As he becomes your greatest support and the perfect father figure for your daughter, buried feelings resurface. But will you have the courage to confess that you have fallen in love with him?

Warnings: Just fluff honestly-

Word count: 1.1k

Authors Note:

Ah!! Lino as a girl dad <33

The pregnancy test sat on the bathroom counter, its two pink lines staring back at you like a reality you weren’t ready to accept. You felt your breath hitch as you sat on the floor, your arms wrapped around your knees. This wasn’t supposed to happen—at least, not like this. Your boyfriend, or rather, the man who was supposed to love you, had left as soon as you told him.

“I can’t do this,” he had said. “I’m not ready to be a father.”

And just like that, he was gone.

For days, you kept it to yourself, pushing away the one person you knew would see right through you—Lee Know, your best friend since childhood. If you told him, he’d worry, and you didn’t want to burden him. He had his own dreams, his own life to focus on.

So you avoided him.

You ignored his texts, dodged his calls, and canceled every plan you made. It wasn’t easy. Lee Know was persistent, showing up at your apartment unannounced, but you always found an excuse to push him away. He never pried, but you knew he was hurting.

Yet, even as you tried to keep your distance, you couldn’t erase him from your life completely. The ultrasound pictures sat on your bedside table—a reminder of the tiny life growing inside you. And, in some way, they were also a reminder of him. You had always imagined Lee Know being there, maybe as the fun uncle, spoiling your kid with treats and making them laugh. But never had you imagined him as more.

Until the day he found out.

Lee Know had finally had enough of your avoidance. He used the spare key you had given him years ago and let himself into your apartment, fully intending to scold you for acting weird.

“Alright, what’s your deal—” His voice cut off as his eyes landed on the small black and white images on your side table. He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what those were.

His heart pounded as he slowly stepped closer, picking up the ultrasound picture with shaky fingers.

“Is this…?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

You stood frozen in the doorway, your face drained of color.

“Lee Know, I—”

“Since when?” he demanded, turning to face you fully, his expression unreadable.

You swallowed hard, feeling the tears prick your eyes. “A few months.”

“A few months?” His voice rose. “You’ve been dealing with this alone for months?”

You looked away, shame washing over you. “I didn’t want to burden you.”

Lee Know let out a sharp breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Burden me? Are you serious right now? You’re my best friend! How could you think I wouldn’t be here for you?”

Tears finally spilled down your cheeks. “Because I was scared! He left, and I—”

Lee Know’s jaw clenched. “Who?”

You shook your head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“The hell it doesn’t,” he growled. “Tell me his name.”

You didn’t, but that didn’t stop Lee Know from feeling a burning rage in his chest. How could any man walk away from this? Walk away from you?

“I hate him,” he muttered under his breath before stepping closer. “But you’re not alone. You have me.”

And just like that, the weight you had been carrying for months felt a little lighter.

A few months later, you gave birth to a baby girl.

The moment you held your daughter in your arms, you felt an overwhelming sense of love and protection. But what surprised you most was the sight of Lee Know, standing by your side, looking down at the baby as if she were his own.

“She’s beautiful,” he whispered, eyes soft.

You turned to him, exhaustion evident in your voice. “Will you name her?”

Lee Know’s eyes widened. “Me?”

You nodded. “You’ve been here more than anyone else. You deserve it.”

He looked down at the tiny baby in his arms, her little fingers wrapping around his. And with a soft smile, he whispered the name that felt perfect.

“Minji.”

As the years passed, Lee Know became more than just your best friend. He became Minji’s protector, her playmate, her safe place. Even with his busy schedule, he always made time for her, whether it was bedtime stories, dance parties in the living room, or simply holding her when she had a bad dream.

And while you adored watching Lee Know bond with your daughter, a part of your heart ached. Because you had fallen in love with him.

But how could you ever tell him?

You weren’t the same as before. Motherhood had changed you—physically, emotionally. You weren’t the same girl Lee Know had grown up with. Your body had become curvier, softer, a reminder of the life you had brought into the world.

One night, you stood in front of the mirror, tugging at your oversized hoodie, trying to hide yourself. But Lee Know caught you.

“What are you doing?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

You turned away. “Nothing.”

Lee Know stepped forward and gently pulled your hoodie up, revealing the small folds of your stomach. “Stop hiding.”

You flushed. “I just… don’t look the same.”

He scoffed. “So?”

“So, I don’t feel beautiful anymore.”

Lee Know stared at you before shaking his head. “You’re an idiot.”

Your eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

He leaned in, his hands resting on your waist. “You carried a whole human being. You think a few curves make you any less beautiful? If anything, you’re even sexier now.”

You felt your heart skip a beat as he smirked. “Seriously. I love every part of you.”

Your breath hitched. “Lee Know, I—”

“Mommy, Uncle Lino!” Minji ran into the room, interrupting the moment.

Lee Know laughed, picking her up effortlessly. “What’s up, princess?”

Minji pouted. “Why are you ‘Uncle Lino’ and not my daddy?”

Silence filled the room.

Your chest tightened as you looked at Lee Know, searching for an answer. But instead of hesitating, he just smiled.

“You can call me whatever you want, Minji.”

That night, you found the courage to confess.

“I love you, Lee Know,” you admitted, bracing yourself for rejection. “I know I come with baggage, and I—”

Lee Know rolled his eyes and closed the distance between you.

“Took you long enough,” he teased before lifting you onto the kitchen counter, trapping you between his arms.

You barely had time to process before his lips were on yours, soft yet demanding, as if he had been waiting for this moment forever.

When he pulled away, his forehead rested against yours. “I’ve been yours this whole time.”

Minji’s giggle rang out from the doorway. “Eww, Uncle Lino!”

Lee Know turned, smirking. “Guess I’ll have to get used to ‘Dad’ now.”

And just like that, your little family was complete.

---

[miabebe]

Anything and Always (YJH)

Was it really love if it didn't include just a little madness? What was love if it didn't cross the line? And how was it love if it wasn't regardless of anything and longer than always?

Pairing - Afab!reader x Yoon Jeonghan

Word count - 3.9K (this is a miracle)

Genre - Oof buckle up my friends. This is a halloween special so I tried not hold back - its a psycho-thriller, there's smut and then there's more pyscho-ness, it's a rideee! Warnings under the cut!

A/n - It's the week leading up to Halloween folks! Unfortunately I'm not the biggest fan of clowns and ghosts and vampires etc, but I do love me a good dose of psychos (who I think are scarier btw) so here you goooo! You can also check out Seungcheol's and Joshua's!

Big big big thanks to @tusswrites and @tomodachiii - you guys were really the hands behind this one ❤️

warnings - death, murder, blood, lots of toxic emotions like jealousy, possessiveness, extreme insensitivity, PDA, sex in a public place but no one sees them? unprotected sex, rough sex, filthy talk, marking, manhandling, mentions of blowjobs and sloppy seconds, mentions of exhibitionism, choking, creampie, fingering, stalking, obsession, disposing bodies mentioned?, honestly this whole fic is just a warning at this point, idk what to say

“.....Police say that this is possibly the most brutal act of violence they have come across in Seoul city in a long time. The forensics department is still trying to identify the body but estimate that the time of death might have been around 6 months ago. The motive of the crime is still unclear and….”  

Ignoring the sound of the tv you glanced at the two figures on the other side of the glass, standing close to each other, snickering away. Your hand tightened around the letter opener, the sharp edge slicing your skin open, blood trickling down your fist. The crimson felt cold but there was a strange fire coursing through your being.

How dare she? How dare she twirl her hair like a schoolgirl and put her hands on him? And what kind of fool did she take you to be? Did she think you couldn’t see the way she was stuck to your boyfriend like a leech or did she want you to see her making a move on your man? If it was the latter then she was most definitely successful – your eyes hadn’t left their huddled figures in the last ten minutes. At least not until red began to leak onto the papers strewn on the table. Groaning slightly, you quickly let the blade go and grabbed a tissue instead.

But you couldn’t let go of what was happening outside.

Pushing your chair back, you reached for your red satin gloves and slipped them on, covering your wound. It stung as the cloth grazed your skin but you knew it would feel better later, when you’ll run your hand through your boyfriend’s soft tresses as he fucks you into oblivion. He always made everything so much better. 

In complete contrast to the professional approach you’ve always advised your employees to maintain, you opened the door of your cabin and walked over to the pair, hugging your boyfriend from behind, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“Han.” You muttered, placing a soft kiss on the side of his neck before glancing at the woman before you. She tried not to look at you, the same way the entire office was averting their eyes, choosing to look down at the floor instead. Afterall, no one wanted to see their boss romancing right in the middle of the workspace. You didn’t care what they thought, at least not anymore. All that mattered to you was what Jeonghan felt, so when he slowly pulled your hands away from him, you were a little hurt.

But in all fairness, Jeonghan was always like this. Always so wary of people around him, always so conscious, always so proper. If you were being honest, even you used to be the same until a few months ago. Until Jeonghan came into your life to be precise.

Before him life was different. Inheriting your father’s company at such a young age meant you had to prove you were worthy, you had to make sure you were taken seriously. That’s why you made it a point to enforce discipline at work – employees always had to be on time, tardiness was looked down upon, improper dressing was not allowed, discussing anything unrelated to work was not permitted and office romance was strictly forbidden. Again, all that was until Jeonghan made his way into your office one fine day, to interview for the position of your secretary.

You still remembered the moment he walked into your room, clutching his file against his chest, looking around with big eyes. Your childhood nanny turned caretaker introduced him, stating he was a smart guy who just finished his MBA and had a lot of potential. Apparently, a few months ago, he was recruited on the street and used to work as a part time model in your company – you couldn’t seem to recollect his face as he went on explaining how he wanted to do a more serious job now. Surely you would have known if the literal man of your dreams worked in the same space as you right? But then again, before your father died and you took over, you used to work in the writing column of this fashion magazine, the photography side of things was never in your radar. Yoon Jeonghan was never in your radar.

Making him your secretary was quite an easy decision – he had the qualifications, he already knew the company in and out and very soon, he knew you just the same too. 

Well, almost. 

He knew you took your coffee with foam art but he didn’t know it was because you liked that concentrated look on his face when he making it. He knew you always wore gloves as a fashion statement, but didn't know it was also to stop yourself from digging your nails into your skin every time you were stressed. He knew your caretaker and how important she was to you, but he didn’t know she was the closest thing you had to a mother, one whose presence you craved since you were a child. He knew inheriting this company had always been your dream but he didn’t know it was you who mixed the sleeping pills in your father’s milk that led to his overdose. 

Albeit you only added enough to make sure he wouldn’t make it to the extremely important meeting the next day. The idea was that you would have gotten the chance to replace him as CEO temporarily and show the board your talent, but apparently your father was weak enough to die from that miniscule amount, allowing you to permanently take over his role. But this wasn’t your fault, was it? So there was nothing for Jeonghan to know about it. 

Though there were a few things that he had discovered over time that a part of you wished he hadn’t - your anger, your impulsiveness, your stubbornness, your possessiveness…. He didn't know how bad it could get, but Jeonghan knew enough. That’s why the first thing he did when he pulled away from your grip was lead you to the private washroom in your cabin and fuck you mindless, thrusting into you hard and fast, letting your mark his neck carelessly.

Letting you mark him as yours.

“Fuck, baby.” He sighed, pulling you closer and wrapping your legs around his waist. Your pencil skirt went further up your torso as your boobs spilled out of your bra thanks to his sheer force as he showed no signs of slowing down. The granite of the sink counter felt unbearably cold against your bare ass but you didn’t care. Not when this position allowed him to ram into you while you ran your glove clad fingers in his hair, moaning right into his ear, and coaxing him further.

“Cum in me Hannie.” You purred, fingers digging into his arm. “Don't you want to fuck it back into me after work? I know how much you love your own sloppy seconds.”

“Don’t.” He groaned, his thrusts becoming harsher just at the thought of it. “We have an investor meeting after work today and I need to go pick up my niece after that. We can’t, baby.”

You rolled your eyes before pulling him into a heated kiss. This was what you loved and hated about this man. From day one, he was incredibly efficient, always so aware of your schedules, of which client calls to avoid, which pen to carry to sign official documents - he was the perfect secretary, always keeping an eye on everything. He was also a perfectly good man, always donning the sweetest smile, trying to be helpful, staying alert about your smallest needs and wants. As much as you loved how he looked after you, it was seeing him being nice to everyone else that bothered you. 

Why did he have to lean over the desk of the girl clearly pretending to be stupid when he clarified her doubts? Why did he always agree to the dinners and the after work parties that various women in the company invited him to? Why did the lady in the canteen always bat her eyes at him and give him extra sandwiches? And was it your fault that one fine day nearly all these women decided to mass resign from your company? Yeah maybe you glared at them a bit too much and maybe you increased their workload to an unbearable amount but they chose to resign, that wasn’t on you right? Honestly, you should have stopped employing women after that - at least then you wouldn’t have hired her and seen her getting all handsy with your man.

“Stop thinking about her.” 

Pulling you off the counter Jeonghan spun you around, letting you look at your fucked out face in the mirror. Your lipstick was smudged at the edges and the remnants of his cum were still at the corner of your lips from when you let him fuck your mouth minutes ago. “Eyes and mind on me when I’m fucking you, sweetheart.” He grabbed your face with his hand, squeezing it roughly. “The only thought that should be in your pretty little head is me, so stop thinking about her.”

And this was yet another reason you loved this man. He knew you like the back of his hand. He could tell from the slightest change in your expression what exactly you were thinking. He could tell from the furrow of your eyebrow what exactly you needed. He could tell when you wanted to be handled softly, and gently made love to and when you needed to just be fucked like a ragdoll. Right now, you just needed him to fuck the inappropriate thoughts out of your head and that’s exactly what he was doing, snapping his hips against yours with a relentless pace. Jeonghan might be someone who looked sweet and soft and fragile but man was he capable of fucking like a beast. No wonder you fell in love with him.

The moment you realised you had fallen head over heels for him, the first thing you did was simply tell him. Though it took him a fleeting moment, he confessed that he had been in love with you for the longest time now. Brfore you could properly even kiss him, he pushed you against the office window 78 floors high and fucked you right against it, ignoring the hundreds of staff on the other side of the glass cabin who didn’t know what to do but immediately evacuate from the floor. 

Since then, you had gotten the glass tinted and the two of you had christened almost every piece of furniture in your cabin in a similar fashion. You had Jeonghan’s things moved into your office from his cubicle and at any point you were not working, there was only one thing you were doing. Rather, one man you were doing. People would walk in on you more often than you liked to admit but stopping wasn’t an option and shame really wasn't a part of your character profile anymore. Only one thing mattered, then, now and always - Jeonghan, Jeonghan, Jeonghan. 

“Oh god I’m close fuck fuck fu…” You felt your mouth hang as the feeling began to tighten in you, your legs weakening. With a hand on your back, Jeonghan pushed you onto the marble of the counter, your breasts and cheek pressed onto it, his other hand on your neck, pinning you in place

“Me too baby.” He groaned, fucking himself in you harder, momentarily forgetting how tight his grip around your neck was. The oxygen to your brain being cut off only made you feel more insane, mumbling meaningless words as you felt yourself being split open by the man you love. It was only when he saw your eyes nearly roll back that he loosened his hold, pressing his fingers into the soft skin on your hips, thrusting faster and deeper, grazing that spot again and again until you finally snapped. With a loud unintelligible moan, your walls fluttered around him, clamping his length and coating it with slick in a way that immediately sent him over the edge as he came, spilling into you in spurts. With a few more thrusts he continued to ride out his high like he didn't want to leave your warmth but when you winced at the overstimulation, he grimaced and finally pulled out.

As the two of you caught your breaths, slowly straightening yourself, you turned, finding yourself towered by him. Sighing, he caught your lips with his in a sweet kiss, in complete contrast to the way he slipped his fingers into your hole, pushing his cum further into you, for later. When the two of you finally parted, he stepped back, pulling up and buttoning his pants with a small smirk on his face. You smiled back, adjusting the panties he wasn’t even bothered to remove in his urgency, as you rang for your caretaker. Like always she would help you with your clothes, hair, makeup and make you look presentable but what was the point? Anyways, in a few hour’s time, everyone would get off work and you’d have to attend that one last meeting of the day but since it was just an audio call, you could still ride Jeonghan on your office chair while you were at it. You knew how much he loved the sight of his dick covered in his own cum pumping in and out of you so another round today was a given.

Just as Jeonghan finished dressing himself, your caretaker walked in with a fresh set of clothes, trying not to meet either of your eyes as always. Normally, Jeonghan didn’t hang around till you were made decent to the public eye, he let you have your space to dress but today it was like he could tell you wanted him around. Though his neck was littered with the red of bruises and your lipstick, and he smelled like he was doused in the sweet scent of you, the image of that woman’s hand on him kept flashing in your mind. You knew he could tell you had slipped back into those thoughts as he sighed, shaking his head. 

Putting his arm out he stopped the older woman, much to your surprise. “Let me.” 

And she did, handing your clothes to him before bowing deeply and excusing herself from there. 

Your eyes followed Jeonghan as he slowly undressed you of your wrinkled clothes, sweetly kissing you anywhere and everywhere he could. You loved feeling his mouth on you like this and you know he loved it too, you could feel his lips curl into a smile against your skin. Except when he slipped your gloves off; then his expression shifted to one of pained worry.

“What happened?” He looked at you confused. “Y/n what-“

“I’m fine.” You brushed him off, but his grip on your wrist was tight. “I wasn’t careful when I used the letter opener so it just….”

“Baby.” If he could tell you were lying, you didn’t know. He just kissed your palm softly, looking at you like he was hurting more than you were. 

This man loved you. He loved you so much. He loved you just the way you were, he always made sure to let you know just how much he cared, yet you couldn’t help but continue to obsess over that memory. 

Shaking your head, you kissed him back, long and hard. 

You had to get it out of your mind. You had to do whatever it took to get it out of your mind.

This entire weekend you didn’t get to see Jeonghan thanks to his niece’s birthday. 

As much as you shouldn’t be jealous of a little girl for getting so much of your boyfriend’s attention, you were. You didn’t like anyone getting between you and Jeonghan but knowing how much he loved her, you were willing to let it slide. You still wanted to see him first thing Monday morning so you made sure to reach work as early as you could and were waiting by the door for him. 

Instead, to your surprise and disappointment, you were met with the familiar face of just the woman you didn’t want to see as she limped in, bandages scattered all over her body, her arm in a cast, hanging in a sling around her neck. 

Running your eyes over it, a small triumphant smile creeped on your face – now let her try and touch your man.

As though on cue, Jeonghan walked in, his eyes flickering between both the women before him. Reaching for your hand he pulled out the white glove you had donned today, running his finger along the fading wound. Seeing that it was much better, he interlaced his fingers with yours, and led you away to your cabin, without sparing his colleague a second look. You though, turned around just to catch sight of her dejected face. 

As Jeonghan prepared your morning coffee, you wrapped your arms around his waist, resting your chin on his shoulder, looking at the way he meticulously pressed the coffee powder. There was no fear or possessiveness in this hug, you were just happy. Jeonghan made you happy. He always made sure you were happy. 

Since the day he began working in this company, your smile was what he craved for the most. No, not since he began working as your secretary - since he was recruited as a model, when he first laid his eyes on you. 

It was during a press conference, announcing you had joined your father's company now that you had graduated from business school. You looked so prim and proper, like a sweet little girl from a high society, a perfect heiress with your glove clad hands clasped, resting on your lap modestly. Something about you was just so…. innocent, so easy to corrupt. It made Jeonghan fear for you - The corporate world was harsh and cutthroat. Sweet little things like you didn't belong here. 

But over time Jeonghan learnt you weren't the little innocent girl you seemed like after all. He saw how ambitious you were, willing to even put down others to climb the ladder, willing to do anything. He saw your anger and the things it made you do. He saw your tantrums when you didn't get what you wanted. He saw everything because Jeonghan was always watching. Always. 

He was watching you at work, he was watching you make your way home, he was watching what you did in your little penthouse, strutting around in your pretty night dresses…. Jeonghan was always watching. That's how he knew that you liked men with longer hair, and that you preferred them blonde and tall and lean. That's how he made sure to groom himself, to become the man of your dreams. Because he knew exactly what your dreams were - afterall, he always watched you sleep too. 

That's also how he knew the number of sleeping pills you added in your father's milk weren't right. Yes you were ambitious and vile but you were short sighted. What you needed wasn't an opportunity to prove yourself but a permanent position to lead the company. That was your dream after all and Jeonghan would do whatever it took to make them come true. That's why he slipped in more pills into the glass - silly little you could surely not have thought so far.

The thing that Jeonghan didn't take into consideration though, was how inaccessible you would be to him once you became CEO. He didn’t get to see you as often and even if he did, you always had company. You were constantly monitored, always followed by security, always protected. He needed other ways of getting close to you, other ways he could keep an eye on you. 

The first step was to get your previous secretary to resign. Honestly, that was probably the hardest step along the way - no matter what Jeonghan did, and mind you, he did everything possible, she did not step down from her position. So he did what he had to make sure she never returned, to make sure they didn't ever find her.

Although he might have been a little less successful on that front - from what he heard on the news yesterday, it turned out that after all this while, they finally had found her. He just hoped that the cops didn't dig around there any further - it wasn't like anything could trace back to him, he made sure of that, but he didn't know if they could digest everything they would find in his favorite dumping spot. Afterall, he had to make all those who truly knew him disappear - he couldn't take the risk of anyone letting you know what he was capable of. Of how far he was willing to go for you.

Your caretaker knew. She was the only one who knew but Jeonghan needed her. He needed someone you trusted to recommend him to you so he dealt with her in a way that was far easier - he just promised her he would pick up her granddaughter everyday after working hours and make sure she reached home safely as long as she kept her mouth shut and introduced him to you. The old lady was a sensible one - she did what she was told. Perhaps she knew that if she didn't, no one would question if her foot were to accidentally slip and send her plunging down 78 stories. No one would care. 

But if anything similar were to happen to the colleague who was trying to make a move on him yesterday, Jeonghan knew you would be suspected. He couldn't have that happen, he couldn't have anything happen to you. 

That's why he followed the woman around over the weekend, making note of where she went and what she did, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his move. She told all the concerned employees asking her that she was too drunk and so she didn't realise she had walked into incoming traffic and Jeonghan didn’t see the need to correct her - she didn't walk on her own will, she was shoved. 

But then again, all that happened was she broke an arm and a few ribs, and dislocated her shoulder, it was hardly anything. At least when compared to the wound on your hand because of her. All that mattered was that the sight of her finally seemed to have put a smile on your face, knowing that he wouldn't have those hands on him again. That was enough for him, your happiness was enough for him. For that he would do anything. 

“Thank you for all that you do for me Han.” You muttered against his skin breathing in the combined scent of him and the coffee as he smiled to himself. But of course.  

Topping off your drink with a tiny foam heart, he turned to hand it to you, receiving your sweet smile in return. It made him scoff inwardly. Look at you, pretending to be all innocent. 

Like you too weren’t obsessively stalking her over the weekend.

Like it wasn’t your car that caused the accident that night. 

