#ordered food for tomorrow and one of my friends is being an absolute angel and getting my meds refill for me

[bitchking-of-angmar]

I know it has been said, but man, as a first time covid experiencer, can't recommend. and they gave me the mild stuff I hear

[mangomingus]

Enhypen as Boyfriends (Fluffly HC)

WARNINGS: super fluffly?, brief mention of praise kink, otherwise none

Pictures credited to @ni-ki's protector on pinterest

Heeseung

•Heeseung would be absolutely whipped for you, and only you •Like whenever you feel slightly insecure, he's there •Assuring you with the sweetest words and kisses on you cheeks and shoulders •Or if there's someone flirting with him, he wouldn't even entertain the idea. •"Stop, I'm taken." or "My girlfriend is all I need." •he wouldn't be rude about it, but he's not exactly nice when he has an angel as his gf. •I don't see him as the biggest cuddlefest dude, but he enjoys the proximity •Like your thighs touching, or your shouders being pressed together •But he also likes being held by you, when you cling onto his arms or kiss him. •He likes when you initiate the affection •His love language is probably quality time, he loves spending time with you •Whenever they have to go on tour, he just has to call or text you at every given moment just to let you know that he misses you •He doesn't mind being called a simp by the rest of the band •PDA is a must with him, he'll get jealous if you're talking to a guy and not touching him •You'll be ordering a drink, but if it's a guy at the register, Heeseungs hands are on you •He wouldn't be afraid to do all the common couple stuff you with •Matching outfits, face masks, Matching manicures, Matching pfps on IG, etc. •The talks between you guys would always be kind of deep, with small jokes cracked by either one of o you if it's too heated or heavy •But, he just loves to see you laugh •He'd been such a solid bf,  I can't

Jay

•Jay's the kinda guy that you'd be best friends with for a while before getting into an actual relationship •Yall vibed so much, and the realized that you both wanted to kiss •He's definitely husband material I feel like •He'd also cook for you all the time •whether it's something he knows how to make, or your his test dummy for a new recipe •He'd also feed you too, like you can't feed yourself or like your incapable •He's the kinda guy that will buy you flowers everyday •even if the old ones haven't even died, he will have a whole new bouquet for you •Get ready for your house to look like a florist shop •He'd vent to you lik there's no tomorrow about anything and everything •He's pretty leader like just because he's one of the oldest and he often doesn't complain •But he's just so comfortable with you that'd he would just tell you about how his shoes got scuffed that day. •You'd be like his own personal journal •He'd be very protective of you. •Putting your seatbelt on himself, holding your hand to cross the road, keeping his hand on your elbow or lower back •His love language is definitely gift giving/receiving •He loves spoiling you, but he likes when you buy him stuff so he can show it off or never take it off •He has a habit of cupping your cheeks or squishing them together •He likes how cute you look with your face in his hands

Sunghoon

•S.I.M.P •He has such a huge soft spot for you •He is always laughing or smiling whenever you speak or do anything •His eyes are just always filled with admiration •Loves to tell corny dad jokes •He loves resting his hands on your head, or on your forearms, or hugging you from behind •He's a sucker for backhugs •He loves doing anything you like to do, like if you like to do yoga or draw that's his new favorite hobby •He loves when you express your love for him •Like whenever you say that you love him or do anything like a hug or a kiss randomly, his heart is melting •He's definitely an act of words of affirmation kind of guy •He likes when you tell him he looks good, or that your his soul mate and he loves to reciprocate that •"You're the love of my life." "You're gorgeous." "You're so cute when your mad." •when you're stressed, he'll run you a bath or buy you your favorite food •But he also likes to tease you when you're stressed for the sole purpose of pushing your buttons •He's just kinda so in love with you tho, obsessed with any reaction he can get out of you •His dog isn't a fan of you, but that's because your pretty •kinda opposed to change with you •Like there would be little disagreements I you changed your hair or got a random tattoo, but he would grow to love it •wants you to wear his clothes all the time •ice prince, but warm for you <3

Jake

•Puppy love in a nutshell •He's just so soft and cute and obsessed •He loves anything to do with your smile, your laugh, even just your voice •He's super touchy and always all over you •Expect hugs every second, kisses every second, compliments, too much •He likes the differences between you guys, height, personality etc. •He's the kinda guy who is definitely opposites attract •He's constantly doing aegyo to make you cringe out because he loves the look you give him •Loves PDA, physical touch is his love language for sure •He hates whe you get stressed or mad or even slightly upset •He wants to do everything he can to take care of you •He misses you all the time when he can't see you •constant texts and voice notes and calls •He'll show you off like his prized possession •He loves petnames, and sometimes they boarder ridiculous • Baby, angel, sugar cone, sweetie, lovemuffin.... •He loves when you compliment him tho (praise kink???) •Overall, he'd be precious and obsessed with you •He's so loyal •He'd be the kinda guy to write love letters to you if it was 1950

Sunoo

•Babygirl vibesss •Sunoo is so precious and you'd be doing a lot of the protecting, but he makes it so worth it •He's very sassy and opiniated but he won't be direct •You know he's judging you by the side eyes •He is just an emotional support animal though •You have the slightest worry and he's curled up by your side •He's ready to be the little spoon at all times •He loves to compliment you, but in Korean so you don't know he's complimenting you •Hand holder •yall are anywhere and he's attached to your hand, letting you lead him anywhere •He'll let you know when you're ever doing too much •You're being a jerk, he'll flick you and tell you off •But in that sweet little voice and those cute eyes •He loves eye contact •His love language is words of affirmation •He loves hearing that you love him, and he loves to say it back •His ideal way to see you is always no makeup and in a stupid outfit, he loves you naturally •Like Heeseung, he's into the couple stuff •But totally matching jewelry •He loves giving you piggyback rides, he likes you to know that he can support you •Loves when you run your fingers through his hair •A bit of a simp, but he would never let the boys see it •He experiences too much teasing on his own

Jungwon

•He's so evil •He loves to tease you, bully you, pinch you •whatever he can to grind your gears •He'll talk so sweetly behind your back though •Like to the other members, he'll go on and on about how perfect and angelic you are •But you come in the room and suddenly you’re a pain •All the while he'll be looking at you with those cute freaking dimples •Believe it or not, he loves physical touch •He likes when you poke his dimples, or kiss him •And he lovessss to kiss you •Everywhere •He does get a little shy when you guys have PDA, but he'd never push you away •Th other members don't tease him because they ship you guys so hard honestly •He loves to pout to you whenever he expenses any teasing (hypocrite) •You and Jungwon would have such good conversations •He always values your opinions and outlooks on everything •Keeps a very open mind with you •He struggles a little to express love through words, so when you say I love you hel hug or kiss you •He's not a fan of couple stuff at all •Completely opposed •He loves to take naps together tho •One of his favorite things is to cuddle under blankets and hug you too tight

Ni-Ki

•Ni-Ki is very active as a bf •He loves to go places with you, or just spend time with you (quality time) •Part of the thrill is to show you off •He loves to teach you their dances, and laugh at you for messing up •Definitely a teaser •He'll make fun of you, but it's just because he loves you so much •Ni-ki will say things like "Your pants are so ugly, love you tho" or dumb things similar to that •He also enjoys having petty argument with you •All the while, you'll be getting worked up and he'll just be smiling asyou try to get your point across •He's so pretty, he loves when you tell him that •He loves knowing that you would be with him over anyone else •He's very loyal as well, and he would purposely wear matching things or draw you around, attached at the hip so everyone can see he's taken •He loves when you tell him to do something, it makes him happy •It makes him feel super helpful and he likes making you happy •Even though he tease you a lot, he also isn't afraid to tell you how much he loves you. •He's a simp but doesn't mind being so, you're just so pretty that it doesn't matter •His habit with you is touching your waist a lot •Especially when his hands are cold, he'll just stick them under your shirt for warmth •A skin to skin contact kinda guy for sure

~hope yall engenes enjoy~

[romanticandupsetting]

what it’s like to date: murasakibara, midorima, and akashi

PART TWO, LET’S GOO!!! tysm for the support on the first one

MURASAKIBARA ATSUSHI

his name is so long oml-

definitely gives and/or shares his snacks with you

your relationship is more of a friends to lovers kind

you got along the first time and he gets more and more comfortable with you from the occasional small talks when you pass each other in the halls to eating lunch together

being friends with this man is the absolute best especially when you’re close enough for him to learn how to share

you’re not like tatsuya tho

you’re chill and you’re not his mom

more like tatsuya had another child to take care of

 atsushi definitely asked him about you

tatsuya is definitely the one who had to tell him he’s in love with you

and mukkun’s just like:

‘oh my god, i’m in love with them.’

when he realized his feelings, he shares even more food with you (including his lunch) and even got to the point where he would just give you snacks

but you’re an angel who shares with him

because eating food with this boy is super fun and chill

after that, he doesn’t even know what to do anymore lol

wants to hug you (in the name of friendship) but thinks he’s too huge and might break you

but then his team wins a match and you hug him

you kept giving him compliments after that

“and when you got past that guy and the ball was suddenly in the ring-”

“you’re so pretty when you talk.”

“what?”

“what?”

and he confessed on the spot because he couldn’t come up with an excuse

honestly, you already got along a lot when you were friends so the only difference here is that he cuddles and kisses you without any doubts in his mind

well, he was definitely pretty stiff at first

being with you made him aware of his height lol

you definitely tried the fancy dinner date as teenagers

guess how that turned out

you knew more about etiquette than him, that’s pretty obvious

you guys ordered so much he had to call tatsuya just to help him pay

you guys paid him back the next day, don’t worry

the two of you sat on his friend’s couch, watching tv.

“guys, this is my house,” tatsuya, your boyfriend’s friend deadpanned.

“himuro-san...,” you spoke. “sorry for making you pay.” your lip quivered in shame. it’s not like you’re close with him so it was really embarrassing for you to ask him for help.

you knew you should’ve brought extra money-

“y/n-chin, don’t think too much about it,” your boyfriend reassured, patting your head. “i’m gonna pay him back tomorrow.”

“sushi, i don’t- i mean’ we- i ended up bothering him. if i only bought more mone-”

“no,” his words streched out. “’s not your fault, y/n-chin. i invited you so...” atsushi stopped, his eyes suddenly twinkling. “muro-chin, we’ll cook for you.”

his friend raised his eyebrow. it was strange, very much so. murasakibara wasn’t the type who would make ammends like this. he already said he’ll pay him back so what was-

oh.

oh.

your face is shining in excitement.

“sure, i have a bunch of ingredients so call me when you need anything.” himuro smiled and took your spot and the couch.

murasakibara atsushi just wanted to cheer you up.

in order to do that, you should do something that would make you feel like you paid his friend back.

‘please don’t burn my kitchen.’

MIDORIMA SHINTARO

gosh, where do i start

he’s too strict for his own good

he’s definitely the love at first sight kind of guy

i’m kidding it’s not on the first sight

maybe the fifth or something

he never really paid attention to you despite being classmates, he obviously doesn’t have the need to get along with everyone

but, oh my

you got paired into a pretty big project for this class and even he knows that you’re the best person to be paired up with in this subject

pls you’re so smart even he knows it

definitely thinks he got paired with you thanks to his horoscope and the fact that his lucky item happens to be the best one he’s had in a while

HIS LUCKY ITEM WAS AN EXPENSIVE FRUIT AND HE DRAGGED TAKAO WITH HIM AND THEY BOUGHT ONE EXPENSIVE BANANA

on a normal afternoon was when he fell in love with you

truly nothing was out of the ordinary. he tuned in to the oha asa, as usual, takao annoyed him in the mornings, as usual, he bought his lucky item, as usual, the classes weren’t hard, his seat felt just fine, the sky was cloudy, blocking off the sun but not heavy enough for rain

there were no cherry blossoms or a refreshing sping breeze

the both of you were discussing your written report at first but then went on to writing stuff down, things were turning out nicely

there was a part of your handwriting he couldn’t read so he turned to you, supposedly asking what it meant and

he didn’t notice how pretty you are

it’s not a scene from a movie where it’s just the two of you in the classroom, everyone was there and you could hear their idle chatter

but his heart just skipped a beat

was it a fluke?

oh, but if it was, why is he so nervous now?

takao definitely notice him acting quite strange during practice

it wasn’t like him

oh, maybe he likes someone?

nah, no way

“hey, shin-chan, what’s up with you today?” he leaned his arm on his friend’s back. “you got a crush or something?”

midorima stayed sillent and normally, this is because he doesn’t want to get too upset with his friend during practice but

what’s this?

the pink on his ears are undeniable

now his friends are peer pressuring him into confessing

he does the usual letter on the locker and meeting at the back of the school

now

study. dates.

y’all eat that up

dates on libraries, at home, at bookstores, all that stuff

and if you like reading books, he would be willing to walk behind you as you browse the shelves

he’ll be listening to you oh so lovingly as you ramble about this thing that caught your attention 

and- oh my god, why is he so happy listening to you talk about this cool car you saw in a mcdonalds parking lot

you just encourage each other to talk about anything and everything which makes him super comfortable with you

was definitely a dry texter at first

he would also probably not want you to go watch his games lmao

but you would if the match is important to him

but if you’re not there he buys you souvenirs like the cute boyfriend he is

would use oha asa as an excuse if his team finds it weird

it’d probably take some time for him to let you in his room

it’s not that he doesn’t trust you with something but he’s just too stubborn

the tsundere

your parents love him though

“hi, l/n,” your boyfriend greets you. “shall we?”

it was a pretty good day. midorima doesn’t have any practice because the coach decided the team needed the rest after their tough match yesterday, making it a nice chance for the both of you to have an after school date.

midorima didn’t actually like taking detours but he would if it’s with you.

“why do you keep calling me that, shi-” he pulls you quickly, making you stop.

your boyfriend leans in to your ear, “i don’t want someone bothersome see us.”

“someone bothersome?”

“he’s worse than a day without a lucky item.” midorima frowned.

“huh...” you honestly didn’t understand very much of his horoscope stuff at first but you found his hobbies fun. you always remember how he asked you out one morning, giving you your supposed lucky item for the day and telling you to watch out for stray cats.

“let’s go, l/n.” he walked ahead.

you grinned, knowing once you’re out of school, you’ll be holding hands.

AKASHI SEIJURO

congratulations, you’ve found a way in his stone cold heart

definitely liked you because of your personality

he sees you from time to time and you gradually get his attention

there’s just something about you

but he has too many problems with himself so it took him a long time to process his feelings for you

when he finally admits it to himself, he does his own thing

he’d be the type to just look at you from far away and no, not because he’s not the blushy type

he just respects you too much and maybe he doesn’t know how he should tell you that he likes you or if he should even say it

liking you definitely made him work harder as a student and a captain for his team

he thinks that if he work hard and keep on winning, you’ll recognize him and maybe, just maybe, you’ll think he could be worth your affection

you do notice him, all right

he probably intimidates you just because he’s on a very very high pedestal

and you don’t think you’re on the same level

girl you’re up there believe me

but then reo asks akashi and he kind of mentioned his crush on you and now reo told him he should confess on valentine’s day

it makes sense, doesn’t it? a high schooler confessing his love on the day when love is the main focus

no the hell it doesn’t

his motto may be quick and decisive but maybe he’ll change that very soon

imagine the shock you had when akashi seijuro, first year, rakuzan basketball club captain, student council president, whose best subject in school is labelled as everything, asked you to come with him and then when you came back to continue on your lunch break, you have a boyfriend

he’s definitely the type who would invite you to his games

even his teammates think you’re incredibly cool

he wouldn’t be the major pda type but there would be the occasional forehead kisses, holding you by your shoulder or waist, and when his hand brushes through yours, it’s very quick but he’d rub little circles

i feel like he would take you on picnics

he originally just wanted to go to a park and have a relaxing time with you but you were really excited for that picnic and wanted to make it look all really nice

you would have one of those dark academia moments in your bedroom

notes written in black ink, classical literature, he gives you that experience

akashi would give you really good sandwiches

he’d gatekeep you from his dad lmao

he loves coming over to your house, maybe making small talks with your family who seems to favor him, but when you mentioned his, his smile dropped

probably wouldn’t want you to meet his dad

he’d open up to you about his past when he feels comfortable enough but one thing’s for sure

he knows you would never judge him for it

“sei,” you call for him on the other side of the table.

this is the longest library date streak you’ve had in a while. you just read the school encyclopedias and looked at the pictures while he does his student council work.

it’s been four days of doing this.

“yes, love?” he answers, not looking up from his work.

“let’s go on a food chain.”

“fast food? what are you craving for, y/n?” he finally looks up from his papers.

you smile, you know he wouldn’t just agree on leaving his work just because you think he’s getting tired. it’d also be pretty fun just having a date with your boyfriend on a chain restaurant like normal high schoolers who definitely aren’t busy.

“burgers sound nice.”

akashi wouldn’t say it out loud but he was honestly delighted with your suggestion. while he likes being all proper and refined, the most normal things are always so fun with you.

past him would probably think he’s too good for a significant other but he’s matured now. he loves you and he knows it.

thank god, he actually confessed to you under that huge tree.

oh, and good luck getting caught by his team who was coincidentally hanging out in the same place you’re going to.

[starshiningsirius]

Attention seeker (Yandere Vil x reader)

The beautiful Queen's birthday, now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go pull for his card.

Edit: I have failed and my disappointment is immeasurable. There's always Ruggie then.

A new first year to Pomifore who doesn't look like a potato face in Vil's eyes is rare. Something about her screams perfection and beauty in every way.

He never hears her talk much but she does as she's told. Her grades are always 100 marks never below that number. It amazed him how she didn't wear makeup but still looked like an angel sent down from above. When the freshmen were taught etiquette, she had no trouble at all.

What confused him the most was that she never mentioned anything regarding his beauty. Like maybe he had gotten some new makeup and graciously flaunted it to the whole dorm. She happened to be sitting in the dorm lounge and didn't bat an eye toward him, everyone else was mesmerised by his beauty except her.

Rook had to comment on his idol's sudden interest with the female.

"Roi de poison, you seem to be very interested in that freshman. She does seem like she's got something special to her doesn't she?"

"Yes, find out what you can about her." Vil was busy putting on his makeup but Rook noticed how his tone had shifted ever so slightly.

"As you wish Roi de Poison."

Rook only did as he was told though with an underlying excitement to it. It was for Vil after all and he could tell that this would go well in his twisted mind.

When Rook arrived back again, he had a surplus of info on her. From her favorite color to her daily routine. Vil noted everything he said to him about her.

She would cook for herself in the dorm's kitchen every morning for both lunch and breakfast. She never visits the cafeteria and always eats something healthy complimenting her physique. She even follows the facial routine Vil told everyone to do. When he mentions that she tutors Epel and she only spends time with him that immediately makes Vil's face turn into a frown.

He orders Rook to go and get Epel before he could even let him finish his findings. When he does come back with him Vil puts on a calm facade to mask his overwhelming envy toward the boy. He pretty much interrogates him seeing as Epel has no other choice he answers honestly.

Epel knows that charming smile on his dorm leader's face. He knew what happens when someone angers him. He could still feel the sting that had implanted itself in his memory after the blonde had slapped him for something minor.

All his questions pertained to his childhood friend. From her personality to what he knew about her that Rook didn't say to him already. He took in every bit of information. It only made him fall deeper into his obsession.

Though the fact stood out that Vil had fallen for a country bumpkin, he couldn't care less.

He just had to get her attention, after all.

* * *

"Vil senpai, is there something you need of me?"

He was outside her room door, one would say he was absolutely giddy at his plan he had concocted. Seeing her up close was even more exciting since he could take in every detail more than the pictures Rook had took of her.

"Seeing as you work so hard, I'm offering you a chance no one else gets you get to be my new makeup model! I need someone with your beauty almost as radiant as my own to test out some new makeup I ordered! I know this is such a gracious offer, so tomorrow at three after class meet me-"

"Excuse me, Vil senpai but I have to decline, it would be a waste of my time as well as yours. I ever so deeply apologize for wasting your time but I have to studying to do. Farewell." She shut the door softly leaving Vil shocked seeing as he was denied and put off to side like something to be forgotten.

That shock soon faded into pure rage. He was just denied with an opportunity as good as what he offered she could've become the talk of all social media with just one picture on his magicam page. Now that he thinks about it though, he didn't want that. All of your attention would be held up by strangers, your beauty would be flaunted off for the world to see. He's glad you denied before it could ever reach that point.

He still wanted your attention though. No, at this point he needed it. To just be forgotten just like when he plays the villain is not something he's fond of.

* * *

Y/n had been nervous as she felt like Rook had been following her for a few days and even though it had stopped altogether, she still couldn't help but be weary of her surroundings. Her vice dorm leader was always strange but it led to the question why was she the target of his interest now?

Vil had gained some strange interest in her as well and it made no sense as to why. She wasn't that special, certainly not at all in her standards. But at the present moment she didn't have the time to worry about that.

She had to go meet Epel again to tutor him in potions in the lab. They both grew up in the Village of Harvest together so they look after one another of course being good friends. Epel knows Y/n's reseved nature as well as how hardworking she is. She admires his determination just as he admires how she sees him for who he is which is thankfully not a girl. That's how the two have always been and now they both went to the same school.

She'd usually eat her lunch there before starting to mix any potions as to not accidentally mess up anything so she took a seat in the nearest chair that wasn't the teacher's desk and started eating.

Zucchini linguine was on the menu for today eating it slow with a fork not once making any slurping sounds. She noted that their was a slight difference in taste than what she was used too, considering she had made this before time and time again.

After awhile of waiting and already finishing her food she noticed that Epel hadn't arrived yet and usually he'd text if he were to be late. She found it strange, but something temporarily took her mind off it.

Her mind started to grow hazy and her eyes were growing blurry. Soon enough her body started to sway and the fork that was placed in the open container on her lap fell to the floor. Before she knew it she fell right with it feeling so dizzy all of a sudden. Her mind could process hearing for just a second, it sounded like the door.

Whispering quiet pleas was all she could do hoping it was Epel that could help him. She only saw a glimpse of purple robes, possibly nail polished fingers, and heard a few words as well as a pair of heels clicking against the floor before her mind completely shut off.

"You will give me your attention, even if I have to take you away."

* * *

Golden chains glittering, moved along with the captive that was awoken with a start.

The velvet sheets that had been neatly placed on her shifted as the chains rattled. She felt her wrists feeling the cold smooth metal on them. She immediately panicked even though she was usually calm and collected her mind just couldn't comprehend the situation. Never had she experienced anything similar to this.

She examined the walls and noticed that she was in Pomeifore, the elegant wallpaper had clued in on it. There was a dresser and a vanity next to it with all sorts of makeup neatly organized. It all looked so expensive just like the gold chains. The dread in her body had multiplied when she realized who it could be.

The room was much more luxurious then her own room. It could only be one person.

Vil Schoenheit.

As if on cue he walked in, with his manicured nails, crown on his head, and purple tipped locks accompanied by blonde roots. It only made him even more ecstatic to see her finally pay attention to him. He walked closer to her seeing her watch his every move for the first time since probably the day of the opening ceremony where he lectured the first years on Pomeifore etiquette.

When he finally reached her he lifted her chin and made her look him in the eyes.

"I want all of your attention to be on me my dear. I don't mind keeping you here to get it."

Masterlist

[euphoricsunflowers]

drowning in your scent — chae hyungwon

a/n: ajshdhs this this officially the longest fic on my blog by a whole lot (i think the only thing that comes somewhat close is queen’s whore at like 3.1k sheesh) so in the spirit of that! please give this fic a lot of love!!

word count: 4.7k

content: goddess au, sub!hyungwon, dom!fem!reader, the sex scene involves kissing, lip biting, neck kisses, and riding, fun stuff like that, and minhyuk is here!! he’s mentioned a lot lmao hyunghyuk besties

warning: this fanfic does take place in a village setting where there’s a bad harvest of food and so there’s a lot of mentions of food and starving. as someone with problems with food myself this could be potentially somewhat triggering so please don’t read if need be and i want to emphasize that if you need help to please reach out for it. i know what it’s like, please even feel free to reach out to me if need be, but do remember i’m not a professional.

summary: a boy from the village struggling through a bad harvest and the goddess of nature, of animals and forests, and of flowers so lovely the scent will make you dizzy, make a deal.

“hyungwon,” the voice calls out to him, and his heart aches when he sees it’s minhyuk that’s speaking to him. the usual cheer and brightness to minhyuk’s voice has all but vanished, “come on, we need to get to work,” he trudged slowly behind his friend, with minhyuk’s hand holding his own. there’s nothing but comradery between them, and yet hyungwon feels like he would trust minhyuk with his life.

“i hate this,” hyungwon murmurs under his breath, but he can faintly hear minhyuk chuckle at his whining, “i’m serious!! there’s barely any food and i’m starving and i’m supposed to pick fruit that i won’t even be allowed to eat?!”

minhyuk’s face is stone cold suddenly as he turns to, for lack of a better phrase, tell hyungwon to shut the hell up, “lower your voice,” he orders, and hyungwon deflates, but he obeys, and the quiet returns as they continue to walk to their spot in the field to pick the fruit, “i’m sorry, but i worry that being so outspoken will be your downfall, won.”

as they pick the apples, in silence from their short and blunt conversation, hyungwon spots one that stands out from the rest. he tries to resist getting a closer look at it, but he just can’t. he takes a few steps over towards it, subsequently a few steps away from minhyuk, and the apple does the rest. it’s almost hypnotic in the way hyungwon can’t take his eyes off of it. it’s red and glowing and hyungwon doesn’t know how he’s the only one captivated by the apple.

it’s like the fruit is speaking to him, calling him away, and he starts walking, even when minhyuk calls after him, he knows minhyuk spoke even though he couldn’t hear him. he walks for a few minutes, through the trees and the dense forest that he’s never traversed before. he doesn’t have to constantly gaze at the apple now, but he grips it in his hand like his life depends on it.

he comes upon a small statue hidden in the depths of the forest. it’s a stone carving of a bird, wings spread as if flying through the sky. it’s beautiful.

“isn’t it?” he hears from behind him, actually registering someone spoke to him this time, and he turns to see who it is. instead of the face of cheerful minhyuk he’s so used to seeing, a beautiful figure graces his eyes.

hyungwon can’t even focus on the physique, though, he’s too entranced by the piercing eyes that stare into his soul practically and the voice he can hear ringing in his head. “isn’t it, dear?” your voice repeats again, and he feels compelled to answer, though he’s not exactly sure how you read his thoughts. maybe he had actually said them out loud.

“yes,” he murmurs softly, turning back to look at the statue, “it’s gorgeous,” he takes a step closer to the statue to get a closer look.

“your voice,” you speak again, “i- nevermind,” you stop yourself, instead choosing to take a step closer to him, your hand touches his shoulder, “can i help you with something, dear?”

“i- what?” he’s taken aback by your question, because he didn’t search you or this place out, he was practically lured here by the fruit, “no, i-i’m okay, thank you though.”

“are you sure?” your touch on his shoulder finally registers in his head, like all his reactions are slowed and delayed, “if you’re not here for something, then… why are you here?”

“i dont… i don’t know,” he was never loud, but he’s even quieter now, “the apple… it led me here.”

you suddenly fell silent. he wonders if you used to apple to lure him, if this is a trap, but your touch is still so distracting and he can’t bring himself to care much. you look so harmless, with such pretty features that he wants to stare at forever.

it does make him wonder, however, just why your tone was so brazen when he said he wasn’t here to ask anything of you. you looked baffled when he said no, like that was the only reason you expected him to be here, “do people always just come searching for you… asking for things?”

“yes, they do,” you respond bluntly, but your words aren’t hostile. he faintly feels a sense of pity in his heart for you.

“that sounds like… such a sad existence,” the words leave his lips without him really putting much thought into them.

“it is,” you say as silence falls between the two of you before he speaks up.

“you uhm… are you… human?” you’re a beautiful yet lonely person in the forest, and it makes him wonder if you even are a person.

“no, dear,” you say as you lift your hand, the grass beneath both of you growing as you do so, “i am a being that represents nature. i think you humans would call me a god or goddess?”

“oh that’s… incredible. please explain to me more,” his eyes find you once again, watching you with already such a soft, adoring gaze.

“you just want to hear me talk, little human,” your tone is playful as his cheeks become rosy.

“maybe,” he smiles cheekily, “will you still explain it to me?”

“of course, sit with me and the flowers, will you?” you ask him, and he plops on the ground, sitting with his legs crossed as you begin, “i can control how nature exists in this world. i can make your flowers grow or trees in your forest more dense. you humans also love to hunt the sweet animals i create, ”

you pause, as if to give him a chance to speak up, and he does, “i’m sorry about that.”

“it’s alright, dear, your apologies are not necessary. besides, once they do die, they become gifts for other gods, and those gods treat their gifts from me very well,” you smile somberly, “tell me, how are you humans doing?”

he wants to lie, for some reason. he has an urge to just say ‘everything is fine, let’s just talk about happy things. i want to be happy’ but he doesn’t, “we’re… you want my honesty, right?”

“yes, yes absolutely,”

“we’re suffering. there’s too little food for everyone,” his stomach rumbles as he’s in the middle speaking, and he makes a sort of ‘see what i mean?’ gesture, “and we barely have enough to keep everyone alive through the month..”

you subtly gasp at his confession he just gives so easily, “and yet you were expected to pick fruit? that seems unfair, dear.”

“it was work that had to be done for the good fo the village,” he lowers his head at the thoughts racing through his head, envisioning the soft eyes of his friend, “but min- uh, my friend, he’s all i have. i know i… said i didn’t have anything to ask of you… and this may seem too much of me to ask, but now that i know what you are and can do, could you please help them? the people of my village, i mean,” he pleads, his eyes shining in the light.

“you want me to… provide them food?”

“please, i’d do anything,”

your face is suddenly much more serious, and you grip his shoulder as you lean in close to him, “for future reference, dear, don’t ever tell a being like me you’d do anything. ever. got it?” you were kind. you knew you were kind, but there were some that would rip his poor, innocent heart to shreds, steal his soul because he didn’t read the fine print. you’re relieved someone so soft and sweet and almost angelic stumbled upon you of all beings.

“yes,” he practically squeaks.

“good,” you sigh as you stand up, “i will help you, little thing. in return, please stay with me for one day. tomorrow afternoon, at this exact hour, you can return to the village,” you extend your hand for him to shake, “are those terms agreeable to you, my little human?”

his heart pounds in his chest. you want him to stay with you? for a whole day? he decides it’s a price that’s easy to pay if he remembers the prospect of being able to save him friend and his people from starvation “yes,” he murmurs, reaching out to shake your hand.

—

it doesn’t take much effort from you, just a wave of your hand and apparently, the harvest in the village would magically improve. he supposes one day is not a lot of his little time to give up if it meant the village could be revitalized with a bountiful amount of food. he just hopes minhyuk isn’t worrying too much.

you have a cottage of your own, he learns. it confuses him slightly because you’re a goddess, why would you need a very human-esque living space? he supposes he’ll never learn the answer to that question. the thing itself is impossible to see from the outside, he could have sworn nothing was there until your hand was in his (his heart stopped for a good minute) and you led him up the stairway leading into the cottage.

“make yourself at home,” you tell him, and he nods in a daze. your place was beautiful, full of flowers and vases with more flowers and little flower trinkets on the table and mugs with flower designs. judging from anything you considered to be your domain, you seem to like flowers. the softness of the atmosphere is calming to him, the scent of all the flowers is overwhelming, his knees are weak.

“what- what are you going to do with me for this day that you have me? you must have some plan for me,” you tilt your head with a faint smile on your lips as he sits beside you on the couch, “do you want me to work? am i a servant? please, all cards on the table, tell me what you want from me.”

“all cards on the table?” you echo, and he nods, for a second wondering if you just straight up didn’t know what he meant, but you lean in to him, close enough to just barely need to lean just a little more and you’d be kissing him, “i just think you’re cute. forgive me if i just wanted a day to gaze at you.”

he’s startled as you pull yourself away, leaving him flustered and blushing and stuttering as you excuse yourself outside to grow more flowers. he sees the beautiful sunflowers and roses and tulips and then his eyes find you once more. your beauty just radiates, it’s so overwhelming and intoxicating that he feels the safest really taking it all in when you’re focused on your flowers, not leaving him a blushing mess whilst so close to kissing him he just might faint.

the sun hits your skin in such a beautiful way that he can’t can’t stop staring. it’s ironic how you wanted him to stay for a night because you thought he was cute but he cannot take his eyes off of your beautiful smile and hair and demeanor and just… aura. your presence is so soft and comforting yet so overwhelming to him. it’s all something he can’t understand.

you return a few hours later, having given your guest time to really settle in. as you open the door, he’s in the kitchen area with one of your mugs, drinking a cup of tea peacefully and quietly, “welcome back,” he mumbles with a smile.

“hi there, little human,” you smile back at him, taking a seat beside him, “i’m… sorry. i know you were probably lonely, here all by yourself-“

“no, i actually enjoy the quiet. it beats picking fruit,” he shrugs.

“speaking of food, i was able to grant your request, but i completely forgot about you. would you like something specific to be prepared for your evening meal?” hyungwon forgot what it was like when there wasn’t barely enough food to survive on. he tells you his wishes for meat and vegetables and starches his stomach aches for, “alright, dear. sit at the counter with me as i cook.”

he’s stunned for a second, “i didn’t know you can cook.”

“you don’t know my name, my sweet. we have a lot to learn about each other.”

“what is your name?” he asks, and you giggle to yourself, having known he’d ask it the moment you brought up the fact that he hadn’t yet.

“y/n,” you answer, finding the spices you wanted, “and yours, my beautiful flower?”

his heart skips a beat at the endearing term you use. at this point, he wonders if you’re getting enjoyment out of flustering him so helplessly like this, “hyungwon,” he sees the way you smile when you hear his name. it makes him smile too.

“hyungwon… what a beautiful name you have, my dear. it’s fitting, for someone as beautiful as you,” at this point he’s absolutely sure you’re getting a kick out of making him a flustered mess, because now his cheeks are red and he can’t meet your gaze, “sorry, i don’t mean to fluster you—,” liar, he thinks, “— i just can’t help adoring you.”

“you’re too much for my weak heart,” he mumbles exasperatedly as you cook, looking over at him with that cheeky smile on your face like you know just how much you wreck his heart and his composure.

you seat him at the small-but-not-too-small dinner table, bringing plates of food and finally sitting at the seat across from him, “eat as much or as little as you want, dear.”

he goes to ask before he puts too much thought into the question, “are you not gonna eat-? oh, wait, nevermind, do you not need to?” you nod, smiling.

“i’m grateful that you think of me, angel, but you’re correct: this is all for you,” and while he’d theoretically be hesitant to eat while you just sit there, he finally remembered just how hungry he was, and so it would have taken much more restraint than he currently had to restrain himself.

after dinner, you lead him him to the bedroom in your cottage. emphasis on the singularity in that term, “oh- uh, a-am i going to sleep with you-?” he stutters.

“you can, you don’t have to if you don’t wish to, flower. i don’t really have to sleep so if you want the bed all to yourself, then it’s yours. i just… i thought maybe- you know what,” you tone changes suddenly, and he’d be damned if he didn’t catch it, “nevermind. take the room. call for me if you need me, i’ll be outside with the flowers again-“

“wait!” he calls out as you turn to leave him alone. you look over at him, eyes shining so beautifully in the moonlight.

“yes, my flower?”

he’s flustered once again, but he can’t help wanting you to stay with him. he reaches his hand out to you, similarly to how you reached yours out to him, “stay with me?”

you accept the proposal, sitting on the bed with him, weaving a few flowers into a flower crown while he lays on his side, watching you work on the crown like it was the most entertaining thing in the world.

“i think sunflowers will look pretty against your skin, hyungwon,” you mumble, keeping your voice soft as to not disrupt the peaceful atmosphere you’ve both created, and he smiles bashfully at your words, “truly, i think anything would look beautiful on you, but the yellows would really bring out the strong, almost sensual browns in your eyes. can- can i?”

he nods in consent, sitting up and sitting still for you, and your fingers gracefully position the crown on top of his head, “ah, do i look good with it on?”

“oh absolutely, sweetheart, but,” you scoot closer to him, and once again, his heart beats rapidly and his thoughts evaporate into thin air, replaced by the bashful shyness and the way he’s suffocated by your scent, breathing it in like it’s a drug, “in my opinion, you’re the most beautiful.”

he can’t breathe.

“i-i, um, oh my god,” he stammers, so shy as you smile at how he struggles.

“can i kiss you, pretty boy?” you whisper, your hand raising to hold his cheek as you gaze at his lips. it’s subtle, probably because he was malfunctioning inside, but he nods, closing his eyes and passively waiting for your lips on his.

he didn’t know what to expect, with you being a god and all, but it was so much more than he could have prepared himself for, both mentally and physically. it was a rush if he’d ever felt one, both his body on fire and goosebumps lining his skin.

your style of kissing makes him ache in so many ways. his lips will definitely be bruised from the way you bite them, drawing blood like a vampire but in the kindest way possible, your hand cupping his cheek and you other rubbing his thigh soothingly is enough to keep him from crying out because of the pain.

“stop me, hyungwon,” you mumble under your breath, “if you don’t want this, you need to stop me. tell me to stop and i will,” but how did you ever expect him to do that when he’s already so wrecked and all you’ve done is kissed?

“don’t,” he whispers, “don’t stop, please,” and you oblige, keeping your lips busy on his neck as he groans, reaching out to hold your waist, “please,” he echos his own words weakly.

“tell me what you want, i’ll do it, just tell me,” you see how choked up he is, and it’s cute how easily he’s wrapped around your finger, “tell me, tell me, my flower.”

“touch me more,” he breathes, and you help him throw off his shirt. your hands are all over him in an instant, you press kisses down his neck, paying attention to his chest as your hands wander lower and lower.

he bites his lip in anticipation, but it feels just like how it felt when you bit his lip before and he audibly moans at the recent memory. it’s almost embarrassing when he realizes just how openly and easily he’s been moaning since you started.

and it’s not like he exactly expected a warning, but he wasn’t ready for when one of your hands started rubbing his crotch and making him moan and whine helplessly, “please don’t tease me.”

“hm, alright, sweet thing. how about i ride you? would you like that?” he nods desperately, weak at the thought of you using him for your own pleasure and leaving him to drown in the overwhelming pleasure you give him, “take off your pants and underwear, then.”

he scrambles to do as you say, watching with his jaw dropped as you make the garments you wear all but disappear with just a wave of your hand, and he’s intimately reminded that you’re not human, that he shouldn’t have trusted you so implicitly as to let you put him in this position, and that he’s playing a game where he doesn’t know the rules.

but then he sees the genuineness in your smile, the way you treat him so kindly yet assertively, soft yet harsh, and he just can’t fathom being in any real danger when he’s being swallowed by so much pleasure when he’s under you like this.

he’d been zoned out for a few moments until you’re actually riding him already, holding his hand in a softness that makes him weak. he suddenly notices the flowers in your hair, the way your nose crinkles up when you smile down at him, the way looking at your lips reminds him of the ache on his. it’s incredible just how infatuated he is, the way he adores so much being not just under you in a physical sense but also being under your spell.

he moans in such a heavenly bliss, eyes fluttered shut as he can only hear his own voice make sounds that would normally make him embarrassed. he can’t bother to care right now because when he opens his eyes, you seem to like the sounds he makes. and he wants to please.

“hyungwon, d-dear,” you murmur, your hands resting on his chest to keep yourself stable on his chest, “i can’t keep my eyes off of you, baby. you’re absolutely ethereal. so please, can you show me how pretty you are when you cum? can you cum for me, my flower?”

god that name was the most precious thing to him, he wanted to be your beautiful flower forever.

he does cum. he orgasms viscerally, his body trembling as he throws his head back, his jaw slacked as he moans loudly, cumming so hard he can see white.

he stays in that headspace of pleasure, higher than the clouds, for a few moments as the high subsides and he’s left with a euphoric feeling that keeps him shivering with aftershocks, until he starts to hear your voice. you whisper little nothings to him as he starts to come down completely, “i’ve got you, little thing, don’t worry, you’re safe with me.”

he briefly ponders why you keep calling him ‘little thing’ when he’s as tall as he is, but your kisses to him temple take that thought away, “y/n?”

“yes, dear?”

“can you sleep with me?” he asks, not realizing that you already told him that you don’t need to sleep.

still, you can’t resist him when he’s just so adorable with that pout he probably doesn’t even realize he’s making, “of course, let’s clean up just a little bit, and i’ll lay with you while you sleep, angel.”

—

morning comes far too soon. you still have him for another 7ish hours, but once they’re up, he’ll return to his village, to that friend he mentioned, and disappear from your existence forever. it’s almost pitiful how quickly you became attached to the pretty thing.

you look over at him, sleeping so, so peacefully, his cheek squished against the pillow while he pouts and you can’t help but coo at how precious he looks.

it’s impossible to imagine a life anymore where you can’t keep looking at his face, at his pretty lips (that are covered in bruises in a way that makes this moment a bit less melancholic and innocent), at the softness in his eyes when he gazed at you. what a miserable fate that would be to live through.

“what’s on your mind?” you hear him groan tiredly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. you go to object, say ‘of course it’s nothing just go back to sleep dear’, but he catches it and, even in the early morning, he won’t take a lie.

“i just… you have a life to return to, and i don’t want to deprive you of that. i’ve just grown to like you, is all,” you murmur as you run your fingers through his hair, hearing his soft gums of contentment, “an existence of being by yourself might make one somewhat… easily attached.”

hyungwon doesn’t know how to respond, but he sits up, despite the tiredness that still rests in his body, he moves to get himself out of bed, using his hand to brush his hair out of his face, “we still have time together, so let’s do something you want to do.”

“like what?” you smile sadly, “what should we do?”

“hmm…” he makes a really cute face when he thinks, you realize, and it just makes you fall a little bit more, “well you really like flowers right?”

“of course,”

hyungwon’s face lights up, like he’s had a sudden realization, “oh! then what if we painted? i have minhyuk’s paints in my bag!! minhyuk told me to hold onto them for the day and i kept them on me!”

“wha- what if your friend doesn’t want you to use them?” you stutter, but you can feel that you’re already on board.

“then that’s his problem!”

now to be honest, painting was not hyungwon’s strong suit, but he had such a fun time with mixing colors and making flowers that don’t really look like flowers come to life on the many wooden walls of your cottage. neither of you had brushes either, so it was really just fingerpainting, and by the end, your hands were covered in myriads of greens and yellows and pinks reds and blues tinted by the white, they were almost works of art themselves.

and after hours of painting, making more flower crowns, even teaching him to make flower crowns, and more activities, your time with him was dwindling. of course, he doesn’t have to leave, but the time that he had to stay was slowly slipping away from you.

“hyungwon,” you mumble, getting his attention as he sits on the couch while you were supposedly making tea. you raise your hand, displaying a bright red apple, “this is the one from yesterday, right?”

“y-yeah, i think so, why?”

“i- come here, please.”

he wobbles over to the kitchen, sitting beside you as you show off the fruit, “what’s going on?”

“remember when you told me the apple lead to you the statue?” he nods, “this apple is blessed with my energy. it’s… magical, in a human sense. i just want to apologize for decieving and likely confusing you yesterday,” you look down at the fruit, shiny and glowing red with liveliness, “but i have a… proposal of sorts.”

“i- alright, what is it?”

“take a bite,” you say, your tone heavy with implications of what will happen, “take a bite, and stay with me, will you?”

“what- what about my family? my friend? what about the life that i have?” he asks, but it’s all rhetorical, he doesn’t expect a serious answer, “i was willing to give you a day, i can’t give you my life.”

why can’t you, you feel the urge to murmur to him, why can’t you give that all up? you know i’m all you want now, you’ll only spiral down even further into me, “you don’t have to eat it all, just a bite, just one.”

“what- why are you so adamant that i eat that apple?”

“because!” your voice cracks ever so slightly, and once again his heart aches and he rushes to attempt to soothe you, to hold your heart in his hands and never once let it be hurt, “because you are all i want, hyungwon,” you mumble as he hugs you, resting your head against him, “because i want you to return to your friend and your village, but i’m selfish, i’m so, so selfish. this is the best middle ground i could think of.”

“...what does taking a bite entail?” he asks tentatively, and his heart jumps when he sees your eyes shine with hope. whether or not you know it, you’ve got him good.

“half the time, you’ll be mine. your soul has to reside in my domain, your heart will constantly ache for me,” you murmur, your hands suddenly wandering and he chokes out a moan, “but the rest of the time, you can return to the village. you can return to your life, and i will not make any attempts to steal you away during that time.”

he’s left speechless, not exactly sure what you’d want him to say now, but you place the apple in his hands, pressing a few faint kisses to the edge of his lips just to fluster him, but then you disappear outside. he watches you through the window as you tend to your flowers, picking a sunflower to place into your hair. he’s so entranced by the way you move that he can barely focus on what he needs to focus on: the apple.

he wonders what minhyuk is feeling right now. he’s probably worried to death, horrified out of his mind that his friend just disappeared into the forest. he wants so badly to go back and reassure him that nothing bad happened and go back to the way things were except things would be better.

but he does also feel a sense of… devotion? infatuation? love, maybe? whatever it is, he feels something towards you. his heart aches to please you, to do in this situation what would make you happy. the way you looked when you were so emotionally vulnerable with him, you didn’t seem like a god that he had to worship in that moment, you seemed like a soul that he wanted to love. it’s this feeling deep in his soul that just leaves him, both his heart and his body, utterly defenseless to the prospect of you.

so this is the end of him as he’s been for his whole life. or at least, in a sense, half of him. he’s grateful that you went outside to let his head clear just a bit, it’s always so clouded with you and your scent and your aura that he feels delusional. he tosses the apple around anxiously as he tries to decide what to do, but in the end, there’s not a chance in the world that he could ever go against what would make you happy.

he tries to delude himself into thinking it’s a conscious choice he makes, but he knows he’s lying; he just doesn’t want to accept it. he’s been a wreck since the moment you lured him away with the very apple he holds, there’s not a single reality in which he gives you up. his heart aches to protect yours, and his body wishes to be ruined by yours.

he takes a bite. he’s yours.