Like you didn’t pay off the cops to let you go while your employee laid bleeding and unconscious on the road. 

You always tried to hide so much behind that saccharine smile, but how could you? How could you when he was always watching? How could you when he would do anything to be by your side? How could you when he loved you more than anything Y/n? 

More than anything and longer than always. 

A/n - This is the first time I've dabbled in a genre like this so I'm nervous - kind comments and just thoughts in general are much appreciated! You can also check out Seungcheol's and Joshua's :)

[heesdreamer]

LIKE FATHER

PAIRING ➩ jay x reader

SUMMARY ➩ moving in with your short term boyfriend turns out to have its own set of challenges, including how attractive his father is

WARNINGS ➩ there is obviously an age gap although reader is in her early 20s, cheating on both ends, …. reader and jay are both pretty terrible people sorry jungwon

WC ➩ 10.6k

AUTHORS NOTE ➩ For some reason this was not fun to write lol but hope that doesn’t come across in it and you can enjoy! NOT PROOFREAD

“You’re sure your dad won’t mind me coming to stay with you guys?” You took a step too far away from where the phone was attached to the wall and you cringed at the sharp tug on the chord.

Your room fell silent for a few seconds and you waited to see if it caused any damage to the connection or alerted anybody downstairs to the fact you’d been sitting on the same call for almost two hours while you packed up your most important belongings.

“The offer has been on the table for months Y/N, you know that.” Jungwon’s voice was as sweet as ever crackling through the static of your old phone but you still sighed despite his reassurance.

He wasn’t lying, him and (according to what he’d been saying) his father had been inviting you to come and stay with them ever since you and Jungwon transitioned from friends to something more and you finally opened up to him about your rocky home life.

You certainly weren’t one for charity especially when it involved moving in with your boyfriend of only two months but you trusted him enough to know he wouldn’t make something more out of this than it was.

That didn’t stop the sick feeling in your stomach from growing as you continued to stuff the most necessary items into another backpack, your free ear listening as closely as ever for the sound of angry footsteps stomping their way to your bedroom.

“And your mom is okay with it?” Your voice had gotten softer the more you asked, feeling ridiculous from how much you’d repeated yourself the last few days.

“Sweetheart you know she’s never home. It would be nice to have you around trust me, we could use a softer touch around the house.” He was shuffling something around on the other side of the line and you felt both affection and more guilt knowing he was likely preparing the guest room for your arrival.

You’d been stern when you told Jungwon you weren’t going to share his room with him but your boyfriend didn’t even think twice about it, as overly nice and bubbly as he always was.

That’s what had initially attracted you to the younger boy considering you had been known for your sharper demeanor for a long time, although not necessarily your fault when you looked back at your upbringing. He brought out a childish side of you that you had learned to appreciate and his sensitivity was only occasionally overwhelming.

It wasn’t at all surprising that he was grinning brightly at you on the day you finally arrived to his house, directly opposite of your own grim expression and the way you nervously pulled your large backpack higher on your shoulders.

He was quickly moving towards you so he could take one of the stuffed bags out of your hands and you thanked him softly before looking back towards the doorway, faltering now that he had moved and a new figure had taken his place.

You’d never met Jungwon’s parents before considering how fresh your relationship was and how rare it was for you to be able to leave home and see him outside of mandatory things like studying.

You knew not everybody had parents like yours but, for some reason, you hadn’t considered what type of people would raise a boy like Jungwon. The few times an image did pop up into your head it had been small round faces with bright eyes and smiles as wide as his were, friendly grandparent like energy that would greet you with warm hugs and maybe some freshly baked cookies.

Nothing like the man that was standing in front of you right now.

For a moment he bared absolutely zero resemblance to your boyfriend and you wouldn’t have even guessed they were related if it wasn’t for the way he cocked his eyebrow at you (a habit Jungwon also had whenever he was confused about something).

His eyes were sharp behind his thin wired glasses and almost cold if it wasn’t for the smile finally gracing his face, still not doing much to combat his impactful image. He was also decades younger than what you had pictured and you suddenly remembered comments Jungwon had made about his dad being mistaken for his older cousin.

“Dad this is Y/N.” The feeling of your boyfriends shoulder pressing against yours was slightly shaking you out of your dazed staring and you reddened, glancing at him from the side of your eye before hesitantly facing the owner of the house again. “My girlfriend.”

He’d taken a few steps off the porch now to stand infront of you and you hoped your face didn’t reflect how startled you felt, already feeling the embarrassment that would hit you later about how bad this first meeting was going.

“Nice to meet you Y/N, I’ve heard a lot about you.” His voice was a lot softer than you expected it to be, light and airy like he was trying to keep the attention off of himself.

It took you a few long humiliating seconds to realize his hand was outstretched towards you and you fumbled around awkwardly with your bags before grabbing it in yours, his palm slightly cold and calloused. You took a moment to wonder what he did for work before you were squeezing his hand in a small shake.

“It’s nice to meet you sir.” You hated how weak you sounded and you distantly heard Jungwon laugh a bit at your obvious nerves, making a mental note to scold him for it once you were alone.

“Jongseong is fine.” He was smiling now and your eyes shot to the sharp canine teeth peeking past his full lips before going back to hold his gaze, seeing a hint of something you couldn’t make out before it was disappearing with a blink.

You were testing his name out in a whisper instinctively before letting go of his lingering touch, going back to clenching the strap of your backpack and letting Jungwon lead you inside.

-

The first day went a lot smoother after your initial awkward interaction with Jongseong, being able to take the time alone in the guest room to unpack your few items and really take in the fact that you had left home.

Jungwon had respected the fact that you needed some space to adjust and he hadn’t bothered you much after giving you a short tour, popping into the doorway every few hours to give you an encouraging smile and ask if you needed his help with anything.

You once again appreciated how sweet your boyfriend was and found yourself feeling incredibly lucky to have landed somebody like him, giving him a quick kiss goodnight before you were changing into your pajama set and letting him go to sleep. You still had a few more things to set up and you figured you wouldn’t be sleeping for a while anyways, your nerves still high enough to keep you on edge.

It was definitely past midnight when you saw the shadow in your new doorway, a smile sneaking into your face before you even turned around.

“Sneaking into my room on the first night?” You didn’t bother looking at him, already anticipating the feeling of him hugging you from behind and bashfully denying your innuendo.

“Not quite.”

Your body tensed up in half a second at the sound of the far less familiar voice coming from behind you, freezing in place with a pile of clothes still in your hands.

Fear was obvious on your face when you dropped the few items clumsily on the bed and spun around to face him, Jongseong standing in the place where you had expected your boyfriend to be. The light amusement in his gaze wasn’t enough to stop the wave of embarrassment hitting you again and you flushed at the sight of him in more casual clothing, leaning against your doorway.

“I’m so sorry, I thought you were.. I didn’t even mean…” You were bouncing back and fourth between explaining why you had said it and not wanting him to think you actually had plans to let Jungwon sneak into your room.

His low chuckle stopped your rambling and you watched him sheepishly, once again struck by how young he looked especially now that he was just wearing a black sweater and some sweatpants with a college logo you couldn’t quite make out.

“Don’t worry about it, I know my son is a good kid and you seem like a sweet girl.” He was speaking so casually and you tried to ignore the low heat building at the light compliment coming from him. You chalked it up to wanting the approval of your boyfriend’s parent, nodding softly and shifting in place. “Was just coming to see how you were settling in?”

“It’s great sir. I’m just finishing up here.” You gestured behind you to the messy bed of your belongings and he titled his head just enough to look around you.

His gaze trailed back to you and you paused again at the heaviness of it, almost worried he was upset with you for making yourself at home so quickly.

“Y/N, I said Jongseong is fine.” He was repeating the same thing he told you earlier in the day but his tone was a lot sharper now, not quite irritated but definitely enough for you to get the memo.

Your eyes widened a touch at the sudden sternness but you were quick to nod at him and resist the urge to apologize to him, not wanting to turn something so small into a big ordeal like you had earlier with the handshake.

“I really appreciate you letting me stay with you guys.” You attempted to force yourself to keep your tone light and casual in an effort to stop making every interaction with him end in embarrassment. “…Jongseong.”

His eyes flashed with that same look you had noticed earlier and for a second you wondered if he regretted letting you address him so informally so soon now that it was actually rolling off your tongue. He barely shifted against the doorway but it was enough movement for you to drag your gaze down his outfit again before meeting his eyes quickly.

He raised his eyebrow again and the image reminded you of your boyfriend who was asleep just down the hall, chest tightening for some weird reason you didn’t really understand.

“No more thanking me and if you need anything, please let me know. And I do mean anything.” His voice never wavered when he spoke, an aura of maturity and self assurance carrying his words out smoothly, but his tone lowered at the end and now it was your turn to raise your eyebrows. “Sleep well Y/N.”

By the time you were prying open your lips to whisper something close to wishing him goodnight, he was already turning away from the doorway and walking down the dark hallway.

You waited a few seconds with bated breath before flopping back onto the bed while crushing all of your belongings sprawled across it in the process.

——

Waking up the next morning had you finally feeling the emotions of actually being away from your house, nearly getting a good nights sleep without the worry of being woken up by your angry father or belligerent mom.

You had a few instances where you woke up randomly and sprung into a sitting position, startled in your sleep by your bodies natural instinct to react and panic. Once you processed the quiet and safe room that surrounded you, you were able to fall back asleep slowly.

Jungwon and his dad had let you sleep in but you definitely didn’t want to make a habit of it, promising yourself you’d get up each day and make yourself useful as a thank you for their hospitality.

“There she is.” Your boyfriend’s cheerful voice was the first one to greet you when you got dressed and made your way downstairs, smiling sheepishly at him where he stood leaned against the kitchen counter.

You were walking straight into his arms and he gave you a soft hug, swaying lightly side to side as he made affectionate noises at your tired demeanor.

“How’d you sleep?” Another voice snapped you out of your daze a bit and you pulled away to find Jongseong, watching you over the rim of his coffee mug he was currently taking a large drink from.

“Good, very good.” You lied as naturally as you could and Jungwon kissed his teeth happily at your answer whilst his dad continued to watch you skeptically. “Anything I can help with?”

You had just now noticed that they seemed to be in the middle of preparing something for lunch, different ingredients littering the counters and three plates stacked nicely on top of each other. You wondered briefly if they always ate together like this despite it just being the two of them most the time or if it was a special occasion to welcome you.

“I would normally say no but I totally hate cutting up the vegetables.” Jungwon was always so bubbly that you couldn’t help but smile at him as he passed the task over to you, affection in your chest as you patted his arm softly and nodded.

He was quick to leave the kitchen before his dad could give him another assignment but you could still hear him humming in the dining room alongside the sound of plates being placed on the table and silverware clanking against glass.

You’d barely picked up the knife before you heard a low scoff and you glanced at Jongseong from the side of your eye, raising an eyebrow in question when you found him watching you.

His stare was disapproving but you didn’t see any seriousness in it, shaking his head when you slowly pressed the blade down against a head of broccoli. A laugh escaped you at his attempts to teach you without any speaking and you placed the knife back down on the counter.

“Care to show me your technique?” You surprised yourself with the teasing tone you’d taken on but you decided it was less awkward to pretend it was intentional, leaning back against the corner of the counters and waiting for his rebuttal.

“It would save us a lot of trouble.” He was swift to put down the seasoning bottles he had been applying to pieces of meat on a cutting board and you eyed him curiously as he approached.

You had fully expected him to take the knife and showcase what you were supposed to be doing with it but instead he was pausing by your tray of vegetables and beckoning you to approach it.

You were slow now when you moved back to where you had been standing considering he was right next to you this time, that same gaze that never seemed to leave you burning holes in the side of your face now. He cleared his throat before he was moving behind you, still close enough to be able to wrap his arms around you and grasp your wrist in his hand.

Your breath caught in your throat immediately both at the feeling of his skin touching yours and the fact he was nearly pressed up against you.

“Hold it tightly, just like that.” His voice came out in almost a whisper and you wondered if it naturally lowered the quieter he got or if he was doing it intentionally. You were on autopilot when you adjusted your fingers under his but apparently it had been correct considering the pleased hum you heard directly in your ear. “There we go Y/N, good job.”

The light praise was making you feel nearly sick and you braved looking over your shoulder in an attempt to see him.

“Jongseong.” Your face flushed red when you heard how breathy your voice was especially since he was standing far too close for you to be able to see his expression and understand what this situation was meant to be. “Sir.”

You hated how defenseless you were now but you’d be an idiot to deny how attractive he was and something about him being much older than you was leaving you feeling weaker than normal, weak enough that you didn’t feel the need to stop him when you felt his hand that wasn’t holding yours over the knife land above your hip.

“What did I say about that?” His mouth had moved closer to your ear and your eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of him squeezing your side, automatically swaying backwards to lean more against him. “Can you keep quiet for me?”

You were enthusiastically nodding your head without a second thought and your mouth parted when he slid his hand over your side to your stomach, pushing your thin shirt up carelessly so he could feel your skin.

The knife had been abandoned by both of you, his other hand also moving down to your exposed midsection and yours gripping the counter intensely, knuckles turning white from the pressure you were applying.

You could feel him press against you harder and you let out a shaky breath at his entire body over yours, height caging you in with his arms still around you.

“Doing so good.” He was speaking again and his voice alone was enough to spur a whine to fall from your lips, one of his hands quickly leaving your stomach in favor of extending over your throat and gripping your chin tightly between his fingers in an attempt to keep you from making another sound.

You were finally moving on your own to grab his wrist and impatiently maneuver his fingers so you could wrap your lips around two of them, feeling please with yourself when he made a slightly pained noise at the sudden feeling of your tongue soothing over his skin.

It was a definite way to keep you quiet and you could feel the effect it had on him considering he was pushed against you so tightly, the feeling of him beyond addicting in a way that was leaving your head spinning and taking away any rational thinking you had.

“You like that? Thought you’d take longer but here you are sucking on my fingers without even asking.” He was continuing to talk but you were focused so much on the sound of his voice that you couldn’t even process what he was actually saying.

Your lips were parting to try to say something back but you were interrupted by the sound of something hitting wood loudly right outside the door, immediately feeling Jongseong spring away from you just in time for Jungwon to walk into the kitchen and casually complain that he had bumped into one of the chairs.

Luckily his dad was quick to entertain his pained expression and engage in conversation with him because there was no way you would be able to speak now, face flushing with guilt and a terrible feeling in your stomach at the realization he had been two seconds from walking in on you doing something so awful and betraying him.

Your shoulders were tense as you stared straight ahead of you at the uncut vegetables and the completely abandoned knife. It had all happened so fast that you almost convinced yourself you’d daydreamed it if it wasn’t for the way your shirt was still slightly pushed up and the taste of his skin on your tongue.

You glanced over your shoulder in the direction of your boyfriend and his dad to find the latter already watching you like he commonly seemed to be, eyes dark and amused like he was daring you to say something about what had happened.

It was clear to both of you that you hadn’t even thought about it and you quickly looked away just in time for his lips to curl up into a smirk.

——

The next day was plagued with the realization of what happened and for the first time in your life you were actually wishing you could go home.

You didn’t necessarily regret it and you certainly didn’t fault him for anything that had happened considering you were more than a willing participant but between the guilt you felt everytime you saw Jungwons sweet face and the the constant want for more that wasn’t dying out, you felt exhausted.

Jongseong was an attractive man and you’d be stupid to deny something so obvious, from his sharp jawline and his cat like eyes that seemed to pierce you every time you made contact across a room. It also didn’t hurt that he was taller than you and Jungwon both and clearly in shape, evident by how he felt pushed against you.

Your face was smushed into your pillow as you restlessly rolled around trying to shake your head empty of the thoughts of his hands on your body and his mouth on your skin, proving impossible the more you laid there.

Maybe something was developmentally wrong with you or your issues with your father possibly made it so you were unable to deny the affection of somebody so much older than you. Whatever it was you weren’t too happy about it and the dull wanting ache in your stomach was not going away no matter how much time you spent avoiding him.

Apparently he was feeling the same thing because after a few days of doing your best to stay away, he was coming to find you.

“Can I have a word with you?” His voice from your doorway was making you spring up from the bed and you immediately flushed at the realization your hair was a complete mess from all your dramatic rolling.

He either didn’t notice or didn’t mind because his eyes stayed locked on yours and you nodded your head automatically at his question, watching him with wide eyes as he entered the small room and shut the door behind him.

A low heat was already building at the fact the two of you were alone and you only briefly wondered where your boyfriend was before hearing his voice come from down the hallway, shouting at whatever game he was always playing with his friends online.

Jungwon had been very good at giving you your space as you adjusted and you were beyond appreciative of that especially since you were constantly paranoid he would realize something was wrong.

“I would like to apologize.” He started off smooth and calm and you watched him silently as he shifted in place and kept his hands in his pockets. “I need to apologize.”

You felt a little bad that you weren’t really focusing on how emotionally torn up he looked but it really was his fault for coming into your bedroom wearing suit pants and a button up shirt, his work tie long abandoned and giving him an even sexier casual look. Your eyes were scanning his figure and you could only hope you weren’t drooling as he attempted to have a serious conversation with you.

He sighed a little bit at your obvious distraction and you finally paid attention when he sat on the edge of your bed, dipping slightly under his weight.

“I’m sorry?” You had meant it to be a chance for him to repeat his statements but instead he just scoffed out a laugh.

“Pretty sure that’s my line.” He was finally relaxing slightly but you could tell he still had his guard up, more so when you sat up on your knees and leaned closer to where he was stiffly sitting. “I made a mistake.”

You were earnest in the way you shook your head and his face was turned towards you just enough to see the way your expression crumpled at his regret even though you’d been struggling with the same dilemma. You hadn’t quite come to the conclusion that you wish it hadn’t happened so you were struck by the fact he had especially since he had been the one to initiate it.

“You didn’t.” You didn’t even bother caring about the possibility that you looked pathetic, crawling across the bed so you could be beside him with your hands coming up to grip his arm in an attempt to keep his attention on you. “We didn’t do anything I didn’t want, I promise.”

For a second you wondered if this was the outcome he had hoped for when he came into the room, if he had only apologized to be able to say he did all that he could to avoid the situation worsening.

You also wondered if he would be offended by you thinking so poorly of him or if your opinion didn’t matter at all, maybe he even liked the idea of you thinking he was a bad person for wanting you but still wanting him tenfold anyways.

It was hard to understand what was going through his mind considering the only things you really knew about him was that he was Jungwons father and this was extremely wrong of you both, especially the way he was looking at you now that you were closer to each other.

“I liked the way you touched me.” Your voice was dropping down to a mere whisper and his eyes automatically darkened at the turn in the conversation, gaze flickering down to where your hand was sliding up towards his shoulder before meeting your eyes again. “Should I leave you alone?”

You both silently understood that the out you were giving him was nothing more than a teasing remark, you knowing he wouldn’t accept it and him knowing you didn’t want him to.

His big hand was coming up to cup your cheek before you could say another word and you sighed happily when he was pulling you forward so he could finally kiss you properly.

The kiss was sloppy and wet right from the beginning and the heat built rapidly in you now, fully feeling the difference between Jungwon and the older man next to you. He was clearly more experience and he had no hesitation in the way he was roughly grabbing your arm and pulling you forward so you were straddling his lap.

You whined against his mouth and you could feel him smiling at the sound, keeping his hand on your face like he was trying to stop you from moving away despite the fact you were sat ontop of him with your hands smoothing over his shoulders and arms.

“Jongseong.” You were breathing his name into the air with his lips on your neck and he hummed half heartedly in question. “Jay quit.”

Your hands were in his hair making a complete mess of it and a large part of you felt smug for getting to be the one to make such a responsible man, an adult in every sense of the word, pull you closer and closer like he was worried you’d stop him too early.

“This is a bad idea.” Your eyes fluttered shut when his teeth scraped your skin and his arm was fully wrapped around your lower back to keep you from leaving.

“This is the best idea I’ve ever had.” He was holding your gaze for just a second once your eyes opened again before he was kissing you, back to the filth and desperation immediately like you’d never stopped.

Your immediate attraction to each other was undeniable but you knew while kissing him that you wouldn’t be able to stop anytime soon, even if it meant hurting Jungwon after he had been so kind to you.

That word was the issue and you felt a flash of annoyance at the thought of him and how nice he constantly was. His hands were always hovering over your skin like he thought his touch would hurt you and he was always wincing whenever you vented after a bad day or said something rude about a stranger, his heart so soft and pure and so easy to break that it drove you to insanity occasionally.

You stayed with Jungwon because he was not the type to leave you, regardless if he loved you or not. You knew you didn’t have to worry about randomly being dumped or cheated on with the younger boy because he was simply too kind to hurt your feelings.

Jay didn’t seem to mind as much as his son about your well-being or how fragile you could possibly be, hands roughly groping your body and biting down on your swollen lips despite the fact you had to leave this room and act like nothing happened.

“Stop thinking.” His voice was rough and set in a whisper that made your back arch so you could press yourself into him. “Focus on me princess.”

“I’m trying.” Your answer was surprisingly honest and he pulled back so your lips weren’t touching anymore although still close enough that you could feel his nose rubbing against yours and feel his breath on your face.

“He’ll never know.” He sounded so sure that for a second you wondered if this was the type of thing he did often.

Not necessarily with his sons girlfriends considering you knew for a fact you were the first girl Jungwon had ever spent time around let alone dated but you realized in that moment that you didn’t know anything about the man underneath you besides the fact he was willing to press himself against you the first day you meant just off pure attraction alone.

The thought paralyzed you for a second and you instinctively looked towards the door, feeling him tense underneath you at the realization you were uncomfortable.

His hand was coming up to hold your cheek softly and you noted how rough his skin felt compared to Jungwons baby smooth palm, that low heat still there at the difference despite how awkward you felt now.

“I’m not like this usually.” You weren’t sure why the confession spilled from your lips but you were partially hoping he’d give you one in return. “I’ve never done this before.”

Instead he was giving you a soft smile and for once he had no dark lust in his eyes or ulterior motive when he leaned in to kiss your lips softly, barely there peck that made your head spin with new emotions towards the situation. He was still looking at you with the heavy fondness when he pulled back again and you knew you must’ve looked like a fool, eyes wide with innocent admiration as you stared at him infatuated.

This time when you made a light move off his lap he didn’t try to stop you and you settled for sitting right next to him, fully facing his direction and waiting for him to say something- anything that would confirm he was the same way.

Your chest clenched uncomfortably when he wasn’t looking at you and you could see a tightness in his jaw that wasn’t there before, wondering if it was anger or something else.

“I’m sorry.” You were whispering it without knowing what you were really apologizing for and his gaze snapped over to you like he had forgotten you were there.

“What for? I came onto you.” He clearly had a habit of being blunt but you wanted to shrink into yourself hearing the words be said so carelessly and loud into the quiet room. “Do you love my son?”

The question completely threw you off and you were left without a reply long enough for it to become one, your conflicted expression and half opened mouth like you were searching for the right words was all he needed to see to know your answer.