—

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[hawkland]

(Mostly) Destiel Fic Recs #5

This is a LONG recs post because it’s been a while since I did an update and I fell hard into reading one author’s work (DeanRH). In fact I could easily do a rec post just of their fics alone, but for this round I’m just going to pick out a handful of my absolute favorites so far, the ones I’d recommend to start out with, along with more other authors’ works I’ve especially enjoyed lately.

Absolution at the Five-and-Dime by DeanRH (125k)  - this is perhaps THEE DeanRH fic to start with if you want a good, long read with a little bit of everything (Roadtrips! Intriguing casefic! Americana! Tasty Dean/Cas pining! Wing!kink and unique angel lore! Kinky soul fisting and tentacles!) It’s kind of two of parallel stories in one: the first, a flashback to Dean and Sam's first year hunting on their own (as well as trying to avoid hunting, and John in general); the second on how Dean and Cas finally get together during an unusual case and when Dean is able to really let go of his past trauma and accept himself/accept love from Cas. 

What I love about DeanRH’s work is that they write from the unique point of view of a drifter, so they understand living on the road, traveling place to place, and the highs and lows of that life like no others I’ve encountered in SPN before. (The author’s notes are often as much fun to read as the stories themselves). They also write a kickass angel!Cas and never lose sight of his non-human traits and background. Their writing style is unique - almost poetic in nature, and I know some readers have found it difficult to get into. But it works really well for me in their SPN fic...gives it the flavor of oral story telling as might actually happen at a drifter’s camp (with one story written exactly as such). Be warned this particular fic does play up the idea of John Winchester being mentally abusive and Dean having to turn tricks when he was younger in order to support him and Sam, so there is some dark stuff. But as someone who grew up with mentally abusive parent, reading this was extremely cathartic to me and believably written (unlike some stories that go too over the top with abusive John, or just don't understand how that kind of abuse leaves lifetime psychological scars.)

The rest of this round’s recs below the cut.

Carnevale by DeanRH (18k) - Actually the first fic by this author I read, because I just couldn’t resist a story set in my favorite place in the world, Venice, Italy. Castiel is the Angel of Venice, banished there for so long he does not even know or remember the reasons why. But Carnevale season is the one time a year he can let his wings out - figuratively and literally. And during this particular Carnevale season, he meets an intriguing masked young American tourist there with his brother and their one night stand turns into something far more powerful than either expected. This one’s hot, romantic, and achingly sad at the end as it all ties together unexpectedly with canon-verse...though with a hint for the future so it’s definitely not totally sad. I loved how DeanRH clearly understands Venice as a fellow lover of the city, the side of it most tourists never see unless they spend a long time there. This story made me cry just from wanting to be back in Venice again.

Ice cream was sweeter, food more satisfying, everything was an epicurean delight. There was just something magical about Venice, and he had lived here in the city for hundreds of years, so the shine should have worn off by now.

But it didn't, and there was always something more, something wonderful to discover around the next corner. The painted eaves of a church. The beauty of two women dancing with flowers in their teeth across the Piazza San Marco one day, overcome by the sheer joy of just being there. The way the university students still created Venetian masks, like Castiel's extravagant volto mask and Dean's humble servetta muta, with crafts that had been handed down across the generations. The morning silence that lay against the stones.

Hard Landing by DeanRH (26.9k) - A bit similar in theme to Carnevale. A pre-series Dean and Sam are sight-seeing in Spain when an angel, struck by a babel-spell, crash lands right in front of Dean. A strange yet seriously hot encounter with the angel turns into something much more complicated when the brothers return home and realize something more serious is afoot and they are both trapped in the middle of it. This is another story where things are very much not as they seem at first (as fun as that is!) It features master strategist Cas at his best, with a side helping of delightful trickery care of Gabriel and Balthazar as they deal with Lucifer, Michael...and a few others along the way.

The Sacred Band of Thebes by DeanRH (14.5k) - The last DeanRH fic I’m gonna allow myself to include in this round up, because it’s just very soft and sweet and beautiful - for a story about Dean & Cas being magically transported back in time to ancient Sparta! This is another story infused with a great knowledge of place and history, with some wonderfully delightful original characters added in that make it all the more enjoyable to read.

And now on to some other authors, I promise!

IPAMIS OL OLPRIT by emmbrancsxx0 (56k). A really wonderful fic that take a different look at what might have happened with a temporarily resurrected John Winchester during Season 14. Dean & Cas are in an established relationship here, and John here isn’t too happy about it — though mostly because he sees Cas (and Jack) as monsters, the kind of monsters he spent his lifetime hunting. This is a great fic for the emotional complexity of how John, Dean and Cas are all handled. John isn’t a cardboard evil dad, Dean is struggling between his loyalty to his father and to Cas, and Cas is increasingly bitchy/frustrated at Dean still being so desperate for his father’s approval (and all the more complex for not just being a quietly suffering perfect supporting boyfriend.) There’s some great action sequences in this too along with the emotional angst and a delicious dose of hurt!Cas if that’s your thing (as it is for me :D)

Abrenuntio by Neonbat (51k). A very dark but compelling AU take on the/a apocalypse universe. Dean, Sam and John are all alive in this post-angel war-apocalyptic world. They are part of a group of human survivors fighting against the angel army when they manage to capture “Blue” — a particularly feared angel of death. Dean is tasked with bringing Blue in for interrogation and he becomes a prisoner in their camp after John is killed. As mentioned, this is a pretty dark/sad fic (with some rather gruesome torture scenes) but I still found it quite compelling as a look at how things could have gone in some other parallel universe. And somehow the author manages to make the Dean/Cas relationship come together despite them starting out as complete enemies. This is one of those AUs that works for me because the core of the characters really shine through despite the differences in the setting.

if it all fell to pieces tomorrow by spocklee (37k) - a gorgeous post-Empty rescue fic that takes an approach I haven’t really seen explored in detail before (despite being something I’ve actually thought about as something that could’ve happened.) What if Cas has spent so long denying himself happiness, and then trapped in regrets and false-rescue scenarios created by the Empty, that he can’t trust that his rescue is real? And so he runs off to be on his own - literally stealing the Impala because he can’t handle being in Dean’s presence one moment longer - and only slowly comes to terms with the idea that it’s over now and he can be happy with/around his friends and family. This one’s both deliciously angsty and at times funny/sweet, looking at Cas’s relationships not just with Dean but with Sam, Jack, Claire, even Eileen. It does some fun stuff with other returned angels and demons who now find themselves back on Earth (and human), and...I just really enjoyed this one a lot.

Both Saved and Lost by angelfishofthelord (13.7k) Gen Cas character study, absolutely gorgeous and sad and one of those fic I couldn’t stop thinking about the day after reading it. AU where Apocaverse!Cas isn’t immediately killed by our Cas during 13x22 but instead hitches a ride back to the main ‘verse. Dean and Sam want to keep him alive for information on Michael; Cas is torn and trying to figure out just how similar—or different—they really are. Some great angel stuff here (I also highly recommend this author’s Jack & Cas “dadstiel” fics, they’re equally lovely and heartbreaking at the same time.)

flesh of the mighty by Mudprophet (2.7k) - THEE “What exactly did Dean eat in Purgatory, anyway?” fic you’ve probably already heard about. *cough* I’ve been trying to work up the courage to read this one for a while and finally gave in and OH MY CHUCK I’m so glad I did. It’s perversely disturbing and beautiful at the same time, Cas is wonderfully DERANGED and ALIEN in that way that I love it when fics managed to convey just how much angels are NOT human. Do heed the tags.

Full of Grace by ilovehowyouletmefall (11k) - Another one for the weird-as-fuck-angel!Cas lovers’ list. Heaven/canon-compliant fic where Dean knows he should feel happy and at peace but he just...isn’t, even with Cas and all of his friends and family there. He finally goes looking for Cas when he’s been absent for a time and, for the first time, gets to not just see but experience his true form. Another one that hits some kinks I knew I had and others I didn’t...until now. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

don't ask me where i've been by saltwound / @1x06 (8k) - I can never resist a good 09x06 fiction gap fic! What makes this one really stand out is how well it captures Cas’s internal voice - his struggles adapting to human senses, limitations and emotions versus what/how he experienced things as an angel. The longing and feelings between Dean & Cas here are so achingly beautiful and I just wanted to cry when Cas says he misses hearing Dean’s prayers, so Dean, he...oh, I’m not going to spoil it. *happy sigh* Just read it.

this room is wrong by DarkHeartInTheSky (12k) - Sometimes I like torturing myself with some good 15x03 divorce arc angst and this fic hit that button just so. It’s an alternative take on where Cas might have ended up after leaving the bunker and features some great Cas & Sam friendship feels, when Sam sets out to try to bring Cas home. It’s all the stuff you’d wish the writers would’ve let them talk out in canon.

Well that’s more than enough for this round! Go forth, read and give some great writers some kudos & comment love!

[bangtan-sonyeonddaeng]

:Taehyung Scenario:

The first time you saw Taehyung you thought you had died. I mean really, how does someone that beautiful really just exist in the world. His hair was long, black, and his curls delicately framed his face perfectly. He was absolutely ethereal. His sun kissed skin and warm brown eyes made you instantly melt. You couldn’t stop staring at him and admiring his beauty, from afar of course. No way would you ever approach a man that looks like that. In your mind he was untouchable, so far out of your league he was on another planet. And honestly it was intimidating to you. So as he happily walked around the park with his dog you just sat and looked at him. Smiling to yourself when you saw him giggling and playing with his dog.

Taehyung was used to people staring at him, and he was usually able to tune it out but today for some reason he just got the feeling someone was looking at him intently. He turned his head around and locked eyes with you for only a moment, but you immediately looked away and he could see the blush tinting your cheeks an adorable shade of pink. He smiled. And you could see his smile out of the corner of your eye and oh my gosh he somehow got even more beautiful. His smile was warm and inviting, almost as if he wanted you to come over and say hello to him but you quickly banished the thought away. Little did you know, Taehyung was just as enamored as you were. He had never seen a more pretty and adorable person in his life. He wanted to talk to you, but could see you were nervous and maybe even a little shy. So he decided to back off for now, but made a mental note to come back to the park at the same time tomorrow to see if you were here again. 

And much to his delight you were. The weather was getting colder and you were wearing an oversize sweater and jeans. You had a winter knit hat and were sipping on a warm drink and watching the fall leaves float through the air. The way the sun was shining on you made you look even more gorgeous to him. So he finally decided to approach you. He walked your way and saw your eyes widen and glance behind you, hoping to see that he was walking over here to greet someone else. When you noticed that he indeed was coming for you, you couldn’t help but gather your bag and run away. Taehyung’s smile faltered at that. Were you also intimidated by him? It seemed that many people were. Whenever he tried to be friendly and talk to someone they always seemed too afraid to say anything. Or when he was just ordering food or going shopping, every person he came across seemed to move out of his way and wouldn’t meet his eyes. He knew a lot of times when his mind was blank people had told him he looked mean or annoyed. And he honestly was insecure about it and was trying to work on that. Maybe he had scared you off too. He walked home that day with his shoulders sagging, his hands in his pockets, and a frown on his face. 

The next day Taehyung was back at the park. And you noticed he seemed a little bit more down than usual. The first two times you had seen him, he was so happy and full of light. But now when he was walking his dog he barely had any energy. You couldn’t help but feel guilty and think maybe it was because of you. But why would it be? Surely he couldn’t care that much about what you thought of him? He probably has tons of friends and surely he would be dating someone. But the more you see his slouched posture and usual brightness in his eyes missing, you start to consider maybe it was because of you running away. But you couldn’t help it! You just didn’t want to make a fool out of yourself in front of the most angelic man you had ever see in your life. So this time, when he glances your way and you lock eyes you don’t look away. You meet his gaze and offer him a small smile. You see his face immediately light up and he answers your smile with a wide boxy grin of his own and you swear your heart skips a beat. You watch him as he pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and scribble something on there before he puts it inside the dog’s collar. He picks a stick off the ground and tosses it towards you, landing right in front of your feet. The little adorable ball of fluff runs after it and stops right in front of you. 

“Hey there little guy.” You reach your hand out to let the dog sniff you to determine if you’d be deemed as safe. The little creature flops onto the ground, belly in the air. You giggle and reach down to pat it as well as to grab the note in the collar. 

Hello! My name is Yeontan. My dad Taehyung would like to apologize if he made you uncomfortable yesterday. He didn’t mean to scare you, he just wanted to say hello. 

You scrunch your brows in confusion. Scare you? You pull a pen out of your purse and answer his letter with one of your own. You put tit back in Yeontan’s collar and pick the stick off the ground, tossing it towards Taehyung. Yeontan runs back over and Taehyung takes the note out and reads it. 

Hello Taehyung. I’m y/n. You didn’t make me uncomfortable and oh my gosh I am not scared of you. I am so sorry if I made you feel that way. I’m just... shy. 

Taehyung reads the note over twice before he glances over at you. But you aren’t looking at him as if you’re worried of his reaction. So he writes another note below that one and tosses the stick back to you for Yeontan to deliver the message. You open it and can’t help the wide smile that spreads across your face. 

Beautiful name for a beautiful person! You don’t have to be shy, I don’t bite. I promise. Unless you’re into that ;) 

You blush madly and cover your face with your hands. You can hear Taehyung laughing and you pull out the note to write more and place it in Yeontan’s collar. You throw the stick back. But this time he doesn’t go. He curls up into a little ball and closes his eyes.

“Oh my god no! Yeontan you little furry traitor! Get up!” You sit down on the ground and poke him and he sighs heavily and scoots away from you. You hear footsteps approaching you and don’t have to look up to see who it is.

“I guess he’s tired of being our messenger?”

“Um.. yeah I guess so.” You fidget with the sleeve of your sweater, unable to meet his gaze. So Taehyung sits behind you and rests his back against yours. 

“Is this better?” 

“Y-yeah actually it is.” 

“Okay good.” You two sit there in silence for a few moments, but it’s not awkward in the slightest. You sit here comfortable with one another and pretty soon your shoulders relax and so do his. 

“Hey can I ask you something y/n?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Why did you run away from me yesterday?”

You figured that’s what he was going to ask you. So you steel your nerves and answer honestly. 

“I was intimidated by you.” You feel his shoulders slump against you. 

“Oh... I see.” 

“I mean not in like, a bad way you’re just... beautiful.” You mumble the last word and Taehyung thinks he might have heard you incorrectly.

“Beautiful?! So it wasn’t because you thought I looked mean or anything?” You whip your head around in surprise and find that he’s also looking at your over his shoulder. 

“Mean?! With a smile like that and the way you were giggling while playing with your dog? Never. It was just because you’re way out of my league and I don’t even know why you’re talking to me right now to be honest.” You turn around and rest your back against his once more. 

“You’re joking right?” 

“Nope. 100% serious.”

“So you truly don’t see how beautiful you are?” 

“Well, no. I mean no one has really told me that before.” 

“What?! What the hell kind of people have you had in your life?”

“Shitty ones I guess.”

“Very shitty. And I’ll say it again then. You’re beautiful.” You are glad you aren’t facing him because you know your face is as red as a tomato. 

“Thank you, Taehyung.” He makes a noise in affirmation. 

“And honestly most people have told me they were afraid to talk to me because I am intimidating in a bad way.. so I am glad you don’t see me that way. I’ve honestly become really insecure about it lately so.. thank you for giving me a chance to show you how I really am.” You smile at that lean your head back more so it’s resting on his shoulder. 

“Well, whoever those people are, their eyes just must be decorations. Your smile and the warmth in your eyes shows you are a kind person.” 

After that you are both quiet for a while longer. You don’t know how long you two sit there but eventually Yeontan wakes up and yips at Taehyung. 

“Alright alright. I guess I should take my son home. He had his nap and is now probably hungry.” You giggle at that and pat Yeontan’s head before Taehyung stands and scoops him into his arm. He holds out his hand to you and helps you stand up. 

“Thank you. And it was really nice meeting you.”

“You too. Can we meet up again tomorrow?” You nod.

“Same time, I’ll be here.” 

“Okay. See you y/n.” 

“See you.” In a moment of boldness you reach out and take his hand and squeeze it. He doesn’t notice you slip the paper into his pocket. He waves and smiles widely at you and begins to walk home. 

Once Taehyung arrives home he reaches for his phone in his pocket when he feels a crumpled paper in there with it. He pulls it out and sees the notes you two had been writing to each other. When he sees the last thing you wrote his cheeks and chest are flooded with warmth.

I think we both know you’re the beautiful one here. I honestly thought you were an angel when I saw you a few days ago. 

And I might be into that. Guess you’ll just have to get to know me better and see, Taehyung.

Oh he intends to. 

[johnkrrasinski]

𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐞

Chapter 1: You Were My Town

full masterlist // series masterlist // commission open // support my work

Pairings: Dark!Steve Rogers (in future chapters) x Reader 

Word Count: 2,061

Summary: Steve Rogers; a Hollywood A-lister and your clandestine occasional hookup. Best friends since childhood, but people change and friendships fall out. Now you were merely strangers with benefits. What happens when one day you stopped being his doormat to be a better man’s queen? The selfish Steve Rogers would not like it. How far is he willing to go to get his favorite possession back?

Warnings: smut, non-con/dub-con, dark Steve (in later chapter), angst, Steve Rogers is an asshole in this one, no redeeming qualities. (MUST BE 18+) 

A/N: first chapter is finally here!! this series is dedicated to the lovely @belovedcherry​ who commissioned this story and developed the concept. thank you for being a friend when i truly needed it. i’m really glad that you trusted me to write this story for you. with all my heart, i sincerely hope you like it. this series will be updated everyday, there will be 4 more chapters ahead. 

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: New Couple Alert! Steve Rogers and a blondie bombshell can’t keep their hands off each other! The headline verbalized.

The notorious heartthrob was spotted leaving The Ritz-Calton Hotel in Los Angeles around 2 AM with Spanish model, Alondra Ondiviela, 28, who looked stunning in a salmon sports bra and black overall, as she walked hand-in-hand with Dusk and Dawn star, Steve Rogers.

Steve Rogers was last linked to Blade in Deep actress, Anne Amorós back in early spring this year but had reportedly split after only two months dating.

Steve Rogers has been previously linked to many gorgeous models in the past, earning him the infamous title of ‘Hollywood’s favourite ladykiller.’ Will Alondra Ondiviela be the one to finally make Steve Rogers settle down and give up his womanizer ways? Placing our bets on how long this couple is going to last!

You closed the tab on your browser as you sighed defeatedly on your couch. You laid your head back on the headrest as you shut your eyes and folded your arms against your chest. Just how many more gossip articles can you endure?

Steve Rogers was your childhood best friend and… Perhaps the only man you had ever truly loved. You knew it was nothing but sheer naivety for you to concede that. You knew it was cruel and inequitable to your heart, but, you still held on to that tiny glimpse of hope that someday, things will change. He will change. Despite all the shit he had put you through, you couldn’t abnegate yourself from him. He always lured you back in with his sweet words and sinful lips whenever you try to expel him from your door.

It wasn’t always like this. Back in kindergarten, Steve used to be this good, shy, scrawny kid who had a blistering passion for art. He was always very twitterpated by watching live shows on stage. When you were kids, Steve would try to sneak both of you into the theatre when the lights were out. Steve didn’t grow up in a very lucky family. His abusive father abandoned his mother when he was only four years old, and since then, his mom had been working tirelessly to keep a roof over their heads and fill in their fridge with food.

You, on the other hand, were a little luckier than him. Your parents had decent jobs that paid the bills well enough to survive. Whenever Steve was short in cash, you would always offer him a little bit of your pocket money or your meal. You would even offer to buy tickets for both of you so you didn’t have to sneak in and could actually get good seats. But he would always say, “well, where’s the fun in that?”

So you’d drop the topic and go along with whatever deceitful ways he had in mind. After all, he was your best friend and you trusted him. You’d rather choose the thrill of bootleg games than waiting ten minutes early before the show starts anyway. But you remember it vividly under the aura of those stage lightings and when the actors were personifying in their larger-than-life costumes, he would be so mesmerized by the show before him that sometimes he wouldn’t even say a word to you at all until it was over.

Before you went home, he and you would walk to the nearest burger place, where you would eat under the polychromatic neon sign and he would tell you, “someday, I’m going to my face on the big screen or one of those giant stages and I would make my mom proud!” he cheered. And you’d always encourage him, “…and I’ll be there to watch and clap for you in the audience.”

Rest in peace, to your naïve bravado… Little did you know, his dream was going to be your doom.

You remained closed friends as you grew up; going to the same school, sharing a few classes together, until, in high school, things began to change. He began to join auditions and taking art classes and extracurriculars. He became busier and busier every day to the point where he could only hang out with you on the weekends. That is when he absolutely had no rehearsals or he wasn’t too worn out from a week full of activities.

You also noticed the different manner and shift of inflexion when you two hung out. All he would talk about is the ‘clique’ of popular boys in school had asked him to sit with them at lunch and how the popular girls would start preening at him when he walked down the hallway. It was as if by partaking in these arts clubs, it gave him a VIP member card to get access into sitting with at exclusive spots and it upgraded his status.

He changed his looks as well, by going to the gym more often and eating more so that he would gain some muscles. He began dressing like one of those jocks and he would begin throwing in some flirtatious comments to those popular girls when they were around.

Eventually, he and you began to grow apart. It got worse when he started dating one of the popular girls, Janet, and he would ditch you even on weekends despite all the plans you had made weeks prior.

“I can’t hang out today, y/n. Janet’s parents are out of town and I think we are going to hook up in her giant pool!”

“But what about the movie that we planned to see together today? I thought you had been anticipating for it since a year ago?”

“I know, but can we just postpone it? It’s not like they are going to take it out tomorrow! We could still see it next weekend.”

“Well, we’ve bought the tickets, Steve.”

“Ah, shit, alright, I’ll just pay back the money, okay? How much are those tickets?”

“No, it’s fine, Steve. Don’t worry about it.”

“Really? You sure, y/n?”

“Yeah, I’ll just ask my mom or maybe Wanda to go see it with me. Don’t want those spoilers on the internet ruining it for me.” You chuckled hollowly. Disappointment filled up your heart but you pretended like it was alright, anyway. If Steve wanted to spend time with his girlfriend then, you had no right to stop him and force him to hang out with you.

“Ah, got it. Thanks, y/n. You’re the best!” and then the frozen seconds on the screen showed that he had ended the call.

The phone calls and text messages began to dwindle. You would often try to text or call him first but it would go to voicemail and or you would be left on read. When you were at school, Steve completely stopped hanging around you. He would rather be with his new ‘friends’ now. And he was too occupied with making out with Janet to notice you as you both walk past each other in the hall.

Wanda was your most trusted confidant and she knew about all the feelings you caged inside you for Steve. She would always be there for you when you cry over him and she would always encourage you to move on and stop trying to reach him. “You deserve so much better than this, y/n. Why would you ruin yourself for an asshole like him?”

Curse your adamant heart for refusing to listen to Wanda and take her advice. In the bottom of your heart, you knew that Wanda was right. You deserved so much better than what Steve had turned you into. You used to be this bright-eyed, rose-coloured heart person who saw your future in a radiant lustre. You were always drawn to helping people out. You used to think that maybe you’d end up being a nurse or a school counsellor, but as you grew older, gradually, you realized that there is far way more pernicious malady than physical ones.

Like the wound in your heart that Steve keeps tapping on every time he acts like he didn’t know you or he left another call or text unanswered. Every time he posted pictures of him and Janet, or him and ‘the boys’ who would walk around the school as they owned it. You had always dreaded those boys. You knew they were bad news and you didn’t want to be associated with them under any circumstances. You and Steve used to make fun of them, how much of a loser they are and how negligent they are toward their grades. But who would’ve known that Steve would turn into his own worst abomination?

Eventually, like all good (and bad) things, they must come to an end. You graduated with a 3.8 GPA and you were proud of yourself for all those times you spent being at home to do your homework and study until around 2 AM.

You were happy; you were satisfied with your grades, your parents were there, cheering for you in the audience and taking countless pictures of you when you walked on stage, and you could finally move forward to the next stage of your life. But something was missing.

“Gosh, I can’t wait to finally graduate.” He scanned the paper with a mark that mocked him in big bold red as he sat at the edge of your twin-sized bed. You had just returned from school and you had received the result of your Math tests. You luckily got a B+ but clearly, Steve didn’t acquire the same latter.

“C’mon, it’s just one bad test. It doesn’t mean that your life is over.”

“I know but, I don’t like seeing a C+ on my test, y/n. It makes me feel inadequate. Besides, I need a solid 3.7 GPA in order to get into NYU. Otherwise, I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Stop being so dramatic, you still have what it takes. You just need to do a lot better in the next one.”

“Yeah, I’m really gonna have to work my ass off though. Math has never been my strongest suit.”

“Neither it’s mine, but you know what? Someday we’ll wear our graduation hat and this wouldn’t even matter. You’d probably forget that you’ve ever had a C in your high school year.”

You recalled those times where Steve would endlessly talk about graduating and what would happen when both of you go on separate ways. He would tell you “don’t be silly. We’ll always be best friends even if we go to different universities. It’s not like we don’t have a phone, y/n.”

You always imagined that on your graduation day, you both would celebrate it together but of course, those dreams have long perished. Steve didn’t even have a smile on his face when your name was being announced.

He was supposed to be there, standing right next to you and engulf you in a warm, giant hug. The one that he used to give on your birthdays. But no, now, you could only watch him from several feet away farther than you both used to be. You could only hear his echoing laugh as he high-fived the boys and twirl Janet around up in the air like the happy ending in your favourite Rom-Com movies.

That should be me. Your heart cry mourned for the memories and the fractured promises. It was like there was this colossal fortress between the two of you and while you were fighting to climb it to reach him, he, on the other hand, didn’t even have the patience to wait for you.

It’s okay though. At least you had your parents and Wanda and her parents and twin brother, Pietro who adorned this special day distracting you away from the anguish of missing Steve. You were going to spend this entire day with the people who truly loved you and you loved just as equal before you had to leave for the new phases of your own lives.

You will finally move to your college dorm, have yourself a roommate, and invest your time and energy in something that you knew you were always meant to do and it excites you that your journey of helping people will start soon.

And Steve Rogers will be nothing but a consigned to oblivion memory that will sink like a battleship beneath the waves.

At least for now.

[grimoire-of-seven]

Could I request the demon brothers reactions to MC falling asleep on them and then getting really cuddly in her sleep and nuzling up close to him

PROMPT :: “Hold me close, and hold me tight.”

Rating: SFW

Words: 300-450 per character

Characters: Demon brothers + MC / Gender-Neutral Reader

 Notes: This was so fluffy and I thoroughly enjoyed writing this! I had to scrap some ideas because it ended up with most of the demon brothers bringing MC to bed [the most comfortable cuddle place, tbh]. I had to make adjustments so I hope you like it! Thank you for requesting~

LUCIFER

It was an odd request, Lucifer wouldn’t deny. Well… ‘odd’ is quite harsh.

Perhaps, just bizarre?

You had summoned him to the planetarium, with the order of bringing his comforter and pillow. Being in a pact with you, the Avatar of Pride couldn’t do anything but oblige to the peculiar instruction.

That was a few moments earlier.

Now, he’s lying down beside you, all snuggled up in each other’s arms – all alone in the planetarium. 

He chuckled at this little idea of a ‘dinner date,’ [the pizza has long been forgotten] “If you wanted to sleep, we could’ve very well done that in my room, no?”

“Hmm,” You agreed sleepily, cuddling closer and wrapping him in a tighter embrace, “Luke said there’ll be… there’ll be meteor showers seen… seen from Devildom tonight.”

Admittedly hating the fact that you’ve named another man while you’re in his presence, Lucifer couldn’t help but silently thank the little chihua– angel.

You wouldn’t have this lovely idea if not for the do—angel’s words, anyway.

“You can sleep, dear.” He said in an affectionate tone. Lucifer moved your fringe to the side, giving your forehead a gentle kiss, “You look awfully tired today…”

There was a moment of silence between the two of you, he was sure of himself that you had dozed off. 

“Sleep well–”

“Hhhnoooo…” You protested, suddenly barely awake once again. With a smile on your lips, you beamed at the obsidian-haired demon with as much energy as you can, “I wanted to see them with you.”

MAMMON

To hell with Lucifer and his stupid rules.

The white-haired demon spun his pen on his hand in irritation at the list of figures before him. 

He can’t memorize it all by dawn! It’s absolutely impossible!

“This is so damn frustrating!” Mammon complained; he crumpled up the paper you had prepared for him for his History of Devildom and its Nine Circles exam tomorrow.

Mammon felt you stir beside him. You have fallen asleep by his side, one arm draped around him in a loose embrace. 

Both of you were situated by the sofa, a place he deemed where he’s most comfortable to ‘study’ - second only to his bed but you refused to sit there in case he falls asleep on you.

Your peaceful face alone was enough to calm him down from his frustration.

Staring at you for a while, the Avatar of Greed noticed the bags under your eyes, your face visibly tired… Was it because you’ve been up last night trying to make a comprehensive reviewer for him?

At the realization, he feels bad for having to complain when you’ve put so much effort to help.

You were too good to a lazy scumbag like him. His brothers had been telling you to stop hanging around him so you avoid getting ‘infected’ by his scummy-ness.

Yet you still never gave up on him.

Lazily opening the crumpled paper from his hands, he adjusted his position in a more comfortable state for your sleeping form.

He smiled in defeat, kissing the crown of your head with deep fondness, “Alright, I’ll study well… But only because you’re rewarding the Great Mammon too much.”

LEVIATHAN

The night is still young, as Levi announced in the group chat. He had invited the whole House of Lamentation for a late night TSL movie marathon as preparation for the upcoming Vol.9 of the series.

You had asked Mammon and Beel to join you but both excused themselves from today’s screening. Mammon was off being called by his witch friends, and Beel… decided he would come if Levi will provide food.

Levi did not provide food.

“Cause distraction, eating will!” He explained as you and Beel presented yourselves infront of the purple-haired demon’s room. The Avatar of Gluttony left you alone with a sad and hungry expression.

Being the only person to show up for the marathon, Levi saw fit to treat you like the not-normie you are. The two of you sat close together on the floor like ‘true friends’ would.

With his eyes focused on the screen, Levi didn’t notice you nodding off to the movie.

The only time he had realized was when you had draped your arm around him, cuddling close as if to feel more of his warmth.

He couldn’t believe it. It was like both of you are in a shoujo anime.

Like, one of those anime plot where it’s a normal school story where both of you are forced to live together but his brothers were in the way of your love story then he casually asked you for a movie marathon and you two ended up cuddling and then you both fall in love with each other and then Ruri-chan is suddenly alive after hearing that you’re taking Levi away from her and now it’s an action adventure story where the two of you flee from a raging ex-girlfriend in the magical realm of Devildom–

It was safe to assume that Levi could not get himself to focus on the movie marathon with you moving occasionally to embrace him even closer.

SATAN

For the numerous millenia that he has lived under Lucifer’s shadow, Satan was surprised that you’ve taken a liking to him rather than his ‘glorious’ older brother. Of course, he wasn’t going to allow himself to delve too deep in a relationship with you. 

A few dates here and there, indulging in the knowledge coming from a mortal perspective… You were human. He’s a demon. It was a relationship with a gap that is far too distant to cross. 

And he intended to keep it that way. 

Today was a book date. Out of all of your dates, this one was the one Satan was looking most forward to. The blonde loved books and the information that came from it. He had invited you to his humble little nook, his own make-shift library inside his room. 

“It’s not much compared to Lucifer’s library…”

The Avatar of Wrath knew humans were, to a fault, most curious of things unknown to them. You were no different.

“What? Are you kidding? This is amazing!” The way your eyes lit up at the sight of his room, despite seeing it for the second time already, made the butterflies in his stomach flutter. 

You’re not being fair here, you know…

You both settled by the indoor balcony of his room, given that there was no space on his bed, on the floor, and even on the sofa. Everything was riddled with his limitless books, after all.

The two of you discussed everything and anything that intrigued you inside the tomes that were laid out. From astronomy books to history books to anything related to angels, humans and demons. 

The day passed by within a blink of an eye. Satan was happily telling you about how the stars and planets aligned in the year–

He felt your head drop on his shoulder. What?

As if your head wasn’t enough, you had made yourself comfortable beside him, hands embracing him as if he’s a comfortable pillow.

“…” He sighed with a small smile in his visage, closing the book and letting you sleep on his shoulders.

What would he do with you?

ASMODEUS

The Avatar of Lust upholds his beauty to such a high standard. He is a demon of high-class charm, and with such charm comes with great maintenance to his appearance. 

For thousands of years, Asmodeus revels in the enjoyment of seeing his beauty. However, now that he has you, a trip to the spa, or going out shopping, or having his nails manicured, or doing his skincare routine become twice as much enjoyable with you around.

Today was no exception. 

The peach-haired demon barged to your room unannounced with sparkling wide eyes, explaining to you that Majolish is presenting a new line of high-end clothing and shoes today… and that he has to have it. 

Like, right now. 

With a smile that made his heart flutter with a million passionate emotions, you agreed to accompany him. 

Upon your arrival to the monumental department store, the Avatar of Lust was met with a hundred new options to try for himself and your person. You refused to accept anything super expensive but was immediately met with a begging Asmodeus, unable to accept your rejection.

At the end of the day, both of you were at the bus with several dozens of paper bags and boxes on hand. He was completely satisfied, eager to see you wear the beautiful clothes he has chosen. 

The ride was comfortably silent with only a few passengers on the vehicle. Asmo was checking your pictures with a smile. Everything really that caught your eye and deemed comfortable looked amazing on you! 

“Hey, love, which was your favourite–” You shuffled beside him, taking his arm as you cuddled closer to him from your seat.

It took Asmodeus all of his strength and willpower as the Avatar of Lust to not squeal in delight at the sudden movement, his heart jumping at the sight of your peaceful sleeping expression. He was ten billion percent ready to smother you with kisses but fought himself off the moment he thought of it. 

Asleep means you do not consent to kissing or anything else he wanted to do! For now, Asmodeus told himself that a picture would suffice to capture this blissful moment. 

You’re not gonna sleep much later after this, though - not after showing such a rare sight.

BEELZEBUB

Surprisingly enough, RAD’s roof deck was a wonderful place for students to eat their lunch. It was like one of those school scenarios on Levi’s anime. 

For Beelzebub, he loved eating there with you or any one of his brothers. The view was spectacular, showcasing the dim sun that shone over Devildom. 

As of now, it was only you and him. 

The others were busy with their prior schedules and exams. As you were a human exchange student, Diavolo was expecting much of you; hence, your motivation to study well. 

Beel noticed bags under your eyes, your focus on the exam reviewer was lazer sharp even from the exhaustion. 

“You’re going to ace the exams,” The Avatar of Gluttony started, eating his packed lunch contentedly with you beside him.

“Thank you, Beel. I’m sure you’ll do great on yours, too!” You replied, yawning as the fatigue sets in slowly.

“You can sleep on my shoulder for a moment.” He offered, ruffling your hair affectionately, “I’ll wake you up fifteen minutes before the bell rings so you can review more.”

To his surprise and delight, you gave in to the tiredness. 

He’s really worried about you, not sleeping well like that. Beel heard that humans need eight hours of sleep to be healthy, but you don’t do that much. 

If you keep that up, what would happen to your fragile mortal body? 

Before he could continue his thoughts, you snuggled closer to him, making yourself more cozy in your sitting position. He ruffled your hair once again, adjusting himself so you can sleep better. 

Belphie would’ve loved to join you in this hug. 

For a moment, all his worries disappeared. You’re a very strong human, the strongest he’s ever met - both in soul and willpower. There’s no storm you wouldn’t conquer.

BELPHEGOR

Belphie wanted to take you out on a date to Ristorante Six. 

That was all there is to it.

He needed money so, now, you and Belphie are working part-time in Hell’s Kitchen once again. As a rule, the two of you decided that whenever you go out for dates, the bill should be split in half. 

The ravenet refused it at first but then agreed, remembering that both of you would’ve had to work first before actually getting the money to go out. 

And working together meant more time together.

It was a perfect opportunity to be with each other’s presence more!

After a long day from school, then going straight to waiting tables at Hell’s Kitchen, the Avatar of Sloth noticed that you seemed more tired than usual today. 

Was it from the school? From working at Hell’s Kitchen? From the walk home? Or perhaps your human body isn’t accustomed to such heavy workload?

He held your hand and led you to his shared room with Beel. Beel wasn’t in the room when you two arrived, much to Belphie’s relief.

“Do you have anything to show me, Belphie?” You asked innocently, trying your best to stay awake despite the weariness on your voice.

Belphie sat on his bed comfortably and pulled you in, letting you settle on his lap. 

“W-Wh–!” 

He smiled at your reaction, opening his arms for a hug, “If you’re tired, I’ll let you sleep in my arms.” 

“You had me worried, Belphie!” With an amused laugh, you cuddled close to him, making yourself comfortable in his warm embrace. 

In mere minutes, you had fallen asleep, his hands were gently caressing your hair, “Only for you…”

[hearteyesbowen]

just friends ☆ joshua bassett

you and joshua are just friends and nothing else. promise.

warnings: angsty, some swearing, some steamy writing, at this point assume anything i write may be long

part I , part II

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Your eyes flutter open slowly, a bright yellow light blinding you as you wake up. You rub your dry eyes and smooth out your messy hair. The pounding in your head disturbs you as you clear your throat. You attempt to sit up on your bed until an a strong arm left at your hip prevents you from moving up any further. You look to your side and see a familiar hand, so you look back further and saw your best friend, Joshua. His curly brown hair covered more than half of his face, only showing his slightly open mouth. Soft snores escaped his lips as you watched his chest rise up and down slowly. You almost completely forgot you slept over at his house last night.

You laid back down and faced Josh, wanting to stare at his calming features. His arm tightened around your waist and brought you slightly closer. You felt your cheeks heat up. You did your best not to wake him as you moved your arm to snuggle into his warm body more. Your plan failed when you felt him softly shuffle above you and let out a low groan.

“Y/N?” Josh groaned lowly. His morning voice next to your ear gave you goosebumps.

“Josh?” You whispered.

“Did I wake you up?” He said as he removed his arm from your waist to rub his eyes. He moved his arms back to you and brought you back closer to him tightly. “Sorry about that, angel.”

“I’ve been awake for a bit.” You mumbled into his shoulder.

“Do I have to do anything today?”

You shook your head to say no.

“Do you want to go to the diner and get breakfast?” He asked sweetly, bringing your head back to look at you. You nodded and he let out a soft chuckle.

Josh arm slid off your waist. He sat up and stretched out his arm above him, letting the blanket covering his body fall off and revealed his toned stomach. You almost forgot that he went to sleep without a shirt on. You also forgot how much Josh likes to work out on his free days. He got up from the bed and went to his dresser. He noticed how you kept watching him grab clothes from his drawer.

“Are you going to keep falling in love with me or are you going to shower? Because if you don’t go now I’m going to take my sweet ass time.” He joked.

You jumped up from his cozy bed and threw the blanket at Josh, covering his body. You did a quick stretch of your body and saw Josh look you up and down. “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart.” You strutted past him and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Yours and Josh’s friendship was odd. You’ve been friends ever since he moved to the house next to you five years ago. It started off as a normal friendship; You two would hang out all the time and even go on road trips once a month. Then about three years ago it shifted. You would always playfully flirt with each other, which confused all your friends and family. But neither of you saw it as flirting. You both somewhat understood what you were doing, but it never fully clicked as to how it actually seemed. Your parents would always tease you about him. You always went out to eat and see movies together, you would pretend to be dating if someone in public was making the other uncomfortable, and cuddling together or sleeping with each other became a norm. Either way, a relationship between you two would never work, you lived totally different lives.

Once Josh got hired to play the part of Ricky Bowen on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, he definitely needed some help managing all of his time, and basically his life. You would offer to help him any time he needed you, so he made the best choice to hire you as his assistant. It didn’t change your friendship, it’s just that now you know his schedule and have the numbers to his manager and his publicist. This choice, however, sparked more talk between not only your family, but also his fans. If he were to post a picture with you, then his comments immediately flooded with either questions about your relationship or them “shipping” you two.

You never thought of Josh as your boyfriend. When other friends or family would ask you about him and as to whether or not you did like him, you always said no, it’s what you genuinely believed. Although thoughts of you developing feelings for him did cross your mind, you thought it was just a phase and you would get over it. And you did. The idea of ruining your friendship brought you fear, probably more than the idea of being in a relationship, which you absolutely despised.

After you both took a quick shower, you grabbed your keys from your purse and went back to Josh’s room. He was bent over, looking for something in his drawer. He turned around and instantly had a smug smile on his face as he found what he was looking for. He found the sweater he was searching for in his dresser worn on your body. It was his light beige sweatshirt that he would wear when he recorded a lot of his music. Coincidentally, it was the same one he would give you every time he saw you sad or crying, to which you grew a strong fondness for it.

“I don’t get why you like that sweater so much, it’s literally my most plain and boring one.” Josh laughed as he brought you into his side with his hand on your waist.

“I don’t know either.” You lied.

“Whatever, you always make my clothes look way better than me.” He complimented, wrapping his arms around your head and yours around his waist for a tight hug. He pulled away slightly to look down at you, your noses barely touching. “Are you ready to go out?”

➢➣ ➢➣

“Shut up, dickhead!”

Josh slammed his hands on the steering wheel of his car. His loud laugh burned into your ears with embarrassment and discomfort. He slammed his body on the back of his seat and clutched onto the sides of his stomach and the fabric of his sweatshirt. He snorted, trying to catch his breath.

“Y/N, you’re such an amazing girlfriend.” He joked

As to why Josh was now stuck in a fit of laughter was all your fault. While at the diner, Josh received a phone call from his manager, which he of course had to take. You were both waiting on any news about the show as he was promised a special announcement from Disney. He was told to come to set tomorrow to film something, but he didn’t know what yet.

The moment he left, the waitress that escorted you to your seats had come to take your orders. You told her what you wanted, and she asked about Josh, referring to him as your boyfriend. Without even thinking of what she said, you continued to tell her what you knew Josh would have wanted, which led her to believe he actually was your boyfriend. You still had not realized what happened until you were both finishing your food and the waitress came back with the check, mentioning you two as a couple. To not make it seem awkward, Josh played along ( and would not stop teasing you about it for the rest of breakfast ). So here you are now; Josh is still not able to breathe.

You shifted in your seat, “You can take me home now, Joshua.”

He wiped his teary eyes and calmed down from his fit of laughter. “Aww, I’ll stop now. I’m sorry for laughing so much.”

He placed his hand on your lower thigh and gently rubbed it. You eyed him and earned back a sincere smile. You rolled your eyes playfully at him, and placed your hand on top of his to give it a tight squeeze. He brought your hand up to his lips and gave it a soft kiss, making you hide your flushed face. Josh noticed and let out a quiet chuckle before starting the car.

“I was writing something a few days ago. I don’t know if I should record it.” Josh spoke, glancing at you.

You sat up straight and excitedly looked at Josh, “Can I hear it?”

“It sucks, Y/N.”

“Please, Josh. Everything you write is so beautiful. You know I love all of your songs, literally all of them.” You squeezed Josh’s hand tighter that stayed on your thigh.

“Maybe when we get home. It’s not a lot, it’s basically four lines, so don’t get your hopes up.” He warned.

“I’ll love it no matter what.” You smiled.

➢➣ ➢➣

You followed Josh to the staircase of his house. He had promised to let you listen to his new song and record it if you “didn’t make a big deal out of it.” You sat two steps above Josh where you knew his phone camera wouldn’t get you in frame. He brought his ukelele out with him too, and he nervously fiddled with the strings.

“Don’t laugh, ok?” He mumbled, trying to sit on the step comfortably.

You shook your head and watched as he let out a deep breath. He scooted up to his phone and went to the camera, and hit the red record button.

“I wish you all the best,

cause lord knows you deserve it.

And it took me time to see,

but I understand,

the best just isn’t me.”

Josh finished playing the final chord and quickly stopped the video. He let out a large exhale and slowly faced you. You were in awe. You were always so greatful when he played his songs in front of you, especially because you were the first one to hear them. He was regularly writing love songs, and each time you thought for a second that he was thinking of you as he wrote it. You always convinced yourself that it was nothing or it was for someone else, but this song felt different.

“So?” He asked nervously.

“Josh,” You gasped out, “that was so beautiful.”

“Don’t lie, it sucked.”

You got up from your step and moved to sit next to him. He set his ukelele in the step above you two and faced his body towards you. You held his hands in yours and he squeezed them tightly.

“It’s an amazing song, Josh. If you put out all those songs you wrote you would understand how much of an amazing songwriter you are. You’re the best musician I know.”

Josh looked up at you and gave you a small smile. He scooted closer to you and held your waist. You stared at him for what seemed like forever. Josh darted between your eyes and your lips. Instinctively, you slowly inched towards him, and you felt him do the same. Your lips were so close that you felt your breath fan over each other. Your mind raced with various thoughts; Just do it, if you never take the chance you will regret it. But if you take that chance and it ruins everything, then you would lose Josh.

A part of you stopped and backed away, Josh following suit. He quickly removed his hands from your waist and you scooted a few inches away from him. You cleared your throat and got up from the stairs. You held your hand out for him to grab and he hesitantly took your offer. He stood taller than you and with your chests almost touching.

“You want to watch a movie?” Josh asked, picking up his instrument.

“Sounds great. I’ll get the snacks.” You offered. You walked down the steps, leaving Josh alone to think about what just happened.

You ran down the remainder of the stairs and tried to reach the kitchen without stumbling, but you nearly ran into one of the bookshelves and almost fell over the couch. Your whole body felt lighter. You reached the kitchen counter and rested against it. Your hands grazed through your hair and roughly massaged it. The headache you felt from the past five minutes overtook you. You don’t like Josh that way, so why did you want to kiss him so badly?

Shaking your headache aside, you opened one of the wooden cabinets above you. You found the large box of popcorn that Josh bought and tried your best to reach for one of the packages. Once you did, you tore off the plastic packaging and harshly threw the bag into the microwave and set the timer. You laid back on the corner of the counter and let out a large sigh.

“Y/N?” You heard Josh’s voice from the living room and his steps that grew louder towards the kitchen. You immediately stood up straight and fixed yourself to look collected. He walked in and abruptly stopped when he saw you agaisnt his counter. You noticed his loss of words, “W-What movie do y-you want to watch”

“Anything, it’s your turn to pick the movie.” You replied.