You had been friends with Jungwon a long time before he actually asked you out for a date and you assumed the comfortability and the want to not ruin your friendship was what made you say yes that first time and all the times after that.

“He’s good to me.” You quickly interjected when you realized his expression had changed to an almost smug look, the need to defend your boyfriend triumphing the want to please the man you knew could make you feel good if you let him. “Better than I am to him.”

“Does he touch you?” He nearly cut you off to ask it and the image of Jungwon sweetly kissing you and wincing whenever you made a crude joke flashed in your mind as you shook your head in denial. “Good.”

You weren’t sure if it was a sense of ego or casual possession that led him to enjoying your answer but you sighed softly as he leaned in to kiss you again, moving your mouth with his instinctively and wishing now you had never stopped in the first place. The conversation hadn’t given you any clarity and if anything you were just more confused but it was hard to think when he was kissing you.

He was pulling away and standing up before you could really understand why you weren’t kissing anymore and you heard him murmur for you to sleep well before he was exiting the room.

——

You realized the next morning that it had been far too long since you left the house and the largest part of you hoped that getting some fresh air would give you some mental clarity and help you get out of your situation, beginning to think that being in his presence was actually casting some sort of spell on you.

You spent the entire day out searching for different part time jobs around the neighborhood and by the time you started to walk back your legs were burning from how far you’d traveled.

There was a heavy sense of pride and accomplishment within yourself for getting back out there but it was almost immediately vanishing when you opened the front door to the sight of company.

Both Jungwon and Jay were in the kitchen which didn’t really surprise you now that you realized it was almost dinner time, they seemed to enjoy cooking together more than other father son duos you’d met, but the thing that was throwing you off was the third person standing against the counter.

You should have known something was wrong by the look on Jays face when you first walked in, bridled with annoyance that you hadn’t quite seen yet from him.

Your boyfriend looked similarly distressed (something you noticed only after a pang of guilt for checking out his father first hit you) and you quickly understood why when the unknown figure was leisurely crossing the room like she owned the place.

Possibly because she actually did.

“You must be Y/N.” Her voice was silky and smooth in a mature way that only came with age and your eyes widened naturally as her slender hand extended towards you.

“Yes I am, it’s so good to meet you.” You’d practiced weeks ago what to say when you meant Jungwons parents but you had never expected this to be the kind of person who has raised somebody so warm. “Thank you for letting me stay with you guys.”

She seemed to suck all the air out of the room and you felt almost like you were going to be sick the longer you stood there, eyes drifting over her small frame to where you knew Jay would be watching you from his place in the kitchen.

His eyes were stone cold and cautious but you assumed it wasn’t directed at you considering you hadn’t heard a single mention of Jungwons mom your entire stay here, not so much as a photo of her on the fridge or girly shampoo on the shelves in the shower.

Your heart clenched realizing how little you knew about their life even after moving in with them because you couldn’t tell if she was intruding or if you were.

“I take it you’re enjoying your stay?” Her voice sounded sharper than it had before and your eyes trailed from her husband back to her, feeling caught even though you weren’t sure in what.

“It’s been wonderful.” Your own voice had gotten a tension to it that you weren’t used to hearing lately and you could see Jungwon shifting behind her like he was considering stepping in and cutting the interaction short before your famously short temper unraveled at the worst possible time.

Instead it was Jay that moved to come in between you and for half a second you assumed his moving hand was going to land on you, foolishly freezing when it was wrapping around her waist.

She looked almost as surprised as you did so you only slightly understood the flash of anger that ripped through you at the sight of him touching her.

“Should we have a seat and eat together?” He sounded unlike himself and a quick shift of his sharp eyes towards you was enough for you to eagerly nod and make your way towards the table to avoid upsetting him.

You felt ridiculously childish and upset at the way your lips formed into a pout when you saw them sitting side by side even more so when Jungwon was coming to pull his chair out next to you and only snapping you into reality enough to make you fix your expression before anyone noticed.

The dinner was cold and awkward without a single word spoken outside of asking to pass the salt or a clearing of the throat. For some reason you had been mentally preparing yourself for a line of harsh questioning from his mother, maybe even a few snide comments that would insinuate you knew what her husband tasted like but instead she didn’t look up from her plate or even regard the fact you were sitting there.

It upset you for Jungwon who kept glancing around like he was waiting for something resembling a conversation or any show of interest in his life, especially about the person he was dating.

Your chair pushing out was obnoxiously loud and you winced when all three faces turned toward you as you stood up, for a second seeing the resemblance between Jungwon and his mom more than him and Jay.

“Bathroom.” The word squeaked out from you and you were turning and dashing off before anybody could respond, almost tripping over the rug on the way and feeling a flush of embarrassment at how unladylike you probably looked to somebody like her.

The state of you in the mirror made it five times worse and you could’ve cried seeing the red of your cheeks and how unkempt you’d gotten from walking around all day. You had been in such a good mood and so proud of yourself yet managed to feel the opposite in such a short time, throat tightening the longer you stared at yourself.

You tensed up when the door was opening without even being knocked on and you weren’t too surprised to see Jay stepping into the small bathroom, looking at you blankly until he realized how upset you were.

“What happened?” He was quick to step towards you and although you wanted to flinch away from his touch instead you were leaning into him and wrapping your arms around his middle.

“I thought I had such an important day.” Your voice was embarrassingly whiny but luckily it was mostly muffled by the fact your face was tucked against his chest, especially since he was wearing a thick sweater that you thought made him look more domestic than usual. “But coming home and seeing her..”

You trailed off because you weren’t really sure what the issue was although you had a feeling he’d figure it out before you even did.

He was petting your hair softly and you picked your face up to look at him, peering up and wanting for him to say something that would hopefully make you feel less stupid about your dramatics.

“Did you do good today?” He was tucking some loose strands behind your ear and speaking in that firm parental tone that made your body light up immediately. You were nodding your head after a few seconds of hesitance from your own self doubt and he hummed softly. “I’m so proud of you.”

You leaned further into him at the soft praise and you could hear him chuckle just as much as you felt it, chest rising and falling with the sound and pressing into yours with the movement.

It was inevitable that you softly rocking up on your tiptoes was going to lead to another kiss, his hand cupping your cheek as he met you half way and silenced your desperate whine with his lips pressing against yours. You felt a sense of heavy comfort and warmth wash over you now that you were finally getting what you wanted from the moment you stepped inside and your smoothed your hands over his firm back up to his shoulder blades.

He was taking a few steps forward and your back roughly hit the bathroom counter, wasting no time before you were scrambling to sit ontop of it so he could press forward in between your open legs and keep kissing you harder and harder.

His hips fell against yours and your body felt like it was on fire from how much you needed more of that, mouth parting as you lost the ability to kiss him back from how hard you were panting. That didn’t stop him from still pressing his lips against your unmoving ones and he only seemed to notice the reason for your distraction when you spread your legs even more to try to get him to press down in between them again.

“You like that baby?” His voice was low and husky and your eyes shot up to his at the sound of it, nodding your head and whining when he rolled himself down onto your aching core and kept his gaze on yours the entire time. “Want me to touch you there so bad don’t you.”

You knew it was more of an observation than a question but you kept nodding your head stupidly so there was no room for him to misunderstand how much you truly wanted that.

“Please.” Your voice was breathier than you’d ever heard it and his eyebrows furrowed for a second like he was in pain. “Need it Jay, please.”

His lips were back on yours the second you finished your gentle pleads and you outwardly moaned this time at the feeling of his tongue licking into your mouth, completely filthy in the way he was moving against you and running his hand up your thigh at the same time.

You were desperately rolling your hips up in an attempt to meet his again but he was brutally holding back for some reason, letting you get more and more desperate as you made out until he was finally pushing your skirt up enough that you could understand what he wanted to do to you.

He gave you one last long kiss before he was shifting away from you and lowering himself to his knees infront of the counter, your wide eyes watching him as he pushed your skirt high up on your hips so he had a full view of what was underneath. You had no time to be insecure about what kind of underwear you were wearing or what he could be thinking because he was pulling it down your thighs and groaning to himself at the sight of you.

“Fuck you get so wet just from kissing.” He was almost talking to himself instead of you but you still whined impatiently at the lewd wording, shifting even further onto the edge of the counter as much as your humiliation would allow you.

“Do something, anything.” You were even more embarrassed that you felt like you had no idea what you were asking for.

You weren’t a stranger to the idea of sex and what all came before it if you got lucky (which clearly you finally had) but the specifics were a bit lost on you especially with somebody with close to double your lifetime of experience.

Clearly this didn’t matter to him because he was disappearing from your sight and putting his mouth on you before you could ask him for it again. Your mouth dropped open in a low sound you didn’t know you could make and your hands gripped the counter and wall simultaneously to stop yourself from instinctively closing your legs or running from the foreign feeling.

You’d never imagined a few days ago that Jay would have even kissed you again let alone been eating you on with his wife and son right downstairs but you felt like your entire world shifted just from the sensation of his tongue on you.

“Fuck.” You felt dumb for being at a complete loss when it came to what you could say but there was no chance you were getting out more than that especially since he was wasting no time before he was actively licking into you and wrapping his mouth around your clit.

Your hips rolled against his movements on their own and you could’ve cried from how good it felt, his large hands wrapped around your legs and ankles to keep your pliant for him even though there was nothing that could make you stop now.

Even the thought of Jungwon getting curious about your absence and coming to search for you wasn’t making you hesitant in the desperate way you moved your hand to Jays short black hair to pull him into you.

“Taste so good.” His own voice sounded similar to the state of yours now, breathy and desperate in a way that majorly stroked your ego. “Can’t believe I didn’t have you before.”

“You have me now.” You were practically whining the words and you were scooting even closer to try to get him to stop talking and keep making you feel good already. “Keep going Jay please.”

That was all he needed to hear to dive back into licking you, tongue bringing you sensations you hadn’t even known were possible. It was taking everything in you not to lose yourself in the moment and moan and cry for him, lip bitten harshly between your teeth with small sounds escaping.

“S-so good.” You felt like you were going crazy and the few times you’d made yourself finish on your own was nothing compared to what was happening now, completely coming undone with your legs tensing around his head which didn’t do much to deter him.

You couldn’t barely catch your breath before he was back to standing and roughly kissing you again, slamming you back against the mirror and letting his hands come up to grope at your thighs and chest like he was a man starved.

“Such a good girl for me.” He was speaking in between the borderline filthy kisses he was giving you and you whined at the praise, head filled with that staticky feeling you got whenever he said something similar. “You love being good for daddy don’t you?”

Your eyes widened at the title so casually slipped into the sentence and his eyebrow cocked looking down at you, pausing from licking into your mouth so he could fully watch your response.

You were quick to nod in agreement to his statement and kiss him again, a lot more gentle this time.

“Don’t let her get you upset, she’s nothing.” It took you a few dizzy seconds to understand what he was talking about and your heart clenched when you remembered the reason you were upset in the first place.

“She’s just so…” You didn’t really know how to explain that the fact she was everything you weren’t was driving you crazy despite clearly seeing you were more welcomed in her own home than she was.

Once again it seemed like he knew what you were thinking without actually hearing it come from your mouth and you could do nothing but pout stupidly while he caressed your hair and adjusted your skirt to where it was more presentable, a silent end to what you’d been doing just a few seconds ago as the mood shifted drastically.

“She’s nothing compared to you.” He was borderline whispering as he pulled you off the counter and into him, bodies pressing together in a way that made your head spin. You rocked forward onto your toes so you’d be able to kiss him again and he accepted without hesitation.

It was a lot easier to go to your room and rest than you figured it would be but you’d grown more comfortable here as of late and your heart didn’t feel heavy knowing he was downstairs lying that you had felt sick.

——

The next few days you saw less of Jay than you would’ve liked and your only real interactions came from dinner time small talk or the handful of times he managed to get you alone in a room, which didn’t leave you much time for conversation considering the fact his tongue was practically shoved down your throat whenever the opportunity presented itself.

You didn’t take it personally knowing he was busy with work and you almost hated to admit that the thought of him being stressed about his very adult job turned you on as much as it worried you.

Beside it wasn’t like you were capable of feeling lonely with Jungwon at your side even more than he usually was, potentially hiding out from his mother and whatever awkward talks she thought it was her duty to fulfill because of her absence.

He’d lay in your bed reading while you sat at the desk scanning the newspaper for local part time jobs and the two of you had even taken up the tradition of going for walks after dinner.

Jungwon was providing a great comfort to you that was only ever shifted when you were forced to remember he wasn’t just your bestfriend and you couldn’t confide in him about your tough situation without breaking your heart. Something in you crumbled everytime he tried to kiss you during a laughfest and you could only take so much more handholding before you considered cutting yours off.

He wasn’t doing anything wrong of course, playing his part of your loving boyfriend, but you still couldn’t shake the sensation that he wasn’t the one you were supposed to be kissing.

You’d even dodged him the other night when he attempted to kiss you with his dad in the other room, stomach turning uncomfortably at the thought of Jay seeing that despite the fact he was sleeping in the same bed as his wife most nights.

“I just don’t understand why she can’t like me.” You were stuck on the idea of her far past your ridiculous jealously, overly scorned by her indifference or outright disgust whenever the two of you had to be in the same vicinity.

“She doesn’t really like anyone Y/N.” Jungwon was sighing softly and you turned your head that was resting on his stomach in an attempt to look at him with an annoyed expression. “I thought knowing about you and my dad would make her rethink stuff but I don’t know.”

Your entire body locked up at the vagueness of his sentence and the fact he’d even referred to you two as a pair of any kind, paranoia and panic hitting you despite not hearing any sign of upset or anger in your boyfriends typically calm tone.

“Me and your dad?” Your voice squeezed the words out and he gave you a weird look that only made your head fill with more terrible possibilities.

“Yeah? Just how often the two of you talk to each other.” His casualness did little to ease your inner turmoil but you stayed quiet as he talked. “I explained to her how you don’t have a good relationship with your own dad and how you sometimes go to mine for advice and whatnot.”

Your body flooded with both relief towards the fact he clearly had no idea about your affair but also guilt and slight disgust knowing that your boyfriend had so much trust in you that even the knowledge of you and his dad being alone together frequently didn’t make him think twice about your innocence.

If anything he’d been even sweeter than you imagined and hoped you were getting advice and help from his family member.

You couldn’t help but feel anger towards his mother knowing that she was aware of you and Jay “talking” privately a lot because you already knew she didn’t have as pure as thoughts about it as her son did.

It bothered you until you and Jungwon got home and even more so when he was kissing you gently and wishing you a goodnight before going to his own room, leaving you standing in the hallway and seriously debating what you should do.

A big part of you considered just walking out of the house in general, already mentally drafting up the apology you’d give your father as you begged him to allow you to come back home.

The other part was the one leading you down to the room Jay shared with his wife and forcing you to push the door open without knocking. You had a moment to appreciate how lucky you’d been that she wasn’t actually there but it was gone as soon as you saw he was.

“Y/N? Baby are you alright?” He was putting down whatever files he had been shifting through and approaching you as soon as the door closed but your sour expression and hand coming up to keep him away made him freeze in place.

“What if I did let him touch me?” You didn’t say the name because of how forbidden it felt but you both knew exactly what you were talking about. His face remained the same but you could see his shoulders tighten and you knew you’d hit a sore spot. “What if he touched me and it was good, if it felt right?”

Whatever had stopped him from approaching him earlier was gone now and you stood there with caught breath as he closed the distance, standing a hair away and staring down at you and your face that you knew resembled a scolded child.

The air in the room was heavy and you could almost physically feeling it weigh you done but you still couldn’t deny the heat coursing through you at the idea of him being upset with you and thinking you needed to be taught some sort of lesson, accompanied by the familiar ache and longing to please him and take back what you had just said despite knowing you wanted a response.

“Would it be the same?” His voice was low and your body responded to it immediately, eyes nearly fluttering shut as you leaned against his chest. “Would it be better, would it be what you actually want?”

“I don’t know what I want.” You knew it was a lie as you said it because everything you could possibly be craving was standing right infront of you, big hands cupping your face like you belonged to him and not somebody else.

You wanted to kiss him right now more than you wanted to breathe, silently willing the conversation to end without any resolution just so you didn’t have to wait a second longer. He wasn’t reading your mind this time but his thumb was gently caressing over the skin of your cheek and the small gesture was enough for now.

“Yes you do.” He was nodding as he said it like he was coaxing you along and you watched him like his word was gospel. “You want somebody who can take care of you, you want to feel good and you know only I can do that.”

“Show me.” Your voice came out in a breath and he seemed like he was pleased with your response even though you figured he already knew there was no actual weight to your words and you weren’t having second thoughts. “Make me feel good.”

He was kissing you before you could say anything else and you immediately melted into the now familiar feeling, bringing your hands up to hold onto his arms and make sure he didn’t go anywhere in the world other than with you.

The stolen moments you’d had recently were nothing compared to actually being able to have him kissing you without a time limit, pushing you back softly until your legs were hitting the bed and you were falling backwards.

He’d already braced your body against his so you landed softly but you were growing impatient with the new pace he’d taken on, lacking the usual roughness and desperation you’d grown so addicted to.

“Jay.” You were managing to push the whine out only because he moved his kissing down to your neck, still soothing his hand over your face and hair gently while he left marks you knew you wouldn’t be able to explain. “I need more.”

“You’ll get it.” He was quick to shut you down and remind you that he was overwhelmingly in charge of your entire situation.

Regardless it was affective in shutting you up and allowing him to do whatever he wanted, your own hands smoothing over the shape of his muscular back and shoulders. You were quickly finding yourself unhealthy obsessed with every part of him and you felt extremely thankful he was pushing your skirt up at the same time you came to that realization.

It wasn’t lost on you that he was marking you up in the same bed he shared with his wife and you almost automatically spread your legs for him to slot between at the thought.

“Gonna take my time and make you feel taken care of another day.” He sounded almost pained and annoyed at himself but you couldn’t bother being upset about what he was implying when he roughly pulled your underwear done and started to fumble with his belt. “Just need you right now.”

“You can take me.” Your mouth parted with a desperate need at the image of his shirt riding up from his hands movements, giving you just enough of a glimpse of his happy trail and tanned skin before he was moving it back down to remove his belt all the way.

No part of you was minding the lack of romance or the fact he wasn’t drawing out the first time you actually got to feel him all the way, wanting him more than anything you could even begin to compare this to.

“It’s gonna hurt baby.” His warning did nothing but light up the heat in you more and you didn’t need to tell him that considering the dazed expression you had, hearing him laugh a little at your excitement. “That’s my good girl I know you can handle it.”

He wasn’t lying about the pain you’d feel and your entire body tensed up at the sudden intrusion you felt, no prep or warning given as he relied solely on how wet and willing you were for him. Your mouth dropped open again but this time from the sharp ache only the tip of him caused, thankful that it hurt so much you couldn’t actually let out a noise.

“Fuck.” You couldn’t think of anything else to say but that seemed to do the trick in getting his attention back on you and not how tightly you were squeezing him, bringing his lips back down to meet yours and offer some distraction.

“God you’re so tight.” He sounded almost equally as wounded although you knew it was for much different reasons, fighting within himself to not just start fucking you right away.

The urge to please him and not make him wait was slowly creeping up again the longer he stayed still inside you and you felt your hips shifting before you even decided you were ready for more, rolling up slowly and urging him to fill you up and let himself feel you.

There was no hesitance on his part but he still went as slow as he possibly could, swallowing your whines and cries of pain with his tongue in your mouth and a soothing hand rubbing alongside your stomach like he was physically guiding himself inside.

“Cmon princess.” His low voice made you snap your eyes back open, not even realizing you had closed them, watching him and his expressions that were a lot more fond and affectionate than you thought they’d be right now. “Gotta relax for me.”

You wondered for just a second if he was fully inside you or if there was somehow more to push in, too nervous to look down and confirm it might be the latter. You let yourself take a few deep breaths as you stared at him and it was easier to feel the pleasure in your core when you could actually see his handsome face above yours.

“Fuck me.” You’d meant to sound alot sexier than you had but the sweet and begging tone was clearly enough for him because he did exactly that.

You could’ve swore your entire world shattered at the feeling of Jay actually fucking himself into you and claiming you in a way that nobody else had yet, pained whimpers quickly replaced with desperate whines that got covered by his hand on your mouth when you started to get too loud.

His other hand was moving anywhere it could to feel you and you found yourself cursing the fact he was still clothed, wanting to touch his skin and see the shift in his muscles as he fucked you open.

“That’s right baby just like that, let daddy take you.” He was talking again and that alone was nearly enough to push you over the edge, eyes watering at the satisfaction in his words. “Such a good girl for me just like I knew you’d be.”

Your legs spread wider instinctively and you felt him deeper and deeper with every thrust, whining so loud you were almost positive anybody else in the house was going to hear you.

The idea of that or more specifically of his wife hearing how good her husband was fucking you in her bed was driving you to near insanity and you were grateful his hand was firmly over your mouth to stop you from saying things you might regret outside of the heat of the moment.

Jay either didn’t notice or didn’t care but he wasn’t stopping his pace or filthy words that only encourage your noises even when your stomach was clenching up with release and you were mindlessly rolling your hips to try to feel more of him.

He fucked you through it and you almost thought he wouldn’t stop even after you came so hard you felt exhaustion ripping through you but he was pulling out and finishing on your bare stomach only a few seconds after that, no doubt driven to his own release by how much tighter you’d squeezed him.

Your mouth was back on his before you’d even processed what you’d done, what finally line you’d crossed, and he was eagerly accepting it. He rolled the two of you around easily so you were the one laying on top of him and you appreciated the small amount of control offered, giving you the ability to stop and go to clean up whenever you needed.

For now you just wanted to be close to him and you didn’t feel the sense that want would fade anytime soon.

[trashmouth-richie]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 | steve x reader ; eddie x reader

summary: when your boyfriend dies as a result from saving you and your friends, you find yourself deep in the throes of grief. and in your lowest moment you find a new vice, something… or rather someone unexpected.

6.1k, reader is named “nellie” simply bc i refuse to use y/n, smut, 18+ only, multiple chapters, future drug use, mature themes, heavy depictions of grief/suffering leading to questionable decisions

big s/o & thanks to @rebelfell + @rxqueenotd for spit ballin’ ideas and beta’ing ❤️‍🩹

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

His body laid for three days before Owen’s team braved that cold and eerie pit of desolate hell. Strong hands had pulled you away from his body, and you had tried to claw your way back to him, begging for death to take you instead. 

That night you watched him choke on his last breath, his lungs gurgling with a squelching pop of blood as hesmiled one last, and final time, his last words played over and over again. 

“I’m so lucky to have been loved by you.”

His skin was still warm when the others found you clutching onto him, laying beside him as if you were cuddling during another time. A time when monsters didn’t exist and all you had was happiness. Legs thrown over one another as you watched a movie in the Wheeler’s basement, or when your wet hair seeped into his skin after a late night of swimming at Lover’s Lake, or the feel of his fingers tucked into the nape of your neck while you kissed him at your lockers back in high school. 

Never. You’d never feel that from him again. 

Large arms wrapped around your middle hauling you away. And you scrambled, kicked and slapped to get back to him. Screaming his name over and over. Because they weren’t his hands, and they would never hold you again, he was dead, Steve was dead. 