He started to walk up to you and your breath got hitched in your throat. “Should I make hot chocolate?” He questioned.

You gave him a simple nod, trying not to stare at him for too long. He moved closer to you and you looked up at him. One of his arms gripped the counter to your side. He looked straight at you, his mouth slightly agape. You took in all his features once again.

“I’m sorry, I just need to get the mugs.” He whispered lowly, staring between you and the cabinet above you. You could have sworn he was about to lean in again.

Your head snapped back and you realized how much you overthink his little gestures. “It’s fine, I can get it.” You offered.

You turned around and stood on your toes, trying to reach for your favorite mugs. Why on the top shelf Joshua? Almost out of instinct, Josh held on to your waist to help you keep steady as you lunged for the cups. You let out a quiet gasp in shock. This isn’t new for him to do, stop overthinking. You eventually grabbed them and handed it over to Josh.

“I’ll make it just how you like it.” He smiled.

➢➣ ➢➣

Josh decided that you should finish your High School Musical marathon and watch the final movie. The first 30 minutes of the movie could not have been more dreadful to watch. The tension in the air was thick, and you were both so used to singing the songs together right next to each other. You two were almost on opposite ends of the couch, which although wasn’t too far away from each other, there was still a gap between you. The only thing separating you two was the bowl of popcorn.

Troy and Gabriella met at the rooftop of their high school, he had just asked her to prom. As much as you tried to hold it in to not seem bored, you let out a quick yawn. Josh overheard the little whimper you let out and scooted closer to your direction.

“Do you want to lay down on my shoulder?” Josh asked politely.

“You don’t have to,” You denied.

“I insist, come.” He demanded. He held out an arm for you to snuggle into.

You reluctantly got up and moved the popcorn bowl to the coffee table in front of you and sat down next to Josh. You moved the sweatshirt that he took off from behind the seat and to your lap. You left the smallest bit of space to not seem weird, although, for you, this whole situation was weird. Josh chuckled at your nervousness and scooted in closer to stop the big space. His arm wrapped around your shoulder and you laid on his. It felt as though nothing happened between you two nearly an hour ago.

Troy and Gabriella were in the middle of singing, and you hummed softly to the music. You felt Josh’s stare burn through you, but you tried to hold back from looking at him. You paid as much attention to the movie as you could. The two in the movie were in the middle of the rain, and were staring at each other intently, almost like how you and Josh were a while ago. They slowly leaned in as they were about to kiss until the bell rang, interrupting their moment.

You heard a snort come from Josh, “I swear, they’re always about to kiss every ten minutes and something always stops them at the last minute.”

You giggled, “I know, they should just finish what they were about to start.”

“Yeah, we should.” Josh replied. You turned to look at him instantly, thrown off by his remark.

“What?” You shifted your body to face him, one leg laying on the cushion and tucked under the other leg hanging off the couch.

“You know what I mean, let’s finish what we started. Your words.” He insisted. “Did you ever think we were just friends?” He whispered into your ear, sending a shiver down your spine.

He altered his position to mirror you, facing your body directly. He rested his hand on your knee and moved closer to exclude any unwanted space between you two, playing with the material of the sweater still on your lap.

“Is this ok?”

“Yes.” You murmered directly.

You studied his eyes for any hint of a joke. Josh did nothing but admire you. His hand crept up to your cheek and the other around your waist. Like the staircase, you both veered towards each other. You felt his soft lips brush ever so slightly on yours, feeling his hot breath again. He drifted away the slightest to look at you, searching for any sign of discomfort or aversion. You gave a minimal nod as to let Josh continue, which was all he needed.

Josh pushed his lips onto yours for a soft and sweet kiss. The hand that wasn’t on his hot chest went to his neck. You kissed back gently. Josh pulled away extremely slow, lingering his lips on yours for however long he could. His eyes slowly fluttered open, showing an almost dreamy daze. His hands fell from your face and waist to your legs.

You stared at each other for the smallest second, before the confidence deeply hidden inside of you struck out. You pulled him back onto you, and Josh waisted no time in eagerly kissing you back. His hands traveled up your thighs, gripping them tightly. He swiftly grabbed his sweater that lay on your lap and threw it across the room. You pressed up your chest to his and tilted your head to deepen the kiss further.

Josh went to put his hand on your lower back, pushing his body weight forward. You slowly went down behind you until your back reached the couch softly. He hovered over you, passionately kissing you. You played with the curls on his hair, twirling it around your finger. You felt him bite down on your lower lip, making you gasp. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue in, feeding into your teenage hormones. You tugged at the hem of his shirt, trying to pull it off. Josh removed your hands and pushed you back down quickly, trailing long and awfully slow kisses from your lips to your neck. You felt him bite under your ear, earning a whimper from you. You could practically feel the smirk playing on his face.

He sat up from on top of you and pulled at his shirt from the collar, removing it completely. He quickly attacked your neck again, leaving deep red marks on your neck down to your collarbone, stopping where his sweater covered the rest of your body. You bit your lip to hold back the noises begging to come out. His lips traced back up to your face, fervently kissing your swollen lips. You tugged at his hair, making him groan into the kiss, and you quickly nudged his face up and to his neck. You were able to leave two big marks under his ear before he wanted to go back to giving you attention.

You heard a vibration coming from Josh’s pants. The buzzing didn’t seem to stop him, as he kept creating new marks all over your neck. You wish you would have ignored it too, but you knew it could have been his manager again about the show. You grabbed Josh’s face and held it up to you, his face confused as to why you stopped him.

“Your phone, Josh.”

“That can wait.” Josh grumbled, desperate for his lips to be back on your body. He was stronger than you, so he easily pushed your hands aside to kiss under your ear again.

“Josh,” You moaned out, pulling his face away from your neck again, “just answer it. I’ll still be here.”

He let out a groan, and kissed your lips tenderly once more. He got out his phone that was almost about to finish ringing, and got up from your position. You sat up as well, fixing your possibly messy hair.

“Olivia?” Josh sounded in shock as he answered the phone. “What do you mean you’re here? With Matt?”

Panic took over you and Josh, and he quickly threw on his shirt. You fixed up the couch, picking up the sweater that Josh threw earlier, and bringing the dishes left on the counter to the sink.

“Yeah, I’ll get the door right now, just give me a second.” He rushed, hanging up immediately.

“Should I leave?” You asked, reaching for your bag that was left on the floor next to the couch.

Josh rapidly grabbed your arm and held it to his chest, “No, no, no, please don’t. I promise it will be quick. You can stay.”

“They’re going to see your neck, and worst of all, mine.” You said in fear.

“Please, Y/N. Stay.” He begged.

You let out a sigh, holding his face in your hands to kiss his cheek, “I’ll be in your room.”

➢➣ ➢➣

Josh had been gone for about 10 minutes, leaving you to hear them scream in joy for something you have yet to find out about. After a while it got quiet, which made you as to wonder if they had left or if they were still talking. Either way, you didn’t want to go down and check.

You took that time alone to really grasp what just happened. Everything moved so fast, and you weren’t prepared to face it. In the moment, you would have thought nothing of it, just pushing aside the reality of the situation and focusing on Josh’s body on yours. Now the guilt has come flooding in, overwhelmingly. You didn’t want to like Josh, it would just over complicate you relationship, as if it weren’t already. You hated the idea of dating, it was never something you were good at. All of your relationships ended with you being cheated on or lied to. You know Josh isn’t like that, but the memories it brings back is like nightmare fuel. And now you almost possibly hooked up with your friend ( and kind of your boss ).

You heard footsteps rushing up closer to Josh’s room, sending nerves to your body. The door swung open, making you jump in fear. Josh saw you lying on his bed, almost like this morning, and he tried to catch his breath.

“What happened, Josh?” You wondered, sitting up on the bed and walking up to him.

“We start shooting for our second season tomorrow!” He yelled out, a large smile built upon his face.

The anxiety somewhat washed away, leaving excitement for your friend. “That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you!”

Josh brought you back in for a tight embrace, picking you up off the floor. As he set you back down, he moved his head back to look at you. He leaned down again to try and kiss you, but you stopped him.

“I think we should talk about what happened.” Josh pulled away awkwardly, nodding.

“Yeah, you’re right.” He sat down on his bed, “Listen, I’m sorry if I took things too far. I honestly don’t know what came over me, it was kind of an ‘in the moment’ type of thing. I’m not usually like that.”

You sat down directly next to him, “I’m not saying I didn’t like it, because I sort of liked it a lot. But I’m more worried about what this means for us. We’ve been just friends for years, so why did today feel different.”

“It’s been feeling different, Y/N. Don’t lie to me and tell me you haven’t felt something change between us.” He argued.

“Josh, I know things have changed, but we can’t do this. We’re friends, and worse, I’m your assistant, too. How could that ever work out?” You whined.

“You being my assistant has changed nothing, absolutely nothing. And ‘only friends’ don’t sleep in the same bed together, or constantly flirt with each other, or make out on one’s couch.”

“What are you saying, Josh?” You asked reluctantly.

“I’m saying that I feel something for you that I know is wrong, but I have to express. Y/N, I like you, and maybe it took me a long time to realize but, fuck, you’re the best thing in my life.” He angrily blurted out. “All those songs I wrote, I always thought of you. I know you don’t like relationships, I know that. I’m so sorry I put you in this position, but please, let me try.”

You felt your eyes water, “This is all moving too fast for me. Josh, we can’t do this.”

“You couldn’t have said that before we made out?” He cried, rubbing his head restlessly.

“That was my fault. But I can’t, Josh. I’m sorry. I really want to say yes, but it’s all too much to handle at once. I’m so sorry.” You choked out, getting up from his bed.

“Y/N,” Josh stood up and grabbed your arm, forcing you to turn around.

“Just give me some time, alright? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You yanked your arm out of Josh’s grasp and walked out the door, leaving Josh alone in his room to think if he ruined his life.

A/N - so this is probably has the most sexual-ish writing i can do without feeling like ive sinned ( ironic ) . i took the inspo of his music from his instagram , just not in the same order (: hope u like this little story , planning on making it a small series , so let me know what u think !! love y’all xx

[ptersparkers]

angel (chilling adventures of sabrina)

summary: as the only pure mortal in the fright club, there seems to be an influx of interesting things happening in greendale that you are unaware of. a certain prince of hell happens to find that interesting. 

warnings: typos, probably.

a/n: ummm maybe i binge watched caos this past week and maybe i’ve fallen in love. i’ll let you figure that out. also this is my first time writing for caos (and not marvel, lol) so let me know what you think!!’ pls give feedback thank u. 

add yourself to my tasglist! 

ps: this gif is mine so if you use it, please credit!  

When all was said and done, Sabrina and Caliban had come to amicable terms regarding the shared responsibility of ruling Hell.

It didn’t take much convincing for Caliban to relinquish his prior ambition after learning his rule would end within a day, as the Pagans would have defeated him and taken Earth for themselves. Sabrina’s ability to show him the time loop she was once trapped in gave him a reason to quit the fighting and rule Hell on an equal scale, no questions asked.

Plus, he started to like the bleach blonde witch.

You, on the other hand, felt like you had missed out on the most important plot piece of the greatest film of all time.

While Harvey, Theo, and Roz had known about Sabrina’s secret since her sixteenth birthday, you were left in the dust about the shenanigans that went on around Greendale. You were truly the only mortal with no magic or witch ties, but the other four couldn’t say the same. Sabrina was a witch, Theo’s ancestor Dorothea often visited him in time of need, Harvey’s family had a history of witch hunting (which he does not partake), and Roz’s ability to foreshadow the future with a simple touch proved to be more useful than she had originally thought.

You were a mortal. A regular high school student whose biggest problems were studying for four AP classes every day while balancing cheerleading and other extracurriculars.

It wasn’t until recently that the strangeness came to light. What the Fright Club had failed to mention was that Sabrina had continuously hexed you in order to keep you out of harm’s way by leaving a small bag filled with her Aunt Hilda’s concoctions in your bedroom. It worked its magic when you slept, an invisible blanket covering your eyes that made their strange disappearances seem normal.

But it seems like that hex was fading. Sabrina neglected to change it out every other week due to being preoccupied by Caliban’s yearning, the Dark Lord’s agenda, and Lilith’s drama regarding Hell. Now you sat with wonder and couldn’t help but feel left out of a great adventure that your friends embarked on.

A month had passed since Sabrina and Caliban had made amends. You grew to understand the nature of it and the four filled you in on all you had missed with a guilt hanging over their heads. It was hard to hear and understand, but ultimately you couldn’t hate your best friends for wanting to keep you safe.

You knew not to question Sabrina’s whereabouts if you weren’t able to find her because she was most likely taking care of business down below. You still had yet to meet Caliban and the only information you gathered from him was what the gang caught you up on and Sabrina’s grievances whenever she felt annoyed by him.

“You know, this is all a weird concept,” you said. “I mean, I guess I always had my faith and doubt kept me guessing about what’s really out there, and it’s really out there,” you said, stealing a fry from Theo’s plate. The five of you sat in Dr. Cerberus’s diner and decided you weren’t going to do anything that wasn’t normal for teenagers.

“It still creeps me out,” Harvey admitted. “Hell was worse than I could’ve imagined.”

“Caliban’s got things under control and Lilith’s doing just fine being an advisor,” Sabrina said. “I don’t think she’s mad about the ruling situation anymore. Lucifer’s still doing his bidding but I think they’ve reconnected.”

“That’s...good?”

Sabrina chuckled. “Trust me, it’ll take some getting used to.”

“That is an absolute understatement.”

The door to the diner chimed while you fished inside of your purse for a quarter.

“I’m gonna go pick out a song, any requests?”

“You’re the music genius,” said Roz. You smiled and walked towards the front of the diner.

As you approached the machine and put the quarter inside of the slot, a tall man with sand colored hair loomed over you and watched.

“Can I help you?” you asked.

“Not really. Just observing.” You quirked an eyebrow, not recognizing his face despite knowing everyone in the small town.

“You’re not from here, are you?” you asked.

He chuckled. “Is it that obvious?”

“Greendale’s a pretty small town. It’s easy to spot someone who’s not a local,” you replied.

“Well in that case, I’m not from around these parts. Far from, actually.” He looked at your hand and then the juke box. “What song are you choosing?”

You pried your gaze away from him to look back at the machine and put the coin in the slot, choosing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” before looking back at him.

“Satisfied?”

The handsome stranger looked at you and didn’t try to hide the face that he was checking you out by letting his eyes look at your body up and down. Not that you minded.

“Very,” he said with a sail try voice before walking around the corner. “The name’s Caliban.”

“Y/N,” you replied. You raised your eyebrow before walking back to the other four and sat down in your previous seat only for the handsome stranger to approach the table.

“Caliban,” Sabrina greeted. “What a lovely surprise.”

“Nice choice,” Roz commented, hearing the song play throughout the diner.

“That’s Caliban, as in the Caliban?” you asked.

“It’s good to know you lot have been talking about me,” he said, crossing his hands over his chest. “I decided to take a break from, you know, and come see what you love so much about Greendale.”

“She knows about Hell,” said Sabrina.

“Funny how I’ve never seen her there, or anywhere with you four, as a matter of fact,” Caliban replied.

“It’s a long story,” you said, sipping on your chocolate milkshake. “Not an important one, though.”

“Contrary,” he began. “You’re the first purely true mortal I’ve met in Hell or otherwise with no ancestral ties to witches or greater magic. That’s pretty important to me.” You blushed, not knowing what to say or do next.

“Is there a reason you’re here?” Harvey asked with a slight attitude. Caliban shifted his focus from you to him, which made your body relax a little bit.

“I didn’t come here for business or to whisk Sabrina away, if that’s what you’re wondering. I’m just here to see what makes Greendale so special, though I think I’m starting to see why.” Caliban spared no expense and was not shy about looking in your direction as he spoke his last statement.

“Don’t even think about it,” Sabrina said sternly. “You are not going to get any ideas, are you?”

Caliban chuckled and put his hands up in defense. “Whatever you say, Sabrina.” He began to walk away but not before turning around and winking at you. “See you around.”

Caliban walked out the door and you didn’t bother asking where he was going next.

“Dear Satan, he’s so annoying,” Sabrina said, exasperated. “It’s like he’s made it his personal mission to make my life, well, a living Hell for lack of a better term.”

“At least he’s not hellbent on defeating you anymore,” Theo reasoned. “I think he’s trying to get to know you a little bit better.”

“And he’s doing it by flirting with my best friend?” Sabrina asked. She put her head on your shoulder and and ate a fry from her plate. “You know I love you, right?”

“Mhm.”

“I’m not saying you need to stay away from Caliban, but you need to be careful around him. At least until we’ve worked together long enough for me to trust him completely.”

“Loud and clear, Brina,” you said. “I still can’t really wrap my head around this whole thing. I can’t watch horror films about Hell and witches the same ever again.”

The Fright Club laughed.

“It’ll take some getting used to,” Harvey said. “I mean, I was pretty apprehensive at first. Remember when Brina and I broke up and I spent every day at your place after school?” You nodded. “That’s when she told me she was a witch. It was kind of hard to wrap my head around until everything with the Pagans and angels happened.” You nodded, soaking in his words. “Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with feeling like you don’t understand. I don’t even understand most of it, if I’m being completely honest.”

“In think that’s enough food for me,” said Roz who pushed her plate to the middle. “Seeing Hell with my own eyes really suppressed my appetite.”

”Oh, shoot,” you said, looking at the clock mounted on the wall. “I have to head home and help my mom. I promised her I’d help clean the kitchen and I’ve got to be home in ten minutes. Can I pay you guys back?”

“Don’t worry about it. See you tomorrow?” said Theo.

“Count on it!”

***

You saw Caliban not long after your first encounter with him. The idea of him being the ruler of Hell (alongside Sabrina) was still a hard concept to understand and you weren’t quite sure if you were supposed to bow in his presence or not.

“Unnecessary,” he said when you asked. Caliban sat across from you at the local coffee shop, offering to walk you when you had caught his eye. You harbored a hot latte and he held a blueberry scone in his hand. “I think you mortals like that glory.”

You shrugged. “Can’t argue with that.”

“Hell doesn’t have formalities when it comes to celebration other than referring to each other by one’s title,” he explained. “It’s just easier that way.”

“You make it seem like Hell’s a relaxed place to be.”

He pinched a piece of his scone off at put it in his mouth, smirking at your statement.

“Oh, far from it. As righteous as demons are, we’re not that shallow.”

“It’s kind of hard to believe you’re made out of clay,” you said, taking a sip of your latte.

“Why do you say that?”

“I dunno,” you said. You reached over the table to poke his bicep. “You seem so real. So human.”

Normally, Caliban would’ve been offended by such a comparison. But he smiled.

“I suppose. I don’t question my creation. I accept it and try to live as adventurously as I can.”

“I hope to,” you said. “Getting out of Greendale, I mean. It’s my biggest dream.”

“You’d want to leave this town?” he asked.

“Well, yeah,” you replied. “I have nothing going for me here. I’m powerless and there’s no reason for me to stay where I’m not needed.”

To his surprise, Caliban felt his heart jolt at your comment. He was wordless for a moment.

“Where will you go?”

“I don’t know,” you said. “Maybe somewhere on the west coast. Maybe I’ll still be in New England. College is the perfect opportunity to explore the world and come back home for a few weeks at a time.”

“This is where Lucifer fell, you know,” said Caliban. “The sacred place is hidden deep in the woods where there’s a clearing of rocks and stone. That’s why this place is driven by witches of the Church of Night.”

“I still can’t believe the Devil is walking among us,” you said, shaking your head. “My mom used to force me to go to Sunday school, and I suppose I did have faith. It’s all meta now.”

“Are you still a believer?” he asked.

“I kind of have to be, considering you’re here.”

Caliban smiled.

“Do Heaven and Hell ever interact withe each other?”

“Not exactly,” he began. “We’re on civil relations but don’t want anything to do with each other. They stay up there so long as we stay down here. I’ve never encountered an angel before.”

“You haven’t?”

“They aren’t allowed to come down to Earth unless absolutely necessary,” he explained. “Not really sure why but it’s one of their more important rules.”

“I think I have a headache,” you teased. All of this knowledge about celestial beings truly made your senses adapt to your surroundings in Greendale and you were more than aware of the fact that God was real.

“I should go,” Caliban said, standing up. “I need to escort some souls back to Hell and send some up north.”

“You mean not all souls who are sold to the Devil go to Hell?”

“Sabrina and I negotiated that,” he said. “No more soul-selling. The ones that preexist will be discussed by her and I, and we decide if the punishment is worth the crime. I don’t think someone who sold their soul for a good cause needs to spend all eternity down in Hell. That’s why she comes down there all the time.”

“Huh,” you said at a loss for words.

Caliban smiled. “I’ll see you around, princess.”

***

The next time you see Caliban was with the rest of the Fright Club. He was wearing a linen button down with several buttons popped open, exposing his bare chest with black slacks and white sneakers. His hair was tousled and you swore this was the most human you had ever seen him.

“Ambrose is being a little paranoid and wants me to check out the edge of Greendale for threats,” Sabrina said. “I think he’s just worried about me co-ruling Hell while living on Earth. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“You say that like it’s just another day in Greendale,” you said.

Sabrina shrugged. “I mean, it kind of is.”

“Well, do you need us to do anything?” Roz asked.

“I want you to come with me, if that’s okay. Harvey, Theo, and Y/N, you don’t need to come. I’m sure this is Ambrose being Ambrose.”

“Are you sure, Brina?” Harvey asked.

She waved him off. “It’s fine, really. Roz and I will spend a few hours making sure things are normal and we’ll meet back at my place for dinner? Aunt Hilda’s kind of expecting us.”

“Wouldn’t miss it!” Theo said enthusiastically.

Sabrina gave the group one last smile before she took Roz’s hands and teleported out of the room, which left the four of you.

“I can give you a ride, Theo,” Harvey offered before looking at you. “And you too. I don’t mind driving to the other side of town.”

“I can take her home,” Caliban said. Harvey looked at you and Caliban spoke again, noticing his hesitation. “Part of our deal was that I made sure her friends remain unharmed. That includes Y/N.”

Harvey seemed to accepted this answer and grabbed his keys from his pocket before bidding you a goodbye. He and Theo drove off in his truck before you and Caliban left in the opposite direction.

“So, uh, do you want to come in?” you asked, awkwardly standing by the front door after he insisted on walking you in.

“I don’t mind,” he said. You fumbled with the keys before opening the door with a shaky hand and let him inside. It was the first time you were letting a boy into your home (other than Harvey and Theo, but your relationship with them was strictly platonic) and you felt a little more nervous than usual. After figuring out you had liked Caliban more than you originally expected, there was nothing you could do to stop your heart from beating just a little too fast when we he was around. Him being in your house did nothing to help the situation.

As for Caliban, his usual overwhelming desire for a carnal relationship was nowhere to be found when he stepped into your house. He looked at the white walls decorated with family photos and admired the ones with you as a child. Caliban watched as you put the house keys in a glass dish and followed you to your bedroom.

It was odd, Caliban thought, to feel nothing but tranquility. He was almost always hyperaware of his surroundings and wary of demons and souls roaming past him in Hell, but it was just the two of you. Two bodies under one roof.

“My parents won’t be home until later tonight. N-Not that we have to do anything!” you added. “I just mean they’d freak out because they haven’t met you before.”

Caliban chuckled. “I wasn’t planning on making a move, if that’s what you were wondering.”

You didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

“Your room suits you,” he said. Caliban admired the photos on your nightstand and polaroids pinned to a brown board on the wall filled with memories from your past with the Fright Club and other friends and family members. He saw a stack of books beside your bed and a fish tank sitting by the window, your closet doors closed, and decorative pieces that highlighted your personality.

“Thanks,” you said, laying down on your best. “You can sit, you know.”

Caliban took this opportunity to lay next to you. When you felt the bed dip, you averted your eyes to the ceiling.

“What are you thinking about?” Caliban asked after a long pause of silence.

“How fast life changes,” you replied. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, but with all that I know, how can I keep all of this celestial knowledge a secret from my parents? The world is always doubting Heaven and Hell but I know the truth. I don’t know if being purely mortal is helping me out in this situation either.”

“You’re an innocent,” Caliban said, turning his head to look at you. “So pure and clean. Your soul has been untouched by neither light or night and it’s probably the one thing that’s going to save you in the future.”

You turned your head to meet his gaze. “I’m still powerless.”

“Maybe in one way, but not completely. You have no witchcraft magic but you have intelligence and intuition. You know not to meddle with things that aren’t of your concern.”

You were silent.

“What else are you thinking about?”

“How much I like spending time with you,” you confessed. “But it’s hard, you know. You’ll be in Hell most of the time and you’re made of clay, for crying out loud.” Caliban chuckled. “I didn’t really think you’d be around as often as you are.”

Caliban was silent.

“What are you thinking about?”

“You,” he replied. “I’m always thinking about you. I used to think morality was a disease, but it’s not. It’s a rationale, just like any demonic presence.” Caliban moved closed to you.

“I think about what love is and how I don’t know what it really means.”

“I think love means different things to different people,” you said. “I think it’s mutual respect and loyalty. It’s knowing details about someone, big and small. It’s about being together but knowing you can be independent. Love is hard and it takes time. Love is not instant.”

“You’re pretty wise for an innocent,” he said.

You laughed. “Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic.”

“Maybe not.”

Caliban lifted his body to hover above yours, your chests barely touching as his eyes gazed right over your lips. You dared not to move and Caliban hesitantly leaned down further so that your lips barely brushed against one another, the goosebumps on your skin taking affect. Because you weren’t pulling away, he took it as a silent signal and pressed his chaste lips against your soft ones.

There was no spark. No magic and no fireworks. There was only you and Caliban, and there was no other way you would’ve wanted your first kiss to feel like. Time slowed down as Caliban relaxed by your touch and your hands roamed his neck. The cold outdoor air was replaced by the warmth of Caliban’s body and when he pulled away, he let his thumb stroke your cheek as he cupped the side of your face.

“You are, dare I say, an angel.

“That’s a compliment, considering I know how much you despise them.”

He laughed. “Perhaps I’ll make an exception.”

Caliban leaned down once more to press a tender kiss to your forehead and you closed your eyes in bliss, happy to accept the good that came with the craziness of the last month. You looked at his structured jaw and grinned at his loving gaze, letting out a tired laugh.

“Perhaps.”

[bumbershots]

A CERTAIN ROMANCE

CHAPTER FIVE: A SPECIAL DAY

Author’s note: Hello! We have finally reached the awaited date between Harry and Alma. I was really excited for this chapter, hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did, forgive me in advance for any mistakes, my beta reader (my boyfriend) was unavailable, so this is a good time to say that if anyone out there has the time and willingness to beta read any future chapters send me an ask or message to let me know. Enjoy! (:

Story masterlist ** Word count: 2.6K **

Harry wakes up feeling excited, nervous and hungry. He takes care of the latter, decides to make some blueberry pancakes, turns out he can't eat more than two and a cup of coffee. Not that the pancakes weren't great, in fact they were fantastic, he even decides to brag about them on an Instagram story that is published for his close friends only. Nick quickly replies to it with a laughing emoji.

You should take a Tupperware full of them to your date ;)

The reason behind his excitement and nerves make his heart race, he decides to type in a polite 'fuck off' to his mate before heading to the shower. Under the warm spray of water he tries to sort out his thoughts. Harry doesn’t want to think about his upcoming trip to California. 

It was necessary for the album or so he thought last week, after going through a box with the very few memories he kept from his ex. He wasn’t in a right state of mind then, he feels pathetic. The only reason why he wanted to spend time in Los Angeles was because everything there —from the pavement to the sky— was tainted by her. 

Why would he want to go back to that place where the constant reminder of his pain was literally living in the same neighbourhood? Because it would provide him the cathartic release he was looking for. That’s the line he used after Sarah and Mitch tried to dissuade him from flying across the Atlantic and Harry was so proud of himself when it worked. 

That very same day, he got the first text from Alma, it was the address like she promised. ‘In case one of your talents isn’t stumbling upon my work place ;)’ the second text read and Harry had to endure Sarah’s questionnaire about the girl that made him blush with a mere wink emoji. Not that he minded talking about her, he could go on all day.

He usually preferred a shower before breakfast, usually even work out before then but well, hunger clouded his judgement earlier today. Even with that taken care of that dread still niggled him away. Just slightly. So, he decided to pick up his guitar for a moment and strummed. There was no real intention to play seriously, or to write anything down on the journal by his desk. It was more of something he enjoys too much not to do it, a way to keep his hands and mind busy, faffing around with chords. With a bit of luck he might come up with a song, a tune which just worked, that just... clicked.

Contrary to what people might believe, genius didn't strike him here and then. Not like when he'd come up with Sign of the times or Two ghosts. But finding a neat little pattern of chords a good thirty minutes later makes him smile, it's something he can work with. It needs a little polishing from Mitch and company, sure, but it has a good rhythm. He scribbled down some notes on his journal and sent the audio to his fellow musician.

Maybe he will find the words in one of the old notebooks that are somewhere in the other room, perhaps on the ones that are still on his unpacked suitcase from Japan. Silently he also hoped to find the lyrics around London. He had lived in the capital for a few years now, but he had been different then. Now he likes to think that he's a man, no longer the teenager from the boy band or the shiny new solo artist. He has new perspectives, sights, smells in this new home of his. New ideas.

Harry gazes out his bedroom window; the view is not great –mostly of the other houses in the complex. His mind focused on the cloudy sky, confused because he swore it was sunny just a few minutes ago, can bet on his life that he woke up to dazzling sunshine rays of a warm yellow colour peeking through that same window. He puts his guitar away on the bed with care and makes a beeline to his wardrobe. He needs to figure out what to wear, pronto.

Skipping her afternoon kip was not something Alma did, it was a rare occurrence which meant one thing: something special was happening.

Walking down Oxford Street, trying to decide where to get some lunch without a care in the world, that was until the calmness faded, when her schedule for the day hit her.

She had a date with Harry. A date, with Harry Styles. It was weird to go by his full name in her head, she couldn't bring herself to call or think about him as The Harry Styles.

Maybe she'd settle to call him Harry the tube guy.

The clock on her phone showed that it was no longer single figure hours, she needed to get some food now or starve until her shift was over, and then he would have to watch her feast at whatever place he chose. Alma groaned, thought how ridiculous it was to worry about him watching her eat. Harry was a grown man; of course he knows that women eat too, right?

Walking into the nearest Sainsbury's she decided to take a deep breath. He's just some guy, she concluded after paying for her chicken baguette. Nothing to stress about.

Harry showered again, while belting out some classic pop tunes. Namely Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, something that in the past he'd swear blind you'd misheard and it was actually The Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd. But he'd come to terms that he liked what he liked.

Towel clad in the bedroom, trying to shirk off hypothermia, he was quick to put on some pants and jeans, before throwing on some simple white tee proclaiming some fading band name. He uses a dry clean towel from the closet and attempts to dry his hair, as he styles his flopped mop the thought of a haircut crosses his mind. It was getting a bit long.

One last look at the clock and he is ready to leave. "You'll be fine. Trust me." He quietly speaks to himself before closing the last few buttons of his green parka and fixing the newsboy cap on his head.

When he walks out of Colindale tube station, a little earlier than half past five, he sees the bakery from her instructions just below the large modern building Alma was kind enough to describe. She was right; the bakery is right across the street, he waits for the green man to light up to cross, shoving his hands in his pockets. The huge front windows of the establishment allow Harry to see her behind the till, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks. She looks better than she did three weeks ago. He hesitates about going in for a few minutes, but feels it ought to be better than to lurk on the street.

Alma can feel his presence the moment he sets foot into the shop, her eyes are drawn to him and a content close lipped smile is the best greeting he could ask from her. The only customer in the place can feel the shift in the atmosphere when they lock eyes. So, picking up her bag full of baked goods, she steps out and leaves them alone.

"Sorry if I'm too early." He begins while she takes off her apron and hangs it in the back wall.

"You're right on time," Alma says after checking her watch, "I'm off Carlos, see you tomorrow!" She hollers to the employee that is taking a non-allowed nap in the back. Harry holds the door open for her and follows out of the warm store. "Shall we take the tube?" At his affirmative response, she then takes out her Oyster card and leads the way.

The café was not somewhere Alma expected Harry to go, the little shop with soothing music and simple stools full of the scent of organic coffee brewing is dazzling and unique. A bit like him, she thinks. She liked it. It reminded her of the places she used to frequent when she had recently moved into the city.

Harry orders a black coffee at the counter before asking Alma what she'd like.

"A cappuccino, and remember I'm paying for our food," she hands him a tenner that he reluctantly takes from her.

"Absolutely," he iterates the order to the woman behind the counter and adds two salted caramel cupcakes handing over the cash. "If you get a seat, I'll bring it over."

Alma thanks him before scampering across the room to sit at the back two seat table tucked in the corner. It was right beside the large back window, dimly lit. Before she sat, she removed her signature burgundy coat and Harry couldn't help his eyes being drawn to certain aspects of his companion. Nice arse, he remarked with a raise of his brows before the woman behind the counter tells him for the third time that his order is ready, a look of disdain as she probably caught his gaze. Giving her a sheepish smile to appease her, he manages to balance the two plates and mugs in his hands and walk over to the table.

"They asked if you wanted whipped cream or foam and I settled for foam, hope that's not a problem." He plonks himself on the seat across from her, removing his parka in a clumsy manner before hanging it in the back of the chair.

"No problem, I actually despise–

"Whipped cream, yeah, I kind of remembered what you told me about that birthday party of yours," the green eyed lad finishes for her and scratches the back of his neck. "You know with that dare..."

Her eyes flickered down to the cupcakes laid out before them and she started picking the caramel out of one, hoping to hide the nerves his words caused.

"Right enough, yeah... I can't believe you remembered that or that I told you about it." She chuckled nervously at the anecdote she chose to share with him, it was a bit inappropriate due to the amount of vomit around it, literally. But he shrugged with a charming smile. No big deal. "Nice place," she noted.

"I know it's a bit of a strange choice. It doesn't strike me as, you know, the kind of place you put so much effort into for a first date..." Harry stops talking and now his eyes meet the cupcake in front of him. "Bollocks I must have sounded so daft, I'm sorry." Lucky for him, she doesn't laugh, instead she reaches out to stroke his hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

"Nothing to be sorry about, I can be quite daft so..."

"I doubt that Miss suave." He gets a laugh out of her then, one that is almost a snort and earns a few glances from other customers.

"I’m far from it! Honestly, I once accidentally stepped on dog shit and didn't notice until my date couldn't bear the stink anymore and checked my shoe, in a very fancy restaurant. Terrible story. Trust me, I can be daft." Alma held up her hands and the musician giggled at her.

"Promise you won't laugh?" he raised an eyebrow at her, pleading. She promised. "Well, I kind of always wanted to have a first date here. It's always one of the first places I visit when I'm back in London, the food is amazing, and service is excellent. Came here completely hung-over after my twenty-first birthday party. I guess it has a lot of good memories." Pinked cheeks gave away Harry's embarrassment, he wanted to relax and for her to be more comfortable around him.

With a sincere smile Alma placed her hand over his resting on the table. "I think that is very sweet." This reply was not what he had expected; she leant in and beckoned him closer. "For your information Harry, this is exactly a great place for a first date." Up close he swore the darkness of her eyes were about to swallow him whole and spit him out to an alternate universe. He swallowed hard and took a sip of his coffee to distract himself a bit. Perhaps caffeine was not a good choice on a day where his heart was speeding so frequently.

"Did you have a good day today at work?" he asks with a familiarity that Alma can get used to.

"Yeah, had a bit of free time to plan my next video blog. It's been ages since I uploaded one." She bashfully admits. "This cupcake was delicious, a great flavour choice." And just like that they fall into easy conversation until their cups are drained. The place is almost empty around quarter to eight and they both know it's almost closing time –the death glances from the employees behind the counter gave it away. They put on their garments again before leaving.

Harry makes his way to the door expecting Alma to follow. Instead she first gathered up their mugs and plates, to place them neatly on the counter and thanked the three workers behind it with a genuine smile. Harry looked surprised; she didn't quite have to do that. She noticed.

"Just being polite," she stated the obvious, before walking under his arm that held open the door. He chose not to comment and fought back a smile.

They stood outside, not really sure of what to do next. Usually he would suggest going back to his place. It was near, but he watched her yawn discreetly and he suddenly remembered that she had a real job, well actually jobs in plural. He broke the silence.

"It was nice to see you again Alma." He meant it and she smiled as she toyed with the buttons of her coat. British summer weather was hardly cold, but today it seemed to be punishingly windy. Harry near gave a shiver, but instead took a deep breath before speaking again. It was now or never. "It'd be quite great, if I could... I'd like to see you again. Please." He shifted on one foot, nearly drowned in the silence that followed.

"I'd quite love to see you again," Harry gave a slight gulp, very slight and got out strength from the words she spoke to take a big risk, the first of today.

He stepped closer and cradled her face in his hands before leaning down and kissing her cheek. It wasn't the full on kiss he wanted to give her. But it is something he'd been dying to do since he first saw her today, something he hoped would make clear how attracted he was to her. Harry smelled like coffee and caramel. God this man's lips are prettier up close, she thought right before he straightened up.

She stayed close to him before speaking again. A low murmur so that the passing London traffic wouldn't steal her words from him.

"This was an amazing date."

Alma walked with him the long distance of one mile to the tube station, their hands brushing against each other. He was desperate to just hold hers, kiss her soft knuckles and ask about the lightning-shaped scar on her little finger. But decided against it, he knew that West Hampstead was not a common area for paparazzi, but he didn't want to risk her. Especially after the splendid afternoon they just shared.

They said their farewells.

"I'll call you," he said again. She warned that he better, before entering the station, he took great delight in watching her walk away from him, his gaze falling once more to her bum now covered by the coat. Harry spun on his heel and walked the short distance to his home.

Surely London could help him find the lyrics for that tune, this city definitely had something.

///

Let me know if you like the story! *** Join the taglist!

///

TAG LIST: @laurxn-robinson​ @mellamolayla​ 

[im-whatchamccallit]

Confessing to Their Crush While Drunk//ATEEZ

(A/N: I spent days editing and rewriting this and I’m still not satisfied but I don’t have anymore time to cry over it so I accept it for what it is lol. Also, some are longer than others and I’m sorry about that)

Hongjoong

Clubs weren’t really your thing but you needed to relax a bit, your job overwhelming you to the point of no return, and you thought of one person who probably felt the same pressure and needed this night out just as much as you did: Hongjoong.

What you didn’t expect was for him to down various shots as if they were water, your hands no longer reaching to the tray of jello shots as you watched him stumble around happily, dancing off beat to the fast paced music.

He was on cloud nine at this point, his eyes barely open as his grin took up 90% of his face, but he managed to see your distinct figure approaching him, his body nearly lunging towards you as you caught him with ease, a concerned look on your face.

“Hi angel!” You tried to smile but grimaced at the smell of alcohol on his breath.

“Are you alright, Joong? I think I should take you home.” You offered, not surprised as he shook his head and tried to pull away, a sigh leaving your lips.

“At least sit down. Let’s get you some water.” Luckily, he followed you without incident.

You sat in silence at the bar as you sipped on your water, body trembling under Hongjoong’s intense stare despite your efforts to ignore it, unsure of what was going through his mind and if they were pure intentions at all. When you finally did face him, any questions you may have had were interrupted by his simple but shocking confession.

“I want to kiss you so bad.”

Your face grew hot as his words, ready to tell him how strange and inappropriate he was being from his usual self, but the small giggles he let out and slight pink tint to his cheeks and ears made you want to roll your eyes at yourself. He was drunk, you shouldn’t get yourself worked up over drunken words.

“I wrote an entire song about how cute your lips were, especially when you smile. I even look at your picture sometimes just because I miss you. I feel stupid being this in love with someone, but I’m so happy at the same time.”

As much as you wanted to pass it off as drunken words, they honestly cut deep. Whenever you’d call Hongjoong as he was writing or composing, he’d answer the call with an excited “Hello, my muse” before detailing the song he was preparing for the next comeback. But maybe he was just talking to talk, and the alcohol was just forming unrealistic sentences that you wanted to hear and he couldn’t comprehend. But from the way your eyes gazed to the empty glass of water you ordered for him, you weren’t completely sure anymore.

“(Y/n),” Your attention came back to Hongjoong, his eyes meeting yours as he leaned against the bar to balance himself.

“Don’t smile for anyone else but me, okay? I don’t want them to take you away.” He said in a fake stern tone, managing to bring a genuine smile and laugh from you.

“I swear.”

Seonghwa

Seonghwa was typically a classy man, drinking wine in high class places to show he was mature and sophisticated. But on the nights you’d invite him over for dinner and your bi-weekly catch up, a tradition you made after he debuted in order to keep in touch, classy was the last thing you’d use to describe him.

Dinner ended not long ago and, from the moment you sat on your sofa and began talking until now, you had managed to clear three bottles. But you were only now finishing your second glass. It was a shock to see Seonghwa down each glass as if it were water but you ignored it as his laugh grew louder and smile brighter, loving the face that you almost rarely got to see these days. What you couldn’t ignore was how close he was at this point, your knees slightly touching as his free hand gently toyed with the hairs of your bang and adjusted them to show more of your face, his hooded eyes staring into yours as neither of you spoke for what felt like hours.

“Don’t you ever think we’d be cute together?” He asked boldly, not taking his eyes off yours that were now wide.

You couldn’t find the words to say, let alone speak, so you just let him continue, his hand placing the wine glass down as he wrapped an arm around your waist, a strange tingle going down your spine when he brought his face to yours. You knew Seonghwa’s tolerance level, and two and a half bottles of wine alone wasn’t even close to getting him drunk, but you could definitely tell the alcohol was effecting him.

“Don’t you think it’s reckless to say stuff like this while you’re drunk?” You questioned, giggling in an attempt to play off what you were convincing yourself was a joke.

“I think it was reckless for me to not tell you this for years, but do you know how hard it is being away from someone you love while you’re touring? It really sucks.” You couldn’t help but laugh at that part, your eyes finally focusing to take in his entire appearance, a small gasp leaving your lips at how attractive he was, and not in the platonic way you’ve thought for the past four years.

“Coming home and seeing you is one thing I always look forward to. But coming home and being able to hold you, and kiss you, would really make it worthwhile.”

As Seonghwa leaned in, inching closer to press his lips to yours, your eyes closing instinctively as you waited for the much desired collision, everything felt so right. Until the two and a half bottles of wine he chugged finally caught up with him. He immediately pulled back and clenched his eyes shut, his throat burning as he felt the sudden urge to vomit, the sound of his retching slipping through his pursed lips and you immediately forgot this moment, rushing him to the nearest bathroom as he sob mentally at how everything went wrong so fast.

Yunho

(I’d commit crimes just to stand next to this man is2g)

You were mentally cursing at yourself for bringing Yunho to this wedding with you. You knew he would be drinking tonight but to get absolutely drunk seemed like a personal attack on you. You watched him stumble back towards you on the dance floor with a glass of dark liquor, a wide and goofy smile on his face as he stood behind you and wrapped an arm around your neck, laying his head onto yours with almost all of his weight. Whether it be that moment or carrying him to the car, you were going to be squished to death by the end of the night.

“Do you want some?” He asked cutely, bringing the glass to your lips before you shook your head, refusing as you finally managed to turn around in his grasp to face him.

“I’m driving, remember? But this doesn’t mean you can drink all you want.”

He whined as you snatched the glass from him before he could take a sip, giving a fake glare before smiling widely at you. In the blink of an eye, his arms moving down to your waist to hoist you up, a loud gasp leaving you as he pressed his lips to your face and neck repeatedly.

“You’re so cute when you’re bossy. You’re always trying to look after me.” He cooed into your neck, not letting up on his touchiness.

Your face was hot as you noticed a few acquaintances and family members looking in your direction, your eyes diverting in embarrassment.

“Get off, Yunho. People are looking at us.” You warned, using your free hand to push him away, his typical large puppy-like eyes and deep frown making your heart clench.

“Are you embarrassed of me?”

“No! I just don’t want everyone to get the wrong idea about us.”

“So what?!” You nearly jumped out of his arms from the outburst, but he wasn’t stopping yet.

“What if I want people to think we’re together? We’d be a great couple so it’d make sense! Why can’t we just be together now?”

A smirk slowly crept onto your face. Honestly, the idea didn’t sound half bad. Who wouldn’t want to be with a tall and attractive idol, especially one you’ve known most of your life? So you let him have his fun for the night, slowly growing used to his over the top clinginess and childlike playful nature, knowing you’ll have your own fun teasing him about it tomorrow.

Yeosang

You actually came to the small get together just a few minutes ago, Ateez and their staff sitting around the large table in the back of the restaurant and booze flowing through most of their veins at this point. Before you could take a seat, you heard a loud gasp and a(n attempted) whisper of your name, your head snapping to the source of the voice that just so happened to be your fairy-like friend.

“Why are you so late? You were supposed to be here sooner. I saved you a seat next to me.” He said while standing, watching as you slowly made your way to the seat he had refused anyone else to occupy.

The bittersweet part about drunk Yeosang was that he was the opposite of who he was in his everyday life. His emotions were laid out then and there, all of his clingy and desperate feelings towards you coming out as he clumsily tried to charm you. You loved it. It was adorable and sweet, even if he probably wouldn’t remember his actions in the morning. But tonight, he would do something that not even he would forget once sober.

You refrained from drinking in case the rest of the sober staff needed another designated driver, offering to take the boys yourself since you basically had a handle on them when they drink like this. You tried to grab more beef, Yeosang immediately grabbing your bowl and doing it for you while you playfully shoved him.

“Why do you keep doing that? I’m the one that’s supposed to take care of you tonight.”

“You’re always supposed to do things for the people you love.” He reassured, your hands holding his steady as he finally placed the bowl back onto the table.

“Why not help Mingi then? You two are like brothers.” You joked, motioning to the younger boy struggling to even grasp the food with his chopsticks properly.

“I’m not in love with Mingi.”

Your face was hot from how seriously he said it, and how he stared at you with such an intense yet unfocused gaze while doing it. Your face grew hotter once you realized a few people around the table were indeed staring, wondering what the next move would be now that he’s confessed. Yeosang was a bit bashful at this point, the alcohol making it easy to hide his blush, but he wasn’t going to backtrack on his words. Not even if he wanted to.