The hours after were a blur, somehow the rest of you had managed to get away. Eddie jump started an abandoned military vehicle that a rescue team had left while under attack, driving back to the gate that reopened under the ruins of StarCourt. 

Your head laid in Robin’s lap the entire ride back while Eddie drove, silent tears falling down everyone’s cheeks, Dustin sobbing into Nancy’s bony shoulder. 

You all stayed together those first few nights, laying in a fortress of blankets and couch pillows in your living room. It all seemed to move in slow motion, a terrible aching dread filled your soul and refused to leave the hole in your heart. 

The house you and Steve had rented was large enough to accommodate everyone for a few days. Those days were spent telling favorite stories of him. Talking about the pride he had for everyone, the mother hen of the group. How he would lay down and sacrifice himself for everyone he knew and he did just that.

A solemn silence fell over everyone, after a kick to the chest of reality fell like a veil—that he would never again come walking in the door. That Robin lost her best friend and confidant. That you would mourn your boyfriend, lover, and friend until your dying days. That Dustin lost his first male father figure. It all came crashing down at once, and no one spoke much after that besides the occasional sniffle or to open the back door to chain smoke the anxiety away. 

Claudia eventually called to have Dustin come home. Jonathan stopped over with his long haired friend from California, and you were anything but friendly to them. How could you be? You watched in jealous rage as Jonathan pressed kisses to Nancy’s cheek and rubbed her back soothingly. 

She lost a friend. You had lost the only person who knew you from the inside and out, and it wasn’t fair. 

Everyone trickled out of the home you shared with Steve. One by one, silently not wanting to be the last to leave, to have to watch your eyes wet as you were left to your own vices, left in this empty house that held all of your memories.

You couldn’t blame them. Hell was here and you were swallowed by its warmth, the flames licking your neck as you fell deeper into it, succumbing to the heat.

Eddie was the last to go. He was oddly quiet during the last few days, leaving late after everyone had fallen asleep just to return again in the morning. He had asked to use the phone only once, quietly excusing himself to use the bathroom afterwards, coming back to the living room looking even more lost than he had earlier, his eyes wet with fresh tears. 

It was almost as if he wasn’t sure if he should be here or not. He didn’t know Steve as long as everyone else did, but over the last year they’d gotten close, as if they were almost family more than they were friends. 

You had come to know and accept Eddie and Chrissy well, over the last year you’d spent a few nights every couple of months double dating at Enzo’s or game nights playing Scrabble at your house. When the world flipped upside down again, all of the fun came to an end, and the last nine months or more had been spent strategizing… trying to find a means to end this real life hell once and for all. 

And it did end, but at what cost?

Eddie’s shadow lingered by the front door as you walked over, one of Steve’s button down shirts hanging loose on your shoulders, the sleeves damp with your tears. 

His dark eyes swam with something you hadn’t recognized at all the past week, it wasn’t fear like it had been when you were miles below in another dimension. But you couldn’t nail down what he was feeling as he asked, “are you gonna be okay?” 

You stared at him, raising an eyebrow with an exhaustive look. 

His fingers worked the rings on his left hand. “I mean, tonight… are you alright, alone? I can stay if you...” He paused for a while, his tongue pressed into his cheek as he stared at the blue rug, his boots pinching his aching feet. Raising his eyes to yours once more, “I— I know how it feels when someone you love dies, it’s…hard.” 

Tears welled for what felt like the hundredth time in twenty four hours, and you shook your head. You dreaded this night when things should return to normal, when your friends had to return to school, their jobs. Things had to go back to the way they were— but you couldn’t. Not now, Maybe not ever. 

You remember how Eddie had missed school for weeks years ago back in elementary. But you weren’t friends then so you never knew, and you felt like a bitch for never asking. “I’m sorry, I— I didn’t—.” 

He turned his face away, smiling and finding interest in the wood grain of the front door, “it was a long time ago, I’ve had time to heal, but it takes awhile.” 

All you had was time. Time without Steve. Time to mourn the loss of the only man you’ve ever loved. Silent streaks slid down the apples of your cheeks, and Eddie stepped forward like he might crush you into a hug, but he stopped short. Instead rubbing his hand lightly down your arm, “I left my number on the counter, call anytime. Okay?” 

You blinked back at him and nodded. If you wouldn’t have been crying you could have seen the turmoil stir in the caffeinated browns of his. 

“Thanks, Eddie… I might just take you up on that.” 

He smiled gravely, “I did— I didn’t know Steve for as long as everyone else did… but he was a really good friend to me.” 

You looked up at him, eyes welling with tears at the man all of Hawkins marked to be a Satanic Cult Leader.

“He cared about you and Chrissy a lot, Eddie.” 

He smiled sadly and turned away before you could catch him wiping his eyes, or notice the wobble of his bottom lip. 

“I know, I did too…take care, Nellie.”

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Steve’s cologne was still on the bathroom sink. Dried toothpaste was stuck between the bristles of his toothbrush left from his rush to leave that morning— the last one he’d ever have. 

His bar of soap in the shower still held dry bubbles from lathered skin the last night you’d spent together. You had shared the warmth of a shower, shampooing his hair and Steve attempting to help shave your legs, giggling between the spray of the water. Later he laid you down making you whimper as he kissed your neck, fucking you slow and deep, whispering in your ear how you were his entire world. 

You hadn’t slept in your shared bed since his death, and now that the chaos had dissipated, and the house was quiet outside of the usual clicks and hums from the refrigerator, you braved the lonely queen sized bed and slipped between the cool sheets. 

The sweet burn of cedar, clove and a tangy bit of citrus surrounded you. Steve’s aroma, his smell held you like a child as you cried into his pillow. Curling your body into his side of the bed, you imagined his large hands splayed across your belly as he held you close to him, pulling you tightly against him so there wasn’t a single inch of him not touching you.

But in the end it was just you alone, trying to find warmth in cold sheets with a wet pillow. 

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

The alarm clock had scared the shit out of you.

The ringing turned to chimes in your dream, and when you woke— alone, it was in a puddle of sweat, the bed sheets wrapped around you like those horrible black vines had. 

The kitchen tile was cold on your bare toes as you padded to the coffee maker. Steve considered himself the best barista in Hawkins, and no matter how hard you tried to replicate it your pot of coffee never stood a chance next to his. 

Digging into the Folgers can, you dump two heaping dollops of grounds into the filter, pressing the ‘on’ button, mentally preparing for the worst cup of coffee you’d had since before you had started dating Steve. No hope to be found, optimism long gone. 

It took only a moment, a single sleep riddled half thought for you to slip up, your mind forgetting for just a second as you accidentally wondered what you and Steve would do for the weekend. 

Your nerves went into shock, you gasped in guilted embarrassment at the audacity to forget that. How? How how how how how! Pulling at your hair you scanned the kitchen table, eyeing Eddie’s number written on a pad of paper, but grabbing the phone you dialed a different one instead. 

She answered on the second ring, her voice sleepy and haggard as you whispered through choked tears, “h—he’s gone.” 

“Yeah,” Robin answered, sheets shuffling around, “he’s gone.” 

Tears fell in large drops down your face, as you nodded at the answer you already knew, silently needing the confirmation. 

How would you be able to walk the streets alone without Steve’s big hand crimped tight around yours? How could you live without ever hearing his voice, his laugh ever again?

When you hung up, Robin didn’t call back, and even if she had you wouldn’t have picked up. The day brought visitors trying to cheer you up. Rubbing your back as you stared blankly at the wall. Promising you things would get better, would be easier as time went on. Bullshit. All of it. 

As sweet as they were, how the hell would they know? How could they possibly hurt as bad as you did?

They had lost a friend, an older brother figure, but they didn’t know Steve on the intimate levels you did. They had no idea that he woke with terrors almost every night. Or that he had failed his driver’s test twice, or that he had a patch of light freckles on his nether region. 

Steve had been everything to you and now that he was gone you didn’t know how to cope in a world without him. If whatever higher power could grant Chrissy new life, and Eddie was spared from the bats, why wasn’t Steve? 

Your questions went unanswered as your mind reeled with pictures of him, flicking like a movie, your eyes stinging with anger. 

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Every night since he had died, you had slept in a pair of Steve’s boxers and a Hawkins High Prom 1984 shirt. 

From what you could tell, Robin was in the same shape you were in, unable to go back to work, barely sleeping. The only difference was she had Vickie at home to comfort her, hold her and wipe away her cries. 

You couldn’t help but feel nothing but jealous and sick to your stomach at the thought of how you were having to go through this alone. No matter how selfish that made you, you simply couldn’t care. 

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Nancy woke you the morning before the funeral with a sharp knock on the front door, and an armful of baked goods. She made coffee as you stared a hole into the kitchen floor, she vacuumed as you thumbed through Steve’s wallet, silently tearing up over his driver’s license picture. 

She folded laundry while you sobbed and screamed at a very surprised Keith when he called to ask why Steve hadn’t shown up for his shift. Nancy didn’t blink when the phone was pulled from the wall and sent flying across the living room as you pulled your hair in a fit because Steve is gone. Dead. Not coming back.

Nancy simply rubbed your back, pushing away hair from your wet cheeks after you fell asleep with your head in her lap. And when you woke, feeling worse than hungover with swollen eyes and a sore throat— she wouldn’t let you apologize. 

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

Surprisingly, Steve’s parents found it in themselves to pretend they gave a shit long enough to plan his funeral. 

Everything was gaudy. Overdone and full of rich smells of roses so strong you wanted to vomit. 

Pearls clung to your ears and neck. The velvet of your black dress was warm on your body despite the cold gusts of wind that chapped your stocking clad legs. The sun wouldn’t shine today, or in your mind ever again. 

Robin showed up first, clinging to Vickie’s arm, a sad smile on her freckled face. She wore a dress, a sort of last laugh for Steve’s sake to see her dressed up. She throws herself at you, all legs and tear stained cheeks, squeezing your face into her shoulder.

“He would have hated this,” she sniffled after glancing around at The Harrington’s entourage, “look at her wiping her eyes as if she’d even talked to Steve within the last year.”

Steve’s mother stood in all of her Chanel No 9 glory, delicately dabbing a silk hanky to her dry eyes, as funeral goers grasped her manicured hand and spilled condolences. 

The sight alone made you sick. Mary could win an Oscar for her performance. Nobody but you and Robin would have any idea that Steve hadn’t spoken to his parents in over a year. Christmas to be exact. The first and last one you two had spent at their enormous home. 

What should have been a nice evening ended in harsh words and Steve’s father saying he was disowning him. Steve held his head high on the way home, apologizing for his parents and promising that he would never have anything to do with them again. 

And from there up until they were told of their only son’s death— The Harrington’s never once tried to make amends. 

“Always a show with her,” you sighed angrily. 

“How are you doing? Vickie asks shyly, “Is there anything we can do?”

“I’m fine, really. I—I’m okay, slowly but surely.” 

Vickie smiles and squeezes your hand, “He never loved someone as much as he loved you, Nel.” 

The words hit like a bullet. 

You knew.

Of course you had known. Steve told you that himself on more occasions than you could count, you didn’t need to hear it from someone else, didn’t need the reassurance that a man who literally died to protect you really did love you. 

It felt foreign—sounding horribly wrong coming out of a mouth that wasn’t his. Body on fire with something worse than rage, all you wanted to do was scream. Nodding your head once you excuse yourself, pushing out of the side exit and down some cement steps to the outside.

Air. You needed to force air into your lungs before you collapsed. Your chest felt as if it was going to burst into flames, suddenly everything felt so restricting. The air was frozen and bitter, resembling yourself lately and the outcome of the last few days. 

Gasping, choking on wailing cries you pulled at the neck of your dress, kicking your shoes into the dead grass. You yanked barrettes from your hair and pressed the heels of your hands into your eyes until you saw spots of gold and green. Anything to try to get some relief try to stop the sensation of being suffocated by something you couldn’t even see. 

“Nellie?” 

Tears poured from your face as you whimpered, struggling with the zipper on the back of your dress. 

It wasn’t fair. Why him? Why Steve? He was so good. Much better than you. He was kind and handsome, he loved big and treated everyone around him like they were the most important person in the room. 

He was the best friend, best boyfriend, best everything.

It should have been you.

A pair of warm hands land on your shoulders pulling you backwards and upright, frightening you before the warm tobacco spiced voice whispers in your ear.

“Breathe, Nel… c’mon sweetheart.” 

“I- c—can’t… Eddie…I—” coughing and clawing at the necklace of pearls, you desperately tried to unhook them, their weight feeling like boulders sitting on your chest, threatening to break you to pieces.

Eddie moved the hair from your neck, and in one little clink the necklace fell into your hands. 

“It’s off, it’s off— c’mon now, you gotta take a deep breath for me.” He spun you around placing his warm hands on your cheeks, sweeping away the icy tears. 

He was dressed in all black, his leather jacket tight on his arms. A frumpy, wrinkled tie loose around his neck looking like it had been tied and re-tied too many times before he just gave up. 

“In and out,” he instructed softly, taking your hand and placing it against his chest, “match it to mine. Feel it?”

It didn’t work, it wasn't helping. Eddie didn’t waste time before the cold leather of his arms wrap around you, delicately rubbing your back as you collapsed into him. 

The wind bit at his face as he held you close, stroking your hair. “It’s alright, ‘s gonna be okay, I’m here— we all are.” 

You let yourself break, let the sadness consume you before the funeral could start and you had to be brave for everyone. You wouldn’t let his parents see you this way, they already thought you were every bit of trash but Steve had always held you higher, placing you on a special little pedestal. And with him, nothing else mattered. 

Wiping your eyes, you pull back enough to see Eddie’s face, the dark sunglasses he wore were fogged up on the inside, shielding away his own turmoil, but his lip quivered slightly. 

“God, Eddie,“ you sniffed, voice wobbly as you murmur, “Sorry.. ‘m such a mess.” 

“Don’t do that,” he almost whispers, voice low and sensual, “don’t apologize.” 

If you could see his eyes you would notice how sad they were, how he was doing his very best to hold it together. How he had bags under his eyes from not sleeping. You’d see the guilt etched into the darks of his irises for being alive, for coming out of there alive.

The door swings open with a loud crack, caught in a gust of blustering wind, Dustin standing on the threshold trying to hold onto the handle for dear life, he winces when he sees the two of you. 

“Hey, it’s—” he looks at his watch, “they’re ready to start.” 

Eddie removes his hands from your arms and shoves them into his pockets, all the warmth leaving you as the wind creeps through the fabric of your dress.

“Be right there man,” Eddie answers tight lipped, trying to convey to Dustin that you needed a minute to collect yourself, “save me a seat.” 

When the door shuts with great force on Dustin’s end, he bends down to scoop up your discarded heels, holding them by the backs. He sets them on the ground between the two of you, gathering your arm in his hand as you steadied yourself with his body to balance while you slipped your feet in. 

Taking one last ragged breath, Eddie moves beside you looking up at the church, then back at you.

“I don’t think I can say goodbye.” 

Eddie swallows hard, reaching out with a cautious hand but deciding at the last minute to shove it into his pocket, “you don’t have to, y'know? My m— well, I heard once that a person’s spirit can live on as long as you need them.” 

“D’ do you believe in that kind of stuff?” you ask solemnly, “The afterlife? Reincarnation?” 

“I believe that Steve would want all of us to keep going, to be the best versions of ourselves…. and he would probably scold us for being late to his funeral.” 

You smile then, wrapping your hands around your arms rubbing warmth into them. “He definitely would, I can almost hear him fussing.”  

“Hands on his hips, no doubt,” Eddie said with a grin, “But he’d pull himself together…be strong for everyone, he was always good at doing that.”

You look at him, completely unaware of his own inner struggles. “That was Steve, always brave, always willing to defend someone.”

The door busts open again, this time it’s Hopper, his bristly mustache matching his thick eyebrows as he stares with annoyance at your tardiness. 

“Shit,” Eddie jokes, “better go before he calls the hounds.”

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

It was a closed casket per your request, even though his mother argued to have it open. Wanting the sympathy from her friends of being a parent “burying-their-child” and to have people comment on how he looked like her, how beautiful they both were— it was sick. 

Dustin made a speech. His hair pushed back just how Steve had taught him back in high school. He shed a tear at the end when he referred to Steve as his best friend. Climbing down from the podium, he slumped in the pew next to Eddie, sniffling softly as his shoulders shook. 

Robin recited a light hearted poem, promising to keep the store running and to finally get her driver’s license. Her eyes sparkled as she recounted the laughs she and Steve had shared. 

When it was your turn, your heart felt like it was filled with lead, the walk up the ugly church carpet felt as if it drug on forever, and you had to take several deep breaths before adjusting the mic. 

Your poorly written speech talked about how Steve lit up every room, how he was adored by everyone at Hawkins High. But now, under the scathing florescent lights under the wet eyes of your closest friends, the jumbled words looked like nothing but bullshit. 

Tears rimmed your eyes and you felt the same death grip of panic rising on your throat. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, body shaking as you fumbled with the index cards, “I- I can’t.” 

It was Joyce who met you at the podium with a caring smile, and open arms guiding you back to the pew. She didn’t mind that you sobbed into her shoulder making a mess of her cotton dress. And when the service was over and it was time to go to the cemetery, she held your hand and led the way.

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

You felt numb as you stood next to Robin. Her icy fingers laced with yours as you zoned out completely while standing at his gravesite. Someone was talking but you couldn’t register who it was or what they were saying. 

Your body was present but your mind was floating in a memory. 

“Should we have spaghetti tonight? Or do you wanna order a pizza and I’ll pick it up after I leave work?” 

Steve’s comforting voice filled your ear as you twirled your finger around the cord in the stockroom at Melvald’s. A common occurrence for the two of you, each sneaking off to call each other during the day. Eight hours away from him was too much. 

“Already got the noodles boiling for spaghetti, honey,” he practically purred into the phone, “tell Joyce you’re taking off for the night and come home to me.” 

Your smile squeaked through the receiver, your heart skipped beats at the thought of Steve Harrington wanting you… two years together it still seemed like yesterday that you had gone on your first date.

“Steve,” you giggled, “You didn’t have to.”

“Ah ah ah, I won’t listen to that,” Steve lightly scolded, “I like to cook and take care of my girl, we’re a team, Nellie.” 

You begrudgingly sigh and feel heat rise to your cheeks, you really were one of the luckiest girls. “Okay Captain, what kind of noodles are you making?” 

Steve chuckles through the receiver, cream colored phone balancing on his shoulder as he adds salt to the boiling water. 

“It was a toss up between angel hair or fettuccine… fettuccine won, and I picked up some garlic bread from Enzo’s.” 

“Ohh, you’re spoiling me rotten,” you purr, imagining what you would do to thank him…something involving your favorite part of him and your mouth, “I’ll stop at Bradley’s for some drinks, what are ya thinkin’?”

Steve smiles, putting a dish towel on his shoulder, “surprise me.” 

⋆⭒˚｡⋆

The church basement reeked of furniture polish, clashing with heavy floral perfume to mask the smell of mildew from a previous heavy rainfall. 

The Women of Fellowship were serving ham on wheat buns with chips and a veggie tray. Their faces planted with a christian sympathy smile as they cut brownies and refilled the punch bowl.  

A bottle of champagne sat chilled in a bath of ice per Mrs. Harrington’s demands. No reason to be so down all day, might as well make it a special occasion! As if the death of her only son wasn’t enough, was too boring for her. 

You rolled your eyes and shoved your plate away as her obnoxious laugh erupts from behind you. Steve’s father telling his colleagues a dirty joke no doubt, his face red from stifling a laugh and the whiskey he clutched in a monogrammed flask. 

“Nellie?” Nancy chirped, adjusting her slim figure to whisper gently across the table your group of friends were sulking at,  “I have some frozen meals my mom and I put together, I can come over tonight and give you the instructions if you’d like?”

Nodding softly you meet her eyes, “Thanks Nance, that’d be really nice.” 

It went silent again, Max fidgeted with her hair, pulling it back in a loose ponytail. Will’s watch beeped but he clicked it off lazily, running his hands down his face. Nobody knew what to say or what to do. What do you say at a friend's funeral? 

“Are they always like this?” Eddie blurts through the quiet, cocking his head towards the Harrington’s. He was leaning back in his chair, one arm slung over the back of an empty chair beside him, his sunglasses were still on, just as they were through the church service and at the gravesite. 

Everyone at the table looks to you, expecting some sort of an explanation, but you simply shrug, “I- I don’t really know them very well.” 

“Steve’s parents?” Nancy questions, “they’re super sweet, when I—”

She stops then her mouth closing with a pop to remember that it probably wasn’t the time to talk about her long ago relationship with Steve at his funeral in front of his current girlfriend. 

“… they uhhh.. they were always nice.” 

It wasn’t her fault, she didn’t know. Mostly because you and Steve had never mentioned it to anyone besides Robin. But her words stung, hit your chest like a thousand mad bees. 

You stand on shaky legs, “I need—yeah…” Without giving anything more you walk away, almost taking the table cloth with you from it tangling in your purse. 

“Nellie,” Robin tries, her own eyes swimming with hurt, but you’re already two tables away, squeezing between padded shoulders and hands holding plastic cups of punch, bleary eyed to find anywhere to be but here.

Turns out a broom closet storing Christmas decorations stuffed right with the plastic light-up yard Bethlehem set, was the right place to have a breakdown. 

You were hiding for a solid ten minutes before you heard a soft knock and a quiet ‘Nell?’ And your unladylike sniffling gave you away as you wiped your nose on the blanket swaddling baby Jesus. 

“Rob,” you exhaled annoyingly, “I’m fine, okay? Tell Nance I’m sorry.” But to your surprise it was Eddie.

“Hey.” he says cautiously, clicking the door behind him and leaning against it. 

You looked from him to your shoes and muttered out a soft, “hi.”

“So… Mr. and Mrs. Harrington seem like real big pieces of shit… wow.”

You snort airily fiddling with the run in your stocking, “Yeah, they’re something alright.” 

Eddie slides down the door, sitting with his legs crossed in front of him, exhaling a deep breath,“It’s been a long day,” he finally said.

“I don’t know what to do next.” 

Eddie looks at you confused, and eyes you when you stand abruptly and start pacing around the cramped closet. 

You’re erratic, talking fast and crazed, “I told myself that all I needed to do was just make it to the funeral. Make it through the funeral and…and then I would figure it all out from there! Now here we are— and I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do after, Eddie!

“After it’s over? And– when I leave… he’ll still be here in the ground, and I— ” you start to apologize but refrain, “.. I should go.” 

“Talk to me,” Eddie stands to his full height, reaching towards you, just barely grazing your elbow with his fingertips. His voice nearly breaking, “it helps to get it out.” 

You hiccup, and pull away, stumbling over a slew of strung together sentences that you’re barely breathing through to get out. 

 “..’s… shit, he was all I had. My parents are gone, I don’t have any siblings. It’s been… d’ you know that his parents have never approved of me, but Steve he— he fought for me, for us. Without him…I’m alone.” 