After a minute of waiting, everyone redirected their attention, even Yeosang looked away from you seeing that you weren’t responding, his typical reserved behavior returning and making you feel a bit guilty. Although you’d prefer a sober confession from him, you still felt like you owed him some kind of answer for now, even if you’d do it all over again when he was in the right state of mind. But being vocal about it in front of everyone here would just add to your demure. Yeosang still didn’t look up but gave a small smile at the feeling of your hand grabbing his beneath the table.

San

You could tell it was still pretty late at night so you let yourself fall deeper into slumber, ignoring the sounds of your front and bedroom doors opening and closing, the sound of clothing falling to the ground as well as the feeling of the side of your bed dipping in. You weren’t even alarmed when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist, pulling you into a bare torso that you happily snuggled into, the strong sent of alcohol burning your nose.

Until you realized you lived alone.

You shot up immediately and screamed, drawing your hand back to punch the intruder when you saw a disheveled San lying in bed, eyes closed and body curled slightly as he attempted to get comfortable.

“What the fuck are you doing here? And where are your clothes?” You growled, pushing at his head until he finally looked at you.

“Your place was closer than the dorms.” He croaked out, ignoring both your last question and angry scowl to pull you back down and onto his chest, your eyes not leaving his face.

“Closer from where exactly?”

“The bar.” You rolled your eyes and pushed yourself up, much to his dismay.

“You know I hate when you go out alone like this. Last time I had to get you from two towns over because the boys weren’t with you. Do you know how irresponsible and careless that is?” You scolded.

San had a bit of a habit when drinking: wandering off to unknown places with no plan. Sometimes he’d be with Wooyoung but he’d always end up calling you to pick him up just for you to find him alone, completely drunk yet smiling as if nothing were wrong. You weren’t angry at him, just scared. The idea he would be anywhere with anyone getting into God knows what kind of trouble made you stay away from his drunken activities entirely, not wanting to plague your mind with worse case scenarios. But now, you weren’t keeping this to yourself, his nonchalant attitude pissing you off more than you’d like it to.

“What if you end up miles away and some sasaengs kidnap you? Or what if you’re just kidnapped by anyone? Or worse? You can’t call me to get you if that happens.”

“You always think about the negative stuff.” He whined, sitting up and now fully engaging with you in your tirade.

“One of us has to since you don’t seem to care. I’m allowed to be worried about whether or not my friends stay safe.”

“If that’s all we are, then you shouldn’t care so much.” He said with a deep monotone voice and harsh glare.

San wasn’t always his usual happy self when he drank, sometimes he was serious, so serious it almost always intimidated you. So seeing his once hooded eyes open and staring straight into yours as if he wasn’t drifting off to sleep just a minute ago made you anxious, not sure if this would turn into an argument or he’d just let it go. But you didn’t want to back down from your half-assed intervention now.

“D-don’t confess to me just so we can change the subject.”

“I’m not confessing to you to change the subject, I’m confessing because I like you. I don’t want you to care about when I drink, I’ll always be safe when I go out, but I want you to care about me the way I care about you. Care about if we’re making each other happy, and if we’re not stressed after working all day. I don’t want you to care as my friend because you love me, just care about me because you’re in love with me.”

You felt like your head was spinning. Choi San, the boxer cladded male in your bed that stunk of what you could only assume was beer and rum, telling you he was in love with you in the most coherent and brilliant way possible, only to pass out not even a second later. You felt like you were in a fever dream yet you weren’t asleep, and you sure as well weren’t going to get any now that you were debating on if you were prepared to accept his feelings right away or wait until he told you properly before getting your hopes up.

Mingi

So many things were wrong with tonight, the first being that a housewarming party should never be this rowdy, especially when the host wasn’t around. The second thing? The host being pressed against their bedroom door as their best friend desperately made out with them.

You weren’t entirely sure how this all happened, one second you were doing shots and dancing in your living room, next you were yelling at Mingi for falling over and breaking the glass he was drinking from, and now you were shoving your tongue down his throat as he clumsily tried to pull off your shirt. You both reek of tequila and gin, both of you hesitating on continuing your kiss as the smell was a bit much, Mingi taking the initiative to remove his lips from yours, a gentle whimper leaving your mouth as you stared at him.

Your eyes were completely filled with lust, which excited and scared Mingi a bit, his own eyes soft as he examined you approaching him, attempting to remove his shirt but he stepped away immediately, your face dropping at the sudden shift in mood.

“What’s wrong?” You asked cautiously.

Mingi didn’t know how to respond. You were both intoxicated, sure, but he was still sober enough to know this isn’t what he wanted, at least not this way. He wanted to be with you for more than just one night and be more than just your best friend that you had a quick fling with. He wanted a relationship, something serious that 12 year old Mingi could’ve only hoped and dreamed for. At this moment, it was starting to feel like it would only remain a dream. Unless he did something completely spontaneous to throw both of you off. Which he did.

“Mingi, why are you crying?” You asked incredulously, rushing to wipe the tears falling from his face, honestly annoyed as you tried to suppress the sudden buildup of hormones from a few seconds prior.

“I don’t want to sleep with you.” He admitted, a wave of disappointment coming over you, but him changing his mind was nothing to be upset over.

“That’s fine, but you don’t have to cry about it.”

“You don’t get it. If we sleep together, then that’ll be it. We won’t have a genuine relationship because it’ll just be about sex, and I don’t want you to think I’m just using you when I ask you out because I really do like you.”

You sighed and wrapped your arms around him as he cried, wanting to be amused that your best friend was an emotional drunk, but flustered at the fact he actually wanted to have a relationship with you, suddenly the dreams of 12 year old you and 12 year old Mingi finally becoming reality.

“How about, if we aren’t too hungover tomorrow, we go on a real date? That way our relationship can be completely genuine.” A smile forming on your lips as he nodded slowly.

Considering you both went back to partying immediately after that conversation, you decided to have your date at home while suffering with your hangovers together.

Wooyoung

You rolled over in bed as your phone chimed for the fifth time in a row, a deep scowl on your face once it chimed once more, grabbing it from your side table to figure out who the hell would be bothering you at 3 in the morning.

“Fucking Wooyoung.” You mumbled as you read through the messages.

None of them made sense, except one asking if you were up. You were about to respond to ask what he wanted before your phone began to ring, your reflection staring back as Wooyoung was trying to FaceTime you, only to answer and see complete darkness.

“Wooyoung?”

“Huh?” You rolled your eyes.

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. Why are you texting and calling me? Do you know what time it is?”

“Ah! (Y/n)!” He said happily, your face grimacing once he finally put the camera on him. He was wasted.

“You were drinking, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. But I wanted to see you so I left.” He giggled slightly, turning behind him as if someone were following him.

“Wooyoung, where are you?” You asked, suddenly concerned once you realized he passed several streetlights and could have been anywhere and all alone.

“I’m at the k-“

“Wooyoung, where the hell are you going?!” Hongjoong yelled from a few feet away, trailing the younger boy with an annoyed look.

“I wanted to talk to (Y/n)!” Wooyoung called back, returning his focus to you and giving a large smile.

“You could’ve just called her in the hallway!”

“It’s still too loud! I wanted to hear their voice!”

You sat back quietly and listened to them go back and forth, Hongjoong finally catching up to him and forcibly dragging him back towards the karaoke bar they were at. Though you could understand why Hongjoong was upset, Wooyoung and San being known to wander off without the other’s knowing and not returning for hours sometimes, it was kinda sweet to hear that he was thinking of you while out with his group members.

“You’re seriously so childish.”

“You’ve just never been in love before.” Wooyoung said sullenly, his phone aimed downwards as he reentered the building.

You were glad he wasn’t staring at your expression, having head what he said but unsure if he even heard himself. Was he really in love with you? It seemed pretty hard to tell since he gave you the same amount of affection as everyone else, but sometimes he would go the extra mile just to make you happy, even without you asking, so maybe it was true. Or maybe you were getting ahead of yourself.

“(Y/n)!” Wooyoung whined, pouting as his eyes glanced over to Hongjoong who wasn’t leaving his side until they were back inside of their rented room.

“Hongjoong told me to call you later, so I’ll call you when I get home.”

“Call them tomorrow night so they can sleep.” You chuckled weakly at Hongjoong correcting him, biting your bottom lip as you decided to hold off on the many questions you had running through your head for when he was sober.

“Just have fun, okay? I love you and I’ll talk to you later.” You said quickly, hanging up before the moment lingered for too long, hoping he at least heard your own confession.

Jongho

You told him to come to the bar with you, to cut loose for once and have fun. You thought a few shots and a couple of beers would be enough to have him lose his typically uptight stature, you didn’t think you’d be stuck with an unstoppable faucet of pent up emotion.

Jongho spent the entirety of the night drinking and telling you his worries, although you didn’t mind letting him vent, you were just worried as his thoughts grew darker and weirder with each drink, you finally taking charge and leading him out of the bar and towards your car.

“Do you think I’ll do well in life?” He asked as you finally placed his seatbelt on before doing yours and starting the car.

“Of course I do. You’re doing great so far and, knowing you, you’ll keep it up.” You answered honestly, pulling out of the parking lot and heading towards his dorm.

Jongho continued to speak, you answering whenever he asked questions then remaining silent so he could pick up where he left off, until he brought up a topic that really caught your attention.

“Sometimes I think I won’t find true love as an idol. It’s so hard to show people the real me, so what if I find someone who expects me to be Ateez’s Jongho and I’m just regular Jongho?” You giggled softly, keeping your eyes focused on the road as you responded.

“If they can’t accept regular Jongho, they don’t deserve regular Jongho. But they should at least know regular and Ateez Jongho are a package deal and both are amazing.”

“But would you want to be with regular Jongho?” You stayed silent for a few seconds, partially because you weren’t expecting that question and partially because you’ve thought this over way too many times and didn’t think you’d be confessing so suddenly.

“I mean, of course. We’ve been friends since birth, we know each other so well. I feel like it’d make sense.”

Despite wanting that to be the end of the conversation, embarrassed to be spilling your heart out to someone who wouldn’t even remember this conversation the next day, Jongho persisted, sitting upright in his seat and looking in your direction, eyes practically burning a hole into your skin.

“So why don’t you?”

“I-“ This is the first question to stump you. What’s stopping you from dating Jongho?

“It’d just interfere with your idol life. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“I make time for you now so I’ll do the same when we’re together.”

“’When we’re together’?” You laughed loudly, suddenly enjoying the sudden boost of confidence.

“It might not be today, or tomorrow, or even for a couple of more years, but I know we’ll be together eventually. And I’ll wait for you until we are.”

You chose to stay quiet once more, the remainder of the car ride in silence as you thought over his words, still believing confessing to a drunk person, one that is now asleep against the passenger side window, would be the same as talking to a brick wall. It wouldn’t take years, but you knew soon you’d be with Jongho and, if he managed to remember this night at all, it’d surely be tomorrow.

[arcticfox007]

Giving the Best Gift

Destiel December Challenge 2020

Day 13: Ornaments

This is a continuation of previous challenge days. The masterpost can be found here or you can read it on AO3!

*Sorry I dropped off the map for a few days, RL stole me away*

***

               Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and while Sam was sad to say goodbye to Charlie, he’s extremely grateful for her help over the past few days. Not only did she sneak in more pictures of Dean and Cas than Sam had realized, she had also managed to get quite a few of their whole group. He hadn’t even realized she’d been taking pictures while they played Clue at the inn before they turned in for the night. Honestly, Charlie deserves credit for things going so well between Dean and Cas right now more than Sam. He was impressed that Dean took Cas on a date even if the angel seemed unaware that it had been a date. Either way, Sam thought that if the two of them were ever going to get over themselves and actually use words to communicate, now was the time.

               Sam’s one concern was that Dean still seemed to be careful around Cas when he thought Sam was looking. Maybe Charlie’s advice hadn’t been too far off, maybe Dean just needed to know that his brother was okay with him and Cas being together. Sure, Sam had tried to make that clear before, but Dean seemed particularly oblivious to all things involving feelings and Cas. Sam sat on his bed and looked at the doll he’d had made (well, altered really, there hadn’t been time for a completely custom order) and contemplated how best to approach his brother.

               Sam seized his opportunity a few hours later when Cas had been sent out on a supply run by Dean. Sam found Dean in the middle of working on his Christmas present for Cas, understanding now why Dean had sent the angel out on his own for food they didn’t really need.

               “Hey, do you need any help?” Dean turned at the sound of Sam’s voice and looked like he was thinking hard for a moment.

               “Yeah Sammy, I wanted to put lights up, Cas likes the ones on the Christmas tree. I mean, it’s easier to like the lights than the creepy antique ornaments, but I still think he’ll appreciate it.” Sam was happy to see how much thought Dean was putting into Cas’ gift.

               “No problem. By the way, do you mind if I jump onto your gift a bit? Just to help decorate, nothing fancy.” Dean raised an eyebrow at his brother but then he shrugged.

               “Sure. I’m showing this to Cas privately though, at first.” Sam smirked at his brother.

               “Privately, huh? Don’t worry, I can give you guys whatever alone time you need.” Sam couldn’t resist teasing Dean a little. Even so, he held out his hands to take the lights from Dean while he stood around with a stunned look on his face and got to work stringing them along the edges of the wall.

               “I didn’t mean it like that, bitch.”

               “Jerk. Sure, you did, and I’m really happy for you man.” Sam couldn’t help but smile as his brother mumbled incoherently for a moment, obviously not having any idea what to say. While Dean sorted himself out Sam finished up with the lights.

               “First Charlie, now you. Am I wearing a fucking sign or something?”

               “Pretty much, yeah. Honestly you and Cas are the only ones who seem to assume there’s nothing going on between you two.” Dean glowered at him, but Sam just smiled. “Actually, I kind of wanted to talk to you about the whole thing.” Dean looked at him suspiciously.

               “It’s not like anything has actually happened Sam. It’s not a big deal.”

               “It is though. Seeing you happy is a big deal to me Dean. Look, I just – I want you to know that seeing you making an effort to help Cas feel like he belongs, seeing Cas smiling more than I’ve ever seen him smile, seeing you really content – it’s all I want for you.” Sam waves at Dean to stop him from interrupting. “Look, wait here a sec.”

               Sam runs off before Dean can protest, but he’s back in less than a minute handing Dean a bag. Dean is still viewing Sam suspiciously but he opens the bag anyway. Sam takes a moment to enjoy the surprised but gleeful look on his brother’s face. The doll he pulls out has dark wings, brown hair, blue buttons for eyes, and a trench coat.

               “Seriously Sam? Where’d you even find this?” Sam’s grin widens at his brother’s laughter.

               “At a custom doll place, Charlie thought I was crazy when I said I was having a doll made for you. But I wanted to give you something to tell you that I support you. Both of you. And you were right, we do already have an angel, but the real one can’t stay on top of the tree. You can tie it to the tree with the belt of the coat.” Smugly, Sam reflected on how he was the absolute best at giving presents.

***

               Castiel returned to the bunker to hear the Winchesters arguing over something about the tree. Cas dropped off the food in the kitchen and took another bag with him to see what was going on. Absurdly, he walked in on them standing back to admire the new tree topper – which was apparently him. Castiel wasn’t sure whether to laugh or glower. He settled for asking them what in the world was going on. Dean rubbed his hand on the back of his head while Sam pointedly looked elsewhere.

               “Uh- yeah, so Sam got us a tree topper. Of, well, the angel that actually watches over us. And – yeah…” Dean trailed off, obviously concerned about Cas’ reaction to the whole thing. Cas stares them down for another minute before breaking into a smile.

               “I like it. Although I’d prefer you don’t pack him away with those terrible ornaments when Christmas is over.” Sam laughs and Dean sighs in relief.

               “Don’t worry, Dean can keep him in his room.” Dean and Cas both turn somewhat pinker at Sam’s words, but the angel is pleased to notice that Dean doesn’t protest. Cas feels another pulse of grace warm and heal his wings, and he happily shares the box of Scooby-Doo ornaments he found at the store with his friends.

***

@galaxycastiel, @jellydeans, @nguyenxtrang, @my-favourite-hellatus

[queerbutstillhere-writes]

Day 7 - Roommates/there was only one bed/creators choice

"Okay! This is the last box from the truck!"

"What is it?"

"I dunno, it's Bart's, and I can't read their handwriting."

Tim walked over, looking at the cardboard box in Kon's hands, tilting his head to read the label.

"Oh, it's like clothes and blankets," he said, pointing towards the stairs.

"Okay, where is Bart anyway?"

"They went to get dinner," Cassie responded, looking over from where she was rearranging the living room, with occasional input from Tim, who was setting up the wifi router, because that was the most important thing.

"Of course they did."

Kon carried the box into the bedroom, setting it down against the wall and then walking back out, over to Tim.

"What do you need, babe?"

"Uh, I don't know. Ask Cassie," Tim responded, barely looking up.

"How about you go start assembling the table, lord knows we'll need that first."

"Yes ma'am."

Kon followed orders and walked into the kitchen, finding the kitchen table that had been disassembled when it was delivered. He found the toolbag and sat down, starting to piece it together.

The four of them, Tim, Kon, Bart, and Cassie had all decided to move in together, and after much debating, they ended up settling in San Francisco, because they were close to base, and Kon and Tim were both going to a college there. The apartment they got, mostly thanks to Tim, was huge, two floors, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Now you may be thinking, three bedrooms isn't really enough for four people! And you're correct, however, three of those four were hopelessly in love and were all snuggle bugs, so all they needed was a big bed and they were set. Cassie was not involved in this relationship, but still loved her dumb best friends, and was more then happy to move in with them when the invitation was offered.

"Hey! I'm back with food!"

A burst of red light zipped through the kitchen and take and bake pizza boxes were left on the counter in its wake.

"Bart!" An alarmed shout echoed from Tim, followed by a dull thud.

"Bart!" Cassie's was more of an amused complaint.

Then the red streak was back, plopping itself down in Kon's lap.

"Hi!"

"Hello angel," Conner replied, amusedly, he set down his tools and wrapped his arms around Bart, hugging them tightly.

"Watcha working on?"

"The table. Cassie wanted to be able to actually eat like civilized people."

"Does she even know us?"

Conner laughed, kissing Bart's cheek.

"Why don't you start unpacking the dishes?"

"Okay!"

Bart jumped off, and ran away to snag a box. They started unpacking them at what seemed like a hazardous speed, but Kon knew they were being careful. He just returned to attaching the base of the table, making sure it was tight before standing and setting it up, placing the chairs around it and then gathering his tools.

"Aww, hey, guys come here!" Cassie called.

When Kon and Bart entered the living room, she was in one of Tim's boxes, pulling out pictures and other decorations.

"Look at how tiny we were!" She exclaimed, holding up a couple pictures.

The first few were of them when they had just started Young Justice, just the four of them. Bart, still absolutely tiny, was even smaller, they looked like an actual child next to Kon in all the photos.

"And look at this one!"

She held up a photo of Tim and Bruce, both in formal wear, Tim with his hair recently cut short for the first time, and properly fitted in his first suit.

"Oh my God."

Kon snatched it, staring at tiny Tim. "Babe! Look at you!"

"Kon," Tim whined, grabbing at it.

Bart snatched it and zipped across the room.

"Look at the tiny closeted baby," Bart cooed, grinning with glee.

"Oh like you were any better!"

"And besides, he had literally just came out?" Kon said with a laugh, walking towards the box to look at more photos.

"Yeah as trans! Not as gay though."

Tim lunged and snatched it. "If you two are done in the kitchen, why don't you go start unpacking your clothes and stuff."

"Okay!" Bart zipped over and jumped up on Kon's back. "Let's go!"

Kon laughed, carrying Bart upstairs. They got through all of one box of Kon's clothes before Bart kept pulling them on and causing Kon to simultaneously get annoyed and laugh. About the time Bart had four or five of his shirts and hoodies on, Kon grabbed them and pinned them to the bare mattress, kissing them and then pulling off a shirt, kissing them again, and then pulling off one more, doing this until he reached Bart's original shirt.

"You're forgetting one," Bart said with an impish grin.

"No."

They both looked up to Tim who was standing in the doorway, shaking his head.

"I knew you guys wouldn't get any actual work done."

"I think he's jealous," Bart whispered, grinning still.

"I'm not- no. Can we just actually unpack?" Tim asked, sentences a little clipped, less amused then he usually was by their shenanigans.

"Baby, are you stressed?" Kon asked, not moving from his position, holding Bart down.

"A little okay?"

"Okay."

So they obeyed orders and started nicely unpacking, hanging up clothes or putting them in the dresser, while Tim went about making the bed, getting the sheets all smooth and nice and arranging the obscene amount of pillows. By the time they had gotten mostly done with Bart's stuff, they had gotten bored and zipped downstairs to annoy Cassie.

"You guys have too many clothes," Tim said with a huff, looking at the mostly full dressers.

"You say as if my clothing is not going to be stolen by both of you. Besides, most your clothes hang up."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Come here, Tim, take a breather."

Kon reached out, grabbing Tim and pulling him with his TTK, until he could physically grab his wrist and pull him down onto his lap.

"It'll be okay. We don't have to unpack everything now, yeah? All your books and stuff can stay in their boxes for the day, we can do those tomorrow."

"I just don't like things feeling incomplete," Tim sighed out, glancing away.

"It'll be fine. It'll give you something to do when you're struggling with insomnia," Kon promised, kissing him, a hand sliding up under his shirt, fingers brushing over layers of scars hidden there, two particular scars far more important than others.

Tim sighed and pulled away, plopping his head down on Kon's shoulder.

"I'm tired."

"I know."

Conner gently rubbed his back, resting their heads together.

"What else absolutely needs done?" Conner asked.

"The bathroom, and I need to get my clothes out so they don't wrinkle even more."

"Okay. I'll go do the bathroom, you do your clothes and then we should eat."

Tim nodded in agreement. He pulled away, kissed Conner lightly and then sliding off his lap, turning and starting to pull clothes out of boxes, and hanging or folding them as appropriate. Kon made his way into their bathroom, finding the one box of supplies for it and starting to unpack it, putting all the appropriate supplies in their places. They all had their various bathroom routine type things that were in little travel type bags, that he just set on the counter and left alone for now.

He got done before Tim, so he went to the kitchen and turned on the oven.

"Watcha doing?"

Kon jumped and looked over at Bart who appeared next to him.

"Starting dinner."

"Oh! Good I'm hungry."

"Bart, you're always hungry," Cassie said, walking in.

"I knowwwww," they whined, dramatically throwing themself at Kon, who laughed and easily caught them.

"I vote after dinner we go get some groceries," she said, looking at their barren fridge.

"Why don't you take Tim with you?" Kon suggested. "He's getting pretty stressed. Bart and me will stay here and finish unpacking the kitchen."

"Is he okay?"

"I think so, I dunno, I didn't press him too much."

Cassie nodded. "I'm gonna go unpack my things, don't destroy anything while I'm gone."

"Okay."

"We won't!"

Bart squirmed until they could slide out of Kon's arms. "I'm gonna go set up the PlayStation."

So Kon was left alone in the kitchen. He waited for the oven to heat up and then put the pizza's in. Tim came down at some point, unsurprisingly wearing Kon's previously discarded hoodie. He went and curled up with Bart on their huge sofa, Kon smiled at them softly, standing in the doorway and watching as Bart played The Outer World's, their head against Tim's chest, whose arms were wrapped around them.

"Watch your left," Tim murmured softly, nose pressed into Bart's hair.

"I see it," came the equally soft response.

Bart only ever seemed to slow down like this when Tim needed them like this. Kon knew bursts of energy would be coming later, but for now he'd enjoy this sweet moment.

Dinner was eaten with an episode of Queer Eye playing, and then Cassie managed to convince Tim to go shopping with her. As promised, Bart and Kon cleaned up from dinner and then finished putting away all the kitchen supplies. They then took the enormous amount of cardboard moving boxes to the nearest recycling station. When they got back to the apartment, they curled up on the sofa to wait for the other two to get back, turning on some evening crime show just for kicks.

Later that evening, after groceries got put away, and everyone had taken showers and gotten ready for bed, Kon found himself with the task of catching Bart, who had in fact, as predicted, gone spastic. Tim was already in bed, granted he was just working, but at least he was in bed. Kon tried to catch Bart, who kept phasing past him, for almost five minutes before he finally just immobilized them with his TTK and then scooped the limp speedster up, carrying them upstairs to their room. Cassie was in there, talking to Tim. Or more of talking at Tim.

"Konnnn," Bart whined, yet wasn't trying to struggle, Kon knew this because he was no longer having to restrain his datefriend.

"It's time to go to bed," Kon told them, gently laying them next to Tim.

"Only if Timmy comes to bed with us," Bart whined, flopping over against Tim.

"Bart, you know that's not fair to him," Kon said softly.

Bart just pouted up at Tim, getting in the way of his work until he had to look at the ginger. He just chuckled.

"I'll try."

"Yay!"

Cassie gently shoulder bumped Kon as she passed.

"Night guys! Don't get too wild!" She called with a giggle, waving over her shoulder.

"Night Cassie!" They all called together, watching her leave and shut the door.

Tim closed his laptop as Bart snuggled under the covers next to him, and Kon pulled off his hoodie, waiting for them both to be ready before flicking off the lights and getting in next to Bart. There was no hesitation to squish Bart in the middle of their cuddling.

"Night, Bart, night Tim," Kon murmured softly, giving them each a kiss.

"Night Kon," they both murmured back, more tired then either realized.

Kon just chuckled, throwing an arm across Bart until his hand was resting on Tim's waist. He heard Bart's breathing soften as they drifted off to sleep, but Tim stayed tightly curled around Bart for a while, indicating that he was still awake. Kon didn't try talking to him, knowing that this happened a lot and eventually he'd drift off or get up and go find work to do in another room. Kon did eventually drift off to sleep, but his dreams were full of nightmares and he kept waking up.

Unsurprisingly, one of the times when he woke up, he found Tim missing, but he didn't go searching, just moved to pull Bart closer to him again. The speedster immediately snuggled back into him, not disturbed at all by the shift in position. And Kon just slipped back into sleep as easily as he had woken from it.

The next morning he found that Tim had replaced Bart, snuggled up against him, face on Kon's bare chest. One arm was over his stomach, his leg over Kon's. It didn't seem very comfortable but Tim was sleeping peacefully, his cheek squished up by Kon's pec.

Kon chuckled to himself and carefully, using his TTK, moved Tim so he was laying on the mattress instead of his own body. He slipped out of the bed, leaving Tim with a kiss on the head, and then he headed out after grabbing his phone.

Downstairs, Cassie was already making breakfast. She glanced up at him and rolled her eyes.

"Kon, am I going to have to deal with you coming down shirtless every morning?"

"Maybe?" Kon grinned at her. "Where's Bart?"

"Out for a run, I think."

Kon hummed, pouring himself some coffee, then walking past Cassie and stealing a piece of bacon.

"Hey! Asshole!"

Conner just laughed and stuck his tongue out at her. She shook her head.

"How was the first night in the new bed?"

"Oh it was fine, I guess? Nightmares."

She hummed sympathetically and glanced over at him. 

"Did they others-?"

"I think Bart was out of it, but Tim was gone a lot."

"Checks out, I woke up at one point and saw some lights on out here, so he was probably working."

"Was anything else put up? He might have been unpacking," Kon asked with a chuckle.

"Didn't notice, just came right in here."

Kon and Cassie chatted for a bit while she made breakfast, just about random things while Kon checked all his phone notifications.

After a bit, Bart returned from their run, hot and sweaty and carrying fresh donuts. They just kissed Kon on the cheek, hip bumped Cassie and disappeared upstairs to take a shower. And when they returned, Tim was stumbling after them, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

"Hey! Good morning, handsome," Kon called, reaching out to tug Tim to him, pulling him close and pressing his head against Tim's chest.

Tim just rubbed his eyes and leaned into him, reaching a free hand up to run it through Kon's hair. He mumbled something that vaguely sounded like good morning, and Kon just chuckled.

"Bart, baby?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you get him some coffee?"

Bart quickly fetched Tim his lightly sweetened coffee in his favorite Nightwing mug, and Tim kissed the top of Kon's head before moving to sit at the table by himself, rubbing his eyes. Bart and Cassie quickly plated breakfast for everyone and they all started eating together for maybe the last time in a while. Cassie would be starting working here soon, Kon and Tim's college started in the next three weeks, and Bart was still trying to decide what they'd be doing. But eventually, adult life would catch up with them, and they'd be no better then their mentors.

So they took it nice and slow and enjoyed their breakfast together.

The rest of their day was slow and easy and was mostly just more unpacking. They met the other Teen Titans at the base for dinner, and spent all evening with them.

And the next morning, when Kon woke up to the sound of sirens, Bart and Tim were on the other side the bed, tangled together, peacefully sleeping through the wailing. Kon just smiled and got up, quietly changing and then slipping out so he could jump off their balcony, going to save the day, as Superboy always would.

@core-disaster-week-2020 originally written for @hyperactive-lectiophile

[naitiaclo960writings]

Day 14 - Fun & Games

The evening was already well advanced when Dean decided to turn off his computer and take a break from his essay. That last year at engineering degree was starting to give him a hard time and, frankly, he was looking forward to graduating and being hired somewhere. Hopefully, he would find a job in the same city and not have to look for another apartment.

It’s been 3 years since he shared a place with his best friend Castiel and things suited him perfectly like they were. Castiel had already been in the active life for two years, working as a heritage officer at the Kansas City Museum, but sharing the rent of their apartment was a relief for everyone. Moreover, they had now settled into a comfortable routine that gave rhythm to their lives in the most pleasant way. Most often, they would invite friends on Friday nights and spend an evening together over a beer. Saturday was reserved for a video game night where Castiel often ended up winning and bequeathing his dishes tour of the week to Dean. Sunday night was a mix of movies and popcorn while Tuesday was a board game night. On Wednesdays, finally, they always ordered from the Japanese caterer on the corner of the street and zapped between Netflix and YouTube until they were too tired to put away their plates and left them on the coffee table in the living room.

Dean stretched out at his desk before he got up. He quietly shut off his laptop and put down the glasses he used for work on top, massaging the back of his neck gently. When he turned off the light from his desk, his room was plunged into darkness and, as if to confirm the late hour, his belly began to grumble softly.

"Okay…" He sighed while putting a hand on his belly. It was time for him to return to the real world.

Outside, he heard Castiel moving a few pots and he smiled softly. He could always count on his friend to cook for them when he was too immersed in his own classes to care, and truly, Castiel was not such a bad cook as he claimed. Dean walked blindly to his door and opened it to a good smell of melted cheese. Growling with envy and a tenfold appetite, he approached the kitchen to find his roommate tidying up some kitchen utensils, the oven gently purring behind him. Dean leaned against the central island with a relaxed smile.

"What’s up, chief?" Dean asked, raising his voice in the hope of surprising Castiel.

The latter did not even jump, probably having heard him arrive without showing it. He put away the spatula he had in his hand before responding to Dean with a smile on his face.

"Four cheeses Mac’n’Cheese!" Castiel proudly announced, turning to him.

"Wow." Dean said, raising his eyebrows, truly surprised. "And what did I do to deserve one of my favorite comfort foods tonight?"

Castiel smiled even more and shrugged, returning to his storage. He took the time to rinse a knife before answering.

"You hardly left your room in the afternoon, I thought you might need a pick-me-up."

And it was as simple as that. It has now been 7 years since Dean and Castiel met, they had found each other at school and had not really left each other since. As a result, Castiel was obviously able to read Dean like an open book and the opposite was also true. They were confidants for each other, brothers almost, pillars on which to lean when everything went too fast around them. Dean and Castiel had actually painted the town red in high school before going to enter together into the terrifying life of a student or, for Castiel, an active worker. Above all, they had always been there for each other. Dean had been more than present during the divorce of Castiel’s parents and the ensuing family debacle, he had even taken his friend out of a very bad drug past for which Castiel would be forever grateful. Castiel, meanwhile, had supported Dean when Mary Winchester had lost her battle against a disease and John spent about most of his time at the bar, drowning his grief while his sons remained helpless at home. Dean no longer counted the number of times Castiel had welcomed him and Sam into his home simply to give them a break from everything else.

Such events bound destinies for a long time when they were lived like this. However, although Dean cherished his friendship with Castiel more than anything, he had to face reality about a year earlier. Dean was not particularly known for his long introspections, but he was obliged to admit after several months of living together that his friendship with Castiel had perhaps turned into a more concrete and disabling feeling in his situation.

Okay, maybe he had a thing for Castiel. A little bit. Okay, good time! He wasn’t even sure it was mutual, so he certainly wasn’t going to waste 7 years of friendship on a simple… feeling? For God’s sake, he had spent whole evenings struggling with this very question, thinking about it again and again until he got migraines, and he had finally come to the conclusion that if he did not have absolute confirmation of the reciprocity of his feelings, then he wouldn’t try anything. It may have been giving up without a fight, but whatever he had was too valuable to make decisions lightly. It was not even certain that Castiel liked men! Well, yes, perhaps, his friend qualified himself as"pansexual". What Dean always said to him was that it was just "being a fucking care bear, but more complicated, just to piss me off."

Anyway, after months of internal debate, Dean always found himself in the middle of that kitchen, with a best friend and roommate he loved a little more every day, but to which he had to continue pretending to maintain the ideal routine in which they had settled. Dean smiled tenderly at Castiel, who had now finished tidying up the kitchen and, realizing that he might have been staring at him for a little too long now, he sighed and went to the couch to choose their program.

They ate in a good mood in front of a horror film so lame that Dean was seized with a hysterical laugher in the middle and nearly choked on a macaroni. For dessert, Dean got up and came back with two ice creams — vanilla for him and a much more sophisticated taste for Castiel like wild mango or whatever — to finish their meal. Surprisingly, Dean was not particularly tired despite his long day of work and considering the energy that Castiel still had in front of the film, neither was his friend. When the credits began to scroll on the screen, Dean sighed.

"What time do you start tomorrow?" He asked in an innocent tone.

Castiel stretched out on the couch before falling back heavily into it.

"At 11:00, I’m closing." He said, grimacing. "But I won’t be spitting on some extra sleep, really."

Dean let out a contemplative "mmh" before turning to his friend.

"Does that mean you’re up for continuing the night a little longer? I’m starting late tomorrow too, and I admit that I’d like to enjoy the last few hours of the weekend without thinking about my damn essay." Dean pouted.

At these words, Castiel laughs softly and Dean already knew his answer by the expression of his face alone.

"What do you propose?" Castiel asked, raising a defiant eyebrow.

Dean took a short moment to think before his gaze landed on the drawer in which all their board games rested. Immediately, his brain set out to lead him towards an idea that would gradually stretch a malicious smile on his face. Of course, he had long established that he could not reveal his feelings to Castiel, but that did not mean that he could not take advantage of them here and there when the opportunity presented itself.

"A card game?" Dean suggested, turning an angelic face to Castiel again. "Do you know how to play poker?"

Castiel frowned and tilted his head slightly to the side, as was always the case when a situation confused him somehow.

"Uh… I can’t say I do, no. It always seemed rather complicated to me when I saw you playing that during parties." Castiel replied slowly, his blue and curious eyes fixed on Dean.

"It’s pretty simple once you understand the basics!" Dean assured, already bending over to open the drawer with his plan still in mind. "I can teach you if you want, it’ll save you from getting ripped off by Gabriel the next time we play."

As he hoped, these words seemed to unlock something in Castiel’s mind, for his friend straightened himself up with new interest before nodding.

"Okay, but only on one condition." He said, raising his eyebrows. "We don’t bet money. I already have to pay Charlie back because of our last night together."

Dean laughs softly at the mention of that stupid bet that Castiel had royally lost while he was reinstalling himself on the couch with the card game in hand.

"Okay, okay. That’s fine with me. But we still need to spice things up or poker is a lot less fun." He pretended to think for a moment under Castiel’s innocent gaze before resuming. "For lack of something better... we can consider a strip poker?"

As these words left his mouth, Dean felt his heart speed up in his chest. Of course, he had already seen Castiel half-naked many times before, and although he had always appreciated what he saw there, he had to admit that this context would be otherwise amusing. Nevertheless, Castiel remained forbidden and inexpressive so long before him that Dean quickly lost his smile.

"I mean, no… Of course not, I was joking. What-"

"Strip poker works for me." Castiel cut off.

His friend had answered so confidently that Dean was caught off guard for a moment before he could recover. Castiel agreed with his idea, really?

"But it’s quite uneven." Castiel replied, pouting. "You already know the rules, I’ll be naked in less than ten minutes."

That’s the idea, Dean thought. But as he still had compassion for Castiel, he looked around before he got up.

"Mix the cards, I’ll come back." He said to Castiel.

Quickly, he arrived in the kitchen and began searching in the cupboard just below the central island.

"Do we have any bottles left from Friday?" Dean asked as his eyes swept over the contents of the closet.

"I think Benny left a bottle of sherry, yes." Castiel replied from the living room.

Dean sighed and rolled his eyes. Sherry, seriously… Did Benny think he was a modern-day pirate or something?

"It’s an insult to call Sherry alcohol when you’re under 40, but… fine." Dean said while grabbing the said bottle before heading out in search of tumblers.

"It’s more of a set of brandy-cut wines, actually, but you did you know that-"

"Cas." Dean sighed again as he returned to the salon with his findings.

He did not need to look in the direction of Castiel to know that he had rolled his eyes heavily. Dean reinstalled himself in the sofa and placed the sherry bottle and the tumblers on the coffee table. He began his explanation while serving the first cup.

"Well, the rules are simple. If you lose a turn in poker, you take off one piece of clothing and the last one naked wins." He grabbed another tumbler. "However... Since I am an extremely nice and magnanimous teacher, we will have three jokers each." Dean pointed to the liquor bottle. "Therefore, if you lose a match, you have the right to choose to drink a shot bottom up rather than take off clothes. We’ll have three jokers each for the whole night. Is that all right, Mr. Know-it-all?"

Castiel did not pay attention to the comment and watched Dean pour the last shot with special attention. He seemed to be much more focused than he wanted to appear until then, and Dean restrained a smile. Castiel had always been a competitor.

"If the three jokers are only usable for the whole evening, then three is not enough." Castiel protested. "I really don’t know anything about it! Allow us at least five? Please?" He added with a more than pronounced pleading expression that came straight to Dean’s heart.

He rolled his eyes before taking out four new cups.

"Yeah, yeah, if you want. Five jokers each then, but don’t expect that to save you from not exposing those gorgeous leopard panties that I gave you for Thanksgiving last year." Dean replied with a mocking smile.

Castiel pushed him with his foot from the other end of the couch and kept his mouth shut on the fact that he, at least, was not knowingly buying Scooby-Doo underwear. Nevertheless, he let go of the remark and straightened himself up on the couch as Dean began to deal the cards. Judging by the smile on Dean’s face, he was more than confident.

* * *

Turns out Castiel was either a damn good liar or he had a freaking knack for poker. Dean continued to bitch in his corner while he was already in his underwear and socks on the couch, his five empty sherry glasses on the coffee table while three on Castiel’s side were still full. Not to mention the fact that Castiel was still perfectly dressed and even sprawled out among the blankets in a casual attitude that only offended Dean more.

He himself was curled up and kept staring at his cards with a sullen expression, alcohol already making him spin his head to make matters worse.

"You’re sulking." Castiel unnecessarily remarked as he was knocking down other cards on their improvised playground.

"I’m not- Damn it, seriously!" Dean suddenly exclaimed in a raging gesture as Castiel won that round again." Dude, I don’t have any more clothes to take anything off!"

Castiel raised an almost cruel eyebrow.

"You still have your socks. Why didn’t you take them off first anyway?" He asked, tilting his head one more time to the side.

Dean simply groaned as an answer and placed his card game with ill-humor on the armrest of the couch. The truth was that he had always been a little chilly in their apartment, whatever the temperature indicated by the thermometer, but he preferred to stand naked in front of Castiel ten times than to admit it in person. Eventually, he began to pull on his left sock reluctantly before letting the poor piece of cloth fall to the ground. If he got sick because of that damn game he started himself, he’d never play poker again.

By attending to his friend’s obvious bad faith, Castiel had to restrain a smile. Eventually, poker was quite instinctive according to him and he even enjoyed playing it now.

"We do one last game before we go to sleep?" Castiel asked, putting the cards together and mixing them again.

Dean sighed loudly.

"What, so I can go back to my room barefoot and bare-bottomed?" Dean grumbled.

Castiel rolled his eyes and began dealing the cards in silence, ignoring Dean’s bad loser attitude and his naked and shivering body before him for a moment. He briefly thought about an alternative before biting his inner cheek with apprehension considering to the direction in which his thoughts were going. Maybe these two sherry cups finally got to his brain... Castiel had never held his liquor very well. However, he was the first to be surprised — and mortified — by the forbidden words that came out of his mouth:

"I have another idea. For the last match, I’ll give you an extra joker." Castiel began, feeling a knot in his stomach as to the turn the events would soon take.

"Mmh?" Dean replied with a questioning look, his curiosity obviously bringing him a new interest.

"If I beat you again on this game…" He handed Dean a few cards, face down. "You will have the right to refuse to take your clothes off. But in that case, you will have to trust me and let me… challenge you? 

Dean raised an eyebrow before turning completely to Castiel, sitting cross-legged on the couch. He remained silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and finally grabbing the cards that Castiel handed him.

"… Will I regret it again?" Dean asked seriously.

Castiel swallowed. He had no good answer to this question. Was he himself certain of what he was doing? Not at all. But he needed Dean to play tonight, because right now, he felt brave.

"No." He lied.

Dean seemed to gauge him for a moment before finally nodding. Thus, another game engaged in a silence filled with concentration. Both of them knew there was a real stake in this game even though Dean was advancing blindly this time. No matter the outcome of the game, he already knew that he would choose Castiel’s challenge, just because he was a player and possessed a curiosity far too strong for his own good. Moreover, this redness that he had thought had subtly appeared on Castiel’s face when he had imposed his condition did not cease to come to torture his mind. He needed to know.

Of course, as if it had been bound to happen, Dean would put his cards down on the couch just to see his chances of winning be wiped out by Castiel a few seconds later. His shoulders dropped heavily, the adrenaline of the game diminishing to give way to defeat. He did not say a word, hardly surprised though, and looked up at Castiel who offered him a compassionate smile. Dean sighed and clasped his hands before him, shrugging.

"Okay Doc Holliday, you got me cowboy…" Dean pouted. "Okay… Joker. What should I do?"

Castiel suddenly seemed nervous in front of him, which did not help Dean relax. He frowned slightly, uncertain, while Castiel laid all the cards on the table.

"I.... I need you to close your eyes. It has to be a surprise or I.... Anyway. Close your eyes please." Castiel stuttered in front of him.

Dean watched him for a moment without saying anything before finally taking a discreet breath and closing his eyes. As soon as the living room disappeared around him, Castiel’s beautiful face faded behind his eyelids as he tried to ignore his crazy heart beating in his chest. The atmosphere had suddenly become special in their apartment, and this since Castiel had brought up the challenge. Dean’s instincts were yelling at him that this was the ultimate time to trust his friend, because something important was going to happen. He could not explain it more than that, he knew it, that’s all.

Dean remained as calm as possible as he tried to listen to what was going on around him. In the first place, only Castiel’s quick breathing made itself heard while Dean remained straight in his place, gently squeezing his hands against each other to control the nerves that he felt rising in him. After a few seconds, he heard movement in front of him and felt the couch rise a little, as if his friend had just changed position. Suddenly, he felt this same rapid breath close to his face and frowned gently, confused. When he could endure it no longer, Dean opened his mouth slightly to ask the question that he was dying to ask before his lips were covered by warm, wet others. Sweet and yet trembling.

Dean opened wide, astonished eyes, in shock as his heart missed another beat. Immediately, he fell upon Castiel’s face, gently close to his own, and swallowed a surprised exclamation which had gone up his throat. The kiss was not really one while Castiel quickly stepped back with nervousness to look into Dean’s eyes, their faces still close and frozen in the moment. Dean looked at Castiel who was looking back at him and everything was crumbling around them in a silence filled with electricity and unspoken confusion. Dean felt like dying and being reborn at the same time, silently in that body that suddenly seemed so narrow to him.

"You…?" Dean whispered, even if he never managed to finish his sentence.

Castiel feverishly licked his lower lip before shaking his head imperceptibly, the face so devastated by the fear of rejection at the moment that Dean felt like he had fallen into his worst nightmare. He could not bear such an expression on Castiel’s face, Cas who had kissed him, Cas who was afraid of his reaction, Cas who cared for him right now. Castiel who loved him.

In a surge of combativeness and surely relief, Dean filled the space between their mouths again and slipped one of his hands to the back of Castiel’s neck to keep him close, preventing him from escaping this time. Once the surprise has passed for Castiel, Dean could almost see his whole body lighten up and melt into their shared kiss. This simple contact seemed to open so many doors that they were too blind to see before that Dean almost had his head spinning. Did Cas have at least as much desire as he had for him the whole time? He tightened his grip around his roommate’s body, he needed to hold on to something so he wouldn’t fall right away.

But he fell anyway when Castiel gently pushed him onto the sofa so that he lay down under him. Later that night he fell again into this large bed in Castiel's room, his lips unable to leave the body of the other as if he desired to make every inch of him feel loved. He fell and fell and fell all night long, tumbling down into the most exquisite and liberating of the falls as a smile split their two faces in the frenzy of the moment. Dean kept falling, but he didn’t do it alone, clinging to the one thing he had never hoped for in recent years and that he could finally touch with his fingers now.

Finally, he was unable to remain angry with Castiel for having beaten him at poker, just as he was unable to detach himself from him that night. As the sun’s rays filtered through the closed shutters of Castiel’s room, Dean gently caressed his lover’s face in the hollow of the pillow with a new, fascinated tenderness. He barely waited until Castiel opened his eyes to steal another kiss before whispering against his lips.

"Hey… I have no fucking idea what happened to my remaining sock yesterday."

When Castiel let out a hoarse chuckle before drawing him closer to himself, Dean promised to do everything to hear this sound every morning now. They were going to need more games night from now on…

* * * @winchester-reload​

Yep, I’m late haha, sorry! It took me a while to write this one but no worries, I’ll post day 15 and day 16 today too. I’m really proud of this OS, don’t hesitate to come and talk about it with me in the comments!

You can find the whole series on Ao3

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