Eddie follows you his hands firm your biceps to try to calm you down. “All your friends are here. Robin, Vickie, the kids…” 

His words have no meaning to you, none of it mattered, your pain was demanding to be felt, and frilly words with no merit wouldn’t sugar coat this. “He’s gone, Eddie! He didn’t get to have a second chance he—died!”

He’s level headed but slowly losing his own battle, trying not to break thinking about his luck and the never ending guilt he carried. 

“We were all there, all of us are hurting, Nellie. You can’t shut people out and clam up.” 

You try to wriggle free from him, but he’s stronger, and all you can do is cry, “I— can’t keep going! Not without him!” 

Feeling the weight of survivor's guilt and the agony of never being able to be consoled by Steve again, you break. Sobbing uncontrollably. Eddie’s arms surround you, holding you tight and engulfing your cries with his own tears, and little shushes from his throat. 

“I’m sorry, Nellie. I’m so fucking sorry. Please don’t cry— it will take time but you.. we will be okay.” 

His voice is wobbly and his chest shakes as he cries silently grieving for his best friend. With tears running down your cheeks you pull away slightly to see his face. 

In the dim light you can make out that his nose is tinged red, and with unsteady hands you reach up and pry his sunglasses from his face.

His eyes were red, a little swollen from rubbing them and fatigued with lack of sleep. You could kick yourself for not recognizing how hurt he was, how self absorbed you had been. Both of you are crying together, clinging onto each other under the yellow light in that makeshift storage closet. 

Throwing yourself at him, your cheek presses into his chest as you both sob into one another. Meshing your suffering with his. 

His chin is resting on your head, hands wrapped in your hair. Your hands are clutching the opening of his shirt, fingers just barely grazing over his bare chest. Minutes passed and you exhale an exhausted sigh. 

Lifting your face up to tell Eddie that maybe you should get back, your nose brushes against his. And when you both should be moving away, straightening yourself up and wiping your eyes, neither of you pull back. 

Eddie’s breath fans against your cheek, a small shudder on your skin, the emotional hold of the day, his arms wrapped around you it was nice… it felt, good. Without thinking, without acknowledging what you’re doing you tilt your head and line your mouth up with his, pressing your lips to his. 

It’s unexpectedly tender, and what should startle him doesn’t, but all of that sweetness is quickly swallowed by a hunger you had never felt before. 

It’s nothing but grabby hands and needy mouths. His hands go from soft and consoling to roughly working his pants down in the same hastiness- that you’re hauling your dress up.

Eddie grabs you from the crook of your knees as if you’re weightless and shoves you up hard against the wall. Your mouth hangs open in a silent plea as your panties get ripped to the side. Tears are still flowing down your face and if you were to look at him, you’d see that his haven't stopped either. 

It’s desperate the way you’re clutching onto his shoulders. As if every ounce of pain was leaving you with every inch of him. You whimper with each pump of his hips and Eddie is doing the same, holding you impossibly tight, grunting into your ear. 

It’s raw and harsh, the shelves shuddering with the pace of him taking you, and you’re all in, moaning when you’re close. Holding the nape of his neck and wringing his curls as you start to unravel, your nails clawing into him as your mind explodes. 

When you finish, he’s close behind, groaning deep and biting his lip as he shakes violently with his release, pumping all he’s got into you. 

What’s left between you is gasping breaths and tear kissed skin, a set of broken Christmas lights under Eddie’s boot. 

His jacket is still in your clutches when you open your eyes, coming down from a high you clung to stay up on. But the weight of your decision comes crashing down when you realize what you had done.

Regret is painted thick on your face as the realization comes full force. You need to get out of here. What kind of grieving girlfriend were you to have fucked your dead boyfriend’s best friend in a church basement at his funeral. 

A whore is what you are. 

Eddie must have realized what kind of slut you were too because he sets you down and immediately turns away from you, shoving himself back into his pants. 

But, before he can say anything, before he can try to talk you off a cliff— you’re already out of the door, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, hiding the horrifying expression twisted onto your face. 

You don’t hear Eddie calling after you, or the way his face turned to fear as you threw open the door, practically sprinting away from him. 

Lucky for you, nobody questioned why you were darting up the basement steps, or why you looked absolutely wrecked. Your keys fumbled in your hands as you unlocked your car, terrified to look back, running from your mistake, from Steve from Eddie.

The road was a dangerous blur on your drive home, your eyes flooding over obscuring stop signs and headlights. Your cheeks were still stained with yours and Eddie’s tears. 

Tears that were shed in grief from the death of your boyfriend, the same ones that stayed on your face as you got fucked in a closet by his best friend. And more tears fell as you tried to comprehend why for the first time since Steve’s death, you felt comfort.

—

[midniqhtt]

joel miller

masterlist • pedro pascal characters • 05/04/24

˚‧⁺ ･ ˖ · ୨ৎ recs

two three four five

𑣲 declined pt2 pt3 I @alltheirdamn

You're on a cross-country road trip when your tires blow, and you're forced to get them fixed at a small town mechanic shop. When your card declines, you only have one other option to get your car back.

𑣲 a happy man I @psychedelic-ink

when your friend sets you up on a blind date, you had no idea how impactful it would be.

𑣲 once again in your arms I @foli-vora

the day of the outbreak, reader and baby were in town and she couldnt call joel (or viceversa) cause the phone lines were down. they were separated for a few years until they arrives at the quarantine zone he's in, and he recognizes them in the crowd.

𑣲 invisible sting I @quin-ns

bill and frank host. tess is jealous. joel is confronted with his feelings. you cry over a shower

𑣲 snowflakes, a fireplace, and you I @swiftispunk

you get more than you bargained for when you end up snowed in at miller's inn on christmas eve.

𑣲 seams I @fuckyeahdindjarin

𑣲 joel drabble I @suzdin

𑣲 as long as you want pt2 pt3 I @auteurdelabre

When you're injured in the stables one morning your patrol partner and enemy Joel Miller is the only one there to help.

𑣲 the not so invisible string I @stylesispunk

you and Joel were made right for each other in the wrong time. Now, thirteen years later your paths crossed when both of your daughters get in trouble at school. Would be the right time for you now?

𑣲 i couldn’t want you anymore I @/stylesispunk

when Sarah's mom came back into Joel's life to fight for their past relationship, Joel needs to convince he is in a happy relationship with the florist next to his gallery in order to make her go away. The problem is, he and the florist can't stand each other's guts or that it's what he thinks.

𑣲 the falling pt2 pt3 I @getitoutofmymindwrites

you catch Joel cheating on you. The world comes crushing down.

𑣲 greener memories of better men I @netherfeildren

Best Story of the Day! South Austin elementary school started a “Breakfast With Dads” program but many dads couldn’t make it and several students didn’t have father figures. The school posted fliers at the local YMCA’s for 50 volunteer fathers… 600 different people from all backgrounds showed up…

𑣲 jealous I @eufezco

you’re a little jealous of tess.

𑣲 soft sweet I @cavillscurls

You share your first kiss with the last man you ever expected: your older, grouchy, overly protective patrol partner, Joel Miller.

𑣲 let me (put my lips to somethin’) I @bluebeary-jay

5 times you wanted to kiss Joel, and 1 time it actually happened

𑣲 needs I @toxicanonymity

Joel wants to find a bed before you go all the way, but neither of you can wait that long.

𑣲 wildflower and barely I @yellowharrington

after deciding to change your age range on a dating app in hope of a change of scenery, you stumble across joel miller.

𑣲 arms tonite I @motherjoel

basically its YOU who gets stabbed by the baseball bat. joel isnt good with feelings. david does not exist david cant hurt anybody. a bit of angst and a bit of fluff. also LOOSELY based on arms tonite by mother mother

𑣲 don’t take the girl I @alt-vera

when faced with a life-threatening choice, joel miller makes a surprising confession.

𑣲 feels so right I @fake-bleach

Your college boyfriend's a dick, and it doesn't help that he dragged you along with him to a bar just to treat you like shit. You plan on catching a ride home after an incident between you two, but turns out that your dad's best friend's there too, and he saw everything. He ends up offering you a ride instead, but there's no promises that you make it back home for the night.

𑣲 sweetheart I @dustydaddyyy

you're home from college for summer '99 to visit your parents, when your eye wanders upon their next-door neighbor, joel miller.

𑣲 honey stained hands I @jolalibrary

He knew what Jackson was when he arrived the second time. A communal, a place where everyone chips in. It's why he doesn't turn his nose up when he's given menial tasks. One of which, is fixing his neighbour's porch. His neighbour, who is pretty and smiles too sweetly, bakes cakes for special birthdays, and stares at the toolbox he's been given with a haunted look, one which raises more questions than answers.

𑣲 softdom joel I @joelscruff

a collection of important moments between you and joel miller, your grumpy new patrol partner in jackson, wyoming.

𑣲 one thing im missing I @/joelscruff

you and joel accidentally end up falling asleep together, and what follows is the beginning of a quiet and tender relationship neither of you saw coming.

𑣲 somewhere to run I @punkshort

You move to a small town in the middle of Texas to escape your past and start over. You don't expect to fall for the town's handsome sheriff.

𑣲 hate when you’re right I @/punkshort

After a heated argument with Joel, you finally convince him into leaving Jackson so you could explore a store for new clothes, and what happens could change your life forever.

𑣲 in the woods somewhere I @eupheme

When a break-in startles you awake, it’s hard not to assume the worst. But when the thief is revealed to be a teenager just trying to help her wounded guardian - you find your heart softening.

𑣲 are you mine? I @/eupheme

A change in your usual patrol schedule, a dash of over-protectiveness, and a gossipy partner leads to you desperately wish you could turn back time

𑣲 hating game I @gutsby

Celebrating your dad’s birthday at the yacht club becomes damn near unbearable when Joel Miller brings a date along too. Jealousy and hate sex ensue.

𑣲 abstaining game I @/gutsby

The only thing worse than an anti-sex retreat is an anti-sex retreat with your former fuckbuddy and dad’s best friend. Especially when sharing one cabin.

𑣲 wingman I @/gutsby

Your bestie braves the tampon aisle for you.

𑣲 kiss to kiss I @jobean12-blog

Joel is grumpier than usual and the only way to make it better is YOU.

[imrkos]

LOST IN THE FIRE (R.C)

synopsis after the infamous scandal involving Yn and her now ex-boyfriend goes viral, Yn is forced to leave the only world she's ever known and adjust to her new life in the Outer Banks. Sent to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin Kiara, Yn finds herself hanging around the type of people she swore to never be seen with and quickly becomes entangled in the rivalries between the Kooks and Pogues. And one thing Yn doesn’t take is crap from others which only catches the attention of Rafe Cameron who seems to be seriously smitten about her despite her association with his sworn enemies. But to Rafe’s disinterest Ward seems to have a new idea involving Rafe having to make Yn head over heels about him and use her elite status to cover up what he’s been doing behind everyone's back.

( previous <- MASTERLIST -> chapter two )

CHAPTER ONE : smau + written

WORD COUNT: 3089

10:24 PM — ARRIVAL.

Your name, his name, your face, his face, all plastered across every headline, all on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and even made its way onto Facebook. The video of you slapping your ex and tossing your ring at your own best friend — the ring he gave you and supposedly designed himself — was now as viral as it was scandalous.

The paparazzi, the parties, your vacation to Dubai, and then Paris were all gone as soon as you answered your phone the next morning. “Pack your bags.” was all your mother had said, she didn't even sound angry, which was even scarier.

You knew you should've waited till the gala was over, but when Gossip Girl posted that picture of Caleb and Gigi, your presumed “ride or die” you couldn't help but mess with them.

You first texted Caleb that you were needy and waiting for him in a room upstairs — you didn't show up — then you texted Gigi, something about her ex waiting for her, and as you presumed she went in and it happened to be the same room Caleb was in, and then you entered.

Long story short, thanks to your new BFF and accomplice Gossip Girl, you found out they were expecting and lucky them they were having a girl! “What great parents you guys will be! Sad she’ll grow up with a skank of a mother and a coward of a father but I guess it works.” The next thing you know Gigi is aiming toward you and falls, Caleb then tries grabbing you and you slap him, toss your ring, say a few nasty words, and the end.

How you guys ended up on tape will forever be a mystery, even Gossip Girl couldn't figure it out. But Caleb assumed you had gotten one of your friends to record and threatened to sue. Pathetic but that was your mother's last straw and now you're here, on a train — which you weren't too happy about — going to see family you haven't seen since you were seven.

Last you heard, they were doing well with their restaurant, and your cousin, Kiara, often got into trouble with some kids that your aunt and uncle disapproved of.

From what you’ve searched up on your way there it seems like they live by the beach which you don’t mind but compared to your room back in the Upper East Side it wasn’t all that. You also noticed that she followed you about two hours ago, you requested to follow her and she almost immediately accepted.

Interesting, you thought, you quickly took notice of her friends, they were all over her feed — the same ones your aunt and uncle disliked you assume. Her life looked completely different from what you were used to, she had pictures of her by the beach with her friends, some of herself, and turtles..lots of them.

Would she be your first choice for a friend? No, but she was family after all and one thing you did prioritize was your family. Suddenly you hear the intercom and watch as people start getting off. Gosh, how you missed New York already.

“Y/n!” You hear as soon as you step out of the train, your aunt stands there with a warm smile plastered on her face — you can tell she was forcing it, she seemed happy to see you, yes but she looked too happy. Your uncle stands to her right as he waits his turn to greet you, he looks the same way he looked all those years ago.

“Hey,” you greeted, “It's been so long!! When your mom was on the phone with me and suggested you come here I was so excited! Maybe you can help Kiara stay out of trouble.” Kiara, you noticed she wasn't there “Kiara, she's at home. Hurricane passed the day before so she decided to stay.,” your uncle Mike says, That answers your question.

10:38 PM.

“So how was the ride?” Terrible “It was alright.” You’ve been answering questions non-stop for the past 20 minutes, the car ride only seeming longer the more she kept asking questions. How’s New York? I heard you want to go to Princeton, your brother, how is he?

The endless questions would replay in your mind as you sat in the backseat of their car. New York's perfect, I actually want to go to Harvard, Princeton is my mom's dream, My brother? He stopped responding to our messages a few months ago.

You sighed looking out the window and watching the world go by. Every now and then you’d catch a glimpse of something that reminded you of home, yet none of it felt like home. You could feel your uncle's eyes on you from the mirror “You’ll get used to this.” you stay silent only looking at him for a second before looking back out “No paparazzi bothering you here, beach days 24/7, I guarantee you’ll make friends fast.” he continued, you only gave him a slight smile.

As you turned onto a narrow street flanked by rows of beach cottages, your phone buzzed. Mom displayed across your screen “I sent you there for a reason, don't make me and your father look even worse.” She was replying to your previous message, four hours later.

Once in a while, you'd wonder how your dad ended up with someone like your mom. They were total opposites. Your mom grew up with wealth and influence, and that's how she landed her roles. Your dad on the other hand came from a humble upbringing, he went to school for music despite your grandparent's disappointment, failed, got back up, and ended up with multiple hits.

They were yin and yang, so different yet they worked.

You always imagined your life with Caleb, would it end up like your parent's relationship? Disagreements here and there but always finding yourselves back to one another, or like his parents? Perfect on the outside but broke from the inside.

Love scared you, yet you seemed to yearn for it.

As you got out of the car, the salt air hit you immediately, and for a second, you almost forgot about the mess your life had become. The waves crashing in the distance gave off an oddly calming effect, but you knew that wouldn't last long.

“Here’s home,” your uncle Mike said, A modest beach house, white with baby blue exterior shutters. It definitely wasn't what you were used to but it was pretty.

“Let's get inside sweetheart, let's hope the wifi’s back up!” you nod and earn a reassuring smile from your uncle as he grabs your bags from the trunk. You quickly take notice of the difference between their house and yours, pictures of all three of them smiling, baby pictures, of course, the half-burned candles, the atmosphere feels warm and peaceful compared to the lonesome one you're used to.

You could hear your aunt snickering with someone on the phone but you paid no mind to it, “Your room is upstairs, three doors down to the left, make yourself at home” Mike said coming down the stairs “Thank you” you reacted making your way upstairs.

The room was cozy and you had a great view of the sea, you couldn't complain. 10:47 Your phone lit up, a message from Instagram,

Kiara 🌺: Hey, wanna go to a Boneyard? I'll be there in about 10 minutes. Get ready.

You stare at the message for a while…Boneyard? You hadn't even met the girl in person and she was already asking to hang out.

You: Your parents fine with it? lol

Kiara 🌺: Fine with me showing my cousin around late at night? Yes of course :)

You chuckle and send a simple “right” text before turning your phone off, So much for staying out of trouble.

You decide on a simple tube top and ruffled skirt you had bought before leaving, your mom had picked out most things in your luggage, you could say many things about her but you couldn't say she didn't have taste.

You hear three quiet knocks before turning around and being met by an awkward-looking Kiara “I was at the Boneyard and remembered you were coming today,” she rambled before sitting down next to you

“It looks cute, your outfit.” she compliments “Thanks. Thought I underdressed but, I'm assuming this Boneyard thing isn't very glitz and glamour.” she snorts “Yeah no,” she gets up before talking again “Can I use it?” she asks pointing at the bathroom, you nod frantically and she smiles closing the door behind her.

You didn't know what to feel about her. She's out there. You're also out there. Maybe you guys will get along after all? But Gigi was out there as well and look at how that ended up.

Your head turns once you hear the door open “Alright so my friends are waiting for us there so we should get going” she says, you quickly stand up straightening your skirt, “You walked?” she turns her head towards you motioning for you to lower your voice, right, her parents.

You guys quietly make your way downstairs and out the door making sure you don't make a sound, “No, I didn't walk, JJ, my friend offered to drive me and I said yes but I kinda thought we could drive there together so he went back.” she answered as soon as you guys made it outside, “Oh” you reply following Kiara to the car you were just in “My dad is gonna kill me, get in” she says opening the passenger door for you.

As you guys make your way to the Boneyard, Kiara breaks the silence and starts asking questions. — like mother like daughter. “Gossip Girl who is it?” “I'm not too sure myself” “How come you've not gotten into acting or singing?” “My mother” “Princeton? So you're really smart” “More like my mom bribed a few people there but I guess”

The rest of the car ride consisted of pure silence beside the hum of the car engine and Kiara’s occasional humming along to the radio. You on the other hand stared out the window drifting back to your thoughts from earlier.

What are my parents up to right now? Is your brother wondering what you're doing right now? Has he seen the many articles with your name plastered on them? Has Kiara?

When the car finally pulled into a gravel lot near the beach, the first thing that hit you was the cool breeze followed by the smell of wood burning. You weren't sure what you were expecting when you heard Boneyard but this wasn't it.

A crowd of teenagers gathered together, sitting on the hoods of cars, some in small clusters, others laughing, dancing, watching a group of guys throwing a football around. It was everything your mother kept you from. Kiara immediately headed toward a circle of people, and you followed, trying your hardest not to stand out too much. But soon enough there were eyes on you — curiosity and intrigue written across their faces. You could hear the snippets of whispered comments and almost hidden glances. You could tell they all recognized you, but you couldn't tell if you were welcomed here or if they wanted you out.

“Yo, Kie, who's this?” a voice suddenly called out, sharp and demanding, cutting through the noise of people around you guys.

You turned to see a guy walking towards you, he was tall and lean, with messy blonde hair that fell just above his eyes. His demeanor was confident like he was used to the attention, having people notice him. When he locked eyes with you his gaze flickered — he looked like he was trying to figure you out. He slightly squinted his eyes, it was hard to tell what he was thinking at that moment but you felt a slight change in the air.

Kiara rolled her eyes but replied “My cousin, Y/n.” she seemed unfazed by his intense stare. “Y/n, this is Rafe-” she continued before suddenly getting cut off “Rafe Cameron.” he extends a hand out but you don't take it, leaving him puzzled but soon his puzzled expression turns into a smug one.

“Alright,” he says leaning in just a little too close, his eyes still fixated on yours “Ms.L/n would you care for a drink?” you shake your head no, keeping your mouth shut, slightly amused at his offer. Rafe takes a step back, his eyes now wandering on your body, he takes notice of your outfit. “Well, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for you Ms.L/n,” he turns to Kiara and back to you “Just be careful, you don't want to get lost with the wrong crowd” he winks.

Before you could respond, Kiara was already pulling you away, leading you to a firepit, you noticed it was surrounded by her friends you recognized from her Instagram. “Gosh, he's so annoying” Kiara complains, you nod, still feeling Rafe’s eyes on you as you sit down next to her.

“I kinda guessed he'd walk up to you guys, I mean hey look who it is!” the blonde-haired guy says, earning himself a slight nudge from the guy beside him “Ignore him, I’m Pope, it's nice to meet you! This idiot is JJ and this one over here,” he says pointing to the guy next to Kiara “Is John B.” You notice them all staring at you waiting for you to say something “Y/n, Y/n L/n, nice to meet you guys.”

“So, Rafe Cameron?” Jj asks, “I think I know better than to associate myself with somebody like him.” They all laugh in unison, “Yeah, he's a bit crazy” John B says “A bit? He’s like a total lunatic.” Kiara adds — Crazy lunatic huh?

11:58 PM.

You had been keeping yourself busy talking with some guy you met a couple of minutes back. His eyes often drifted toward a girl a few feet away from you guys and you quickly understood y'all were in the same boat “Trying to get over her?” you asked “Hmm?” he mumbled turning back to you “Oh- She’s y’know- it's complicated.” You nod, and he gives you a sheepish smile taking a sip from the drink Kiara offered you guys — some cheap-smelling liquor with orange juice.

You were pulled away from your conversation when you heard commotion starting on the other side of the beach. Kiara and Pope looking helpless next to JJ and John B arguing with some guy, you quickly make your way to Kiara’s side listening to the argument unfolding,

“She doesn't want it, asshole!” the guy spits back, slapping JJ’s cup away causing it to spill onto John B. “Topper please.” you hear the girl next to the guy plead “We’re laying low. Being normal.” Pope chimes in trying to calm the situation down but to no avail “Oh my god” Pope lets out as soon as John B pushes Topper

“Don't make me drown you like your old man,” Topper said, causing John B to lunge at him but misses before being punched by Topper, falling to the sand.

“Holy shit!” You yell out, “Stop him!” You say, Pope only shaking his head clearly shaken up, you scoff looking around, your eyes locked with Rafes, he was standing, his arms crossed, clearly unimpressed by what was happening. “Hey” he mouths at you, you roll your eyes turning back to see John B fighting for his life “Fuck” you mumbled.

“Stop!” Kiara yells out getting closer to the two guys fighting “Topper!” the girl — his girlfriend you assumed — yelled out. Suddenly you see JJ, gun in hand, pointing it at Topper's head “Your move, broski.” Your eyes widen at the sight of the gun “Put the gun down, JJ!” the girlfriend yells out, JJ laughs “Did you say something, princess?” John B looks at JJ, shaking his head “Cool out, JJ.” he says trying to regain his breath “I was saving you, bro.” he replies,

Kiara looks over at you, she looks distressed, her hair blowing onto her face, and she has a firm grip on your arm. JJ raises the gun to the sky “Get the fuck off our side of the island!” he yells out firing a few shots into the sky, the people around you panicking — you were too but stay by Kiara’s side.

JJ comes closer to you guys “What the fuck!” you say shoving him slightly “What? I just saved his fucking life!” he cursed, you only looking at him in disbelief “Oh yeah? By pulling a gun out at someone? You're a real fucking genius!” You yell “Listen here, Angel this is how it works out here! Pogues versus Kooks. It's been this way forever, and you can't come here suddenly and tell us what’s right and wrong! Y’know, you seem to really fit in with those Kooks! We’ve all seen those headlines, you aren't a saint.”

“JJ!” you hear Kiara yell, you only look at him and smile “I don't know who you think you're talking to but just know I have eyes and ears everywhere, call me all you want, and don't be surprised when something of yours is leaked to the public. It's a small island, right? I'm guessing things spread around fast here. Watch your tone.” You warn before walking off “Yn!” you hear Kiara yell out as you make your way to the car

“Told you.” you hear, “Told me what?” you ask already expecting to see his face, probably leaning up against something, his signature smug face. “I don't think mommy and daddy would want to see their perfect Angel hanging around people like those Pogues.” you lift your head now leaning against Kiara’s car — you were right, he was leaning against what you assumed was his car, looking down at you. “What's up with this Pogue, Kook thing?” He shrugs “It's been this way for as long as I can remember. You're too pretty to be hanging out with them.” he says leaning in close, just like earlier.

“How about I drive you home?” he suggests “As if.” he chuckles, bringing a hand to his face, and fixing his hair “I like you,” he says “I’ll see you around, doll.”

“Oh no, you're not.” you laugh

“Oh trust me. We’ll be spending a lot of quality time together. Sweet dreams, pretty girl.”

NOTE: Hello!! hope you enjoyed this lol, was gonna upload it thursday but oopsie and then yesterday it snowed so yeah I went out :> but anyways thank you for reading!

TAGLIST: @vwosnz // @high-functioning-cosplayer // @bettys-redwinesupernova // @bambiangels // @grapejuice32 // @amterasuu // @starkeyszn

[h-haunted]

starlight

jujutsu kaisen

megumi fushiguro x reader headcanons

gender neutral

sfw

→ megumi loves being close to you. the way you cling to him and how you speak in his ear; he just turns to putty in your arms. he’ll deny it, but he knows it’s true. there’s nothing he loves more than resting his head on your chest while you stroke his hair and whisper all his worries away.

~

“mmm… five more minutes…” the boy grumbles, his arms only contracting tighter around your waist as you attempt to get up from underneath him. no matter how many times you told him you had things to do, he didn’t budge.

“we’ve been laying like this for two hours!”

“…fine. three more minutes.”

→ he ADORES your eyes. the way they shine, the way they light up when you see him, it all drives him crazy. he could get lost in them. sometimes he does.

~

“megs, are you even listening to me?” you ask, raising your eyebrow. you had been ranting about something for a few minutes, but megumi didn’t seem to be paying attention. the boy was too busy staring into your eyes, even adoring the way they look when you’re angry. he was snapped out of his trance when you snapped your fingers in front of his face.

“hm..?”

“are you listening to me?”

“yeah, yeah, totally.”

→ he gets jealous really easily. he doesn’t like it when you give other people attention. a lot of the time, he gets pouty and clingy after seeing you happy around someone else.

~

“who was that?” megumi asked, his arms snaking around your waist to hold you against his body.

“just a friend i haven’t seen in a while,” you shrug, leaning into his touch.”

“…oh…” the boy’s hands grip your waist as he buries his face deep in the crook of your neck. he just stands there for a moment, breathing in your scent. “just a friend..?”

“just a friend.”

→ he hates it when you’re left alone with gojo. his father figure tells you all kinds of stories about him when he was younger. everything from embarrassing pictures to things he drew, you’ve seen it all.

~

megumi had only left for five minutes at max. the two of you were sitting at the table having coffee, and he needed to go do something real quick. in that short amount of time, gojo had stolen his place at the table and was telling you all kinds of tales from when your boyfriend was younger.

“gojo!” megumi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. gojo just chuckled.

“c’mon, i’m just telling them about you!”

“stop. just… stop.”

→ not only does megumi get jealous of other people, he also gets jealous of his dogs. he always says they’re for fighting, not petting. that you’ll just spoil them and they won’t listen to him. yet, every single time you ask, he lets you see them.

~

megumi watched with a blank face as you showered the dogs with affection. the white one was licking your face, and the black one was rubbing its head against your palm. the boy grumbled, his eyes narrowing slightly. why couldn’t you give him all that attention? it wasn’t fair. though he was jealous, he couldn’t help but smile. you looked happy, and that was (mostly) all he cared about.

→ he has hundreds of pictures of you between his camera and his phone. you’re even his wallpaper. you’re just so perfect, he can’t stop. he makes sure you’re okay with it too, not wanting to cross any boundaries.

~

“smile.” megumi says, pointing his phone at you. the moment you curl your lips up, he takes a picture before tapping the little heart icon at the bottom to add it to his favorites. you slide over to catch a quick peek at the way the picture looked. your brow furrowed.

“hmm, that one looks a little weird.”

“i think it’s perfect.”

[msmk11]

Never Ever

Tony Stark x fem!reader

WC: 1.3k

CW: Fluff; mentions of lunch?; Tony Stark being a gentleman 😅

Summary: Your new boss never ever does one-on-ones

Day 28 of mk’s mad dash

You’re finally starting to feel your first-day-nerves settle, and it’s a relief. After getting some one-on-one time this morning with Natasha, your boss’ previous assistant, the job doesn’t seem all that bad.

Though first-day nerves are normal, you suppose they’ve been exacerbated by the fact that you would be working for Avenger and billionaire Tony Stark. Natasha has assured you that despite his powers and influence, he’s really all bark and no bite, and that you’ll have no problem “handling him.”

Still, it’s hard to know if you 100% believe her, seeing as you’ve yet to actually meet your boss.

Regardless, Natasha has just left you to go to some Avengers meeting, so you feel relieved to know that you probably have a solid hour before you finally, hopefully (or not hopefully) meet Mr. Stark.

You decide that your first order of business is to decorate your desk with a few keepsakes from home and pictures of your friends and family.

Right in between your two monitors you set your little rubber ducks- one pink and one yellow. You neatly set out your dark blue coffee mug in the right corner and a picture frame of your cat in the other.

The last things to go up are your pictures. With a handful of thumb tacks, you stick them on the cork board walls surrounding your desk. A couple of the pictures you put up are you with your family- all of you bearing happy smiles on vacation or a holiday. Others are with your friends- your roommates from college, your old high school coworker, and your childhood best friend, Thomas.

“Is that your boyfriend?”

As you adjust the picture of you and Thomas you smirk. It’s a question you’ve both gotten many times, and the answer is always “No. that’s my best friend Tho-“

You look up from the picture and stop mid-sentence, eyes widening as you realize that you’re talking so very casually to none other than your boss.

“Oh! Uhm, Mr. Stark! Hi!” You stutter, introducing yourself, “I’m your new assistant.”

You cringe, “though I’m sure you figured that much out yourself.”

Your boss scans you seriously and then breaks out a smirk, “Please, loosen up around me- I’m just your average playboy, billionaire, superhero. And call me Tony. Mr. Stark was my father’s name.”

An exasperated chuckle escapes you and you nod, “right, okay. Sorry, Tony. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

The brunette motions for you to follow him and you oblige.

“You as well. You know, Natasha spoke very highly of you after your interview, so I’ve been very curious to meet the one who impressed the Black Widow.”

Heat creeps to your cheeks against your will, and you’re glad Tony is looking forward as he walks and not at you.

“I guess I’ll have to thank her for the glowing recommendation.”

You arrive outside what you assume is Tony’s office- given its size and grandeur.

Tony confirms your suspicions a second later. He opens the door and gestures for you to go in first.

You let out a meek thank you and scurry in, moving off to the side so he can follow. His office is impressive to say the least. It’s spacious and really, really fancy. His desk is made of the sleekest dark wood with two high-tech computers adorning its surface. Tony has the most wonderful view too- a huge window looking out onto the rooftops of New York’s most beautiful skyscrapers.

An “oh wow,” escapes your lips before you can stop it.

Your boss lets out a chuckle at your awe and nods for you to go look. You make your way over to the window and lean your hands against the windowsill.

“I already knew I loved New York. But this. I mean, wow.”

Tony joins you, standing at your side, “it is quite a view.”

The awe in his voice is obvious and you glance over at him. But he’s not looking at the city. He’s already looking at you.

“Yeah, it is,” you say, trailing off.

Your boss holds your gaze for a second before clearing his throat and looking away.

“Anyways, I just wanted to get you acquainted with where my office is and get to know you a little. I’m assuming Natasha explained all your tasks to you?”

You nod, “Yes, she did. But…sorry, I hope you don’t mind me asking, don’t you have an Avengers meeting right now?”

Tony looks down at his watch and curses, “Steve is going to kill me.”

Then he looks up at you with a smirk, “Already doing pretty damn good at your job though.”

He heads towards his office door but hesitates when he grabs the handle, “I stand by what I said, by the way. I do want to get to know you. Lunch is on me today, at noon. You can meet me out in the lobby.”

Once you nod affirmatively at him, Tony opens the door and leaves, another muttered curse reaching your ears as you follow him out.

You’ve just finished the last of your paperwork before lunch when Natasha sidles up to your desk.

“Hey hot stuff,” she teases.

You give her a weird look, “Heyyyy Natasha?”

“So, a little birdie told me that Tony’s taking you out to lunch.”

Excitement overtakes your confusion, “oh yeah! He is! I actually need to be down in the lobby in five minutes.”

Natasha smiles at you like she knows something you don’t.

“What?!”

“Is this Tony’s new assistant?” a voice adds.

It’s a man- Hawkeye, you think.

He extends his hand with a smirk, “My name’s Clint, nice to meet you.”

You shake his hand firmly, but your eyes don’t leave the redhead’s face.

“Pleasure, really. But what’s going on, Natasha?”

“Tony’s taking you to lunch,” she huffs.

“Yeah? And? It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a huge deal,” a third voice adds.

This one, you know for sure.

Pepper Potts.

“It’s just lunch,” you sigh, exasperatedly.

“Stark doesn’t do ‘just lunch’,” Clint tells you matter-of-factly, “never ever.”

“Not when I was his assistant,” Natasha states.

“Or when I was before Natasha,” Pepper adds.

“Tony does company lunches sure, but never ever one-on-one,” Clint finishes.

Your stomach flips nervously in your stomach.

“So then why me? Why how?”

The redhead looks at you with that smirk of hers again, “who’s to know?”

She looks at her watch, “and I believe you’ll be late if you don’t leave now.”

You jump up from your chair, cursing.

“We’ll talk later.”

You try to ignore the eyes that follow you as you walk to the elevator.

For as tall as the building is, the ride down in the elevator is fast. When you emerge into the lobby, you’re relieved to find that you beat Tony downstairs.

Only by a few seconds though, it seems, because he emerges from another elevator only moments later.

He spots you instantly and gives you the smile you always see him use on the news.

When he approaches you, he brushes your arm gently, guiding the both of you to where his car is stowed away- A car that is nicer than anything you’ve ever seen, nicer even than your own home.

Like a gentleman, your boss grabs your door before you can and opens it for you. He extends his other hand to help you into the low-riding car and you willingly accept. When your palms touch, a spark shoots up your arm and you just barely withhold a shiver.

Then, the door shuts resoundly.

*****

You don’t bother reaching for your door handle, because you know you’ll only be stopped before you even get the chance.

Tony is around to the passenger side door so fast you wonder if he hopped out while the car was still rolling.

The brunette holds out his hand to help you out of the car and sparks run through your body at his touch, even after all this time.

Once he’s shut the door behind you, his hand moves from yours to wrap around your waist and rest lovingly on your hip.

“Why thank you, Mr. Stark,” you tease, “quite the gentleman.”

Tony presses a searing kiss to your lips that sends your stomach up in butterflies.

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Stark.”

[taevescence]

Misunderstanding | Kim Taehyung

a/n: I'm so bad with titles lol. At least you get the idea a bit :). In one part it is mentioned that Y/N is not a public figure like Taehyung, even though she is a chaebol. This is because her family is somewhat like that of Samsung's owners, they keep their children's identities secret until they make their own place in the company.

Summary: It's basically your reaction to hearing about the dating rumours between Taehyung and Jennie while the two of you are still in a relationship. And obviously, he is trying to fix things as quickly as possible.

wc: 2.9k (I didn't think it would be so long honestly).

When you started dating Taehyung, you never thought it would be a big problem. You knew that his schedule was complicated, but you didn't have any drama with that because yours was pretty much the same. You also knew that you wouldn't be a public couple because of the criticism you might get, but that was even better for you because you didn't like being in the public eye either. Problems on tour? Phones were there for a reason, not being able to have children? You were too young, can’t go out in public? Loved the cozy, private dates, little quality time together? Even better! Every moment with him would feel even more special because of how exclusive it was. Yes, you were willing to accept all these disadvantages because you never saw them as an insurmountable problem. At least until now.

You and Taehyung started dating in 2020, during the pandemic. You met him at the concert in cooperation with Lotte Duty Free, one of the companies your father founded, because yes, you were the youngest daughter of the Shin, the family in charge of the Lotte company and all its subsidiaries.

The two of you got along very well while preparing for the concert, so you decided to exchange numbers to keep in touch. It only took a few months before you started dating him officially, and you were very happy at first. 

His schedule was busy, of course, but he had time for you. He would greet you with a big smile, hug you from behind, and take you to the dining room where he had a whole show set up for you. Jazz in the background, scented candles, rose petals everywhere, and two plates of food of dubious origin that you would enjoy anyway because your boyfriend made it. 

You were willing to put up with all those cons if he gave you moments like this every chance he got, moments where it was just you and him. 

Once the pandemic was over and your schedule returned to normal, things got complicated.

And no, time, work, dating, none of that was the problem, because it didn't even have anything to do with you two as a couple.The problems were caused by a third person. Kim Jennie, one of the members of Blackpink and one of the most beautiful women you will ever meet.

You never had any problems with her. You had bumped into her once or twice in the hallway on your way backstage, but obviously she wouldn't recognize you, you were always covered from head to toe.You thought that your friend had the same relationship with her, something casual that couldn't even be called a friendship because you barely said hello to each other when you were together, in fact Taehyung never looked at anyone when he was with you.So why did this happen now?

Your boyfriend was on tour and it was the time of his concert, so you couldn't just call him and ask him about it. You looked at the screen of your cell phone for the sixth time, the headline in big, dark letters seemed to mock your feelings.

"Dispatch confirms, V of BTS and Jennie of Blackpink are in a relationship," you muttered to yourself, trying to get your brain to catch the words, to process them, to react. It didn't.

You scrolled down the page until you stopped at the myriad of photos they had as proof. None of them looked doctored. 

You saw the blue short-sleeved shirt with flowers that Taehyung was wearing in the photo and put your phone down to go to the closet you shared. You pulled out all of his clothes until you found it. You grabbed it and crumpled it in your hands. 

Only then did you burst into tears. You covered your eyes with your shirt and screamed until you felt your throat couldn't take it anymore. Your heart hurt so much that you even had trouble breathing. 

You looked around the room you both shared, trying to understand why he would do this to you. You thought you were fine, everything seemed fine, so why were there hundreds of videos and pictures of your boyfriend with another girl? You felt like all these people were making fun of you by being happy for them. What about you, why don't they think about his real girlfriend who had to put up with years of being locked away in secret while these two were fearlessly dating?

The sadness soon turned to anger, and it wasn't long before you got up and grabbed the biggest suitcase you could find, whether it was his or yours.

You stuffed it with as many clothes as you could, taking your time because you knew he wasn't coming. You lifted the suitcase as high as you could and carried it into the living room. You looked at every single picture of the two of you as a couple. Another few tears fell from your eyes and you let them out as you took the frames and threw them away. 

You threw out everything you could. Mugs, matching pajamas, pictures, rings, absolutely everything. When you were done, your eyes were dry and your head hurt too much, but you didn't care. You grabbed your suitcase and headed for the door.

The only thing that stopped you from leaving was Yeontan, who stood in the doorway, staring at you while wagging his tail from side to side.

"Tannie, mommy has to go do something, okay?" you nuzzled behind his ear and sobbed softly. You knew he wouldn't understand. "Don't worry, I'll visit you every day until your owner comes."

You stood up, took a breath, and walked away. You didn't know where you were going, but that apartment was no longer an option. 

You stood in front of the buildings where you lived and watched for taxis to pass by. Just then you received a phone call. For a moment you thought it would be Taehyung, but no, it was just Jimin's girlfriend, Soyeon, to whom you had become very close over the past years.

"Yes?" you mumbled hoarsely.

"Honey, it's me, Soyeonie," she said in a much calmer voice than usual. She was probably aware of your situation. "I read the news, are you okay?" You opened your mouth to reply, but she interrupted you so quickly that you didn't have time to say anything, "Of course you're not," she sighed, remaining silent for a few seconds, "Look, I know maybe I shouldn't pry, but I understand that you're hurting and the last thing you want is to be in a place full of... him."

You sob softly, wiping your cheeks as quickly as the first tears came.

"I haven't sold my old apartment yet, it has some furniture, enough to live decently, why don't you stay there for a few weeks?"

"Soyeon-ah," you cried, wanting to hug her until you fell asleep. That's what you needed, a long nap.

"Relax, everything’s gonna be okay, Unnie will come and see you there, I'll send you the address, just wait."

"Okay," you nodded, even though you knew she couldn't see you, "thanks."

"It's nothing."

And she hung up.

You looked around. It was full of cars and buildings that looked too big. 

You felt so stupid as you mentally wished that Taehyung was here to comfort you.

You saw a taxi coming your way and you made it stop. You weren't sure if this would be the end of your relationship, you were willing to hear his side, but you weren't willing to have to live with him or a place filled with his presence.

This was best for you.

Taehyung called you the next day, about twenty times, not counting messages. You didn't answer any of them, mostly because you were asleep until 4 pm. You had a hard time falling asleep. Every time you closed your eyes, you could see the two of them holding hands, together in the car, on a date to some kind of zoo. You cried every time your brain projected those images.

Your phone rang for the 21st time. You were still a little groggy from sleep, but you answered it anyway.

"Y/N!" You turned the phone away from your ear. It was too painful to hear his voice so loud with the headache you were feeling, "Oh God, I was so afraid something bad had happened to you. I called the girls, but none of them knew anything about you, so I got worried and..."

"Why did you call me?" you asked curtly. You thought maybe you were being a little cruel, but you didn't care. Answering him like that wouldn't make him feel a thousandth of the pain you felt and still feel since last night.

He was silent for a few seconds. You'd never answered him like that before, you guessed that's why he was so quiet.

"I..." he cleared his throat, sounding a little more tense than when you answered him, "I was a little worried, my manager told me about the news and I thought maybe you were feeling a little depressed-".

You interrupted him again, but this time with a mocking laugh, "A little depressed? Is that how you think I felt? A little depressed?" you laughed again. You had completely woken up this time, "Tell me, Kim, how would you feel if overnight it was all over the news that I was dating an idol? Huh? What would you do if this news came to you on the fucking Dispatch, while I was on the other fucking side of the world enjoying a concert? Would you be a little depressed? A little hurt? Would you even have taken the fucking trouble to answer my calls?" you began to raise your voice with every word you said. You didn't even notice at what point your voice broke. "You have no idea what I'm going through, and you never will, because unlike you I'm not a public figure! I could be fucking any man in Korea and you're never going to see an internet media outlet post it and 'celebrate' my relationship, you're never going to see any fan of mine go on social media and celebrate my relationship with someone else while you're behind the curtains" You sobbed, wiping your cheeks awkwardly.

"Honey, I know it's-"

"Don't you dare call me like that" you growled, clenching your jaw, "I don't even want to hear you say my name, do you understand?"

"Y/N" he muttered, his voice trembling. You assumed that at some point in your verbal vomit he had started to cry, "Just give me 1 minute, I'll explain everything, I promise."

You tried to control your anger by taking a big breath of air, it worked enough to stop you from sending him to fuck off... for the second time.

"Do you want me to listen to you?" you mumble, looking down at your hands, remembering all the times he came home late, wondering if all those times he was at her house, doing god knows what while you tried to stay awake just to see him before bed. 

"Y-yes, please, I just need a minute".

"Fine," you smiled half-heartedly, "then come and explain it to me in person. If you're really sorry and say it's a misunderstanding, come here and tell me."

Your more conscientious side chided you for your request. It was his job, you couldn't just order him to make a trip from the United States to Korea just for you. Maybe that's why you gave him that condition. You knew he wouldn't come all this way just for you.

The line went silent, you could barely hear his breathing. You ended your conversation.

"I thought so," muttering much calmer than at the beginning, "I guess Soyeon was right in saying that the only one who would have to make sacrifices for our relationship would be me."

And you cut the call short.

You put your phone on airplane mode and plopped down on your bed, ready to go back to sleep for the rest of the weekend.

It had been a day since you heard the news, barely 17 hours since you last spoke to Taehyung, because yes, you counted the hours. You hadn't eaten anything, you'd barely had a glass of water, and the only thing you felt like doing right now was taking a very long shower and then crying yourself to sleep. Yes, it sounded like the perfect plan to try to get over your ex, if that's what you could call it.

You got in the tub at 10am, didn't get out until 12:30, and when you did you could barely feel your fingers and toes. At least your muscles had finally relaxed.

You dressed more slowly than usual, in just your pajamas, the only ones that weren't your partner's, and went to bed.

Until the doorbell rang.

You changed direction, confused. You were sure that no one besides Soyeon knew you were here. It crossed your mind that maybe she was worried about you and that's why you'd decided to open up and politely turn her away.

Except she wasn't the one waiting for you on the other side.

"Y/N," Taehyung said, trying to regulate his breathing. "You really were here," he whispered, entering the flat and closing behind him. It wasn't until the door rattled that his arms wrapped around you so tightly that you almost stopped breathing. "Why did you leave home? I got so worried when I saw our stuff in the trash and the wardrobe almost empty" he cupped your cheeks, inspecting your face.

You didn't understand what exactly was going on.

"What are you doing here?" you mumbled, letting him search your face. 

"You told me to come" he looked into your eyes and, almost instantly, his eyes began to fill with tears. "I couldn't let you because a misunderstanding made you hate me to the point of breaking up with me, I... I don't want to be without you, at this point I don't think I can be," he bent down until he could place his forehead against yours, his thumbs caressing the skin of your cheeks, "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, I don't plan on losing you over something stupid like this."

You looked at Taehyung, still not understanding what he was trying to say. 

"The pictures are real" he exhaled deeply, "but it's not like you think" he pulled his phone out of his trousers pocket. His hands were shaking slightly. You wanted to hold them, but you completely erased the thought, "We dated for a few months, it was a very short thing, about two or three months before we met".

He showed you some conversations from a few years ago. He was asking her to bring him the shoes he had left at her house last time, and that he would appreciate it if she would bring the leash they had bought Yeontan. You also saw the last messages they sent to each other, it was only a few days ago.

Jennie told him that someone had hacked into her phone and most likely found the pictures they took the time they went to the zoo. She apologized and sent him stickers of crying puppies, saying that the lawsuit against the hacker had already started and that she would try to speed up the process so that he wouldn't be affected. 

"I totally understand how angry you were, and obviously I also understand that you want to talk about this face-to-face, so I took the first flight I could find so I could come talk to you and-".

You didn't let him finish. You couldn't do that, not after everything you've been feeling the last few days. So you did the only thing you could think of since he came into the flat. You kissed him.

It was much more awkward than your kisses usually are, but you didn't care. You were so relieved that it was all a misunderstanding that no matter what kind of kiss it was, it would still be amazing to you.

He followed your kiss as soon as he came out of his surprise. He clung to you as if his life depended on it. He was the one who deepened the kiss and lifted you off the floor so he could kiss you better.

"I'm so sorry" you whispered in the middle of the messy kisses he was giving you, "sorry for doubting you" you sobbed softly, hugging his neck with all your strength.

He shook his head, holding your cheeks, "Don't apologise, it was a normal reaction, you said it yourself, I wouldn't have even answered your calls if I had been in your place" he kissed your shoulder softly, letting out a soft sigh. It felt so good to have you with him after all the tension he experienced during the flight.

"You were right about everything you said" he murmured, pulling away enough to look you in the eye, "so please don't apologize to me".

You nodded a little calmer, closing your eyes as you felt Taehyung's nose on yours.

"Now let's go get your things, I don't want to go back inside the house and not see your things in it."

Masterlist.

[profoundbondfanfic]

Do you have any recs for Reallyyy long fics? Like 200-300k+ words? That isn't 91W... avoiding that one because I feel like it will hurt me... preferably fix-its? Oh and no a/b/o pls :) thanksss

Here are a few:

Angel's Wild by riseofthefallenone (Explicit, 389k words)

But that’s the whole reason he’s here, isn’t it? He’s not out here hunting Humans. He’s not even hunting deer, or bears, or anything else that featured in Bambi. He’s out here, freezing his nuts off every night, because he’s hunting Angels. Sometimes Dean wishes that Angels were like how they’re described in the Bible. How people from time too old for him to care much about thought Angels were messengers and warriors of God, protectors of Humans. He knows that how they’re really described in the Bible is actually pretty terrifying, but at least they were told by God that they’re supposed to love Humans, right? That’s a thousand times better than what Angels really turned out to be.

Bitch Better Have My Money by Duckyboos (Explicit, 256k words)

How Dean Winchester - mechanic, shitty cook, single father - became the power behind the throne in one of the biggest crime syndicates in the Midwest.

Computer Safety Verse by followthattardis (Explicit, 232k words)

On the day of his 29th birthday, Dean receives an email from his old nemesis: Michael Milton, the guy who got him kicked out of college and stole his girlfriend. The email contains encoded images with top secret CIA/NSA intelligence – and now their only copy is in Dean’s brain. Both agencies send their best operatives – Castiel Novak and Victor Henriksen respectively – to handle their accidental asset and protect the invaluable data in his head. To justify their sudden appearance in Dean’s life, they adopt covers: Victor as Dean’s new co-worker and neighbor, Cas as his new boyfriend. Needless to say, Dean’s brother and his girlfriend are thrilled to see him in a relationship they believe to be real. Clearly, there’s no way this could go wrong.

Four Letter Word For Intercourse by bendingsignpost (Explicit, 228k words)

As a grease monkey turned college freshman, Dean's constantly three seconds away from being stressed out of his mind. It hardly helps that he's finally figuring out his sexuality in his thirties. What might help with that stress is a little phone number (and a big credit card bill). If he can't figure out how to be bisexual in person, he can at least give it a go over the phone, right? (It's probably a bad idea, but he really can't help himself.)

Light me up by tricia_16 (Explicit, 218k words)

Five years after participating in a life-changing threesome with his then-girlfriend and her friend Cas, Dean's single, comfortably bisexual, and has everything he's ever wanted except for that special someone to share his life with. When tragedy strikes, he and Cas are reunited in an unexpected way, and a split-second decision entangles their lives in ways neither of them could have predicted…

Not Part of the Plan by Annie D (scaramouche) (Explicit, 337k words)

Castiel's spent most of his adult life keeping his head down and staying out of trouble. This is a deliberate choice on his part, because as a cousin of the King, he'd rather stay unimportant and forgotten. This changes abruptly when King Michael decides that he has a better use for Castiel: he is to be wed to a noble member of the neighboring Republic, as part of an agreement between their two nations. Castiel knows he has to obey, but that doesn't mean he won't rebel in what small ways he can. Unexpectedly, his actions end up having far-reaching consequences.

one million fires burning by dothraki_shieldmaiden (Explicit, 248k words)

Dean Winchester teaches three classes a day, tutors after school, and chairs the English Department for Lawrence High School. He does enough. Unfortunately, his boss doesn't feel the same and informs him that he has a new job: co-coaching the school's trivia team. His co-coach? None other than the school's golden boy, Castiel Milton. Who Dean can't stand, for various reasons, all of which are valid, thank you very much. And the fact that Dean can't stop talking about the stick up Cas's, sorry, Milton's ass? Completely irrelevant.

Redux by emmbrancsxx0 (Explicit, 386k words)

Dean Winchester is dead. For decades, he, along with Castiel and Sam, has led a peaceful afterlife in heaven. He has everything he’s ever wanted: a home, his family and friends surrounding him, and a relationship with Cas—and he’s bored as hell. Until, one day, Chuck escapes heaven’s lock up and begins capturing souls to regain power. To stop him, Jack sends Dean, Cas, and Sam back to Earth. After so long away from hunting, will they be able to once again find their place in the family business?

Talk Some Sense To Me (Kenopsia) by ImYourHoneyBee (Explicit, 244k words)

Scrambling to his knees Castiel hugs back, burying his face in Dean’s neck, breath coming in fast little pants against his skin. Dean closes his eyes and just breathes him in, barely able to believe that this is real. At any other time in his life, closing his eyes against a threat like Death would be an inexcusable lapse in his hunter’s judgement. Right now, he doesn’t give a single fuck. Death can reap him for all he cares, he’ll die knowing Cas is going to be ok. Alive. “I will see you soon, Dean,” Death tells him, that deliberate voice of his soft enough not to intrude on the intimacy of the moment, “Raincheck on that grilled cheese.” “Thank you,” Dean croaks, propping his chin up on Cas’s shoulder, unmindful of the tears trickling down his cheeks, “Thank you.”

The Closest Thing We Have To Magic by EllenOfOz, TrenchcoatBaby (Explicit, 221k words)

Dean Winchester is a graduate student at Stanford University’s School of the Occult. A naturally-talented mage but a lazy professor and student, he figures he’ll coast through his final year the way he always has: with charisma, charm, and a natural aptitude for magic. All that changes when his thesis advisor, Dr. Castiel Novak, turns out to be the strictest and most challenging educator on-campus. Unfortunately for Dean, the uptight professor is nearly his age and infuriatingly gorgeous. But Castiel is keeping a secret, a powerful talent that’s more a curse than a blessing when he’s targeted by seditious parts of magical society. Can Dean and Cas put aside their animosity—and undeniable chemistry—long enough to instill real change in the magical community? Or will sinister plots and hidden agendas keep them apart?

To Build a Home by intothesilentland (Mature, 383k words)

Twenty-three years of head-over-heels, devastating devotion and love, love, love for the man with bright eyes and dark hair. Fourteen years of friends, best friends, of always together. One moment of rejection. Nine years of apart. Nine years of heartbreak, nine years of continents away, of not speaking, of no acknowledgement, no interaction, no closure, no peace. No happiness. Nine years of Dean’s life entering motions, going through them, constant, cold and mechanic, like clockwork. Nine years of alone. God. Nine years. A lot has changed. And yet Dean still loves Cas just the same. Even if his heart hurts all kinds of different.

Under The Midnight Sun by NorthernSparrow (Explicit, 232k words)

Dean Winchester’s been camp manager of a science research station on the Alaskan tundra for thirteen years. Dean likes his job; fixing the camp trucks, troubleshooting the generators, keeping clueless undergrads and NSF bigwigs from walking into grizzly bears or getting lost in snowstorms — it’s all in a day’s work. It keeps him pretty busy, and this year his brother Sam's visiting too, so he's even busier. So it’s really not any of Dean’s business when some weirdo antisocial ornithologist sets up a tent a few miles away, a dark-haired blue-eyed guy who’s doing a “very long-term" study on birds or wings or something, and who never, ever takes off his big lumpy backpack. But then the new guy starts dropping by camp for coffee and… well, he’s not officially part of camp; he's not Dean’s responsibility; he’s really not Dean’s problem at all, but when a strange blizzard comes sweeping in, Dean gets worried and goes to check. Thing is, Dean's spent years in the sweeping vistas of the Arctic. He knows all about the midnight sun and the northern lights, the ice caves and avalanches, the rough-and-ready Haul Road truckers and the even rougher-and-readier wild animals. But even so, what he finds is much more than he bargained for.

With Interest by everandanon (Explicit, 296k words)

Eighteen, bored, and not quite able to turn down the money, Cas agrees to an ill-advised bet, and Dean's heart isn't the only one that gets broken. Eleven years later, grieving his twin brother and struggling to take care of his niece, Cas finally returns home — only to meet Dean again and discover that the boy he left behind has grown up a lot. And now, Dean seems to have every intention of getting him back — with interest.

You can also check our >100k tag for all the longer fics we rec.

[voydhund]

um. big TINAWDC spoilers.

LOTS of shit im gonna piss. this was made /w a ton of help from @neorails, and a friend!

Last warning, all spoilers!

. ~ △ ~ .

1: PASSWORDS

"AD ASTRA PER ASPRA" - Two images of pages written by Ford, with stickers and doodles on it from Mabel.

"AXOLOTL" - "YOU ASK ALOTL QUESTIONS"

"BABYBILL" - An image of, [you guessed it,] baby Bill in an ultrasound, with text that reads "CONGRATS, GUESS WHATS GROWING INSIDE YOU RIGHT NOW! SEE YOU IN 9 MONTHS PAPA!" [I giggled at this one way too hard]

"BILL" - opens Triangle - Wikipedia

"BLINDEYE" - An image of an eye test, with a code that reads

"BOYFRIEND" - An image of a book called "The Love Triangle" with audio of a woman reading it.

"CIA" - "YOUR WEBCAM IS ON. WE ARE WATCHING"

"CIPHERTOLOGY" - "CURIOUS?"

"CRYPTOGRAM CODEX" - Downloads a file with Bill's fonts.

"CONSPIRACY" - A video of someone talking about the site while it was on the page with Soos, stressing out trying to figure out the meaning. Me too.

"DEERTEETH" - "FOR YOU, KID"

"DOGE" - "LIFE PRIVILEDGES REVOKED. NOW RELEASING POISON GAS."

"DORITO" - Screamer jumpscare [i jumped]

"DUCKTECTIVE" - "DUCKTECTIVE STARS IN ''LOVE, QUACKTUALLY'' COMING TO: ''OI, ITS THE COCKNEY CHANNEL, INNIT?'' THIS FALL"

"EVENHISLIESARELIES" - An image of Ford's chess piece. Under it, Bill is talking with someone about Ford in the theraprism.

"FORDTRAMARINE" - An image of a file by Ford, talking about colours that cannot be perceived without 'Continued contact with extradimensional phenomena.'

"GIDEON" - opens either sweat resistant bolo ties on google, or audio of him 'singing' a song, before whispering 'I love you forever Mabel.' [I hate this place.] May also lead to "sweat resistant bolo ties." [I never got this, but Neo said it did]

"HECTORING" - A record of a song about Bill, and someone who fell for his tricks. Mentions to 'Leave him behind,' and the fucking "im a little different" shirt.

"HOTXOLOTL" - An image of Dimensional Authority Most Wanted, talking about Bill and the henchmaniacs. Red pen X's out Bill, writing "DEAD?" above him, circles the last seen and writes "WHERE DID THEY GO??"

"JUSTFITIN" - A video of a father and son playing a game called 'Perfection.'

"KINGSOFNEWJERSEY" - Downloads a file with Stan and Ford's secret code.

"LIES" - a REALLY long popup by Bill. At the bottom it reads "LIE UNTIL WHAT YOU WANT TO BE TRUE BECOMES TRUE. LIE UNTIL YOU CANT REMEMBER WHATS A LIE AND WHAT ISNT." and then in large, glitchy text, "LIE UNTIL YOU ARENT LIVING ANYMORE."

"LLIB" - Opens Jazzy Triangle Meets A Square Square (1969)

"LLIBREHPIC" - Opens Jazzy Triangle Meets A Square Square (1969)

"LOVE" - An image of a book called "The Love Triangle" with audio of a woman reading it.

"MABEL" - Stickers decorate your lab with a nice 'POP!' sound. after a few times of using it, text reads "LAB NOW FULLY MABELIZED."

"MCGUCKET" - Opens Cotton Eye Joe [🙂<3]

"MORALITY" - An image of a paper with 9 drawings of animals fighting or eating another animal. Text reads "CAN YOU FIND MORALITY IN THE NATURAL WORLD?"

"NAITSUAF" - An image of an article about selling your soul [For FUN and PROFIT!] written by Bill.

"NOTHING" - "SOMETHING"

"PAPERJAM" - An image of Tyrone, text reading "Here, he's your problem now! Just keep this guy from liquids!" under it.

"PINATA" - A video of someone whacking a Bill pinata while it protests

"PINES" - "A GOOD FAMILY TREE"

"ROMANCE" - An image of a book called "The Love Triangle" with audio of a woman reading it.

"SCIENTOLOGY" - "SUPPRESSIVE PERSON DETECTED"

"SHAVEYOURGRANDMA" - An image of a chapter of a book talking about the human life cycle, written by Bill. [The children yearn for the mines.]

"SIXER" - An image of a case report on Ford talking about his extra finger. There appears to be a word written under "Placebo" in small text. Also notably reads "If i could kidnap him and bring him to our secret cloning lab" obscured by a black marking.

"SOMETHING" - "NOTHING"

"SORRY" - An image of McGucket and Ford in collage(?). Ford is covered in sticky notes. [☹️]

"SOOS" - An image of a really long note from Soos, talking about Bill and his experiences as The New Mr. Mystery. Lots of cute doodles.

"SPOOKEMUPS" - An image of a book titled 'SPOOKEMUPS: The Book Of Bill" written by B. Cipher, with audio of a man reading it. It's about a boy getting scared by things and assuming it's Bill.

"STAN" - opens one of seven ebay pages that lead to Brass Knuckles, Colonel Sanders Tie, Shriner Fez, Male Girdle, 8-Ball Cane, Dogs Playing Poker, Gold Chains For Old Men. After going through all of them, the WHEEL! OF! SHAME! made by Bill appears, exposing some random secrets and shames. The last option reads "HOW HE BEAT ME," and when pressed, a note reads "He didn't! IM STILL HERE, SUCKER!"

"TOURISTTRAP" - An image of a page of a pamphlet, talking about 'The Caves Of Mystery.'

"TYRONE" - An image of Tyrone, text reading "Here, he's your problem now! Just keep this guy from liquids!" under it.

"VALLIS CINERIS" - A video of Baby Bill with his parents, only silhouettes of static. a text to speech says "Why did you do it?" three times.

"WADDLES" - Opens Pig Placement Network

"WEIRD" - A video of Alex(?) trapped in the screen, shouting at Bill to let him out.

"WEIRDMAGEDDON" - An image of a newspaper titled 'THE GRAVITY FALLS GOSSIPER,' with articles about how absolutely nothing happened. Never mind all that!

"WENDY" - An image of a note from Wendy that reads "Whatuppp cursed book! I've got a totally legit way to ward off evil triangles, and I wrote it in the bottom right corner of the book. It's totally worth it, I promise! Stay cool dork!"

"WHOAREYOU" - "I COULD ASK YOU THE SAME QUESTION"

"XYLER" -

. ~ △ ~ .

2: CLICKABLES

The golden tooth of the skull:

The Book Of Bill:

The Bill on the dagger in the book:

The 'McGUCKET LABS' on the top of the computer:

The eye in the bottle:

. ~ △ ~ .

3: CODES

this segment is a little iffy,

On page two of The Book Of Bill clickable

Solved: uh. maybe. check my blog?

During lightning strikes:

Solved: Vallis Cineris. It's a password!

The colours on the blindeye eye test probably arent codes, because they read "euclmriannrepttgccvisignnsuwepvisidnn." you can try though. ARE a code! they read "EUCLIDEAN DEPT OF VISION SUPERVISION" !

The blindeye eye test itself is apparently a ceaser cipher, but i havent found an answer to it yet.

working on adding to this, theres a LOT.

[caitvi1room]

echoes of soulmates

This is a story based off of arcane , it is based on the two characters vi and Caitlyn , shares the two sides of their storys and the beginning of their romance , it is a high school au , it's about the two lovers who start off as friends and may have some rough patches and might end up together, yet still in the arcane universe. a slow burn story about caitlyn and vi.

TW 𖤗 - sh and suicidal thoughts will be included in a chapter but the chapter will have the warning on it. It also will have some internal homohobia / figuring out sexuality involded in it.

CHAPTER'S | chapter 1

chapter 2 - struggles of the new life

chapter 3

chapter 4

SOULMATES GLANCE

Violet was a Zuan girl, there wasn't much to do in Zaun. but vi would try her best to find stuff to do with her little sister powder and her best friends Mylo and claggor. so she would always find little hidden places in Zuan that were actually beautiful , compared to the rest of Zuan that was just dark and shady. She would do anything for them, even sacrifice herself for them, they were the only people she had except for Vander who was her adoptive father.

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

who was also powders, Mylo's and claggor's. Because her and powder's parents died, killed by enforcers. leaving Vander to take care of them but honestly, he was doing a amazing job he was helping them with school, although Vander had pulled strings in topside to get violet into a nice high school, since she was into learning. She loved reading books and learning, its what she did other than hit a punching bag and protect her sister and "siblings". she was a tough Zuanite, even being 15 she looked way older than she was, because she had to mature faster than people in Piltover did who had love and didn't need to fight and steal to live vi knew she wasn't going to fit in I mean she was a Zuanite for christ sake.

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

Caitlyn Kiramman, Cassandra and Tobias daughter, was the rich girl of Piltover, growing up privileged and healthy, who lives in a manor, she was an only child so she had more time with her parents even though her and her mother never really got along well. Caitlyn was more of a daddy's girl, matching outfits and he even got her a charm for her gun that she used for sharpshooting, but it was a matching charm because he had a pin on his bag that matched it. but caitlyn and her mother, they argued more. they didn't see eye to eye, Caitlyn always though it was because she didn't meet up to her mothers standers.

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

She thought part of it was because she mightve been gay since she never really had feelings for the boyfriends she had , she wouldn't marry a wealthy man she would actually having feelings for , live in the manor , have a kid and grow old with him. She always had doubts like that because she had a reputation to hold up , why would a councilors daughter marry a woman? , if she married a man she wouldn't have feelings for him. She probably would just disappoint her mother even more. But Caitlyn went to one of the nicest high schools in Piltover, she was a sophomore in high school.

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

she fit in pretty well because she was one of the rich girls who had many friend's and even some love interest , she was the typical girl to have a boyfriend I mean she was gorgeous, well people to think she had a boyfriend.

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖ 

today was violets first day in piltover that didn't involve stealing she was starting the high school there. Even though vi was pretty smart she had a lot of doubts like, will I fit in? , will I get bullied "well if I get bullied I'll just fight them!", she was just mostly annoyed thought because she had to be stuck in a few room's with rich bitch Pilties. As she arrived to the building the guidance counselor had greeted her and welcomed her brining violet back to her office to have a chat with her about School. "I'm your guidance counselor Mrs.Evans welcome to west haven high you are actually are first.. Zuanite coming to this school its a pleasure" she says as she hands vi her

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

schedule for school which read, '-period one , algebra - period 2, science - period 3 , health - period 4 - physics, - period 5 - lunch, -period 6 - Spanish , - period 7 - band' The schedule was actual dog shit, who the hell even signed her up for those classes? definitely wasn't Vander. "what the fuck? Spanish ? band? I didn't chose those?" vi was pissed of she hated learning different languages she would rather stick to writing or math.

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

"we did sweetheart, you have to take music and a language here." Mrs.Evans was trying to tell vi but would she care? no. "you're first teacher is Ms.greenbell she is in room 103 upstairs to the left" mrs.Evans said pointing violet to the hallway that would lead her upstairs. As vi was making her way upstairs she was getting just mean mugs from people in the hallway , Probably because she was a zuanite who wasn't like, then the classroom came into her sigh with the big numbers by the door "room 103, mrs greenbell maths". "great, just fucking great" vi thought to herself, god this day was gonna be hell.

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

As she walked into the class the stupid teacher just HAD to introduce her. "This is vi, she's from the undercity please treat her with respect even though she's not from here" everyone just stared at vi, she was never the type to get anxiety but she was feeling it now, her hands were breaking into a cold sweat and she felt nauseas like she could throw up any second. "vi, go sit down next to Caitlyn she's the one with dark blue hair." dark blue- dark blue oh there she is, she was sitting in the 2nd row there was a empty seat next her, as she sat next to her vi still felt like she was gonna have a panic attack, she just wanted to die in that moment she hated every second of it.

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

She was suddenly broken out of her thoughts when the girl next to her spoke up. "hey, I'm Caitlyn you're vi right? new Undercity student" Caitlyn said while looking at vi, something was off , she thought she was pretty yes but there was something else in her gut, no no just ignore it probably feeling nervousness because she's from the Undercity.. yeah that. "uh yeah I am , got a problem with it?" vi's tone was almost threating but playfully. "no no problems just wondering because you look like it.. kinda no offense." Caitlyn rubs the back of her neck, why was she being awkward ?

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

she was never awkward with people. "what's that suppose to mean bluey?" vi was always the type of girl to give people nicknames , she loved doing it with people even in a teasing matter. "whats up with the nickname vi? i just met you isn't it weird to give some-" suddenly caitlyn was cut off by Mrs.Greenbell, "no talking Mrs.Kiramman no not even to the knew student." godamnit, caitlyn never got yelled at or called out shit. "continue after class? study hall is after this i have Mr.Evans" caitlyn said , maintaining eye contact with vi. "Same, and sure thing bluey."

˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖   𐙚   ˖ ݁𖥔 ݁˖

AN : `chapter 2 , 3 , 4 will be posted on here and also ao3 and wattpad , enjoy this cute lil fic i made while i was bored :)`

[spottheantisemitism]

The baffling antisemitism of whistle

Worried teens didn’t read DC comics, dc launched a YA line of Aus. Most were decent like the one about Dick Grayson and the circus stuck in the 20s and Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass. Some were derivative like the Mera one being a modern Little Mermaid clone that’s enemies to lovers or Nubia real one not being groundbreaking if you've ever read an X-men book (but Nubia is very much overhated by comicsgaters). Some are infamously bad drivel like I am not Starfire and Gotham High. Some were just boring like Victor and Nora or A Jessica Cruz story. A few are hauntingly good like the one about a teenage Selina Kyle and how her abusive parents and homelessness drive her to joining a gang and then becoming a thief. The Teen Titans books hit jackpot by doing the MCU thing and introducing each member by themselves in a solo book and then having a team book. Some of the choices in Raven are cheesy but the book hits its stride by Robins.

Sadly this is not about the teen titans reboot. This about Whistle which I’d say is decently entertaining but never feels hard hitting enough to be good. Also beast boy is here but he’s just some Nigerian immigrant who is our Jewish protagonist’s love interest. The Garth in franchise crossover at least has his powers and loving parents who tried to ‘fix his shapeshifting ’ with medication without his knowledge (I’m sure many disabled and intersex people might relate to that plot). Here he is a satellite love interest. The boy for Whistle to chase and win over with no personality of his own. And all of her Jewishness in relation to pain and give her a antisemitic powerset.

It’s an Ok book. Willow Zimmerman is a student, activist with two jobs working hard to afford cancer treatments for her mother so mom can go back to work. It’s bleak actually.

Yeah…. It’s bad.

Notice how the comic explains what a mitzvah is and implies her mother essentially pidgeonholed as the ‘Jewish studies’ professor.

It’s actually a pretty decent “gotham civilians book” at first.

That has teen romance!

It has daily life with foreshadowing of future villains (note Killer Croc being literal blocks away)

Willow better be joking about the 500 synagogue because either Gotham has more Jews than New York or the local Rabbis got into a fight and the resulting sects created so many separate synagogues

Are you enjoying all the Jewish food in this comic? Good, cuz that's the Jewish culture you'll ever get.

And dealing with supervillain attacks. Here it’s poison ivy taking over buildings that bring communities together for ecoterrorism you can show in a teen book and makes sense from both an eco and terror standpoint.

Oops you befriended the civilian identity of the supervillian you’re protesting against

Her mom’s ex boyfriend was the riddler. A lot of people see Willow calling E. Nigma uncle and his birth name being 'nachtberger' and decry “omg they made Riddler Jewish” but like no? She’d mention that. It would be great foil potential if so even if you had yet another comic supervillain retconned as Jewish. What I’m getting here is he’s Willow’s dead beat bio dad. I'm joking, that's just my interpretation, not actual hard literary analysis

he certainly acts like a father figure. If any writers remember her, she’ll likely be retconned as his daughter anyway. I’m not saying I want that, by the way, just that it'll happen eventually.

When your mom’s bad friend suddenly shows up in your life with a questionable stash of cash and promises to pay for everything….

she then lies to her mother about where the money came from.

Impoverished Jewish teen turns to organized crime to make ends meet is so realistic it hurts. This book is actually good so far

If she’s that poor the money going straight to her head is actually realistic. The whole subplot that she now has to choose between the blood money and her friends is played out fairly realistically. Like many Jews before her, Willow is pushed here by desperation.

notice also she’s attempting to straighten her hair. Because of course she is. It's a way a lot of Jewish women have attempted to assimilate.

Poison Ivy and possibly Cat Woman telling Willow to stay in school and go to college because she’ll like higher education and possibly meet someone is funny. Especially since they’re really gunning for the implication that the second woman is reminiscing about the hot lesbians she met at college.

Yeah I do like that Naomi (Willow’s mom) is actually interesting when given any agency and not being the equivalent of the sick kid motivation. Garfield is also kinda just the guy a genderflipped girl for Willow to win after she saves the world. He’s not even beast boy. He doesn’t even like animals. He seems to like Willow and cool new American things he discovers. Whenever he talks about himself or Lagos, it cuts to black (that's not a joke, it literally happened twice).

Willow’s life lesson about not caring about money more than people is executed well however. So after realizing her crush thinks she’s a monster, Willow goes to a synagogue to think.

Oh this is a Christian viewpoint. A can never wander into a synagogue especially in a place like Gotham. I know this comic doesn’t want to touch antisemitic hate crimes with a ten foot pole but in comic about poverty and building vandalism, this an oversight.

the way she ponders on her sins is very Christian too. You can’t just transplant the classic “character wanders and empty church and repents” plot beat with a Jew, an atheist Jew especially.

The final one is especially egregious. Couldn’t have used something from the torah or the talmud and slap righteous onto a quote from a motivational poster. Do some actual fucking research comic. Oh right you couldn't bother to research Nigerian culture to give our Nigerian love interest some depth besides virtue signalling of course you didn't bother researching Judaism.

Willow may be explicitly secular but her mother is religious and a Jewish history professor, she'd know religion and actually recite something from proverbs or psalms and not a motivation poster that has a kitten on it.

Killer Croc calls Willow a class traitor outside a synagogue. No notes, 10/10 symbolism. Oddly relevant as this shit actually happens to real life jews now.

Sadly this symbolic culmination is where everything goes to hell. Because Willow has dog powers now. From being attacked. By a crocodile man.

WORST. ORIGIN. STORY. EVER.

Do not um actually me about some dumb silver age villian. Those were churned out to make a quick profit. This is a serious comic about poverty and gentrification.

Killer Croc being a misuderstood hero should have come up in the climax where he either tries to help her fight riddler or is disgusted that she's not doing good enough it would have intersting allegorical perspectives either way.

At least Willow is smart enough to see her friend Pammie is Poison Ivy. Good subversion of the whole "friends as civilian identities because they don’t recognise each other as supervillian and superhero". Also it’s kinda fucked up that Willow only starts taking the building greening personally when it affects her and a building used by her people. It’s falling into “Jews only care about themselves” canard.

So she can hear and smell better. Cool! Symbolic of the hypervigilance of PTSD.

She can talk to her dog friend because of COMICS BULLSHIT. But ok she’s a Disney princess who has a talking animal sidekick. This will appeal to younger readers. Kitty Pryde had Lockheed, Willow Zimmerman has Leibowitz. It’s fine, I guess.

Ok comic you can have this one. Even it’s a stereotype that Jews will survive something and then victim blame themselves, it’s also very much true that many real life Jews actually do that. I did it too.

She just survived gang violence and terrorism (the latter from someone she thought was a friend) and everyone thinks she’s an exotic oddity instead of showing compassion.

Notice her hair is curly again.

Training montage that reinforces she’ll be a street level hero who trained for strength and her powers are more used to spot crime, not fight it.

Good on the comic for portraying her plotting to double cross him as a good thing. Guys they’re asking you to cheer on Jewish girl betraying her goyische employers because he’s a corrupt mob boss. Love that.

and nope Killer Croc is ARRESTED OFF SCREEN. Boring!

We have Kitty Pryde at home. Like the costume montage is identical to the one where Kitty play around with a costume making machine during the brood saga. The fact that Willow could knock out Excalibur era Kitty, steal her outfit and convincingly look like her is not helping.

I understand that most Jewish women look exactly like, hell, I could easily cosplay both but considering they have identical personalities as well (snarky, smart, socially akward, clothes savvy), it really seems DC is scrambling for an alternate company equivalent to Kitty Pryde.

The problem is that our protagonist has the power to summon dog with whistling. Our Jewish protagonist has the power of Dogwhistle.

guys…..

could a sensitivity reader not have told you this was a BAD idea?

and no she doesn't defeat the Riddler they have a stalemate between Poison Ivy and Willow's dog army and she vows to get him next time, all while still taking his money.

between the idea that Judaism is when synagogues, inspirational quotes and Askie food, our brown characters are all vapid and in love with main lead’s intelligence, racism is obvious. This book deserved better than such careless mistakes.

So essentially between the racism towards the love interest, her baffling antisemitic powerset, the uwu shake a lemon at G-D in the denny’s parking lot take on judiasm and trying to make Willow look smart by having everyone act like idiots in comparison this book really misses the mark.

Which is a shame because I found myself relating to Willow in ways I didn’t see myself in firmly middle class model minority Kitty Pryde. Maybe if in the sequel where she is revealed to Riddler’s daughter only to have that be him messing with her and she's not actually his daughter, they’d hire a Jewish sensitivity reader and it would actually be good.

[kyeop-tato]

A Knock on My Heart — 김선우

summary : one of your bestfriend, yeri, just got dumped by her boyfriend so in order to cheer her up, you and your friends decides to go on girls trip together during your school term break, promising to forget any boys that come between you and your friends. however, certain someone (or might i say a few) came into your life and the promise yall vow to not break, might actually crumble any moment. would you go back home solo or would sunwoo managed to steal your heart?

----------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 4 : First Encounter (Y/N POV)

prev | masterlist | next

A few hours before the incident...

The next day dawned sluggishly after the all-nighter you and the girls had foolishly planned. Ambitions had been high, but reality had other ideas, none of you even made it through half the night. When you finally woke up, it was to the heavy silence of a room that had long missed the breakfast rush. The morning sun was high, casting sharp angles across the bedspreads as you all stirred from an unexpectedly deep sleep.

Suddenly, doyeon's phone exploded into the quiet, its ringtone jarring enough to pull her out of her stupor. She fumbled to answer, her voice still thick with the remnants of last night’s drinks. "Hey, Dad," she mumbled, squinting at the clock. "Why are you calling so early?"

"Early?!" Her father's voice crackled through the line, equal parts disbelief and amusement. "Doyeon, it's practically lunchtime! I knew you’d be a wreck, so I booked a late brunch for you and your friends. It wasn’t easy convincing my friend to squeeze you in, so get up, get dressed, and let the girls know. What am I going to do with you..." His voice trailed off, leaving Doyeon with a sense of urgency.

Without wasting another second, doyeon sprang from her bed, determination cutting through her grogginess. She roused the others from their blissful dreams, a mischievous glint in her eye. You and yeri almost collided in your haste to figure out what was happening, your sleepy confusion giving way to hurried action.

"Just five more minutes " Natty groaned, desperately trying to retreat under the warmth of her blanket. But Doyeon wasn’t having it. With a smirk, she yanked the blanket off, sending it tumbling to the floor.

"Starve if you want, but I’m telling you this food is worth every lost second of sleep," doyeon declared, a playful tone edged in her voice. "Now MOVE, before I drag you to the shower myself!"

(fyi, softfresangel = yeri, gothicat = natty, archivoresa = doyeon, blubglub = y/n)

A few hours later, after a whirlwind of hurried dressing and laughter, you and the girls found yourselves savoring a late brunch that exceeded all expectations. Doyeon’s father hadn’t exaggerated, the chef’s skill was nothing short of legendary. Content and with energy restored, you decided to explore the nearby shops before heading to Tokyo Disneyland, where Doyeon had meticulously planned the perfect day.

The amusement park was a blur of joy and excitement, the kind that makes hours slip by unnoticed. Laughter echoed through the air as you captured moments of pure bliss, your group a swirl of carefree fun against the backdrop of Tokyo’s dreamland. But as the day drew to a close and you waited for your ride, a familiar, unwelcome sensation twisted in your gut.

"Hey, are you alright?" yeri’s voice cut through the haze of discomfort, her brow furrowed with concern. You winced, pressing a hand to your stomach. "I think my period’s starting. The cramps are hitting hard."

Natty’s face fell as she immediately shifted into caretaker mode. "We need to get you some painkillers and head back to the apartment. Forget dinner." "No, don’t cancel your plans because of me," you insisted, though the pain was evident in your voice. "I can manage. You guys should enjoy yourselves."

But doyeon’s resolve was as strong as ever. "Natty, Yeri, you go on ahead. I’ll take her back and meet you two afterwards." Yeri shook her head, her voice firm. "It’s not safe to let you go back alone, especially here. We’re all in this together."

A wave of gratitude washed over you, softening the discomfort. You managed a smile, touched by their loyalty. "I knew I could trust you girls with my life. Always."

----------------------------------------------------------

After the girls dropped you off at the hotel lobby, despite your insistence that you could make it to your room on your own, they lingered, clearly annoyed by your stubbornness. "Make sure you call us if you need anything," said doyeon, her tone laced with concern. You forced a smile through the pain and replied, "Just bring my share of food from the restaurant, thanks." Yeri shook her head, amused but exasperated. "Girlie is in pain yet all she cares about is food" she muttered, while the other two face-palmed in unison.

After a minute or two resting in the lobby lounge, the cramps still gnawing at your abdomen, you slowly made your way towards the hotel lift, silently praying for the pain to subside. You cursed yourself for forgetting to pack your period pain pills, of all the things to forget, this had to be it. What a way to ruin your holiday.

As you trudged toward the lift, lost in your discomfort, someone suddenly bumped into you, sending you stumbling. A sharp headache flared up, adding to your misery. "Must be the side effects," you thought grimly. The person responsible stammered out apologies, but when you looked up, your face was a mask of irritation. You shot him a glare and walked away without a word, leaving him stunned and unbeknownst to you, silently cursing under his breath due to your rude demeanor.

----------------------------------------------------------

[YOUR FRIEND'S POV]

Amidst the pulsating lights and lively chatter of the bar, Natty sighed, "Wish yn was here with us. It’s a bummer she’s not." Doyeon, already halfway through her whiskey, shrugged and said, "Well, maybe it’s for the best. You know she’s not really into bars and clubs." She took another swig, the liquid burning down her throat as natty suddenly nudged her in the side. Doyeon followed natty’s gaze and noticed yeri staring off into the crowd. The guy she was eyeing was hard to miss. Well-dressed, confident, and undeniably attractive, fitting perfectly into the vibrant atmosphere.

"Ooh, Yeri, you've got good taste, don’t you?" Natty teased, slinging an arm around Yeri’s shoulders. Yeri’s face flushed beet red, and she stammered in response. "You should go talk to him," doyeon suggested, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"What? Hell no! I’m not good at this flirting stuff like you two," yeri protested, shaking her head furiously. "Oh, come on! It’s not like you’re proposing marriage. Live a little! Besides, you’re single now" natty teased, setting down yeri’s drink on the table before dragging her toward the guy.

----------------------------------------------------------

Lost in the live band’s performance, younghoon didn’t notice the two girls approaching until natty gave yeri a not-so-gentle push, leaving her standing awkwardly in front of him. Yeri’s heart raced as she tried to steady her breath, glancing back to see natty and doyeon mouthing, "You can do this!"

Cursing under her breath, she mustered up the courage to speak. "Hey, you must really like this band, huh?" she said, hoping it didn’t come off too weird for a conversation starter.

Younghoon turned his head, leaning down slightly to catch her words. "I’m sorry, what were you saying? It’s a bit noisy here." Younghoon leaned in closer towards yeri, his action caused her breath to be caught in her throat, her heart pounding harder than ever. Noticing her frozen state, younghoon waved a hand in front of her face, concerned. "Hey, you there?"

Before yeri could answer, two more guys appeared beside younghoon. Juyeon playfully nudged him. "We leave you alone for a few minutes and you’re already flirting with a girl?" he teased.

Snapping back to reality, yeri managed a nervous smile. "Oh, hi! You guys must be his friends," she said, trying to sound casual. "Yeah, what else would we be?" Sunwoo replied with a smirk, earning a playful smack from younghoon. "Ignore him," younghoon said, rolling his eyes. "He’s been grumpy all day over some girl he saw earlier. Anyway, are you okay? You froze there for a sec."

Yeri laughed, albeit a bit too quickly, and nodded. "Yeah, I’m fine! Actually, my friends would love to meet you guys." She pointed to natty and doyeon, who were engrossed in their conversation, oblivious to Yeri’s plan.

----------------------------------------------------------

With yeri leading the way, the three boys followed her to the girls’ table. "Guys, I brought some company! Hope you don’t mind. The more, the merrier, right?" Yeri announced, her voice bubbling with excitement. The boys exchanged awkward but amused glances before joining the group.

Introductions were made, and surprisingly, they all hit it off. Doyeon struck up a conversation with juyeon, their laughter filling the air, while yeri and younghoon bonded over their favorite bands. Meanwhile, natty was in full-on flirt mode with sunwoo, who, despite his earlier bad mood, couldn’t help but be charmed by her. With his good looks and known as a smooth talker, it was no surprise any girls would fall for sunwoo and natty was no exception. Wanting to keep the mood light, sunwoo leaned in closer to natty and suggested a dance. Naturally, she couldn’t resist.

As the night wore on, the girls lost themselves in the company of their unexpected guests, the thought of you barely crossing their minds.

----------------------------------------------------------

[Y/N POV]

Back at the hotel, after finally getting some much-needed rest and relief from the cramps, you stepped out of your room, expecting to find the girls are back. But the living room was eerily silent. Being a bit of a scaredy-cat, you quickly turned on all the lights and played some music on the TV to chase away any creepy thoughts. Just then, your phone pinged with a notification from the girls.

a/n : oh the girls definitely having a great time with the boys i see 😏 (i would too if it's tbz ngl). anyway, i just wanna thank whoever have been liking my story. it really gives me so much motivation to keep writing this! 🤍

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hii, I'm not sure if requests are open ( if they are not its okay if you skip this one :) )

Platonic ror characters (adam, eve, hades, buddha, odin, poseidon + any characters you want ) reaction to adopted teen reader who has a hard time socialising and voicing her own opinions. She's also afraid of men because she was surrounded by failing relationships with bad examples of harsh husbands including her own biological father who verbally abused her and her mother during her childhood. She also has severe social anxiety as well.

If this too detailed or disturbing, you can ignore this ask, I don't want you to do anything that you may be uncormfotable doing.

I hope you have a good day/night ahead and take care!❤

-Your foster family was absolutely massive, more than twenty members, and made up from the heroes of humanity’s past and literal gods.

-You were very skittish around them, even now after a year of being with them, you avoided large gatherings unless if you were right by the door, able to slip away at a moment’s notice, and you were only willing to spend time with the women, Brunnhilde, Goll, and the other Valkyries, Eve, Aphrodite, Kali, Parvati, and Durga.

-Some of your father and big brother figures, as they called themselves that were rather jealous, seeing you sitting with and actually socializing with the women, and when any of them would try to approach you would get tense and quiet.

-You were very hesitant in large groups, even at school, having only one or two friends, both girls, who were very supportive and gentle with you and never berated you and wouldn’t let anyone else bully you.

-Your family noticed your longing looks when you would peek out into the backyard, seeing all of them having fun, you wanted to join them so badly, but if any of them would say anything to you, inviting you out, you would duck back inside.

-You had a hard time voicing your opinions and wants as well, just willing to take what’s been given to you, if any of the girls took you out shopping you would wear the outfits they would pick out with no arguments, even if you didn’t like it.

-The day you invited Eve to your therapy session was a breakthrough moment, as she was able to learn why you were so skittish.

-Turns out your biological dad was very abusive to both you and your mother, screaming, hitting, and mentally abusing the both of you until he up and left. Then when your mom started dating, all the men she brought home were similar to your dad, abusive, just not physically.

-You were taken from your mother after you ran from her and her newest boyfriend, who told her that he would only stay if he could have you too, and both were arrested, and you never cared to see either of them again.

-You gave Eve permission to tell the others, after your therapy session and after she took you to boba, telling you to get whatever flavor you wanted, and you had another breakthrough, finally voicing a want, albeit small.

-You hid under your bed when you got home, afraid of their reactions as you heard many of them shouting in anger downstairs. You were so terrified you were going to be treated badly again by these men, despite them being nothing but nice to you this past year.

-After a few hours you finally went downstairs, feeling kind of hungry but also on edge, as nobody had come up to see you, mainly because Eve told them not to, so you wouldn’t get overwhelmed.

-You rounded a corner and bumped into the chest of (father/brother figure) and your breath hitched, taking a step back in fear.

-Adam and Eve- Immediately his arms wrapped around you, holding you close as you froze, eyes wide in fear before tears were quick to well. You couldn’t remember the last time you had a hug so warm, so full of love. Your arms trembled as they slowly lifted, stunning everyone behind Adam, and wrapped around his torso, hugging him back as the first sob ripped from your lips, sagging into his embrace. He just hugged you tighter, stroking your hair gently, lowering you to your knees as he could feel your whole body shaking, not wanting you to fall and hurt yourself. Eve came over and hugged you from behind, resting her head on top of your own, helping her husband calm you down, a smile on her face as she knew you were on the road to recovery.

-Hades- His hand reached out and cupped your face, “You okay?” he was gentle, thumb brushing across your blanched cheek as your breath stuttered slightly, freezing in place. His eyes narrowed, seeing how scared you actually were before he took a step closer, his hand smoothing along the back of your head and the other encircling your shoulders, hugging you close to him. You froze, a soft gasp escaping you as you felt no pain, only warmth and comfort; your eyes slowly closed from the feeling, it felt so nice, so safe. He felt you relax, only slightly, but it was a win in not only his book, but your whole family’s book, seeing you accepting the embrace.

-Buddha- Seeing your fear, against his better judgement, he quickly embraced you, holding you close, not able to stand you looking at him in fear any longer. Your eyes went wide before immediately softening and filling with tears, a soft sniffle leaving you. He was so warm, his arms felt huge around you and it made you feel like he was blocking everything out with his embrace, all your fears and emotions. He flinched only slightly when he felt your arms moving to go as far around his torso as possible, hugging him back as the smallest content sigh managed to escape your lips as you closed your eyes.

-Odin- His hand was massive, but so gentle as he cupped your face, checking your nose that was just a bit red, making sure that you didn’t hurt yourself, “Are you all right?” you knew his voice was deep and powerful, hearing it often when he would yell at Loki or Odin or anyone else acting up, but it was so soft, so gentle with you. Your eyes were wide in fear, but softened just slightly as his thumb rubbed your cheek gently. Your gaze shifted from him, looking a bit shy before you gave a small nod. His hand lifted and ruffled your hair gently, surprising you on how gentle he was with you before telling you to go the kitchen to get food which you nodded, giving a shadow of a smile.

-Poseidon- He was silent and still, looking just a bit like you, like a deer in headlights, which was rather amusing to see, some laughter rising behind him before he was quick to regain his composure, looking only a bit embarrassed before he lifted a hand to the top of your head, patting affectionately, “Dinner is in the kitchen, make sure you eat to keep healthy.” You nodded softly, looking still a bit nervous, but his touch was gentle and his words, at least while speaking to you, was gentle, because he turned to yell at Loki who was teasing, him, Poseidon looking a bit embarrassed.

-Loki- He immediately hid the sword he was holding behind his back, “Y/N~ fancy seeing you here- oh this- this is nothing!” your eyes had gone to the sword in slight confusion before giving you a bright grin, trying to play it off. Odin then shouted from the living, “Loki get back here! You’re not going to do anything against Y/N’s – oh, hello Y/N.” you looked between the two of them, confused before more appeared, fighting to get the sword from Loki, and from their arguing, you learned that he wanted to go and deal with your parents and all the men who did you wrong. You had to admit it was rather funny to see Loki fighting against the rest of your family until he made a good argument that you might feel safer if they were all dealt with. You were shocked by his words as he looked at you and you shook your head, silently telling him no and he instantly gave up, coming over to hug you, pouting only slightly, but you sighed softly in relief, not wanting him to hurt others for you.